Pizza Bianca is out of the unraced mare White Hot, who is a half to G1 Epsom Derby winner Pour Moi (Montjeu) and additional MGSW & MG1SP Gagnoa (Ire) (Sadler's Wells), as well as a full-sibling to GSW & G1SP Dawn Patrol.

Hip 168 PIZZA BIANCA i/f Into Mischief sells for $3,000,000 at The November Sale! Congrats to the connections:

B: Gavin O'Connor, agt for John Stewart
C: @EliteRaceSales, agt#FasigNovember @spendthriftfarm pic.twitter.com/MbWTnkV0Z3

— Fasig-Tipton (@FasigTiptonCo) November 7, 2023

The post John Stewart Snaps Up Pizza Bianca for $3M appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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The $190,000 Keeneland September yearling, who earned her way into the Breeders' Cup with a tally in the GIII Miss Grillo S. at Aqueduct last month, was guided down towards the inside by Flavien Prat to sit just off the flank of Dreamfyre (Flameaway), herself the all-the-way winner of the local prep, the Oct. 8 Surfer Girl S. Asked to confront the front-runner approaching the entrance to the stretch, Hard to Justify edged in front and battled on bravely for the victory as Porta Fortuna was just beaten. Favored She Feels Pretty, a daughter of GI Breeders' Cup Mile hero Karakontie (Jpn), was unable to get in from her high draw and was therefore consigned to a four-wide trip, but she, too, boxed on determinedly to finish not far away. It was a 17th Breeders' Cup victory overall for Brown and fifth for Prat, who was aboard Flightline (Tapit) in that history-making Classic last fall.

Hard to Justify wins the $1 Million #BreedersCup Juvenile Fillies Turf on #FutureStarsFriday at @santaanitapark! Cheers to all of the connections! pic.twitter.com/f91gXEyJQz

— Breeders' Cup (@BreedersCup) November 3, 2023

Friday, Santa Anita
BREEDERS' CUP JUVENILE FILLIES TURF-GI, $920,000, Santa Anita, 11-3, 2yo, f, 1mT, 1:34.42, fm.
1–HARD TO JUSTIFY, 122, f, 2, by Justify
             1st Dam: Instant Reflex (GSP), by Quality Road
             2nd Dam: Without Delay, by Seeking the Gold
             3rd Dam: Slow Down, by Seattle Slew
1ST GRADE I WIN. ($190,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP). O-Wise Racing LLC; B-Yeguada Centurion S.L. (KY); T-Chad C. Brown; J-Flavien Prat. $520,000. Lifetime Record: 3-3-0-0, $687,750. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Porta Fortuna (Ire), 122, f, 2, by Caravaggio
             1st Dam: Too Precious (Ire), by Holy Roman Emperor (Ire)
             2nd Dam: Delicate Charm (Ire), by High Chaparral (Ire)
             3rd Dam: Kantikoy (GB), by Alzao
O-Medallion Racing, Parkland Thoroughbreds, Reeves Thoroughbred Racing and Barry Fowler; B-Whisperview Trading Ltd (Ire); T-Donnacha O'Brien. $170,000.
3–She Feels Pretty, 122, f, 2, by Karakontie (Jpn)
             1st Dam: Summer Sweet, by More Than Ready
             2nd Dam: Summer Solstice (Ire), by Caerleon
             3rd Dam: Summer Sonnet (GB), by Baillamont
($240,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP). O-Lael Stables; B-Payson Stud Inc (KY); T-Cherie DeVaux. $90,000.
Margins: HF, HD, 3/4. Odds: 9.10, 3.80, 3.50.
Also Ran: Content (Ire), Austere, Buchu, Carla's Way (Ire), Life's an Audible, Dreamfyre, Laulne (Fr), Les Pavots (Ire), Flattery, Gala Brand, Buttercream Babe. Scratched: Go With Gusto, Mo Fox Givin.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

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Only Bob Baffert has accrued more prize-money earnings than Donnacha's father Aidan O'Brien in the 39 previous runnings of the Breeders' Cup, with the Irishman's 16 winners having contributed towards a haul of more than $30 million. Brother Joseph O'Brien, too, has his name on the board with one winner from five starters to date. That success, in the Breeders' Cup Mile also at Santa Anita back in 2019, came with Iridessa (Ire) (Ruler Of The World {Ire}), whose success was followed up in the same race the next year by her half-brother Order Of Australia (Ire) (Australia {GB}), trained by Aidan. 

