Despite running over his fourth track in as many starts, No Nay Mets jumped as nearly a sure thing at 1-5 in the wagering and showed his customary early speed to set a pressured lead just ahead of King Kontie (Karakontie {Jpn}). Pushed through fractions of :21.45 and :44.06, he continued to find more and drew off readily when asked into the lane to sprint clear for the easy win.

Etoile, herself a group winner in Ireland, is a full-sister to last week's GIII Mint Millions S. winner Ancient Rome. This is also the extended family of GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf winner Pizza Bianca (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) who RNA'd for $3.45-million at last year's Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Mixed Sale. No Nay Mets is his dam's first and only reported foal. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

NO NAY METS (IRE) ($2.60) is geared down across the wire after putting the field away in the $125,000 Rosie's Stakes at @ColonialDowns. Owned by Bregman Family Racing LLC and WWBD LLC (@ABREG_1), trained by George Weaver, and ridden by @jockeypacolopez. Congrats to all! pic.twitter.com/iJzjugFVqH

— TVG (@TVG) September 9, 2023

EXACTA SYSTEMS ROSIE'S S., $125,000, Colonial Downs, 9-9, 2yo, 5 1/2fT, 1:02.03, fm.
1–NO NAY METS (IRE), 122, c, 2, by No Nay Never
                1st Dam: Etoile (GSW-Ire), by War Front
                2nd Dam: Gagnoa (Ire), by Sadler's Wells
                3rd Dam: Gwynn (Ire), by Darshaan (GB)
(€180,000 Ylg '22 ARAUG; $335,000 RNA 2yo '23 OBSAPR;
£800,000 2yo '23 GOFLO). O-Bregman Family Racing LLC and
WWBD LLC; B-Coolmore (Ire); T-George Weaver; J-Paco Lopez.
$75,000. Lifetime Record: 4-3-0-0, $183,000.
2–Toupie, 117, f, 2, Uncle Mo–Amertume, by Tapit.
1ST BLACK TYPE. O/B-Wertheimer Et Frere (KY); T-H. Graham
Motion. $25,000.
3–Air Recruit, 120, c, 2, Air Force Blue–Werewolf, by Arch.
($105,000 Ylg '22 FTKJUL). 1ST BLACK TYPE. O-Mark B. Grier;
B-Springhouse Farm (KY); T-Arnaud Delacour. $13,750.
Margins: 3 1/4, 3 3/4, 3/4. Odds: 0.30, 6.60, 7.40.
Also Ran: Atmidnight, Ruddy Buddy, Sebastian Run, Woodcourt, A G Diamond, King Kontie, Mi Dinero, Gone Elvis.

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“He impressed me today,” said winning trainer George Weaver. “I thought he won the right way. I can't be any happier with the horse. We went back to the tactics that were successful at Gulfstream (in his first career start). Paco asked him to run away from there. He had enough speed to make the lead and then on the turn he spurted for home and opened up. He's a nice grass horse. It's really hard to decipher when you're handicapping a race. It was a full field today with a bunch of horses that showed good early gas. You never know where you stand. Our horse definitely had some seasoning. He never ran in a maiden race, he broke his maiden in a stakes and then he went across the pond to run against a huge field at Ascot against some very good horses over ground he wasn't crazy about. He had an experience edge. It didn't take him long to get back on track. We're going to try to put him on a path to get to the Breeders' Cup.”

No Nay Mets is the only foal to date out of Etoile, a full-sister to GSW/MG1SP Ancient Rome from the family of GSW/G1SP Dawn Patrol (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf winner Pizza Bianca (Fastnet Rock {Aus}). Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

https://twitter.com/TVG/status/1685750363339821056?s=20

TYRO S., $112,000, Monmouth, 7-30, 2yo, 5fT, :57.91, gd.
1–NO NAY METS (IRE), 121, c, 2, by No Nay Never
                1st Dam: Etoile (GSW-Ire), by War Front
                2nd Dam: Gagnoa (Ire), by Sadler's Wells
                3rd Dam: Gwynn (Ire), by Darshaan (GB)
(€180,000 Ylg '22 ARAUG; $335,000 RNA 2yo '23 OBSAPR;
£800,000 2yo '23 GOFLO). O-Bregman Family Racing LLC and
WEBD, LLC; B-Coolmore (Ire); T-George Weaver; J-Paco Lopez.
$60,000. Lifetime Record: 3-2-0-0, $108,000.
2–Ship Cadet, 117, c, 2, Midshipman–Bella Mia, by Harbor the
Gold. ($79,000 Ylg '22 WASSEP). O-Paradise Farms Corp., David
Staudacher, Kevin Haynes and John Huber; B-Willam T Griffin
(CA); T-Michael J. Maker. $20,000.
3–Shea D World, 117, c, 2, World of Trouble–Sweet Saturday,
by Any Given Saturday. ($3,500 Ylg '22 KEEJAN; $40,000 Ylg
'22 OBSOCT). 1ST BLACK TYPE. O-Shea D Boy's Stable; B-Chc
Inc. (KY); T-Carlos A. David. $10,000.
Margins: 5HF, 2, 3HF. Odds: 0.90, 3.00, 8.50.
Also Ran: Please Advise, Ship to Shore, Tuscan Ruler, Frankie's Empire, Heavy Timber, Mantaketheblesings, Uncle Cat, Ramming Speed, Factor U and Me In. Scratched: Gotts Got It, Whatdoyouthinkmark.

