Tag: Consumer Spending

Cox, Baffert, Pletcher Aiming For More Pegasus Glory

Trainers Brad Cox, Bob Baffert and Todd Pletcher all have victories to their credit in the GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational S. and each of the three champion trainers will have an opportunity to add to those numbers in this year's $3-million feature Saturday, Jan. 27 at Gulfstream Park.

Cox, who won the the 2021 renewal with Knicks Go (Paynter), looks set to be represented by a pair of entrants in the nine-furlong contest. Saudi Crown (Always Dreaming), front-running winner of the GI Pennsylvania Derby last September, will seek to become the second Saudi-owned winner of the Pegasus as he looks to bounce back from a 10th in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic. Godolphin's 'TDN Rising Star' First Mission (Street Sense) is also among the 12 invitees and will have the chance to turn the tables on Trademark (Upstart), who beat him a nose when last seen in the GII Clark S. at Churchill Nov. 24.

National Treasure (Quality Road), whose sire accounted for 2019 Pegasus winner City of Light, can give Baffert a third Pegasus, joining inaugural winner Arrogate (Unbridled's Song) as well as Mucho Gusto (Mucho Macho Man). Winner of last year's GI Preakness S., the bay was just touched off by Cody's Wish (Curlin) when last seen in the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile.

Pletcher is represented by Grand Aspen (Dialed In) in the main body of the race, who earned his ticket to the Pegasus with a narrow defeat at the hooves of O'Connor (Chi) (Boboman) in the GIII Harlan's Holiday S. at Gulfstream Dec. 30.

In addition to O'Connor, the Saffie Joseph, Jr. trainee might be joined by his stable companion Skippylongstocking (Exaggerator), the GII Charles Town Classic winner who was last seen finishing third in the Dirt Mile.

Also among the invitees are Hoist the Gold (Mineshaft), winner of the GII Cigar Mile H. trying to stretch out to nine furlongs; Newgrange (Violence), last-out winner of the GII San Antonio S.; Cigar Mile runner-up Senor Buscador (Mineshaft); GIII Smarty Jones S. hero Il Miracolo (Gun Runner); and multiple Argentinian Group 1 winner Subsanador (Arg) (Fortify), fourth in the San Antonio.

Defending champion Atone (Into Mischief) is among a dozen invitees to the GI Pegasus World Cup Turf, but looks to face a field much stronger on paper than 12 months ago. Chief amongst the opposition is Godolphin's Master of The Seas (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), who might make another trans-Atlantic trip having taken a photo in the GI Breeders' Cup Mile. Warm Heart (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) has been kept busy by trainer Aidan O'Brien, as she proved an unlucky loser in the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf in November ahead of a third in the G1 Longines Hong Kong Vase last time. Arguably the most intriguing among any of the Pegasus invitees is Integration (Quality Road), who was unbeaten in three smashing victories at three in 2023, including the GIII Virginia Derby and GII Hill Prince S. Webslinger (Constitution) won three of his nine starts last term, a season that might have been even more productive but for near misses in the GI Saratoga Derby Invitational S. and GI Hollywood Derby. Main Event (Bernardini) earned his spot in the field with an all-the-way success over Kingmax (GB) (Kingman {GB}) in the GII Fort Lauderdale S. Dec. 30.

Chad Brown won the inaugural GIII Pegasus World Cup Filly & Mare Turf with Regal Glory (Animal Kingdom) in 2022 and has two chances to double his tally in the form of GI Matriarch S. runner-up Fluffy Socks (Slumber {GB}) and MGSW Consumer Spending (More Than Ready). Queen Goddess (Empire Maker) is winless in four starts since defeating the Brown-trained Shantisara (Ire) (Coulsty {Ire}) in last year's renewal.

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Nov. 18 Insights: Well-bred Fillies Take the Stage in Kentucky, New York

8th-AQU, $85k, Msw, 2yo, f, 1 1/16mT, 3:15p.m. ET
Jumping from the middle of the field and carrying an expensive $650,000 KEESEP tag in addition to Irad Ortiz Jr. is CHP Racing's SPENDALOT (More Than Ready). The full-sister to MGSW & GISP Consumer Spending comes into this race with a consistent work tab for conditioner Chad Brown. Beneath her second dam Shaconage (El Prado {Ire}) is the dam of several Chilean Group and stakes runners including GSW & G1SP Jacare (Chi) (Lookin At Lucky) as well as GSP La Jardinera (Chi) (Verrazano).

