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Mott Leaning Toward Running Frank’s Rockette Against Males In Sprint

Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott worked a trio of Breeders' Cup contenders, including Tacitus, Channel Maker and Frank's Rockette at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., over the weekend, as well as Horologist on the Oklahoma training track on Friday at Saratoga Race Course in upstate New York.

Wachtel Stable, Gary Barber, R.A. Hill Stable and Reeves Thoroughbred Racing's multiple Grade 1-winner Channel Maker worked inside of Juddmonte Farms' multiple graded-stakes winner Tacitus Saturday on Big Sandy though a half-mile in 48.71 seconds, reaching five eighths in 1:01.2 and out six furlongs in 1:15.

“They went well. It was a very useful work and I'm happy enough with them,” said Mott.

Channel Maker secured his fourth Grade 1 win last out with a stellar front-running performance in the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic on October 3. That performance matched the career-best 108 Beyer Speed Figure earned by Channel Maker in the Grade 1 Sword Dancer on August 29 over soft going at Saratoga.

Channel Maker will be making his third attempt at the 12-furlong Grade 1 Breeders' Turf, and Mott said he is cautiously optimistic of his chances.

“There's a lot of them that don't get that,” said Mott with a laugh regarding a Breeders' Cup win. “His last couple of races have been good. We'll know a lot more after pre-entries tomorrow about how he looks in there.”

Channel Maker's other Grade 1 scores were secured in the 2018 Turf Classic Invitational and 2019 Man o' War at Belmont.

The regally bred Tacitus, a 4-year-old Tapit grey who boasts a record of 14-4-4-3 with more than $2.9 million in earnings, is out of the champion mare Close Hatches.

Tacitus captured the Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby and Grade 2 Wood Memorial last year and added the Grade 2 Suburban to his ledger in July at Belmont. He will enter the Breeders' Cup Classic in search of a first Grade 1 win after hitting the board in the Kentucky Derby, Runhappy Travers and Jockey Club Gold Cup as a sophomore and this year in the Woodward and Jockey Club Gold Cup where he was a last-out third.

Frank's Rockette, owned by Frank Fletcher Racing Operations, worked a half-mile Sunday in 49.42 in company with unraced 3-year-old filly Strings Attached on the Belmont dirt training track.

“It was a good, even work. We wanted to go in 49 and that's about what we did. It was a nice, useful work,” said Mott.

The Into Mischief filly posted a 7 3/4-length victory in the Grade 2, $150,000 Gallant Bloom last out at Belmont to mark her fourth consecutive triumph and third straight graded score following wins in the Grade 3 Victory Ride in July at Belmont and the Grade 2 Prioress in September at Saratoga.

While Frank's Rockette is under consideration for the Grade 1, $1 million Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint at seven furlongs on November 7 at Keeneland, Mott said he is more than like to enter the speedy filly against the boys in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Sprint, which offers a potentially more favorable distance of six furlongs.

“Right now, were thinking about the Sprint,” said Mott.

There's A Chance Stable, Parkland Thoroughbreds, Medallion Racing and Abbondanza Racing's New Jersey-bred Horologist breezed a bullet five-eighths Friday in 1:00.61 on the Oklahoma training track.

“She worked super,” said Mott. “She is coming around nicely. Her last win was good.”

The 4-year-old Gemologist bay captured the Grade 2 Beldame last out on October 4 at Belmont and is to be supplemented to the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Distaff.

A multiple graded-stakes winner, Horologist captured the Grade 3 Monmouth Oaks last year and added Monmouth's Grade 3 Molly Pitcher to her ledger in July.

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Arqana Sales Reworked Due to New French COVID Policy

France extended its curfew measures from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. to other parts of the country, including Deauville, for the next six weeks on Thursday, with another two week extension a possibility as COVID-19 cases increase. The curfew will not affect the Arqana Autumn Sales with Flat yearlings Nov. 14 and Nov. 16-18 with horses-in-training, stores and NH-bred yearlings. However, the Arqana December Breeding Stock Sale, which normally features a mix of Flat and National Hunt breeding prospects, broodmares and foals, has been retooled, as its sessions normally finish outside of the allowed time window. The Dec. 5-8 sale will now only include Flat fillies, broodmares and foals. The National Hunt mares and foals have instead been moved to the inaugural National Hunt Breeding Stock Sale at Deauville on Nov. 19, allowing British and Irish buyers the opportunity to make the most of a single trip to France. For more information on the new sale and the rest of the upcoming French sales, please visit www.arqana.com.

