In Saturday's $250,000 GIII Iselin S. at Monmouth, the competition included horses from the barns of Todd Pletcher, Jerry Hollendorfer and Chad Brown, two Hall of Famers and a future Hall of Famer. St. Lewis, who is based at Parx and has 27 horses in his stable, sent out Informative (Bodemeister), a 14-1 shot who had lost nine straight. On paper, Informative didn't look to have much of a shot and most trainers would have picked out an easier spot. But St. Lewis is not like other trainers. He'll run a 14-1 shot, he'll run a 140-1 shot, he'll run them in spots where it looks like they don't have a prayer of winning.

“If you're not in it, you don't have a chance,” he said.

That's what he does. He keeps throwing horses into what seems like impossible spots. But in this day and age where there are so many small fields in stakes races he, more often than not, walks away with a check. Case in point: Informative ran fifth and last in the GI Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan H., but St. Lewis walked away with a check for $40,000. And if you send out enough big longshots in big races sometimes you're going to win and cash even bigger checks.

St. Lewis started in the sport as a fan and a bettor. He got his first job in racing working at the NYRA tracks as a technician for AmTote. His wife encouraged him to give training a try and he took a job under a trainer named Robert Hayes. St. Lewis won his first race in 1987.

Along the way, he has figured out that you don't have to win 150 races a year and have a high winning percentage to make money. He says that his stable makes a profit every year and is his sole source of income. After making $150,000 with the Iselin win, St. Lewis's Trin-Brook Stable has banked $814,325 on the year.

St. Lewis's biggest win came in the 2018 GI Jockey Club Gold Cup, which he won with Discreet Lover (Repent). He was coming off a twelfth-place finish in the GI Woodward, but did not embarrass himself when finishing third in the GI Whitney S. and GII Suburban H. He was 45-1 in the Gold Cup, which he won by a neck, defeating horses trained by Pletcher, Brown, Aidan O'Brien and Saeed bin Suroor. Discreet Lover finished his career with $1,452,735 in earnings.

Informative is 4-for-35 lifetime with earnings of $527,040. His other graded stakes win came in last year's GIII Salvator Mile S. at Monmouth, which he won at odds of 79-1.

The other star in St. Lewis's barn this year has been Forewarned (Flat Out). He's 1-for-7 on the year, but won the Excelsior S. and has earned $147,500 in 2022 and $909,883 during his career.

St. Lewis is from Trinidad (Trin) and his wife, Amanda, is from Brooklyn (Brook). He has no outside owners and family members make up the bulk of his staff. That, he says, is a big reason why he has been successful, albeit in his own unique way.

“We are in it to make money,” he said. “If you do the right thing, treat the horses right and take some chances you can make money. We can take the chances because we own all the horses. A lot of trainers can't do that. It's been working for us. This would be hard for other trainers to do because they don't own their own horses. I used to train for other people. It's a real pain because they say 'don't go there, I don't like this spot, I don't want to get embarrassed.' I ran Discreet Lover in the Met Mile and he finished fourth. I made $80,000. I wasn't embarrassed to make $80,000. But a lot of trainers wouldn't have run him in that race.

For his system to work, he's got to do it with inexpensive horses. He paid $10,000 for Discreet Lover, $25,000 for Informative and $40,000 for Forewarned. He buys almost all of his horses as 2-year-olds at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic sale.

“We go to the sale in Timonium and we sit there for two days and look at every horse,” he said. “You have to take your time. I'll pay $3,000 for a horse, I'll go up to $60,000. It all depends on the horse and how much I like them.”

St. Lewis hasn't decided where Informative will run next, but he said that a Breeders' Cup race is definitely on his schedule. He's not sure whether he will go in the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile or the GI Breeders' Cup Classic. In either race, Informative will probably be 50-1, maybe higher. A 50-1 shot in race where the horse looks completely overmatched, that's exactly where St. Lewis is most dangerous.

Nest Is Special

Now that the race is in the books, you can't fault the owners for running Nest (Curlin) in the GI Alabama S. instead of against the boys on the GI Runhappy Travers S. The Alabama had a fat purse of $600,000 and is among the most prestigious races on the calendar for 3-year-old fillies. It was a race she probably couldn't lose while, for her, the Travers would have been a tough spot.

With the win, they've already wrapped up an Eclipse Award for the sport's top 3-year-old filly. With wins in the Alabama, the GI Coaching Club American Oaks and the GI Ashland S. and a second-place finish in the GI Belmont S., she's done more than enough to earn year-end honors. With so many top males horses out there, Nest probably won't be named Horse of the Year, but you never know.

