Horse racing news | Horse Racing Free Tips

Baffert Pointing Life Is Good to Sham

Two-year-old sensation and ‘TDN Rising Star’ Life Is Good (Into Mischief) will likely make his next start in the GIII Sham S. on Jan. 2 at Santa Anita, reports trainer Bob Baffert. The one-mile event carries a purse of $100,000.

“If all is going well, it looks like the Sham will be his next race,” Baffert said. “It will give me a chance to stretch him out. Then I will decide on what’s next and look at races like the Rebel at Oaklawn.”

Owned by WinStar Farm and the China Horse Club, Life Is Good was purchased for $525,000 at the 2019 Keeneland September Sale. He made his debut Nov. 22 at Del Mar and instantly stamped himself as a contender for the 2021 Triple Crown with a 9 1/2-length win in which jockey Mike Smith never appeared to ask the horse for his best. His final time for the 6 1/2 furlongs was 1:15.50 and he earned a 90 Beyer figure.

In the first round of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager, Life Is Good was the top choice after the “all others” option. He closed at 5-1, putting him ahead of Essential Quality (Tapit). The winner of the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and the likely 2020 champion 2-year-old male, Essential Quality closed at 8-1.

Baffert noted that his 2020 GI Kentucky Derby winner Authentic (Into Mischief) also won at first asking during the Bing Crosby meet at Del Mar before winning the Sham in his second career start.

“You can’t get an allowance race for these horses to fill around here,” Baffert said. “I ran Authentic in the Sham last year after he broke his maiden at Del Mar. The Sham looks like a logical spot.”

Baffert said he is looking forward to finding out more about Life Is Good.

“He’s got a great sire and they way he ran was impressive,” he said. “He’s got raw talent like American Pharoah and Justify. I think Authentic had that raw talent, too. But he was just immature at the time. This horse gives us something to get excited about, but they’ve got to go two turns first. I didn’t know how good American Pharoah was until he did it.”

Should Life Is Good make it to the Kentucky Derby, he will be in position to give Baffert his third win in the race over the last four years and his fourth since 2015. With six Derby wins, he is tied with Ben Jones for most by a trainer.

“I train for all the big guys, like WinStar,” he said. “I’ve made it to point where these people send me good horses and that makes my job easier. And we’ve figured out what to do with them when we do get a good one.”

The post Baffert Pointing Life Is Good to Sham appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Keeneland January to Include Dispersal of Pompa Stock

Keeneland will offer 39 horses in the Complete Dispersal of the late Paul P. Pompa Jr.–including Turned Aside (American Pharoah), winner of Saturday’s Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship S., and additional 2020 Grade III winners Country Grammer (Tonalist) and Regal Glory (Animal Kingdom)–during the 2021 January Horses of All Ages Sale, to be held Jan. 11-14. Lane’s End will serve as agent for the consignment, which consists of broodmares, foals of 2020, horses of racing age and broodmare or stallion prospects. The January Sale catalog is scheduled to be online at Keeneland.com on Dec. 8.

“Mr. Pompa’s industry involvement was admirable on every level,” Lane’s End Sales Director Allaire Ryan said. “He was dedicated to and ever enthusiastic about his investments as a breeder, owner and fan. He created strong relationships around a lifelong passion and never wavered from his philosophy to do right by his stock and enjoy the sport. The success of his breeding and racing operations is a direct result of his daily involvement with trainers, farm staff, agents and caretakers alike. We have valued the opportunity to care for his horses at Lane’s End and will be proud to stand behind his offerings at the January Sale.”

Eight mares in the Pompa Dispersal are in foal to Connect, a Grade I-winning son of Curlin who raced for Pompa and stands at Lane’s End.

Among the horses cataloged in the dispersal are these broodmares and foals of 2020:

Mary’s Follies, a Grade II winner by More Than Ready who is the dam of multiple graded stakes winners Night Prowler and Regal Glory as well as 2020 Japanese multiple Group 3 winner Cafe Pharoah.
A colt by Connect-Mary’s Follies foaled in 2020.
Sustained, a Grade III-placed daughter of War Front who is the dam of Turned Aside and is in foal to Connect.

These fillies of racing age:

Off Topic, a Grade I-placed 4-year-old filly by Street Sense.
Regal Glory, a Grade II-winning 4-year-old and ‘TDN Rising Star’ who has earned $773,884. Winner of the GIII Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf S. in her most recent race, Regal Glory also won the GII Lake Placid S. and GIII Lake George S. at Saratoga along with the Penn Oaks and Stewart Manor S.

These colts of racing age:

Country Grammer, a 3-year-old son who won this year’s GIII Peter Pan S.
Spirit Maker, a 2-year-old colt by Empire Maker who won his career debut Saturday at Aqueduct by 1 3/4 lengths.
Turned Aside, a 3-year-old colt who won the GIII Quick Call S. at Saratoga in July and captured Saturday’s Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship by 1 1/4 lengths. He has four wins in nine starts with earnings of $241,967.

“We have great respect for Paul–as a horseman, businessman and person–and were so saddened by his passing. Keeneland is honored to be given the responsibility of presenting the Pompa Dispersal,” Keeneland President-Elect and Interim Head of Sales Shannon Arvin said.

The post Keeneland January to Include Dispersal of Pompa Stock appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Too Darn Hot’s Sister Unwrapped at Newcastle

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Tuesday’s Insights features a full-sister to MG1SW Too Darn Hot (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}).

