Bob Baffert | Horse Racing Free Tips

View From The Eighth Pole: Will Breeders’ Cup Officials Act To Protect Their Brand?

On June 2, Churchill Downs Inc. suspended trainer Bob Baffert from running horses at any of its racetracks, including its flagship facility in Louisville, Ky., for two years, meaning the sport's most recognizable face and name will not be eligible to add to his record number of Kentucky Derby victories until 2024, at the earliest.

The New York Racing Association is similarly taking steps to ban Baffert, scheduling a Sept. 27 hearing where the Hall of Fame trainer and his attorneys will have an opportunity to respond to the statement of charges against him.

The actions by these two major racing associations – each exercising their private property rights – were triggered by the failed drug test of Medina Spirit, who was found to have impermissible levels of betamethasone in his system after crossing the line first in the 147^th running of the Kentucky Derby on May 1. The win was Baffert's seventh in the Derby, giving him one more – at least for now – than Ben Jones, whose runners won the roses six times from 1938-'52.

But there is a very good chance Medina Spirit will be disqualified from his victory and placed last whenever the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission gets around to conducting a hearing on the matter. If Medina Spirit has the Derby title taken away, you can bet this case will work its way through civil courts over the next several years.

A Kentucky Derby drug disqualification would be an embarrassment to the sport and to the brand that Churchill Downs Inc. cherishes so much – and profits from greatly. Medina Spirit's failed test came less than eight months after Gamine tested positive for the same corticosteroid after finishing third as the odds-on favorite in the Kentucky Oaks – the second most important race held annually at Churchill Downs. She was disqualified and Baffert was fined $1,500 for the medication violation.

Baffert blamed withdrawal guidelines for Gamine's failed drug test. In the case of Medina Spirit, he said something called “cancel culture” led to the suspension by Churchill Downs officials. Baffert took his bizarre blame game on a media tour for several days where he denied ever using betamethasone on a horse (except, presumably, for Gamine) and complained that “we live in a different world now. This, this America is different.”

And then, one week later, it was … oops, never mind. Baffert's team did treat Medina Spirit with betamethasone, he admitted in a written statement, but it was in an ointment called Otomax designed for ear infections in dogs the trainer said was used to treat a skin rash Medina Spirit developed a month before the Kentucky Derby. This was “good” betamethasone, he and his attorneys argued, not the injectable form of the drug that was given to Gamine.

And then, wisely, Baffert left the talking up to his attorneys.

The damage was already done. The trainer had become a sad punchline on late night TV and even on the ESPY award show on ESPN. The sport and its marquee event suffered collateral damage.

Churchill Downs tried to restore some sense of integrity with its temporary suspension of Baffert on May 9 and the more definitive two-year suspension handed him on June 2 after the split sample also came back positive for betamethasone.

“Reckless practices and substance violations that jeopardize the safety of our equine and human athletes or compromise the integrity of our sport are not acceptable and as a company we must take measures to demonstrate that they will not be tolerated,” Churchill Downs Inc. CEO Bill Carstanjen said about Baffert's pattern of medication violations.

But like everything else in racing, nothing is uniform and the Churchill Downs ban did not extend outside of the boundaries of its properties. Baffert ran Medina Spirit back in the Preakness Stakes on May 15, and he was welcome to return to his home base in Southern California and race at Santa Anita and Del Mar as if nothing had happened.

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Baffert's attorneys won the first round in a court battle against the New York Racing Association, reinstating his right to race at NYRA tracks at least until he is given a hearing. That comes in less than two weeks. A hearing officer will listen to the testimony, weigh the evidence and make a decision on the matter. But that, too, will only affect Baffert's right to race in New York.

NYRA's statement of charges against Baffert cites three additional positive drug tests the trainer accumulated over a 365-day period: lidocaine positives for Charlatan in a division of the Arkansas Derby and Gamine (yes, her again) in an Oaklawn Park allowance race, both on May 2, 2020; and a dextrorphan positive in Merneith after a second-place finish in an allowance race at Del Mar July 25, 2020.

Of course, Baffert had excuses for those three failed drug tests. Gamine and Charlatan tested positive, the trainer said, because his assistant trainer was wearing a pain patch on his lower back that contained lidocaine and it must have somehow contaminated the horses. Merneith tested positive, he said, because a groom who had been taking cough syrup urinated in the filly's stall.