What made those two victories all the more special was the fact that the siblings were bred by Aidan and Annemarie O'Brien under their Whisperview Trading banner, and now it is the turn of his Donnacha to attempt to secure another Breeders' Cup winner for his parents as breeders with Porta Fortuna (Ire) (Caravaggio). More importantly, however, the filly will be carrying the hopes of a large number of American owners in the Juvenile Fillies Turf on Friday.

“We've been coming to the Breeders' Cup since as along as I can remember, and I've been lucky enough to ride at a few, but this is my first one as a trainer, so it's exciting. I haven't been to the Breeders' Cup in the last few years because I haven't had a runner, so it's nice to be back,” said O'Brien, the former dual champion jockey in Ireland who retired from race-riding in 2019

Porta Fortuna remains confined to barracks until being allowed on to the main track on Tuesday morning.

“She travelled well and is in good form, and seems to have settled in well,” he continued. “She's been a superstar for us this year. To win at Ascot was fantastic, but she had two wins before Ascot, so to still be going, and to have run in three Group 1s in a row, and against the boys as well, she's danced every dance and she's a very tough filly. We're very lucky to have her, she's been great for us.”

That she has. From her maiden win at the Curragh on April 16, Porta Fortuna went straight into Pattern company for her first run in the colours of her new team of owners to win the G3 Fillies' Sprint S. at Naas, enjoying the perfect tune up before her first spot of travelling to Ascot for the G3 Albany S. Come August, she was chasing home Bucanero Fuerte (Fr) to be second in the G1 Phoenix S. before taking third in the G1 Moyglare Stud S. Finally she secured her own Group 1 success on her return to Britain for the Cheveley Park S. at Newmarket. She steps up now for a tight, turning mile, the first time she has gone beyond seven furlongs. 

Her trainer reported, “She has taken every run very well. She's not a filly who needs a lot of work at home. She's not difficult to train, her races kind of bring her along.

“She is owned by Steve Weston, Barry Fowler, Dean Reeves and Medallion Thoroughbreds, as well, which is a big syndicate. They are all American, and from the moment they bought her this was the dream and it has just worked out incredibly well. It's great to be able to bring her over to the US for them.”

The success of Porta Fortuna has also prompted greater involvement in O'Brien's stable from the ownership group, who bought into the filly through agent Mark McStay.

He added, “They bought her after she won a maiden, and they have bought some yearlings for me this year.

“In Ireland there's a small pool of owners, but internationally there's obviously a big interest in racing. This isn't something we've done on purpose, we were just lucky enough to get involved with these guys and it's brilliant to have some success for them.”

The one question that remains is how Porta Fortuna will cope with a two-turn mile after the wide open expanses of the Curragh plains and Newmarket Heath.

“We won't be sure until we go and do it, so we'll see,” said O'Brien. “It's going to be a lot different for her. Every race she's had so far has been on a straight track but she trains round a left-handed bend every day at home, so she's well used to turning left. She's obviously going up in trip as well, but on tight tracks, a mile around here is going to be like seven in Europe, and she has stayed seven before. We're not sure until we try but I feel she should handle it.”

The post ‘She’s Been a Superstar For Us This Year’: Fortuna Out to Favour The Brave appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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She sat a stalking trip in second and turned up the heat on the far turn. The bay stuck her head in front in the stretch and dug down deep to get the money by 3/4 of a length. Life's an Audible (Audible) was second; Whimsically (Uncle Mo) was third.

Hard to Justify, a narrow debut winner after overcoming a troubled trip in her unveiling over the Saratoga lawn July 23, becomes the 13th graded winner for Justify and ninth Miss Grillo winner for trainer Chad Brown.

