El Camino Real Derby Runner-Up Tapalo Leads Nine Late Triple Crown Nominees

Hronis Racing's Tapalo (Tapiture), the El Camino Real Derby runner-up and a contender in Saturday's GI Santa Anita Derby, leads a cast of nine 3-year-olds that were made eligible to compete in the 2024 Triple Crown with a late $6,000 payment that was due Monday.

Trained by John Sadler, Tapalo is expected to enter Saturday's Santa Anita Derby.

The nine late nominees (pending late mail):

Hronis Racing's Tapalo;
Tri Star Racing & Cimarron TTT's Awesome Ruta (Mendelssohn);
Lewis Family Racing Stables' Celtic Contender (Irish War Cry);
Ten Strike Racing, Four Cornerss Racing, Broadview Stables, Cory Moelis Racing and Jeremy Sussman's D Day Sky (Omaha Bech);
Travin Stables' Evening News (Nyquist);
Vicente Stables' Le Dom Bro (Mucho Macho Man);
John Parker's Lonesome Boy (Nationhood);
Average Joe Racing Stables and Dan Wells' Mugatu (Blofeld); and
Gelfenstein Farm's Secret Chat (Union Rags).

In total, there are now 354 eligible 3-year-olds to compete in the Triple Crown series which consists of the $5-million GI Kentucky Derby, $1.5-million GI Preakness S. and $1.5-million GI Belmont S.

Any horse not nominated during the early or late phases can become Triple Crown eligible through a supplemental nomination payment due at the time of entry for each Triple Crown race: Kentucky Derby ($200,000 for all three Triple Crown races or $50,000 for the Kentucky Derby only), Preakness ($150,000) and Belmont ($50,000).

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Endlessly Stamps Preakness Ticket With El Camino Real Derby Win

Endlessly (Oscar Performance) got back in the winner's circle and earned himself a trip to the Triple Crown's middle jewel with a win in Saturday's El Camino Real Derby at Golden Gate. Having gone three for three to start his career, including wins in both the GIII Del Mar Juvenile Turf S. and the GIII Zuma Beach S., the son of Oscar Performance tried his hand at the top level but came up empty when eighth in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf last November. Nominated to the Triple Crown series despite never having started on anything but the grass, Endlessly took the synthetic surface at Golden Gate with style. Breaking from the outside, the 3-5 favorite had only one rival beat passing the wire the first time by and he remained in a trailing position into the backstretch as several longshots traded turns on the lead. Put to a ride by Umberto Rispoli into the far turn, Endlessly responded in kind and began to eat into the leader's advantage to be amongst the top trio as the field swung into the stretch. With a late charge down the center of the track, the colt secured the win.

One of six stakes winners for Oscar Perfomance, Endlessly is out of a half-sister to the dams of GISW Coffee Clique (Medaglia d'Oro), MGSW Admission Office (Point of Entry) and MGSP Royal Fury (Langfuhr). Dream Fuhrever produced this runner's full-brother last year.

EL CAMINO REAL DERBY, $101,350, Golden Gate Fields, 2-10, 3yo, 1 1/8m (AWT), 1:50.68, ft.
1–ENDLESSLY, 122, c, 3, by Oscar Performance
                1st Dam: Dream Fuhrever, by Langfuhr
                2nd Dam: Society Dream (Fr), by Akarad (Fr)
                3rd Dam: Society Bride, by Blushing Groom (Fr)
O/B-Jerry Amerman (KY); T-Michael W. McCarthy; J-Umberto Rispoli. $60,000. Lifetime Record: MGSW, 5-4-0-0, $299,200.
2–Tapalo, 122, r, 3, Tapiture–Agent Romanoff, by Empire Maker. ($40,000 Ylg '22 OBSWIN; $20,000 Ylg '22 SARAUG; $55,000 2yo '23 OBSMAR). 1ST BLACK TYPE. O-Hronis Racing LLC; B-Saratoga Glen Farm, LLC (NY); T-John W. Sadler. $20,000.
3–Guy Named Joe, 122, c, 3, American Pharoah–Hungry Island, by More Than Ready. ($280,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP; $100,000 2yo '23 OBSOPN). 1ST BLACK TYPE. O-My Way Racing LLC, West Coast Stables, LLC, Barbara Evenson, John O'Keefe and Timothy O'Keefe; B-Emory A. Hamilton (KY); T-Doug F. O'Neill. $12,000.
Margins: 1 1/4, 1 3/4, 4. Odds: 0.70, 3.70, 3.60.
Also Ran: Old Triangle, Grogu, Come Out Fighting, Arctic Breeze, Wild Jewels.

