Tag: Brook Smith

Sierra Leone Stamps His Authority On The Blue Grass

He wasn't the most cooperative at the stalls and he left himself plenty to do over a Keeneland main track that was playing kind to speed over the course of the afternoon, but 'TDN Rising Star' Sierra Leone (c, 3, Gun Runner–Heavenly Love, by Malibu Moon) saved his best for last and cemented his status as one of the top couple of contenders for the GI Kentucky Derby with a fast-finishing victory in the 100th running of the GI Toyota Blue Grass S. Saturday afternoon.

The victory, on the back of an equally decisive score in the GII Risen Star S. at the Fair Grounds Feb. 17, sets up a titanic clash of 'TDN Rising Stars' in the $5-million GI Kentucky Derby in a month's time with Eclipse champion 2-year-old Fierceness (City of Light), a far handier sort possessed of a high cruising speed that can be difficult to reel in.

Sierra Leone was to be the last to load in gate 10, but he proved a bit difficult to handle, delaying the start of the Blue Grass by about three minutes. A bit easy in the market, having touched 6-5 before leaving the gates at odds just north of 8-5, the $2.3-million topper from the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale was perhaps a half-step slow to begin, but slid down to race one off the inside and last but one into the first turn as stablemate Top Conor (Twirling Candy)–himself a $1-million OBS March breezer–cut out sharp fractions of :23.15 and :46.48 while tracked intently by recent GIII Gotham S. runner-up Just a Touch (Justify). Unhurried and patiently handled at the tail by Tyler Gaffalione, Sierra Leone raced well out into the track while taking plenty of dirt down the backstretch and still had a double-digit gap to bridge as the Blue Grass field entered the final half-mile.

Wisely angled back down towards the inside for a two-path run around the far turn, Sierra Leone began pick off rivals and was steered outside of Be You (Curlin) and about five deep into the lane. Just a Touch hit the front in upper stretch as inexperience caught up with Top Conor, but the lead was short-lived, as Sierra Leone gathered him up with relative ease while lugging in a bit entering the final sixteenth of a mile and strode clear. Epic Ride (Blame), a latest runner-up in the John Battaglia S. Mar. 2 and trying the dirt for the first time in his five-race career, was a very good third, while Dornoch (Good Magic) failed to capitalize on a box-seat trip and was an even fourth, 6 1/2 lengths behind Sierra Leone, who he had famously beaten a nose in last year's GII Remsen S.

“He didn't break the sharpest, but it actually gave me time to get over and save some ground into the first turn,” said Gaffalione. “He took the dirt just fine. Down the backside he got into a great rhythm. From the five-eighths pole on, he was moving like a winner. I was able to save some ground into the second turn, pop him out, and he just has so much talent.”

Added trainer Chad Brown, winning a third Blue Grass: “We're just trying to maintain pretty much the way he's been his whole life, a special horse. I don't know if they ever fully figure it out, but he's only had a handful of starts. But there's such good chemistry with Tyler and Sierra Leone his last two starts. You can see he wants to lean in a little bit, but it's never too bad. He's still polishing off his experience and his skills, and I just think a mile-and-a-quarter won't be a problem going forward. We're looking forward to it.”

Trainer Danny Gargan is far from willing to give up on Dornoch, the full-brother to last year's Derby winner Mage.

“He went really well. He got in there behind,” the trainer said. “It's his first time really getting a lot of dirt like that, he resented it a little bit early, [jockey] Luis [Saez] said. He said he kind of ran away from the horses. Next time, we'll break him out of [the starting gate on the lead] and keep his face clean, and he'll run better next time.

Accorded 'Rising Star' status after overcoming an eventful journey to graduate over Aqueduct's one-turn mile at first asking on Breeders' Cup Saturday, Nov. 4, Sierra Leone looked all but home after a heroic rally in the Remsen, only to have Dornoch come back on him at the post. Opting for the long Fair Grounds stretch for his sophomore debut in the Risen Star, he was as many as 10 off the inside in upper stretch and powered home to best Track Phantom (Quality Road) and next-out GII Louisiana Derby winner Catching Freedom (Constitution) by a half-length with blinkers on for the first time.

Pedigree Notes:

Sierra Leone is the eighth elite-level winner for his leading fourth-crop sire and is the only winner from his dam, who carried the silks of breeder Debby Oxley to victory in this track's GI Darley Alcibiades S. in 2017.

