Tag: Breeze Easy

Quality Road’s Track Phantom Runs Away in Lecomte

Favored in the betting right up until the final bit of money poured into the pools, Track Phantom (Quality Road) took control of Saturday's GIII Lecomte S. at a chilly Fair Grounds Racecourse right from the opening bell and never looked like losing, leading past every pole to pick up 20 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. Having earned 10 points for his victory in the local Gun Runner S. at the tail end of 2023, Track Phantom now sits atop the leaderboard with GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile and likely Eclipse Award winner Fierceness (City of Light).

Ultimately off as the somewhat surprising 7-5 second favorite behind 11-10 Nash (Medaglia d'Oro)–the 'TDN Rising Star' whom he easily defeated into third in the Gun Runner–Track Phantom was once again ridden positively by the visiting Joel Rosario and managed to cross down to the rail without doing a bunch of work, as the first couple of furlongs was posted in :24:01. Nash was pulled out into the two path to prompt the pace, while Lat Long (Liam's Map) sat three deep in the breeze just off the leaders.

Track Phantom continued to enjoy a reasonably easy time of things on the lead–the half went in :48.36–and Florent Geroux began to get urgent atop Nash three furlongs out. Despite being asked to quicken, the chalk was making no material impact, and Track Phantom turned them in as very much the one to run down. Finally asked for a bit of a kick by Rosario, the $500,000 Keeneland September purchase carried an imposing advantage into the final eighth of a mile and was never in serious danger while remaining perfect in three starts around two turns. Nash's best was second best, and the two put some 8 1/2 lengths on Lat Long in third.

A debut third going Churchill's one-turn mile Oct. 1, Track Phantom improved one spot over that same course and trip four weeks later, then decisively defeated Lat Long in a mile-and-a-sixteenth maiden Nov. 25. No better than the third choice in the Gun Runner, the bay settled nicely off a much quicker early tempo, surged to the front nearing the lane and went on to score by 1 1/4 lengths, with Nash a further length and three-quarters away in third at 1-2.

“He is a very nice horse and we're fortunate to have him for such a great ownership group,” said trainer Steve Asmussen, unsaddling the Lecomte winner for the fourth time. “I love how he's running here. I love the 3-year-old series at Fair Grounds and we plan on continuing in it. We couldn't be any more proud of the horse. He's won all three of his two-turn races, he's got a beautiful way of going and I think he's just going to get better. He's getting stronger all the time and we're just excited to be in this position.”

Pedigree Notes:

A 39th graded stakes winner for his sire, Track Phantom is the fifth such winner for Into Mischief as a broodmare sire.

Raced by Alan Klein and Phil Lebherz, California-bred Miss Sunset was trained by Jeff Bonde and recorded the most important victory of her career in the 2017 GII Lexus Raven Run S. at Keeneland. The bay added a further three black-type wins as a 4-year-old in 2018 and was knocked down to Breeze Easy for $825,000 at that year's Fasig-Tipton November Sale.

Miss Sunset is the dam of the newly turned 2-year-old colt Crystal Pearl (Curlin), a $1.1-million purchase by Lauren Carlisle at Keeneland September last fall, and the mare's  yearling full-brother to Track Phantom was hammered down to Cavalier Bloodstock for $335,000 at Fasig-Tipton last November. She is due to produce a foal from the first crop of Flightline this season.

Saturday, Fair Grounds
LECOMTE S.-GIII, $194,000, Fair Grounds, 1-20, 3yo, 1 1/16m, 1:44.73, ft.
1–TRACK PHANTOM, 122, c, 3, by Quality Road
                1st Dam: Miss Sunset (GSW & GISP, $891,895),
                                by Into Mischief
                2nd Dam: Tuscan Sunset, by Trippi
                3rd Dam: Icelandic Dancer, by Eskimo
1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($500,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP). O-L and
N Racing LLC, Clark O. Brewster, Jerry Caroom and Breeze
Easy, LLC; B-Breeze Easy, LLC (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen;
J-Joel Rosario. $120,000. Lifetime Record: 5-3-1-1, $285,000.
Werk Nick Rating: A+.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Nash, 122, c, 3, Medaglia d'Oro–Sara Louise, by Malibu
Moon. 'TDN Rising Star'. 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE.
O/B-Godolphin (KY); T-Brad H. Cox. $40,000.
3–Lat Long, 122, c, 3, Liam's Map–Amen Sista, by Street Cry
(Ire). 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($160,000
Wlg '21 KEENOV; $130,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP). O-Walking L
Thoroughbreds, LLC; B-Town & Country Horse Farms, LLC (KY);
T-Kenneth G. McPeek. $20,000.
Margins: 2 3/4, 1 3/4, 8HF. Odds: 1.40, 1.10, 27.00.
Also Ran: Ethan Energy, Tizzy Indy, Can Group. Scratched: Awesome Road, Next Level.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

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Fasig-Tipton December Digital Sale ‘A Slam Dunk’ After Largest Offering Ever

With more than 700 users registered to bid and buyers in 27 states plus another three countries, the Fasig-Tipton's December Digital Sale closed Tuesday evening with 186 horses sold for $3,167,000 across a catalogue, which was the largest ever offered on the platform to-date, the auction company said in a release Wednesday.