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No Nay Mets, in particular, has had an extraordinary month. On Apr. 17, he posted the fastest two-furlong work at the OBS Spring Sale, blitzing :20 4/5 for Ciaran Dunne. It looked very much as though a pinhooking experiment for Houston Astros third-baseman Alex Bregman, looking to finance his nascent program with a few colt sales, was going to prove a rewarding experience. The Bregman family, through agent Mike Akers, had exported this one for €180,000 from Arqana last August, as the first foal of Group-winning juvenile Etoile (War Front), herself out of a Classic-placed sibling to G1 Derby winner Pour Moi (Ire). In the event, however, bidding in Ocala stalled at $335,000. Dunne called Weaver and asked whether he could turn the horse round in time for the Royal Palm Juvenile S., a Royal Ascot qualifier carrying a $25,000 travel bursary.

Crimson Advocate | Ryan Thompson

Wavertree Stables had also overseen the education of Crimson Advocate, after her acquisition by a pinhooking partnership for $100,000 at the OBS October Yearling Sale. Weaver was asked to put her in the shop window on the racetrack, and she duly shaped with abundant promise when a green third in a dirt sprint at the Keeneland spring meet. At the price they were asking, however, Weaver put together a syndicate of his own patrons-for whom she then switched to turf, for the fillies' equivalent stake at Gulfstream.

Both horses broke fast and never looked back. Wesley Ward had the odds-on favorite in each race, and now Weaver is hoping to emulate his colleague's pathfinding success at Ascot.

“Ciaran called after the colt didn't make his reserve and asked if I thought I could get him ready for the stake,” Weaver recalls. “I quickly glanced at the calendar and saw I had about 15 days to get it done, but I said yes. It wasn't going to be a matter of physical fitness. Those 2-year-olds at the sales, they work the quarter in 20-and-change and gallop out strong. It was mostly just a matter of getting him educated at the gate.

“And he adapted very well. Every horse has their own personality and make-up, and he's just very classy and smart and willing. Every time we asked him to do something, he did it. The gate can be a little stressful for a lot of racehorses and many of them wouldn't handle an accelerated program. But I took him five or six times, and he never batted an eye.”

That reflects well both on this particular colt but also on Dunne, who like all 2-year-old consignors must strike that difficult balance between satisfying the market's addiction to a “bullet” and keeping a horse confident and progressive.

“But Ciaran's just an all-round horseman,” Weaver says. “He could train at the track if he wanted to. He's one of many that do a great job over there. I'm sure some people perhaps don't pay as much attention to the horse's mental wellbeing, and do the crazier stuff, but Ciaran's horses are well educated and ready to go on when he's done with them.”

Crimson Advocate has been in the barn rather longer, since around March 20. She was part of a package assembled with an eye on precocity and private resale, with the Horses of Racing Age Sale in July as safety barrier.

“She trained like she had some early speed and kind of shocked me at Keeneland, where I really expected her to be up on the pace,” Weaver says. “But in a 12-horse field, going four and half furlongs, she just got a bit scared and backed off the bridle for a moment. A couple of offers came in, and from my standpoint I thought, 'Hell, at that price I'd like to buy her for my own people.'

“I hadn't really seen the bottom of her in the morning, and hadn't breezed her on turf, so there was some guessing involved. But she'd shown me enough that, if they were going to sell, I'd rather keep her in the barn than not. It was a good deal for both sides. Luckily, these guys stepped up and got paid back pretty quickly.”

Weaver has made one previous foray to Ascot, sophomore sprinter Cyclogenesis (Stormy Atlantic) finishing down the field in 2015. While that horse proved not to be the right fit, the experience certainly left his trainer eager to try again.

“He was undefeated at the time,” Weaver reflects. “But just looking back-and hindsight's always 20-20-he was a big, heavy horse that was hard to keep fit. He needed company to breeze, and not really sound enough to take the kind of training he needed anyway. But I did think, 'Man, wouldn't it be cool to come back over here with something that had a good chance!' We went to Dubai early in my career, when I won the [G1] Golden Shaheen [with Saratoga County (Valid Expectations)] in 2005, and obviously had fun on that trip. But I'd never been to England and, while I'd heard about Ascot, there's just no way to explain it unless you can be there and take in the pageantry, the whole experience.”

Ward's best Ascot raiders have tended to leave the home defense standing at the gate, which obviously augurs well for the dash shown by Weaver's pair at Gulfstream. But he is under no illusions that any single dimension will suffice on its own.

George Weaver | Ryan Thompson

“They do have a great first gear and that gives them a little bit of an advantage, particularly with the 2-year-olds,” Weaver acknowledges. “But look, you need to bring a good horse there, whether they're quick out of the gate or not. A lot will also depend on the conditions, but we're hoping they get a fair chance to show what they can do because I think they've both earned a shot.”

The whole enterprise promises to be a stimulating new chapter for the respective owners-whether for Bregman, whose Turf adventure began only a year ago, or for the Crimson Adventure partnership, which features several barn stalwarts.

