Oaks Prep: Arrogate’s Half-Sister Diamond Ore Tops Sunday’s Busanda Stakes

The Road to the Kentucky Oaks will go through New York when Diamond Ore takes on four other sophomore fillies in Sunday's 47th running of the $100,000 Busanda going nine furlongs over the main track at Aqueduct Racetrack.

The Busanda is a local qualifier for the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks, scheduled to be run on April 30 at Churchill Downs, awarding the top-four finishers points on a 10-4-2-1 scale.

The race honors Ogden Phipps' 1950 Alabama winner, whose name is an anacronym for the Bureau of Supplies and Accounts (BuSandA) – a Navy bureau that Phipps had served in during World War II. As a broodmare, Busanda, a daughter of War Admiral and granddaughter of the prolific broodmare La Troienne, produced Hall of Famer and prestigious sire Buckpasser and was also the great granddam of 1984 Champion 2-Year-Old Filly Outstandingly.

Clearview Stable's Diamond Ore, a $750,000 purchase at the 2018 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale, makes her stakes debut for trainer Barb Minshall following a maiden-breaking effort routing on the Tampa Bay Downs dirt on Dec. 24.

The Tapit bay, out of the multiple stakes winning Distorted Humor mare Bubbler, is a half-sister to champion Arrogate, who won the 2016 Travers at Saratoga Race Course in a track record time of 1:59.36.

Diamond Ore made her first three starts on Tapeta for the Woodbine-based Minshall, who captured the 2017 Grade 3 Schuylerville at Saratoga with Dream It Is, and will send out her first representative at the Big A since Hollywood Hideaway ran third in the 2017 Artie Schiller.

Following a pair of sprint efforts at Woodbine, Diamond Ore rallied to be second when stretched out to two turns for the first time on Nov. 14 at the Rexdale, Ontario oval, garnering a career-best 70 Beyer Speed Figure.

Minshall said the well-bred Diamond Ore is ready for her stakes debut.

“With her pedigree any blacktype is important,” said Minshall. “Hopefully, we can do that for the owners, and she could move forward from this. The horses will tell you where you can go. They sort themselves out. It's early in the 3-year-old year and this is a good chance to see what she's got and see how she handles the dirt in more difficult company.”

Minshall said Diamond Ore will appreciate the added distance Sunday and enters with the benefit of additional training at her Ocala, Florida base on the Winding Oaks Farm dirt, including a five-eighths breeze on Jan. 15 in 1:02 flat.

“The farther she goes the better. She's very game,” said Minshall. “She's trained very well on the dirt here at Winding Oaks. I find she's moved forward with her training. She's done everything right and deserves a chance to move on.”

Minshall said outside of the addition of jockey Eric Cancel, there will be no changes for Diamond Ore who will emerge from post 1.

“Everything's the same. She wears a small cup blinker. She's pretty straightforward,” said Minshall. “I did race her on Lasix at Woodbine, but she raced at Tampa without it and I didn't have any problems.”

Trainer Todd Pletcher, who won the 2013 Busanda with subsequent Kentucky Oaks winner Princess of Sylmar, will attempt a sixth triumph in the Busanda with Repole Stables' Traffic Lane.

The daughter of second crop sire Outwork set the pace in the Grade 2 Demoiselle on December 5 over a sloppy and sealed Big A main track last out but faded to a distant fifth, finishing 18 ¼ lengths to stable mate Malathaat.

Pletcher's Belmont Park-based assistant Byron Hughes noted that neither the Demoiselle winner nor Traffic Lane liked the off-going but is optimistic for a better effort on Sunday.

The National Weather Service calls for partly cloudy skies and zero percent chance of precipitation on Sunday for the Ozone Park area.

“She didn't take to it either, but it looks like we'll have a fast track this weekend so we should see some improvement there,” said Hughes. “Our overall impression is that she didn't care for the off track.”

Prior to her stakes debut, third time was the charm for Traffic Lane, who graduated on November 15 over a good outer turf course at Aqueduct after two efforts in off-the-turf maiden events. In the 1 1/16-mile event, Traffic Lane tracked a length off the pace and secured a three-quarter length triumph over next-out winner Candace O.

“It was all just experience, that was the main thing,” Hughes said. “She hasn't been the most precocious filly, but I think the experience helped her and the races under her belt helped her. When she did break her maiden, she did it as we expected her to.”

Bred in Kentucky by Oak Lodge Bloodstock, Traffic Lane was purchased for $95,000 from the 2019 Keeneland September Yearling Sale from the Blandford Stud consignment and is the second offspring out of the Quality Road mare Katie Lane.

With Jose Lezcano aboard, Traffic Lane will emerge from post 4.

The Pletcher-Repole combo will also be represented by New York homebred Coffee Bar, who is entered off two weeks' rest from an 8 ¼-length maiden win on January 10 going a one-turn mile at Aqueduct.

Also a daughter of Outwork, Coffee Bar was a distant third on debut, but sat a couple of lengths closer to pace in her maiden victory to draw off a decisive winner while registering a 73 Beyer.

