Tag: david lanigan

Wise Dan and Main Sequence, Two Glorious Geldings and the Breeders’ Cup

Celebrating 40 Years of the Breeders' Cup

John Henry famously didn't make it to the Breeders' Cup. Da Hoss famously did, after a two-year layoff with a mere allowance prep. In this industry, where geldings at the elite levels are the exception and not the norm, those geldings tend to become beloved fan favorites. Perhaps it's because they often have longer race careers than their compatriots whose breeding careers must be considered.

Right up there in the lexicon of the special 31 geldings to have won a Breeders' Cup are two industry favorites living their best lives as retirees with the people who knew them best: Wise Dan and Main Sequence. These two glorious geldings may now be retired from the racetrack, but they both still live with their trainers, Charlie LoPresti and Graham Motion, respectively.

“He lives with us and that should show how special he is,” said Motion of Main Sequence.

Neither had a future in the stud barn, neither was transformed into a show horse, neither became a track pony, neither is even a riding horse. Instead, both Wise Dan and Main Sequence are beloved pasture pets, each turned out with a buddy, each living the life of Riley, each with the assurance of LoPresti and Motion meeting their every need.

Wise Dan | Sarah Andrew

Both champions–one as a homebred always destined to race as such and one as a homebred originally intended for the sales–these two horses gave so many thrills to their connections. No wonder their trainers couldn't imagine them living anywhere else and plan to cater to each one's every need for life.

The two chestnuts took very different routes to each trainer's barn. Wise Dan has spent nearly every moment of his life, since he was a short yearling, in LoPresti's care. Motion doesn't remember laying eyes on Main Sequence until he was a 5-year-old who had already won a Group race in England and finished second in the G1 Investec Epsom Derby for trainer David Lanigan.

“Wise Dan was foaled at Patchen Wilkes Farm in Lexington and Mr. [Morton] Fink always sent those babies to us when they were short yearlings,” remembered LoPresti. “I don't remember the exact month, but we pretty much raised him from a short yearling. We broke him, we trained him, we did everything with him.

Wise Dan | Sarah Andrew

“He was a big, strong horse,” continued LoPresti. “I wouldn't say he was difficult, but the only thing that stood out in my mind early was how different he was than other horses. Once I figured out that his stride was so much longer than most horses, he was easy to get along with. At first, we were always trying to bottle him up or slow him down, but once we figured out his natural rhythm was :13 or :14 [for an eighth], he was just a natural athlete. He is just an incredible horse, so smart. Just different than most horses.”

Everyone remembers Wise Dan as a two-time Breeders' Cup Mile winner, but what might not be remembered as well is he started his career on the dirt. He was a graded winner on the main track at three and even ran in the Breeders' Cup Sprint, finishing sixth. It was midway through his 4-year-old year that Wise Dan tried turf for the first time, winning the GII Firecracker H. at Churchill, but he didn't stay on the surface, adding the GI Clark H. and GII Fayette S. on dirt before the year was over. More graded success on the main track at five followed. It wasn't until August at Saratoga at age five in the GII Fourstardave H. that Wise Dan moved permanently to the grass and started one of the most remarkable streaks in recent memory. He would win his next nine in a row, including his first Breeders' Cup, and 14 of his final 15 races.

Successful Dan and Wise Dan | Sarah Andrew

“I could tell you so many things about him,” said LoPresti, “but nothing really fazed him. He almost knew when he was going to run. He'd lay down or rest his head on the stall webbing. I would worry about post position, track condition, everything, but [rider] Johnny Velazquez would say, 'Don't' worry about it. He knows how to win, he knows how to get himself out of trouble.' And he did! He did it every time he won and pulled it off. Nineteen graded stakes he won.

“Part of the thing with him was how he took everything in stride,” continued LoPresti. “When he got to Santa Anita for his Breeders' Cup wins, the first thing he did was just stare at the San Gabriel Mountains like he knew what he was there for. He'd get in the stall–remember he'd never been there before–make two or three turns around and settle down to eat. Most horses take a little while to settle in. He wouldn't. He never got upset about anything. If there was a loose horse, he would just watch like he was saying, 'What's wrong with you?'

“That's the thing about him: he took everything in stride and he always knew how to win.”

He certainly did. During his five-year racing career, Wise Dan won 23 of his 31 starts. No fewer than 11 of his 19 graded wins were in Grade I races. He set track or course records at Santa Anita, Keeneland, and Woodbine. But not everything was smooth sailing. He came back from small injuries. And the sport held its collective breath when Wise Dan colicked and underwent surgery.

“When they turned him over on the table and opened him up,” remembered LoPresti, “the surgeon turned around and gave me a thumbs up. He'd untwisted when they turned him over, so they didn't have to mess with anything and they just sewed him back up. The only thing we were dealing with then was the healing of the incision. Yes, that's a lot, but he was just so tough. That son of a gun came back from the clinic bouncing off the van! All we had to do was heal his incision.”

Wise Dan | Sarah Andrew

LoPresti said he got some flack for bringing Wise Dan back after the surgery and expecting him to perform at the same level. What some people forget is that no one knew him better than LoPresti and no one had his best interests more in mind.

