Bloodlines Presented By Diamond B Farm’s Rowayton: The Long, Strange Journey Of Bodexpress

The wayward colt who was once known as “America's favorite maiden” is now a Grade 1 winner after his victory in the Clark Handicap at Churchill Downs on Nov. 27.

Bodexpress (by Bodemeister) had taken his first experience in a Grade 1, last year in the Florida Derby, so well that he finished second in the race behind eventual division leader Maximum Security, and great things were expected of the handsome bay who had leapt so quickly to national prominence. Breeders, fans, and the colt's connections shared that optimism.

As a result, Bodexpress trained up to the classics without a start and was still a maiden when he went to the Kentucky Derby. There, he was racing prominently about a quarter-mile from home when taken up sharply as part of the chain reaction from the Maximum Security incident, then was placed 13th in the initial 2019 classic. That placement in an exceptionally rough race did not deter the colt's connections from trying the Preakness, and Bodexpress heightened the drama by dropping his jock, John Velazquez, at the start, then racing prominently through the rest of the 9 1/2-furlong race.

Riderless but not reckless, Bodexpress did not cause any trouble in the Preakness, just disappointment among his supporters.

The magnificent maiden went to a maiden special for his return in October 2019 and won his first race, then returned to win an allowance and was third in the G3 Harlan's Holiday in December. Unplaced in the G1 Pegasus World Cup and the G2 Gulfstream Park Mile, Bodexpress then finished third in the G3 Hal's Hope Stakes at Gulfstream, the Alydar Stakes at Saratoga, and he was second in an allowance at Churchill before killing a field by 11 1/4 lengths at Gulfstream Park West prior to the Clark.

Bred in Kentucky by Martha Jane Mulholland, Bodexpress was sold at the 2017 Keeneland September yearling sale. Although the good-looking colt went through the ring and was bought back for $45,000, he sold privately shortly thereafter.

John Mulholland recalled that “Bode was a little small, and we had to do a stifle surgery four or five weeks before the September sale. It was bad timing but also drew a knock from vets; so we sold him privately for about the hammer price.”

The buyer was Global Thoroughbreds through J.R. Boyd of Brick City Thoroughbreds, “which took him to Florida for breaking and early training,” Mulholland recalled.

J.R. Boyd said, “I'd liked this colt when I'd seen him at the farm before, and we were a little hesitant to buy a Bodemeister, but we love to shop with the Mulhollands because Martha Jane and John Henry are always up front and candid about their horses, and they raise a really good horse.

“The first reason I wanted to see this colt was that we'd trained his half-brother by Stormy Atlantic,” Boyd said, “and he was a really nice horse. Then, Bodexpress was such a pretty individual who looked like he could become a really good athlete. When I showed Bodexpress to our client at the sale, the owner of Global made the decision to buy the colt. He was that nice.”

Once Boyd and his wife Katie put Bodexpress into training, the colt “was a phenomenal mover, just a really nice colt.” But once again, ill luck showed up.

Boyd said, “We wanted to showcase him, put him in the Fasig sale in Miami or OBS March, but he banged his knee, and when I called Global, they said to be patient, give Bodexpress all the time that the colt needed, and so, Maryland was the spot for him.

“Our clients at Global Thoroughbreds are very game; if there's a hiccup along the way, they don't mind racing one, but they do like to offer everything for sale. At the Timonium sale in Maryland, I tried to tell everyone at the sales how good this colt was, but it was almost like Bodemeister had a disease. Nobody wanted one. I told the gentlemen behind the colt that we weren't likely to get what the colt was worth.

“Their answer to me was: 'Put a $37,000 reserve, and if someone wants to take him at $40,000, he sells. We want people to know that Global Thoroughbreds is willing to put reasonable reserves and sell their horses.”

The bright bay didn't sell, shipped home, was given a month to relax from the sale, then shipped to trainer Gustavo Delgado, who's had the horse ever since.

The good-looking colt never seemed to take things the easy way. He initially missed winning a maiden, although his fourth outing in that condition brought a narrow loss to Shancelot (Shanghai Bobby), who is a Grade 2 winner and finished second in the G1 Breeders' Cup Sprint.

Bodexpress's fifth start was the G1 Florida Derby, which appeared to be a giant step up, and there, the luckless colt ran into the buzz saw named Maximum Security.

Mulholland Springs has not participated in the luck of Bodexpress, either. The farm had worked with a pair of yearlings from the mare that “I had liked but not loved,” Mulholland noted, and then the mare had gone barren in 2016 after foaling Bodexpress. So, at the Keeneland November sale of 2017, the farm sold the colt's dam, the City Zip mare Pied a Terre, for $17,000.

Mulholland said, “She was a nice-looking mare, or I wouldn't have bought her,” but the commercial market wasn't very responsive to her foals. So, in foal to the Tiznow stallion Gemologist, Mulholland Springs sold the mare, and the purchaser was the KOID, which exported her to Korea.

On March 28, 2018, Pied a Terre foaled a filly by Gemologist who's since been named Gangseo Princess, and in 2019, the mare foaled a colt by the Tapit stallion Concord Point and was barren for 2020 on a cover to Take Charge Indy.

Bodexpress is the second Grade 1 winner for his sire, Kentucky Derby runner-up Bodemeister (Empire Maker), after Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming, who stood his first season at stud in Kentucky at WinStar Farm in 2019.

In the fall of 2019, WinStar announced the sale of Bodemeister to the Jockey Club of Turkey, and the horse stands at their stud farm outside Istanbul for a fee of 12,500 euros, approximately $15,000.