 

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After A Chilly Reception From Stallion Farms, Rombauer Is Making His Way Back To The Races

Back in early 2022 when John and Diane Fradkin announced that their homebred GI Preakness winner Rombauer (Twirling Candy) was being retired after suffering a soft tissue injury they went to work to find him his new home. The horse has a good pedigree and is a Grade I winner, so the expectations were that he'd stand at stud in Kentucky. Regional markets were also considered. Another option was Japan. But no matter where their horse might land, the Fradkins decided that Rombauer's racing career was over.

That was the plan, until the plan went awry. Rombauer's current home is not in Central Kentucky but in South Florida. Based at Gulfstream Park for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr., Rombauer is in training and could make his next start some time next month. He has not raced since finishing third more than two years ago in the 2021 GI Belmont S.

“I never expected this,” John Fradkin said.

The calls began after the decision was made to retire Rombauer and the Fradkins reached out to all the usual suspects. While they were willing to listen to any offers, they felt their horse had done enough to have earned the right to stand in Kentucky. He had also won the El Camino Real Derby and finished second in the GI American Pharoah S. and third in the GII Blue Grass S. while earning $1,040,500. He was a winner on dirt, turf and synthetic. Those are solid credentials, but the Kentucky farms weren't sold.

“The only real market in this country is Kentucky and Kentucky wasn't interested in him, which shocked me,” Fradkin said. “I never received a real offer in writing at any price. I did offer the horse to several places for what I thought was a spectacular deal, where they would almost be guaranteed to get their money back in one year, and they still didn't take it.”

The Japanese weren't interested, either, Fradkin said. He might have been able to find a farm outside of Kentucky to take Rombauer, but he didn't aggressively pursue that avenue. Whether it was from Kentucky, Japan, New York, California, Maryland, Fradkin said he never received an official offer in writing for the horse from anyone.

“The plan was to have him stand in Kentucky,” Fradkin said. “Plan B was Japan. Plan C was to run him again, and that's what we are doing. To borrow a quote from Jena Antonucci, 'when there's no seat at the table, you have to build your own table.'”

Fradkin admits that not everyone among the group that teamed up to win the Preakness was on board with the comeback. Rombauer was trained by Michael McCarthy and the Fradkins offered to give him the horse back. He declined.

“Michael wasn't that receptive to training him for a comeback,” Fradkin said. “His exact comment was that he had done enough and should be a stallion. I don't disagree with that, but the stallion farms weren't interested in him. We couldn't force them to take the horse. Michael is a conservative guy and I respect that. He just didn't want to be responsible if something goes wrong.  I have two trainers and Saffie is my East Coast trainer. Saffie was up for it. So he's with Saffie now.”

After the Belmont, Rombauer was training at Del Mar and the Fradkins were looking at races like the GI Haskell S. and the GI Travers S. After McCarthy expressed concerns that the horse wasn't 100 percent, they gave him 90 days off. Back in training and gearing up for a 4-year-old campaign, Rombauer suffered the soft tissue injury and the decision was made to retire him.

After deciding to regroup because of the lack of interest from the stallion farms, the Fradkins put Rombauer back into light training at WinStar Farm on Dec. 1. The next stop was Ocala and from there he went to Joseph's barn at Gulfstream, where he arrived in mid-June. He has had two official workouts for Joseph, both at three furlongs. Fradkin is thrilled with how the horse is doing.