“I knew a lot of people thought I was crazy to bring him back. His first couple of works were not brilliant and I can remember reading stuff after those works–he's not the same horse, you know, all the naysayers–but all I was trying to do was keep him from being stressed and bring him along slow. Then we started to build. That's where I wanted him. We didn't pressure him; we wanted to go along easy and make sure he wasn't going to colic again. Then he came back and he won. And he won again. I always worried. When people start talking, you start to second guess yourself, but I started to see the light come back on and I knew he was back.”

Back indeed. Wise Dan would close out his career as a two-time Horse of the Year and a legend.

“I just want everybody to realize what kind of horse he really was, everything he came through, everything he did. He won $7.5 million and 19 graded stakes and he didn't run for mega-purses. He earned it. If you look at all his races, a lot of them were small stakes. He didn't go to Dubai; there was no Pegasus Cup. I was very fortunate that I had a farm and owners who trusted what I did. I always gave my horses the winter off, never took them to Florida or Louisiana. That was to my demise as a trainer for business, but the old racing families, the old, true sportsmen, got it. I was just fortunate that I had owners that let me do that. Nowadays, if you don't travel and dance every dance, you're going to lose horses. I have really fond memories looking back.”

LoPresti, who quietly retired from training at the end of 2020, said it wasn't just his family and the public who loved Wise Dan. The horse also gave his owner-breeder a reason to live.

“Mr. Fink went to dialysis two or three days a week. That horse kept him alive. The idea of having to go watch him run and watch his next race. That was why we didn't go overseas or to Dubai or anything. Mr. Fink wanted to watch him in person and he really couldn't travel that far. We weren't there for the money. Mr. Fink enjoyed the horse and being able to go see him. I totally understood. I believe he could have gone over to Dubai and won, but that's not what Mr. Fink wanted to do. I was fine with that.”

Wise Dan's last race–and win–was in 2014 in the GI Shadwell Turf Mile at Keeneland. No one knew at the time it would be his last race, but some small, niggling injuries kept him from returning. When he was officially retired 11 months later just before an attempt at a third GI Woodbine Mile, it was decided 'Dan' would live out his days at LoPresti's farm. LoPresti indicated the Kentucky Horse Park and Old Friends were both interested in having him, “But this is what we all decided. We know him. He was raised here. Why send him somewhere he doesn't know and take him away from his brother?”

Successful Dan and Wise Dan | Sarah Andrew

That half-brother is the one-year older MGW & MGISP Successful Dan, also a Fink homebred campaigned by LoPresti. Successful Dan and Wise Dan are thick as thieves. They're turned out together, they play hard, and they keep themselves extremely fit, said LoPresti. They're also very attached to each other.

“Not too long ago, Successful Dan got a little hurt and needed some stitches. He needed to stay in the barn for a week. Wise Dan never went more than 30 yards away. He kept checking on him,” said LoPresti.

“Wise Dan is just different from other horses. He's so smart. All the great ones are just different. That's what makes them what they are. Of course, they have to have the athletic ability, too, and he did with that natural rhythm, that natural stride.

“He's very kind, but also very strong. When he decides he wants to go out to the paddock or when he went to gallop at the track, he's going to take you where he wants to go. It's impossible to slow him down.”

Wise Dan's Breeders' Cup wins were in 2012 and 2013; he was undefeated in four starts in 2014, but didn't make the Breeders' Cup that year. Main Sequence, another turfer, did. The two never faced each other on the track, as Wise Dan specialized at a mile and Main Sequence wanted longer. The latter won the 12-furlong Breeders' Cup Turf in 2014. He took a far different road getting there than Wise Dan did.

“Honestly, he wasn't the most straightforward horse to train,” said Motion of Main Sequence. “He could be a little bit tricky. He certainly has a lot of personality.”

Lanigan, a former UK-based trainer who is now with Four Star Sales in Kentucky, laid it out plainly.

“He was a pain in the ass!” said Lanigan, who first trained Main Sequence in England, with a laugh. Lanigan and Motion both trained for the Niarchos family's Flaxman Holdings.

Main Sequence | Sarah Andrew

“He was a difficult horse, a little bit quirky,” continued Lanigan. “He didn't like to lead the string, didn't show much on the gallops. But he was a big, mature, good-looking horse who coped with everything very good. We were surprised when he won his maiden first time at two. None of mine usually won first time out. They improved more from first to second run. There was a good horse of Godolphin's in there that cost a lot of money and he beat him quite well. Then we sent him to a novice at Newmarket. It was more of a fact-finding mission to see if he was as nice as we thought he was. There were useful sorts in there and he won that very well.

“Then I managed to convince [owner] Maria [Niarchos-Gouaze of Flaxman Holdings] and [Flaxman's racing manager] Alan [Cooper] to supplement him for the Derby… The boldness in me! I couldn't leave a Derby horse on the table. I had to spend the next six months trying to convince Alan to run him.”

