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Bloodlines: Art Collector Preserves Greentree Stud Lineage

With a stylish 3 1/2-length victory over leading 3-year-old filly Swiss Skydiver in the Grade 2 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland on July 11, Art Collector has moved into a position as one of the leading classic prospects of 2020 and is unbeaten in three consecutive races.

Actually, the handsome bay has finished in front in each of his last four races, stretching back to a blowout victory in a Nov. 30 allowance at Churchill Downs. After winning by 7 1/2 lengths, however, Art Collector was subsequently disqualified for the presence of a prohibited substance.

Transferred to trainer Tom Drury after that, Art Collector has continued his march to excellence with allowance victories this season on May 17 and June 13 at Churchill Downs, then skipped down I-64 to test those very positive-looking results against graded stakes company at Keeneland.

Never farther back than third in the 13-horse field, Art Collector had the lead at the stretch call and widened away from his competition to win in 1:48.11. Swiss Skydiver held second by 4 3/4 lengths from Rushie, and the form rather emphatically places Art Collector in the hunt for Kentucky Derby in September.

Bred in Kentucky by Bruce Lunsford, Art Collector races for his breeder. In taking his fourth official victory from eight starts, Art Collector became the first stakes winner for his dam, the Distorted Humor mare Distorted Legacy. She won three races at three and four, including the Sky Beauty Stakes at Belmont, and more importantly, Distorted Legacy was also second in the G1 Flower Bowl.

Distorted Legacy is one of two stakes winners out of the Private Account mare Bunting, who was second in the G1 Alcibiades Stakes. This is a family that performed nobly for decades at Greentree Stud and that got its start in the States with the importation of the Prince Bio mare Bebop, a half-sister to Oaks winner Sun Cap (Sunny Boy). Bebop herself had been third in the Nassau Stakes at Goodwood.

Bred to Greentree's Horse of the Year Tom Fool, Bebop's first foal was Bebopper, the first of eight consecutive fillies out of the dam, including stakes-placed Stepping High (No Robbery), the dam of multiple stakes winner and leading sire Buckaroo (Buckpasser). Bebopper did the most good for Greentree, however, with the major winners Stop the Music (Hail to Reason) and Hatchet Man (The Axe).

Stop the Music won the Dwyer and the Saratoga Special, then inherited the 1972 Champagne after Secretariat sort of intimidated him during the stretch run. Hatchet Man was later maturing than his half-brother but won the Dwyer at three, then also the G1 Widener and Haskell at five.

These were Bebopper's third and fourth foals; the mare's 11th foal was Flag Waver (Hoist the Flag), who won the 1983 Rampart Handicap at four and is the third dam of Art Collector. Flag Waver's first foal was stakes winner Abidjan (Sir Ivor) and her sixth was stakes-placed Bunting, the second dam of the Blue Grass winner.

Lunsford bought into this family with the acquisition of Bunting as a 3-year-old filly in training at the 1994 Keeneland November sale for $500,000. Bunting's first foal for Lunsford was the Storm Cat horse Vision and Verse. A rangy bay, Vision and Verse didn't win a lot of races but had a lot of class, winning the G2 Illinois Derby and finishing second in the G1 Belmont Stakes and Travers, third in the Jockey Club Gold Cup. The horse earned more than $1 million and went to stud in Kentucky at Hill 'n' Dale Farm.

Bunting had a trio of black-type daughters, and the best of these was Distorted Legacy. Her sire, Distorted Humor, threw some speed into this very classic family, and even so, the best distance for Distorted Legacy was 10 to 12 furlongs. In addition to a good second to Stacelita in the Flower Bowl at 10 furlongs, Distorted Legacy was fourth, beaten a length for the victory, in the Breeders' Cup Filly Turf.

So there should be little concern about Art Collector's ability to handle the 10 furlongs of the Derby, and this colt is following the well-worn path of improvement laid down by Horse of the Year A.P. Indy and so many of his descendants, with good to reasonable form late at two, then radically accelerating improvement at three.

This is a classic colt winning a classic prep in the proper style, and he appears to be a potential masterpiece for the owner, trainer, and family.

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Ellis Updates COVID-19 Protocols

Ellis Park Racing & Gaming has increased track and racing protocols/testing requirements, effective immediately. All jockeys and valets must have a negative COVID-19 test result taken prior to being admitted to Ellis Park. Once a negative test is reported, they will not need additional testing unless they leave the local area, Kentucky or ride/race at another racetrack.

