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Arrogate Yearlings Keep the Torch Burning

Arrogate’s first book of 143 mares, a who’s who of some of the top breeding stock in the country, reflected the jaw-dropping career of North America’s richest racehorse. Dual Eclipse Champion Songbird (Medaglia d’Oro) was one of several champions sent to Arrogate during his first year at stud.

“Arrogate’s first book was incredibly special,” said Juddmonte’s Stallions Nominations Manager Leif Aaron. “Half of the book was graded stakes winners or graded stakes producers, and a quarter of it was Grade I winners or Grade I producers. Breeders brought their very best mares to Arrogate.”

That first book has now transformed into a formidable group of yearlings. No one could have predicted the circumstances in which Arrogate’s first offspring would enter the sales ring. Soon after they turned yearlings, a worldwide pandemic ensued, accompanied by an uncertain market. Then months later, the tragic death of their sire rocked the racing world.

“His death was an incredible loss for the breed,” lamented Tom Hinkle.

Hinkle Farms will have one member of each crop from Arrogate, with a yearling and weanling currently on the farm and a mare in foal to Arrogate.

“Of the two that we have, I couldn’t be more pleased. They’re very similar- strong, a lot of leg and a lot of bone,” Hinkle said.

The yearling, a colt out of the Storm Cat mare Crosswinds, is slated as Hip 116 in the Keeneland September Sale. The youngster is a half-brother to two graded stakes winners including GIW Weep No More (Mineshaft).

“He’s a really handsome colt,” Hinkle said. “He’s big and strong, and is very correct. From day one, he’s been a pleasure to be around. He was always very competitive in the paddock and is willing to do whatever we ask of him.”

An additional 54 Arrogate yearlings are set for the Keeneland sale, and 12 more are cataloged for the Fasig-Tipton Selected Yearlings Showcase.

“Arrogate is going to be well-represented,” Aaron said of the two upcoming sales. “This would be a great opportunity for buyers to go out and get what could possibly be a piece of history. At the end of the day, we’re only going to have three crops from him and who knows what he’ll be. He could be anything. I mean, he was one of the greatest racehorses of all time.”

Arrogate colt out of Crosswinds | EquiSport Photo

Aaron said he believes that the trends in Arrogate’s yearlings are representative of the physicals that buyers are looking for.

“We’re excited because right now, the two things everybody wants is scope and substance,” said Aaron. “With the Arrogates, we’re really seeing that. To me, it’s a good mixture of the scope and prettiness of Unbridled’s Song, but the substance that Distorted Humor throws in.”

The Juddmonte connections took notice of Arrogate’s physical at the Keeneland September Sale, where they purchased him as a yearling for $560,000.

“He was a very balanced horse,” Aaron noted. “He had a ton of bone as a yearling, which is something he’s really putting into his offspring, but he still had that stretch that Unbridled’s Song gives you– the two-turn, Classic-looking horse that covers a lot of ground. And then the Baffert secret ingredient was the speed and the ability to carry that speed over two turns.”

That ability was taken to the big stage on August 27, 2016, when Arrogate stormed to victory in the GI Travers in a 13-and-a-half-length, record-breaking performance.

“Arrogate’s Travers was absolutely a special day,” Aaron recalled. “When he came in that race and blew away the field and set a track record doing it, I think it was pretty obvious to everybody how good he was and what kind of star he could be.”

After clinching three more Grade I wins including a Breeder’s Cup Championship, Arrogate retired from racing and joined the roster at Juddmonte. That same year, Leif Aaron took on the role as Stallion Nominations Manager.

“Coming here with Arrogate was very exciting for me because my first job was at Juddmonte when I was 16, mucking stalls,” he remembered. “So to come back with Arrogate to help be a part of running his book was very special to me. I got to deal with a lot of top-class breeders and top-class mares.”

In meeting Arrogate’s offspring over the past two years, Aaron said he has found a common thread in the group.