Heavenly Love is a daughter of Darling My Darling, a $300,000 Keeneland September purchase by John Oxley in 1998 who won the Doubledogdare S. and Raven Run S. in Lexington while also placing in the GI Frizette S. and GI Matron S. Darling My Darling is also the dam of 2016 GII Santa Ynez S. winner Forever Darling (Congrats), whose son Forever Young (Jpn) (Real Steel {Jpn}) is the top 3-year-old dirt horse in Japan and followed up on a narrow victory in the G3 Saudi Derby Feb. 24 with success in the Mar. 30 G2 UAE Derby for trainer Yoshito Yahagi, stamping his own ticket to Louisville. Sierra Leone's Grade I-winning third dam also produced Japanese Horse of the Year Zenno Rob Roy (Jpn) (Sunday Silence).

Heavenly Love foaled a colt by Nyquist in 2022 and produced a full-sister to Sierra Leone Feb. 11.

Saturday, Keeneland
TOYOTA BLUE GRASS S.-GI, $995,782, Keeneland, 4-6, 3yo, 1 1/8m, 1:50.08, ft.
1–SIERRA LEONE, 123, c, 3, by Gun Runner
1st Dam: Heavenly Love (GISW, $346,200), by Malibu Moon
2nd Dam: Darling My Darling, by Deputy Minister
3rd Dam: Roamin Rachel, by Mining
1ST GRADE I WIN. ($2,300,000 Ylg '22 FTSAUG). 'TDN Rising Star'. O-Peter M. Brant, Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, Westerberg and Brook T. Smith; B-Debby M. Oxley (KY); T-Chad C. Brown; J-Tyler Gaffalione. $581,250. Lifetime Record: 4-3-1-0, $918,000. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus* Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Just a Touch, 123, c, 3, Justify–Touching Beauty, by Tapit. 1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. ($170,000 RNA Ylg '22 KEESEP; $125,000 Ylg '22 FTKOCT; $300,000 2yo '23 OBSAPR). O-Qatar Racing, LLC, Resolute Racing and Marc Detampel; B-Don Alberto Corporation (KY); T-Brad H. Cox. $187,500.
3–Epic Ride, 123, c, 3, Blame–Pick a Time, by Gio Ponti. 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE, 1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. ($160,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP). O-Welch Racing LLC; B-Fred W. Hertrich (KY); T-John Ennis. $93,750.
Margins: 1HF, 3 3/4, 1 1/4. Odds: 1.66, 3.31, 51.37.
Also Ran: Dornoch, Mugatu, Top Conor, Seize the Grey, Be You, Lat Long, Good Money. Scratched: Encino.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

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Brook Smith Joins TDN Writer’s Room Podcast

The families and children who rely on the Backside Learning Center have a GI Kentucky Derby horse to root for. Sierra Leone (Gun Runner), the winner of the GII Risen Star S. at the Fair Grounds, is partially owned by Brook Smith, who is part of a partnership led by Coolmore. Smith has been a generous supporter of the Backside Learning Center and, through the Purses for a Purpose program, donates a portion of his earnings every time a horse of his picks up a check. Smith joined this week's TDN Writers' Room presented by Keeneland to talk about Sierra Leone, how he got involved with Coolmore and his philanthropy. He was the Green Group Guest of the Week.

“I have had some good fortune and had a lot of great, amazing people around me,” he said. “But, for me to really enjoy something it has to have some kind of social component to it. I mean, what's the point otherwise? I started learning more about the backside learning center and realized the backside is the backbone of the racing industry. Those are the workers that get up early and they have a tough job. It's a tough duty. They have the business and the industry in their blood. And the budget that the Backside Learning Center had was kind of anemic, especially when you consider all the money that flows through the industry. So, when I sat down with a few of the folks there, I said there's got to be a program where the owners can and should contribute a percentage of their purses to elevate the foundation. I was looking at what the backside learning center's programing is, and how they ran their, their nonprofit. I thought this deserves, a few more logs on the fire. So we came up with this Purses for a Purpose.”

His association with Coolmore started when he invested in a business partially owned by Charlie Pearson, who is John Magnier's son-in-law. From there, Smith connected with the Coolmore team and that led to him owning a piece of Sierra Leone and Hall of Fame (Gun Runner), who was seventh in the Risen Star.

“They're great folks, good friends and we started doing some business together and have had success,” Smith said. “One thing led to another, and I was introduced to the Coolmore ecosystem. Their breeding, farming operation in Ireland is second to none. And they are just amazing people that are wildly successful. Somewhere along the way, they asked if I would you be interested in maybe becoming one of their partners? I thought, 'Wow, that's a great opportunity? Coolmore, they play at the top.'”

Sierra Leone is the first legitimate Kentucky Derby contender Smith has owned. How has he kept his feet on the ground?

“I'm just trying to have fun with it and enjoy it,” he said. “And I can use the opportunity to be a voice for places like Purses for a Purpose and maybe a few other non-profits. It's not just coveting the moment, but reveling in it and reveling in it with everybody involved. These things can change in a step. I'm just hopeful that the horse stays sound and healthy. He seems the type.”

