Tag: Coolmore America

Queen Picasso Rules The Soaring Softly

Though trainer Christophe Clement had to scratch his expected morning-line favorite from this event, he had more than enough talent waiting in the wings as Queen Picasso (GB) (Kingman {GB}), off a debut victory at Gulfstream Apr. 5, made it two-for-two with a win in the GIII Soaring Softly S.

Unveiled around two turns in south Florida, the half-sister to G1SW Acclaim (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}) had already proven her affinity for the grass while her main rival, race-time favorite Lady Beth (Hard Spun), was forced to debut over the all-weather track at Gulfstream in a rained-off contest Feb. 2. Shortened up to the seven furlongs Saturday, Queen Picasso enjoyed a dream trip, jumping alertly and moving between rivals to race comfortably just off the outside of GIII Matron S. winner American Apple (American Pharoah). The field remained tightly bunched through an opening quarter in :23.06 and it was apparent that Jose Ortiz's filly wanted to run. She began to inch up on American Apple as they made their way around the far turn and the top pair was nearly on even terms past the quarter pole. With plenty left despite contesting a :45.83 half mile, Queen Picasso really began to draw away inside the furlong marker to win going away over American Apple.

“Jose [Ortiz] gave her a good ride,” said Clement. “They told me a lot of them [Kingman progeny] get a mile, so she might be a miler. She won well. The only thing I told Jose was to be careful, she can be a touch aggressive and a touch rank. I think he was a bit worried that the horse on the lead [No. 3, American Apple] would steal the race and that's the reason he kept at it.”

Pedigree Notes:

A top-five leading sire in Europe, Kingman (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) earned his 36th graded/group winner in the Northern Hemisphere Saturday with Queen Picasso's win. Aris (Ire) (Danroad {Aus}) has produced five winners from six foals to the make the races–her best being Acclaim (Ire), winner of the G1 Qatar Prix de la Foret. The dam herself is a half-sister to MG1SW Again (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) who went on to produce a pair of group-placed Galileo full-siblings in Delphina (Ire) and Delano Roosevelt (Ire). Further back in the family is European champion 3-year-old colt Montjeu (Ire) (Sadler's Wells). Queen Picasso's now 2-year-old half-brother by Advertise (GB) failed to meet his reserve when bringing a final bid of 280,000gns.

Saturday, Belmont Park
SOARING SOFTLY S.-GIII, $169,750, Belmont, 5-27, 3yo, f, 7fT, 1:21.24, fm.
1–QUEEN PICASSO (GB), 118, f, 3, by Kingman (GB)
             1st Dam: Aris (Ire) (SP-Ire), by Danroad (Aus)
             2nd Dam: Cumbres (Fr), by Kahyasi (Ire)
              rd Dam: Floripedes, by Top Ville (Ire)
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. (200,000gns Ylg '21 TATOCT). O-Siena Farm LLC, Michael E. Kisber, Peter Deutsch & The Elkstone Group, LLC (Stuart Grant); B-D. Farrington And Canning Downs (GB); T-Christophe Clement; J-Jose L. Ortiz. $96,250. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $138,250. *1/2 to Aclaim (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}), G1SW-Fr, MGSW-Eng, GSP-Ire, $595,666. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–American Apple, 123, f, 3, American Pharoah–Miss Mary Apples, by Clever Trick. ($600,000 RNA 2yo '22 KEENOV). O-KatieRich Stables LLC; B-KatieRich Farms (KY); T-Daniel Leitch. $35,000.
3–Lady Beth, 118, f, 3, Hard Spun–Boreale, by Makfi (GB). 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($20,000 Wlg '20 KEENOV; $67,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP; $390,000 2yo '22 OBSAPR). O-Richard Schermerhorn; B-J. D. Stuart, P. C. Bance & Godolphin (KY); T-Chad C. Brown. $21,000.
Margins: 2, NK, 2 3/4. Odds: 2.85, 2.45, 1.10.
Also Ran: Quarrel, Senior Prank. Scratched: Love Appeals.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

 

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Kentucky Derby Winner Fusaichi Pegasus Dead At 26

The 2000 GI Kentucky Derby Champion, Fusaichi Pegasus (Mr. Prospector) has passed at the age of 26-years-old, Coolmore America said in a release on their website early Wednesday morning.