“One of the traits that Arrogate possessed and that his offspring also possess is kind of an intangible trait, but it’s his personality,” he said. “They’re horses that want to be on the move. Arrogate was always tough to stand up for pictures because he wanted to be doing something. He absolutely had that will to win, and I’m glad to see his offspring showing some of that same trait.”

As the Arrogate yearlings make their way to the sales in the coming days, the next chapter begins in the champion’s story.

“This year with the yearling sales, it’s a little bittersweet,” Aaron admitted. “Losing Arrogate was a massive loss for the farm. It was a massive loss to the breeders that supported him, and it was a massive loss to the fans. I think the history books will show that it was a massive loss to the breed. He was such a talent and his offspring look absolutely special. He has every chance underneath him to keep the torch going, and we would love to see that happen.”

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Caracaro Continues Kentucky Derby Preparations

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – With a mix of optimism and respect, trainer Gustavo Delgado and his son and assistant, Gustavo Delgado Jr., have gone about their primary task of the summer: preparing Caracaro (Uncle Mo) of the GI Kentucky Derby.

The Delgados are based in South Florida at Gulfstream Park West, but brought Caracaro to Saratoga Race Course in July with the goal of earning enough qualifying points to make the 20-horse Derby. Following second-place finishes in the GIII Peter Pan S. July 16 and the Aug. 8 GI Travers S., a colt who was injured in the winter and away from the races for about six months, is 10th on the Derby leaderboard at 60 points.

With the mission accomplished of just getting a position in the Derby field, the Delgados face the challenge of tangling once again with Tiz the Law (Constitution), the GI Belmont S. winner and likely Derby favorite. At the very least, they know Tiz the Law rather well. Caracaro was second to him in the Travers–5 1/2 lengths behind the New York-bred who was throttled-down in the stretch–and they have seen him in training over Saratoga’s main track. Without question, Tiz the Law’s Travers left them realistic about the test facing them at Churchill Down Sept. 5.

“The last race showed who the real horse was,” said Delgado, Jr., who often serves as the barn’s spokesman. “The races before he was just winning, but the last one was impressive.”

Delgado said that jockey Manny Franco had Tiz the Law “cantering to the line” in the Travers, which turned out to be the fifth-fastest time in the history of the race.

“Before, we all thought he’s a good horse,” Delgado Jr. said. “Now we’re talking about something else, like a real good one, in my opinion.”

A moment later, he agreed with the suggestion that Tiz the Law might even be a great horse.

Delgado Jr. said that Caracaro, co-owned by Global Thoroughbred and Top Racing, belongs in the Derby and that his connections see him as a contender. The colt ran second in his debut at Gulfstream Park Dec. 8 then broke his maiden by six lengths Jan. 11. There were offers to buy him as a Derby prospect after the victory, but he had to be taken out of training when a vet exam revealed an issue in his rear end. The Peter Pan was his return to competition and he was quite game despite the lengthy layoff, battling with Country Grammer (Tonalist) in the stretch before finishing second by a neck. While never a threat to win the Travers, he finished well after a wide trip. Delgado Jr. said a top-four finish in the Derby with jockey Javier Castellano is realistic and that from what he and his father can see the colt is still developing.

“This is the third time off the layoff and they usually run well the third, the fourth time. If he keeps improving he’s going to be tough,” he said. “Obviously, Tiz the Law is the main guy. If he doesn’t show up for any reason, we might be ready.”

In Delgado Jr.’s assessment, Caracaro sits in a group of five or six capable Derby horses behind Tiz the Law. Caracaro worked five furlongs in 1:01.02 Saturday over the wet main track at Saratoga and will have his final breeze this weekend before shipping to Kentucky.

“He is a good horse. Just the other one is better than him now,” Delgado Jr. said. “You pull out Tiz the Law, I tell you, I am not afraid of any of the others. It’s the Derby. Twenty horses. We’ve seen it before.”

