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Keeneland January Sale To Include Paul Pompa Jr. Dispersal

Keeneland will offer 39 horses in the complete dispersal of the late Paul P. Pompa Jr. – including Turned Aside, winner of Saturday's Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship, and additional 2020 Grade 3 winners Country Grammer and Regal Glory – during the 2021 January Horses of All Ages Sale, to be held Jan. 11-14.

Lane's End will serve as agent for the consignment, which consists of broodmares, foals of 2020, horses of racing age and broodmare or stallion prospects.

The January Sale catalog is scheduled to be online at Keeneland.com on Dec. 8.

“Mr. Pompa's industry involvement was admirable on every level,” Lane's End sales director Allaire Ryan said. “He was dedicated to and ever enthusiastic about his investments as a breeder, owner and fan. He created strong relationships around a lifelong passion and never wavered from his philosophy to do right by his stock and enjoy the sport. The success of his breeding and racing operations is a direct result of his daily involvement with trainers, farm staff, agents and caretakers alike. We have valued the opportunity to care for his horses at Lane's End and will be proud to stand behind his offerings at the January Sale.”

Eight mares in the Pompa dispersal are in foal to Connect, a Grade 1-winning son of Curlin who raced for Pompa and stands at Lane's End.

Among the horses cataloged in the dispersal are these broodmares and foals of 2020:

Mary's Follies, a Grade 2 winner by More Than Ready who is the dam of multiple graded stakes winners Night Prowler and Regal Glory as well as 2020 Japanese multiple Group 3 winner Cafe Pharoah.
A colt by Connect-Mary's Follies foaled in 2020.
Sustained, a Grade 3-placed daughter of War Front who is the dam of Turned Aside and is in foal to Connect.

These fillies of racing age:

Off Topic, a Grade 1-placed 4-year-old filly by Street Sense.
Regal Glory, a Grade 2-winning 4-year-old daughter of Animal Kingdom who has earned $773,884. Winner of the Grade 3 Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf in her most recent race, Regal Glory also won the G2 Lake Placid and G3 Lake George at Saratoga along with the Penn Oaks and Stewart Manor Stakes.

These colts of racing age:

Country Grammer, a 3-year-old son of Tonalist who won this year's G3 Peter Pan.
Spirit Maker, a 2-year-old colt by Empire Maker who won his career debut Saturday at Aqueduct by 1 3/4 lengths.
Turned Aside, a 3-year-old colt by American Pharoah who won the G3 Quick Call at Saratoga in July and most recently captured the Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship by 1 1/4 lengths. He has four wins in nine starts with earnings of $241,967.

“We have great respect for Paul – as a horseman, businessman and person – and were so saddened by his passing. Keeneland is honored to be given the responsibility of presenting the Pompa dispersal,” Keeneland president-elect and interim head of sales Shannon Arvin said. “Our relationship with Paul includes his purchase of future Kentucky Derby winner Big Brown at the 2007 Keeneland April Sale, and we have been thrilled to have several horses from his stable win stakes races here at Keeneland.”

At the 2007 April 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale, Pompa paid $190,000 for Big Brown through Hidden Brook, agent, from the consignment of Eddie Woods, agent. Raced by Pompa in partnership, Big Brown captured his first five races, including the 2008 G1 Florida Derby, Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes. The son of Boundary closed the season with victories in the G1 Haskell Invitational and Monmouth Stakes en route to earning the Eclipse Award as champion 3-year-old male.

At Keeneland, Pompa campaigned Night Prowler to win the 2015 G3 Transylvania. In partnership with Stephen Yarbrough and Anthony Grey, he raced Franny Freud to win the 2010 G2 Beaumont.

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Keeneland January to Include Dispersal of Pompa Stock

Keeneland will offer 39 horses in the Complete Dispersal of the late Paul P. Pompa Jr.–including Turned Aside (American Pharoah), winner of Saturday’s Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship S., and additional 2020 Grade III winners Country Grammer (Tonalist) and Regal Glory (Animal Kingdom)–during the 2021 January Horses of All Ages Sale, to be held Jan. 11-14. Lane’s End will serve as agent for the consignment, which consists of broodmares, foals of 2020, horses of racing age and broodmare or stallion prospects. The January Sale catalog is scheduled to be online at Keeneland.com on Dec. 8.

“Mr. Pompa’s industry involvement was admirable on every level,” Lane’s End Sales Director Allaire Ryan said. “He was dedicated to and ever enthusiastic about his investments as a breeder, owner and fan. He created strong relationships around a lifelong passion and never wavered from his philosophy to do right by his stock and enjoy the sport. The success of his breeding and racing operations is a direct result of his daily involvement with trainers, farm staff, agents and caretakers alike. We have valued the opportunity to care for his horses at Lane’s End and will be proud to stand behind his offerings at the January Sale.”

Eight mares in the Pompa Dispersal are in foal to Connect, a Grade I-winning son of Curlin who raced for Pompa and stands at Lane’s End.

