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Stilleto Boy Gets His Grade I in Big ‘Cap

Stilleto Boy (Shackleford), so often a major player in graded races but seldom a winner, finally got the big one, winning the GI Santa Anita H. Saturday at the Great Race Place. He was third in last year's Big 'Cap, had filled out the trifecta in both the 2022 and 2023 GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational S., and had placed in another two Grade I races. Saturday was his day to shine, as he wore down pacesetting favorite and GISW Defunded (Dialed In)–whom he finished one slot behind in the Pegasus–and held off GISW Proxy (Tapit) to post a 13-1 upset.

Hall of Fame rider Kent Desormeaux was aboard the winner, giving him his first win in the race since 2002, when he won with Milwaukee Brew (Wild Again). He also scored in 1992 with Best Pal (Habitony {Ire}). Juan Hernandez–on third-place finisher Defunded–wasn't even born when Desormeaux won his first Santa Anita H.

At the break, Stilleto Boy flashed his speed to take the lead, but promptly surrendered to a determined Defunded before the :23.34 first quarter. Stablemates Defunded and Hopper (Declaration of War) slugged it out up top through a :46.16 half while the blaze-faced winner patiently kept to the inside behind the top two. Although shuffled back a bit between horses as the six furlongs unfolded in 1:10.72, Stilleto Boy was moving well and was clearly still aiming to factor at the mile marker. The 5-year-old gelding swung wide and kept grinding down the lane, steadily making progress on the frontrunners as Desormeaux kept busy. A final surge propelled Stilleto Boy to the wire just in time with Proxy missing by a mere neck and Defunded just another half-length in arrears. The final time was 2:01.96.

“I've been telling everyone that he is the best horse in racing,” said winning trainer Ed Moger, Jr. “I really think he is the best horse, the race in the Pegasus was a really strong race and we had him go out of the 11 hole that day. Defunded barely beat us that day, so I knew we could beat him because we had beaten him before; I thought he was the horse to beat. I thought [my horse] could win, and he's been training great.”

Acquired for $420,000 at the Fasig-Tipton July Selected Horses of Racing Age sale in 2021 off a win in the Iowa Derby while under the tutelage of Doug Anderson, the chestnut has run exclusively in stakes company since his purchase by the Moger brothers. Steve owns; Ed trains. Stilleto Boy has given them only two wins since then, but they've been substantial. In addition to Saturday's Big 'Cap, he also won the GII Californian S. last April with a 108 Beyer Speed Figure. He's placed in another seven graded races for the Mogers and more than repaid his sales price, earning nearly $1.5 million since his purchase.

Pedigree Notes:

Stilleto Boy is one of eight graded winners for the charismatic 2011 GI Preakness S. winner Shackleford, who also is the sire of 23 black-type winners. A flashy chestnut like his son, Shackleford first stood at Darby Dan Farm in Central Kentucky before being sold just before the 2020 breeding season to continue his career in South Korea. Interestingly, Shackleford's two Grade I winners–Stilleto Boy and Promises Fulfilled–are both out of Marquetry mares. Marquetry, another flashy chestnut with plenty of chrome, died at age 26 in 2013 after being pensioned to Old Friends. Marquetry has 50 stakes winners out of his daughters.

Dam Rosie's Ransom, whose last reported foal is the now-juvenile colt Irish Ransom (Gormley), has produced three stakes performers, but Stilleto Boy is heads and shoulders above the rest. He is the first-ever graded winner produced in his immediate female family, although a very distant relation is 1972 champion older mare Typecast (Prince John).