Members of the Arkansas Racing Commission bought the pain patch pitch, overruling a stewards ruling to disqualify both Charlatan and Gamine from their Oaklawn victories. And the CHRB stewards put on their kid gloves before fining him $2,500 for Merneith's failed drug test.

After four failed drug tests in just over four months, Baffert pledged to “get better,” and said he was hiring Dr. Michael Hore of the Hagyard Equine Medical Institute in Kentucky to “add an additional layer of protection to ensure the well-being of horses in my care and rule compliance. … I am increasing the training and awareness of all my employees when it comes to proper protocols. … I am personally increasing my oversight and commitment to running a tight ship and being careful that protective measures are in place.

“I want to raise the bar and set the standard for equine safety and rule compliance going forward,” Baffert said.

That was last Nov. 4, Breeders' Cup week at Keeneland.

It all sounded fine, except Hore was never hired to monitor the Baffert operation. And apparently, neither his vet, his staff or Baffert himself read the Otomax packaging or label to see that one of the ointment's three ingredients was betamethasone.

Last week, Churchill Downs dropped another hammer on Baffert, saying that horses in the care of a trainer suspended by Churchill Downs (meaning Baffert) could not earn official qualifying points on the Road to the 2022 Kentucky Derby. That move is designed to put pressure on owners who currently have their horses with Baffert to move them to another trainer before the points races begin in earnest.

The fact that Baffert is ineligible to run horses in the 2022 or 2023 Kentucky Oaks or Derby does not seem to have phased some of his owners, including SF Bloodstock and Starlight Racing, which spent nearly $3 million on five yearlings before the first two sessions of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale had ended, reportedly with the intention of sending them to Baffert to train.

One group that has not been heard from is the Breeders' Cup, whose two-day world championships take place this year at Del Mar on Nov. 5-6. As of now, Baffert will be eligible to race, and it seems unlikely that will change, given the fact that his five failed drug tests do not constitute a violation of the Breeders' Cup Convicted Trainers Rule. That rule disqualifies a trainer from participating if he or she has been sanctioned in the previous 12 months for a Class 1 violation carrying Category A or B penalties or a Class 2 violation carrying a Category A penalty. Those classifications (with Class 1 considered the most serious) are determined by the Association of Racing Commissioners International. None of Baffert's violations are Class 1 or Class 2, including the pending case involving Medina Spirit.

The Breeders' Cup board presumably could opt to take action against Baffert by further refining the Convicted Trainers Rule. The board consists of 13 men and one woman – all but two of whom have a direct or indirect financial relationship with the trainer, starting with chairman Fred W. Hertrich III, who has had ownership interests in several Baffert runners, including the disqualified and then reinstated Arkansas Derby winner Charlatan. Eleven others either own horses in Baffert's stable or stand stallions that he once trained and several hope to catch his eye with their yearlings sold at public auction.

As fiduciaries working on behalf of the breeders and owners who help fund the program through foal, racehorse and stallion nominations and entry fees, the board must do what is right for the Breeders' Cup and the brand it has developed over the last 37 years as a championship event that attracts the best Thoroughbreds in the world. They have the same responsibility to protect that brand as the officials at publicly traded Churchill Downs Inc. who decided enough is enough.

That's my view from the eighth pole.

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Million-Dollar Yearlings Pace KEESEP Book 1 Opener

by Jessica Martini, Brian DiDonato & Christie DeBernardis

LEXINGTON, KY – The Keeneland September Yearling Sale, led by a trio of million-dollar yearlings, opened with a day of steady trade in Lexington Monday.

A total of 95 yearlings sold during the session for $38,172,000, at an average of $401,811 and a median of $325,000.

“I think the trade was really strong,” Keeneland's new vice president of sales Tony Lacy said at the close of business Monday. “The numbers may have stacked very comparably to last year, but I think there was a lot more confidence and the money was spread out over more horses. I think it's a healthier market in many ways. The energy on the grounds was very strong.”

During last year's first session, 109 head sold for $40,680,000. The session average was $373,211 and the median was $330,000.

From a catalogue of 201 head, 45 horses were withdrawn and 61 failed to meet their reserves for a buy-back rate of 39.10%.

“I think a lot of people got shut out today,” Lacy said. “I know there was one group of buyers, we actually sent them a bottle of bourbon because they were underbidders on 15 or 16 horses. That in itself is a very strong sign. When you have some higher RNA's that OK because these are people who want to race, they like their horses and that's not a sign of weakness, that's actually a sign of strength. So from a trading environment, I think it was excellent.”