Main Sequence ended up going to the Derby undefeated in four starts, including in the G3 Betfred Derby Trial. He suffered his first career defeat in the Derby to Aidan O'Brien's Camelot (GB) with Queen Elizabeth II in attendance. The performance may have been assurance that Main Sequence was as good of a horse as Lanigan thought, but that loss was also tough to swallow.

“It broke my heart,” said Lanigan. “Nobody ever remembers second. He was beaten by a very good horse and ran his race, but I was gutted for myself because I knew we had a very nice horse. And I was very disappointed for Maria. She was one of the first people to send me a horse when I started training. She was always a very good supporter and friend, so it wasn't just my own selfishness. I was very disappointed for her.”

Main Sequence | Sarah Andrew

Main Sequence and Lanigan were together for approximately another year and a half after the Derby, long before the Breeders' Cup was on the table. Lanigan had actually picked the chestnut out of the Keeneland September sale as a yearling. The horse had been entered, but Lanigan said Niarchos-Gouaze had asked him if there were any of hers in the crop he liked. When Lanigan picked Main Sequence, he never went through the ring and was shipped to the UK instead. Lanigan and the horse were together for nearly three years total and came to an understanding.

“Like a lot of good horses, you could set your watch by him. He went out first lot every day, would have his breakfast, then go to sleep. He'd be comatose from 9-12, head under the shavings. I took him out for a pick of grass every day myself. He was a bit of a handful. Out of nowhere, he'd stand straight up on his hind legs.

“He overcame a lot. He had a tiny bit of a kissing spine after he won his novice as a 2-year-old, but after that never missed another day. We gelded him at the end of his 3-year-old year because he didn't really have a stallion's pedigree. He was a little bit of a bridesmaid at four. He'd get himself very warm in paddocks that year, which he never did before, so it was sort of a frustrating year.

“I told Maria, 'There's a better chance for him over in America. You could win a Breeders' Cup with him in America, but we're going to struggle with him in Europe.'”

Prophetic words, it turns out. Lanigan said shipping him back and forth was considered, but it was ultimately decided it would be better for the horse to be based in the same area he'd run, rather than to ship. Lanigan was fully on board.

Bye Bye Melvin with Main Sequence and Benjamin Button (the mini) | Sarah Andrew

“I told Maria it was going to be a wasted opportunity for the horse and for her if she didn't do it. It all worked out very well. Maria and the horse were the most important two in the whole thing. She's an owner who deserves the very best. It was a pleasure to have had him and I feel very lucky to have had him.”

Motion was the lucky recipient in America. Although Motion had been to Lanigan's yard in Lambourn when he stabled his GI Kentucky Derby and G1 Dubai World Cup winner Animal Kingdom there prior to a run at Royal Ascot, he didn't have any particular memories of Main Sequence in the flesh before he came to America.

“Obviously he'd been in some nice races already, so you knew he was a good horse,” said Motion. “I was aware of him because we all trained for Flaxman and he'd certainly done well in some nice races–had that second in the Derby–but I didn't really know him before. I think the whole team felt that American racing might suit him. We kind of all made all those decisions together, with David Lanigan and Alan Cooper.

“Main Sequence actually got quite sick when he first came to me. Shipping over the winter is tough, having to travel and quarantine on both sides. It took him a while to get over it. We gave him a lot of time.”

Main Sequence and Bye Bye Melvin | Sarah Andrew

The repatriated Main Sequence would not make his American debut under Motion's care until July of 2014. He would win that day–the GI United Nations S.–and wouldn't lose that year, adding the Sword Dancer, Joe Hirsch Turf Classic, and Breeders' Cup Turf, all Grade Is. The campaign culminated in a championship.

“We did things with him that I hadn't really done with a horse,” said Motion, “in all the extra schooling. He required a lot of time in working with those things. He was always a little slow to come away from the gates, so we worked on that quite a lot. The first time he ran for us, in the UN, he walked out of the gate. He gave us fits with that.

“His first three races were by a neck, a head, and a neck. It was a testament to Rajiv [Maragh], who rode him so well.”

Maragh was not able to be aboard for the Breeders' Cup. Velazquez, who had piloted Wise Dan to his first Breeders' Cup win, but had gotten injured earlier on the card of Wise Dan's second Breeders' Cup victory and was hospitalized as the race ran, had to substitute for Maragh in this Breeders' Cup.

“It was tough,” said Motion, “because Rajiv had won on him in the Turf Classic and while we were up in the reception room after the race [just over 30 minutes later], Rajiv had his terrible accident and broke his arm. We were good friends with him and Angie, his wife, so there were a lot of emotions when he got hurt. I get emotional now just thinking about it. So Johnny rode him in the Breeders' Cup. That was the year he was coming off that bad accident of the year before in the Breeders' Cup.”

Maragh needed two plates and 13 screws to repair his arm and would win on Main Sequence again in 2015. Velazquez had emergency surgery after a spill in the Juvenile Fillies in 2014 that resulted in pancreas repair and spleen removal. Motion is close friends with both riders.

