Right now, the 3-year-old male divisional title could go any way. Taiba (Gun Runner) and Cyberknife (Gun Runner) each have a pair of Grade Is to their credit and Epicenter (Not This Time) won the GI Runhappy Travers S. In addition to finishing second in the first two legs of the Triple Crown.

Rich Strike only has one top-level score to his name, but it's a big one, taking home the roses at a whopping 80-1. Skipping the GI Preakness S., he failed to fire in the GI Belmont S. in June, but showed improvement when fourth in the Travers. The chestnut missed by just a head to the gutsy Hot Rod Charlie (Oxbow) in the GII Lukas Classic at this venue Oct. 1 and was fourth last out, behind third-place Taiba, in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic Nov. 5 at Keeneland. Rich Strike clearly loves Churchill Downs, having broken his maiden by 17 1/4 lengths in his other start at this venue, and could put himself in the dual Grade I winner category just in time.

The Derby winner won't have it easy, however. He faces a host of talented challengers, including GII Hagyard Fayette S. romper West Will Power (Bernardini). Runner-up Fulsome (Into Mischief), a four-time Grade III winner, and third-place Last Samurai (Malibu Moon) also return here. Also worth strong consideration is Godolphin homebred Proxy (Tapit), last seen closing to be third behind Classic runner-up Olympiad (Speightstown) in the GII Stephen Foster S. at this oval July 2.

Churchill's post-Thanksgiving card also features the GII Mrs. Revere S. for 3-year-old turf fillies. GII Rubicon Valley View S. runner-up California Angel (California Chrome) tops the field, but should the Bubble Rock (More Than Ready) who won the GIII Matron S. show up this time, she could be in trouble.

Aqueduct plays host to a pair of graded events, the GIII Long Island S. for female turf routers and the GIII Comely S. for sophomore fillies on the main track. The latter features the return of dual graded winner Kathleen O. (Upstart). Opening her account with a quartet of victories, including the GII Davona Dale S. and GII Gulfstream Park Oaks, the dark bay suffered her first career defeat when rallying for fifth in the GI Kentucky Oaks and has not been seen since.

Godolphin homebred Nostalgic (Medaglia d'Oro) won a graded event at this oval in the spring, the GIII Gazelle S., and missed by a neck last out here in the GIII Turnback the Alarm H. Nov. 4.

GI Cotillion S. runner-up Morning Matcha (Central Banker) and Seneca Overnight S. one-two Sixtythreecaliber (Gun Runner) and Falconet (Uncle Mo) also return in this competitive field.

Rounding out Friday's graded action is the GII Hollywood Turf Cup S. at Del Mar.

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Today, we speak with WinStar’s General Manager Dave Hanley on Global Campaign (Curlin) and Tom’s d’Etat (Smart Strike), who round out the list of new additions and who both rank among the top earners for their respective trainers.

Tom’s d’Etat (Smart Strike), $17,500

While it would be difficult to top the career of Horse of the Year Blame, Tom’s d’Etat comes close as trainer Al Stall Jr.’s next-highest earning Grade I winner.

“You could tell by listening to Al that he had really high regard for Tom’s d’Etat,” Hanley said. “He’s the coolest horse to be around. Really laid back with the most beautiful head and demeanor about him. I think he’s got a lot of class. You know, Al had trained Blame, but you could tell Al really loved this horse.”

Tom’s d’Etat was a $330,000 Keeneland September buy for Gayle Benson’s G M B Racing. From the family of top sire Candy Ride (Arg), the SF Bloodstock-bred son of Smart Strike is out of stakes winner and Grade III-placed Julia Tuttle (Giant’s Causeway).

“Being by a sire that’s a proven sire of sires and having a sire like Candy Ride in his pedigree is quite extraordinary,” Hanley said. “What’s interesting about his pedigree is his dam is by Giant’s Causeway, who was out of a Rahy mare. Rahy is by Blushing Groom (Fr) and Candy Ride’s broodmare sire is also by Blushing Groom. Northern Dancer on top of Blushing Groom gives you sires like Awesome Again, who is out of a Blushing Groom mare. Carson City was also out of a Blushing Groom mare and was obviously the sire of City Zip. So it’s a very strong sire-making cross.”

