Bidding is now open on Fasig-Tipton Digital for the Magnolia Racing Syndicate Flash Sale, a two-horse digital auction offering horses in training. The sale uniquely offers a pair of 2-year-old colts – both owned by Magnolia Racing Syndicate LLC and trained in Ireland by Joseph O'Brien – that finished first and second in the same maiden race in Ireland on June 17.
LAKOTA SEVEN (IRE) (Hip 1): Racing greenly from the widest draw, he showed an impressive turn of foot in the stretch to finish a strong second while closing into a soft pace. By G1 Phoenix S. winner Sioux Nation, his collector's pedigree includes Grade 1 winners Senure, Speak in Passing, and champions Rags to Riches, Peeping Fawn, and Xaar. Consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent.
GOA GAJAH (Hip 2): Made the lead in a paceless race to draw away to a 2 1/2-length victory. A Kentucky-bred son of BAL A BALI (BRZ), a Brazilian Triple Crown winner and multiple G1 winning miler in the U.S., he is out of a full sister to multiple graded stakes winner and track record-setter Optimizer. His elite Phipps pedigree includes current undefeated multiple Grade 1 winner Flightline. Consigned by Paramount Sales, agent.
“This is another exciting first for Fasig-Tipton Digital, offering two horses owned and trained by the same connections that finished first and second in the same maiden race in Ireland,” said Leif Aaron, Fasig-Tipton Director of Digital Sales. “Both horses offer exciting and lucrative racing opportunities, particularly in Europe or this summer in the United States.
Each horse's catalogue page provides photos, walking videos, race replays, and other useful resources. Prospective buyers may also schedule in-person inspections in Ireland by contacting each horse's consignor.
With thousands of airline flights canceled across the country over the past holiday weekend, many would-be vacationers can identify with the subject of this week's column: Stolen Holiday.
This highly pedigreed daughter of leading sire War Front (by Danzig), however, isn't a taker. She's a giver, and she gave an impressive front-running performance in the Grade 3 Eatontown Stakes at Monmouth Park on June 18. The bay 5-year-old led at every call under Jose Lezcano, and after she had set opening fractions of :25.51 and :25.10, the message was clear to those chasing her: come with your running booties on.
Stolen Holiday clearly had hers. The third and fourth quarters were raced in :23.61 and :22.37, with the final sixteenth in :05.71. In a beautifully ridden example of “waiting in front,” the Eatontown showed a pace profile very similar to a European event (steady early, fast late), and nothing got closer to Stolen Holiday than her stablemate Vigilantes Way (Medaglia d'Oro), who won this race a year ago and was a length behind at the wire this time.
Bred in Kentucky by Orpendale (one of the Coolmore associated entities), Stolen Holiday was sold for $750,000 out of the Denali Stud consignment at the 2018 Keeneland September yearling sale. The Eatontown was the mare's first stakes victory and her fourth success from 10 starts.
Owned by Annette Allen, wife of Joe Allen, who bred and raced War Front, Stolen Holiday was unraced at two, then won a maiden from a pair of starts at three. Patience paid off, however, and the athletic filly has progressed steadily for trainer Shug McGaughey to work through some conditions, place second in the Sand Springs Stakes at Gulfstream, and now become a graded stakes winner.
That credit on her record is extremely important because Stolen Holiday is the fourth stakes winner out of her dam, the Sadler's Wells mare Silk and Scarlet. The mare's earlier stakes winners are Minorette (Smart Strike), winner of the G1 Belmont Oaks; Eishin Apollon (Giant's Causeway), winner of the G1 Mile Championship in Japan; and Master of Hounds (Kingmambo), winner of the G1 Jebel Hatta in the UAE and the G2 Topkapi Trophy in Turkey.
This is a family that has shown excellence quite literally all around the world, and that is surely a good part of the reason for the strong price paid for this mare as a yearling.
The dam of this quartet of achievers is Silk and Scarlet, winner of the G2 Debutante Stakes in Ireland and currently living in Kentucky at Ashford Stud. The mare's most recent foal is a yearling filly by Justify likely to go in the September sale, and the mare was covered by Justify for 2023.
Silk and Scarlet is one of two stakes winners out of Danilova (Lyphard), and the unraced Danilova is a daughter of Ballinderry (Irish River), winner of the G2 Ribblesdale and third in the G1 Yorkshire Oaks. Ballinderry produced a pair of stakes winners, and the better of those was Sanglamore (Sharpen Up), winner of the G1 Prix du Jockey Club (French Derby) and second in the G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II Stakes.
Ballinderry herself is one of five stakes winners out of the marvelous mare Miss Manon (Bon Mot). In addition to Stolen Holiday's third dam, Miss Manon produced Lydian (Lyphard), winner of the G1 Grosser Preis von Baden and G1 Gran Premio di Milano; Sharpman (Sharpen Up), winner of the Prix Omnium, second in the G1 French 2,000 Guineas, third in the G1 French Derby; Mot d'Or (Rheingold), winner of the G2 Prix Hocquart and third in the G1 Grand Prix de Paris; and Miss Summer (Luthier), stakes winner and dam of multiple G1-placed Most Precious (Nureyev).