The online sale featured broodmares, horses of racing age, broodmare prospects, yearlings, weanlings and a stallion share in and lifetime breeding right to first-crop sire Flameaway (Scat Daddy).

Breeze Easy (GB) (Hip 310), a 4-year-old race filly, topped the sale when she went for $180,000 to Glenn Burrows from the consignment of St George Sales, agent. Fresh off an allowance win Friday at the Fair Grounds, Breeze Easy is a GSP daughter of Bated Breath (GB) and has earned just shy of $200,000 racing in England, Ireland and the United States. Out of the stakes winning Royal Academy mare Polar Circle, Breeze Easy is a half-sister to Group 2 placed and group stakes winner Artic Sound.

KBS went to $150,000 to secure the sale's second highest-priced offering, Googol Joke (Hip 32), a two-year-old son of Practical Joke consigned by Greenfield Farms, agent. A maiden winner last time out at the Fair Grounds, Googol Joke came into the sale with one win and one third from two career starts and earnings of $35,978.

Rounding out the top three prices of the sale was Sherif Ali (Hip 12), a two-year-old colt by American Pharoah, sold for $115,000 to Jonathan Green from the consignment of Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent. Sherif Ali broke his maiden on debut at Woodbine in October and came into the sale off a good second in allowance company over the same track and distance shortly after bidding opened on Thursday. The colt has a record of one win and one second from two lifetime starts and earnings of $29,628.

“This was a 'slam dunk' to close out the year. I'm very happy with the results,” said Fasig-Tipton Director of Digital Sales Leif Aaron. “The number of entries, registered bidders, and gross all exceeded previous records for our digital sales. We got the stallion share and lifetime breeding right done. We did in a week online what normally takes sales companies, stud farms, and buyers 60 days. I'm very proud of that and proud of our team at Fasig-Tipton.”

Commented first-time Digital seller Paul Manganaro, seller of Por Que No (Hip 309), in-foal to Constitution: “The flexibility and ease of the process was great, and my mare never had to leave her stall on the farm. I am still amazed that it took only five short days from the time I called Fasig to the time my mare sold. I see the many benefits that digital sales can have for both sellers and buyers and I will make sure digital sales are part of my plan going forward.”

The next Fasig-Tipton Digital Sale will be the February Digital Sale, which opens for bidding on Thursday, Feb. 15, and closes on Tuesday, Feb. 20. Nominations are now being accepted.

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Sam’s Treasure Switches to Dirt and Romps in Saratoga Maiden

by Bill Finley & Patrycja Szpyra

As he often does with his 2-year-olds, trainer Wesley Ward started Sam's Treasure (Munnings) off in a grass race, in this case a five-furlong maiden on May 11 at Belmont. She finished second, 2 3/4 lengths behind the winner–Cynane (Omaha Beach) had the distinction of being her sire's first winner and was Royal Ascot-bound for a time–but there was nothing about the performance to suggest that she could develop into a top horse. Maybe Ward should have been thinking dirt all along.

In a much improved effort, Sam's Treasure dominated nine rivals to win the $136,500 six-furlong race by 5 3/4 lengths. She tracked pacesetter Life's Joy (Mitole) down the backstretch, took over on the turn and then drew clear of her rivals to post a dominant victory. After being steadied early and losing ground, Colonial Rose (Constitution) managed to recover well enough to safely secure runner-up honors, but long behind the winner.

Sam's Treasure was ridden by John Velazquez, who was subbing for the injured Jose Ortiz.

The field included Camera (Curlin), a first-time starter from the Todd Pletcher barn who cost $1,050,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale. The daughter of MGISP Cassies Dreamer (Flatter) bobbled a few steps out of the gate and never recovered. She finished ninth as the 70-100 favorite.

“Earlier on we had her on both surfaces,” Ward said of Sam's Treasure. “I just thought she's a big filly. She came to hand early but the races at Keeneland are at 4 1/2 furlongs and a horse needs to be a little quicker than she is to win those. The Belmont race came up. I like to run horses on grass there because it's a kind and forgiving surface. If she didn't win, I thought that would still set her up nicely for Saratoga and it did.”

Sam's Treasure, also a Fasig-Tipton Saratoga graduate, was picked out at the sale by the team of Ben McElroy, Ward and Mike Hall, the managing director of the owner, Breeze Easy LLC. She sold for $700,000.