Coffee Bar will receive the riding services of the Big A's current leading rider Kendrick Carmouche from post 2.

Trainer Chad Brown sends out Louis Lazzinnaro's The Grass Is Blue after a close third in the December 26 Safely Kept at Laurel Park. The chestnut daughter of Broken Vow won on debut for a $25,000 tag at Monmouth Park by 8 ½ lengths and defeated winners in a Keeneland allowance on October 4 over next out stakes winner Feeling Mischief.

Bred in Kentucky by Phillips Racing Partnership, The Grass Is Blue is out of the Aldebaran mare Shine Softly, whose dam was 1999 Champion Turf Mare Soaring Softly.

Jockey Manny Franco will pilot The Grass Is Blue from post 5.

Wonderwall was dropped into a $25,000 maiden claiming tilt at Laurel Park on December 19 off a pair of swift works and proved she was no morning glory with a sharp 7 1/4-length score.

Claimed out of that winning effort by owner Marcial Cornejo, Wonderwall posted a supersonic effort in her first start for trainer Claudio Gonzalez when romping by 10 1/2-lengths in a 1 1/16-mile optional-claiming tilt last out on January 8 at Laurel that garnered a career-best 75 Beyer.

Wonderwall will be ridden by Trevor McCarthy from post 3.

The Busanda is slated as Race 8 on Sunday's nine-race program, which has a first post of 12:20 p.m. Eastern.

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Arrogate Half Sister Diamond Ore To Make Stakes Debut Jan. 24

Clearview Stable's Diamond Ore, a half-sister to 2016 Grade 1 Travers-winner Arrogate, is set to make her stakes debut in the $100,000 Busanda on Jan. 24, a nine-furlong test for sophomore fillies at the Big A offering 10-4-2-1 Kentucky Oaks qualifying points to the top-four finishers.

Trained by Barb Minshall, the Tapit bay, out of the multiple stakes winning Distorted Humor mare Bubbler, was purchased for $750,000 at the 2018 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale.

Bred in Kentucky by Clearsky Farms and Hill 'N' Dale Equine Holdings, Diamond Ore made her first three starts on Tapeta at Woodbine Racetrack, including a good second, defeated a half-length, on November 14 when stretched out to two turns for the first time that garnered a career-best 70 Beyer Speed Figure.

“I thought she was unlucky not to win her last race at Woodbine,” said Minshall. “She got shuffled back at the turn and then came back on and she just missed. That was the first two-turn maiden race at Woodbine on the synthetic.

“I ran her a couple times short just to give her some racing experience, even though I knew she wanted to go long,” added Minshall. “In her last race at Woodbine, she was really unlucky not to win.”


Last out, in a mile and 40 yards maiden special weight on Dec. 24 at Tampa Bay Downs, Diamond Ore made her dirt debut a winning one while racing without Lasix for the first time. With Samy Camacho up, Diamond Ore tracked in fifth before grinding out a half-length score over Purtiz that registered a 57 Beyer.

“The number was a little on the slow side, but she handled the dirt well off of one dirt work,” said Minshall.

Diamond Ore, who is based at Winding Oaks Farm in Ocala, Fla., worked five-eighths Friday morning in 1:02 as she prepares to stretch out in her stakes debut.

“It was a good work. She's strong,” said Minshall. “It's a deep track here at Winding Oaks and I thought she worked well. She's feeling good.

“I think she fits. The nine furlongs will be good for her,” added Minshall. “She's not an overly big filly, but she's gotten a lot more robust build since she came to me in July last year. She's a really happy, good feeling filly but she's not what I would call tall. She's compact.”

Minshall said the Kentucky Oaks qualifier will be a good litmus test as she plans a sophomore campaign for the well-bred bay.

“She's improved along the way. She's needed to learn and she's gotten stronger and smarter with every race,” said Minshall. “She has potential to move forward and obviously this is a big step from a maiden race to a stakes race, but it will be the same for most of the horses that are nominated. We're all looking to see what we have.”

Diamond Ore is slated to ship up to New York on Wednesday and will be piloted in the Busanda by Eric Cancel.

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Tapit Half To Arrogate Breaks Her Maiden At Tampa Bay Downs

During Thursday's sixth race for maiden 2-year-old fillies at Tampa Bay Downs, trainer Barbara Minshall got a workout watching Diamond Ore battle two equally determined rivals down the stretch of the mile-and-40-yard event.

“I was riding her from the quarter-mile pole home,” Minshall said jokingly after Diamond Ore's half-length victory from Purtiz. Forbidden Dream was another neck back in third in the seven-horse field.

Diamond Ore is by one of the world's leading sires, Tapit, and she is out of the Distorted Humor mare Bubbler, making her a half-sister to Arrogate. That Bob Baffert-trained runner won the 2016 Travers and Breeders' Cup Classic and the 2017 Pegasus World Cup Invitational and Dubai World Cup Sponsored By Emirates Airline, en route to becoming North American Thoroughbred racing's all-time money-earner with $17,422,600.

Samy Camacho rode the winner, who completed the distance in 1:42.25.

