Gary and Mary West | Horse Racing Free Tips

Gary & Mary West to Reduce Broodmare Band at Keeneland November

Prominent owner/breeders Gary and Mary West will begin an annual reduction of their broodmare band at Keeneland November starting with the 2021 sale. With Paramount Sales consigning, the Wests will offer 31 broodmares and broodmares prospects at this November's auction. Mares will be offered in foal to Hard Spun, Union Rags and The Factor, as well as to the Wests' champions Game Winner, Maximum Security and West Coast and Grade 3 winner and Grade 1-placed American Freedom.

The Wests had acquired a significant number of mares in past years to support their colts who were going off to stud.

“We just can't keep them all,” said racing and bloodstock advisor Ben Glass. “It's amazing how quickly we accumulated broodmares. We're up to 100, and we only try to have 50-60. You just have to move those mares down the line. It's a tough decision. For all we know, we're selling the dam of another Grade I winner.”

The Wests have been longtime patrons of Keeneland, acquiring many of their stand-out runners at the September yearling sale, including American Freedom, Game Winner and West Coast. They purchased Maximum Security's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile-winning sire New Year's Day for $425,000 at KEESEP '12, and his dam Lil Indy (Anasheed) for $80,000 at the 2014 Keeneland January sale while in foal to Pioneerof the Nile.

“We have a good working relationship with Keeneland,” Glass said. “They have always done a good job for us. There is a buyer there for every mare.”

Among the Paramount-consigned West offerings at Keeneland November will be Sweet Sweet Annie (Curlin, hip 684), a daughter of MSW Song for Annie (Sultry Song) and half to MSW/MGSP Successful Song (Successful Appeal) offered in foal to West Coast; 3-year-old Applaud (Medaglia d'Oro, hip 751), also in foal to West Coast; and Media Circus (Mineshaft, hip 948), another 3-year-old who hails from the deep female family of Olympio, Tapizar, etc.

“Sweet Sweet Annie is a fine mare with good size and is from a hell of a family,” Paramount's Pat Costello said. “Applaud is a lovely individual from a real deep family that goes back to Hold That Tiger and Editor's Note. Media Circus is also another nice mare, and she is from the family of Tapizar.”

Keeneland Vice President of Sales Tony Lacy said, “The Wests are passionate Thoroughbred owners and breeders, who have been very loyal patrons of Keeneland and have realized some of their greatest triumphs in racing thanks to horses they acquired here. We are grateful for the opportunity to annually offer mares from such a successful operation as an added attraction of the November Sale.”

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Concert Tour Confirmed for Preakness

Bob Baffert confirmed to the Maryland Jockey Club press department Tuesday that 'TDN Rising Star' Concert Tour (Street Sense) will contest next Saturday's GI Preakness S., taking on GI Kentucky Derby-winning stablemate Medina Spirit (Protonico).

“We figure, this is the race,” Baffert said. “The Derby is run. A lot of horses, they went through a lot to get here. He's sort of a fresh horse. In the Rebel, he looked so good.”

Gary and Mary West homebred Concert Tour began his career three-for-three, taking Santa Anita's GII San Vicente S. Feb. 6 before stretching out effectively to romp in the GII Rebel S. at Oaklawn Mar. 13. One of the favorites for the Kentucky Derby after that, he disappointed at short odds when third in the GI Arkansas Derby Apr. 10 and was subsequently removed from Derby consideration.

Baffert said after taking Concert Tour off the Derby trail that the Preakness would likely be the target, and that decision was firmed up after the bay breezed five furlongs in 1:00.60 (5/16) under the Twin Spires Sunday morning.

“[Gary West] asked me, 'Did he work well enough to run in the Preakness?'” Baffert said. “I said, 'Yes, he did. He worked well.'”

Baffert continued, “That's why they are in the business and that's why they want to try for it. If you can run in the Preakness and win the Preakness, it's a very exciting race.”

He added, “Let's see how good he is. Maybe he's good or maybe not as good as we thought he was. We're going to find out next week.”

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Baffert Confirms Concert Tour For Preakness; Barnes Staying At Churchill To Oversee Preparations

Last September, Jimmy Barnes watched on his phone in an ambulance as his boss Bob Baffert captured a record-tying sixth Kentucky Derby (G1) with Authentic in the COVID-delayed Classic. Saturday, Baffert's long-time assistant trainer was back watching the race in person at Churchill Downs as Medina Spirit provided Baffert a record-breaking seventh Kentucky Derby victory.

Barnes had sustained a fractured wrist when the barn's other 2020 Derby entrant, Thousand Words, reared and flipped as the assistant trainer attempted to saddle him in the paddock's walking ring. Knocked off balance, Barnes fell and landed awkwardly on his right wrist. Barnes was back at Baffert's Churchill Downs barn the next morning after the break was set at Louisville's Norton Audubon Hospital, but he ultimately had surgery in California with screws inserted to stabilize the injury.

“Especially if you win, you want to be here,” Barnes reflected Monday at Churchill Downs. “But I'd been here enough and we'd won it enough that I knew what was ahead of me. They didn't know how hard it was going to be to get out of here. They said we could either go now (to the hospital) or it could be like 8 o'clock when you get out of here. I knew I probably had four or five hours at least ahead of me, setting it and doing all that. So I said, 'Let's go.' And I watched it on my phone.”