 

“She was beautiful here last summer at the Saratoga sale,” Ward said. “We went around and looked at all the horses and this was Ben McElroy's pick as well. We kind of pushed Mike Hall into buying her because it was a lot of money for her.”

At the time of the sale, Hall's partner in Breeze Easy was Sam Ross. Ross died in September at the age of 79.

“Unfortunately, Sam died last year so Mike Hall named her Sam's Treasure after Sam,” Ward said. “And Sam's Treasure came through for him today. Sam is shining down on us. Mike is someone you really want to get behind and win for. It's so hard to win, especially here at Saratoga. To have a filly as promising as this, I'm really excited.”

Bred by Baron Thoroughbreds in Kentucky, Sam's Treasure is the second offspring for her dam, Malibu Treasure, but the first to make the races ahead of elder half-brother Buckeye Don (Speightstown). The mare had back-to-back colts by Promises Fulfilled, a yearling and a 2023 foal. Hailing from a Graded stakes-placed and multiple stakes-winning half-sister to G1SP & MGSW Choctaw Nation, Malibu Treasure can also claim GSW Her Temper; GISW El Deal (Munnings); and GSW Thunder Achiever as members of her extended female family.

6th-Saratoga, $105,000, Msw, 7-23, 2yo, f, 6f, 1:11.22, ft, 5 3/4 lengths.
SAM'S TREASURE (f, 2, Munnings–Malibu Treasure, by Malibu Moon) Sales history: $700,000 Ylg '22 FTSAUG. Lifetime Record: 2-1-1-0, $75,750. O-Breeze Easy, LLC; B-Baron Thoroughbreds, LLC (KY); T-Wesley A. Ward. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

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City of Light’s Shootoutthelights Dazzles as a New Rising Star

Minor ailments held her back from a juvenile campaign, but Shootoutthelights (City of Light) showed she was worth the wait as she lit up the clock with an electrifying cruising speed, and dominated her rivals to become her sire's first 'TDN Rising Star' as a brilliant cap to Gulfstream's Championship meet.

The race was almost over from the jump as the filly rocketed out of the stalls as the 6-5 favorite and out-kicked Queen Karima for the lead. With an opening split posting at a wicked :20.89 and a half in :43.79, Irad Ortiz Jr. said 'go' in the stretch and the pair disappeared from the field, hitting the wire 3 1/2 lengths in front as :55.77 went up for the final time. Queen Karima was a clear second best on the day.

With Shootoutthelights riding two bullet works into this contest–and certainly no secret to the betting public, either–conditioner Wesley Ward had glowing praise for his newest 'Rising Star' and everyone around her:

“Gene Recio did a great job with this filly in Ocala,” he replied after the race. “I am very thankful for Breeze Easy's Mike Hall for letting me train [Shootoutthelights]. She was my pick of all the yearlings they had two years ago.”

He also added: “Minor issues held her back [from a juvenile season] but the owners are very patient.”

Out of Very One S.-placed Donna Getyourgun, the victress was a $525,000 yearling at 2021 KEESEP and is only the third foal in her dam's first six seasons as a broodmare. Her half-sister Mizzen Beau (Mizzen Mast), SW, $205,559 was the flag bearer to the races, a $100,000 OBSAPR grad in her day, and picked up her black-type at Woodbine before retiring to motherhood herself, delivering a colt by Hard Spun this year. Their dam delivered unplaced Shake It Out West (Speightster) in 2018 and was barren a season before having Shootoutthelights in 2020. Donna Getyourgun is also responsible for two other fillies: a 2-year-old by Catholic Boy who changed hands for $19,000 last year at KEESEP to Winner Circle Racing Stable and a yearling by McKinzie. She is due to Silver State for 2023.

Second dam Cryptoqueen claims quite a busy line beneath her with nine winners, including MGSW Clearly A Queen (Lucky North), who claims two stakes runners and is the granddam of MGSW Engage (Into Mischief) and MGSP Commute (Hold Me Back). This is also the extended female family of MGSP British Royalty (English Channel); GSW Savedbythelight (Saint Ballado); and SW Reformer Rally (Dynaformer).

11th-Gulfstream, $70,000, Msw, 4-2, 3yo, f, 5fT, :55.77, fm, 3 1/2 lengths.
SHOOTOUTTHELIGHTS, f, 3, by City of Light
          1st Dam: Donna Getyourgun {SP, $167,626}, by Stormy Atlantic
          2nd Dam: Cryptoqueen, by Cryptoclearance
          3rd Dam: Royal Setting, by Raise a Cup
Sales history: $525,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $42,000. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
O-Breeze Easy, LLC; B-Tony Holmes (KY); T-Wesley A. Ward.

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