“On Breeders' Cup Day was the only time Main Sequence ever broke properly. He won handily,” said Motion. After winning the GII Mac Diarmida S. the next year, Main Sequence tried Dubai and for a repeat in the United Nations, but didn't perform as hoped in the latter and it was discovered he had suffered a tendon tear. He was retired.

“Alan and Maria were nice enough to let him stay here after his career,” said Motion. “These horses were so influential in my career.”

Graham Motion with Better Talk Now in 2008 | Sarah Andrew

Motion mentioned Better Talk Now, his very first Breeders' Cup winner. Better Talk Now, who also won the Turf a decade before Main Sequence, also retired to Motion's Fair Hill home base. He passed away in 2017 following complications from colic surgery.

“Main Sequence is a bit like Better Talk Now,” said Motion. “Neither one of them were particularly nice horses to ride. They both had the same kind of personality: pretty cantankerous, pretty tough, which is probably an indicator of how good they were.”

Main Sequence now lives in a paddock with Bye Bye Melvin, another former Motion runner who ran in the 2022 Breeders' Cup Turf.

“I have to be very careful who we put out in the paddock with him, because he's pretty tough on other horses, but he and Bye Bye Melvin get along great.”

Main Sequence served as an ambassador at the Maryland 5* event earlier this month.

“That was quite a shock to him to come out of his field for the first time in years,” said Motion with a laugh. “He was a little wound up, but it was very cool. A lot of people came by to see him. I heard he only bit one person, but we made it through. It was just a mile up the road, so we decided to do it.”

Like LoPresti with Wise Dan, Motion has incredibly fond memories of his Breeders' Cup win with Main Sequence.

“It was very rewarding,” said Motion. “It was really a team effort to win a Breeders' Cup race for the Niarchos family. I grew up watching them, so it was like a dream to win for them. It was sort of coming full circle. We love the Breeders' Cup.”

The post Wise Dan and Main Sequence, Two Glorious Geldings and the Breeders’ Cup appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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$1.1-Million Quality Road Colt Paces Competitive Fasig Saratoga Opener

by Jessica Martini and Christina Bossinakis

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY – With bids ricocheting from all directions both inside and outside the Humphrey S. Finney Pavilion, the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale of Selected Yearlings opened with a strong session topped by a pair of million-dollar babies Monday night in upstate New York.

“I thought it was a tremendous start to the 2023 Saratoga Yearling Sale,” Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning, Jr. said at the close of business Monday. “The numbers are essentially on par with last year's opening session, which was a remarkable, even historic, evening.”

During Monday's session, 74 yearlings sold for $30,785,000. The average was $416,014 and the median was $350,000.

Those figures were largely equal to the auction's 2022 opening session, which set the table for a record-smashing renewal. During last year's first session, 69 horses grossed $28,930,000 for an average of $419,275 and a median of $350,000.

“We saw a very fair marketplace,” Browning said. “It wasn't insanity, but there was a great diversity of buyers. There was a very, very good mix of buyers tonight and a very good mix of bidders. The love was kind of spread around. We did almost $30 million tonight and that money was spread really across the board amongst a whole lot of horses, which is really good long-term for this marketplace.”

The top 10 lots of Monday's session were purchased by 10 distinct buying entities. Leading the way was a colt by Quality Road who was purchased for $1.1 million by Alex Elliott and Ben McElroy on behalf of Amo Racing. The yearling was consigned by Gainesway on behalf of Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings.

Also bringing seven figures during the session was a filly by Curlin who sold for $1.05 million to David Lanigan as agent for Heider Family Stables. The filly was consigned by Denali Stud.

During last year's first session, four yearlings brought seven figures. The following evening, during a lights-out second session, a further 10 yearlings reached that milestone.

“Any time you start at Saratoga, you always have a little trepidation and a little bit of anxiety,” Browning admitted. “Are we going to be able to sustain the market? Are we going to be able to improve? We came off an unbelievable year in 2022 and had massive increases over 2021. I will sleep better tonight than I did last night knowing there is a viable marketplace. It was a great start, a fantastic start. I'm ecstatic with the first night and I can't wait to start selling tomorrow.”

Amo Aims for Quality

Kia Joorabchian's Amo Racing, which has been expanding its foothold in the U.S. sales ring and on its racetracks, topped Monday's session of the Saratoga sale when purchasing a colt by Quality Road (hip 77) for $1.1 million. The yearling was consigned by Gainesway on behalf of his breeder, Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings.

“I think Kia is looking for Derby horses in the States and he has size and scope and he's by the right sire,” bloodstock agent Alex Elliott, who did his bidding inside the pavilion alongside Ben McElroy, said. “He's got a great pedigree. Obviously, a lot of people wanted him for him to bring what he brought.”

The bay colt is out of graded winner I'm a Looker (Henny Hughes) and from the family of Grade I winner Dortmund (Big Brown). Stonestreet purchased the mare as a 5-year-old for $475,000 at the 2017 Keeneland November sale. Her colt by Curlin sold for $525,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale.

This year in the U.S., Amo Racing was represented by recent GII Amsterdam S. winner New York Thunder (Nyquist), and the operation went to this year's GI Kentucky Oaks with GII Gulfstream Park Oaks winner Affirmative Lady (Arrogate).

