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Jockey Club Gold Cup Winner Happy Saver Jumps To Fifth In NTRA Top 3-Year-Old Poll

When he surged up the rail and hit the finish line first in the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup on October 10, Happy Saver inserted himself into the discussion of top tier contenders in the sophomore male division. Indeed, when the votes were tallied in the latest National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) Top 3-Year-Old Thoroughbred Poll, the son of Super Saver found himself among the elite.

Happy Saver bested a field that included such older foes as graded stakes winner Tacitus in the Jockey Club Gold Cup to give trainer Todd Pletcher his long-awaited first triumph in the storied race. That victory, which also marked the colt's first try against graded stakes company in four career starts, earned Happy Saver 174 points this week to move him into the fifth position. Following a debut victory on June 20 at Belmont Park, Happy Saver prevailed going two turns at Saratoga en route to a triumph in the Sept. 7 Federico Tesio Stakes at Laurel Park, ahead of his Jockey Club Gold Cup outing.

“What he's been able to accomplish you don't see very many other horses do,” Pletcher told the NYRA publicity team of Happy Saver. “He went from a seven-furlong maiden on June 20 to a mile and an eighth allowance at Saratoga, to a mile and an eighth stake at Laurel and came back to Belmont and then to win a Grade 1 going a mile and a quarter against older horses is something you don't see very often.”

Whether Happy Saver heads to the Breeders' Cup Classic at Keeneland on Nov. 7 is still to be determined. Should he end up in that starting gate, his list of challengers will likely include Kentucky Derby winner Authentic, who continues to hold the top spot in the 3-Year-Old Poll.

Authentic, who was beaten a neck by the filly Swiss Skydiver in the October 3 Preakness Stakes, earned 17 first-place votes and 342 points to hold onto the top spot for yet another week. Belmont and Travers Stakes winner Tiz the Law remains second with eight first-place votes and 328 points with Swiss Skydiver (12 first-place votes, 326 points) in third.

Grade 2 winner Art Collector (203 points) holds down the fourth position ahead of Happy Saver while Grade 1 winner Honor A. P., who has been retired to stud, drops one spot to sixth with 129 points.

Multiple Grade 1 winner Gamine (103 points) is seventh with Kentucky Oaks winner Shedaresthedevil and Max Player now tied for eighth with 80 points apiece. Grade 2 winner Mystic Guide, who was second in the Jockey Club Gold Cup, rounds out the top 10 with 57 points.

With sophomore runners taking the top two spots in the Jockey Club Gold Cup, the handicap division had no major shifts this week. Multiple Grade 1 winner Improbable remains out front in the NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll with 32 first-place votes and 365 points as the son of City Zip has won three straight top-level contests.

Champion Maximum Security, runner-up to Improbable in the Grade 1 Awesome Again Stakes on Sept. 26, is second with two first-place votes and 271 points. Tom's d'Etat (two first-place votes, 218 points) is third followed by Vekoma (one first-place vote, 202 points) and champion Monomoy Girl (191 points).

Multiple graded stakes winner By My Standards remains sixth with 147 points while Authentic (124 points) and Tiz the Law (117) rank seventh and eighth, respectively. Swiss Skydiver (104 points) and multiple Grade 1 winner Rushing Fall (71) complete the top ten.

The NTRA Top Thoroughbred polls are the sport's most comprehensive surveys of experts. Every week eligible journalists and broadcasters cast votes for their top 10 horses, with points awarded on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. All horses that have raced in the U.S., are in training in the U.S., or are known to be pointing to a major event in the U.S. are eligible for the NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll. Voting in both the Top Three-Year-Old Thoroughbred Poll and the Top Thoroughbred Poll is scheduled to be conducted through the conclusion of the Breeders' Cup in November.

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Into Mischief Bumped to $225,000 for 2021

Into Mischief (Harlan’s Holiday–Leslie’s Lady, by Tricky Creek), the reigning leading general sire whose son Authentic became his first Classic winner in the GI Kentucky Derby last month, will command a fee of $225,000 for the 2021 breeding season, officials at Spendthrift Farm have announced. The sire of 26 stakes winners and 11 graded winners in 2020, the 15-year-old stood for $175,000 this past year. Only War Front ($250,000) currently stands for a larger advertised fee.

Also the sire of the brilliant dual Grade I-winning ‘TDN Rising Star’ Gamine, Into Mischief was also represented just this past weekend by the impressive GII Bourbon S. winner and ‘Rising Star’ Mutasaabeq and GII Gallant Bloom H. and fellow ‘Rising Star’ Frank’s Rockette. Each could make their next appearances on Breeders’ Cup weekend Nov. 6 and 7. In addition to Mutasaabeq, the stallion’s other juvenile graded winner of 2020 is the filly Dayoutoftheoffice, who won the GIII Schuylerville S. at Saratoga. With progeny earnings approaching $14 million, Into Mischief retains a stranglehold on the top spot among this year’s leading sires according to TDN Sire Lists.