Some of those, in fact, are also involved in Pass The Champagne (Flatter), who finally nailed her graded stakes in the GII Ruffian S. two years after running Malathaat (Curlin) to a head in the GI Ashland S.

“She really deserved that,” Weaver says. “I'm ashamed it's taken me this long to get her to win one of those races, but after the [GI Kentucky] Oaks she needed time and then she only got back for one race last year before going back to the shelf. Now she's finally been able to put some races together in a row, and learned how to use her acceleration at the right time. I think that's the key. She's got a burst of speed that has to be timed correctly. But she's always been a really talented filly and we'll put her in a position to win some big races this year.”

The obvious next assignment is a return to Belmont for the GI Ogden Phipps S. With luck, perhaps, Pass The Champagne can take up the baton of Vekoma, who has naturally been greatly missed since his departure for Spendthrift. For now, however, it remains too early to know whether these Ascot raiders can build sufficiently on their promising foundations to help fill the void left by the GI Carter H. and GI Met Mile winner.

“At the very least, they're going to be nice 2-year-olds,” Weaver says. “Whether they go on, after five-eighths of a mile, we'll have to see. Not many horses that are so speedy and precocious do you see running a mile and a quarter the next year. But every horse is different. More Than Ready won at Keeneland as a 2-year-old and went on to a very prolific career.”

That was a horse Weaver saw develop at close quarters during six years as assistant to Todd Pletcher. Both men, of course, had previously been with D. Wayne Lukas. That Hall of Fame grounding means that Weaver was always going to feel comfortable with the kind of opportunity he seized, among 929 winners since 2002, with Vekoma.

“It does help to have that experience,” he accepts. “Being in Wayne's barn, initially, and then with Todd was certainly a blueprint. You recognize those horses when you get them, and know what to do. I'm forever grateful for the education I had, from [walking hots for] John Hennig right through to when I went out on my own.”

Like so many other graduates of the Lukas academy, Weaver has exulted in the rejuvenation of the old master at 87.

“I pull for him every time he runs that good mare,” he says of Secret Oath (Arrogate). “Wayne was a great coach and role model and obviously a lot of great trainers worked underneath him. I look back on those days fondly and I'm amazed and so proud that he's still doing it like he always has.”

The elixir, plainly, never loses its hold. So Vekoma has gone? You just go out and seek another one.

“You want horses in your barn that take you to those great races,” Weaver says. “As a trainer, when you get your hands on an elite racehorse, it's a whole different feel you get. They start to amaze you. It almost feels like it doesn't matter what you do: breeze once or twice, half-mile or mile. That's the type of horse Vekoma was. He was so determined, I'm not sure I know a horse that would beat him around one turn as a 4-year-old, when he was right.”

Yet there are times when even this all-consuming obsession is placed in chastening perspective; when even training a Vekoma is no more than getting one quadruped to run a circle faster than another. Last summer at Saratoga, a meet full of great memories for the couple, Weaver's wife and assistant Cindy suffered a serious brain injury in a training accident. Her ongoing rehabilitation has demanded immense fortitude and patience. There have been times when everything else has seemed trivial; but there have been times, too, when the horses have offered not just distraction but purpose.

“Initially, when she was unconscious-for a little over three weeks-it was hard to get through [the meet],” Weaver admits. “But at the same time I needed to focus on keeping the business going, keeping the pace going. And she moved on from there, she emerged, and she's slowly but surely getting better and better as time goes by. She's put a lot of work into it and, yes, the whole experience has put a lot of perspective on everything. You just can't help but be a changed person, both of us.

“We're sad that she can't go out to the barn and do what she's always done, which is love those horses and teach them their job and make them happy. She's just a terrific horse person. Luckily, a lot of her inspiration and lessons had rubbed off, on me and all our staff, and we try to carry that on while she's not there. And we always hope for the best. You never know what's going to happen in life, so you try to take whatever silver lining you can.”

And those consolations can abide, whether you win a maiden claimer or, indeed, find a couple of horses for Royal Ascot.

“I don't know,” Weaver says. “It's so hard to get to that winner's circle, sometimes it feels like at any level. And I think that that's part of the satisfaction. Because, man, you know how much goes into it, how much can go wrong. In that moment, watching your horse, there's just such majesty in the way they go out there and do what they know to do. It's something really rare to be a part of. Obviously I made a life out of that, and I can't imagine doing anything else.”

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Brown, a 15-time Breeders' Cup winner, said Jim Bakke, Gerald Isbister, Coolmore Stud, and Peter Brant's well-regarded Munnings chestnut is on target for the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile on November 5 at Del Mar.

“He was great. He was in control the entire way and galloped out super. He came back good,” Brown said.

Brown said he's feeling good about his Breeders' Cup contingent, a number of which breezed over the inner turf Saturday at Belmont.

“A lot of them are coming into the race well,” Brown said. “These are tough races we're going in. The Breeders' Cup races are always that way but we have some shots in a number of races, so we'll see.”

Klaravich Stables' multiple Grade 1-winner Domestic Spending breezed five-eighths in 1:01.85 in company with Peter Brant's multiple Grade 1-winner Raging Bull.