Wednesday, Aqueduct
MISS GRILLO S.-GII, $200,000, Belmont The Big A, 10-4, 2yo, f, 1 1/16mT, 1:43.92, fm.
1–HARD TO JUSTIFY, 120, f, 2, by Justify
                1st Dam: Instant Reflex (GSP), by Quality Road
                2nd Dam: Without Delay, by Seeking the Gold
                3rd Dam: Slow Down, by Seattle Slew
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($190,000
Ylg '22 KEESEP). O-Wise Racing LLC; B-Yeguada Centurion S.L.
(KY); T-Chad C. Brown; J-Flavien Prat. $110,000. Lifetime
Record: 2-2-0-0, $167,750.
2–Life's an Audible, 120, f, 2, Audible–Catkins, by Data Link.
1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($25,000 Wlg '21
KEENOV; $90,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP; $200,000 2yo '23 OBSMAR).
O-Repole Stable; B-Susan Moulton (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher.
$40,000.
3–Whimsically, 118, f, 2, Uncle Mo–Coming Attraction, by
Tapit. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($180,000
Ylg '22 FTSAUG). O-Haymarket Farm LLC, Ingordo, David,
Manganaro Bloodstock, LBD Stable LLC & Diamond T Racing;
B-Audley Farm Equine, LLC (VA); T-Cherie DeVaux. $24,000.
Margins: HF, 1, 2 3/4. Odds: 7.30, 12.70, 59.75.
Also Ran: Gala Brand, Memorialize, Gold Lightning, Later Darling, Sierra Sky, Steel Lute, Dancing Spirit, Camila T (Ire). Scratched: Appellate. Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

#2 Hard to Justify steps up to stakes company and stays perfect in the G2 Miss Grillo S. at Belmont!

Chad Brown trains the 2-year-old filly by Justify and Flavien Prat had the mount.

#TwinSpiresReplay pic.twitter.com/5cF3UX88eq

— TwinSpires Racing (@TwinSpires) October 4, 2023

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Gifted an ideal lead, a strong pace and fast conditions in this seven-furlong “Win and You're In” for the $1-million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, the Crisfords' 7-2 shot was not for catching once James Doyle had committed passing two out.

Despite the admirable effort of the 13-8 favourite Shuwari (Ire) (New Bay {GB}) from an impossible position, the contest had already been decided and there was a safe 2 1/4-length margin between them at the line. Ballydoyle's G3 Silver Flash S.-winning TDN Rising Star Ylang Ylang (GB) (Frankel {GB}) was back to form a further 2 1/2 lengths away in third, but was outpaced some way out in a race that looked top-level in all but name.

Carla's Way, who had showed she could run as fast as only the best can do when defeating the smart pair Star Of Mystery (GB) (Kodiac {GB}) and Serene Seraph (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}) on her introduction 20 days before disappointing when eighth in the G3 Albany S. at Royal Ascot, had undergone a wind operation before finishing second to the subsequent G2 May Hill S. winner Darnation (Ire) (Too Darn Hot {GB}) on ground that would have been unsuitably soft in Goodwood's G3 Prestige S. last month.

Simon Crisford is looking at Santa Anita as a real possibility now that she has the ticket. “She did it really well, I think the fractions early on were pretty strong so all credit to her for picking up well,” he said. “I think she was slightly running on empty the last hundred yards, so that's probably as far as she wants to go trip-wise. I think the Fillies' Mile back here in two weeks might just be stretching her stamina too much, but a quick two-turn mile at the Breeders' Cup in California might be okay.”

Ed Crisford added, “There is a lot of New Approach in her and she is a big, tall, scopey filly and for sure next year she should train on. Whether she will quite stay a mile I'm not sure. We will get this year out of the way and then think about next year and see how she is training over the winter before thinking of the 1000 Guineas.”

Shuwari's trainer Ollie Sangster has no stamina concerns for the runner-up, who lost nothing in surrendering her unbeaten record racing against the bias against a top-drawer opponent. “I was very happy and she ran great,” he said. “I suppose the way the race panned out, she had a lot to do but she stayed on well. We will see how the next week goes, but we could think about coming back for the [Oct. 13] Fillies' Mile. She had been off for 64 days and she will come on again, so will definitely think about that.”

Pedigree Notes

Carla's Way, who at £350,000 was the second-highest-priced filly at the Goffs UK 2yo Breeze Up Sale, is the third of three current foals out of Sulaalaat who sported the Shadwell silks and was at her best over this trip. Registering a career-best in a handicap at the same Doncaster venue at which her daughter starred on debut, she is a full-sister to the dam of another member of the 2023 juvenile class who has produced something out of the ordinary in the Ripon debut winner but subsequently disappointing Listed Rose Bowl S.-placed Asadna (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}).