Into Mischief’s commercial appeal has also skyrocketed this season, as he ranks second among active sires by yearling average. Some 74 foals from his 2019 (from 106 offered at public auction) have sold for an average of $434,405, according to TDN Sales Statistics. He was represented by no fewer than five seven-figure horses at Keeneland September last month, including a $1.9-million daughter of Taylor S (Medaglia d’Oro) that was hammered down to one of the stallion’s biggest supporters, Larry Best’s OXO Equine.

“In our minds, there was only one box left to tick for Into Mischief and that was siring a classic winner. Authentic was able to do that pretty emphatically in the Kentucky Derby, and we continue to believe the best is still to come for Into Mischief,” said Ned Toffey, general manager at Spendthrift. “Authentic, Gamine and these 3-year-olds were bred on a $45,000 fee, and Into Mischief has continued to cover better books every year. It has been gratifying to see him thrive in the sales arena, including having the second-highest yearling average along with more seven-figure yearlings than any other North American sire in 2020. Into Mischief is the best sire in the world and set to continue to prove it. We are also confident he will become an important sire of sires and have shown that in our commitment to acquiring his best sons.

Toffey continued, “We think he is making a positive impact on the breed that will be felt for years to come, particularly with the heart and durability that are signatures of his offspring. Into Mischief is just a remarkable animal that has the chance to be among the very best the breed has seen, and we feel extremely fortunate to have him.”

Spendthrift plans on releasing fees for the remainder of its roster later this week.

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Authentic Ascends To The Lead In NTRA Top 3-Year-Old Poll

At every point of call in the 146th edition of the Kentucky Derby, Authentic found himself in front of his sophomore rivals. When the votes were tallied in the latest National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) Top Three-Year-Old Poll, the son of Into Mischief was again the one who could not be caught as he takes over sole position of the No. 1 spot from longtime leader Tiz the Law.

Authentic, who last held the top spot in the poll on March 23, captured the September 5 Kentucky Derby in frontrunning style, besting heavily favored Tiz the Law by 1 ¼-lengths. The victory not only provided Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert his record-tying sixth triumph in the 10-furlong classic, it earned Authentic 21 first-place votes and 354 total points as he improved his overall mark to five wins from six career starts.

Owned by Spendthrift Farm, My Racehorse, Madaket Stables, and Starlight Racing, Authentic previously annexed the Grade 1 Haskell Stakes on July 18 for his first top-level triumph. He and stablemate Thousand Words, who was a late scratch in the Kentucky Derby after rearing and falling the paddock, are both expected to contest the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course on October 3.

“If they're working well and all going well, they'll go to the Preakness,” Baffert said from Churchill Downs on Sunday. “We're planning on both if they're doing well.”

The Kentucky Derby marked the first loss for Tiz the Law since last November but the Grade 1 Belmont and Travers Stakes winner didn't lose much regard among pundits. The son of Constitution still earned 16 first-place votes and 349 points this week as he dropped one spot to second.

Blue Grass Stakes winner Art Collector, who had to miss the Kentucky Derby due to a minor foot injury, ranks third with 259 points, just ahead of Honor A. P. (258 points), who finished fourth in the “Run for the Roses.”

Kentucky Oaks runner-up Swiss Skydiver (134 points) ranks fifth followed by Thousand Words (131), and Oaks heroine Shedaresthedevil, who joins the top 10 in the seventh spot with 90 points.

Max Player, fifth in the Kentucky Derby, sits eighth with 85 points as King Guillermo (79 points), and beaten Oaks favorite Gamine (72) complete the top 10.

With Authentic taking over the top spot in the sophomore ranks, Baffert now trains the No. 1 ranked horses on both weekly polls as champion Maximum Security continues to hold down first place in the NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll.

The 4-year-old son of New Year's Day earned 26 first-place votes and 340 points to maintain the lead position in the wake of his most recent triumph in the August 22 Grade 1 Pacific Classic Stakes.

Multiple Grade 1 winner Vekoma remains in second with 8 first-place votes and 260 points followed by Tom's d'Etat (3 first-place votes, 232 points) and fellow Grade 1 winner Improbable (198 points).

Champion Monomoy Girl moves up to fifth with 197 points after capturing the Grade 1 La Troienne Stakes on September 4, her third victory in as many starts this season. By My Standards, who won the Grade 2 Alysheba Stakes on the Oaks undercard, advances four positions to sixth with 150 points followed by champion Midnight Bisou (146 points) and Tiz the Law (128). Authentic joins the Top Thoroughbred Poll for the first time in ninth with 111 points as multiple Grade 1 winner Rushing Fall (78 points) rounds out the top 10.