During the stallion spotlight segments of the podcast, the crew sang the praises of Coolmore stallion Jack Christopher , who stands for $40,000, and the WinStar stallion Audible, who stands for $15,000.

Elsewhere on the podcast, which is also sponsored by the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association, Coolmore,  the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association, 1/ST Racing, West Point Thoroughbreds, and XBTV.com, the team of Randy Moss, Bill Finley and Zoe Cadman reviewed the major races run last week, which included Sierra Leone's win in the Risen Star and the victory by Tarifa (Bernardini) in the GII Rachel Alexandra Stakes. The team looked back at the career of Echo Zulu (Gun Runner), who had to be euthanized after getting cast in her stall. Moss and Cadman explained why they voted for her for champion female sprinter over Goodnight Olive (Ghostzapper).

To watch the Writers' Room podcast video, click here. To listen to an audio version, click here.

The post Brook Smith Joins TDN Writer’s Room Podcast appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Backside Learning Center Has Vested Interest in Derby

Edited Press Release

The Backside Learning Center at Churchill Downs stands to gain anywhere between $200,000 and $400,000 based on the results of Saturday's GI Kentucky Derby beneath the Twin Spires.

In January, Brook Smith–a longtime supporter of the BLC–placed a $10,000 Kentucky Derby Future Wager on Tiz the Bomb (Hit It a Bomb), pledging any winnings to the center. A Derby victory would be worth $114,000.

Smith's wager was a friendly challenge to Texas-based businessman and famed sports bettor “Mattress Mack” Jim McIngvale's Future Wager bet for the same amount on Smile Happy, a son of McIngvale's 2015 champion sprinter and current Claiborne Farm stallion Runhappy. The BLC used Smith's largesse as an opportunity to reach out to McIngvale, the Houston furniture magnate as famous for his philanthropy as he is his huge Gallery Furniture promotions tied to the outcome of famous sporting events.

“We wanted to engage him in our important mission of providing support and resources to the entire community of track workers and their families,” said Sherry Stanley, executive director of the BLC. “McIngvale's been a significant supporter of equine workers all over the country in the past. He was immediately interested in connecting with the BLC. We are thrilled to have Jim as a new high-profile advocate for our work.”

“Mattress Mack” appeared as a special guest at the BLC'S “Thoroughbred Owners' Derby Handicapping Social”, held Apr. 14 at the downtown Louisville Thoroughbred Society. McIngvale announced at the event that if the Kentucky Derby favorite or Smile Happy were to win America's greatest horse race, he would donate $200,000 to the Backside Learning Center to sponsor summer camp experiences for children of backside workers.

“The backside has helped so many people that put their heart and soul into the horse-racing business,” McIngvale said. “If we can bring in money, resources and networks, we can help the backbone of the horse-racing industry–which are these hardworking people who are taking care of the animals 24/7.”

In another twist, Smith upped his ante by announcing that if any horse other than the favorite or Smile Happy win, he will make his own donation of $200,000.

At the same fundraiser, Mike Mackin, a part-owner of Smile Happy, said the ownership group would pitch in another $200,000 if their colt prevails Saturday.

“Mack said he'd give the Backside Learning Center $200,000 if Smile Happy won and I said we'd match it,” Mackin said. “I'm just starting to learn about the Backside Learning Center. But from what I've learned, they are doing great work in helping the people who care for our horses.”

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The Week in Review: Some Good News for a Change

Tired of the constant drumbeat of bad news, negativity and scandal? So am I. All the problems the sport is dealing with are not going to go away and they need to be dealt with and reported on. But I thought I'd give you and I a break in this week's edition of “The Week in Review.” So here are some stories we can all feel good about.

Schosberg Claims, Retires Twisted Tom

In his role as the president of Take The Lead, a retirement program for Thoroughbreds based at the NYRA tracks, Rick Schosberg's message has always been that it's better to retire a horse too early than too late. In other words, don't take any unnecessary chances.

So when Schosberg saw that a one-time New York-bred champion, the 8-year-old Twisted Tom (Creative Cause), was entered in  a $10,000 claiming race Saturday at Aqueduct, he decided to act. Schosberg, who had never trained the horse, reached in and claimed Twisted Tom for the $10,000, immediately retired him and sent him off to start the retraining process at ReRun in East Greenbush, New York.

“I like to practice what I preach,” Schosberg said.

Twisted Tom won nine of 42 career starts and earned $939,135. He finished second Saturday, losing by just a half-length.

Twisted Tom's story was a typical one. He debuted in 2016 for trainer George Weaver and broke his maiden in his second start but, in time and after age set in, found himself racing on the bottom.