The third dam Sumoto (GB) (Mtoto {GB}) was responsible for the G1 Eclipse S. hero Compton Admiral (GB) (Suave Dancer), the G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. winner Summoner (GB) (Inchinor {GB}) and the G2 Ribblesdale S. runner-up Twyla Tharp (Ire) (Sadler's Wells) who in turn produced the G1 Irish Champion S., G1 Prince of Wales's S., G1 Nassau S. and G1 Yorkshire Oaks heroine The Fugue (GB) (Dansili {GB}). This is also the family of the high-class G1 July Cup and G1 Prix de la Foret winner Limato (Ire) (Tagula {Ire}).

Taking performance

Carla's Way lands the G2 @ABE_Dubai Rockfel Stakes for @the_doyler & @gainsboroughHQ pic.twitter.com/mJvISIeRYX

— Newmarket Racecourse (@NewmarketRace) September 29, 2023

Friday, Newmarket, Britain
AL BASTI EQUIWORLD DUBAI ROCKFEL S.-G2, £107,000, Newmarket, 9-29, 2yo, f, 7fT, 1:23.01, g/f.
1–CARLA'S WAY (IRE), 128, f, 2, by Starspangledbanner (Aus)
1st Dam: Sulaalaat (GB), by New Approach (Ire)
2nd Dam: Danehill Dreamer, by Danehill
3rd Dam: Sumoto (GB), by Mtoto (GB)
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN; 1ST GROUP WIN. (£350,000 2yo '23 GOUKB). O-Shaikh Duaij Al Khalifa; B-Grove Stud & David Spratt (IRE); T-Simon & Ed Crisford; J-James Doyle. £60,680. Lifetime Record: 4-2-1-0, $100,265. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Shuwari (Ire), 128, f, 2, New Bay (GB)–Lady Pimpernel (GB), by Sir Percy (GB). 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. (80,000gns Ylg '22 TATOCT). O-Mrs B V Sangster & Ballylinch Partnership; B-Ballylinch Stud (IRE); T-Ollie Sangster. £23,005.
3–Ylang Ylang (GB), 128, f, 2, Frankel (GB)–Shambolic (Ire), by Shamardal. (1,500,000gns Ylg '22 TATOCT). O-Magnier, Tabor, Smith,Brant & Westerberg; B-Newsells Park Stud & Merry Fox Stud (GB); T-Aidan O'Brien. £11,513.
Margins: 2 1/4, 2HF, 3/4. Odds: 3.50, 1.63, 2.50.
Also Ran: Spiritual (Ire), Zenjabeela (GB), Carolina Reaper (GB). Scratched: Alshinfarah (Ire), Marcella (Ger).

The post Starspangledbanner’s Carla’s Way Brilliant In The Rockfel; Has BC Juvenile Fillies Turf Berth appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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“The Breeders' Cup is the ultimate race test of champions to define and prove yourself against the ultimate competition,” said Hill 'n' Dale's John Sikura, who now owns Lady Eli in partnership with Coolmore. “That's what everybody dreams of; to win a Breeders' Cup race certainly defines you as a world-class racehorse. As someone who is in the breeding business, presenting a foal from the best racemare is a unique achievement as far as the quality of the dam. There's only one Breeders' Cup winner in each race each year, so Lady Eli is the epitome of class.”

Lady Eli (2012 dark bay or brown mare, Divine Park–Sacre Coeur, by Saint Ballado)

Lifetime record: Ch. turf female, MGISW, 14-10-3-0, $2,959,800

Breeders' Cup connections: B-Runnymede Farm Inc. & Catesby W. Clay (KY); O-Sheep Pond Partners; T-Chad Brown; J-Irad Ortiz, Jr.

Current location: Coolmore America/Ashford Stud, Versailles, Ky.

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Favored at 2-1, Meditate bounded away from the stalls to establish position, settling in the three path near the back of the pack as 18-1 shot Spirit Gal (Fr) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) carved out an opening quarter in :23.19 and a half in :47.60. Meditate crept up a bit on the outside to sit mid-pack while turning for home four wide. Kicking into high gear at the top of the stretch, the bay unleashed a powerful turn of foot, rolling clear with ease to win by 2 1/2 lengths. The Shug McGaughey-trained Pleasant Passage (More Than Ready) was the runner-up with Cairo Consort (Cairo Prince) in third.