For her, the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff will no doubt now become the main goal for the rest of the season. After that, let's see what she can do as a 4-year-old and whether or not her team will take another crack at beating males. Let's hope that they do. With another big year, they can start thinking Hall of Fame.

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In the 2018 edition, Discreet Lover, with Manny Franco up, settled off a sharp pace set by that year's Grade 1 Whitney-winner Diversify before angling six-wide for the stretch run and powering past the pacesetter and Mendelssohn to best Thunder Snow by a neck.

St. Lewis said that both Discreet Lover and Forewarned had the advantage of being horses that want the classic distance.

“That day, I said if they run real, real fast then he has a chance to win – and they ran real fast in the beginning. Diversify and the next horse [Mendelssohn] hooked each other and that was good enough for me,” St. Lewis said. “This horse [Forewarned] can sit a little closer, but he can get the mile and a quarter. If he's within striking distance, he'll get the mile and a quarter. I hope we can win it again and enjoy it.”

Since joining the St. Lewis stable in December 2018, the Ohio-bred Forewarned has made four starts at 1 ¼-miles, posting a record of 2-1-1, including back-to-back scores in the Best of Ohio Endurance in 2019-20.

“This horse loves a mile and a quarter. Every time he runs a mile and a quarter, he's 1-2-3,” St. Lewis said. “The horse is doing fantastic right now. You have to make sure you have a good enough horse to compete with them. I think this horse is good enough. He can get the mile and a quarter and I don't think all of them in this race can get the distance.”

Forewarned ran a game second last out in the 10-furlong Ohio Governor's Cup, making a narrow lead late in the lane only to be turned back by resurgent pacesetter Magna Man, who prevailed by a head.

St. Lewis will charge returning rider Sonny Leon, a three-time winner aboard Forewarned, with keeping the 6-year-old Flat Out bay to task in the “Win and You're In” qualifier for the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Classic in November at Del Mar.

“Last time he made the lead and stopped and finished short,” St. Lewis said. “In this trip, we know now when he makes the lead you have to keep going after him because when he gets to the front he thinks he's finished.”

Listed at 50-1 on the morning line, Forewarned is the longest shot in a field led by the improving Forza Di Oro [8-5] and last year's winner Happy Saver [9-5], but St. Lewis said he is prepared to swing for the fences.

“That's just opinion,” St. Lewis said of the morning-line assessment. “The horse can't read the odds board. I'm taking my chance. I think he can win. My jockey thinks he can win and this horse thinks he can win. That's a home run.”

Last Friday, St. Lewis sent out Informative to run seventh at odds of 63-1 in the nine-furlong Grade 2 Charles Town Classic won by Art Collector. That effort came two starts after Informative captured the Grade 3 Salvator Mile at 79-1 in June at Monmouth Park.

St. Lewis said Informative may have been confused in the three-turn race.

“He was picking them up on the backside and I thought he was going to win, but when he got up to within five lengths, he had to switch leads and he took a little break,” St. Lewis said.

St. Lewis said Informative could target the Grade 1, $500,000 Woodward, a nine-furlong test for 3-year-olds and up, on October 2 at Belmont.

“That might suit him better. It's a one-turn race. It's on the radar,” St. Lewis said.

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A son of four-time graded stakes winner Repent, Discreet Lover proved his talent and durability over a racing career spanning 49 starts. A winner and stakes-placed runner as a 2-year-old, Discreet Lover had a busy 3-year-old campaign while hitting the board in seven of 14 starts, including placings in the Parx Derby and Ohio Derby. Not slowing down at age four, he again faced the starter 14 times with a $100,000 stakes win at Penn National and three additional stakes placings.

At age five, he developed into one of the nation's top older horses while racing 10 times, including nine starts in graded stakes. In April of that year, he won the Grade 3, $150,000 Excelsior Stakes at Aqueduct and then ran third in both the G2 Suburban Stakes and G1 Whitney Stakes that summer.

The biggest of his seven career wins came in September of his 5-year-old season, when he won the G1, $750,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup going 1 1/4 miles at Belmont Park. Among the foes he defeated that day were Mendelssohn, Diversify, Gronkowski and the two-time Dubai World Cup winner Thunder Snow. All told, Discreet Lover compiled a record of 49-7-7-7 with earnings of $1,452,735.

Discreet Lover is out of the Discreet Cat mare Discreet Chat, who is a half sister to millionaire and Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint winner Desert Code.