“It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Kentucky Derby winner Fusaichi Pegasus who was euthanized at Ashford Stud yesterday due to the infirmities of old age,” the organization said.

Bred by Arthur Hancock and Bob and Janice McNair of Stonerside farm, 'Fu Peg' as he was affectionately known, was a $4 million yearling when purchased by Fusao Sekiguchi at the 1998 Keeneland July sale. Trained by Neil Drysdale, Fusaichi Pegasus won the GII San Felipe S. and the GII Wood Memorial before winning the 2000 Kentucky Derby as the favorite and finishing 2nd in the GI Preakness S.

A year on from his sire Mr. Prospector passing away, a heated bidding war involving most farms in Lexington for Fusaichi Pegasus ensued, and he retired to Ashford Stud at the end of 2000 for a then record breaking sum.

Twenty Years Later, Fond Memories Remain of Fusaichi Pegasus

Fusaichi Pegasus went on to sire six champions worldwide and Grade I winners which included Roman Ruler, Champ Pegasus, Haradasun (Aus) and Bandini. Southern hemisphere stints at Haras Don Alberto and Haras Philipson yielded champion older horse, Bronzo (Chi), and Fusaichi Pegasus was also broodmare sire of 2023 Chilean Triple Crown winner, Fortino (Chi) (Midshipman).

The stallion was pensioned from stud duties in 2020 and had been living out his retirement at Ashford.

“Fu Peg was a fantastic racehorse and a colorful character,” said Ashford Stud general manager Dermot Ryan, “I would like to thank Richard Barry and all of his team, past and present, for providing the highest level of care for him throughout his time at Ashford.”

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Mitole’s V V’s Dream Streaks to ‘Rising Star’-dom at Churchill

She'd been the buzz horse among the Churchill locals all day and V V's Dream (Mitole) took the first baby steps to making quite a few come true while securing 'TDN Rising Star'-dom in this stylish unveiling.

Breaking slowly and asked to race in seventh from two off the rail going into the turn, the grey bided her time as the field watched the other Mitole Cheetah Miss put up all the fractions as :21.90 and :45.59 flashed across the board.

Rolling under a full head of steam and splitting rivals from four wide as they turned for home, V V's Dream was under supremely confident handling passing the leader at the sixteenth pole. She kicked clear to win by 6 1/4 lengths, securing the nod from the TDN as well as claiming the honor of being her freshman sire (by Eskendereya)'s first North American winner and his flag-bearing 'Rising Star'. The final time was :57.91 was the five furlongs.

The most recent winner for her dam Quay, whose half-sister Quaver (Blame) is the dam of MGSW Kathleen O. (Upstart), V V's Dream hails from the female line of GISW Cupid (Tapit); MGSW Heart Ashley (Lion heart), herself responsible for MGSW-Jpn Fiano Romano (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) and that one's full-sister GSP-Aus Ameristralia (Aus)–who in turn produced GSW Ain't Easy (Into Mischief); and course-record setter, MGSW Hostess. V V's Dream is the third winner and has a yearling half-brother by Volatile who was exported to Saudi Arabia as well as a 2023 half-brother by Yaupon.

https://twitter.com/ChurchillDowns/status/1659699537395748865

3rd-Churchill Downs, $118,881, Msw, 5-19, 2yo, f, 5f, :57.91, ft, 6 1/4 lengths.
V V'S DREAM, f, 2, by Mitole
                1st Dam: Quay, by Tapit
                2nd Dam: Skipper Tale, by Tale of the Cat
                3rd Dam: Pretty 'n Smart, by Beau Genius
Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $69,000. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG. Free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. O-MJM Racing; B-Mark Stansell (KY); T-Kenneth G. McPeek. *$130,000 Wlg '21 KEENOV; $190,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP.