In Europe, Amo Racing's 2-year-old Valiant Force (Malibu Moon) won the G2 Norfolk S. at 150-1 and King of Steel (Wootton Bassett {GB}) was second in the G1 Betfred Derby before winning the G2 King Edward VII S. at Royal Ascot. He was most recently third in the G1 King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Diamond S.

All four were purchased by Amo Racing at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

“Amo Racing has been really lucky buying horses out of America recently,” Elliott said. “I think this horse will go back to Ireland to be broken and then he will come back to America. That's the program for Amo. We have to cross our fingers now.” @JessMartiniTDN

 

 

 

Dilworths Find Homebred Success

Scott and Evan Dilworth have enjoyed plenty of success over the years as pinhookers, but the couple had their first million-dollar sale as breeders Monday in Saratoga when David Lanigan purchased a filly by Curlin (hip 87) for $1.05 million on behalf of Heider Family Stables.

The seven-figure yearling is the first foal out of Lady T N T (Justin Phillip). Purchased for $335,000 at the 2018 OBS March sale, the mare won the 2019 GIII Charles Town Oaks in the Dilworths' colors.

“She's classy, classy,” Scott Dilworth said of the yearling. “Her momma is a beautiful mare and had a super amount of speed. Hopefully this filly will carry that speed on, being by Curlin. When I bred her for the first time, I said, 'Well, we are going to the best.' And there is nothing better than a Curlin filly.”

Among the Dilworths' home runs in the pinhooking arena was subsequent graded winner and recent GI Haskell S. third-place finisher Arabian Knight (Uncle Mo). The couple purchased the colt for $250,000 at the Keeneland September sale before topping the 2022 OBS April sale when selling him for $2.3 million to Amr Zedan.

“Yes, this is definitely my top sale from a breeding standpoint,” Dilworth said. “I've only got about five or six mares. And we primarily sell [the foals].”

The yearling was consigned by the Bandoroff family's Denali Stud and after watching him sell out back, Conrad Bandoroff came over to congratulate Dilworth and to remind the breeder he owed him a dinner.

“We had an over/under bet,” Dilworth said with a big smile. “I lost the bet. But with pleasure.”

Lady T N T was bred to Munnings this year. @JessMartiniTDN

 

 

 

Back to the Well

It's a good bet when an attractive yearling by two-time Horse of the Year Curlin steps into the ring, that fireworks are likely to ensue. And that is just what happened Monday evening in Fasig-Tipton's Humphrey S. Finney Pavilion in Saratoga Springs moments after hip 87 entered the ring. When the dust had finally settled, it was David Lanigan, bidding from the back ring on behalf of Scott and Cindy Heider, that stood atop the chestnut's list of admirers with a $1.05 million final bid.

Consigned by Denali Stud, the Jan. 12 filly is the first foal out of Grade III winner Lady T N T (Justin Phillip), a half-sister to GSW and GISP Sweet Hope (Lemon Drop Kid).

“We had a top with her–It is good to have her,” said Lanigan. “The [Heiders] have some horses [in Ireland] with Joseph O'Brien and they have some other fillies here, too. So we just wanted to have some more horses to race on the dirt.

“Hopefully, this one can do something special. Most of the stable is grass horses, so we're trying to get some more dirt fillies in it.”

According to Lanigan, the filly will be sent to Keith Asmussen's Texas-based training center for pre-training before joining trainer Steve Asmussen.

“Steve and I both really liked this filly,” added Lanigan. “Both of us agreed we should give her a good go. Hopefully, we will buy one or two more in September.”

It would seem that the Heiders have a very good chance to develop a productive team of dirt runners with Asmussen at the fore of their U.S. contingent. Asmussen, who stood nearby during the bidding for the filly, was understandably pleased with the purchase.

“She's an absolutely beautiful daughter of Curlin,” said Asmussen. “You couldn't ask for any more than that. I am extremely fortunate to get the opportunity with her.”

The Hall of Famer had reason to be excited about getting another high-class daughter of Curlin, whom he led to victories in the GI Preakness S. and GI Breeders' Cup Classic en route to Horse of the Year honors. Highlighting his roster of fillies by the standout stallion is Clairiere, a four-time Grade I winner, including wins in this season's Ogden Phipps S. and Apple Blossom H.

“We've had some exceptional fillies by Curlin, and she looks like one of the really good ones.”

The Hill 'n' Dale stallion was also represented by Hip 110, also consigned by Denali Stud, who realized $825,000 from Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners during the initial session.

“Of all of our accomplishments, that is as special as it gets,” explained Asmussen when asked about all the success at stud that former trainees Curlin and fellow Horse of the Year Gun Runner have been enjoying. “Because growing up in it, I realize when we're far gone they are still going to leave their mark in horse racing. Curlin and Gun Runner will be at the top of the breed for generations.”–@CBossTDN

 

 

 

Constitution Filly Proves Worth the Wait

The first session of the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale was winding down and the rain was picking up outside the Humphrey S. Finney Pavilion when bloodstock agent Mick Wallace, bidding through the raindrops out back, acquired a filly by Constitution (hip 118) for $900,000 on behalf of Brook Smith's Rocket Ship Racing and Kuldeep Singh Rajput's Gandharvi Racing.

