Classic-Placed Bravazo To Join Calumet Farm Stallion Roster In 2021

Bravazo (by Awesome Again), a homebred runner for Calumet Farm, will be the newest addition to the farm's stallion roster in the 2021 season.

The D. Wayne Lukas trainee accumulated over $2 million in career earnings. At two, he was second in the Grade 1 Claiborne Futurity Stakes. Early in his 3-year-old season, he won the G2 Risen Star Stakes, which propelled him into the Triple Crown where he finished a close second in the Preakness Stakes, beaten only a half-length by Justify, the eventual Triple Crown winner and Horse of the Year.

Bravazo continued his 3-year-old summer campaign with a second-place finish in the G1 Haskell Invitational Stakes, followed by a third in the G1 Runhappy Travers Stakes. Bravazo went on to run for a third-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile and a second in the G1 Clark Handicap.

Bravazo is by Awesome Again out of Tiz o' Gold by Cee's Tizzy. His stud fee for 2021 will be $6,000 with discounts given for multiple mare packages and quality mares.

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‘Ability To Switch Off,’ ‘Cruising Speed’ Should Benefit Classic Winner Kameko In Breeders’ Cup Mile

A Group 1 winner at two and winner of the G1 2,000 Guineas in 2020, 3-year-old Kameko will be making the trip across the Atlantic to contest the Breeders' Cup Mile at Keeneland. Trained by Andrew Balding, the son of Kitten's Joy will enter the Mile off a victory in the Group 2 Joel Stakes, held over a mile at Newmarket.

“The Joel Stakes was as good a performance as the Guineas, really,” Balding said in a Twitter video produced by At The Races. “To give them five pounds and a beating in good style, it again cemented to the world what a high-class achiever this horse is.”

For work rider, Joshua Bryan, the chance to send the horse to the United States for the Breeders' Cup has long been on his mind.

“He's got one strong burst where he could blow away a whole field in a matter of strides,” Bryan said. “I always thought he'd be a great horse in America. He's by Kitten's Joy, who is obviously great out there, and he's got that nice cruising speed to get him out of trouble in America. I think whatever surface out there he would thoroughly enjoy.”

Kameko was bred in Kentucky by Calumet Farm, and commanded the bargain price of $90,000 at the 2018 Keeneland September sale from agent David Redvers on behalf of Qatar Racing. Now a four-time winner from nine starts with earnings over $500,000, the colt returns to his home state to take on the best in the world.

Kameko will have to overcome 2019 Mile winner Uni, as well as several horses who've had his measure earlier this season. Circus Maximus and Siskin both finished ahead of Kameko in the G1 Sussex Stakes over a mile, but with the potential for firmer ground at Keeneland next weekend, the classic winner's team is feeling confident.

“To this date he's been my favorite work horse,” said Bryan. “I've rode a lot of good horses here at Andrew's, but he has that ability to switch off. He's almost asleep in behind, and you don't need to move on him. He knows when he's gotta join, and all you have to do is just pull the rein a tiny bit to the right or left, wherever you're going, and he just takes off. It's a feeling you long for as a rider; it's incredible, really.”

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Big Blue Kitten’s First Winner At Stud Comes At Churchill Downs

Grade 1 winner Big Blue Kitten was represented by his first winner at stud on Oct. 25, when Miss Adeline prevailed by a neck in a turf maiden special weight at Churchill Downs.

Miss Adeline was set up three-wide in the front pack early by jockey Edgar Morales, then moved up to challenge for the lead and held off the charge to prevail by a neck, stopping the clock in 1:48.42 in the 1 1/16-mile race over good turf. Adolfo Macias trains Miss Adeline for owner William Pribble.

Bred in Kentucky by Calumet Farm, Miss Adeline is out of the winning A.P. Indy mare Vuemont, who is herself a full-sister to two-time Canadian champion Marchfield and a half-sister to stakes winner Congor Bay.

Big Blue Kitten, a 12-year-old son of Kitten's Joy, stands at Calumet Farm in Lexington, Ky., for an advertised fee of $10,000.

He won 14 of 33 starts during his on-track career for earnings of $2,983,350, highlighted by victories in the Grade 1 Sword Dancer Invitational Stakes, G1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Stakes, and two runnings of the G1 United Nations Stakes, along with triumphs in the G2 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame Stakes, and G3 Fort Marcy Stakes. He earned the Eclipse Award as champion turf male of 2015.

Big Blue Kitten is out of the placed Unaccounted For mare Spent Gold, putting him in the family of champion Stevie Wonderboy, Grade 2 winner Fair Judgement, Grade 3 winner Mystical Mood, and Peruvian champion Juliana.

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Vexatious, True Timber Work Toward Breeders’ Cup Assignments At Keeneland

Calumet Farm's Vexatious, winner of the Personal Ensign (G1) at Saratoga over champion Midnight Bisou, continued working toward a probable start in the $2 million Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) on Nov. 7 with a half-mile breeze in :50.20 Saturday morning shortly after the track opened for training.

“She always goes at 5:30,” trainer Jack Sisterson said. “She wants to go early and loves being outside. When the weather is nice, she will spend a lot of time out in the paddock.”

Saturday's work was the fifth half-mile breeze for Vexatious since finishing fifth behind champion Monomoy Girl in the La Troienne (G1) last month at Churchill Downs.

Sisterson also worked Calumet's True Timber, who is under consideration for the Big Ass Fans Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) on Nov. 7. True Timber worked 5 furlongs in company in 1:02.60 over the fast main track.

Sisterson took over the training of True Timber following Kiaran McLaughlin's retirement from training. True Timber has run three times for Sisterson, beginning with a third-place finish behind top Breeders' Cup contender C Z Rocket going 6½ furlongs here in July.

A millionaire, the 6-year-old True Timber has eight graded stakes placings on his resume but no graded victories.

“He's a horse that deserves to win a big race; he tries hard every time,” Sisterson said. “He's probably not a three-quarters horse and it was my mistake to run him in the (6-furlong) Vosburgh (G1) and he drew the rail. He had run so well in the (7-furlong) Forego (G1) beaten a little more than a length when he was third.”

Also working toward a possible Breeders' Cup engagement was Southern Equine Stable's Keepmeinmind.

Runner-up in the Claiborne Breeders' Futurity (G1) here on Oct. 3, Keepmeinmind worked a half-mile in :49.20 with jockey David Cohen aboard.

“He worked fantastic,” trainer Robertino Diodoro said of the work at 7:30 a.m. following the first track maintenance renovation break. Keepmeinmind is targeting the $2 million TVG Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) Presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance on Nov. 6.

At The Thoroughbred Center in Lexington, Shadwell Turf Mile (G1) winner Ivar (BRZ) worked a half-mile in preparation for the Fan Duel Breeders' Cup Mile (G1) Presented by PDJF.

“He went a half in an easy :50 like we planned,” trainer Paulo Lobo said via text about Ivar, who is owned by the partnership of Bonne Chance Farm and Stud RDI.

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