“We had a reason (she didn't win) at the Curragh and a reason for her last race and weren't sure about the mile,” said O'Brien, who teamed up with Moore and Coolmore to take the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf two races later. “Ryan (Moore) gave her a brilliant ride. Michael (Tabor) was very confident that this was the race for her. It's incredible. We came to here to see if she would be a filly for the Guineas. And I heard Michael telling Ryan before the race, if she wasn't going to get the trip here, we might not train her for the Guineas. Obviously, the result was great. Ryan was very patient. He didn't have an easy draw and said he had to take his time the first half. Delighted for everyone.”

“It's obviously always very hard coming here,” Moore said. “Everything needs to go right. No one comes here to get beat. The filly did it very easy and has lots of talent. She hasn't run a bad race all year and gets better with every race. She started well, went hard for a little bit, I was going to be wide and the pace got steady. I followed a horse down the backside and she picked up really well down the stretch. She had them covered with a furlong out and in front pricking her ears. She was much the best.”

As for the runner-up, McGaughey said, “I thought she ran great. She missed the break just a tad, but I loved her position back there. When the winner moved, we sort of had to wait a little bit. When she got clear in the stretch I thought she finished really well.”

A good-looking debut winner at the Curragh in April, Meditate reeled off three more wins after that, taking the G3 Naas Fillies Sprint S. May 15, Royal Ascot's G3 Albany S. June 17 and the Curragh's G2 Debutante S. Aug. 20. Her hot streak came to an end Sept. 11 when she finished second in the G1 Moyglare Stud S. and she completed the exacta again last time in Newmarket's G1 Cheveley Park S. Sept. 24

Pedigree Notes:

No Nay Never came up just a half-length short when second as the favorite in the 2014 GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint, but the Coolmore stallion had a win on the 2022 championship card with his daughter Meditate. The filly is one of 26 group/graded winners for her sire, whose monster results this year include multiple Group 1-winning juvenile Blackbeard and Group 1-winning 2-year-old Little Big Bear.

Pembina is a half-sister to the dam of Group and Grade I winner Ectot (GB) (Hurricane Run {Ire}). Meditate is her most recent foal. —Jessica Martini

Friday, Keeneland
BREEDERS' CUP JUVENILE FILLIES TURF-GI, $920,000, Keeneland, 11-4, 2yo, f, 1mT, 1:35.38, fm.
1–MEDITATE (IRE), 122, f, 2, by No Nay Never
                1st Dam: Pembina (Ire), by Dalakhani (Ire)
                2nd Dam: Mahalia (Ire), by Danehill
                3rd Dam: Maresca (Ire), by Mill Reef
1ST GRADE I WIN. (€360,000 Ylg '21 ARAUG). O-Mrs. John
Magnier, Michael B. Tabor, Derrick Smith & Westerberg;
B-Lynch-Bages & Rhinestone Bloodstock (IRE); T-Aidan P.
O'Brien; J-Ryan L. Moore. $520,000. Lifetime Record: MGSW &
GISP-Ire, GSW & GISP-Eng, 7-5-2-0, $862,341. Werk Nick
Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Pleasant Passage, 122, f, 2, by More Than Ready
                1st Dam: Peaceful Passage, by War Front
                2nd Dam: Flying Passage, by A.P. Indy
                3rd Dam: Chic Shirine, by Mr. Prospector
1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. O/B-Emory A. Hamilton (KY); T-Claude R.
McGaughey III. $170,000.
3–Cairo Consort, 122, f, 2, by Cairo Prince
                1st Dam: Absolutely Awesome, by Street Cry (Ire)
                2nd Dam: Discreetly Awesome, by Awesome Again
                3rd Dam: Pretty Discreet, by Private Account
($37,000 RNA Wlg '20 FTKNOV; $95,000 Ylg '21 FTKOCT).
O-Maple Lane Farm LLC; B-Frankfort Park Farm (KY); T-Nathan
Squires. $90,000.
Margins: 2HF, 2 1/4, HD. Odds: 2.04, 6.41, 19.14.
Also Ran: Midnight Mile (Ire), Free Look, Last Call, Comanche Country (Ire), Manhattan Jungle (Ire), Be Your Best (Ire), Delight, Basil Martini (Ire), Bling, Spirit Gal (Fr), Xigera. Scratched: Alluring Angel (GB), G Laurie.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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In their ninth year in the sport and after an inauspicious start, Richard and Tammy Rigney's Rigney Racing is enjoying a dream season. With seven wins, they were the leading owner at the spring meet at Churchill Downs. They followed that up with six winners at Saratoga from just 13 starters. In September, they teamed up with private trainer Phil Bauer to win the GIII Locust Grove S. at Churchill Downs with Played Hard (Into Mischief).

