Tag: Case Clay Thoroughbred Management

Mage’s Dam Puca and GISW Dalika to Keeneland November; Both Offered by Case Clay

Puca (Big Brown–Boat's Ghost, by Silver Ghost), the dam of GI Kentucky Derby winner Mage (Good Magic), will be among the lots at the upcoming Keeneland November sale in an exclusive two-mare initial consignment offered by Case Clay's Case Clay Thoroughbred Management. The other mare in Clay's consignment will be 2022 GI Beverly D. S. winner Dalika (Ger) (Pastorius {Ger}–Drawn To Run {Ire}, by Hurricane Run {Ire}).

Puca is carrying a full-sibling to Mage, who has also placed in the GI Preakness S., GI Florida Derby and GI Haskell Invitational S. from six career starts and is scheduled to go postward in Saturday's GI Travers S. Puca's first foal is MSP Gunning (Gun Runner), while she also has a 2-year-old full-brother to Mage named Dornoch, who is entered in Monmouth Park's Sapling S. Saturday.

Dalika, who won races from 5 1/2 to 11 furlongs, is carrying her first foal to the cover of 2022 Horse of the Year Flightline (Tapit). In addition to her Beverly D. win, in which she set a new course record at Churchill Downs of 1:46.31 for the nine furlongs, Dalika won an additional three graded stakes, including the 2022 GIII Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf S., the 2022 GIII Cardinal S., and the 2021 GIII Robert G. Dick Memorial S. She won 10 races in three countries for earnings of $1.465 million and also set a course record at Kentucky Downs for one mile and 70 yards in 1:37.45.

“It's an honor to bring Puca and Dalika to the market and to be associated with such quality mares and quality pregnancies,” said Clay. “I am associated with these two particular mares already, so it's a natural extension of my business in an area in which I have been lucky enough to have experience in selling top mares. I'm looking forward to showing them to potential buyers in November.”

Both Puca and Dalika are part of Keeneland's Book 1 and are scheduled to go through Keeneland's ring Wednesday, Nov. 8.

“Keeneland is excited that Case has chosen us to offer these two exceptional broodmares in Book 1 of the November Breeding Stock Sale–and mark the debut of Case Clay Thoroughbred Management,” said Keeneland Vice President of Sales Tony Lacy. “While at Three Chimneys Farm, when it was owned by his family, Case oversaw the sale of a large number of million-dollar-plus broodmares over many years, including the great Take Charge Lady here at Keeneland in 2004. Along with this experience at the top end, he has an extraordinary number of connections and relationships with domestic and international buyers.”

“It's really just a vertical integration to my business for my clients, in an area in which I am lucky enough to have a lot of experience, as Three Chimneys used to consign a lot of mares when I was there full-time,” Clay said. “It is similar to my equine insurance business, which began during Covid, when one of my clients asked how he should insure his filly. There wasn't a lot going on at the time, so I got my license.”

Harkening back to his days at Three Chimneys, Clay amassed quite a record selling million-dollar-plus mares to the top players in the business. He said he has no plans to expand into the yearling consignment business.

“The November Sales were my favorite, since they follow the Breeders' Cup and everyone is in good spirits,” Clay said. “Selling high-quality fillies and mares is always a charge.”

The November Breeding Stock Sale catalogue will be released online Tuesday, Oct. 3.

The post Mage’s Dam Puca and GISW Dalika to Keeneland November; Both Offered by Case Clay appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Gandharvi Adds Case Clay To Its Team As Business Consultant

Amid the speed-filled tempo of the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Yearling Sale this week, it's all about equine and human partnerships for Gandharvi Racing as they add Case Clay as a Business Consultant to their team.

Mind you, this isn't about making a splash or just putting together some haphazard deal. No, the intent behind this organization's latest move tunnels much deeper into the recesses of history.

As the saying goes, Rome wasn't built in a day. Neither was a racing stable. Like city-planning in the ancient world or otherwise, success just doesn't come easy. When it comes to competing in international racing circles, it takes a multipolar pivot across continents.

The underpinnings of such a capital venture were stabilized for Gandharvi founder Kuldeep Singh Rajput the moment he found out that he had deep family ties to racing's past in India.