Caracaro has thrived with his training and racing in Saratoga, Delgado Jr. said, providing some perspective.

“He’s getting fitter, lighter. He had too much weight that he is losing progressively in a good way. He’s more fit. He’s more tight. Before the Peter Pan, you could tell in the paddock he was like this,” Delgado said, spreading his arms to illustrate width. “He looked way fatter than the other horses. He didn’t look fit in the Peter Pan.

He continued, “You realize that once you are in the paddock and you can turn to the other horses. Sometimes when you see them train, you see them every day, you don’t notice the difference. But once you are in the paddock and you look and compare them to the other ones, you are like, ‘Oh, he’s a little chubby.'”

Though Delgado Jr. was clear that Tiz the Law is the horse to beat in the Derby, he pointed to the reality that there are no guarantees in the sport.

“There is still a lot of time. They have a plane to catch,” he said. “Trust me, the pressure is on them. They have the best horse in the race. The pressure is on them.”

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A Most Unusual Saratoga Meet Set to Begin Thursday

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Even though he is healthy and enthusiastic, 91-year-old Gus Ziamandanis will not be able to attend his 70th consecutive opening day at Saratoga Race Course on Thursday, July 16. His quest for a remarkable personal milestone was stopped by New York State’s coronavirus guidelines that prohibit spectators at professional sporting events.

When he understood that it was unlikely that he would get into the grounds for the 10-race opener, Ziamandanis made a reservation for a table at Capital OTB’s Clubhouse Race Book in Albany, 33 miles south of the track. Capital OTB’s venue is close to Ziamandanis’s home in the Albany suburb of Colonie. While Ziamandanis, who played handball until the gyms were closed by the pandemic this winter, is disappointed that he won’t extend his streak, he is realistic.

“The way things are going today, you live with it. You just live with it,” he said. “Just like COVID, you live with it. It took away my handball. It took away this. It took away that. You live with it. What are you going to do?”

Ziamandanis and millions of other racing fans will watch from afar. Some, no doubt, as close as across the street at King’s Tavern or in other Saratoga-area bars and restaurants in this season like no other at America’s oldest racing venue. Concerned that people would congregate along Union and Nelson avenues to get a glimpse of the action from the sidewalks, Saratoga Springs city officials asked the New York Racing Association to install temporary coverings to block the view.

“The critical part of this meet is that we celebrate racing, but we celebrate it at home,” Saratoga Springs Public Safety Commissioner Robin Dalton said at a press conference. “The city cannot have people come to the track and try to watch racing.”

She continued. “In fact, we have asked NYRA to put up privacy fencing around the track so you won’t be able to see in, and they have been very cooperative and done that. That is for the collective safety of the community and also to make sure we can continue to celebrate racing this year and every year to come.”

The New York Racing Association’s 40-day meeting is the 152nd summer of Thoroughbred racing in Saratoga Springs and the first time without spectators. The inaugural season was held in 1863 on the Horse Haven track on the opposite side of Union Avenue from the now-historic site that opened the following year. This will be the 75th consecutive season of racing at the Spa since it reopened in 1946 following three seasons of Saratoga-at-Belmont meetings during World War II. The track was closed in 1896 when its nefarious owner Gottfried Walbaum was in a tussle with The Jockey Club over dates. In 1911 and 1912, the New York tracks did not operate due to a legislative crackdown in gambling.

This year’s Saratoga meet will feature 71 stakes worth $14.45 million, with 39 graded stakes and 18 Grade 1s, including the historic GI Runhappy Travers, this year a Kentucky Derby prep on August 8. For the second year in row, Saratoga will be closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. It will open with four racing days, and then run five days per week for six weeks before reaching its conclusion with a six-day week that ends on Labor Day, Sept. 7.