Hanley said that in terms of conformation, Tom’s d’Etat is a reflection of both Smart Strike and Candy Ride.

“He’s put together much like his sire and also has a little bit of Candy Ride in his make and shape,” he said. “He’s a beautifully balanced horse in that everything works for him. He’s got great use of his shoulders and carries his head and neck in a good position. He’s a beautiful mover and really opens his shoulder when he moves. His mechanics work really well and when he’s galloping, you can see what good use he has of himself.”

On the track, Tom’s d’Etat broke his maiden at Saratoga as a sophomore before adding four more wins in optional claimers at four and five. Stepping up into stakes company, he won the Tenacious S. at Fair Grounds to cap off his 5-year-old season.

After running second to four-time Grade I winner McKinzie (Street Sense) in the GII Alysheba S., the fleet-footed bay added the Alydar S. at Saratoga to his resume last summer as he reached top form. WinStar started to take notice of the stallion prospect.

“From May of 2019 to August of 2020 he ran nine-straight triple digit Beyers,” Hanley said. “He was such a dominant racehorse and was so talented, he really took our attention.”

His next win came in the GII Hagyard Fayette S. at Keeneland, his first graded stakes success, followed by his signature Grade I victory in the Clark S.

“His win in the Clark was another example of one of his dominating performances,” Hanley said. “He sat mid-division and then made an unbelievable move. He didn’t just go to the front, he flew.”

After defeating Improbable (City Zip) in the Oaklawn Mile S., Tom’s d’Etat added another win in the GII Stephen Foster S. where he earned a career-best 109 Beyer and just missed the track record by 0.02 seconds.

“It was quite a brilliant performance,” Hanley recalled. “Actually, he was eased down that day. Had they ridden him to the line, he might have even broken the track record.”

After two troubled trips in the latter half of his 2020 season in the GI Whitney S., where he still fought to finish third, and the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic, Tom’s d’Etat retired with earnings of over $1.76 million, having run in the money in all but five of his 20 starts.

Hanley said that their team is not at all phased that Tom’s d’Etat retires at the age of seven. It’s not their first time retiring older horses to stud.

“Some people are against that or think it’s a disadvantage to him,” Hanley said. “But you know, we’ve had two very good horses go through our stud barn here in Speightstown and Distorted Humor that both came to stud at age six and stood their first year as 7-year-olds. So, it doesn’t bother us at all. I think he’s going to be a good stallion regardless. Tom’s d’Etat’s pedigree is really stacked with sire-making potential. We’re going to support him really well together with our shareholders like Fred Hertrich, Siena Farm and Taylor Made. We really believe in his chance of becoming a top stallion.”

Global Campaign (Curlin), $12,500

Big names jumped off Global Campaign’s pedigree from the start with the likes of his half-brother, dual Grade I winner Bolt d’Oro (Medaglia d’Oro),  as well as another stakes-winning half-brother in Sonic Mule (Distorted Humor). His family also includes ‘TDN Rising Star’ Recruiting Ready (Algorithms), plus three-time Grade I winner and sire Zensational (Unbridled’s Song).

“Global Campaign is probably the best-bred son of Curlin,” Hanley said. “He’s a very good-looking horse for his sire line. He has very clean lines and is a smooth horse. He’s beautifully made, very well proportioned and is a really good mover. It’s hard to fault him. He’s a really exceptional physical.”

The WinStar-bred was a $250,000 Keeneland September purchase for Sagamore Farm and was given to trainer Stanley Hough to race in partnership with WinStar.

“About a month before the September Sale, he got a bang on his knee that fired up physitis in the knee,” Hanley said. “So going into the sale, I think that took a number of people off him. But we really liked him and were anxious to stay in for a piece. Stanley Hough and Hunter Rankin were very gracious to allow us to do that.”

