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Essential Quality’s Jonabell Farm Homecoming

It was a blustery autumn day last week when champion Essential Quality (Tapit – Delightful Quality, by Elusive Quality) stepped out of his new stall in Darley's eminent stud barn to make his paces in front of onlooking breeders for his first stallion show, but the regally-bred grey didn't so much as bat an eye as the winds picked up and the surrounding crowd grew thicker.

“I think what has been evident about Essential Quality from the get-go has been his class and his mind,” said Darley's Sales Manager Darren Fox. “He rolled off the van like a pro and he came out and stood up for his first show like a star who had done it 500 times. His intelligence is certainly one of his strengths and one that I think he's going to pass on to his progeny.”

It was a celebratory homecoming for the Godolphin homebred, who was foaled at Jonabell Farm in 2018.

“It's unbelievably special,” Fox said. “There's an immense sense of pride with breeding a horse of this caliber and it's such an endorsement for the home team. To have him go on to achieve what he has done, to become the only horse in American racing history to have won the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile and the GI Belmont S., it's a huge statement. Now to watch it come full circle back to where it all began here at Jonabell Farm, it's hugely gratifying and in one horse epitomizes what we are trying to do here.”

Essential Quality's graded stakes-placed dam Delightful Quality (Elusive Quality) is out of Contrive (Storm Cat), who was purchased by Godolphin for $3 million at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale days after her first foal Folklore (Tiznow) won the 2005 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. Since then, Folklore has become the second dam of Japanese Triple Crown winner Contrail (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}).

Delightful Quality, who this year is again in foal to Tapit, has now produced five foals. Her unraced daughter Indelible, a 5-year-old Tiznow mare, brought $1.6 million at last year's Fasig-Tipton November Sale in foal to Nyquist while her most recent foal, a 2-year-old filly named Famed (Uncle Mo), joined her champion half-brother in becoming a 'TDN Rising Star' after a near eight-length win on closing day of this year's Keeneland fall meet. The Brad Cox trainee put in her most recent work at Churchill Downs on Nov. 14 and, according to Godolphin's Michael Banahan, is expected to make her next start in the Nov. 27 GII Golden Rod S.

Essential Quality caps off an undefeated juvenile season in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile | Horsephotos

“It's an exception female family and Essential Quality represents some of the best sires lines that we've had here in North America,” Fox noted.

Essential Quality's physical, Fox said, also reflects the best of his pedigree.

“He has plenty of size and is a very clean-limbed horse who tracks well. I would say he has a real two-turn length of body and he has a very intelligent, attractive head to him. Obviously he's straight off the track now, but I can just see when he fills into his frame that he's going to be an absolute stunner.”

Fox can remember when he first dared to imagine the son of Tapit joining the Darley stud roster. The Godolphin team had been hearing positive comments from Brad Cox as 'EQ' put in works at Churchill Downs throughout the summer last year. But in his six-furlong debut on the GI Kentucky Derby undercard last September, the colt was much the best when he defeated a well-regarded field by four lengths.

“Going into the final sixteenth, it was like he was on a travelator and all the other horses were standing still,” Fox recalled. “It was a sight to behold. I had one client text me after the race saying he wanted to book a season to him when he retires to stud. I joked that I hoped he was right, but all eyes have been on him since that maiden win and he certainly hasn't disappointed.”

Essential Quality's undefeated juvenile campaign continued with wins in the GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity and GI TVG Breeders' Cup Juvenile.

“He showed that he was quite versatile,” Fox explained of the colt's 2-year-old season. “He was more on the pace in the Breeders' Futurity and then it was a hotter pace in the Juvenile so he was back a little more and came with a devastating run. By the end of his 2-year-old year, we thought we had a horse who was still putting it together, but had immense talent and no bottom to him.”

After earning championship honors as the top 2-year-old colt of 2020, Essential Quality returned at three with back-to-back wins in the GIII Southwest S. and GII Toyota Blue Grass S. He suffered his first defeat in the GI Kentucky Derby, but came back with a vengeance in the GI Belmont S. to give his sire a record fourth winner in the Test of the Champion and become the first horse in history to win both the Breeders' Cup Juvenile and Belmont S.

