Tag: GI Blue Grass S.

Seize the Grey Owners Enjoy Memorable Blue Grass Experience

While they may not have received the end result they were hoping for, nearly 300 owners enjoyed a memorable weekend at Keeneland as their horse Seize the Grey (Arrogate) ran in the GI Blue Grass S.

A $300,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga purchase for MyRacehorse trained by D. Wayne Lukas, Seize the Grey was coming into his Grade I debut off a third-place performance in the GIII Jeff Ruby Steaks S. The colt's connections were hoping that he would be able to run in the money in order to acquire enough points to earn a spot in the GI Kentucky Derby, but he proved to be overmatched this time around and finished seventh.

While his 27 points probably won't get Seize the Grey into the Kentucky Derby starting gate, his 2,000-plus owners have plenty to look forward to going forward and many will look back on an eventful weekend in Lexington.

Almost 300 MyRacehorse partners descended upon Lexington hailing everywhere from Washington and Virginia to Michigan and Florida. On Saturday, MyRacehorse hosted a tailgate at Keeneland so that owners could meet up ahead of the big race.

“It's hard to get everyone together, so we threw a tailgate so they could come at their leisure before going inside,” said MyRacehorse's Caitlin Dunne. “Usually the only time we can get everybody together is the winner's circle, so if that happens, it's great. But if not, the biggest thing for us is getting to celebrate the experience of ownership. We've had this horse since he was a yearling so it has been fun for everyone to get to see him go from this pudgy little colt to this big, beautiful Arrogate colt.”

Owners who arrived in Lexington ahead of Saturday's race were also able to watch Seize the Grey train in the morning.

“He shipped in on Wednesday and every morning we wanted to be able to get owners out to come watch him train,” Dunne said. “D. Wayne and his assistant have been all-stars. They would bring him into the paddock every morning and stand him in front of the owners so they could take pictures with him.”

Diana Kramer, a lifelong racing fan from Evansville, Indiana, is one of the many owners of Seize the Grey. She first learned about MyRacehorse in 2020.

“I started doing some research on it because I always wanted to get involved if I could afford it,” she explained. “I bought in on Authentic, so we kind of started at the top there.”

Kramer was a fan of Hall of Famer Arrogate during his time on the racetrack, so when a son of his became available through MyRacehorse, she jumped at the chance to become involved. While Seize the Grey probably won't be running in the Kentucky Derby, Kramer and several other MyRacehorse partners already have plans for the first Saturday in May.

“There's a bunch of us that owned Authentic and became friends,” said Kramer. “We all hang out and usually have a Derby party. We have an auction for the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund. Last year we raised $6,000. It's a great way to meet other people who love racing and learn more about the industry.”

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Dornoch Faces Biggest Test Yet in GI Blue Grass

Saturday's GI Blue Grass S. will be Dornoch's big chance to put away any uncertainty surrounding his true talent. The son of Good Magic beat Blue Grass morning-line favorite Sierra Leone (Gun Runner) last December in the GII Remsen S., but his Chad Brown-trained rival only lost by a nose and has since improved his resume with a definitive win in the GII Risen Star while adding blinkers. Meanwhile Dornoch claimed a scratched-down edition of the GII Fountain of Youth, taking the lead early and breaking away from rivals in the stretch only after changing leads late.

Dornoch has put in front-running performances in each of his last three victories with jockey Luis Saez aboard, but trainer Danny Gargan believes it is only because no one has been able to keep up with the speedy sophomore. Gargan said he hopes that Saturday's Derby prep at Keeneland will be an educational opportunity for Dornoch.

“We'll see what happens, but I'm going to tell [Saez] to break running and I think there will be a couple of horses who are going to come out wanting the lead,” Gargan explained. “We'd like to see him a length or half a length behind them and go around following horses so he's not on the lead the whole way.”

Gargan seems to believe that we may even see a different side of Dornoch if he is given the opportunity to stalk.

“He likes to have horses around him,” he said. “We're not taking him back to last or anything crazy, but we'd like to stalk. If he has competition I wouldn't say he runs any different, but he stays more in the bridle, more focused. We just want him to have some competition and to keep him going.”

Dornoch has put in three works at Palm Meadows since his Fountain of Youth score. In his last work on March 30, the colt went four furlongs in :47.25 (1/35).

“He's pretty talented in all his works,” said Gargan. “He's a really good work horse. We worked him a little stronger last time. We wanted to get a strong work in him because the week before, weather occurred and the track wasn't perfect to our liking. So we decided to get a little stronger work in him and we're happy with how he came out of it.”

Dornoch was originally slated to travel north to Keeneland earlier this week, but bad weather pushed back his arrival to Thursday. The colt was able to get a feel for the track that he broke his maiden on last October early on Friday morning.

Dornoch at Keeneland | Sara Gordon

“I think it ended up working well,” said Gargan. “We kept him [at Palm Meadows] where the weather was good and we were able to train. We didn't really want to get involved in the tornados and the storms or be on the highways when it was going to be that bad. So it worked out. He shipped in and looks great and knock on wood, everything is going good. Now we will just relax and hopefully have a fun day.”