“They went excellent this morning. Both horses are on target for the Breeders' Cup,” Brown said.

Domestic Spending, a 4-year-old Kingman gelding pointed to the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Turf, completed his sophomore season with a win in the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby in November at Del Mar in Del Mar, Calif.

He returned on May 1 to dead heat for victory with Colonel Liam in the Grade 1 Bourbon Turf Classic at Churchill Downs and completed a Grade 1 triple with a 2 3/4-length score over stablemate Tribhuvan in the Manhattan ahead of a closing second in the Grade 1 Mr. D on August 14 at Arlington Park.

“He breezed great today and galloped out strong. He's very fit,” Brown said.

Domestic Spending is one of three Breeders' Cup Turf contenders for Brown along with Tribhuvan and recent Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic-winner Rockemperor.

Brown said Tribhuvan [1:00.50] worked well this morning, traveling in company with Group 2-placed filly Nazuna [1:00.40].

Raging Bull, a 6-year-old son of Dark Angel, is pointed to the Breeders' Cup Mile following a closing third in the Grade 1 Woodbine Mile on September 18 which was contested over good going.

“He's looking for really fast ground and I expect to get that at Del Mar,” Brown said.

Brown noted that he would pre-enter Blowout, recent winner of the Grade 1 First Lady at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky., to the Mile.

Peter Brant's My Sister Nat [:49.23] and Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables, Wonder Stables, and Michael J. Caruso's Orglandes [:49.26] worked a half-mile in company over the inner turf.

My Sister Nat captured the 11-furlong Grade 3 Waya last out on October 3 at Belmont and will travel the same distance at Del Mar on November 6 in the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf.

“The mile and three-eighths is a good trip for her,” Brown said.

Juddmonte's Pocket Square [1:02.02], also on target for the Filly and Mare Turf, worked five-eighths in company with Swift Thoroughbreds', Madaket Stables, and Wonder Stables Tamahere [1:02.11] over the inner turf.

Pocket Square, a winner of 5-of-9 starts, captured the Grade 3 Athenia at nine furlongs over good Belmont turf on September 25.

“The filly is training pretty good. I'm going to pre-enter her in the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf and see what it looks like,” Brown said. “Her last race really changed my mind about her. I thought she ran good at that distance and the way she galloped out steady.

“If she's good enough or not, I'm not sure,” he added. “It's not a definite she's going but I want to take a look at it and see.”

Tamahere, last-out winner of the Violet over yielding Monmouth Park turf on September 25, is pointed to next Saturday's Grade 2 Noble Damsel.

Klaravich Stables' Portfolio Company, a 2-year-old Kitten's Joy bay, breezed a half-mile in :49.41 in company with General Ken, a recent private purchase for an ownership group led by Louis Lazzinnaro.

A maiden winner, Portfolio Company finished second in both the Grade 3 With Anticipation in September at Saratoga and the Grade 2 Pilgrim last out on October 3 at Belmont. He is targeting the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf.

General Ken, a Violence juvenile, earned a 74 Beyer for a front-running 7 1/4-length maiden score traveling a mile and seventy yards over good Delaware Park turf.

Brown said General Ken will target the $100,000 Awad, a 1 1/16-mile turf test on October 31 at Belmont.

“The horse has settled in nicely and is training along well,” Brown said. “His one win looked impressive. He came to us in good shape, so we'll see. I liked his breeze on the turf today.”

Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf contender Consumer Spending, last-out winner of the Selima at Laurel Park, worked a half-mile in :50 flat over the Belmont main track.

Brown also confirmed that Royal Flag, last-out winner of the Grade 2 Beldame, will target the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Distaff.

Brown will send out a trio of contenders for Sunday's Grade 1 E.P. Taylor at Woodbine, led by defending champ Etoile along with Kalifornia Queen and Great Island.

Last year, a prominent Etoile captured the 10-furlong test over the E.P. Taylor Turf Course by a neck. The 5-year-old Siyouni mare has made just two starts this season, finishing fourth in the Grade 1 Jenny Wiley in April at Keeneland ahead of a closing second to returning rival Mutamakina in the Grade 2 Dance Smartly at Woodbine.

“She seems to like it up there and it made a lot of sense to let her defend her title there,” Brown said. “She made a nice run last time. She's training well and she's fresh. I expect her to run well.”

Irad Ortiz, Jr. will pilot Etoile from post 2.

Brown said that Kalifornia Queen, a closing third last out in the Grade 2 Ballston Spa at Saratoga, is training well ahead of her first Grade 1 appearance in North America.

“She certainly is [improving]. I think she's sitting on her best race,” Brown said.

Flavien Prat retains the mount from post 4.

Brown will also be represented by Great Island [post 8, Rafael Hernandez], who captured the Grade 3 Matchmaker two starts back over firm Monmouth turf.

The E.P. Taylor, slated as Race 8 at 4:37 p.m., also features a pair of starters for Belmont-based trainer Christophe Clement in Mutamakina [post 6, Dylan Davis] and La Dragontea [post 10, Joel Rosario].

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The E.P. Taylor, a 1 ¼-mile turf test for fillies & mares, three-year-olds and upward, is complemented by the Nearctic, a six-furlong grass engagement for 3-year-olds and upward.