A filly by American Pharoah (hip 43) was first to hit seven figures during the session when bloodstock agent Alan Quartucci bid a session-topping $1.4 million to acquire the yearling on behalf of Joe Allen. The youngster, a half-sister to recent GI Spinaway S. winner Echo Zulu (Gun Runner), was consigned by Betz Thoroughbreds. Also bringing seven figures Monday was a colt by Into Mischief (hip 177) who sold for $1.35 million to Winchell Thoroughbreds and a filly by Uncle Mo (hip 89) who brought a final bid of $1.1 million from Courtlandt Farm.

A standout among the buy-backs was a colt by Quality Road out of Justwhistledixie (Dixie Union) consigned by Clearsky Farms who RNA'd for $1.9 million. While connections plan to retain the yearling to race, there were seven horses who failed to sell Monday who have been added to Keeneland's new RNA Reoffer program which takes place at the end of Tuesday's second session of the auction.

“That might change,” Lacy said of the number of yearlings entered into the initiative. “We had two that were entered earlier and they got sold privately. And that's exactly the way it's supposed to work. And some of these may be sold privately before the end of the session tomorrow. That is a mechanism to allow free trade. And if something is not done by tomorrow evening, it allows them to run back through. It's been well received by the people who are using it. I think there was a little bit of uncertainty about what it really was, but now we are at the stage of the day where you may have had one or two people who thought the market didn't treat them the way they thought it would. It allows them to come back and hopefully have a better reception tomorrow.”

The seven yearlings currently scheduled to be reoffered Tuesday evening are: hip 6, hip 70, hip 72, hip 111, hip 179, hip 195, and hip 197.

Donato Lanni, bidding on behalf of the partnership of SF Bloodstock, Starlight Racing and Madaket Stables which was such a powerhouse buying group at last year's September sale, purchased four yearlings Monday for a total of $2,225,000.

“We bought two horses in the first 50 lots,” said SF Bloodstock's Tom Ryan. “The market seems to be strong. There is plenty of depth here and a lot of international participation. I feel like the rest of the sale will be strong.”

With a further 200 Book 1 yearlings to be offered Tuesday, consignor Chris Baccari admitted he has concerns about the number of yearlings who meet the session's elite standards.

“There only need to be 100 to 150 horses, that's all there is of Book 1 horses,” Baccari said. “Great sires, great female pedigrees, that vet, there are only 100 horses, maybe 150 horses, on the planet that meet all those requirements. It's like diamonds. If diamonds where as common as gravel, they wouldn't be worth anything.”

The Keeneland September sale continues Tuesday at 1 p.m. Book 2 sessions Wednesday and Thursday begin at 11 a.m. and, following a dark day Friday, the auction continues through Sept. 24 with sessions beginning daily at 10 a.m.

Allen Comes Out on Top for Echo Zulu Sis

Northshore Bloodstock's Alan Quartucci, acting on behalf of owner Joe Allen, was the first to sign a seven-figure ticket at Keeneland September Monday as he went to $1.4 million to secure hip 43, an American Pharoah half-sister to leading juvenile filly Echo Zulu (Gun Runner). The May 8 foal was consigned to the sale by Bill Betz's Betz Thoroughbreds and bred on an apparent foal share by Betz, J. Betz, Burns, CHNNHK, CoCo Equine, Ramsby and Ashford Stud.

“She looks like a real runner,” Quartucci said. “She has a fantastic pedigree that's still going forward every day. The filly who won in Saratoga was amazing. She was the whole package, I think.”

Quartucci said the filly would likely end up in the barn of Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey.

A $300,000 purchase here 12 months ago, Echo Zulu was turned over to Steve Asmussen by L and N Racing and Winchell Thoroughbreds and romped on debut at Saratoga July 15, good for 'TDN Rising Star' status and a gaudy 92 Beyer Speed Figure. She doubled up with similar flash in the GI Spinaway S. Sept. 5, and looms the likely favorite for the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies at this stage.

Hip 43's dam Letgomyecho (Menifee) annexed the 2005 GII Forward Gal S. and later sold to Betz and partners for $135,000 in foal to Congrats at the 2011 Keeneland November sale. Since then she has also produced the likes of GSP Unbridled Outlaw (Unbridled's Song, $300,000 KEESEP '14); Grade III winner and 'Rising Star' J Boys Echo (Mineshaft, $485,000 KEESEP '15); and Echo Town (Speightstown, $100,000 KEESEP '18), winner of last year's GI H. Allen Jerkens Memorial S. and now a member of Coolmore's stallion roster.