Smith and Rajput were all smiles after celebrating their first partnership together on the filly, who was consigned by Hunter Valley Farm.

“You have to find the right partners and we are fast partners,” Brook said while nodding at Rajput. “When you see a beautifully bred filly–and granted this is the sale where the prices are going to go up–but if you pay a 10 or 20% premium because it's the first major sale of the season, but you get the right filly or colt, then it's the right thing to do.”

Rajput, who made his first trip to the Saratoga sale just two years ago, added, “Gandharvi is all about bringing partners together and having fun racing. And I think it's a match made in heaven. We agreed on the same filly. It's all about partnerships and we are looking forward to it.”

Hip 118 is out of stakes-placed Nina Fever (Borrego) and is a half-sister to Grade I winner Nickname (Scat Daddy). She was bred by Newstead Corp. The mare was purchased by Blandford Bloodstock, with the filly in utero, for $500,000 at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton November sale.

Courtlandt Farm purchased the yearling's half-sister by Into Mischief for $1.35 million at last year's Keeneland September sale.

Smith admitted he was already looking ahead to breeding the filly once her days at the track are over.

“If you're going to be in this industry for a long time, you have to decide whether or not you are going to have broodmares,” he said. “It's a tough trigger to pull, but you have to do it. And this is the type of filly that would obviously be an incredible broodmare even if she runs mediocre. But we think she is going to run good. She's beautiful. And we thank all the connections and our partners who helped us make the selection. They know a lot more than we do.”

Asked if the partners expected to make any more purchases at the boutique sale, Smith said, “There is another night, so we will find out.” @JessMartiniTDN

 

 

 

SF/Starlight/Madaket Back in Action

The stallion-making partnership of SF Racing/Starlight Racing and Madaket, which has helped reshape the yearling sales market with major purchases of two-turn colts in recent years, was back in action Monday in Saratoga, purchasing a pair of yearlings.

Bloodstock agent Donato Lanni and SF's Tom Ryan, bidding at the top of the stairs inside the pavilion, went to $875,000 to acquire a colt from the first crop of champion Authentic (hip 56). The yearling was consigned by Four Star Sales, as agent for his breeder, Spendthrift Farm, which stands his Kentucky Derby-winning sire.

“His yearlings are going to be very good to Spendthrift Farm,” Ryan said of Authentic. “He's a horse that is after bringing a lot of joy to a lot of people, considering the MyRacehorse connection, and Into Mischief being such a good-looking sire. I think Authentic has a good chance to step into big shoes. The quality of stock that he is putting on the ground is a good example of what can happen with a horse of his quality.”

Spendthrift had already enjoyed success in the sales ring with Authentic's first crop of yearlings. The farm topped the Fasig-Tipton July sale with a filly by the sire who sold for $475,000 to Alex and Joann Lieblong.

The Saratoga colt is out of graded-placed Golden Domer (Quality Road), a mare Spendthrift purchased for $340,000 at the 2019 Keeneland November sale. Her Bolt d'Oro colt sold for $275,000 at last year's Saratoga sale.

Earlier in Monday's session, the SF/Starlight/Madaket partnership purchased a colt by Quality Road (hip 49) for $650,000 from the Bedouin Bloodstock consignment. Out of Frolic's Dream (Smoke Glacken), the yearling was bred by SF Bloodstock.

Two years ago, SF/Starlight/Madaket purchased another son of Quality Road for $500,000 at the Saratoga sale. Named National Treasure, the bay colt went on to win this year's GI Preakness S. The group purchased a son of Speightstown for $950,000 last year in Saratoga. Prince of Monaco was tabbed a 'TDN Rising Star' following his eight-length debut victory at Los Alamitos in July and is expected to make his graded stakes debut in the Aug. 13 GIII Best Pal S. at Del Mar.

“The sale has been very good to us,” Ryan said. “We walked away from here with a Classic winner [in 2021]. We are excited about Prince of Monaco–he was the only horse that we bought here last year. We bought two horses here tonight. So we are very happy. If this is all we can buy, we are happy. If we can get some more, we will be happy. If they can jump through the hoops, we will try our best.”

 

 

 

Heading into the yearling sales this fall, Ryan said the team's approach would remain the same.

“We are just trying to buy very fast horses for as little as possible,” he said. “We have a great team. I can't thank Donato Lanni and Bob Baffert, all our team, from our veterinarians to the people who break these horses. It's an amazing team. These things don't happen without a great team.”

As for a targeted number of yearlings to buy this year, Ryan said, “Not particularly, the number has fluctuated over the years. We are definitely up into the double digits.” @JessMartiniTDN

Lukas Firing at Fasig-Tipton on Day 1

It just wouldn't feel like Saratoga in the summer without D. Wayne Lukas haltering one of the top-priced yearlings during Fasig-Tipton's Select Yearling sale. Late in the session, the Hall of Fame trainer, sitting beside BC Stables' Brian Coehlo at the back of the pavilion, broke out the big guns to land hip 106, a colt by Into Mischief for $850,000.