Conditioner Christophe Clement will be represented by a pair of top contenders in the form of La Dragontea and Mutamakina.

A four-year-old daughter of Lope de Vega-La Concorde, La Dragontea will make her second straight start at Woodbine. Bred by Bartisan Racing Ltd., the dark bay took the Grade 2 Canadian Stakes on Sept. 18, fending off a stiff challenge at the stretch call to win the 1 1/8-mile turf race by a length over Court Return.

“I think she ran very well,” said Clement. “[Joel] Rosario was very confident, and she was very impressive. She's been improving all year long.”

It was the fourth win from 12 starts for the Reeves Thoroughbred Racing and Rebecca Hillen-owned mare.

Since arriving in North America, La Dragontea has recorded a mark of 3-0-0 from five starts.

“She had two wins in New York. She ran in the stakes race [fourth in the Grade 3 Robert G. Dick Memorial, on July 10] at Delaware and she did not get the best race scenario. She's been a nice filly and she's improving. It's exciting to have her. Her works have been good, and I just hope that the turf is not too soft. I don't mind it soft, just not too soft because it is always a bit extreme.”

Mutamakina, a five-year-old daughter of Nathaniel-Joshua's Princess, also comes into the E.P. Taylor off a winning effort at Woodbine.

The bay mare held on for a half-length score in the Grade 2 Dance Smartly Stakes on Aug. 22, marking her fourth career win and second graded tally (she won the Grade 3 Long Island Stakes at Aqueduct last November).

“She's a good filly too,” offered Clement. “She's trained very well. Her last two works in New York have been good. Two weeks ago, she worked with Gufo, my good colt, and she worked as well as he did. And then I sent her out on her own with [jockey] Dylan Davis. She worked very well again. Both fillies are very sound, they look great. For me, as a trainer, it is very exciting.”

Bred in Britain by Widgham Stud, Mutamakina is owned by Al Shiraa'aa Farms.

Clement, who has enjoyed great success at Woodbine over the years, including a Pattison Canadian International triumph with Relaxed Gesture in 2005, is looking to add an E.P. Taylor title to his résumé.

“I've been lucky at Woodbine, but never in the E.P. Taylor. Hopefully, we can change that luck on Sunday.”

Standing in the way is an accomplished group of turfers, including Court Return, a five-year-old daughter of Court Vision, who brings a mark of 2-6-1 from 19 races into Sunday's race. Bred and owned by Ivan Dalos, the Ontario-bred finished second to La Dragontea in the Canadian. The bay is trained by Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame inductee Josie Carroll.

Etoile, from the stable of Chad Brown, will look to win consecutive runnings of the E.P. Taylor. Last year, the five-year-old French-bred daughter of Siyouni finished second in the Grade 2 Dance Smartly before her E.P. Taylor score. Owned by Peter Brant, Mrs. M.V. Magnier, and Mrs. Paul Shanahan, the bay mare, 4-3-0 from 12 career starts, once again finished second in the Dance Smartly.

Brown also sends out Kalifornia Queen (GER), a four-year-old daughter of Lope de Vega (IRE) and Great Island, a five-year-old daughter of Scat Daddy. Kalifornia Queen (3-2-2 from 12 starts) was second in the Grade 3 Matchmaker this July, a race won by Great Island (4-2-2 from eight starts).

Trainer Roger Varian sends out Waliyak (FR), a four-year-old daughter of Le Havre, who has a record of 4-5-3 from 14 starts. In her latest effort, the dark bay, owned by Fawzi Abdulla Nass, won the Group 3 Prix de Bertrand Tarragon on September 17.

Family Way (4-1-2 from 11 starts), a four-year-old daughter of Uncle Mo, Merveilleux (4-3-2 from 15 starts), a four-year-old daughter of Paynter, and Keyflower (FR, 2-2-2 from eight starts), a three-year-old daughter of Kheleyf, complete the field.

Flying Trapeze won the inaugural running of the E.P. Taylor Stakes (known as the Nettie Handicap until 1981) in 1956. Trainers Lou Cavalaris Jr., Frank Merrill Jr., and Maurice Zilber have won three editions of the race. Kitty Girl (1957, 1958) is the only two-time winner.

The E.P. Taylor is the final event in Woodbine's Ladies of the Lawn Series.

Launched in 2019, Woodbine's Ladies of the Lawn is a points-based bonus series that includes three premier turf races for fillies and mares. The owner of the horse who has accumulated the most points upon the conclusion of the three races will receive a $50,000 bonus, while the owner whose horse has accumulated the second and third most points will receive a $15,000 and $10,000 bonus, respectively.

The Ladies of the Lawn Series began on Sunday, Aug. 22, with the Dance Smartly Stakes, followed by the Canadian Stakes on Saturday, Sept. 18. The inaugural winner of the 2019 Ladies of the Lawn Series was Starship Jubilee, Canada's reigning Horse of the Year.

Court Return, La Dragontea and Mutamakina share top spot with 10 points each. Merveilleux (8 points) and Etoile (7 points) are next.