“She is a lovely filly,” Betz said of hip 43 last week. “She has strength, balance, good movement and temperament. She also has pedigree. Obviously the mother was a graded stakes winner and produced graded stakes horses, including Echo Town, who won the Jerkens last year at Saratoga. So, now with Echo Zulu, it's a pretty nice package.”

He added, “Anytime you get something current happening in the pedigree it is a pretty big plus. In her case, it is icing on the cake because you already had all that to begin with. To have a half-sister as exciting as Echo Zulu just solidifies her place as an elite filly.”

Allen and Quartucci struck again later in the day for an $850,000 Candy Ride (Arg) colt (hip 181) from the super deep female family of top-level winnners Verrazano, Chic Shirine, Queena, Keen Ice, Preservationist, Librisa Breeze, Harmonize, et al. —@BDiDonatoTDN

Winchell Wins Battle for Into Mischief Colt

Winchell Thoroughbreds's Ron Winchell went toe-to-toe with the Courtlandt Farm team late in Monday's KEESEP session to land hip 177, a son of leading sire Into Mischief, for $1.35 million. The bay was consigned by his breeder, Greg Goodman's Mt. Brilliant Farm.

The Feb. 14 foal is the first out of Superioritycomplex (Ire) (Hard Spun), a 400,000gns Tattersalls December purchase as part of the Ballymacoll Stud dispersal in 2017 who would go on to take a pair of allowances for Mt. Brilliant and Orrin Ingram the following season. His third dam is G1 Yorkshire Oaks heroine Hellenic (Darshaan), who in turn produced the great Islington (Ire) (Sadler's Wells).

“Into Mischief is great,” said Goodman. “We bought the mare in Europe, in England, at Tattersalls a few years ago. We just love the family–we also bought her sister [1,050,000gns MGSP Abingdon (Street Cry {Ire})] at the same time because it was a dispersal.”

As for hip 177, Goodman said, “He has always been outstanding. He's always done everything right. A calm horse, smart, we're really happy with him and we're really happy Mr. Winchell got him and that he's going to a good home.”

Winchell, who enjoyed a banner Saratoga meet thanks in large part to his Grade I-winning juveniles Gunite (Gun Runner) and Echo Zulu (Gun Runner), also picked up a $700,000 Into Mischief colt (hip 116) earlier in the session and a $150,000 son of American Pharoah (hip 183) a few hips after signing for 177.

“[Hip 177's] probably an Into Mischief who doesn't look like an Into Mischief, and I've had Into Mischiefs that look like Into Mischiefs and I can't seem to find the winner's circle with them, so I figured I would go a different direction,” Winchell quipped. “I knew he may be expensive, but you always hope for a little less.”

As for his leading freshman sire Gun Runner, whose four offerings Monday averaged $288,750, Winchell said, “To me, he is the perfect mix of speed and stamina and obviously that's proven now. His offspring are hitting the racetrack and obviously we have had a lot of success with them lately and we hope to continue to do that.” —@BDiDonatoTDN

Quality Road Colt to Coolmore

A colt by Quality Road attracted a final bid of $950,000 from Coolmore's M.V. Magnier during Monday's first session of the Keeneland September sale. The bay yearling (hip 64) is out of multiple graded-placed Milam (Street Sense), a half-sister to champion Rushing Fall (More Than Ready).

“We liked the horse, he's very athletic,” said Magnier. “Quality Road is doing very well. And this is a very nice horse. We plan to leave him in the U.S.”

The yearling was consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency on behalf of his breeder, WinStar Farm. WinStar purchased Milam for $175,000 at the 2016 Keeneland November sale.

“He's done well his whole life and we are very proud of him and that Coolmore got him,” said WinStar's Elliott Walden. “We wish them nothing but the best with him.”

Walden said he saw a lot to be optimistic about heading into the two-week September sale.

“I feel really good. I have a lot of confidence,” Walden said. “There are six racetracks running with maiden races over $100,000. It's crazy. I trained 15 years ago now and we were running for $30,000, so it's just amazing. I think the purses have caught up with the expenses. It gives a person a chance to make money on the racetrack instead of just building equity in the horse.”

Walden continued, “I think it should translate all the way through the sale. Looking around here on day one, I've never seen so many people in there sitting down. So I feel very encouraged about it.”