Minshall, who trains the regally bred winner for owner Bernard Cleary's Clearview Stable, was especially pleased with Diamond Ore's effort in light of it being her first start on a dirt track. Her three previous tries, including a second-place finish Nov. 14 racing a mile-and-a-sixteenth, were on the all-weather surface at Woodbine in Toronto.

“She is really a nice filly who wants to go longer, and I wanted to give her a little experience,” Minshall said. “Hopefully she learned something from that. The first time she had even worked on dirt was last week (5 furlongs in 1:01 4/5 at Sequel @ Winding Oaks Farms in Ocala), and she worked really well that day.

“Samy rode her perfectly. We've had a lot of luck with him,” Minshall said.

Camacho said he was able to track pace-setter Purtiz and Forbidden Dream comfortably from mid-pack before launching his winning bid at the 3/8-mile pole. But there was no quit in those two, and he had to work hard to secure the victory.

“I was sweating at the top of the stretch, but my filly kept fighting and did the job,” Camacho said.

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Saturday Insights: Next Generation of Deep Families Looks to Make Their Mark

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency

CURLIN FILLIES CLASH

3rd-BEL, 63K, Msw, 2yo, f, 1m, post time: 2:04 p.m. EDT

This loaded maiden has some of the best pedigrees in the stud book represented, starting with Chad Brown’s AMERICAN WEST (Curlin), whose GIII-winning dam is a half-sister to leading second-crop sire Constitution (Tapit). Granddam Baffled (Distorted Humor) had a yearling filly by Medaglia d’Oro sell in Book 1 last week at Keeneland September, who hammered to Whisper Hill Farm for $1.1 million. American West was a $925,000 purchase herself last year at the same sale and debuts for Peter Brant. American West’s sire has another firster in the race–Millefeuille (Curlin)–and this Bill Mott trainee is from the swoon-worthy Juddmonte family of Broodmare of the Year Toussaud (El Gran Senor), her great-granddam. Millefeuille’s unraced dam is out of Toussaud’s sole GI-winning daughter, Honest Lady (Seattle Slew). Jouster (Noble Mission {GB}) gets another shot here after a decent second on debut going six panels at Saratoga Aug. 29. She should appreciate the added distance as three generations of her direct female line–Storm Flag Flying (Storm Cat), My Flag (Easy Goer), and Personal Ensign (Private Account)–all won Breeders’ Cups in addition to other Grade I events at route distances.

‘BEAUTY’ DESCENDANTS FACE OFF

7th-CD, 75K, Msw, 3yo/up, 7f, post time: 3:48 p.m. EDT

Bringing a cool $1 million as a Keeneland November weanling in 2017, EMPERADOR (Curlin) will be unveiled for the Chad Brown barn and the four-pronged partnership of Dell Ridge Farm, Doug Branham, International Equities Holding, and Hill ‘n’ Dale Equine Holdings. The half to Grade I winner and hot Hill ‘n’ Dale sire Violence (Medaglia d’Oro) hails from the family of champions Sky Beauty (Blushing Groom {Fr}) and Maplejinsky (Nijinsky II), his third and fourth dams, respectively. Emperador will have to get past fellow firster Turnagain Tide (Into Mischief), a $750,000 Keeneland September yearling from the exact same female family as Emperador. Turnagain Tide’s third dam, Stick to Beauty (Illustrious), began the ‘Beauty’ dynasty, and it was her daughter, champion Gold Beauty (Mr. Prospector), who is the dam of the aforementioned Maplejinsky as well as European champion Dayjur (Danzig). Turnagain Tide will wear the OXO Equine colors for the barn of Brad Cox.

ARROGATE’S HALF-SISTER DEBUTS

5th-WO, 126.8K, Msw, 2yo, f, 7f (AWT), post time: 3:23 p.m. EDT

A stellar field of promising hopefuls has been assembled for this maiden, highlighted by a half-sister to the late, great Arrogate (Unbridled’s Song) named DIAMOND ORE (Tapit). Diamond Ore took the first step toward emulating her half-brother, a champion and multiple Grade I winner, with a $750,000 weanling pricetag at Keeneland November. The Clearview Stable colorbearer, who debuts for the Barbara Minshall barn, is out of Bubbler (Distorted Humor), while her third dam is champion Meadow Star (Meadowlake). Not too many famiiles are hotter right now than Charles Fipke’s homebred ‘Shirl’ line, and the Roger Attfield barn unleashes another one in Speightstown Shirl (Speightstown). The homebred is a full-sibling to Shirl’s Speight, who won the GIII Marine S. in July, and both are out of GI Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf winner Perfect Shirl (Perfect Soul {Ire}), who is a half-sister to 2007 GI Woodbine Mile S. winner Shakespeare (Theatrical {Ire}) and to the dam of last week’s GI Natalma S. victress Lady Speightspeare (Speightstown). Diamond Ore and Speightstown Shirl will be joined in the gate by Live Oak Plantation’s Souper Sensational (Curlin), a $725,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling from the Mark Casse barn whose unraced dam is a half-sister to GI Ogden Phipps H. winner Tiz Miz Sue (Tiznow) and to Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint victor Bulletin (City Zip).

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