Lugan Knight Enters Derby Trail in Jerome Win

Lugan Knight (Goldencents) was not going to be denied as he matched strides down the lane with Arctic Arrogance (Frosted) in the $150,000 Jerome S. at Aqueduct Racetrack on Saturday afternoon. With 10-4-3-2-1 points available to the top 5 finishers on the Road to the 149th running of the Kentucky Derby, it was Lugan Knight's day to shine.

Sent off as the second choice at 7-2, the colt set front-end fractions of :23.41 at the quarter-mile marker and :47.70 for the half-mile, all as the favorite Arctic Arrogance dogged his track to the outside around the far turn. Entering the stretch, the pair left the rest of the field behind, and dueled gallantly towards the wire. With less than a furlong left to go, the homebred edged a head in front to win the day by a half a length.

After the race, trainer Michael McCarthy said, “I was happy with the way the horse broke. He found himself prominent early and it looked like around the turn he still had a little bit of run. I was not surprised to see how well he dug in down the lane. It looked like he was always just going a touch better than the other horse. You hate to say you're confident, but it always looked like he kept that horse at bay. Just a tough horse and a gutsy performance. I was glad to see he was able to get the mile.”

The Feb. 4 running of the $250,000 Grade III Withers S. with Derby qualifying points of 20-8-6-4-2 could be the next target for this colt. On that prospect, Lugan Knight's trainer said, “We'll see. I'll have to give Dylan a call and ask him what he thinks and go from there. A mile was a question mark for me but it looked like he passed that test today. We'll have to wait and see.”

Pedigree Notes:
Lugan Knight is part of a talented family that includes her second dam Roxy Gap (Indian Charlie), herself a MGSW in Canada, who produced GSW Cafe Americano (Medaglia d'Oro). The winner's dam Sly Roxy has a 2-year-old colt by Mendelssohn and most recently was bred back-to-back to Instagrand.

JEROME S., $150,000, Aqueduct, 1-7, 3yo, 1m, 1:37.77, gd.
1–LUGAN KNIGHT, 118, c, 3, by Goldencents
          1st Dam: Sly Roxy, by Speightstown
          2nd Dam: Roxy Gap, by Indian Charlie
          3rd Dam: Harts Gap, by Saint Ballado
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN. O/B-BG Stables (KY); T-Michael W.
McCarthy; J-Dylan Davis. $82,500. Lifetime Record: 4-2-1-1,
$175,775.
2–Arctic Arrogance, 120, c, 3, Frosted–Modest Maven, by Uncle
Mo. O/B-Chester Broman & Mary R. Broman (NY); T-Linda
Rice. $30,000.
3–General Banker, 120, c, 3, Central Banker–Elusive Jozi, by
Johannesburg. O/B-Seacoast Thoroughbreds of New England
(NY); T-James W. Ferraro. $18,000.
Margins: HF, 7, 1 3/4. Odds: 3.55, 1.35, 7.40.
Also Ran: Neural Network, Andiamo a Firenze, Narciso Dali, Valenzan Day. Scratched: Circling the Drain. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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Frosted’s Ice Dancing Takes On Baffert Trio in Santa Ynez

Richard Mandella's Ice Dancing (Frosted), the only filly in a scratched-down field of five with a graded-stakes placing already to her name, will seek her first win since breaking her maiden in Sunday's rescheduled Santa Ynez S. at 'The Great Race Place.' The Grade III event, which was originally scheduled for last Sunday's New Year's Eve program, carries Kentucky Oaks points to the tune of 20-8-6-4-2, which will go to the top five finishers that are not associated with Bob Baffert.

A homebred for Bass Stables LLC, the newly minted 3-year-old took four tries to earn her first win after three consecutive finishes behind GISW And Tell Me Nolies (Arrogoate), including a third in the GI Del Mar Debutante S. Fourth behind both that rival and the Santa Ynez's scratched morning-line favorite 'TDN Rising Star' Justique (Justify) in the GII Chandelier S., Ice Dancing rebounded in her fourth start to break her maiden ahead of Bob Baffert's Doinitthehardway (Street Sense) at Del Mar Nov. 25.

Speaking of the Baffert barn, he will enter a trio in a bid to win what would be his fourth Santa Ynez in a row. It appears that Huntingcoco (Practical Joke), Fast and Shiny (Bernardini) and Parody (Distorted Humor) have not flashed much in the way of speed under the California sun over the past few months, so a game effort is in order if one of them wants to keep their conditioner's streak alive.