Dornoch will break from post four for Saturday's mile and an eighth contest.

The 11-horse Blue Grass will offer Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the top five finishers. Both Sierra Leone and 3-1 second choice Dornoch are expected to already have enough qualifying points with 55 and 60 points, respectively.

The Brad Cox duo of Just A Touch (Justify), who was second to Deterministic (Liam's Map) last time out in the GIII Gotham, and Encino (Nyquist), who makes his dirt debut after a win in the John Battaglia Memorial S. at Turfway Park, both look to add to the competition. The Repole Stable-campaigned, Todd Pletcher-trained Be You (Curlin) also comes in off an eye-catching maiden win at Gulfstream Park that earned a 96 Beyer Speed Figure.

Gargan, a native of Lousville, will be searching for his first Grade I win on Saturday in the Blue Grass. He will also be sending out another potential Kentucky Derby-bound son of Good Magic in Society Man for the GII Wood Memorial S.

Ahead of a key stallion-making race, Gargan is hopeful that Dornoch can follow in the footsteps of his older brother, 2023 GI Kentucky Derby winner Mage.

“To be a full-brother to the Kentucky Derby winner, if he could win a Grade I too, that's life changing,” said Gargan. “Winning this race would be spectacular. It'd be great for his resume and for his whole family.”

Speaking of Dornoch's family, his dam Puca (Big Brown) just delivered a full-brother to Mage and Dornoch on the eve of opening day of Keeneland's Spring Meet at John Stewart's Resolute Farm.

“Puca, dam of 2023 Kentucky Derby winner Mage and Dornoch who is on the road to the Kentucky Derby this Saturday at Keeneland in the Blue Grass Stakes, just gave birth to a massive colt by Good Magic,” John Stewart said in a Tweet. “Little bro will be watching.”

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Dornoch Heads to Blue Grass

West Paces Racing, R.A. Hill Stable, Belmar Racing and Breeding, Two Eight Racing and Pine Racing Stables' Dornoch (Good Magic), winner of the Mar. 2 GII Fountain of Youth S. at Gulfstream, is expected to make his next start in Keeneland's GI Blue Grass S. Apr. 6, trainer Danny Gargan told DRF.

“It's been my plan since December. All our owners want to run in the Blue Grass, if he wins it makes him more valuable as a stallion. He won over the track, it's one ship, and three days after the race I'll be at Churchill,” Gargan told DRF.

Runner up in his first two career starts, including last summer's Sapling S., the full-brother to Kentucky Derby winner Mage won his next three starts, including a muddy renewal of the GII Remsen S. at the Big A in December. Second that day was Sierra Leone (Gun Runner), who is also expected to run in Keeneland's Classic prep. Sierra Leone won the GII Risen Star S. at Fair Grounds Feb. 17.

According to Gargan, the colt will breeze once more in Florida before shipping to Lexington.

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GISW And Classic-Placed Zandon Retired To Spendthrift Farm

Grade I winner Zandon (Upstart–Memories Prevail, by Creative Cause) has been retired and has arrived at Spendthrift Farm in Kentucky ahead of stallion duty in 2024, the farm announced. The dark bay will stand for $12,500 stands and nurses and will participate in Spendthrift's “Share the Upside” program on a limited basis for a fee of $15,000 for two years.

“We are excited about Zandon and the ability to offer a Grade I winner with his physical through our Share The Upside program. He's what they should look like,” said Ned Toffey, Spendthrift general manager. “You won't find many Grade I winners in town that look and move the way he does. He's a big, classy individual with a beautiful, smooth gait, which is likely why he was able to remain so sound through the rigors of competing against the best of his generation for two straight years. We believe breeders are really going to like him, and we invite them to come out and see for themselves.”

Bred by the late Brereton Jones, the dark bay brought $170,000 as a Keeneland September yearling and was put into training with Chad Brown. A winner of his Belmont debut, the Jeff Drown runner was also second in the GII Remsen S. as a juvenile and was third in the GII Risen Star S. in his 3-year-old bow. A winner of the GI Blue Grass S., he was favored in the GI Kentucky Derby and would go on to place third in May of 2022. Throughout the rest of the year, he would add three more graded placings in the GII Jim Dandy S., GI Travers S., and the GI Pennsylvania Derby.

He rolled a trio of twos in his first three starts this term, in the GIII Westchester S., GI Metropolitan H.  in June, and in the GI Whitney S. at Saratoga in August. The GII Woodward S. went his way in October, and he was retired after a start in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic with a record of 14-3-6-3 and $2.2 million in earnings.

The second foal and one of three winners for his unraced dam, Zandon is a half-brother to Panamanian Champion 2-Year-Old Colt Sol Principe Gris (Summer Front). His dam is a half-sister to MGSW and MGISP Cairo Memories (Cairo Prince), as well as the SW Cariba (Cairo Prince). Under the third dam is Grade II winner Hello Liberty (Forest Camp), who was second in the GI Acorn S.

Spendthrift announced in September that Zandon would join Taiba (Gun Runner) and Arabian Lion (Justify) as new stallions at their Kentucky base in 2024.

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