Breeders' Cup | Horse Racing Free Tips

Serengeti Empress Retired, To Visit Into Mischief

Serengeti Empress (Alternation–Havisham, by Bernardini), second to Gamine (Into Mischief) in the GI Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint S. Saturday at Keeneland, has been retired and will be bred to Into Mischief, according to a tweet from trainer Tom Amoss’s daughter Hayley Amoss Wednesday morning.

“Said goodbye to Serengeti Empress yesterday with plenty of peppermints,” tweeted Amoss, with a photo of herself and the filly taken in front of her stall Tuesday morning. “Sad that she will no longer be in the first stall at Tom Amoss’s barn, but thrilled that [owner] Joel Politi is keeping her a short drive away at Taylor Made. On to the next chapter of her legacy!”

Mark Toothaker, the stallion sales manager at Spendthrift Farm, tweeted, “What a filly. So happy Joel Politi and Tom Amoss allowed us the privilege to have her visit Into Mischief.”

A $25,000 KEENOV weanling buy turned $70,000 KEESEP purchase, Serengeti Empress proved to be quite a bargain indeed for Politi and Amoss. Romping by 13 1/2 lengths in the Ellis Park Debutante S. in 2018, the fleet-footed filly ran the field off their feet in that year’s GII Pocahontas S., streaking home a 19 1/2-length winner. Off the board in that year’s GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile FIllies, she returned to winning ways with a decisive score in last term’s GII Rachel Alexandra S., but faded to seventh next out in the GII Fair Grounds Oaks last MArch. Connections discovered that she bled during that effort, but Amoss had confidence she would bounce back fine and trained her up to the GI Kentucky Oaks. Given a 13-1 chance off her Fair Grounds race, Serengeti Empress went straight to the front under Jose Ortiz and proved not for catching, taking home the lilies with a 1 3/4-length score.

Second when cut back in distance for the GI Acorn S. next out, the bay dueled with the equally swift two-time champion Covfefe (Into Mischief) down the length of the Saratoga stretch, finishing a game second in the GI Test S. Off the board in the GI Cotillion S,, she was third in the 2019 GI Breeders’ Cup Distaff. Serengeti Empress proved equally game in 2020, dominating the GII Azeri S. in her second start this term. Off the board in the GI Apple Blossom H. and GII Fleur de Lis H., the 4-year-old rebounded with a front-running victory in the GI Ballerina S. Aug. 8 at Saratoga and missed by a nose in the Sept. 5 GI Derby City Distaff prior to her effort in the World Championships. Serengeti Empress retires with a record of 18-7-4-1 and earnings of $2,175,653.

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‘Emotional’ Goodbye: Starship Jubilee Retired Sound After Losing Rider In Breeders’ Cup

Two-time Grade 1 winner Starship Jubilee, a $16,000 claim in 2017, has officially been retired from racing, according to the Daily Racing Form. The 7-year-old daughter of Indy Wind stumbled at the start of the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf on Saturday at Keeneland, unseating jockey Florent Geroux, but was uninjured after being corralled by an outrider and retires sound.

Claimed in February of 2017 at Gulfstream by Tino Attard, the filly won a trio of allowance races before being transferred to Woodbine. Trained by his son, Kevin Attard, for all of her graded stakes victories, Starship Jubilee began to show her talent over the turf with a win in the 2017 G2 Nassau Stakes in May. In all she won nine graded stakes, including the 2019 G1 E. P. Taylor Stakes and the 2020 G1 Woodbine Mile.

Bred in Florida, Starship Jubilee also won three straight editions of the Sunshine Millions Filly & Mare Turf Stakes at Gulfstream, from 2018 through 2020. She retires with a record of 19 wins from 38 starts, with earnings of $2,093,069.

“It was really emotional for me to say goodbye to her,” Attard told drf.com. “She obviously meant a lot to me, my family, and my career. Horses like her become part of your family. You look forward to seeing them every morning in the barn. It's going to be hard walking by her stall.”

Over $140,000 Raised Through New Vocations Breeders’ Cup Pledge

New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program announced today that the early estimate of funds raised during their Breeders' Cup Pledge will be over $140,000. Authentic's win in the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic was one of seven winning pledges during the event with the whole partnership group including Spendthrift Farm, Starlight Racing, Madaket and MyRacehorse participating, as well as trainer Bob Baffert.

Additional pledges and final donations are still being received, but the program is thrilled with the overwhelming support of the fundraiser. This marks the Pledge's eleventh year with over $790,000 raised since 2009, and 100 percent of funds going directly to support the program's rehabilitation, retraining and rehoming efforts.

“We are truly thrilled with the increased participation for this year's Pledge,” said Anna Ford, New Vocations Program Director. “All of our other fundraising events had to be cancelled this year, so more than ever, we needed the Pledge to be successful and raise funds. To have seven pledged contenders win was incredible. We are very grateful for the support from all the generous owners and trainers who joined the Pledge. All of the funding raised will go directly to support our program and will allow us to serve the increasing number of horses needing aftercare.”

A total of 50 Championship contenders with prominent connections pledged a percentage of their Breeders' Cup earnings. Pledge participants included Albaugh Family Stables, Bass Stables, Bethlehem Stables LLC, Bob Baffert, Breeze Easy LLC, China Horse Club Inc, CJ Thoroughbreds, Michael Dubb, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, eFive Racing, John and Diane Fradkin, Gatsas Stables, Tim Hamm, Harrell Ventures LLC, Head of Plains Partners LLC, Heider Family Stables, R.A. Hill Stables, Michael Hui, Klaravich Stables, Robert V. LaPenta, LNJ Foxwoods, Madaket Stables LLC, Richard Mandella, Maximum Security/Coolmore, Michael McCarthy, Peter Miller, Monomoy Stables, H. Graham Motion, MyRacehorse Stable, Todd Pletcher, Repole Stable, River Oak Farm, Kirk and Judy Robison, Sackatoga Stable, Domenic Savides, SF Racing LLC, Siena Farm, Jack Sisterson, Spendthrift Farm, Starlight Racing, Stonestreet Stables, Damon Thayer, The Elkstone Group LLC, Three Diamonds Farm, Wertheimer et Frere and WinStar Farm.

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After Distaff Disappointment, ‘Shining Light’ Swiss Skydiver To Race Again In 2021

Preakness Stakes winner Swiss Skydiver will run as a 4-year-old next year, owner Peter Callahan told Horse Racing Nation after the filly finished a disappointing seventh in the weekend's Breeders' Cup Distaff.

The daughter of Daredevil stumbled at the start of the race and never recovered, but she had a stellar 2020 campaign that included wins in the Preakness over males, G1 Alabama, G2 Santa Anita Oaks, G3 Fantasy, and G2 Gulfstream Park Oaks. Swiss Skydiver's record stands at six wins from 12 starts for earnings of $1,812,980; not bad for a filly that cost $35,000 as a yearling at the Keeneland September saale.

“I'm OK finishing where we finished at the back of the pack, because there is a life lesson to be learned,” Callahan told Horse Racing Nation. “In this day and age everybody gets a trophy, and that's nonsense. You've got to learn to lose. You've got to take disappointment and rejection.”

Swiss Skydiver emerged from the Distaff with a few nicks and bruises, and will head to Magdalena Farm for some down time before a 2021 campaign is mapped out. The Pegasus at Gulfstream on Jan. 23 is too soon and is not on the radar for the filly.

“It's been an amazing year. She's just been real special to be around,” added trainer Kenny McPeek. “Through all the pandemic and everything, she's just been a real shining light.”