Darley America | Horse Racing Free Tips

Pasadena a Walk in the Park for Nyquist’s Johannes

Bet like he couldn't lose, Johannes strolled home much the best while making his two-turn bow in the Pasadena S. at Santa Anita Sunday. Taken in hand out of the gate, the heavy favorite settled at the back of the compact four-horse field heading into the backstretch. He rolled up four wide to challenge the pacesetters into the lane, pounced to the lead at midstretch and powered clear under a hand ride for an effortless victory.

“It's onward and upward,” said winning trainer Tim Yakteen. “It was a small field, but I think it was a great stepping stone for us to validate that we can two-turn. I'll get together with [owner/breeder] Joe [McCloskey] and come up with a game plan and see if we can have some fun. Very nice. We are very happy.”

Johannes graduated by an emphatic nine lengths while trying turf for the first time at Santa Anita last December and jumped up to stakes company with a late-closing win down the hill at Santa Anita in the Mar. 5 Baffle S.

“The thing that made me believe he could run a mile, was last time going down the hill, he was so relaxed out of the gate, and he was kind of push button,” said winning rider Umberto Rispoli. “It was a little messy going down the hill. Unfortunately, I couldn't have the spot I wanted, so I had to wait until the sixteenth of a mile and he was much the best in that race, and he proved that again today.

“I think he is just starting to understand the game. Today, he came out of the gate like, “What am I going to do?' and as soon as I put him in behind horses, he switched off and from there it was just a matter of letting him run. My hands got itchy around the turn and finally I was happy to let him run. I don't think we've seen the best of him.”

Johannes is the first foal out of stakes-placed Cuyathy, who was purchased by McCloskey for $50,000 out of the 2014 Keeneland September sale. The mare has a 2-year-old filly by Mastery, a yearling filly by Gun Runner and produced a filly by Knicks Go this year. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

PASADENA S., $98,000, Santa Anita, 4-2, 3yo, 1mT, 1:33.79, fm.
1–JOHANNES, 120, c, 3, by Nyquist
                1st Dam: Cuyathy (SP, $107,923), by Congrats
                2nd Dam: Dance Darling, by Devil's Bag
                3rd Dam: Danzig Darling, by Danzig
O/B-Cuyathy, LLC (KY); T-Tim Yakteen; J-Umberto Rispoli.
$60,000. Lifetime Record: 6-3-0-1, $170,059.
2–Game Time, 120, c, 3, Not This Time–Confession, by Broken
Vow. ($290,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP). O-Hronis Racing LLC;
B-Dermot Joyce (KY); T-John W. Sadler. $20,000.
3–Wizard of Westwood, 120, c, 3, Tu Brutus (Chi)–Figrare, by
Purge. ($20,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP). O-Andrew & Rania Warren;
B-Pope McLean (KY); T-Michael W. McCarthy. $12,000.
Margins: 3HF, 3/4, 7HF. Odds: 0.30, 2.80, 5.70.
Also Ran: Keen to Go. Scratched: Mucino.

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Golden Sixty Half-Sister Booked To Medaglia d’Oro

Golden Sister (Aus) (Capitalist {Aus}), a 3-year-old half-sister to dual Hong Kong Horse of the Year, seven-time Group 1 winner and $16-million earner Golden Sixty (Aus), will be bred to the latter's Darley America-based stallion Medaglia d'Oro to Northern Hemisphere time in 2023. The news was confirmed by Denys Chan, agent for All Winners Thoroughbreds, who purchased the filly for A$425,000 at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale in 2021, and Darley's Darren Fox.

Like Golden Sixty, Golden Sister was bred by the Hutchins family's Asco International Pty Ltd. and was offered by Element Hill at the Gold Coast sale a matter of weeks after Golden Sixty knocked out his first top-level victory in the Longines Hong Kong Mile. Element Hill's Josh Hutchins always held the Capitalist filly in high regard, telling TDNAusNZ, “She's probably one of the best types on our farm. She is up there with one of the best-looking foals we have had,” following Golden Sixty's win in the 2020 Hong Kong Classic Mile, four months after Golden Sister was foaled.

According to the Australian Stud Book, the bay filly was exported to the U.S. July 27, 2022–a trip that included stops in Doha, Amsterdam and Chicago–and took up residence at Dr. Naoya and Marie Yoshida's Winchester Farm in Lexington a short time later. Marie Yoshida often represents Asian interests at Australian bloodstock sales and hip 336 was very much on her radar at the Gold Coast.