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Strength In Numbers And Quality: Brown Expected To Pre-Enter 13 Horses In Seven Races

Four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown worked a number of his baker's dozen of Breeders' Cup contenders over the weekend on both dirt and turf at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

Brown said he will pre-enter in seven Breeders' Cup events: the Filly & Mare Turf [Sistercharlie, Rushing Fall, My Sister Nat and Nay Lady Nay]; Mile [Raging Bull, Uni, Digital Age]; Distaff [Dunbar Road]; Dirt Mile [Complexity], Juvenile [Reinvestment Risk]; Juvenile Fillies Turf [Editor At Large]; Juvenile Turf [Public Sector]; and Turf Sprint [Front Run the Fed].

“I think our group is representative of the diversity of our team, being able to work with any kind of horse,” said Brown, who has won 15 Breeders' Cup events. “This is the time to showcase not only your horses but your team's ability to get to the championship day for various owners out there to see.”

Klaravich Stables' Complexity, last out winner of the Grade 2 Kelso at Belmont, worked a half-mile solo in 48.81 Sunday on Big Sandy after missing a work last week.

“He worked this morning and worked great,” said Brown of the 2018 Grade 1 Champagne-winner. “He will be pre-entered tomorrow as long as he comes out of it well.”

A number of notables breezed on the Belmont inner turf Sunday led by Rushing Fall and Sistercharlie, who worked five-eighths in 1:01.85.

Rushing Fall, a five-time Grade 1-winner, captured the Grade 1 Diana last out on August 23 at Saratoga. Sistercharlie, a seven-time Grade 1-winner, was fourth last out in the Flower Bowl in just her second start of the season. Both mares will be retired following the Breeders' Cup.

“They're both training great. Rushing Fall has been a model of consistency all year in works and racing,” said Brown. “Sistercharlie got started a little later than we wanted and was clearly a little rusty and out of form in her first start. In her second start, much improved and we decided to skip the Flower Bowl and go fresh.

“So far, that decision, based on her morning works, is clearly the right one,” added Brown regarding Sistercharlie. “Her last two workouts have been her best two workouts of the year, I thought. She continues to train up to the race the right way.”

My Sister Nat and Nay Lady Nay worked in company in 50.66 as they look to step up against their well-regarded stablemates.

Michael Dubb, Head of Plains Partners, Robert LaPenta and Bethlehem Stables' reigning Champion Turf Female Uni worked five-eighths in company with Domestic Spending in 1:02.58.

“She worked well. I had her in 1:01 and change,” noted Brown, who advised that Domestic Spending is targeting the nine-furlong Grade 1 Hollywood Derby.

Digital Age [1:02.02] worked in company with Analyze It [1:02.05] through five panels.

Klaravich Stables' maiden winner Public Sector, second last out in the Grade 2 Pilgrim at Belmont, and Peter Brant's maiden winner Editor At Large, third last out in the Miss Grillo at Belmont, worked in company in 1:02.69.

Brown said Public Sector would benefit from an expected stronger pace in the Juvenile Turf.

“He's an improving horse. His maiden win was super impressive at Saratoga,” said Brown. “In the Pilgrim, he got caught in a pace less race. He was really out of sorts that way. He needs some pace to run at. He would be better in a larger field and I like the cutback for him to a mile on a tighter track with even more going on in front of him.

“I'll pre-enter Editor At Large in the Juvenile Fillies Turf,” added Brown. “She worked exceptional today and I want to try and get her in the race if we can.”

On Saturday, Reinvestment Risk, runner-up to Jackie's Warrior in both the Grade 1 Runhappy Hopeful and Grade 1 Champagne, worked a half-mile in 48.20 inside of maiden Miles D on the Belmont main.

“I wanted to make share he kept his attention to business and it worked out really well,” said Brown regarding the rail-skimming work. “He went with a promising maiden – Miles D – and they went well together. He's doing well and we're going to go on to that race [Juvenile].”

Brown said Reinvestment Risk will appreciate the Keeneland main track after a disappoint effort in the Champagne last out at Belmont when 5 ½-length in arrears to a runaway Jackie's Warrior.

“I just don't think he cared for the track particularly at Belmont that day,” said Brown. “That said, the winner was super impressive and it's hard to imagine anyone beating him even if he loved the track that day.

“He's come back and worked well and I think he'll appreciate a different surface at Keeneland,” added Brown. “I have a feeling that track will play a little more like Saratoga.”