Stolen Holiday's pedigree in itself is fascinating, and not least among its elements is that Northern Dancer, a foal of 1961, figures twice in her third generation. The 1964 Kentucky Derby winner is the grandsire of Stolen Holiday in the male line; he is also the sire of her broodmare sire Sadler's Wells. Northern Dancer appears twice more in Stolen Holiday's pedigree: in the sixth generation as the sire of Triple Crown winner Nijinsky and in the fourth generation as the sire of the second dam's broodmare sire Lyphard.
Derby winner Northern Dancer became a highly influential sire after retirement from racing
The four presences of Northern Dancer are noteworthy, but the pair in the third generation are remarkable.
It is rare to find a horse from 60 years ago so close up in a contemporary pedigree, but Northern Dancer is no ordinary Thoroughbred. The repetition of his name in this pedigree is a reminder of the vast difference the small, Canadian-bred bay has made in the breed.
Inbreeding to a horse of lesser genetic significance would likely be discouraged but not so with the great little bay. Certainly, inbreeding to Northern Dancer 3×2, 3×3, and 3×4 has succeeded on the racetrack as seen with this mare, as well as with classic winners Enable and War of Will, G1 winners Hit It a Bomb, Brave Anna, Roly Poly, US Navy Flag, and others. The next question is whether horses with this kind of close-up inbreeding to Northern Dancer make a significant mark as breeding stock in the coming years.
Frank Mitchell is author of Racehorse Breeding Theories, as well as the book Great Breeders and Their Methods: The Hancocks. In addition to writing the column “Sires and Dams” in Daily Racing Form for nearly 15 years, he has contributed articles to Thoroughbred Daily News, Thoroughbred Times, Thoroughbred Record, International Thoroughbred, and other major publications. In addition, Frank is chief of biomechanics for DataTrack International and is a hands-on caretaker of his own broodmares and foals in Central Kentucky. Check out his Bloodstock in the Bluegrass blog.
Red Oak Stable and Madaket Stable's Mind Control was a determined winner of Saturday's Salvator Mile (G3) at Monmouth Park for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher.
The 6-year-old Stay Thirsty bay found another gear along the rail after setting the pace and held off a late charge from multiple graded stakes winner Hot Rod Charlie to earn the victory.
“We're just pleased and proud of the horse. He's a competitor,” said Rick Sacco, racing manager for Red Oak Stable. “He's a homebred and we own the whole family. He's been such a fun horse to be around. It's an incredible feeling. It was a big win yesterday. It was a lot of fun and we really enjoyed it.”
Mind Control broke sharply from post 1 under John Velazquez and quickly established the lead in the race for 3-years-olds and upward. Velazquez asked him for more down the backstretch as Hot Rod Charlie pressed to his outside before briefly taking the advantage at the stretch call. But Mind Control would not be denied and dug in valiantly to retake the lead and fend off his foe by a head in a final time of 1:35.79.
“We knew he would show speed and we knew from the one hole that we had to go,” said Sacco. “He broke clean and going into the first turn, we had a comfortable lead. Down the backside, Johnny asked him for a little more just for a little separation of a couple lengths. At the half-mile pole, we knew it was our race to lose because when he gets engaged, he's going to fight back. He's not an easy horse to go by.”
Mind Control is the fourth foal out of the Lightnin N Thunder mare Feel That Fire, a half sister to Red Oak's homebred graded stakes-placed and New York sire King for a Day. Both King for a Day and Feel That Fire are out of the unraced French Deputy mare Ubetwereven, who has been a foundational broodmare for Red Oak and also produced stakes-winner Ima Jersey Girl.
Mind Control, initially trained by Gregg Sacco, has won graded events in each year of racing, including the Grade 1 Hopeful as a juvenile at Saratoga. He captured the Bay Shore (G3) at Aqueduct and H. Allen Jerkens (G1) at the Spa as a sophomore; and at 4-years-old at the Big A, he won the Toboggan and Tom Fool Handicap, both Grade 3 events.
Last year, after shifting to Pletcher's barn, Mind Control added the John A. Nerud (G2) to his ledger at Belmont. Six of Mind Control's 10 career wins have come by a winning margin of less than one length.
“This is a great line of mares that we're proud of and we're building this family with a bunch of runners,” Sacco said. “To see Mind Control win graded stakes every year; he's a hickory horse who doesn't lose these dog fights. I'm proud of the whole operation – the farm team, the breeding team, our trainers. Everyone involved.”
Sacco said it is likely Mind Control to make his next start at The Spa.
“We're enjoying this win and we thought this was a good comeback win,” Sacco said. “We'll send him up to Saratoga and we haven't really decided on which race is next, but it will be something at Saratoga.”
Feel That Fire has also produced a Mineshaft half-sister to Mind Control named Goddess of Fire, who was a close runner-up in the Rachel Alexandra (G2) at Fair Grounds and the Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2) this spring for Pletcher before finishing a distant 11th in the Kentucky Oaks (G1).