Saturday, Santa Anita
SANTA ANITA H. PRESENTED BY YAAMAVA' RESORT & CASINO-GI, $502,000, Santa Anita, 3-4, 4yo/up, 1 1/4m, 2:01.96, ft.
1–STILLETO BOY, 122, g, 5, by Shackleford
               1st Dam: Rosie's Ransom, by Marquetry
                2nd Dam: Gold Ransom, by Red Ransom
                3rd Dam: Flaming Gold, by Storm Bird
1ST GRADE I WIN. ($420,000 3yo '21 FTKHRA). O-Steve
Moger; B-John & Iveta Kerber (KY); T-Ed Moger, Jr.; J-Kent J.
Desormeaux. $300,000. Lifetime Record: 21-4-4-8,
$1,711,675. *1/2 to Rosie My Rosie (Purge), SW, $342,483.
Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the
free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Proxy, 123, h, 5, Tapit–Panty Raid, by Include. O/B-Godolphin
(KY); T-Michael Stidham. $100,000.
3–Defunded, 125, g, 5, Dialed In–Wind Caper, by Touch Gold.
($210,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP). O-Michael E. Pegram, Karl Watson
and Paul Weitman; B-Athens Woods LLC (KY); T-Bob Baffert.
$60,000.
Margins: NK, HF, 1HF. Odds: 13.90, 3.20, 1.30.
Also Ran: Hopper, There Goes Harvard, Tisquantum, Newgrange, Warrant, Heywoods Beach. Scratched: Parnelli, Scarlet Fusion.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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Breeders’ Cup Classic Notes: Knicks Go, Essential Quality Test Del Mar Surface

Art Collector – Bruce Lunsford's Bill Mott-trained homebred 4-year-old colt Art Collector had an easy day two mornings after a Halloween half-mile work in 48 2/5 in preparation for Saturday's $6 million Longines Breeders' Cup Classic.

“I jogged Art Collector,” Mott said. “When we are home, we always give him a jog day after he works, but today we walked him through the paddock and jogged him again and everything went fine.”

Since joining the Mott barn over the summer, the son of 2006 Breeders' Cup Classic runner-up Bernardini and 2011 Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf fourth-place finisher Distorted Legacy is perfect from three starts, including the Alydar Stakes (Listed) at Saratoga, Charles Town Classic (G2) at its namesake course and Woodward (G1) at Belmont.

“He's just improved on his own and we haven't done anything, really, except let him lead one winning effort into another and build himself from race to race,” Mott said. “He's got three races in him now and is just doing really good. He looks stronger and has continued to develop, which is what you hope a 4-year-old is going to do. That's what you want him do and it is what it looks like he's been doing that throughout the course of the year.”

Essential Quality/Knicks Go – Trainer Brad Cox's powerhouse duo of Essential Quality and Knicks Go, both returning Breeders' Cup winners, arrived at Del Mar around 10:30 p.m. Monday from Kentucky and wasted no time getting to work Tuesday. Essential Quality, the 2020 Juvenile winner and 2-year-old champion, jogged, while Knicks Go, the 2020 Dirt Mile winner, galloped once around the track. Both were ridden by regular exercise rider Edvin Vargas.

“Essential Quality was really, really good, he looked amazing training out there,” Cox said. “He was looking around, but that was to be expected. He just jogged. Knicks Go has good energy so he'll probably do a little more. So far, so good. They all shipped in well. It was a long day yesterday, but they all look good.”

Express Train – Express Train, winner of the San Diego Handicap over the Del Mar main track this past summer, continued his preparations for a berth in the Classic Tuesday morning with a strong 1 1/2-mile gallop under regular exercise rider Amy Vasco.

Trainer John Shirreffs, who famously won the 2009 Classic renewal with Zenyatta, reported, “Right now, he's training at a level above his most recent races. Although he's yet to win at the (Classic's 10-furlong) distance, I'm confident he can get it.” Shirreffs added, “In the recent Pacific Classic (for which he was the post time favorite), he just didn't get his trip.”

Hot Rod Charlie – Roadrunner Racing, Bill Strauss, Boat Racing and Gainesway Stable's popular 3-year-old colt Hot Rod Charlie continued his Breeders' Cup Classic preparation when leaving Del Mar's Barn Y at 7:45 a.m. and galloping an easy circuit of the dirt track. The 2020 Breeders' Cup Juvenile runner-up and half-brother to 2019 Breeders' Cup Sprint winner Mitole drew post three of nine in the $6 million race and will be ridden by Flavien Prat, who has been aboard for five of his 11 races. Trained by Doug O'Neill, he will seek to be the conditioner's sixth World Championships winner.

“I think there's such a long run to the first turn, so any nine of the posts is probably not a big deal, but it's good that Flavien knows him so well and 'Charlie' has good gate speed,” O'Neill said. “He will try to put himself in a good position. It's nine solid horses and nine solid jockeys, so it's really all a matter of positioning and I feel good that we can find ourselves a good spot.”