Among the horses cataloged in the dispersal are these broodmares and foals of 2020:

Mary’s Follies, a Grade II winner by More Than Ready who is the dam of multiple graded stakes winners Night Prowler and Regal Glory as well as 2020 Japanese multiple Group 3 winner Cafe Pharoah.
A colt by Connect-Mary’s Follies foaled in 2020.
Sustained, a Grade III-placed daughter of War Front who is the dam of Turned Aside and is in foal to Connect.

These fillies of racing age:

Off Topic, a Grade I-placed 4-year-old filly by Street Sense.
Regal Glory, a Grade II-winning 4-year-old and ‘TDN Rising Star’ who has earned $773,884. Winner of the GIII Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf S. in her most recent race, Regal Glory also won the GII Lake Placid S. and GIII Lake George S. at Saratoga along with the Penn Oaks and Stewart Manor S.

These colts of racing age:

Country Grammer, a 3-year-old son who won this year’s GIII Peter Pan S.
Spirit Maker, a 2-year-old colt by Empire Maker who won his career debut Saturday at Aqueduct by 1 3/4 lengths.
Turned Aside, a 3-year-old colt who won the GIII Quick Call S. at Saratoga in July and captured Saturday’s Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship by 1 1/4 lengths. He has four wins in nine starts with earnings of $241,967.

The post Keeneland January to Include Dispersal of Pompa Stock appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Kentucky Derby Consignor Standings Presented By Keeneland: Final Countdown Sees Sequel New York, Taylor Made On Top

When a young horse goes through the ring at any auction, a few cents of every dollar in the hammer price is spent on the hope that the horse will one day end up in the Kentucky Derby. Before they can be bought, though, they have to be found.

At the end of a Derby trail that had a four-month detour, we have a final picture of which consignors had the most success producing horses who earned Derby qualifying points for this year's race, both in quantity and quality. Of the 18 horses with intentions to run as of Monday afternoon, 15 went through the ring at least once at public auction, and all but two of those earned points for their consignors in this year's Kentucky Derby Consignor Standings.

Tiz The Law has been the de facto leader of his division for much of the Derby prep season, and when he ascended to the top of the points standings, his consignor Sequel New York joined him. The son of Constitution was Sequel's only graduate to earn points on this year's Derby trail, but the postponement of the race from May to September left him and Sequel with an astronomical 372 points as the runners descend on Churchill Downs.

Tiz the Law's accumulation journey began at Churchill Downs, where he earned two points for a third-place effort in the G2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes. He then picked up 10 points when he won the G3 Holy Bull Stakes, and he cemented himself as a top contender following a 100-point triumph in the G1 Florida Derby. From there, Tiz the Law piled it on during his summer campaign, earning 150 points by winning the Belmont Stakes, and another 100 points in the G1 Travers Stakes.

Sequel was the top consignor by Derby points, both in the overall standings and among consignors of yearlings. The top point-getter among consignors specializing in 2-year-old sales was Randy Bradshaw, who had 150 points on the lone strength of Nadal.

A son of Blame, Nadal picked up 40 points in the G2 Rebel Stakes, then earned 100 points by winning the second division of the G1 Arkansas Derby.

Nadal was an incredibly successful pinhook for Bradshaw, who bought him for $65,000 at the 2018 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, then sold him for $700,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream Selected 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale.

Taylor Made Sales Agency led all consignors on this year's Kentucky Derby trail by the number of horses that earned qualifying points, with nine.

The group was led by Shotski, a Blame colt who picked up 19 points with a win in the G2 Remsen Stakes, a second in the G3 Withers Stakes, and a fourth in the G2 Fountain of Youth Stakes. The Taylor Made Grade 1 graduate board added another name last fall when Eight Rings, by Empire Maker, won the G1 American Pharoah Stakes and earned 10 points. Texas Swing, a son of Curlin, also earned 10 points with a third in the G2 Tampa Bay Derby.

Other Taylor Made graduates to pick up points on the Derby trail include Three Technique (Mr Speaker, 9 points); Scabbard (More Than Ready, 9 points); Arkaan (Into Mischief, 4 points); Cosmo (Distorted Humor, 4 points); Earner (Carpe Diem, 2 points); and Super John (Super Saver, 2 points).

Taylor Made will also send graduate Mr. Big News, a son of Giant's Causeway, into the Derby starting gate without any qualifying points.

A pair of juvenile consignors tied for the most point-earners, each with three.

Top Line Sales graduates picked up a combined 131 points on the Derby trail, led by Ny Traffic, a son of Cross Traffic who earned 110 points with runner-up efforts in the G1 Haskell Stakes, G2 Louisiana Derby, and G3 Matt Winn Stakes, along with a third in the G2 Risen Star Stakes.

The Top Line consignment also featured Candy Tycoon, an earner of 20 points by Twirling Candy, and Gozilla, by Flatter, who earned one point.