“We went to the Fair Grounds and lost a heartbreaker,” Sacco said. “The Oaks just wasn't our day. She'll run next in the [Grade 3] Monmouth Oaks [on July 31] and she's up at Saratoga getting a freshening.”
With Feel That Fire now producing two graded stakes performers, Sacco said Mind Control and Goddess of Fire are the kinds of horses any breeding operation would dream of owning.
“It's just gratifying. All of our horses, especially Mind Control, are special because we own the mares, we breed them, we break them,” said Sacco. “This horse has his own paddock and padded stall at Red Oak Farm in Ocala. Every year when he's done racing, we let him tell us when he's ready to go back to the track. He's a very sound and honest horse. It's really a testament to our breeding program.”
Feel That Fire delivered an Uncle Mo filly this year and was bred back to Uncle Mo for 2023.
The Maryland Horse Breeders Association membership has selected one incumbent, one returning and three new members to the 2022 Board of Directors.
Dictated by MHBA bylaws, the annually held election fills five open seats on the board. Those elected will serve for the next three years. Returning to the board are Michael Horning, current secretary-treasurer of the MHBA who was first elected in 2019, and Kent A. Murray, the MHBA secretary-treasurer from 2018 to 2020 who had served six consecutive years from 2015 to 2020 and was back on the ballot this year. Joining the board for the first time are Amy Burk, Grace Merryman and Gina Robb.
Amy O. Burk – Coordinator of the University of Maryland's Equine Studies Program since 2001, including overseeing a Thoroughbred breeding program from 2014-2019, Burk has a Ph.D. in equine nutrition and has taught Equine Reproductive Management at UMD since 2018. Many of her more than 100 students in equine reproductive management are now employed at breeding farms or as veterinarians. The Howard County resident, a governor appointee to Maryland Horse Industry Board and past board member of the Maryland Horse Council and Equine Science Society, looks to “foster recruitment and retention of youth in the breeding industry, to enhance workforce development opportunities, and to improve quality and management of horses bred through education.”
Michael F. Horning – The current secretary-treasurer of the MHBA as well as the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association, Horning is a retired insurance executive from Potomac (Montgomery County) who has bred and owned numerous Maryland-bred stakes winners with his wife Debbie. His plans are to continue to “promote the Maryland horse breeding industry and encourage new participation in the sport. . . to work to maintain the revenue stream from VLTs and ensure stability of the Bred Fund that is critical to the breeding industry in the state. . . and assist MHBA to optimize its financial position and investment portfolio to enhance its resources.”
Grace Merryman – Owner of Anchor & Hope Farm in Cecil County with her husband Louis Merryman since 2016, where they stand four stallions, Merryman graduated with an Animal Science degree from the University of Delaware and worked for nearly a decade at Walnut Green Farm in Pennsylvania. Breeder of juvenile stakes winner and graded stakes-placed Raging Whiskey (by home stallion Bourbon Courage) and breeder/owner of 2021 stakes winner Exculpatory, Merryman notes she brings a unique perspective of the Maryland industry. “I own regional stallions and breed to them for both breed-to-race and breed-to-sell, plus I have a Kentucky-sired horse currently in training. I can appreciate the benefits and challenges of the current policies and programs within Maryland racing. I look forward to continuing on with the traditions and focusing on ways to better the industry as a whole.”
Kent Allen Murray – A program manager for Northrop Grumman Corporation, Murray has a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering and a master's in business administration. He grew up on his family's Murmur Farm in Darlington and performed all duties associated with farm life. Murray continues to be a consultant and account manager for the farm owned by his mother Audrey Murray, which stands one of the state's leading sires, Blofeld. He also owns, with his wife Donna, Twin Oaks Farm, a horse boarding facility in Aberdeen (Harford County). Murray wants to “represent Thoroughbred horse breeders and owners from Maryland by encouraging new thoughts, listening to input, and acting in the best interest of the members.”
Gina Robb – The owner of No Guts No Glory Farm in Woodbine (Howard County) since 2017, Robb has had a varied career in the industry, having worked in Thoroughbred sales, as an assistant trainer, and as a former television racing analyst. With her husband, trainer John Robb, she has bred and campaigned a number of stakes horses, led by the durable and speedy 11-time stakes winner Anna's Bandit.
Of the five directors whose terms expired this year, Richard F. Blue Jr., Louis Merryman and Sabrina Moore were ineligible to stand for reelection because of having served six consecutive years as a member of the MHBA Board. Those whose terms have not expired are George Adams, Ellen M. Charles, Michael D. Golden DVM, Michael J. Harrison DVM, Christy Holden, Ann B. Jackson, A. Leonard Pineau VMD, William Reightler, Thomas J. Rooney and Adair B. Stifel.
The MHBA's Annual General Membership meeting will be held Wednesday, June 29, starting at 12 p.m. in the Vista Room at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium. The meeting agenda includes a presentation by Ned Worthington, Valleys Planning Council Executive Committee Member, on The Equine Legacy Area.