“It's our ninth year together with Phil and we have been continually trying to progress to compete at the top level on a consistent basis,” Richard Rigney said. “We feel like we have kind of arrived.”

Rigney is a successful businessman who owns Clarendon Flavor Engineering, a Louisville-based beverage company that makes flavors for distilled spirits. He wanted a new challenge and chose to get involved in racing, but it didn't go well at the start. In its first four years in operation, Rigney Racing won just 17 races.

But he vowed to keep plugging away.

“You have to be really resilient to be in this industry,” he said “If you have a problem with being knocked down and you can't get back up you should get out of this business. We have long-term goals, goals to compete in the Oaks and the Derby. Having a bad year is not going to slow us down. Instead, we'll look at what we can do better each year.”

Looking back, he can see where he went wrong. Like many who have come before him, he thought that success in another business meant he could do just as well in horse racing.

“This is where I made my mistake,” said Rigney, who estimates he has 60 horses. “I own my own business. It seemed to me, I'm killing it here, I can do the same in another business and it will be no problem. Phil and I decided we'd do it together, just the two of us. We started picking out horses together and we weren't so good at it.”

Rigney was smart enough to know he had to try something different. He hired bloodstock agent John Moynihan to select horses for him at the sales and the results were immediate.

“This has been a long time coming for the Rigneys,” Bauer said. “He's put a good team together and that starts at the sales. John Moynihan buying our horses has made a world of difference for us. We're dealing with athletes that can compete at this level and we just try to stay out of the way.”

After winning the title at Churchill, the Rigneys and Bauer weren't that optimistic about Saratoga. They had a number of horses that needed a break and decided to send only a small string to Saratoga.

“Saratoga was huge,” Rigney said. “We thought it was time to give some of our horses a break and just take the right horses up to Saratoga, so we picked out who we'd send there. Phil had an amazing run. It was unreal. You just don't win six races at Saratoga with 13 starters. It was a great time for us and Phil got a lot of recognition, which was nice to see.”

Xigera, named for one of the Rigney's vacation spots, a safari lodge in Botswana, broke her maiden on Aug. 28 at Saratoga in a mile-and-a-sixteenth grass race. Bauer wanted to keep her on the turf but was told she might not get in the GII Jessamine S., so opted instead to try the filly on the dirt in the GI Alcibiades S. She finished fourth but was bothered late and placed third through disqualification.

“I was really pleased with way she ran,” Bauer said. “My initial reaction was maybe I didn't have her tight enough for a dirt effort. She bounced out really well and we're excited moving forward.”

Rigney has had three other horses he owned in partnerships compete in the Breeders' Cup, including Dream Empress (Bernstein), who finished in 2008 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. Xigera will be the first for Rigney Racing. While he said he'd be happy if Xigera were simply to run well, he sees having a horse in the Breeders' Cup as an accomplishment in itself, a sign that his stable is headed in the right direction.

“We have some good quality horses and, hopefully, they will keep coming our way and we can keep participating in events like the Breeders' Cup” Rigney said. “That's what it's all about. We decided that we're all in.”

The post On a Roll, Rigney Racing Seeks First Breeders’ Cup Win appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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The highlight of the day will be the GI Darley Alcibiades S., a qualifier for the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. Ken McPeek and Brad Cox have taken turns the last few years, each winning two of the last four, and McPeek has the morning-line favorite in last-out GIII Pocahontas S. winner Fun and Feisty (Midshipman).

McPeek also saddles longshot Stellar Lady (Shackleford), who broke her maiden on grass last out at Kentucky Downs Sept. 8. The aforementioned Cox also saddles a grass filly in unbeaten Chop Chop (City of Light), who enters off a win in the Kentucky Downs Juvenile Fillies S. Sept. 3.