Milam's filly by Curlin sold for $250,000 to BSW/Crow Bloodstock at last year's Keeneland September Sale and Liz Crow, bidding alongside trainer Brad Cox, was an underbidder on the mare's yearling Monday.

Also Monday, Magnier signed for a colt by War Front (hip 29) for $400,000. @JessMartiniTDN

Mori Justifies the Trip

Hideyuki Mori struck for three colts by Justify during Monday's first session of the Keeneland September sale. The Japanese trainer warmed up by purchasing a son of the Triple Crown winner who is a half-brother to champion Classic Empire (Pioneerof the Nile) (hip 133) for $625,000 from the Bluewater Sales consignment and he came back to acquire a half-brother to multiple graded stakes winner Pretty N Cool (Scat Daddy) (hip 161) for $950,000 from Baccari Bloodstock. Mori wrapped up his day one by buying with a son of Justify out of Grade I winner Streaming (Smart Strike) (hip 170) who was consigned by Hill 'n' Dale Sales Agency.

“I have seen a lot of the Justifys and I really like them,” Mori said through an interpreter. “They have a beautiful line and they move very well. Based on their action and physical form, I think they will probably perform quite well on the Japanese turf.”

Consignor Chris Baccari is another fan of Justify. Baccari purchased hip 161 for $435,000 at last year's Keeneland November sale.

“I went out in search of the very best Justify I could possibly find, privately or at public auction,” Baccari said. “And I felt he was it. He is a great strong physical and I am a believer in the horse and I took a swing.”

While the gray colt, out of stakes-placed Stayclassysandiego (Rockport Harbor), was the first horse Baccari sent through the ring at the September sale, the horseman is looking forward to more success with Justify later in the fall.

“We had several Justifys that we've raised that are very nice–a couple that I raised were born later, they aren't as big as him because he is a January foal,” Baccari said. “But we have several others that are very nice. We have a couple others that are going to October that were born in May. I like how buoyant Justify was and how strong he was. I am trying to sell commercially, but the most important thing is for me to sell horses who run. And that is why I wanted to get tied to a horse like him.”

Baccari admitted he had hoped the gray colt would have attracted more bids.

“The air gets thin when you get past $800,000,” Baccari said. “A few years ago, we used to have buyers who were concerned about buying racehorses. The price didn't matter. I think people lose sight of one thing. Whether you give $300,000 or $3 million, if they are brilliant it doesn't matter. The price doesn't matter anymore. Being brilliant is what counts. And I think buyers sometimes lose sight of that, in my opinion. Because if you don't have brilliance it doesn't matter. If you have brilliance, it doesn't matter what they cost.” @JessMartiniTDN

Courtlandt Win Out on Uncle Mo Filly

Courtlandt Farm's Don Adam and his farm manager Ernie Retamoza were determined to take a home hip 89, a filly by Uncle Mo, and they fought off an equally resolute Donato Lanni to take the dark bay home for $1.1 million.

“She's an April foal, but you can see that she's still a little high behind and see she's gonna develop still,” said Retamoza. “A real athletic, typey filly, young mare, fits our program to a T. Not sure where we'll send her, but we'll get her home and break her. She acts like she's gonna be the right type of filly that we're looking for. Had to stretch, obviously, to get her, but Mr. Adam looked at her this morning and loved her, we all loved her, and we felt like she was a filly worth stretching for.”

Consigned by Paramount Sales, hip 89 was bred by Dr. Aaron Sones and hails from the family of Canadian champion Charlie Barley (Affirmed).

“She was a beauty,” said Paramount's Pat Costello. “She didn't put a foot wrong from the day she was here and we could see with the way the vetting was going, everybody was on her. She deserved to bring the kind of money she brought because she's just stunning. She came from a client of ours and she was always nice, very much so. We were delighted with the price. It was a little bit more than we thought she would bring.”

Courtlandt also struck earlier in the session for a $575,000 son of Speightstown (Hip 17).

“We loved him, but we had to stretch on him a little too,” Retamoza said. “We had Strike Power (Speightstown), who was pretty successful for us and he reminded me a lot of Strike Power. Speightstown is a great sire. We are really happy to get him.”

Courtlandt Farm was also back in action later in the day, purchasing a $400,000 City of Light colt (Hip 166); a $325,000 Flatter colt (Hip 158); and a $200,000 Union Rags filly (Hip 191).