As part of the Ladies of the Lawn series, Woodbine is supporting charity Rethink Breast Cancer. From August 22 to October 17, racing enthusiasts can bid on specially designed pillows created from new saddle towels featuring the Rethink Breast Cancer logo. Proceeds from the online auction will be donated to Rethink Breast Cancer to assist those living with breast cancer.

To view and bid on items, click on the link: https://www.32auctions.com/LadiesOfTheLawn

First post on Sunday is 12:55 p.m. Racing fans can watch and wager on the action through HPIbet.com and the Dark Horse Bets app.

$600,000 E.P. TAYLOR STAKES
Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer

1 – Walyiak – Jack Mitchell – Roger Varian
2 – Etoile – Irad Ortiz Jr. – Chad Brown
3 – Court Return – Luis Contreras – Josie Carroll
4 – Kalifornia Queen – Flavien Prat – Chad Brown
5 – Family Way – Kazushi Kimura – Brendan Walsh
6 – Mutamakina – Dylan Davis – Christophe Clement
7 – Merveilleux – Antonio Gallardo – Kevin Attard
8 – Great Island – Rafael Hernandez – Chad Brown
9 – Keyflower – Eddy Hardouin – Mauricio Delcher Sanchez
10 – La Dragontea – Joel Rosario – Christophe Clement

The post Clement Sends Formidable Pair For Stacked E.P. Taylor Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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At last year's Fasig-Tipton Night of the Stars, Elite led all consigners by average, median, and gross sales, with its seven-horse consignment producing total sales of more than $22 million. Since its inception in 2017, Elite Sales has led the world in selling racehorses, having sold 15 millionaires in four years.

Aunt Pearl, owned by Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables, Peter Deutsch, Michael Kisber and The Elkstone Group, went undefeated in 2020 with three gate-to-wire scores, culminating in her Breeders' Cup triumph. That race subsequently produced the winners of this year's Group 1 English 1,000 Guineas and the G1 Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot, cementing Aunt Pearl's global status as one of the best of her generation.

The 3-year-old daughter of Lope de Vega, became a TDN 'Rising Star' with a five-length maiden win over the Churchill Downs turf course before setting a new stakes record in winning the G2 Jessamine Stakes at Keeneland, completing the 1 1/16 miles on turf in 1:40 4/5.

Also featured in Elite's Night of the Stars draft is last year's G1 Frizette Stakes winner Dayoutoftheoffice.

Campaigned by Siena Farm and Blazing Meadows Farm, Dayoutoftheoffice will be just the second Grade 1-winning daughter of top sire Into Mischief to be sold at a breeding stock sale. After breaking her maiden in her debut at Gulfstream Park, Dayoutoftheoffice shipped to Saratoga and won the G3 Schuylerville by six lengths before defeating subsequent Eclipse champion Vequist by two lengths in the Frizette. Dayoutoftheoffice rounded out her 2-year-old season with a second-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies at Keeneland, besting fellow Grade 1 winners Simply Ravishing and Princess Noor.

Elite will also consign Etoile, a 5-year-old Grade 1 winning daughter of leading international sire Siyouni, to the Fasig-Tipton auction. 

A top-rung stakes performer on both sides of the Atlantic, she captured last year's G1 E.P. Taylor at Woodbine for owners Peter M. Brant, Mrs. M. V. Magnier, and Mrs. Paul Shanahan. Prior to her Grade 1 victory in North America, Etoile captured France's G3 Prix Cleopatre at Saint-Cloud before missing by just a length in the G1 Prix de Diane. She finished ahead of eight group or listed stakes winners in that classic race, including two G1 winners. Etoile is on schedule to defend her crown in the E.P Taylor Stakes on Oct. 15.

Rounding out Elite's quartet of Grade 1 winners is last year's American Oaks conqueror Duopoly.

Owned by Klaravich Stables, Duopoly won the G1 American Oaks in impressive wire-to-wire fashion, finishing the last quarter mile in a sharp :22.63. She defeated a strong field that included two other G1 winners, one of which was 2019 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf winner, Sharing. Prior to her win at Santa Anita, Duopoly also captured the Winter Memories Stakes at Aqueduct in front running style.

“We are honored that many of the sport's most successful owners are entrusting Elite to bring their best to the marketplace,” said Bradley Weisbord of Elite Sales. “These four Grade 1 winning females, all off the track, should have broad appeal to the world's leading buyers. We look forward to showcasing them at Fasig-Tipton's Night of the Stars on Nov. 9 after the Breeders' Cup.”

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In addition to Aunt Pearl and the previously announced GI Frizette S. winner Dayoutoftheoffice (Into Mischief), Elite will offer two other Grade I-winning fillies at Fasig's “Night of the Stars.” Lightly raced Duopoly (Animal Kingdom–Justaroundmidnight {Ire}, by Danehill Dancer {Ire}) enters the sale off a win in the Dec. 26 GI American Oaks. She is joined by stablemate Etoile (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}–Milena's Dream {Ire}, by Authorized {Ire}), who is scheduled to try and defend her title in the GI E.P. Taylor Oct. 17 for Chad Brown and the partnership of Peter M. Brant, Mrs. M. V. Magnier, and Mrs. Paul Shanahan.