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Medaglia d’Oro Again Tops Darley America’s 2023 Fees; Speaker’s Corner Retired

Perennial top sire Medaglia d'Oro once again heads Darley's Jonabell Farm roster for 2023 with his fee remaining at $100,000, the same amount as 2022.

Darley has also added two new stallions to the now-11 horse roster, including G1SW Mystic Guide (Ghostzapper) and GISW Speaker's Corner (Street Sense). Mystic Guide, who won the 2021 G1 Dubai World Cup, was retired earlier this year. He will stand for a fee of $15,000 in his initial season at stud.

Speaker's Corner, a Godolphin homebred out of Tyburn Brook (Bernardini) who is bred on the same cross as fellow Darley stallion Maxfield, won the GI Carter H. in April with a dominating performance and a 114 Beyer Speed Figure. He also won this year's GII Gulfstream Park Mile S. and GIII Fred W. Hooper S. before finishing behind Flightline (Tapit) and Life Is Good (Into Mischief) in the GI Metropolitan H. and GII John A. Nerud S., respectively. He retires with a record of 13-6-2-2 and earnings of $739,963. Speaker's Corner will enter his first season at a fee of $20,000.

“We've been very fortunate in the last two years to have produced five high-level performers [Mystic Guide, Speaker's Corner, Essential Quality, Maxfield, and Cody's Wish] and it's even more gratifying that they are all homebreds,” said Darley Sales Manager Darren Fox. “Following last year's retirement of Essential Quality and Maxfield, to again be able to add more top-caliber horses is very, very exciting.”

Essential Quality and Maxfield, who both await their first foals in the spring, will remain at $75,000 and $40,000, respectively. Both had full books for 2022 in their first seasons. Street Sense will also remain at his 2022 fee of $75,000, while Midshipman will see a fee increase to $20,000.

“Optimism abounds currently in the Thoroughbred industry,” said Fox. “The sales are strong, purses are strong, and close to home, we experienced unprecedented demand during the 2022 booking season. With all these positives, only one of our stallions will see a fee increase for 2023 and that's Midshipman, who continues to go from strength to strength in his stud career.”

The Darley roster is rounded out by Nyquist at $55,000, Hard Spun at $35,000, Frosted at $10,000, and Enticed at $5,000.

Retirement plans for GI Forego S. winner and future Darley stallion Cody's Wish (Curlin) will be made after the Breeders' Cup.

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Sunday Insights: There’s ‘Magic’ In the Air at Del Mar

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency

3rd-DMR, $80K, Msw, 2yo, 1mT, post time: 5:00 p.m. ET
Of the 94 first-crop yearlings by Good Magic reported as sold in 2021 (110 ring), no horse cost more than REINCARNATE, who gets his career going at what has been a soggy Del Mar over the weekend. The Apr. 1 foal, a $775,000 purchase out of last year's Keeneland September sale, is out of the stakes-winning Allanah (Scat Daddy), who was acquired by Peter O'Callaghan's Woods Edge Farm for $105,000 in foal to Street Boss at the 2018 Keeneland November Sale. Trained by Bob Baffert for SF Racing, Starlight Racing and Madaket Stable, the gray colt must overcome a high draw in a race that could be washed onto the main track. American Empire (American Pharoah) is a son of Team Block's 2012 GIII Pucker Up S. victress Leading Astray (Belong to Me), a half-sister to the Illinois-based operation's GIII Kentucky Turf Cup hero Suntracer (Kitten's Joy), MGSW turf marathoner Free Fighter (Out of Place) and a full-sister to SW/MGSP Corrupt (Belong to Me). TJCIS PPs

 

 

 

2nd-KD, $150K, Msw, 2yo, 6 1/2fT, post time: 1:58 p.m. ET
ZED (Arrogate) is the first foal out of Shane's Girlfriend (Adios Charlie), who made an enormous splash as a juvenile for trainer Doug O'Neill with a dominating 13 1/4-length victory in the GIII Delta Downs Princess S. The dark bay races in partnership for WC Racing, who was also part-owner of Shane's Girlfriend. The dark bay prepped for this with a bullet half-mile in :47 3/5 over the Keeneland main track Sept. 3. Permafrost (Frosted) is a half-brother to three-time graded winner Divine Oath (Broken Vow) and GSW Auntie Joy (Uncle Mo) and counts the irrepressible Personal Ensign (Private Account) as his third dam. TJCIS PPs

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