“Discreet Lover ran in 17 graded stakes and 17 other stakes during his career, so he went up against the best of the best and he proved himself to be a hard-trying and talented horse over his long career,” said Kerry Hopper. “He was precocious enough to win as a 2-year-old and even though most of his wins were going a route of ground, he also showed the ability to sprint when he had the chance, so we think he's going to be a versatile stallion and a good fit for the lucrative Indiana breeding program.”

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Discreet Lover, campaigned by owner Trin-Brook Stables, Inc. and trainer Uriah St. Lewis, is out of an unraced half-sister to millionaire and Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint winner Desert Code (E Dubai). He was bred in Florida by Woodford Thoroughbreds.

“Discreet Lover ran in 17 graded stakes and 17 other stakes during his career, so he went up against the best of the best and he proved himself to be a hard-trying and talented horse over his long career,” said Kerry Hopper. “He was precocious enough to win as a 2-year-old, and even though most of his wins were going a route of ground, he also showed the ability to sprint when he had the chance, so we think he's going to be a versatile stallion and a good fit for the lucrative Indiana breeding program.”

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Keeneland will continue to accept approved supplements until the January Sale begins.

Supplemented to the opening session of the two-day Book 1 are:

• Burning Brow (Hip 400C), a daughter of War Front foaled in 2018. Cataloged as a racing or broodmare prospect and consigned by Denali Stud, agent, she is out of Group 2 winner and Group 1-placed Laughing Lashes, by Mr. Greeley. Her family includes Group 1 winner Palace Episode and Group/Grade 2 winners Duke of Hazzard and Tejano Run.
• Ava K. (Hip 400D), a stakes-winning daughter of Dixie Union in foal to Uncle Mo. Foaled in 2008, Ava K. is out of stakes winner Bedside Manner and is a half-sister to Grade 2 winner Skyway. She is consigned by St George Sales, agent.
• Jen's Rules (Hip 400E), a Street Sense mare in foal to Connect. Consigned by Bluewater Sales, agent, she is a half-sister to stakes winner Foxy Danseur, dam of Grade 3 winner Ever So Clever, and from the family of Grade 3 winner In Conference. Jen's Rules was foaled in 2016.
• Twitterpated (Hip 400F), a full sister to Grade 1 winner Stormy Lucy foaled in 2017. Consigned by South Point Sales, agency, and cataloged as a broodmare prospect, the daughter of Stormy Atlantic is from the family of 2020 Grade 2 winner Big Runnuer and earlier Grade 3 winner Moonwalk.

These horses have been supplemented to Book 1 on the second day of the auction:

• Colt by Mendelssohn foaled in 2020 (Hip 800H), who is from the family of Grade 1 winner Bellamy Road and Grade 3 winner Calibrachoa. Consigned by Warrendale Sales, agent, he is out of Fort Afleet, by Northern Afleet.
• Mucho Amor (Hip 800J), a stakes-winning daughter of Mucho Macho Man foaled in 2016. Consigned by Eaton Sales, agent, as a racing or broodmare prospect, she is out of stakes-placed Raucous Lady, by Rock Hard Ten, and from the family of stakes winners John the Magician and Charming Ruckus.
• Colt by City of Light foaled in 2020 (Hip 800K), who is out of Grade 3-placed Banree, by Macho Uno. Consigned by Eaton Sales, agent, he is from the family of Grade 3 winners Gloryzapper and Her Royalty.
• Twirling Hearts (Hip 800L), a daughter of Twirling Candy foaled in 2018 and cataloged as a broodmare prospect. From the family of Grade 1 winner Leave Me Alone and Grade 2 winner Candy Boy, she is consigned by Warrendale Sales, agent.

These horses have been supplemented to the third day of the sale:

• Landeskog (Hip 1199A), a winning, Grade 2-placed gelding by Munnings foaled in 2016. He is consigned by ELiTE, agent.
• Answer In (Hip 1199B), a winning, Grade 3-placed gelding by Dialed In foaled in 2017. He is consigned by ELiTE, agent.
• Discreet Lover (Hip 1199C), a Grade 1-winning millionaire cataloged as a stallion prospect. Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent, consigns the son of Repent, who was foaled in 2013. Out Discreet Chat, by Discreet Cat, Discreet Lover is from the family of Grade 3 winner Desert Code. He won the 2018 Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) and earned $1,452,735.
• Sabador (FR) (Hip 1199D), a winning Kendargent (FR) gelding foaled in 2014. He is consigned by Hunter Valley Farm, agent.
• Kilbarry Lady (Hip 1199E), a winning daughter of Will Take Charge foaled in 2017. Consigned by Hunter Valley Farm, agent, she is out of Russian Symbol (IRE), a daughter of Danehill Dancer (IRE) who is a full sister to European highweight and Group 1 winner Esoterique (IRE). Kilbarry Lady is cataloged as a racing or broodmare prospect.
• Bond Street (IRE) (Hip 1199F), a winning son of Galileo (IRE) foaled in 2015 and a full brother to Group 2 winner Armory (IRE). Out of After (IRE), by Danehill Dancer (IRE), he is consigned as a racing or stallion prospect by Hunter Valley Farm, agent.
• Argentello (IRE) (Hip 1199G), a winning, stakes-placed gelding by Intello (GER) foaled in 2015 and consigned by Hunter Valley Farm, agent.