“I have the horse racing and breeding bug, which was probably given to me by my great-grandparents, who were breeders,” said Rajput.

Though he is based in Boston, Massachusetts, Rajput is just such an internationalist. He built a successful career in biotech, and now he's parlaying his good business sense by carefully assembling a team with the intent to draw in more fans into the world of bloodstock and racing partnerships.

Gandharvi, which invested in its first horse in 2021, has aspirations to build a very strong broodmare band and has made no bones that it will focus its operations on developing fillies, which could yield a farm in the future. For now, the tailwinds are behind Rajput. Considering the current equine climate across the poles of this sport, holding your line in this game becomes a tall order for a solo yachtsman, but he isn't going alone.

To get there, the outfit's vessel is fitted with a strong frame of experience. Led by the Lexington, Kentucky-based Kiwi, Mick Wallace as their full-time Chief Operating Officer and Godolphin Flying Start grad Caitlin Smith, who anchors several of their operations from her base in Sydney, Australia, they are lending a hand in the growth department.

As the team assembled this week in Saratoga Springs, Gandharvi is expanding their roster by announcing Clay would be coming on as a blue chip adviser.

“I want Gandharvi to be around for the long term, and Case [Clay] will help us with that, beginning with the development of our five-year-plan,” said Rajput. “Also, he has relationships all over the world in this business and we respect that he will service them as well.”

With his diverse background, which was honed while working for his family at the fabled Three Chimneys Farm and even after it was sold to the Torrealba Family as their Chief Commercial Officer, Clay made the move last year to go out on his own as the principal of Case Clay Thoroughbred Management, LLC. For Gandharvi, part of Clay's specialty will be to focus on building toward the future.

“I'm excited about the opportunity to lend a hand to Gandharvi with their strategic plan and advice from a business standpoint. My current clients and business relationships are very important to me, so I'm glad that Kuldeep and I could arrange it so my current Case Clay Thoroughbred Management will run as business as usual, while still being able to help his organization in whatever way I can.”

With the addition of Clay, Gandharvi is continuing to pursue expanding global partnerships. Rajput himself has connections who regularly reach out with interest, but they might not have the foggiest how they can participate. He knows that if you make racing fun for everyone, including friends, family, etc., you can offer them a high-quality experience with both racing and breeding. Gandharvi will be searching for partnerships with the more well-established Thoroughbred operations to share in this journey.

They've already accrued progress along the way down under and in North America. In New Zealand, Ulanova (Santos {Aus}), a 2-year-old chestnut filly who won a Group 3 back in February at New Plymouth before running second in the G1 Sistema S. at Pukekohe Park, is continuing to make a name for herself. She is a finalist for the Champion 2-year-old category for New Zealand's Horse of the Year Awards.

The stable also established part-ownership in Australia's MG1SW Forbidden Love (All Too Hard {Aus}). Also of note, at the Magic Millions National Broodmare sale, Gandharvi purchased Nomothaj (Snitzel) for $1.1 million. The Listed winner has produced only one foal so far, a colt by Exceed And Excel, who sold at this year's Magic Millions National Yearling sale for $575,000.

When it comes to their North American activities, Gandharvi Racing bought into GI Breeders' Cup Sprint hero Aloha West (Hard Spun) through a partnership with Eclipse Thoroughbreds, and in conjunction with Michael Dubb, they campaigned GSW Battle Bling (Vancouver {Aus}). The stable made news last year when they purchased 18 yearlings during the Keeneland September sale for $7.605 million.

Back at the Saratoga Yearling Sale on Monday evening, in the spirit of budding partnerships, Gandharvi got on the board with Brook Smith's Rocket Ship Racing to land for $900,000 a filly by Constitution (hip 118).

“Gandharvi is all about bringing partners together and having fun racing,” said Rajput to TDN's Jessica Martini after the ticket was signed. “And I think it's a match made in heaven. We agreed on the same filly. It's all about partnerships and we are looking forward to it.”

Hopeful that North American success will come with a budding equine portfolio that will likely include a boutique broodmare band, Gandharvi will look to continue to add fillies and colts to race within a bevy of expanding partnerships. Now with Case Clay's assistance, the future is looking even more bright, but Gandharvi is always mindful that a racing stable isn't built in a day.

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