The mishaps weren't over, however, as Authentic later knocked down Baffert in the Derby winner's circle on the turf course.

“It was nice to have Jimmy there and nobody fell down in the winner's circle,” Baffert said Sunday of Medina Spirit's victory in the 147th Kentucky Derby. “It was very enjoyable, and it was good to do it in front of fans.”

Now back on his pony, Barnes again is overseeing Baffert's Pimlico-bound contingent, which, in addition to the Derby winner, could include Rebel Stakes winner Concert Tour for the May 15 Preakness (G1) as well as horses for other stakes next week.

Baffert told the Daily Racing Form's Jay Privman Monday that Concert Tour will run in the Preakness, because owner Gary West “wants to take a shot.”

Concert Tour worked five-eighths of a mile in 1:00.60 Sunday and is scheduled to work again this weekend. Gary and Mary West's son of 2007 Derby winner Street Sense walked Monday and will jog Tuesday, Barnes said.

Baffert will be out to break a tie with fellow Hall of Famer Robert Wyndham Walden, who had seven Preakness winners between 1875 and 1888. Baffert's most recent of seven Preakness champions include Triple Crown winners Justify in 2018 and American Pharoah in 2015. Each of his Preakness winners went on to be voted 3-year-old champion.

Medina Spirit, who has never been worse than second in six career starts, paid $26.20 to win as the sixth betting choice of 19 while marking the seventh California-based horse to win the Derby in the last 10 years.

“Was I surprised?” Barnes said. “He was running against good horses in California. California horses are usually right there in the Kentucky Derby. He'd run second to (now-injured stablemate) Life Is Good. He was second to John Sadler's horse (Rock Your World) in the Santa Anita Derby. So he'd run respectable races, maybe not the way we needed him to run. He wants to be up front, out in the clear and we had other horses who were faster than him. It just didn't work out for him. He ended up having to be behind and having to close. But going a mile and a quarter, you just never know: Are we going to go on the lead the whole way?

“… I thought there was enough speed that someone would have gone with us.”

Barnes began working for Baffert in November of 1998. His first Derby victory with for Baffert was the trainer's third, front-running War Emblem in 2002. However, Barnes first came to Churchill Downs for Derby weekend in 1999, with Silverbulletday winning the Kentucky Oaks (G1) and Baffert attempting to win a third straight Derby with the filly Excellent Meeting and the colt General Challenge. Excellent Meeting rallied from 18th to take fifth (beaten a total of 2 1/4 lengths) and Santa Anita Derby winner General Challenge was knocked sideways shortly after the start and struggled home 11th.

“I saw what it took,” Barnes said. “You need a pretty good horse and you want to be out in front. You need to be up close in the clear to have your best chance.”

Medina Spirit had a second walk day Monday since keeping runner-up Mandaloun at bay for a half-length victory Saturday, with third-place Hot Rod Charlie and fourth-place favorite Essential Quality both beaten about a length for everything.

“He'll probably walk three days – that's our typical deal,” Barnes said. “Maybe Wednesday he'll jog. We'll see how the weather is. It's hard to give them too many days off when we're coming right around. But all systems look good right now. Everything is good.”

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Lil Indy, Dam Of Maximum Security, Dies At Age 14

Lil Indy, the dam of champion Maximum Security, died Saturday evening while foaling a Curlin filly, owner Jane Lyon of Summer Wind Farm announced Monday on social media.

“It is with deep sadness I have to announce the passing of Lil Indy, the dam of Maximum Security,” Lyon wrote in her post. “She died foaling a beautiful Curlin filly Saturday evening. While she graced Summer Wind Farm for a far too short time, she captured our hearts with her sweet demeanor and beautiful spirit. She will always remain in our hearts. Godspeed Lil Indy, you were loved here.”

The 14-year-old daughter of Anasheed died having her second foal for the Summer Wind operation, following a Quality Road colt born in 2020 named Qualified.

Lil Indy was purchased by Summer Wind Farm for $1.85 million at the 2019 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale, near the end of what would be Maximum Security's championship 3-year-old campaign. A year earlier, at the same sale, she sold to Korean breeding interests for $11,000.

At the time she was sold to Korea, the mare had an unremarkable resume. She'd produced two winners from three runners for breeders Gary and Mary West, but none had earned any black type. The Wests had purchased Lil Indy, pregnant for the first time to Pioneerof the Nile, for $80,000 at the 2014 Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale.

Within a few months after the 2018 transaction and the mare's export, West homebred Maximum Security, by New Year's Day, was on top of his division with a win in the Grade 1 Florida Derby. He'd go on to win the G1 Haskell Stakes and Cigar Handicap, and the G3 Bold Ruler Handicap, during the remainder of his 3-year-old campaign, and he famously was disqualified from first to 17th for interference in that year's Kentucky Derby.

Meanwhile, Lil Indy foaled out a full-sister to Maximum Security while she was in Korea, and the pair were brought back stateside to test the commercial waters after the success of the dam's most famous foal.

It was an incredible turnaround for Lil Indy, who sold as a yearling for $2,200 at the 2008 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Eastern Fall Yearling Sale. She raced on the east coast over the course of her 19 career starts, graduating in a Delaware Park maiden claiming race in her eighth start, and later taking a claiming race at Penn National.

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