Essential Quality fends off Midnight Bourbon (Tiznow) in the GI Runhappy Travers S., where he earned a 107 Beyer Speed Figure | Sarah Andrew

“It was a very difficult achievement and it just epitomizes Essential Quality,” Fox said. “He had the speed and precocity to win two Grade I races at a mile and a sixteenth as a 2-year-old, but the stamina to win the Belmont over an enduring mile and a half. It didn't matter what trip he had; he would find a way to win.”

In his next two starts in the GII Jim Dandy S. and GI Runhappy Travers S., Essential Quality gave similar performances where he saved his best work for late and fended off rivals in the final strides of the contest.

“You always knew with Essential Quality that he was going to be gaining with every yard to the wire,” Fox said. “He had a sixth sense for where the wire was and he would just do enough. It made for a number of thrilling finishes and it certainly gave us heart palpitations to watch some of his races, but that was just him. That's what champions do.”

After capping off his career with a third-place finish in the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Classic, Essential Quality retired as a four-time Grade I winner with earnings of over $4.7 million.

Entering stud with a $75,000 stud fee, Essential Quality is currently the most expensive stallion of the incoming 2022 crop.

“He's going to one of the most sought-after– if not the most sought-after– freshman sire this year and his book will certainly reflect that status,” Fox said. “It's not easy to get a horse to amass his race record, present his physical and bring the female family. Being by Tapit out of an Elusive Quality mare who is out of a Storm Cat mare, he embodies some of the most important sire lines that we've had. We are very excited and we think he has all the ingredients to make a successful stallion.”

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Friday Show Presented By Woodbine: Looking Back At Breeders’ Cup, Ahead To HISA

What are the takeaways from the embarrassing mistakes made at the Breeders' Cup world championships' Future Stars Friday program when Modern Games was removed from wagering pools and then allowed to run for purse money only in the Grade 1 Juvenile Turf at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif., on Nov. 5?

Was this simply a human error or something compounded by ill-preparedness, faulty communications and regulations not in step with modern technology?

To help answer some of those questions, Pat Cummings of the Thoroughbred Idea Foundation joins publisher Ray Paulick and editor-in-chief Natalie Voss in this week's edition of the Friday Show to discuss what could have been done differently and would should be done going forward to avoid a similar occurrence. The mistake had a multi-million impact on horseplayers.

The trio also discuss the just-released draft of anti-doping and medication control rules from the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority and the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. How will medication policies differ under the Authority, which is scheduled to be active by July 1, 2022?

The Woodbine Star of the Week is the ageless Pink Lloyd, the ageless wonder who won his 25th career stakes race last weekend at the grand old age of 9.

Watch this week's Friday Show, presented by Woodbine, below:

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View From The Eighth Pole: Sublime To The Ridiculous At Breeders’ Cup

Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you like the Breeders' Cup?

Putting aside for a moment the unprecedented fiasco that began when the horses for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf were loaded in the starting gate (and which continued for days while officials revised their take about what happened), there were many positive stories that came out of this 38^th edition of what is moving closer toward its self-proclaimed status as Thoroughbred racing's world championships.

Let's begin with the fact there were no serious injuries or fatalities sustained by any of the horses competing over the two days at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif., on Nov. 5-6. Considering how the final race of the 2019 Breeders' Cup at Santa Anita ended with the fatal injury to Mongolian Groom, it was extremely important to have an injury-free event.

California, by necessity, has led the way on equine safety reforms after the spike in fatalities at Santa Anita in the winter and spring of 2019 that put the sport in the crosshairs of animal extremists, national media and a growing number of politicians.

One of those reforms, which has nothing to do with musculoskeletal injuries, is the elimination of the race-day administration of Lasix, the anti-bleeder diuretic whose use is not permitted close to competition in any major racing countries outside of North America. Some horsemen raised concerns about the absence of Lasix, especially on older horses that had been running on it previously, but we have yet to see the predictions of doom come true about numerous horses gushing blood from the nostrils or jockeys coming back with red-splattered pants.

It turns out American horsemen can do what the rest of the world has proven it can do: race Thoroughbreds without giving them race-day medication to treat exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage.

Another reform taken by California regulators is restricting the use of the riding crop, or whip. The crop can only be used in an underhand manner, according to the regulations, and jockeys are limited to six strikes and no more than two in succession. While there were violations and rulings against three jockeys for going over the limit or raising the whip above the shoulder, I heard no suggestions that the whip restrictions altered the outcome of any races. Two of those races – the Sprint and Distaff – were decided by no more than an inch or two.