“I always try to inspect many yearlings by new, young stallions and the Capitalist filly was very attractive and made my short list,” Marie Yoshida said. “I gave her an A+ for conformation and walk.”

Ironically, Marie Yoshida maintains a close relationship with the Liang family, owners of California Spangle (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}), who denied Golden Sixty a third straight victory in the Hong Kong Mile last December.

Capitalist, a son of Written Tycoon (Aus), was named a 'TDN Rising Star' after winning in listed company on debut in October 2015 and added the G1 Longines Golden Slipper S. the following March. From just three crops of racing age, he is the sire of 10 black-type winners, four at the group level, including juvenile Group 1 winner Captivant (Aus).

Yoshida said that it took Golden Sister a few weeks to acclimatize to her new surroundings and 'make new friends', but has now settled into life in the Bluegrass as she awaits her date at Darley.

“She is average size and Medaglia d'Oro will complement her very well,” Yoshida said. “It is nice that we have plenty of experience with Southern Hemisphere fillies.”

Chan confirmed that Golden Sister will remain in the Northern Hemisphere for the immediate future.

—Andrew Hawkins contributed to this story

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Maxfield Represented By First Foal

Darley America's two-time Grade I winner Maxfield (Street Sense) was represented by his first foal Jan. 7 at Kiki Courtelis's Town & Country Farms in Georgetown, Kentucky.

The bay filly is the first foal out of Dreamalildreamofu (Commissioner) , a two-time stakes and twice graded-stakes placed winner of better than $293,000. The now 6-year-old mare was purchased for $235,000 by Town & Country at the 2021 Keeneland November Sale and was bought back on a bid of $340,000 at the same event this past fall.

“We are very happy with our Maxfield foal,” said Town & Country CEO Shannon Potter. “She is a pretty filly with all the nice angles you'd expect. She already has class and presence.”

Maxfield won his first two starts as a juvenile, including the GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity and cloased his career with a victory in the GI Clark S. Winner of an additional four graded events and placings in the GI Woodward S. and GI Whitney S., Maxfield remains at $40,000 LFSN for the 2023 breeding season.

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Medaglia d’Oro Again Tops Darley America’s 2023 Fees; Speaker’s Corner Retired

Perennial top sire Medaglia d'Oro once again heads Darley's Jonabell Farm roster for 2023 with his fee remaining at $100,000, the same amount as 2022.

Darley has also added two new stallions to the now-11 horse roster, including G1SW Mystic Guide (Ghostzapper) and GISW Speaker's Corner (Street Sense). Mystic Guide, who won the 2021 G1 Dubai World Cup, was retired earlier this year. He will stand for a fee of $15,000 in his initial season at stud.

Speaker's Corner, a Godolphin homebred out of Tyburn Brook (Bernardini) who is bred on the same cross as fellow Darley stallion Maxfield, won the GI Carter H. in April with a dominating performance and a 114 Beyer Speed Figure. He also won this year's GII Gulfstream Park Mile S. and GIII Fred W. Hooper S. before finishing behind Flightline (Tapit) and Life Is Good (Into Mischief) in the GI Metropolitan H. and GII John A. Nerud S., respectively. He retires with a record of 13-6-2-2 and earnings of $739,963. Speaker's Corner will enter his first season at a fee of $20,000.

“We've been very fortunate in the last two years to have produced five high-level performers [Mystic Guide, Speaker's Corner, Essential Quality, Maxfield, and Cody's Wish] and it's even more gratifying that they are all homebreds,” said Darley Sales Manager Darren Fox. “Following last year's retirement of Essential Quality and Maxfield, to again be able to add more top-caliber horses is very, very exciting.”

Essential Quality and Maxfield, who both await their first foals in the spring, will remain at $75,000 and $40,000, respectively. Both had full books for 2022 in their first seasons. Street Sense will also remain at his 2022 fee of $75,000, while Midshipman will see a fee increase to $20,000.

“Optimism abounds currently in the Thoroughbred industry,” said Fox. “The sales are strong, purses are strong, and close to home, we experienced unprecedented demand during the 2022 booking season. With all these positives, only one of our stallions will see a fee increase for 2023 and that's Midshipman, who continues to go from strength to strength in his stud career.”

The Darley roster is rounded out by Nyquist at $55,000, Hard Spun at $35,000, Frosted at $10,000, and Enticed at $5,000.

Retirement plans for GI Forego S. winner and future Darley stallion Cody's Wish (Curlin) will be made after the Breeders' Cup.

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