“We bought [a horse with] a lot of conformation,” said Lukas. “Not only do we have a hot sire with Into Mischief, but he also has very good balance.”

Consigned by Mulholland Springs, the Apr. 12 foal is out of the Malibu Moon mare Meal Ticket.

When asked if the price was expected, he added, “He is the first foal out of a young mare so we thought he might bring a little less than that, but people find them.”

 

 

 

Earlier in the session, Lukas extended to $650,000 for hip 47, a colt by City of Light. Also secured for BC Stables, the colt is the first foal out of Fly Time (Mr Speaker), a half-sister to Preakness winner Rombauer (Twirling Candy).

Lukas, who made famous his 10-point rating system when selecting yearlings at the sales, didn't miss a beat when asked what he thought of his pair of day 1 purchases.

“Both were rated 8s,” he affirmed. “They were both right up there.

“The horses that are attractive and have a little bit of pedigree are selling very well. People are getting much more sophisticated on what they buy and reject. The days are gone when you could just bring one, that if it doesn't look good, it would still sell well. Now you have to have both conformation and pedigree. People are definitely getting better at that they're doing.”

BC Stables came into this year's Saratoga sale buoyed by a timely score when Just Steel (Justify) out-dueled favored Be You (Curlin) on the Whitney Day undercard last Saturday. The colt was purchased for $500,000 at Keeneland last September.

“When we bought him, we thought he was just a beautiful colt,” he recalled. “And Justify probably wasn't as hot as he is right now. We got a little ahead of the curve there.”

Never one to shirk away from facing the big kids on the field, he added, “We're looking at the [Sept. 4 GI] Hopeful S. with him.” Lukas would be looking for his ninth win in Saratoga's closing weekend feature for juvenile colts should the horse make it into the starting gate. “I think he fits very well and would have a good shot to win.”–@CBossTDN

Lows Justify the Trip

Robert and Lawana Low, sitting alongside bloodstock advisor Jacob West in the front row of the pavilion, acquired a colt by Justify (hip 103) for $850,000 from the Bluewater Sales consignment Monday night in Saratoga. The colt, out of Marketplace (Stormy Atlantic), is a half-brother to stakes winner Dreamer's Disease (Laoban).

“We looked at 35 on Jacob's short list and he was our pick,” Robert Low said after signing the ticket on the youngster. “So we got the one we wanted. We will send him to J. J. Pletcher in Ocala and find out if he can run. We hope he can.”

The couple has long targeted two-turn colts at the auctions and Robert Low admitted competition was fierce in that part of the market.

“I think there is a lot of competition here,” he said. “I think the sale has been strong. Maybe there have been some disappointments and some RNA's, but overall, I think it's really good.” He added with a smile, “I mean. Good for the sellers.”

The yearling was bred by Cypress Creek Equine. Bluewater Sales purchased the dam for $87,000 at the 2015 Keeneland November sale. @JessMartiniTDN

 

 

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Denali Stud’s Curlin Filly The Second To Crash Through $1M Barrier at Saratoga

A Denali Stud-consigned Curlin filly became the second horse to cross the million-dollar threshold Monday at Fasig-Tipton Saratoga when agent David Lanigan paid $1.05 million on behalf of Heider Family Stable. A Jan. 12 foal, the chestnut is the first foal from Lady T N T (Justin Phillip), a $335,000 purchase by Scott and Evan Dilworth out of the 2018 OBS March Sale. A second-out maiden winner at Saratoga for the Dilworths and trainer Joe Sharp, Lady T N T recorded the biggest victory of her career when upsetting the 2019 GIII Charles Town Oaks at odds of 37-1.

 

 

 

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Commissioner Dan Tops Keeneland April Sale

The 2-year-old Commissioner Dan (Commissioner) (hip 120), who captured his debut Wednesday and was supplemented to the sale on Thursday, topped the Keeneland April Selected Horses of Racing Age Sale Sunday in Lexington with a final bid of $500,000 from Pedro Lanz, bidding on behalf of the Saudi Arabia-based KAS Stable.

Keeneland sold 67 horses Sunday for $6,743,000.  The average of $100,642 rose 9.13% over last year's $92,224, while the median jumped 40% from $50,000 to $70,000. In 2022, 58 horses sold for $5,349,000.

“Today was very positive. This is a sale that is perfectly positioned on the calendar, immediately after the end of our Spring Meet and just before the Kentucky Derby,” Keeneland Vice President of Sales Tony Lacy said. “This sale is really evolving, and there is a lot of energy and enthusiasm surrounding it. Consignors are really happy; a lot of them were here today. We had great participation from established buyers and also new owners, and it was great to see Saudi Arabian participation.”