O'Neill seeks his first Classic victory after five losses: Lava Man (2006), Richard's Kid (2012), Handsome Mike (2012) and Pavel (2017, 2018).

Max Player – George Hall and SportBLX Thoroughbred Corp's Max Player walked the shedrow Tuesday morning, one day after completing his final work in advance of the Classic, and assistant trainer Scott Blasi reported that the horse came out of the half-mile work well.

Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen, who is seeking his third Classic victory, was scheduled to arrive later Tuesday.

Medina Spirit – Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit, conditioned by four-time Classic winner Bob Baffert, was on the track this morning shortly after the renovation break for his daily gallop. The sophomore colt is the co-third choice in the morning line for Saturday's Classic.

Stilleto Boy – Steve Moger's Stilleto Boy worked an easy 4f in 52 1/5 under jockey Kent Desormeaux over a fast track Tuesday morning at Del Mar.

Stilleto Boy galloped once around before setting about his work.

“The first time around at the seven-eighths pole he was looking at all the photographers but the second time, he was all business,” Desormeaux said. “It was either going to be 51 or 48 (seconds) and when I got to the quarter pole, I toned him down a bit. I liked what I felt this morning.”

Trainer Ed Moger Jr. was happy with the work.

“He didn't need to go quick,” Moger said of Stilleto Boy, who had worked a best-of-15 5f at Santa Anita last Wednesday before shipping to Del Mar.

Runner-up to Medina Spirit in the Awesome Again in his most recent start, Stilleto Boy is 30-1 on the morning line for the Classic and will break from post seven.

Triopoli – Pacific Classic winner Tripoli galloped Tuesday morning with assistant trainer Juan Leyva aboard. Trainer John Sadler is expected to drive down from his Santa Anita Park base Thursday.

“We know he likes this track and he likes the distance,” Leyva said. “He's settled in again here and is doing well. If the race falls apart, he could get a piece of it.”

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Iowa Derby Winner Stilleto Boy Headed to California After Bringing $420,000 At Fasig-Tipton July Sale

Ten days after stunning the Iowa Derby as the longest-priced horse on the board, Stilleto Boy hammered for $420,000 on Monday at the Fasig-Tipton July Selected Horses of Racing Age Sale, with Del Mar as his next destination.

Steve Moger was the winning bidder on the 3-year-old Shackleford gelding, placing just one bid over Fasig-Tipton's online platform to secure the horse. His brother, Ed Moger Jr. will train the horse.

“Del Mar has the 'Ship and Win' program, and I figured I'd give it a shot,” Steve Moger said. “He'll be going up against some nice horses out there, so we'll see what happens.”

Del Mar's “Ship and Win” program incentivizes horses that race at the Southern California track for the first time after previously running out of state with a $4,000 starter's bonus for their debut start. Eligible horses can also receive a 50 percent bonus on purse earnings throughout the remainder of the meet for starts on the dirt, and a 40 percent bonus for turf races.

Stilleto Boy came into the sale with a record of two wins in seven starts for earnings of $249,675, only missing the board once to date. He raced as a Kentucky homebred for John and Iveta Kerber, with trainer Doug Anderson joining a racing partnership that also included Michael Coleman and Aaron Kennedy.

The gelding has been based in the middle of the country throughout his career, racing once as a juvenile at Prairie Meadows in a runner-up effort. He was then moved to Oaklawn Park, where he finished third or better in a trio of maiden special weight races before graduating in his final start of the season at the track.

Stilleto Boy then returned to Prairie Meadows for the summer, where he finished fourth in the Prairie Mile Stakes on June 4.

That effort helped him leave the gate in the July 2 Iowa Derby at odds of 16-to-1, the highest price of the six-horse field. He led at every point of call in the 1 1/16-mile race, and drew off under jockey Jose Ortiz to win by 4 1/2 lengths.

Stilleto Boy is out of the winning Marquetry mare Rosie's Ransom, whose nine foals to race are all winners, including stakes winner Rosie My Rosie and Condo Closing.

Paramount Sales consigned Stilleto Boy, as agent.

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