Global Campaign was sent to Ocala Stud to undergo training, and Hanley said he remembers visiting the youngster.

“Elliott [Walden] and I went down in the spring of his 2-year-old year and they were already excited about him,” he said. “He was starting to separate himself from the others and they thought he was one of the nicest horses they had down there. He was a beautiful mover, a very positive horse in his work, and looked like he was going to be something.”

In January of his sophomore season, the colt turned heads on debut when he broke his maiden by almost six lengths and then earned ‘Rising Star’ status in his next start. Later in the season, he defeated eventual GI Belmont S. winner Sir Winston (Awesome Again) in the GIII Peter Pan S. followed by a third-place effort in the GII Jim Dandy S.

“Unfortunately in that race, he grabbed himself coming out of the gate and took a chunk out of his heel,” Hanley relayed.

After a nine-month layoff, the bay returned with a victory at four in a Gulfstream optional claimer before stepping back into graded stakes company and taking the GIII Monmouth Cup S.

“He made the running and had his ears pricked in front,” Hanley recalled. “The other horse, Bal Harbour (First Samurai), went to go by him and he just rallied and put the race away. He was the kind of horse that I think always ran with a bit more in the tank than you saw. He’s a horse that liked to get on the front end, relax, and could finish up really well.”

Global Campaign made his Grade I debut this summer in the Woodward H., breaking first and never looking back to defeat the likes of Grade I winner Math Wizard (Algorithms) and multiple graded stakes winner Tacitus (Tapit).

He earned a career-best 106 Beyer in his final start this year, fighting to place third after a troubled start in the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic behind Horse of the Year favorite Authentic (Into Mischief) and fellow WinStar studmate Improbable.

Hanley spoke about the meaning the horse had for his connections in taking co-owner Sagamore Farm on their probable final trip to the Breeders’ Cup as they phase out of racing and becoming trainer Stanley Hough’s leading earner.

“It was really nice for Sagamore to have a really good horse like him as they get out of the business,” he said. “Both Hunter Rankin and Stanley Hough did a marvelous job managing the horse. Stanley is a real all-time horseman and you could tell being around him how excited he was about this horse.”

While WinStar had initially announced that they were considering pointing the Grade I winner towards the GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational S., they later decided that he would not resume training following the Breeders’ Cup.

“When we took him back to the farm, he was going down so well with the breeders and looked so good,” Hanley said. “We’re very happy that he’s here. He’s been very, very popular. I think he’s already booked to 80 mares and people really like him.”

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“With great regret, we announce the retirement of Bodexpress,” the tweet read. “He suffered a career-ending injury while winning the G1 Clark Handicap. A very talented colt, who finally showed his potential at CD. Thank you Bode for the journey & memories. To his fans, Thank you for your support!!!”

Bred in Kentucky by Martha Jane Mulholland, Bodexpress was bought back as a yearling at Keeneland September and again as a 2-year-old at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Sale and though he required eight starts to break his maiden, the bay colt ran future GSW & MGISP Shancelot (Shanghai Bobby) to a neck over seven furlongs in February 2019 and was runner-up to Maximum Security (New Year’s Day) in the GI Florida Derby.

Unplaced in the GI Kentucky Derby, he famously tossed John Velazquez at the start of the GI Preakness S., and more recently romped by 11 1/4 lengths in an allowance at Gulfstream Park West Oct. 17 ahead of the Clark, where he outfinished Code of Honor (Noble Mission {GB}) by a length at odds of 11-1.

Also raced by Top Racing LLC and Global Thoroughbred, Bodexpress retires with a record of 4-4-3 from 17 starts and earnings of $694,600. Delgado said the colt is currently at the farm in Ocala pending stud plans.

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“One, you really have to learn about setting [your horse investment] up so it looks, sounds and smells like a business,” Green said when asked for his advice for new owners. “Instead of writing checks out of your own regular checking account, which has personal deductions on it, etc., set up an LLC. It gives you protection in terms of liability, but it also gives you the appearance that you’re running it as a business. Two, you have to have some strategy. Three, you’ve got to keep on changing that strategy every couple of years.”

