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Tacitus To Stand At Taylor Made

Multiple graded stakes winner Tacitus (Tapit), an earner of more than $3.7 million and a son of champion older female and five-time Grade I winner Close Hatches (First Defence), will stand stud duty at Taylor Made Stallions at the conclusion of his racing career, the farm announced Monday.

Owned in partnership by Don Alberto, Juddmonte Farms, and Taylor Made Stallions, Tacitus will stand for a fee of $10,000 S&N terms and a breeding right program will also be offered.

“I knew he had to be a champion when I first jumped on him,” jockey Jose Ortiz told US Racing. “I love everything about him. He's got a great stride, and he's very athletic.”

A maiden winner at second asking for trainer Bill Mott, Tacitus was the 1 1/4-length winner of the GII Tampa Bay Derby in his 3-year-old debut, stopping the clock in 1:41.90, just 0.15 seconds off the track record. The homebred then overcame serious trouble in the first turn to land the GII Wood Memorial S., cementing a spot in the gate for the GI Kentucky Derby, where he fought on bravely to cross the line fourth, placed third. He maintained his position near the top of the sophomore class for the balance of the season, finishing runner-up in the GI Belmont S., GI Runhappy Travers S. and GII Jim Dandy S. before closing the season with a third against older rivals in the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup.

Tacitus proved an impressive winner of the 2020 GII Suburban H. at Belmont Park, scoring by 8 3/4 lengths in 1:59.51. He was subsequently second in the GI Woodward H. and third in the Gold Cup. His current record stands at 4-4-3 from 17 starts for earnings of $3,767,350.

Eclipse Award winner Close Hatches is a full-sister to SW & MGISP Lockdown, while the further female family includes the talented G1 Irish 2000 Guineas hero Siskin (First Defence) and GI United Nations H. hero Senure (Nureyev).

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Maximus Aurelius Tops Keeneland August Digital Sale At $40,000

Maximus Aurelius, a 3-year-old colt by Tapit out of champion Close Hatches, sold for $40,000 to Pewter Stable to lead today's Keeneland August Digital Sale, held as part of Keeneland's Digital Sales Ring platform.

Consigned by Juddmonte as a racing or stallion prospect, Maximus Aurelius is a full brother to multiple graded stakes winner Tacitus.

Captain Ginny B, a 4-year-old filly by Uncle Mo, brought the sale's second-highest price of $12,000 from JBS Stable. Consigned by Winchester Equine, agent for Michael Scardina, Captain Ginny B is out of the stakes-winning Big Brown mare Red Sashay and from the family of such graded stakes winners as Halory Hunter and Van Nistelrooy. She was offered as a racing or broodmare prospect.

The one-day mixed August Digital Sale grossed $96,000 for nine horses. Summary results are available by clicking here.

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Tacitus Nearing Return To Training, Could Be Ready To Race By August

Multiple graded stakes-winner and blue-blooded Juddmonte homebred Tacitus has not been seen since finishing seventh in the $20 million Saudi Cup in February, having reportedly injured himself in his stall ahead of a planned run in the Dubai World Cup in March. According to TVG's Horse Racing Insider, the 5-year-old son of champion sire Tapit and five-time Grade 1 winner Close Hatches is nearing a return to training.

“We brought him back to the farm and…we've been back swimming him and riding him and he'll probably go back to (trainer) Bill (Mott) in the next week,” Juddmonte's general manager Garrett O'Rourke told TVG. “He looks magnificent. He hasn't turned a hair. He's put on a few pounds which, I'm sure, (trainer) Bill (Mott) will take off him quickly. If he could have about eight weeks to get him race fit, that would put him on target to be back at the races hopefully by August.”

A three-time Grade 2 winner, Tacitus has an overall record of 4-4-3 from 16 starts with earnings of $3,747,500. He has placed in Grade 1 company a total of six times, including an elevation to third in the 2019 Kentucky Derby.

Read more at TVG's Horse Racing Insider.