After his maiden win he moved over to the Chad Brown barn and went on to win five stakes in 2017. The list includes wins in open company in the Private Terms S. and the Federico Tesio S. His 2017 campaign, which included a sixth-place finish in the GI Belmont S., ended with his being named champion 3-year-old male New York-bred.

After a pair of losses in 2018 and after he was moved to the Bill Mott barn on June 19, 2019, he made his first ever start in a claiming race. He was taken that day by trainer David Cannizzo and, in the short-term, proved to be competitive in New York-bred allowance/optional claiming races while bouncing around from the barns of A.C. Avila, Mike Maker, Bruce Levine and Mertkan Kantarmaci.

But in November, after finishing off the board in four straight races, he was dropped in for $10,000. He managed to finish a distant second that day, but followed that up with a 16 1/4-length defeat in a starter allowance at Parx. Kantarmaci then dropped him back in for $10,000 for Saturday's race.

“He's 8 years old and it looked like it was time for him to retire,” Schosberg said. “He had been a voided claim a couple starts back. There were a lot of people who agreed that this was the right thing to do. People came by the barn this morning to say goodbye. He's a real popular horse. I got a lot of messages from prior trainers and connections thanking me for doing this.”

There was a time when there would have been little chance that a horse like Twisted Tom would have been retired when he was. Not that long ago, if a horse couldn't make it on the bottom in New York, they would be sent to a Penn National or a Mountaineer Park. With each race, the risk of injury would grow greater. If a horse couldn't compete on the bottom at the lower tier tracks a trip to the slaughterhouse could be next.

With initiatives like Take The Lead leading the way, the industry ushered in meaningful change. Created by the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association, the program sees to it that all horses racing in New York can enjoy a safe and happy retirement, with many of them going to second careers.

“It's not just me,” Schosberg said. “I have a great team of people helping out. The owners and the trainers, NYRA, everybody in the racing office, the Gaming Commission, veterinarians, van companies, everybody volunteers their time and their efforts to make sure this initiative is at the forefront of the aftercare industry.”

At ReRun, Twisted Tom will be prepared for his second career.

“There are so many things for these retired race horses to do,” Schosberg said. “In his case, 60 to 70% of his life is still ahead of him. There are so many activities now for these retired horses. They don't need to spend the rest of their years standing out in a field somewhere. These are horses that are used to having a job.”

Schosberg said that Twisted Tom was in good order after Saturday's race. He is sound, healthy and is guaranteed a great retirement. It's the perfect ending to his story.

Brook Smith Not Done Trying to Help Churchill's Backside Learning Center

Brook Smith's heart was in the right place when he wagered $10,000 on Tiz the Bomb (Hit It a Bomb) in the second round of the Derby Future Wager. If Tiz the Bomb went on to win the GI Kentucky Derby, Smith would have donated the proceeds from his winnings, $114,000, to the backside center.

The Backside Learning Center serves as a resource center for the equine backstretch community, providing educational programs and services and promoting community amongst the backstretch workers and their families.

After Saturday's GIII Holy Bull S. at Gulfstream, it doesn't look like Smith made what will be a winning wager. Tiz the Bomb was trying the dirt after three straight tries on the turf and didn't fare well, finishing seventh. Though trainer Ken McPeek said afterward that he hasn't given up on getting the colt to the Derby, it looks like Tiz the Bomb's future will be on the grass.

But Smith isn't done. Still hoping to find a way to raise awareness and funds for the Backside Learning Center, he said Sunday that he is looking to buy into a Derby contender. If he can make that happen, he will donate a share of the horse's earnings to the “Purses for a Purpose” program. Started by Smith, Purses for a Purpose involves owners pledging to donate a portion of their earnings to the backside center.

“Why won't or why don't more owners allocate a small percentage of their earnings to similar programs?” Smith said.

Eighteen Months Later, Montanez Is Back

Jockey Rosario Montanez finished sixth in the fifth race Jan, 30 at Laurel, but there was plenty of reason to celebrate. It was his first mount since a July 17, 2020 spill, also at Laurel, that left his career in doubt.

One day after the spill, Montanez, 31, underwent surgery at R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore. He had multiple back fractures and was diagnosed with a brain injury. He was told that these were injuries that could prevent him from making a comeback.

“After so many obstacles, I'm very blessed that I was able to overcome all of them,” Montanez said after his return mount.  “I'm very thankful to all the doctors and nurses and all the staff that helped me make it back.”

This was the second time that Montanez had had a serious injury. He missed 20 months after suffering a concussion, a fractured rib and pelvis and head lacerations that required a plate to be surgically inserted in his face after a July 2014 spill at Saratoga.

His determination and perseverance is admirable. A capable rider, it shouldn't be long until he returns to the winner's circle.

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