To her far outside is the pair of homebreds Scandalous (Mastery) and Spinning Class (Twirling Candy). The former is a Pletcher trainee who will carry the colors of co-breeder and co-owners Bass Stables. Cheyenne Stables bought into the filly out of a half-sister to MSW Pickapocket (Mecke); GSW & GISP Wild At Heart (Indian Charlie) and that one's full-sister GSP Visavis. Spinning Class hails from the venerable Janney operation, owned by Stuart S. Janney III, and is the first to the races for GSW My Impression (Sky Mesa), herself a half-sister to the dam of GSW Scarlett Sky (Sky Mesa). This is the female line of Claiborne stalwart First Samurai. TJCIS PPs

7th-CD, $120k, Msw, 2yo, f, 6f, 4:01p.m. ET
Making her career-first start for owner Godolphin is HOPE MISSION (Medaglia d'Oro), the flagbearer to the races for GSW & GISP Arabian Hope (Distorted Humor), who is herself a half-sister to $3.65m FTFMAR grad MGSW Cezanne (Curlin) and MSP Counterforce (Smart Strike). This is the female family of GISW Streaming (Smart Strike); champion 3-year-old filly MGISW Rags to Riches (A.P. Indy); MGSW & GISP Tyson (Tapit); and MGISW Arcangelo (Arrogate). TJCIS PPs

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Record-Setting International Sire More Than Ready Dies

More Than Ready (Southern Halo–Woodman's Girl, by Woodman), whose 216 worldwide stakes winners is the fourth highest total of all time, was euthanized the morning of Aug. 26 at WinStar Farm due to the cumulative effects of old age. He was 25 years old.

“More Than Ready was an amazing horse who touched everyone he came in contact with,” said Elliott Walden, president, CEO, and racing manager of WinStar Farm. “He may not have been the biggest horse in the barn, but he more than made up for it in class, balance, and character. His expressions said it all. We will greatly miss him at the farm.”

Larry McGinnis, longtime stallion manager at WinStar Farm, said of the legend's passing, “To me, he was more than a great stallion, he was a great friend. It was an honor to take care of such a remarkable horse. I will miss him.”

Bred in Kentucky by Woodlynn Farm Inc., More Than Ready was purchased by Edward Rosen, agent for owner Jim Scatuorchio, for $187,000 at the 1998 Keeneland September sale and won his first five starts for trainer Todd Pletcher, including the GIII Tremont S. and GII Sanford S. before tasting defeat for the first time when stretched to a mile in the GI Champagne S. Dead-heat winner of the GII Hutcheson S. in his sophomore debut, More Than Ready was second in the GII Louisiana Derby and was beaten a head when runner-up in the GI Toyota Blue Grass S. ahead of a meritorious fourth to Fusaichi Pegasus in the GI Kentucky Derby. Focusing on one-turn races for the balance of the season, More Than Ready earned Grade I laurels in Saratoga's King's Bishop S. and was second to stablemate Trippi (End Sweep) in the GI Vosburgh S. He retired to Vinery Kentucky for the 2001 breeding season with seven wins from 17 starts and earnings of $1,026,229, and was one of several Vinery stallions that moved to WinStar upon the closure of that nursery.

 

 

 

A Dual-Hemisphere Sensation…

A stallion blessed with tremendous fertility, More Than Ready is the sire of an eye-popping and record-setting 2118 winners to date (72.4% winners to starters), making him the world's most prolific sire of individual winners. With a victory in the GII Wonder Again S. in June 2022, Klaravich Stables' Consumer Spending provided the stallion with his 100th worldwide winner at the group/graded level and the victory occurred on the same Belmont program where Morethanreadyeddie–named in honor of the aforementioned Rosen–won his maiden at first asking over five furlongs. Of his black-type winners (only Galileo {Ire}, Danehill and Sadler's Wells have more), some 26 have struck at the top level in seven racing jurisdictions, including Hong Kong and South Africa. The sire of 17 winners and three stakes winners from his first American crop in 2004, More Than Ready was an instant hit in Australia, where he shuttled to Vinery Stud to serve mares Southern Hemisphere time. To date, he has sired 971 winners in the U.S. and Canada and 905 in Australia and New Zealand. His progeny earnings are in excess of $219 million.

