Don Alberto | Horse Racing Free Tips

James Keogh, Chance Timm to Partner at Grovendale

Chance Timm will become a partner in leading sales agency Grovendale, which has been owned and managed by James B. Keogh, the company announced Monday. The newly formed partnership reflects a longtime friendship and business relationship that comes full circle with the partnership.

Grovendale Sales is a Thoroughbred sales consignment based in Versailles, Kentucky, offering sales representation, matings, investments and Thoroughbred management consultation.

Timm has over 12 years' experience in the commercial Thoroughbred business. He spent eight years at Lane's End Farm as the Director of Stallion Seasons and Shares, while actively working with both the sales and bloodstock divisions. Most recently the Executive Director of Don Alberto Corp, Chance oversaw the sale and management of over $10 million in public sales, including the highest-priced yearling in the Northern Hemisphere in 2021, a yearling colt by Into Mischief out of Paola Queen, who sold for $2.6 million at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale.

“I've been fortunate to work with some top organizations and quality bloodstock,” said Timm. “I'm very thankful for the opportunities I've been given but especially by James Keogh to partner with him. I have a lot of confidence and respect for James and what he has built in Grovendale Sales. We will represent owners and breeders at the major sales and I look forward to building our yearling and horses-of-racing-age drafts while adding further quality to the breeding stock sales where James has always been so successful.”

Keogh, a native of Ireland, has over 30 years' experience in the Thoroughbred industry while based in Kentucky, building Grovendale into a major sales mainstay over the past 10 years. Said Keogh of the new partnership, “Bringing on Chance is an opportunity for me to grow and build the sales agency, while maintaining a focus on quality over quantity. The partnership will enable us to expand our reach both with Chance's relationships as well as a greater representation at every major sale.”

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Well-Bet Frankel Filly Obliges in First-Out Spa Score

2nd-Saratoga, $100,000, Msw, 8-22, 2yo, f, 1 1/16mT, 1:49.45, yl, 1 1/2 lengths.

FORTINENO (IRE) (f, 2, Frankel {GB}–Rubina {Ire} {SP-Ire}, by Invincible Spirit {Ire}), backed to 6-5 favoritism for this debut despite a modest-looking worktab, traveled in a clear fifth as Seduce (Into Mischief) dictated terms through pokey fractions of :26.06 and :51.81 over boggy ground. Picking up a bit three wide nearing the lane, the $400,000 Keeneland September buy found her best stride passing the eighth pole and wore down the pacesetter in the final sixteenth to score going away by 1 1/2 lengths. Seduce held for second money. The victress is a full-sister to Rubilinda, MSW, $246,540. Her dam, bought for 475,000 guineas at the 2013 Tattersalls December Mare Sale, has a yearling No Nay Never filly and produced a full-sister to the winner this term before visiting American Pharoah. Sales History: $400,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $55,000. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

O-West Point Thoroughbreds, Edwin S. Barker, William T. Freeman & Michael Valdes; B-Haras Don Alberto (IRE); T-Christophe Clement.

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Talented Forza Di Oro Eyeing Jockey Club Gold Cup

Forza Di Oro (Speightstown), a stylish optional claiming winner for Hall of Famer Bill Mott in his seasonal debut at Saratoga July 21 (video), could target the newly positioned GI Jockey Club Gold Cup over closing weekend at the Spa Sept. 4.

The lightly raced 4-year-old, a disappointing eighth in the GII Remsen S. in his juvenile finale, has been perfect in three starts since. The Don Alberto homebred was two-for-two in an abbreviated 2020 campaign, capped by a win with a career-high 101 Beyer Speed Figure in the GIII Discovery S. at Aqueduct Nov. 28.

“Bill [Mott] has always thought so much of the horse and he and his team have done a phenomenal job getting him back to the races,” Don Alberto racing manager Matt Hogan said. “Bill picked that allowance race–if he was going to run as well as we all hoped and expected him to–the timing fit for the Jockey Club Gold Cup. And that was what Bill and I spoke about beforehand, depending on the race, of course, that it would be the most logical step because Bill has always thought so highly of him.”

Making his first start in nine months going 1 1/8 miles in the Saratoga mud, Forza Di Oro traveled kindly in second beneath Junior Alvarado, made his move to gain command approaching the quarter pole, and took care of business from there to score by a much-the-best three lengths at odds of 8-5. He received a 100 Beyer Speed Figure for the effort, his fourth career win from six starts.

Patience continues to pay off and Mott and his team deserve all the credit, per Hogan.

“Bill is a Hall of Famer,” Hogan said. “This is what he does. He's phenomenal at that. A big horse like this, as Bill said, he's been a little bit of a project, but any little setback is obviously poorly timed. Giving him the time off and bringing him back this year, he just seemed a big, happy, fresh, sound animal that was ready to get out there and rock and roll when we put him back under tack here at the farm. To bring a horse off such a long layoff– yet again to such an impressive performance–just goes to show the capabilities of Bill and his team.”

Forza Di Oro's stakes-winning and graded-stakes placed dam– Filare l'Oro (Hard Spun)–brought $410,000 from Don Alberto in foal to Tapit at the 2013 KEENOV sale. That produce, the $270,000 KEESEP yearling turned $510,000 OBSMAR 2-year-old Silver Dust (Tapit), has captured four graded stakes victories and is closing in on seven figures in earnings. The 12-year-old is currently carrying a full sibling to Forza Di Oro. Forza Di Oro, a $325,000 RNA as a FTSAUG yearling, hails from the extended female family of GISWs Stop Traffic (Cure the Blues), Cross Traffic (Unbridled's Song), et al.

“Bill said he came out of the race in good shape and that's all we can ask and hope for,” Hogan concluded. “We'll see how he progresses and moves forward before anything gets decided, but the [Jockey Club Gold Cup] is the idea, though.”

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Santa Ysabel Rematch in Santa Anita Oaks

After only a head separated Beautiful Gift (Medaglia d'Oro) and Moraz (Empire Maker) in a thrilling renewal of the GIII Santa Ysabel S. Mar. 7, the two sophomore fillies will meet again in Saturday's GII Santa Anita Oaks.

The streaking Baoma Corp homebred Beautiful Gift, a half-sister to the Chu Family's GIII Sunland Derby hero and Bridlewood Farm sire Chitu (Henny Hughes), graduated by a half-length at second asking in her previous trip to the post for Bob Baffert Oct. 23.

The rail-drawn Don Alberto homebred Moraz, an 11-length maiden winner second out in Arcadia Jan. 8, was third behind the sidelined Moonlight d'Oro (Medaglia d'Oro) two starts back in the GIII Las Virgenes S. Feb. 6. Moraz's dam Malvinia (A.P. Indy), an $800,000 purchase at the 2013 FTKNOV sale, is a half-sister to the dam of Spendthrift stallion Temple City.

Godolphin homebred Javanica (Medaglia d'Oro), runner-up in four straight stakes tries, returns to her division after giving males all they could handle in the El Camino Real Derby at Golden Gate Feb. 13. She came up a neck short to favored Rombauer (Twirling Candy) that day, who returns in Saturday's GII Toyota Blue Grass S. at Keeneland. The half-sister to recent The Very One S. heroine Antoinette (Hard Spun) makes her first start on dirt in the Oaks.

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