—@CDeBernardisTDN

Sones Scores With Uncle Mo Filly

Dr. Aaron Sones experienced the biggest success of his breeding career at Keeneland Monday when an Uncle Mo filly out of Nikki's Choice (Forestry) brought $1.1 million from Don and Donna Adam's Courtlandt Farm.

“We always knew she was special, but you can never expect that,” said Sones, who founded and sold Physicians Management Group and currently serves as Director of Jackson Hole Trust. “I love Uncle Mo and knew this cross would be successful as it is the same cross as [champion] Nyquist. I'm thrilled.”

Sones became interested in hip 89's female family on a tip from Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas. Bloodstock agent Mersad Metanovic helped Sones acquire Nikki's Choice's half-sister GSP Moyo Honey (Mizzen Mast), who he raced in partnership with Lorill Harlingten.

“My good friend D. Wayne Lukas turned me on to this family,” Sones said. “Moyo Honey had one of the quickest turns of foot I had ever seen. I went out and bought her mother [Charming Lauren (Meadowlake)] and then began acquiring more of the family.”

Sones breeds between 15 and 25 mares a year and keeps his broodmare band at Dr. Naoya and Marie Yoshida's Winchester Farm.

“We race quite a few colts, but we can't keep them all,” Sones said. “So we usually sell 50% and keep 50%. Our goal is to win the [GI] Kentucky Derby.” —@CDeBernardisTDN

Grace Adler Partners Go for Gold

Willow Grace Farm and Michael Lund Petersen, who campaign recent GI TVG Del Mar Debutante S. romper Grace Adler (Curlin), added another fancy filly to their roster Monday when acquiring hip 86, a daughter of Medaglia d'Oro from the Claiborne Farm draft, for $950,000. Agent Donato Lanni advised on the purchase, and three hips later was the underbidder on the $1.1-million hip 87.

“She's a really nice filly from a hot family,” said Claiborne's Walker Hancock. “She's a great filly–she's going to be a star, so I'm glad for the new buyers.”

Hip 86 was bred by The Estate of Edward A. Cox, Jr., who passed away in 2019. She hails from a deep female family that includes dual Grade II winner Live Lively (Medaglia d'Oro), last year's champion sprinter Mitole (Eskendereya) and this year's standout sophomore Hot Rod Charlie (Oxbow).

“She wasn't a hard one to find–she had everything,” Lanni said of hip 86. “She was bred by a very good man who passed away. I really liked her and was just happy to buy her… [Medaglia d'Oro is] just a proven sire over and over. He's got good fillies, colts. [Hip 86 has] a great female family. She's an athlete, she's classy, and she's got pedigree. I hate to say it, she just checked all the boxes.”

The filly was the third high-dollar purchase Lanni had been credited with by nearly midway through the opening session.

“[The market's] really been strong all year,” he said. “There's a big appetite for really good horses out there and it's nice to see us get back to some kind of normalcy.”

Willow Grace Farm is the nom de course of Jim Burrows, who directed the hit TV show Will & Grace. Grace Adler is the sitcom's co-main character. —@BDiDonatoTDN

Avengers Strike at KEESEP

The ownership group nicknamed The Avengers was quite active as expected at the KEESEP opener, acquiring four colts to be trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert. One of their first big purchases of the day was an $850,000 son of Into Mischief, a stallion who has already been quite good to the group headed by SF Bloodstock, Starlight Racing and Madaket Stables with champion Authentic. Hip 53 was consigned by Taylor Made Sales on behalf of breeder Town & Country Farms.

“He will go to Bob Baffert,” said SF's Tom Ryan. “We are excited about him and I can't say enough about the horse. He looks like a nice two-turn colt. We will put him into the program and hopefully we will be talking about him this time next year.”

Town & Country Farms acquired hip 53's GSP dam Majestic Presence (Majestic Warrior) for $360,000 carrying her first foal by Runhappy at the 2017 KEENOV sale. The resulting foal, a now-3-year-old gelding named Gruntled, brought $230,000 from DJ Stable and her 2019 Candy Ride (Arg) colt sold to Brandon Parlante for $250,000 at KEESEP last year.

Donato Lanni also struck on the Avengers' behalf for hip 8, a $650,000 Quality Road colt out of MSW Inspired (Unbridled's Song); a $400,000 Into Mischief colt (hip 114); and a $325,000 son of Spendthrift's super sire (hip 155).

—@CDeBernardisTDN

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Baffert Nominates Four For Capote Stakes, Two For Los Alamitos Special

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert nominated four 2-year-olds to the $75,000-guaranteed Capote Stakes.