The NTRA Top Thoroughbred polls are the sport's most comprehensive surveys of experts. Every week eligible journalists and broadcasters cast votes for their top 10 horses, with points awarded on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. All horses that have raced in the U.S., are in training in the U.S., or are known to be pointing to a major event in the U.S. are eligible for the NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll. Voting in both the Top Three-Year-Old Poll and the Top Thoroughbred Poll is scheduled to be conducted through the conclusion of the Breeders' Cup in November.

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Oaks Winner Shedaresthedevil Caps ‘Unbelieveable Day’ For Cox, Geroux

It was a thrilling Friday for the team of Brad Cox and Florent Geroux as the duo teamed up for their second Longines Kentucky Oaks (Grade I) victory in the last three years with Qatar Racing, Flurry Racing and Big Aut Farm's Shedaresthedevil.

“It was such an unbelievable day,” Cox said. “This filly has a ton of heart and Flo gave her the perfect ride.”

Cox had an eerily similar morning Saturday as he did in 2018 following Monomoy Girl's Kentucky Oaks victory. The Louisville native continued his regular routine with 10 of his horses recording published workouts.

“It's the life of a trainer,” Cox said. “Horses like Monomoy Girl and Shedaresthedevil make this job all worth it.”

SWISS SKYDIVER – Trainer Kenny McPeek reported that “all is good” with Peter J. Callahan's Kentucky Oaks runner up Swiss Skydiver despite exiting the race with a few cuts on a front ankle. Next race plans are “undecided” for the multiple stakes winner as of Saturday morning, according to McPeek.

Following the race, the trainer made a case for bringing the stallion Daredevil, who was sold to Turkey late last year, back to the U.S., noting he sired both Swiss Skydiver and the Oaks winner Shedaresthedevil.

“They need to get him back here,” McPeek said. “He's a good stallion.”

GAMINE – Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert reported that Michael Lund Petersen's Gamine “looked great” and was in good order the morning after finishing third as the favorite in the 146th edition of the Longines Kentucky Oaks.

Gamine set the pace in the 1 1/8-miles Oaks before being collared in the stretch by winner Shedaresthedevil and runner-up Swiss Skydiver. The loss marked the first time the daughter of Into Mischief had been beaten on the square in her five career starts as her only prior blemish was a loss via disqualification for a medication overage at Oaklawn Park.

SPEECH – Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Madaket Stables and Heider Family Stables' Speech is scheduled to return to her Southern California base Monday morning according to trainer Michael McCarthy.

“She had a tough trip all the way around,” McCarthy said of Speech, who finished fourth. “She got bumped at the break by Gamine and hit at the 7 ½ pole by Donna Veloce and checked by Donna Veloce at the six-furlong pole. She never got a chance to run her race.”

TEMPERS RISING – Mark and Nancy Stanley's Temper's Rising was back in Dallas Stewart's Barn 34 Saturday morning and doing well following her fifth-place effort in Friday's Kentucky Oaks.

“I thought she ran a great race,” Stewart said.

BAYERNESS – Belladonna Racing's Bayerness was back at Trackside Louisville – Churchill Downs' training facility – Saturday morning. Her next race plans are still to be announced.

HOPEFUL GROWTH – Trainer Anthony Margotta reported via text message that his St. Elias Stable's Monmouth Oaks (GIII) winner Hopeful Growth, sixth in the Oaks, came out of the race in good shape and would be leaving to go back to her Monmouth Park base at 5 p.m. Saturday.

DONNA VELOCE – Kaleem Shah. Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith's Donna Veloce is scheduled to return to her Southern California base Monday morning following a disappointing run in Friday's Kentucky Oaks.

“She came back good,” said Carlos Santamaria, assistant to trainer Simon Callaghan. “We will try to get her as good as we can for the Breeders' Cup.

Making her first start in six months, Donna Veloce “had a lot of problems” in the race Santamaria said.

“Out of the gate, the five (Gamine) came in and hit the four (Speech) and she hit us,” Santamaria said. “She dropped the bit and ran off going into the first turn. He (jockey Ricardo Santana Jr.) took her to the outside to get her settled and going down the backside he could feel the field pushing him further outside. He ended up being wide all the way around.”

DREAM MARIE – Miracle's International Trading Inc.'s Dream Marie was scheduled to leave Churchill Downs Saturday morning following her ninth-place finish in the Oaks.

“She came out of the race OK,” trainer Matthew Williams said of Dream Marie, who trailed the field throughout. “We were hoping for a better result, but it was still a great experience.”

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