Elaborating on the last point, Green talked about making the eventual move from strictly racing claiming horses to the substantial owning and breeding program he now oversees, one that included champion 2-year-old filly Jaywalk (Cross Traffic) in 2018.

“You get used to a particular pattern of doing business and it really takes a shock sometimes to get you out of your comfort zone,” he said. “Our comfort zone was winning races. It was great, winning 30% of the time, but you were losing the horse because if the horse won for $25,000 our trainer would drop it down to 20. It would win at 20, but by that point, someone would claim the horse from you, and that horse may have originally cost you 100 [thousand]. His theory was, you run it where it belongs, which is correct, but that’s a great pattern to lose money with. So at a certain point in time, we said, ‘Hey, let’s get out of this claiming game. It’s too difficult to make money.'”

Elsewhere in the show, the writers reacted to an intriguing weekend of racing across the globe and, in the West Point Thoroughbreds news segment, lamented the slap-on-wrist punishments trainers continue to receive despite overall positive movement on drug issues in the sport. Click here to watch the podcast; click here for the audio-only version.

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Owned by Chester Thomas’s Allied Racing Stable, the 4-year-old was a non-factor eighth in the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic at Keeneland Nov. 7, but prior to that posted a facile 1 3/4-length victory in the GII Alysheba S. beneath the Twin Spires Sept. 4. He defeated Owendale (Into Mischief) on that occasion and that fellow 4-year-old is also on track for a Clark appearance.

The centerpiece of the fall meet at Churchill also figures to attract New York raider Code of Honor (Noble Mission {GB}), Bodexpress (Bodemeister) and Mr. Freeze (To Honor and Serve) among others.

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Campaigned by Gayle Benson’s G M B Racing and trainer Al Stall, Jr., he has compiled a record of 18-11-2-1 and earnings of $1,627,272. Tom’s d’Etat is currently on a four-race winning streak and has his sights set on the GI Whitney S. at Saratoga for his next target.

“I have been honored to be able to train two great horses in [2010 Champion Older Horse and leading stallion] Blame and Tom’s d’Etat,” said Stall. “[Tom’s d’Etat] has been brilliant winning four in a row, and I can’t wait to lead him back over there in the Whitney.”

Bred in Kentucky by SF Bloodstock LLC., the 7-year-old brought $330,000 as a KEESEP yearling. He is produced by the stakes-winning and multiple stakes-placed Giant’s Causeway mare Julia Tuttle, who is out of Candy Cane (Arg), a full sister to GI Pacific Classic winner and leading sire Candy Ride (Arg).

“When my late husband, Tom, decided in 2014 that we were going to enter the horse racing business, the first place we came to was WinStar Farm to see their operation,” said Gayle Benson, owner of the New Orleans Saints and New Orleans Pelicans. “G M B Racing is extremely excited that our best horse, Tom’s d’Etat, will begin his stud career with Kenny Troutt and his entire team at WinStar. We look forward to watching the second half of his career be just as successful as his first, and we know he will get that opportunity at WinStar. I am also eager to bring many of our mares from Benson Farm to breed to him in the coming years.”

Elliott Walden, WinStar’s president, CEO, and racing manager, added, “Tom’s d’Etat has proven over the last two years to be of the highest quality. Eleven of his last 12 Thoro-Graph figures are negative numbers. He has nine triple-digit Beyers and eight in a row. He was .02 off the track record in his last start at historic Churchill Downs, and he won two of the best races in the country at 1 1/8 miles in the Stephen Foster and the Clark.

“Any way you slice it, he is top class,” Walden continued. “He is the last great son of Smart Strike from the family of Candy Ride. We walked Speightstown into the stallion barn at age seven and Distorted Humor at age six. Hopefully, he will be another story we can tell how he defied the odds like them.”

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