Named in honor of the champion 2-year-old of 1986, the Capote is scheduled to be run at 6 ½ furlongs at Los Alamitos Race Course in Cypress, Calif., Saturday, Sept. 18.

Baffert also nominated a pair to the $100,000 Los Alamitos Special, a race at 1 1/16 miles set for Sunday, Sept. 19.

Topping the list of nominees for Baffert to the Capote is Murray, an impressive first-out winner before disappointing as the favorite in the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif., Sept. 6.

A $300,000 purchase at the Keeneland September sale last year and owned by a partnership that includes SF Racing LLC and Starlight Racing, Murray broke his maiden by 10 ¾ lengths July 25 before finishing fifth of six in the Futurity. The son of Street Sense and the Tiznow mare Now Now has banked $48,000.

Baffert also nominated Montebello, a New York-bred son of Curlin who won narrowly in his debut Aug. 7 at Del Mar before finishing second in the Funny Cide at Saratoga 20 days later, and the maidens Rhetoric and Enbarr.

The other nominees include Los Alamitos graduates Olympic Legend and Richards the Dream and Fascinated, who won at first asking – via disqualification – on the Golden Gate Fields turf Sept. 4.

Baffert, who won the inaugural Los Alamitos Special – when it was contested at 1 ¼ miles – with Dabster in 2018, nominated Leading Score and Magic On Tap this year.

A lightly-raced 7-year-old, Leading Score owns a victory at Los Alamitos, capturing an optional claimer at one mile during the 2017 Los Angeles County Fair meet.

Owned by breeders Patti and Hal Earnhardt III, the son of Midnight Lute has won three of 10 and earned $141,810.

Magic On Tap will be shortening up for breeder Summer Wind Equine LLC after trailing in the Grade 1 Pacific Classic at 10 furlongs last month. The 5-year-old Tapit horse has won three of eight and banked $234,300.

The other nominations to the Los Alamitos Special are Bold Endeavor, Border Town, Luvluv, Manhattan Up, Margot's Boy, Red Storm Risen, and Sash.

Entries for the Capote will be taken Wednesday, Sept. 18 and for the Los Alamitos Special the following day.

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Siblings to New Juvenile GI Winners Highlight KEESEP

Three yearlings in the Keeneland September Sale catalogue received big updates over the weekend when their year-older siblings captured Grade Is at two of America's premiere race meets over the holiday weekend. GI Runhappy Del Mar Futurity S. winner Pinehurst's (Twirling Candy) yearling half-brother by Cairo Prince sold prior to the juvenile's breakout score, bringing $120,000 from pinhooker Randy Bradshaw at Fasig-Tipton's New York-Bred Yearling Sale in mid-August. However, the winners of the GI TVG Del Mar Debutante S., GI Spinaway S. and GI Hopeful S. will be represented by half or full siblings next week at Keeneland.

Pinehurst's stablemate Grace Adler (Curlin) threw her hat in the ring for top juvenile filly honors with an ultra-impressive score in the GI Del Mar Debutante Sunday (video). Campaigned by Michael Lund Petersen and Willow Grace Farm, the $700,000 FTKSEL buy won her debut for Bob Baffert at the seaside oval July 31. Given a 4-1 chance in the Debutante, the chestnut unleashed a powerful late rally, sling-shotting to the lead and storming clear for an 11 1/4-length score.

“It was amazing,” said Adam Corndorf, President and General Manager of Blue Heaven Farm, breeder of Grace Adler. “When she started breezing several months ago, we started dreaming about what could be. Looking at the schedule for Del Mar, we thought how amazing it would be if she could run in that race and hit the board. You think about how many 2-year-olds there are every year and how many win that race and the odds are astronomical. It was incredible and a dream come true for us.”

Blue Heaven Farm consigns an Into Mischief half-brother to Grace Adler as Hip 99 in Book 1 of KEESEP. He RNA'd for $350,000 as a weanling at last year's Keeneland November Sale. Bonnie Baskin's operation went to $600,000 to acquire their dam, GSW Our Khrysty (Newfoundland), a half-sister too GISW Bullsbay (Tiznow), in foal to Tiznow at the 2011 FTKNOV sale. Her GSP daughter Virginia Key (Distorted Humor) remains in their care.

“He has a different body type [than his sister],” Corndorf said. “He is a little bigger, a little leggier, but similar in terms of his competitive spirit. The thing that is most impressive to us is that you just can't get to the bottom of him. As we have been prepping him for the sale, he has shown limitless energy. He can go all day long and never loses focus. He likes the work and is a pleasure to be around. Even when we walk the yearlings together, he wants to be out in front. Everything is a race to him.”