“We are honored that many of the sport's most successful owners are entrusting Elite to bring their best to the marketplace,” said Elite's Bradley Weisbord. “These four Grade I-winning females, all off the track, should have broad appeal to the world's leading buyers. We look forward to showcasing them at Fasig-Tipton's Night of the Stars on Nov. 9 after the Breeders' Cup.”

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At the age of 14, Siyouni is riding the crest of a wave. For at least the last four seasons he has been the most expensive stallion in France by a wide margin, his 2021 fee rising to an all-time high of €140,000. And his popularity at the sales is undiminished–15 of his yearlings passed through the recent Arqana August Sale for an average price in excess of €300,000. Bahrain's KHK Racing bought the most expensive of these at €1.5 million and Coolmore, doubtless emboldened by their previous success with the stallion, gave €650,000 for a filly from Ecurie des Monceaux, birthplace of their young Arc-winning stallion Sottsass (Fr).

How much of a permanent mark Siyouni will make on the breed remains to be seen, but already he is the sire of not just an Arc winner but five individual Classic winners with 17 Group 1 victories to their credit, as well as the GI E P Taylor S. heroine Etoile (Fr). Things, however, could have been so different, with the horse's story reduced perhaps to a footnote in Thoroughbred history as the winner of the 2009 G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere.

“It's not to our credit, but Siyouni wasn't very far from getting castrated and sent to Hong Kong,” says Georges Rimaud, manager of the Aga Khan Studs in France.

“He was certainly a very good racehorse, and at two in particular, but then at three, he unfortunately did not manage to win a race. He placed in several races, and was second in the Prix Jean Prat. But we were left wondering what we were going to do with him. Was it enough to stand him? Was he the type that people be looking for?”

It turns out that Siyouni was indeed the type that breeders were happy to take a chance on, though his appeal was broadened, and the risk shared, by the Aga Khan Studs taking the decision to syndicate him–a move not made by the operation since Darshaan (GB) retired to stud in 1985. A good omen, if one were needed.

“We syndicated him to bring in a bit of money for one thing, and then also I always feel that if you get more participants around something, whether it's a horse or something else, you dilute the risk a little bit. If you are successful you are going to probably dilute the revenue as well, but I thought it was worth the shot with that horse. So we agreed–all our team and His Highness–agreed to syndicate him at a small price of €28,000, and he would stand at €7,000 for the standard syndication.”

The gamble worked, at least in the initial sense of encouraging breeders to use the stallion. “He very quickly covered 150 mares or more,” Rimaud recalls. “He was always quite busy. We ended up with quite a few foals that looked very nice. And you know when you have good foals out there because people come back. We had the same demand the following year, and the following year.”

After that, it was up to Siyouni himself, or indeed his runners. With 14 first-crop winners in 2014, he was France's leading first-season sire and leading sire of 2-year-olds. That group included the G3 Prix de Cabourg winner Ervedya (Fr), who would reward the Aga Khan and Siyouni's former trainer Alain de Royer Dupre by becoming her sire's first Classic winner in the following year's Poule d'Essai des Pouliches before travelling to Ascot to win the G1 Coronation S.

“Every beginner was winning,” says Rimaud. “So we felt pretty good about it. And then we produced our first Group 1 winner by him, and then you don't have anything else to do. I mean, it all happens. The rest is, as some people say, it's history. But I am not sure the history is finished: it's ongoing. He has produced probably around 150 foals every year.”

There is no hiding the pleasure that Siyouni's success has brought the operation as Rimaud recounts his career to date. It is of course not the first time the Aga Khan Studs has retired a homebred to stand at one of its farms–far from it–but perhaps the somewhat unexpected nature of the steep upward rise, from a relatively lowly stud fee, echoing that of his own celebrated sire in England, makes it all the more satisfying.

“We're thrilled with it,” he says. “This is the horse who was born and raised on our farm. We bred the mare. Everything was homemade. He was born at Saint-Crespin and he was broken in at our breaking farm. From there, he was sent to Alain de Royer Dupre, who found him quite precocious. You know, this is not a trademark for us, to have precocious horses.”

Rimaud continues, “You don't expect to go from sort of low grade to elite. That was the way it went, starting at €7,000. I don't want to insult anyone who used him in the early years, but at €7,000, he improved the quality of the foals of those mares considerably. As we say in French, he's an améliorateur [enhancer], and he really does that.”

The motto of the Aga Khan Studs has long been 'success breeds success' and in this instance it has been doubly true for the breeders who not only sent their mares but also took a share in the young stallion at the outset. Rimaud is quick to acknowledge those who have helped to establish Siyouni at Haras de Bonneval.

He says, “The thing was that the Aga Khan Studs had not syndicated horses for a long time, so this was almost a new thing. People adhered to that syndication, and were very pleased to come in and do something with us.

“They've invested, they believed in the horse, they put their mares in. And some of them had to leave because of the pressure of selling their shares at higher prices and then not necessarily being able to go back to the horse, which is also a frustrating situation where you have people that have helped Siyouni make it with lower stud fees.”

In May it was announced that Siyouni, who is out of the Danehill mare Sichilla (Ire), whose offspring also include Group/Grade 1 winner Siyouma (Ire) (Medicean {GB}), would be available to cover to Southern Hemisphere time at a fee of €100,000. He has had scant representation in Australia thus far, but among his six runners there are four black-type performers, including the listed-winning juvenile See You In Spring (Aus). Her Darley-bred dam Spring Colours (GB) (Shamardal), who is out of a half-sister to the champion miler Goldikova (Ire), was exported to Australia in 2017.