The post Bloodlines Presented By Diamond B Farm’s Rowayton: The Long, Strange Journey Of Bodexpress appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Shackleford Filly Sets Quarter-Mile Mark at OBS Breeze Show Monday

The six-session under-tack show for next week’s Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company’s July 2-Year-Olds and Horses of Racing Age Sale began Monday and, with temperatures quickly rising into the upper 80’s, the day’s last of three sets was twice delayed as fierce rainstorms swept through the area.

A filly by Shackleford (hip 15), working early in the day’s first set, turned in the session’s fastest quarter-mile time of :20 4/5. Consigned by Jesse Hoppel’s Coastal Equine, the bay filly is out of Peace Queen (Indian Charlie), a half-sister to multiple graded stakes winner Tizaqueena (Tiznow).

“We expected her to be a very fast horse,” Hoppel said. “I didn’t know if she’d be the fastest horse breezing today, but I knew she would be right up there.”

Hoppel continued, “She is a big, classy-looking filly. She doesn’t have any vices about her, physically or mentally. She is a horse you can count on. So leading her up there, we expected her to breeze well and she did.”

The consignor said he was happy with the track conditions at OBS Monday.

“The track was a slow track today, but the slow tracks let horses separate themselves more,” Hoppel said. “A fast track will speed up a slow horse, but not necessarily help a fast horse.”

Hoppel is consigning the youngster on behalf of New York breeder James Doyle, brother of KatieRich Farm owner Larry Doyle. James Doyle, who purchased Peace Queen for $10,000 at the 2013 Fasig-Tipton New York Mixed Sale, currently has just two broodmares. Also through Coastal Equine, he will be offering a filly by Dialed In out of a granddaughter of Inside Information (Private Account) (hip 542) who is scheduled to work Thursday.

“I am lucky my brother has a great operation down there, so many times I drop them in New York and then they go to KatieRich for some kindergarten training in Kentucky,” Doyle said. “And I kind of draft on him a little bit.”

Asked if it was his brother who led him into racing, Doyle said with a laugh, “It was just the other way around. He blames me.”

Of his Shackleford filly, Doyle said, “She has just been a joy since the day she hit the ground. She has size and she’s obviously fast. The mare is a great Darley mare and Jesse Hoppel has just done an outstanding job with her.”

As for how the juvenile ended up at the 2-year-old sales, Doyle laughed again and said, “I forgot to put her in a yearling sale–how about that?”

Six juveniles shared the day’s fastest furlong time of :10 flat.

A colt by Ride on Curlin (hip 66) was first to work the co-fastest :10 flat time Monday. Consigned by Grassroots Training and Sales, the dark bay is out of Rated Xtreme (Magna Graduate), a full-sister to graded winner Blueeysintherein. He was purchased by Grassroots for $11,000 at last year’s OBS October Yearling Sale.

A colt by Race Day (hip 27) went the furlong in :10 flat for consignor Bobby Dodd. He is out of Pistolpackinsenora (Closing Argument). Also from Dodd’s consignment, hip 143, a filly by Tale of Ekati, worked in :10 flat. The bay is out of Shelby’s Song (Songandaprayer). Both juveniles were bred by Misty and Brad Grady.

Hip 49, a daughter of Into Mischief, went in :10 flat. Consigned by Brick City Thoroughbreds, the bay filly is out of graded stakes winner Prospective Saint (Saint Ballado) and is a half-sister to graded placed Island Saint (Speightstown). Bred by Mulholland Springs, the juvenile RNA’d for $170,000 at the OBS March sale following a :10 2/5 work earlier this year.

A daughter of Frosted (hip 82) worked in :10 flat for consignor Eddie Woods. The bay filly is out of the unraced Ride to Houston (Candy Ride {Arg}), a half-sister to multiple graded stakes winner Runway Model (Petionville), who is the dam of Grade I winner McKinzie (Street Sense). Bred by Whisper Hill Farm, she RNA’d for $275,000 at last year’s Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale.

From the Wavertree Stables consignment, a filly by Malibu Moon (hip 115) went in :10 flat Monday morning. The chestnut it out of Samsational (Unbridled’s Song), an unraced half-sister to Grade I winner I Want Revenge (Stephen Got Even). She was purchased by Joe Minor’s JSM Equine for $125,000 at last year’s Fasig-Tipton October Yearling Sale.

The last of the bullet workers went to the track shortly before 10 a.m. and the day’s final set was delayed twice for about 20 minutes between 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.

“The later part of the day, the weather affected conditions,” Hoppel said. “I don’t know how it affected the track itself. The last page of the breeze show was riddled with a lot of scratches, so there weren’t as many horses who had to deal with the weather later in the day. Early in the day, down here this time of year, it gets hot pretty fast. So we just do everything we can to help these horses be as happy as they can be and of course help ourselves-it’s hot for us, too.”

The first session of the under tack show was lightly attended, but Hoppel noted it’s a long time to sale time.

“It’s a six-day breeze show and it’s hot,” he said. “I think OBS does a good job of putting these videos online and now incorporating walking videos. I think a lot of people are going to be doing their homework and getting their notes off the tougher individuals who are sitting on the turn, possibly. So I think right now, with the six-day breeze show, it’s too early to tell what the attendance is going to be like here. I think for a filly like [hip 15], there are going to be people looking for good horses like that. The other levels, I don’t know what parties are scheduled to attend, but the more the merrier.”

The under tack show continues through Saturday with sessions beginning daily at 7:30 a.m. The July sale will be held next Tuesday through Thursday with bidding commencing at 10 a.m.

The post Shackleford Filly Sets Quarter-Mile Mark at OBS Breeze Show Monday appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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