With Australasia's emphasis on speed and precocity, his foals hit the ground running, with six black-type winners among his 17 first-crop winners overall, including G1 Champagne S. heroine Carry On Cutie (Aus). His early Australian crops also featured Benicio (Aus), winner of the 2006 G1 Victoria Derby; Sebring (Aus) and Phelan Ready (Aus), victorious in the prestigious G1 Golden Slipper S. in 2008 and 2009, respectively; G1 Blue Diamond S. hero Samaready (Aus); and G1 Western Australian Derby victress Dreamaway (Aus). More Than Ready has also proven especially potent with Danehill-line mares, resulting in the likes of Group 1 winners More Joyous (Aus), Prized Icon (Aus) and More Than Sacred (Aus) in addition to Benicio (Aus), Sebring (Aus), Perfectly Ready (Aus) and Dreamaway (Aus). More Than Ready's other Southern Hemisphere Group 1 winners include Gimmethegreenlight (Aus) and Entisaar (Aus) in South Africa; and More Than Sacred in New Zealand. His progeny were brilliant enough in the early parts of their careers to score in races like the G1 Golden Slipper and G1 Blue Diamond S., but were equally effective at trips of 2000 meters and beyond in Australian fixtures such as the Queen Elizabeth S., and he accounted for Derby winners in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia. In total, More Than Ready has sired Group 1/Grade I winners in seven countries.

Trainer Todd Pletcher and More Than Ready | Horsephotos

The top-level winners were a bit slower to come at home, but Buster's Ready became More Than Ready's first American Grade I winner in the 2011 Mother Goose S. Verrazano, raced in partnership by Kevin Scatuorchio's Let's Go Stable, became his sire's first male GISW in the 2013 Wood Memorial S. and Daredevil–also raced by Let's Go in partnership–his first Grade I-winning juvenile in the 2014 Champagne S. More Than Ready's son Catholic Boy holds the rare distinction of winning Grade Is on two surfaces–the GI Belmont Derby on turf and the GI Travers S. on the dirt. Catholic Boy is one of four sons of More Than Ready at stud in Kentucky (Copper Bullet, Daredevil, Funtastic), while Verrazano has gone on to become a productive stallion in South America.

More Than Ready is the leading sire of Breeders' Cup winners to date with seven and accounted for multiple Breeders' Cup winners on two separate occasions. He was represented by the winners of the Breeders' Cup juvenile turf events in 2010 (Pluck, More Than Real), while champion Roy H won the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint in 2017 and 2018. 'TDN Rising Star' and future Eclipse Award winner Rushing Fall posted the first of her six career Grade Is in the 2017 GI Juvenile Fillies' Turf. Uni (GB)–another maternal granddaughter of Danehill–beat the boys in the 2019 GI Breeders' Cup Mile. More Than Ready has been represented by 13 champions around the world. Among More Than Ready's 16 offspring that earned the 'Rising Star' distinction is the versatile Emmanuel, third in the GI Toyota Blue Grass S. and front-running winner of his turf debut in the GII Pennine Ridge S. at Belmont this past June. More Than Ready is the only sire to have an Eclipse Award Champion each year from 2017 to 2020.

A Broodmare Sire of Note…

More Than Ready is the broodmare sire of fully 135 stakes winners, 61 group or graded winners and 15 at the top level, including GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf hero Structor (Palace Malice), top Australian sprinter Bivouac (Aus) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}), the rags-to-riches Group 1-winning juvenile filly Miracles of Life (Aus) (Not A Single Doubt {Aus}) and Hong Kong champion Wellington (Aus). Other U.S. graded winners from More Than Ready mares include Kauai Katie (Malibu Moon), Breeders' Cup winner Four Wheel Drive (American Pharoah) and 'TDN Rising Star' and leading turf distaffer Regal Glory (Animal Kingdom), whose dam Mary's Follies is also responsible for Japan's top dirt galloper Cafe Pharoah (American Pharoah) and Night Prowler (Giant's Causeway), a dual graded winner in the U.S. whose success extended to Barbados and that island nation's richest event, the Barbados Gold Cup.

Rosen Remembers 'Life-Changing' Horse…

Eddie Rosen has been involved with any number of successful horses over the course of his bloodstock career, but it's safe to say none left the impression the same way More Than Ready did.

“Most people are aware of all the amazing statistics he compiled as the greatest dual-hemisphere sire in history, his versatility in the ability to sire dirt, turf, long and sprint winners,” he reflected. “Sometimes forgotten is what a great 2-year-old he was, reeling off the first five starts of his career in spectacular fashion. My family and I will always cherish the wonderful memories sharing his career with the Scatuorchio family. For me, he was life-changing. During Derby week this year, I was able to visit with him and give him one last peppermint. I will miss him dearly!”

 

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Saturday Preview: Rubber Match in the Alabama

There is plenty to play for in Saturday's 142nd running of the $600,000 GI Alabama S. at Saratoga, where Nest (Curlin) and Secret Oath (Arrogate) face one another for the third time head-to-head–each with one victory to their credit–with divisional supremacy awaiting the winner.