The storyline that could have the biggest impact on the Breeders' Cup over the long term were the two victories by Japanese-based horses: Loves Only You as the third betting choice in the Filly & Mare Turf and 49-1 outsider Marche Lorraine in the Distaff.

Japanese horsemen have been dipping their toes in American racing waters for at least 35 years, dating back to 1986 when Japan Triple Crown winner Symboli Rudolf traveled to California to run in the San Luis Rey Stakes at Santa Anita. That's around the time Japanese breeders like the late Zenya Yoshida and his family, among others, began injecting significant funds to their upgrade breeding stock.

For the next 30 years, while there were a handful of Japanese runners who competed in the U.S., there was no serious effort by Breeders' Cup or racetracks to recruit those horses, largely because Japan – which has enormous wagering numbers annually – was a closed market for simulcasting. That changed in 2016.

Since select races are now permitted to be simulcast into Japan for separate pool wagering, we've seen Churchill Downs incorporate a Japanese Road to the Kentucky Derby, the New York Racing Association offer a bonus to a Japanese horse that wins the Belmont Stakes, and the Breeders' Cup actively recruit horses for its races.

That recruiting paid off this year, with seven Japanese runners in six Breeders' Cup races – by far the largest number ever. Separate pool wagering in Japan was permitted on three races, and fans there bet US$12.4 million (despite the extreme time difference, with post time Sunday morning in Japan between 7 and 9 a.m. The first of the three races, the Filly & Mare Turf handled US$3.7 million, the Mile US$3.9 million, and the Turf US$4.8 million.

Those numbers, supplied by Graham Pavey (@LongBallToNoOne on Twitter), pale in comparison to what Japanese fans bet on the 2021 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe from France. That race, run late on a Sunday night in Japan, handled nearly US$48 million.

The good news for the Breeders' Cup (and Triple Crown tracks Churchill Downs, Pimlico and Belmont) is that the successes by the Japanese runners will likely lead to more participation from that country's horsemen, which should lead to greater awareness of the Breeders' Cup and American Triple Crown by Japanese racing fans and increased handle.

One story that got lost in the swirling controversy surrounding the Juvenile Turf was the victory earlier on the Future Stars Friday program by Bobby Flay's Pizza Bianca, which gave the accomplished trainer Christophe Clement his first Breeders' Cup victory after 41 consecutive defeats. The late Hall of Famer Robert Frankel saw a similar string of frustration, losing 38 Breeders' Cup races in a row before breaking through with Squirtle Squirt in the 2001 Sprint at Belmont Park. Frankel would go on to win five more Breeders' Cup races, winding up with a 6-for-82 mark overall.

I wouldn't be surprised to see Clement add several more winners to his resume before long.

On to the bad news.

First, it is embarrassing to the sport that races can not be timed properly. Times were revised after the fact on two Breeders' Cup races on Friday and another on Saturday – all turf races. Inaccurate timing of races has become almost an epidemic in American racing at multiple tracks to the point that you no longer can trust the fractional times posted as the race is being run.

We should be getting better at this, not worse.

The mistaken scratch from wagering pools of Modern Games in the Juvenile Turf began with human error by a veterinarian who apparently was being asked to perform a regulatory job that he doesn't do on a regular basis.

The mistake was compounded by false statements from the California Horse Racing Board that were later retracted, miscommunications between stewards and Del Mar's mutuels department, and wagering rules that are outdated.

Breeders' Cup took no responsibility for what happened, saying in a statement it was the CHRB's problem. The CHRB insisted at first it was a Breeders' Cup-hired veterinarian who blew the call before realizing that same veterinarian reported to the CHRB's equine medical director.

With apologies to the men and women who make their living as clowns, this was a clown show. The industry must do better for the men and women who bet a record of nearly $183 million on this event. An independent review of what happened is needed, not a navel-gazing exercise conducted by the same people who made the initial mistake and then kept digging a deeper hole.

That's my view from the eighth pole.