As has been the case for more than 60 years, the GIII Schuylerville S. for 2-year-old fillies is on the 10-race opening day program. The co-feature this year is the GIII Peter Pan S., a race for 3-year-olds normally run at Belmont Park as a prep for the Belmont Stakes. Both races will be staged over the new dirt track installed during the off-season.

Due to the pandemic, NYRA changed the look of the Saratoga stakes schedule and cut purses following the closure of many tracks and the rescheduling of the Triple Crown. The $1 million GI Runhappy Travers, a fixture near the end of the meet for decades, was moved ahead three weeks to Aug. 8, so it could be a stepping stone to the Kentucky Derby on Sept. 5 and the Preakness S. on Oct. 3.

The 1958 Travers was held on Aug. 9, but this will be the earliest running of the 1 ¼ miles race since it was held on August 5, 1916.

Jason Fitch and his brothers, Patrick and Adam, have operated the Saratoga City Tavern on Caroline Street downtown for 15 years. Six years ago, they took over King’s Tavern, which was previously only open during the racing season, and now is open year-round. Their bars were closed for three months during New York’s pandemic “pause,” but have been open since mid-June and now move into a racing season without fans. Like many other bars and restaurants in the city, the Fitch brothers’ taverns will feature Saratoga racing on their TVs. This week they expanded the patio area and added an outdoor television at King’s Tavern.

“It’s going to be definitely a different season,” Jason Fitch said. “Whatever happens, we’re going to embrace it. It’s still going to be Saratoga with the track and the horses running. Unfortunately, we won’t be able to walk across the street, go inside and enjoy a family day there. It’s definitely going to be a unique season, but I think the community is going to come together.”

Fitch said he has heard from customers who visit Saratoga for the races, and said some have told him they have scrapped their travel plans. Others, though, may drop in for a weekend.

“It’s just one year. Hopefully, everything is back to normal by next year,” he said. “Five years from now it’s going to be ‘remember that time when the track was closed?’ It’s going to be definitely a piece of history.”

On the almost-silent backstretch Wednesday morning , not far from a barn filled with empty stalls, veteran trainer John Kimmel described the atmosphere.

“Yesterday it felt like the first day after racing ended,” Kimmel said. “You know how it is? Everybody leaves and you come out here, there are a few horses on the racetrack, it’s nice and quiet and you go, ‘Wow, it’s really nice here.’ But to know that’s how it is before the meet has even started is kind of surreal. It certainly has lost the excitement and energy that you usually bring when you come here. You kind of get excited. Owners are all here. And the horses. The place is jumping with anticipation of a great racing season getting ready to commence. Right now, the trainers are just trying to cope with the situation.”

Ziamandanis, a first-generation American, was born and raised in Albany and the Navy veteran said he made his first trip to Saratoga in 1949.

“My sister’s in-laws came up from Long Island and I had a car,” he said. “My mother and father wanted to show them the Saratoga track, so I took them.”

Two summers later, Ziamandanis started what would become a seven-decade streak of making it to the track for the Saratoga opener. Thirteen U.S. Presidents have served during Ziamandanis’s run, which began on Monday, August 6, 1951. In those days, racing was prohibited on Sundays in New York. The downstate meet would end on Saturday and the Saratoga Association would open its 24-day season on Monday. The 1951 Spa opener drew a crowd of 16,692, the biggest following World War II. The horse named Vantage, ridden by Dave Gorman, won the first race by 4 ½ lengths.

In his early years as a fan, Ziamandanis said he came to the track with some of his buddies and stood at the end of the wooden grandstand built in the 1890s. A 700-foot extension was built in that area in the 1960s. As his plumbing, heating and air conditioning business based in Albany began to prosper, he was able to secure a table for the season in the clubhouse dining area. Ziamandanis has watched the track emerge from the doldrums and declining attendance of the 1950s and early 1960s and grow into one of the most popular and beloved tracks in the country. He has seen the stars, human and equine, who have made their way to Saratoga.

“I have a lot of memories there,” he said. “A lot of memories.”

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