Wavertree Stables also saw three graduates earn points, including Country Grammer, a first-crop Tonalist colt who got 50 points for winning the G3 Peter Pan Stakes.

Independence Hall, also from a first-crop sire in Constitution, picked up 14 points with a win in the listed Jerome Stakes and a runner-up effort in the G3 Sam F. Davis Stakes. Rounding out the trio of first-crop point-earners was Wrecking Crew, who picked up five points with a third in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile and a fourth in the G2 Los Alamitos Futurity.

Though the horse enters the first Saturday in September with no qualifying points, Wavertree Stables' graduates on this year's trail also include Money Moves, a son of Candy Ride who is a likely Derby starter.

As the field of potential Derby starters stands through Monday afternoon, Lane's End is the only consignor with multiple graduates scheduled to enter the starting gate.

Max Player, a first-crop son of Honor Code, has 60 points after winning the G3 Withers Stakes and finishing third in the Belmont Stakes and G1 Travers Stakes. Sole Volante, also a first-cropper by Karakontie, picked up 30 points with a victory in the G3 Sam F. Davis Stakes and a runner-up effort in the G2 Tampa Bay Derby.

Lane's End finished with the second-most point-earners on this year's Derby trail, with five.

The group was topped by Wells Bayou, a Lookin at Lucky colt with 104 points from winning the G2 Louisiana Derby and running second in the G3 Southwest Stakes. Arkaan, by Into Mischief, who earned four points with a third in the listed Pegasus Stakes. Express Train, by Union Rags, earned one point for running fourth in the American Pharoah Stakes.

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Country Grammer ‘Keeps Improving,’ Inspires Chad Brown To Try Travers Off Short Rest

An opportunity to run at a desired distance, in the race he's wanted to win more than any other but has yet to add to his already lengthy list of accomplishments, was too tempting to pass up for trainer Chad Brown.

The Mechanicville, N.Y. native will send out Paul Pompa, Jr.'s Country Grammer in Saturday's Grade 1, $1 million Runhappy Travers for 3-year-olds, the highlight of both the Saratoga season and a loaded 12-race program featuring five graded-stakes worth $1.95 million in purses.

Country Grammer will be the 11th Travers starter for Brown, his best finish coming with Gift Box, who ran fourth in 2016. Growing up a half-hour south of Saratoga, where his family has gathered at the same backyard picnic table on Travers Day for decades, Brown is hoping to break through in a year when coronavirus protocols will prevent fans from attending.

“I was thinking about that; if I finally win and nobody's here, does it count?” Brown said. “It's so depressing to not have the fans here, but at least they have the meet going. NYRA's done a super job, at least from the horsemen's side, to make it feel comfortable as they can. The racing product's been super, as you can see from the wagering, and the surface is extremely safe. The Travers will be a little different, but we'll take it if we can get it.”

Country Grammer enters the 1 ¼-mile Travers off a neck victory over fellow Mid-Summer Derby aspirant Caracaro in the Grade 3, 1 1/8-mile Peter Pan on July 16, opening day at Saratoga. He has never gone less than a mile in any of his five races, and Brown said he has been relishing the chance to go further.

“Two turns is his thing, and we've been wanting to get a mile and a quarter all along,” Brown said. “Hopefully this horse will get the distance. I'm confident he can. He's going to have to take a step forward in this race and hope a couple of the top contenders can't go that far.”

Irad Ortiz, Jr. will ride Country Grammer from post 2 in a field of eight led by even-money program favorite Tiz the Law, the Grade 1 Florida Derby and Belmont Stakes winner this year, and Grade 3-winning California shipper Uncle Chuck.

“I prefer more time in between races with my horses, but I thought it was a great opportunity to take another shot at the Travers. It's a little bit of a shorter field than normal and the Kentucky Derby, some people waiting for that,” Brown said. “It's a unique year to maybe give it a shot with a horse that keeps improving. Even though we're running on short rest, I think the reward is probably a little bigger than the risk.”

Prior to the Peter Pan, Country Grammer ran third in a 1 1/16-mile allowance on June 4 at Belmont Park, his first start since finishing fifth in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth in February at Gulfstream Park in his sophomore debut. He debuted on the Belmont turf last fall before breaking his maiden second time out going 1 1/8 miles at Aqueduct.

“We just drew a line through the race at Belmont. He's really never even trained well there. That's why I debuted him on the turf, actually, the first start of his life. It's something I wasn't really looking to do when I got him in,” Brown said. “He looked like a dirt horse but he just didn't train well enough so I took a shot and he didn't run good on the turf. When I got him over to Aqueduct, anywhere away from Belmont, his races have been good on the dirt.”

Brown has been pleased with how Country Grammer has taken to Saratoga's main track, newly refurbished for 2020, in both his training and racing.

“It's definitely more similar to Aqueduct than it is Belmont. It reminds me of Keeneland, too, a little bit. This new surface has been great,” Brown said. “It's my 13th year of training racehorses on my own, and this is one the best racetracks I've ever trained on or raced on.”

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