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June 3 Insights: Following Sea Goes First Out for Pletcher at Belmont

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3rd-BEL, $92K, Alw, 3yo/up, 6 1/2f, 4:09 p.m. ET

Spendthrift Farm made waves when it announced, following the failed drug test of GI Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit (Protonico), that it would be moving some horses out of trainer Bob Baffert's barn. One of the most intriguing of those horses, 'TDN Rising Star' FOLLOWING SEA (Runhappy), will make his first start for the Todd Pletcher barn in this first-level allowance sprint early on Thursday's card. Unveiled at 9-10 Mar. 6 at Santa Anita, the homebred finished second and was later demoted to third for causing crowding early in the race. Shipped to Oaklawn for his next engagement Apr. 10, the bay dueled through a sizzling opening quarter, shook clear on the turn and never looked back, winning geared down by 5 3/4 lengths with a 97 Beyer. Since being sent to Pletcher, Following Sea shows a pair of sharp local works, including a half-mile bullet in :48 flat (1/78) over the training track May 28. His main competition on paper comes from another 'Rising Star' in Klaravich Stables' returning Reinvestment Risk (Upstart). Debuting with an impressive 7 3/4-length romp against a live-looking Saratoga maiden group last August, the $280,000 OBS March buy was runner-up to Jackie's Warrior (Maclean's Music) in both the GI Runhappy Hopeful S. and GI Champagne S. before closing his juvenile campaign with a disappointing 10th-place run in the GI TVG Breeders' Cup Juvenile. The Chad Brown trainee also breezed sharply here May 28, going a half-mile on the main track in :48 1/5 (4/86). TJCIS PPs

5th-BEL, $90K, Msw, 3yo/up, f/m, 6 1/2f, 5:13 p.m. ET

Courtlandt Farms went to $975,000 to secure AMERICAN PARADE (American Pharoah) at the 2019 Keeneland September Sale and the sophomore filly will make her career debut in this promising maiden heat Thursday at Belmont. The first foal out of her dam, a half-sister to Stage Magic (Ghostzapper), the dam of Triple Crown winner Justify (Scat Daddy), she displays six Belmont breezes for trainer Shug McGaughey, punctuated by a four-furlong bullet in :47 1/5 (1/7) May 18. Made a narrow favorite on the morning line is another firster, My Racehorse and Spendthrift Farm's Lady Valentine (Into Mischief), who will break from the rail for Todd Pletcher following a sharp Saratoga worktab. Bought for $385,000 at KEESEP, she recorded a pair of :47 3/5 half-mile bullets at the Spa–a best-of-35 move May 7 and a best-of-20 move from the gate 13 days later. Her second dam is a half-sister to the late GISW and influential sire Pioneerof the Nile (Empire Maker). Also opening her account is Klaravich Stables' Equal Pay (Qualty Road). Herself a $475,000 KEESEP pickup, the Chad Brown pupil breezed a half-mile from the gate over this track in :48 3/5 (6/45) May 16. Of the horses with experience, After the Party (Into Mischief) stands a big chance. Yet another pricey KEESEP buy at $750,000, the Jeremiah Englehart charge was a solid third in her debut after dueling with next-out 'TDN Rising Star' Always Carina (Malibu Moon) debuting in the Aqueduct mud Apr. 11. The runner-up in that spot, Amendment Nineteen (Constitution), also returned towin impressively here Sunday. TJCIS PPs

6th-CD, $100K, Msw, 3yo/up, 7f, 7:25 p.m. ET

Blue-blooded Juddmonte homebred MAXIMUS AURELIUS (Tapit) will make his career bow in this elongated sprint on Thursday's twilight card at Churchill. The Bill Mott trainee is the second foal to race out of the brilliant MGISW Close Hatches (First Defence), following his multimillionaire full-brother Tacitus, and he got acquainted with this surface in a trio of local works, the swiftest of which was a half-mile spin in :48 2/5 (9/57) May 16. TJCIS PPs —@JBiancaTDN

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