Each session of the January Sale will begin at 10 a.m. ET. The auction will be streamed live on Keeneland.com.

TVG2 will feature live coverage of the first two days of the sale from 10 a.m. until 7:30 p.m. The entire sale will be shown on the Watch TVG App.

The post Fifteen Horses Supplemented To 2021 Keeneland January Sale appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Horse Racing Radio Network (HRRN) will broadcast live from Hollywood Casino at Charles Town on Saturday from 4-6pm on Sirius/XM 156 with live streaming accessible on computers, tablets and mobile devices on the HRRN website, www.horseracingradio.net.

Friday April 19

5:30 p.m.—$100,000 Grade 3 Hilliard Lyons-Baird Doubledogdare Stakes at Keeneland on TVG

St. George Stable's Jala Jala (MEX), a star at Mexico City's Hipodromo de las Americas, will shoot for her first graded stakes victory in the United States when she goes postward in the Doubledogdare going 1 1/16 miles. Named Mexico's Horse of the Year for 2017, Jala Jala dominated horses from the Caribbean by winning Caribbean Cup races at Gulfstream by nine lengths in December 2017 and by 4½ lengths last December. Trainer Ignacio Correas IV said Grade 1 winner Blue Prize (ARG) would scratch from the Doubledogdare in favor of the Grade 1 La Troienne on May 3 at Churchill Downs.

Entries: http://www.equibase.com/static/entry/KEE041919USA9-EQB.html

Saturday April 20

4:51 p.m.—$125,000 Grade 3 Whimsical Stakes at Woodbine on TVG

Shakopee Town, a homebred for Bill and Al Ulwelling, makes her Canadian debut in the Whimsical Stakes on the opening day of the 2019 Woodbine Thoroughbred meet. A four-time winner from 10 starts, Shakopee Town, trained by Kevin Attard, will be contesting her fifth race of the year, a campaign that's already yielded two wins and a second.

Entries: http://www.equibase.com/static/entry/WO042019CAN8-EQB.html

5:30 p.m.—$250,000 Grade 2 Dixiana Elkhorn Stakes at Keeneland on TVG

Michael Hui's Zulu Alpha, winner of his past two starts in graded stakes company, headlines a field of 10 going 1½ miles on the turf. The winner of the Grade 3 Sycamore Stakes here last fall when trained by John Ortiz, Zulu Alpha is now conditioned by Mike Maker and comes into Saturday's race off victories in the 1 ½-mile Grade 3 W.L. McKnight Handicap (G3) and the Grade 2 Mac Diarmida at Gulfstream Park.

Entries: http://www.equibase.com/static/entry/KEE042019USA9-EQB.html

5:37 p.m.—$1,000,000 Grade 2 Charles Town Classic Stakes at Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races on TVG

Grade 1 winner Discreet Lover is set to make his first start since finishing eighth in the Breeders' Cup Classic last November. Owned and trained by Uriah St. Lewis, Discreet Lover – a $10,000 purchase at public auction – became one of racing's great Cinderella stories when he captured the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup last September. Among those attempting to derail him Saturday will be veteran Imperative, winner of the Charles Town Classic in 2014 and 2017, and graded stakes winner War Story.

Entries: http://www.equibase.com/static/entry/CT042019USA11-EQB.html
Equibase featured race: http://www.equibase.com/free/index.cfm?SAP=TN

6:12 p.m.—$200,000 Grade 2 Kona Gold Stakes at Santa Anita Park on TVG

Dr. Dorr and Kanthaka head a field of five older sprinters in Saturday's Kona Gold Stakes going 6 ½-furlongs. Supplemented at a cost of $4,000, 6-year-old Dr. Dorr will be making his second start off of a 7 ½ month layoff while 4-year-old Kanthaka will be making his fourth graded stakes start of the current meet.

Entries: http://www.equibase.com/static/entry/SA042019USA5-EQB.html

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