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Remi And Pierre (Peb) Bellocq Join The TDN Writers’ Room Podcast

It's not hyperbole to call cartoonist Pierre Bellocq a legend. Since he arrived in the U.S. from his native France in the mid-fifties he spent the next 50-plus years making readers of the old Morning Telegraph and the Daily Racing Form laugh. His cartoons were always creative, witty, thought-provoking and, most importantly, fun. Now 96, Peb lives in Princeton, New Jersey and, if you ask him to do so, he'll crank out a cartoon that is every bit as good as anything he's ever done. We brought in Peb and his son, Remi, who does a weekly cartoon for the TDN to join us this week on the TDN Writers' Room podcast presented by Keeneland. They were this week's Green Group Guests of the Week.

Peb explained how it all began for him, back when he was a young boy in France.

“I always tried to copy from the newspapers,” he said. “When I was a kid I was copying cartoons and it was my ambition to draw. I made albums of a caricature of politicians. I have albums full of those things. I had a great passion for that.”

Because his father was a head lad for a French stable, Bellocq was also interested in racing and capturing the sport through his cartoons. In 1954, John D. Schapiro became aware of Peb's work and brought him in from France to do the art work for the inaugural running of the Washington D.C. International, which would lead to a job with the Morning Telegraph. His accommodations on that first trip over weren't necessarily first class.

“They invited me to come to America, but they were wondering how they could bring me here,” he said. “I found that a friend of mine was putting together a plane in Chicago with four horses that were coming for the Washington, DC International. So, they said, if you want, you can take advantage of that. So I went on as cargo. I was sitting on the hay in cargo with the horses. This is how I came to America. It was absolutely wonderful. And as you know, I ended up here for good.”

At one point in his career, Peb was also doing political cartoons for the Philadelphia Inquirer. Walter Annenberg owned both the Inquirer and the Form. But he sold the Inquirer and the new owners told Peb he had to make a choice, racing cartoons or political cartoons. He chose racing.

“The paper soon got sold from Annenberg to Knight Ridder,” Remi Bellocq said. “He had to make a decision to go for one or the other. I want to point out that had my father decided to stay with the Philadelphia Inquirer, with Knight Ridder, he'd probably have a wall full of Pulitzers at this point. A lot of other cartoonists have said so. That might have been the loss of the political world, but our gain certainly in horse racing.”

The segment also included a contest between the two Bellocqs. Each was asked to draw a cartoon about the 50th anniversary of Secretariat winning the Triple Crown. The two cartoons are shown during the podcast and viewers were invited to vote for their favorite. A random drawing will be held among those voting for the winning cartoon and that person will win the original cartoon. To do so, friend Remi Bellocq on Twitter at @BellocqRemi. On his Twitter page, you can then cast your vote.

Elsewhere on the podcast, which is also sponsored by Coolmore,https://lanesend.com/  the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association, Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders,  1/ST Racing, WinStar Farm, XBTV, Lane's End, Three Chimneys and West Point Thoroughbreds, podcast regulars Zoe Cadman, Randy Moss and Bill Finley took a look at the GI Preakness S. The consensus was that Mage (Good Magic) will be tough to beat but that he's no lock. With Mage being the only Derby starter to return for the Preakness, the subject of changing the spacing of the Triple Crown races produced a lively debate, with all three arguing that the time has come to make some necessary adjustments and improvements. The reports that Forte (Violence) tested positive following his win in last year's GI Hopeful S. brought about strong condemnation of the New York Times for sensationalizing  the story and using the word “doping” in the headline. And everybody was left scratching their heads over the fact that it took more than eight months before the matter was made public.

Click for the video of the latest podcast or the audio-only version.

 

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