Peter Brant's Grade 1 winner Dunbar Road, third last out in the Grade 2 Beldame at Belmont, worked five-eighths Saturday in 1:01.85 on the main track towards her second attempt at the Distaff following a fifth last year.

“Dunbar Road went solo yesterday and she worked well and came out of it well. She's on target for the Distaff,” said Brown.

Klaravich Stables' multiple Grade 1-winner Newspaperofrecord worked a half-mile in 48.40 Sunday on the Belmont main in preparation for a start in the Grade 1 Matriarch, a one-mile turf event on November 29 at Del Mar.

“She did a beautiful half mile on the dirt. She looked great,” said Brown.

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Yearling Sales Season Concludes with Fasig-Tipton October

LEXINGTON, KY – The curtain comes down on a most unusual yearling sales season with the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October Sale which begins its four-day run in Lexington Monday at 10 a.m. The auction will be following up on a record-setting 2019 renewal which saw new high marks for average and–from its largest-ever catalogue–gross, and will be held over four days for the fourth straight year as it continues to build its reputation as a must-attend auction for both buyers and sellers.

“This sale has been so good to us almost since we’ve been doing business here,” said consignor Peter O’Callaghan of Woods Edge Farm. “It’s a great savior for one that misses its window at Keeneland, whether it doesn’t quite make the cut at Keeneland and then does well in the meantime and comes back here, it can stand up well and get sold. For a horse that misses his date for some other reason, it’s proved to be a great outlet for them. So I love this sale. I absolutely have no fears of bringing any nice horse here, whether it be an expensive foal or a homebred.”

On a chilly, overcast day at Newtown Paddocks Sunday, O’Callaghan said traffic has been good at the barns through two days of showing.

“We had quite a good day here Saturday,” O’Callaghan said. “I think we had over 70 cards, which is pretty good for here, certainly on a Saturday. And we are tipping our way along quite nicely today. You always look to see some more faces that we haven’t seen yet, but they always seem to arrive here late, whether it’s today or tomorrow morning. You very much have to play it out until the last minute. A lot of the action happens at this sale at the last minute. There are a lot of horses to get around, so we don’t fully know where we stand yet.”

Of the make-up of the shoppers he has seen, O’Callaghan said, “There has been a mix of end-users and pinhookers. You’d always like to see more end-users, but there are a lot of pinhookers here. There are even some of the Irish pinhookers here, that will always be good for the sale.”

He continued, “But like most years here, the top 10% of this catalogue will sell very well and after that it will be touch and go as to what happens to the rest. It definitely trends that way every year. If you’re lucky enough to get one or two at the top end of what’s here, you’ve a good chance of doing well. And if you don’t, you might struggle a little bit.”

Watching the action from Denali Stud’s Barn 1 Sunday, Craig Bandoroff said he expects the prevailing polarization in the marketplace to continue this week in Lexington.

“I’m sure everybody is saying the same thing,” Bandoroff said. “They are going to look at 1,500 horses and decide which 150 they really want. I expect the polarization will be as severe as it’s been any time this year. That would be my guess. There was a period at Keeneland [September Yearling Sale] where it did pick back up and the middle market surfaced. But there was a period where there was none. It was either you got them sold at a price you were happy with or there was the bottom. There was nothing in between.”

Derek MacKenzie of Vinery Sales did find reasons to be optimistic about a potentially more competitive middle market at the October sale.

“I have been actually pleasantly surprised with the market this year,” MacKenzie said. “It’s better than I thought it would be. The depth of the domestic market was better than I thought it would ever be. Keeneland Books 5 and 6 were better than they’ve been in the last three or four years probably and Timonium was better than it had been, too.”

Buyers continue to be selective in their bidding, but sellers can be rewarded above expectations for yearlings who meet all the criteria.

“They have to do three things–and you’ve heard this a million times–they have to be by the right sire, they have to look great and they have to vet absolutely spotless,” MacKenzie said. “If you do hit those three things, you do great. And if you don’t have those three things, you’re in big trouble. You’re scratching and going racing or going to the 2-year-old sales or you’re just letting them go for what they bring.”

In all, 1,008 yearlings sold at the 2019 October sale for a total of $38,258,900. The average was $37,955 and the median was $13,000. A colt by Candy Ride (Arg) topped the auction when selling for $560,000. He was one of 13 yearlings to sell for $300,000 or over.

Last year’s renewal of the October sale has already produced Grade I-winning juveniles Gretzky the Great (Nyquist), who captured the GI Summer S., and Simply Ravishing (Laoban), victress of the GI Darley Alcibiades S.

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