Meanwhile, across the country, it was the Gun Runner show at Saratoga over Labor Day weekend with members of his first crop taking both of the venue's banner juvenile events. First up was Echo Zulu, who was a decisive winner of the GI Spinaway S. Sunday at the Spa (video). The $300,000 KEESEP buy is trained by her sire's conditioner Steve Asmussen and co-owned by one of his owners Winchell Thoroughbreds in partnership with L and N Racing LLC.

Echo Zulu was tabbed a 'TDN Rising Star' after graduating by 5 1/2 lengths in her career bow on opening day of the Saratoga meet July 15. Heavily favored to repeat in the Spinaway, the bay was pressed through quick early fractions and drew away in the lane for a good-looking score.

Bill Betz, who was part of the group who bred Echo Zulu, offers her American Pharoah half-sister as Hip 43 in his Betz Thoroughbreds consignment. Their Grade II-winning dam Letgomyecho (Menifee) also produced L and N Racing's Asmussen-trained GI Runhappy Allen Jerkens S. winner Echo Town (Speightstown); GSW J Boys Echo (Mineshaft); GSP Unbridled Outlaw (Unbridled's Song); and MSP Dragic (Broken Vow).

“She is a lovely filly,” Betz said. “She has strength, balance, good movement and temperament. She also has pedigree. Obviously the mother was a graded stakes winner and produced graded stakes horses, including Echo Town, who won the Jerkens last year at Saratoga. So, now with Echo Zulu, it's a pretty nice package.”

The horseman continued, “Anytime you get something current happening in the pedigree it is a pretty big plus. In her case, it is icing on the cake because you already had all that to begin with. To have a half-sister as exciting as Echo Zulu just solidifies her place as an elite filly.”

Betz's KEESEP consignment got another big update at Saratoga the week prior when Yaupon (Uncle Mo) fended off an aggressive attack from Firenze Fire (Friesan Fire) to win the GI Forego S. Aug. 28 (video). Betz–who bred Yaupon in another partnership– offers a Good Magic half-brother to that future Spendthrift stallion as Hip 73. Out of GISP Modification (Vindication), the dark bay colt is also a half-brother to MGSP Sawyer's Hill (Spring At Last).

“Good timing is everything,” Betz said. “In Yaupon's case, it was his first Grade I win. He was an established sprinter in the past, but the fact he has progressed from three to four and beat five Grade I winners in the Forego is a great accomplishment for him. Hopefully it will propel him right into the Breeders' Cup. You can never really plan on something like that happening, but when it does, you just enjoy it.”

As for how the Good Magic colt compares to Yaupon, Betz said, “They are the same color, have the same balance and great movement. He is very correct with an excellent scope and X-rays. He is a May foal, but you'd never know it looking at him. He has grown up well and has good muscle. He is a very nice individual, so we have our fingers crossed there as well.”

The day after Echo Zulu gave her leading freshman sire his first Grade I winner, her barnmate Gunite (Gun Runner) became his second with an 11-1 upset in Saratoga's GI Hopeful S. on closing day of the meet (video). Bred by Winchell Thoroughbreds, the dark bay earned his diploma at third asking at Churchill Downs June 26 and was second to 'TDN Rising Star' High Oak (Gormley) next out in the GII Saratoga Special S. Aug. 14. Battling for the lead early in the Hopeful, Gunite shook free of his foes in the lane and rolled clear for a dominant score over 3-5 favorite Wit (Practical Joke).

“That's just the way we planned it,” David Fiske, longtime Winchell advisor, quipped. “It's just dumb luck, but we will take it! Echo Zulu was a purchase and Gunite was a homebred. It was just a big weekend over all.”

Winchell offers a full-sister to Gunite as Hip 539 in the Gainesway consignment. The dark bay is out of fellow Winchell homebred stakes winner Simple Surprise (Cowboy Cal), who in turn is a daughter of SW & GSP Simplify (Pulpit).

“He was always pretty and she has always been pretty,” Fiske said. “They kind of look like their mother to some extent. She is also a dark bay. That's not a bad thing because she is a pretty attractive mare.”

Fiske added, “I think if anyone has a Gun Runner in the sale they are in pretty good shape.”

The Keeneland September Sale kicks off Monday, Sept. 13.

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