“We were tempted to shuttle him several times,” Rimaud says. “When he was just about to make it and we felt that maybe it was the time to take that opportunity, we had some offers in Western Australia and different places, from Anthony Mithen. When we did the deal with the horse originally it wasn't even considered, but then we had real interest when he started to do well.”

Ultimately it was decided not to take the risk, and Siyouni has hardly been short of suitors in France in the intervening years. Indeed, he can be credited with playing a key role in the resurgence of the French bloodstock scene over the last decade, along with his fellow Normandy-based sires Le Havre (Ire) and Kendargent (Fr), who retired to stud the year before him and are both now recognised as internationally important stallions. At the time of Siyouni's retirement, the most expensive stallion in the country was Elusive City at €15,000.

“His success has undoubtedly helped us and it has helped the stallion stations around France,” says Rimaud. “It gave them confidence that it was possible to have a stallion of that calibre and sell the nominations and make it work. They have done a good job with Le Havre as well, and the stallion operations in France have all benefited from this. I don't think it's solely due to Siyouni, but it certainly reinforced the view that it is possible. France has actually become a sort of a platform where international investors can come in easily.”

The generally accepted rule is that only one in ten stallions retiring to stud really makes it. A grand racing career and the bluest of bloodlines offer no guaranteed path to success. Siyouni of course did not emanate from humble origins, but equally he was not initially afforded the calibre of mares of some of the other stallions he now tussles with in the tables.

Rimaud himself gives a nod to the hand fate plays in such developments. He says, “It's incredible really, that's exactly what it is. And you can't predict these things. It just happens.”

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Breaking from post six, Dylan Davis put Mutamakina in behind front runner Alnaseem, with Blame Debbie behind them on the rail in third. Mutamaking was never more than a length behind the leader, as Alnaseem set fractions of :25.98 for the first quarter and :50.32 for the half-mile. Inside the half-mile, Alnaseem looked poised to make the Dance Smartly hers in a wire-to-wire performance, but Davis put Mutakmakina in gear as they approached the top of the stretch.

Into the stretch on a firm E.P. Taylor turf course, Mutamakina pulled even with Alnaseem and then accelerated past her. Irad Ortiz, Jr. moved Etoile from the rail through a hole between horses, finding running room two-wide in the straightaway, but it was not enough to catch the Clement trainee. Mutamakina held off a fast-closing Etoile and Merveilleux to win the G2 Dance Smarty by a half-length. Court Return was fourth. Blame Debbie, Alnaseem, and Afleet Katherine round out the order of finish.

The time for the mile and a quarter was 2:01.26.

Mutamakina paid $8.80, $3.50, and $2.60. Etoile paid $2.60 and $2.10. Merveilleux paid $3.30.

Bred in Great Britain by Widgham Stud, Mutamakina is a 5-year-old mare by Nathaniel out of the Danehill mare Joshua's Princess (GB). She was consigned by New England Stud at the 2017 Tattersalls October Yearling Sale and purchased by Shawn Dugan, agent, for $137,225. The Dance Smartly is Mutamakina's first win in four starts in 2021, for a lifetime record of four wins in 15 starts.

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Capturing the Jenny Wiley with Sistercharlie (Ire) (Myboycharlie {Ire}) in 2018 and Rushing Fall (More Than Ready) in 2019 and 2020, Brown will be represented by Tamahere (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) and Etoile (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}). The former punched her ticket to America with a dominant score in the Prix la Sorellina at La Teste Buch and impressively annexed the GII Sands Point S. in her North American debut before running sixth as the favorite in the GI Matriarch S. The latter, beaten less than a length when fourth in the G1 Prix de Diane Longines in June of 2019, failed to find the mark in her first two North American tries before breaking through in the GI E.P. Taylor S. when last seen Oct. 18 at Woodbine.

The morning-line favorite is Godolphin's Micheline (Bernardini). Scoring a 17-1 upset by open lengths in the Honey Ryder S. last spring at Gulfstream, the homebred was off the board in her next two before getting up late to take the Exacta Systems Dueling Grounds Oaks at 10-1 Sept. 10 at Kentucky Downs. She's kept up that good form with a second at 11-1 in the local GI Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup S. and a conquest of the GII Hillsborough S. last out Mar. 6 at Tampa.

“I really didn't feel like I had her completely tight for the Hillsborough coming off a layoff,” trainer Mike Stidham told TDN's Katie Ritz. “In my mind, I thought maybe I was a work or two short of having her totally cranked up for that race. So the way she ran was really impressive to me, knowing what I had in her. Since that race, she's come back and worked a couple of times and her last work [Apr. 2], in :47 [1/5] was a really, really good work for her because she's not a huge workhorse. For her to work like that, she was touting me that she's sitting on ready.”

Rounding out the major challengers is Juliet Foxtrot (GB) (Dansili {GB}). A dual graded stakes victress, she looks for a belated top-level success after placing four times in Grade I company, including when third in this race last year.

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