Commissioner Dan Tops Lanz Buying Spree

Commissioner Dan (Commissioner) was one of three lots purchased by Pedro Lanz on behalf of KAS Stables. The agent also signed for Carmel Road (Quality Road) (hip 12) for $260,000 and Naval Aviator (Tapit) (hip 81) for $170,000.

“We were looking for older horses, and I did not know there were 2-year-olds here,” Lanz said. “It was a last-minute call. When I saw Commissioner Dan and saw his numbers and saw he is by Commissioner [sire of 2023 Saudi Derby winner Commissioner King], I told them [we should bid on him]. We saw him for the first time a few days ago. We looked at his videos. He has a lot of potential.”

Lanz admitted that Carmel Road, who was second to Kentucky Derby contender Practical Move (Practical Joke) in the GII Los Alamitos Futurity, was his primary target at the sale.

“We were looking for a [son of] Quality Road for racing in Saudi Arabia,” Lanz said. “This is a great sale to find a horse with potential. He was second to one of the main contenders in the Kentucky Derby. Nice pedigree, stallion potential. We're very happy.”

Of KAS Stable, Lanz said, “They are trying to get the best horses in North America to compete at the best level. Maybe we'll have a horse for the Saudi Cup next year.”

Commissioner Dan was trained and co-owned by trainer Pavel Matejka, who purchased him on behalf of majority owner Bob Grayson for $40,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale.

“He was a really forward horse as a yearling and earlier this year,” said Matejka. “We didn't mind that his pedigree was a little light because he looked like a horse who could train and who could run a little bit. It was lucky for us that he was in Book 6. If he had been in Book 2 or 3, I think he would have been more expensive. We just took a shot and it worked out.”

Commissioner Dan was an 11-1 outsider when he saw off heavily favored Blue Eyed Soul (Ire) (No Nay Never) to win his debut at Keeneland Wednesday (video) by 1 3/4 lengths.

Following that victory, Grayson began fielding calls from buyers interested in the colt, according to Matejka.

“We decided we might as well put him in the sale and see what the market says,” Matejka said. “The final price was one bid over the reserve. We decided that was the price we were willing to let him go at. Otherwise, we would keep him and run him in the Bashford Manor at Churchill. We would have been happy to run him because we don't usually sell horses.”

Matejka admitted the result was bittersweet.

“My assistant and grooms were here and they were all crying,” the trainer said. “They were not happy because he was a very cool horse to be around. But I think he will be successful wherever he goes.”

Also heading to the Middle East after selling at Keeneland Sunday is Talladega (Into Mischief) (hip 76). The 3-year-old, who is coming off an allowance win at Oaklawn Apr. 8, was purchased for $320,000 by Ahmad Alabdullatif.

Kueber Racing, Big Easy Racing and Martin Schwartz teamed up to purchase Promise Me a Ride (Mastery) (hip 55) for $400,000, the second highest-price of the sale. The trio were among a large partnership on the 3-year-old, who romped by 4 1/4 lengths in his debut at Fair Grounds Mar. 19 for trainer Brad Cox.

Hibernacle to Join Walsh Barn

The 2-year-old Hibernacle (Hootenanny) (hip 100), who romped by 7 1/2 lengths in her Apr. 12 debut for owner/breeder/trainer Wesley Ward, will be joining the barn of trainer Brendan Walsh after selling for $310,000 to David Lanigan, agent for Heider Family Racing LLC.

Scott Heider admitted the operation doesn't usually purchase 2-year-olds, but he made an exception after seeing this filly's debut at Keeneland two weeks ago.

“I was down at Keeneland to see Flirting Bridge (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), who was coming off a layoff, and it just happened her maiden race was that day,” recalled Heider. “As I watched this filly race, she was laying fourth and third and then she made that move and showed a turn of foot which is pretty tough to do going 4 1/2 [furlongs]. When I saw she was a late supplement to the sale, I asked David Lanigan to go look at her.”

The team liked what they saw at the barn.

“Her physical make-up surprised us because she's certainly not built like a typical sprinter,” said Heider. “This filly has way more size and scope. She's longer and has a beautiful way of going, but she's not fully furnished yet. And she has a tremendous mind on her. So we thought if we could secure the filly, and she had shown that early talent and looked like she was physically she was going to mature and get stronger, we thought that she might be an ideal filly to put into the program.”

The filly is entered in Thursday's Kentucky Juvenile S. at Churchill Downs, but Heider said she would not make the line-up for the race.

“She will go to Margaux Farm for 12 to 14 days and we will let her unwind,” Heider said. “Then she will go to Brendan. If all goes well, we will send her to New York to the Astoria, but that's still a ways off.”

Heider continued, “I don't usually participate in this end of the market. Most everything we have goes two turns, but this filly really intrigued us. We think she could have a productive summer and into the fall. When they dropped the hammer on her, I said to Brendan, 'I think we just sent you your first dirt bike.' And he laughed and he said, 'I'm excited to have a dirt bike, actually.' We have been so pleased with Brendan for the last three or four years that we've worked with him. He's been amazing. This is a little bit of a pivot for us for sure, purchasing an early 2-year-old. But I am excited to get her into Brendan's program and to see if we can have some fun with her this summer.”

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