DJ Stable's Wonder Wheel (Into Mischief) will likely challenge Fun and Feisty for favoritism. Opening her account with a pair of wins including a dominant score in Churchill's Debutante S. in July, the dark bay checked in second in Saratoga's GI Spinaway S. Sept. 4.

Chad Brown sends out one worth a look at a price in Alpha Delta Stables homebred Raging Sea (Curlin). She rallied to victory in her debut going seven panels at Saratoga Aug. 7. Both her running style and her pedigree suggest she will only improve with more distance.

Juvenile grass fillies get their chance to secure a spot in the Breeders' Cup starting gate one race earlier in the GII J.P. Morgan Chase Jessamine S. Chop Chop would have been favored in this event, but now that will likely go to Towhead (Malibu Moon), who came up a nose short of that foe in the Kentucky Downs Juvenile Fillies S.

Jonathan Thomas saddles a live on in Augustin Stable's Delight (Mendelssohn). The $400,000 OBSMAR buy earned her diploma at Delaware last out Aug. 27 after a pair of thirds in her first two tries.

G. Watts Humphrey's Bling (American Pharoah) took a huge step forward when switched from dirt to turf in her second start at Ellis Aug. 20, earning her diploma by 3 3/4 lengths.

Also worth a look at what is sure to be a juicy price for bettors is NY-bred Recognize (Bolt d'Oro). Her freshman sire now has two graded winners on turf and her Hall of Fame conditioner Bill Mott is known for his patience and ability to get horses to peak at the right time. The bay graduated by 5 1/4 lengths at third asking against fellow Empire-breds at Saratoga in Aug. 18 and checked in third after setting the pace in that venue's P.G. Johnson S. Sept. 1.

Rounding out Friday's Breeders' Cup qualifiers is the GII Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix S. for male sprinters. With champion Jackie's Warrior (Maclean's Music) and Cody's Wish (Curlin), who defeated the divisional leader in the GI Forego S., waiting for the first weekend in November, this event lacks star power. However, the horse who may be improving at just the right time is Sibelius (Not This Time), who enters off a pair of strong victories and triple-digit Beyers, including the Lite the Fuse S. at Pimlico Sept. 10, for which he warned a 106 Beyer Speed Figure.

Special Reserve (Midshipman) captured this event last year, but could only manage fourth in the Breeders' Cup. Off the board in his seasonal debut in the DeFrancis Memorial Dash July 16, he wired the Senator Robert C. Byrd Memorial S. in the slop at Mountaineer last out Aug. 6.

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PENN OAKS, $150,000, Penn National, 6-3, 3yo, f, 1mT, 1:44.43, sf.
1–HAUGHTY, 116, f, 3, by Empire Maker
                1st Dam: Soaring Emotions, by Kingmambo
                2nd Dam: Luminous Beauty, by A.P. Indy
                3rd Dam: Caerlina (Ire), by Caerleon
($70,000 RNA Ylg '20 KEESEP; $310,000 2yo '21 OBSAPR). 1ST BLACK TYPE WIN. O-Bradley Thoroughbreds, Belmar Racing and Breeding, LLC, Tim & Anna Cambron and Team Hanley; B-Gainesway Thoroughbreds Ltd. (KY); T-Chad C. Brown; J-Flavien Prat. $90,000. Lifetime Record: GISP, 4-2-0-2, $241,200. *1/2 to Souper Colossal (War Front), MSW & MGSP, $427,640.
2–Irie Empress, 118, f, 3, Shackleford–Waltzing Cat, by More Than Ready. ($1,000 Ylg '20 EASOCT). 1ST BLACK TYPE. O-Kirk Nesbeth; B-Timothy Rooney (PA); T-Herold O. Whylie. $30,000.
3–Belacqua (Ire), 116, f, 3, Havana Gold (Ire)–Chatting (Ire), by Intikhab. (10,500gns Ylg '20 TAOCT). 1ST BLACK TYPE. O-Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners; B-Chatting Partnership (IRE); T-H. Graham Motion. $16,500.
Margins: 4 3/4, 2HF, HF. Odds: 0.40, 64.20, 7.80.
Also Ran: Alittleloveandluck, Customer List (Fr). Scratched: Morning Matcha.

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