“Rombauer is happy and thriving at the racetrack,” he said. “I am sure that he enjoys being back in training.”

Should Rombauer make it back to the races in August that will mean a gap of about 26 months between races. Fradkin believes it's an obstacle he can overcome.

“The world is going to get to see a bigger, faster version of Rombauer,” he said. “One thing people may remember about him is that in his moment of glory in the Preakness he looked like this little horse galloping by these much bigger horses. I think people will be surprised by how big he is now. It's not for sure that we'll make it back. Things could always go wrong. But if he makes it back he's going to make it back at a high level.”

For the Fradkins, the ideal scenario would be for the now 5-year-old to win some major races during his comeback, to do enough that next time around the major Kentucky stallion farms will come knocking on their door. If not, Fradkin is confident he will be able to work out a deal with a farm in another state.

“He will be a stallion some day,” he said. “So far as where, we'll just have to see how things turn out. In the meantime, we're ready to try him on the big stage once again.”

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Chase the Chaos Lassos El Camino Real Derby

A last-out winner against optional claimers over the Tapeta at Golden Gate Dec. 30 by a tidy 7 1/2-lengths, Chase the Chaos (Astern {Aus}) broke his maiden under Robertino Diodoro at second-asking Sept. 17 at Canterbury Park. Switching to the Moger barn he was an outkicked third in the Golden Nugget S. Nov. 12 and caught late in the Gold Rush S. Dec. 3.

Up to the challenge against a pair of high-priced KEESEP grads who were invading for Bob Baffert in favorite Gilmore (Twirling Candy) and pacesetter Nullarbor (Candy Ride {Arg}), the gelding sat center of the pack, as he bided his time. Down the backstretch and into the far turn, the field steadily began to reel in Nullarbor. At the top of the lane with the outside splayed, Chase the Chaos made his move, running on gamely past the eighth pole to secure the victory by 1 1/2-lengths, plus collect 10 Kentucky Derby points and an invitation to the G1 Preakness S in mid-May.

Third dam Miss Marta produced hard-knocking Mister Marti Gras (Belong to Me), MGSW, Earnings $1,194,027, while the winner's dam is responsible for a yearling filly by Take Charge Indy. She was bred to Instagrand last year. As for sire Astern (Aus), this was his seventh stakes winner across the globe.

Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

EL CAMINO REAL DERBY, $101,350, Golden Gate Fields, 2-11, 3yo, 1 1/8m (AWT), 1:51.68, ft.
1–CHASE THE CHAOS, 122, g, 3, by Astern (Aus)
          1st Dam: Live the Moment, by Uncle Mo
          2nd Dam: From Jump Street, by Jump Start
          3rd Dam: Miss Marta, by Cure the Blues
($10,000 Wlg '20 KEENOV). 1ST BLACK TYPE WIN. O-Adam
Ference and Bill Dory; B-Dale N Krapf (PA); T-Ed Moger, Jr.;
J-Armando Ayuso. $60,000. Lifetime Record: 6-3-2-1,
$123,000.
2–Gilmore, 122, c, 3, Twirling Candy–My Surfer Girl, by Henny
Hughes. ($48,000 Wlg '20 KEENOV; $250,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP).
1ST BLACK TYPE. O-SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket
Stables LLC, Robert E. Masterson, Stonestreet Stables LLC, Jay Schoenfarber,
Waves Edge Capital LLC and Catherine Donovan; B-Dividing Ridge Farm (KY);
T-Bob Baffert. $20,000.
3–Harcyn, 122, c, 3, Goldencents–Florian, by Street Cry (Ire).
1ST BLACK TYPE. O/B-Jerome S. Moss (KY); T-Steve M.
Sherman. $12,000.
Margins: 1HF, 1, HD. Odds: 4.20, 1.80, 4.70.
Also Ran: Passarando, Nullarbor, Sea Dog, In Honor of Autism, Happy Does.

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