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Corniche Goes All The Way In Breeders’ Cup Juvenile; No Derby Points Awarded To Baffert Trainee

“Big Money Mike” Smith, the winningest rider in the history of the Breeders' Cup World Championships with 26 victories at the start of Friday's card, took advantage of limited opportunities this year when piloting Speedway Stables' Corniche to victory in Friday's $2 million Juvenile. The 2-year-old son of Quality Road led the field of 11 on a merry chase around the Del Mar oval, completing 1 1/16 miles over the fast track in 1:42.50.

“The only thing I was worried about was that he got hotter (before the race) than he ever had,” Smith said. “It just made me get calmer. I don't think I have ever been so calm in a big race. I just sat really still, he caught a flyer leaving the gate and just left him alone.”

Off as the favorite at odds of 7-5, Corniche defeated Pappacap (15-1) by 1 3/4 lengths at the wire. It was another 1 1/2 lengths back to Giant Game (21-1) in third, with the maiden Commandperformance (3-1) checking in fourth.

Since Corniche is trained by Bob Baffert, who is currently banned by Churchill Downs, the colt will not earn the 20 points on offer for the 2022 Kentucky Derby. Neither did Corniche earn the 10 points on offer for his victory in the G1 American Pharoah Stakes. Meanwhile, Pappacap earns eight points, Giant Game four, and Commandperformance two.

“K.C. (Weiner) and I never thought about moving the horse to another trainer,” said Speedway's Peter Fluor. “We talked to Bob right after we bought the horse, he liked the horse, and so the horse was always coming to Bob. And three races and kind of look how he's done, so, with a great deal of thanks to Bob, and that's where we are.”

The updated Road to the Kentucky Derby points standings are available here: Road to the Kentucky Derby Leaderboard

The victory is the fifth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile for Baffert and 18th overall.

“Well the Derby is a long ways off and so right now my focus was just getting here and we'll see how it plays out,” said Baffert. “And there's still a lot of things going on and so – and, really, there's not much to talk about that right now, just, like I said, the main thing is to keep him healthy, that's number one, we have a really good horse, and we have to keep him healthy and the Derby, that's a long ways off still, so a lot can happen between now and then and we'll see how it — we got to see how it plays out.”

Smith sent Corniche hard out of his outermost post position, making it over to the rail to grab the lead as he rounded into the clubhouse turn. The colt set measured fractions of :23.03 and :46.15, maintaining a length advantage over Pinehurst and Commandperformance in the early going.

Pappacap made a move up the inside down the backstretch to be third heading for the clubhouse turn, but Smith had given Corniche just enough of a breather before the half-mile pole that the race was already decided.

Corniche turned for home with a two-length lead, and while Pappacap moved up the rail and Giant Game made a huge move on the outside, there was no catching the leader in the stretch. Corniche won by 1 3/4 lengths, with Pappacap second, Giant Game third, and Commandperformance fourth. Oviatt Class and Pinehurst dead-heated for fifth. The remaining order of finish was: American Sanctuary, Double Thunder, Barossa, Jasper Great, and Tough To Tame.

The morning-line favorite Jack Christopher was scratched Thursday night.

Bred in Kentucky by Bart Evans and Stonehaven Steadings, Corniche is out of the multiple graded stakes winning, Grade 1-placed Najran mare Wasted Tears. He was a $1.5 million purchase at the OBS April sale, and won on debut at Del Mar in September. He went on to lead all the way in the Grade 1 American Pharoah Stakes, and has now won all three of his career starts for earnings of $1,262,000.

Comments From Other Connections

Trainer Mark Casse (second with Pappacap) – “You know what – he's a good horse and he's getting better. Now we have to figure out how to get him to the Kentucky Derby. He'll love the mile and a quarter.”

Jockey Joe Bravo (second with Pappacap) – “I'm just so proud of my big colt. He did everything great today. Mike (Smith) had everything his own way around there and I was just trying to stay on his tail and keep up.”

Trainer Dale Romans (third with Giant Game) – “I think it's going to be a fun spring. I was real happy with him. Around the turn, I thought we were going to get it all. Congratulations to the winner. It was a big race by him. It's hard to beat Bob (Baffert) on his home court. I'm very proud of my horse and I think we are legitimately on the Derby trail here.”

Jockey Joe Talamo (third with Giant Game) – “I had a lot of horse coming around the turn. He put me in a really great spot. He has a very bright future, this being only his third career start.”

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