2.40 Newcastle, Novice, £5,300, 2yo, 10f 42y (AWT)
DARLECTABLE YOU (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) is the seventh foal out of the Lloyd-Webber’s remarkable Dar Re Mi (GB) (Singspiel {Ire}) and a full-sister to the 2018 chief juvenile Too Darn Hot (GB) and high-class racemares So Mi Dar (GB) and Lah Ti Dar (GB). John Gosden gets the April-foaled daughter of the triple Group 1 winner out before the end of the year at the track at which he introduced Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) at almost exactly this date four years ago and which also played host to the fellow Clarehaven stars Palace Pier (GB) (Kingman {GB}), Stradivarius

(Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) and Lord North (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}). Greeting her on her bow is another notably-bred individual in Godolphin’s Bandinelli (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), a Charlie Appleby-trained full-brother to the dual top-level scorer Old Persian (GB).

3.10, Newcastle, Mdn, £6,300, 8f 5y (AWT)
FIREWORKS (FR) (Kingman {GB}) was possibly named after the effect he had on the Arqana Deauville August Yearling Sale when selling as the third-highest-priced lot and second-highest-priced colt for €850,000 to Amanda Skiffington. Set to debut in the colours of Fiona Carmichael, the William Haggas-trained bay is out of a full-sister to the G2 Lancashire Oaks and G3 Prix Minerve winner Pomology (Arch) and a half to the Grade I performer Sassy Little Lila (Artie Schiller).

The post Too Darn Hot’s Sister Unwrapped at Newcastle appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Rising Star Jack Sisterson Brings Fond Memories Back To Gulfstream Park

Trainer Jack Sisterson will participate in the Championship Meet at Gulfstream Park for the first time this season, but he certainly is no stranger to the historic Hallandale Beach track.

The 35-year-old former assistant to trainer Doug O'Neill will bring fond memories of his 2016 travels with Nyquist to Gulfstream Park, where Reddam Racing's colt captured the $1 million Florida Derby (G1), as well as a $1 million bonus, on his way to winning the Kentucky Derby (G1) at Churchill Downs six weeks later.

“That was a start of a long successful happy journey. I traveled everywhere with him — thanks to Doug and Paul and Zilla Reddam for the opportunity. The goal was the Florida Derby all along because he was in the Florida Sale the year before and Fasig-Tipton offered a $1 million bonus,” Sisterson said. “The whole plan was to focus on the Florida Derby and prep him at Keeneland for the Kentucky Derby.”

Sisterson, who was also a member of 2012 Kentucky Derby and Preakness (G1) winner I'll Have Another's travel team for O'Neill and the Reddams, was hired as a private trainer for Calumet Farm in 2018 and has returned to South Florida with a stable of 20 horses at Palm Meadows, Gulfstream Park's satellite training facility in Palm Beach County.

“We've grown as the years go on with slightly better stock. We're bringing some nice 2-year-olds-turning-3-year-olds that we'd like to put on the Triple Crown trail, as well as some nice grass horses that Palm Meadows gives you options to train on the grass,” Sisterson said. “We put those things together and decided to try Florida this year.”

The 2020-2021 Championship Meet will get under way Wednesday, and Sisterson is scheduled to saddle his first official Gulfstream starter, Everfast, for Thursday's featured Race 6, a mile starter allowance for 3-year-olds and up. Everfast, who finished second in the Holy Bull (G2) at Gulfstream and second in the Preakness Stakes (G1) at Pimlico in 2019 while trained by Dale Romans, is rated second in the morning line at 7-2 behind West Will Power, the 8-5 favorite who is coming off back-to-back victories at Monmouth for trainer Kelly Breen.

“We're hoping to get off to a fast start,” Sisterson said.

Since saddling his first starter for Calumet in July 2018, Sisterson has won 41 races from 331 starters.

“I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Calumet. It's humbling to be able to train for an outfit that's so historically well known in the industry and all the success that they've had,” Sisterson said. “We'd like to get Calumet back to where they once were back in the prime days. I think we definitely have the stock this year to have our best year yet with the likes of Vexatious. We've got a couple of unraced 2-year-olds that we think are potential Derby types for next year. It's definitely a program that I'm very fortunate and humbled and honored to be involved with.”

Sisterson's career highlight thus far came during the 2020 Saratoga meeting when Vexatious provided him with his first Grade 1 success by capturing the Personal Ensign (G1).

“I can't give enough credit to the staff that I have in the barn because they are the ones who do all the hard work,” he said. “Just winning a race anywhere is a thrill, let alone a race at Saratoga, let alone a Grade 1 at Saratoga. That was pretty special.”

Sisterson maintains a year-round stable at Keeneland, and the native of Durham, England now considers Kentucky home. He first ventured to Kentucky after receiving a soccer scholarship from the University of Louisville.

“I was fortunate to be offered a scholarship and being able to do two things I loved. One thing was soccer and one was horse racing. I started hot-walking for Todd [Pletcher] in the summers,” Sisterson said. “That was my introduction to the racing side in America, working for Todd.”

In addition to some promising young stock, Sisterson's stable at Palm Meadows will include several veterans of the racing wars. True Timber, who finished eighth in the Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) last year while trained by Kiaran McLaughlin; Bon Raison, who finished off the board in the Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) at Keeneland; Bandua, a graded-stakes winner who is scheduled to make a comeback after a year's absence, as well as Vexatious, will be based at Palm Meadows.

The post Rising Star Jack Sisterson Brings Fond Memories Back To Gulfstream Park appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post