An 8 1/4-length tour-de-force tally in Keeneland's GI Central Bank Ashland S. accorded Nest the role of favoritism in the GI Longines Kentucky Oaks, but she was no match for the somewhat forgotten Secret Oath, dropping a two-length decision. A meritorious second to stablemate Mo Donegal (Uncle Mo) in the GI Belmont S., the $350,000 Keeneland September grad reversed the Oaks form with a 12 1/4-length thumping of Secret Oath in the GI CCA Oaks July 23, good for a 104 Beyer Speed Figure that is a half-dozen points stronger than anything her six rivals has earned and nine more than Secret Oath's top. A GI Runhappy Travers S. start was an option next weekend, but she sticks with a path of lesser resistance for the Alabama.

“Whenever you're running four weeks off a huge effort like that, you're always concerned about if you're running back too soon,” said trainer Todd Pletcher, who won his third Alabama with 'TDN Rising Star' Malathaat (Curlin) last year. “But, in her case, she's done so well since the race there's no reason not to.”

Wayne Lukas, who won the Alabama twice in the 1980s with Life's Magic in 1984 and with Oaks winner Open Mind five years later, looks to equal his former pupil. Secret Oath's second clash of the season with the boys in the GI Preakness S. resulted in a non-threatening fourth and she figures to strip fitter off the CCA Oaks, her first start in 63 days.

“She's really had a good month since that debacle in the [CCA Oaks],” Lukas said. “In fact, I feel like she's better now than any time I've had her. She's really flourished here at Saratoga. [Jockey] Luis [Saez] has worked her three times since that race so he's getting more familiar every day with her, too. So, that should help us as much as anything. We're anxious to run her.”

Gerrymander (Into Mischief) defeated next-out GIII Monmouth Oaks heroine and 'TDN Rising Star' Shahama (Munnings) in the GII Mother Goose S. June 25, but will probably need to find a few lengths to trouble the heavy hitters.

 

 

 

Spendarella Vulnerable in Del Mar Oaks?

Gainesway Stable's Spendarella (Karakontie {Jpn}) took her career record to three wins from as many starts with a convincing 1 3/4-length success in the GII Appalachian S. at Keeneland in April and, with trainer Graham Motion unafraid to tackle the deepest of deep waters, took that undefeated mark into the G1 Coronation S. at Royal Ascot June 17. The $220,000 Keeneland September purchase had the misfortune of running into her fellow flawless rival Inspiral (GB) (Frankel {GB}), who scored by 4 3/4 lengths first off the layoff and has since defeated the boys in the G1 Prix Jacques Le Marois at Deauville.

But Saturday's GI Del Mar Oaks figures something other than a walk in the park for Spendarella, who faces a fresh challenge from Euro import Txope (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}). The bay, previously trained by Philippe Decouz, was stakes-placed in France earlier this season on the synthetic and on the turf and was last seen posting a mild upset when proving 3/4 of a length too strong in the G2 German 1000 Guineas at Duesseldorf June 12. The bay most recently topped the Arqana Summer Mixed Sale on a bid of €1.2 million from the BBA Ireland on behalf of Yulong Investments. She makes her U.S. debut for the John Sadler barn and can be the fly in the favorite's ointment.

 

 

 

With The Moonlight Backs Up For Lake Placid

Godolphin's With The Moonlight (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) makes her third start in the last six weeks as the expected favorite in the GII Lake Placid S. back at the Spa. After failing to see out the 12-furlong distance of the G1 Cazoo Oaks June 3, the homebred completed a Frankel exacta behind McKulick (GB) in the GI Belmont Oaks Invitational July 9 but turned the tables on that foe last time in the GIII Saratoga Oaks Invitational. The latter is missing this time around, but the Chad Brown barn is represented by a quartet–each lined up next to the other–including GIII Lake George S. one-two finishers Dolce Zel (Fr) (Zelzal {Fr}, gate 5) and Eminent Victor (Mr. Z, post three); Consumer Spending (More Than Ready, post four), winner of the GII Wonder Again S. and third in the Belmont Oaks; and 'TDN Rising Star' Haughty (Empire Maker, gate six).

In non-graded stakes action Saturday, Grade I winner Rattle N Roll (Connect), who lost all chance at the start of the GIII Indiana Derby July 9, looks to return to winning ways in the $250,000 St. Louis Derby at FanDuel Racing (results in Monday's TDN), while 2-year-old males and females prep for next month's GI Pattison Summer S. and GI Natalma S., respectively, in the Soaring Free S. and Catch a Glimpse S. at Woodbine.

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