All backside entrants, including jockeys who do leave the local area or the state of Kentucky after their initial test, will be required to provide a negative COVID-19 test result taken within 48 hours before being re-admitted to Ellis Park.

All ship-ins will be directed to the receiving barn/assigned stall and horsemen directed to the receiving barn may not enter any other area of the barn area except the track kitchen for carry-out food only. Same day result testing is available in the Henderson area, however, appointments must be made in advance. For more information or a reservation, visit www.firstcareclinics.com or call 270-854-3196.

For more information about Ellis Park’s new cleaning and safety protocols, please visit www.ellisparkracing.com.

The post Ellis Updates COVID-19 Protocols appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Thoroughbred Idea Foundation Forms Wagering And Integrity Issues Steering Committee

The Thoroughbred Idea Foundation (TIF) announced Tuesday the formation of the Wagering and Integrity Issues Steering Committee, which will include members from its current directors and beyond. This panel will guide TIF's approach to advocating for change within North American racing's wagering operations and topics related to improving integrity on behalf of all racing participants, but specifically horseplayers.

The members of the Wagering and Integrity Issues Steering Committee are:

Michael Beychok
Amy Brantley
Marshall Gramm (TIF Board)
Candice Hare
Jonathon Kinchen
Mike Maloney
Paul Matties (TIF Board)
Tom Reynolds (TIF Board)
Nick Tammaro
Maury Wolff

“Issues related to wagering and integrity impact all stakeholders in racing and there has been little evolution on this front in the face of major industry consolidation over the last two decades. We have assembled a tremendous group to help advance our work and I am thankful that they see the value in our vision, the past two years of advocacy, and want to help us spur action on these matters across the industry,” said Patrick Cummings, TIF Executive Director.

TIF also announced the addition of Michael Levy to its Board of Directors. Levy is the founder and president of Muirfield Insurance, a full-service equine insurance agency based in Lexington, Kentucky. Along with wife Meg, they own and operate Bluewater Farm and Bluewater Sales.

Throughout his career, Levy has served on a variety of industry boards, including the American Graded Stakes Committee, Breeders' Cup and Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association.

“Mike brings a lifetime of experience to our board, and with it, a willingness to think outside-the-box. He is keenly aware of the challenges of racing's business model as an owner-breeder and is also an avid horseplayer. We are fortunate to have his support,” said TIF founder and board chairman Craig Bernick.

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Alex Sausville ‘Looking Forward To The Experience’ In Racing Office At Colonial Downs

When horses break out of the starting gate July 27 for the season's first race at Colonial Downs, Alex Sausville will add another check mark to the long list of tracks at which he has seen live racing. The New Kent, Virginia, oval will mark number 70. And when you add in his visits to tracks that have been shuttered, mothballed or are gone completely, the list grows to around 135. Pretty impressive for someone who is just 24 years old.

Sausville, who grew up outside of Saratoga in upstate New York, won't just savor the action as a fan. He has been able take his intense passion for racing and turn it into a budding career. This summer, he will be working in the racing department at Colonial Downs. He made a key connection last fall when he met Colonial's Vice President of Racing Operations Jill Byrne on Breeders' Cup weekend at Santa Anita. Byrne offered him a position during the 2020 meet and he arrived in New Kent two weeks ago.

Come Monday when the track opens for training, he will be a backstretch “gap” attendant every morning during training hours — overseeing the flow of equine traffic on and off the track, to and from the barn area. During the races, he will help insert Equibase timing system chips into each horse's saddle towel as an assistant paddock judge. And in between, he'll do anything else that is needed or asked of him.

“I expect to have some long days but am looking forward to the experience,” he said.

Sausville didn't grow up in a racing family, but his family had a lot of interest in the races given his proximity to Saratoga.

“I'd go to the races and simulcast rooms with my father, uncle, and godfather pretty much every Friday and Saturday when Saratoga was racing,” he said. “We did doubleheaders those days — Thoroughbreds in the afternoon and harness, which was right across the street, at night.”

Sausville enjoyed everything about racing and thought about a career in the field but didn't know how to go about it. After high school, he attended St. John Fisher College in Rochester for four years where he played basketball and got a degree in Marketing. After graduating, he heard about the University of Arizona's Race Track Industry Program (RTIP) from Gulfstream track announcer Pete Aiello and decided to pursue the opportunity.

He ended up spending the next 1 1/2 years in Tucson taking courses in racetrack management, racetrack marketing and animal sciences among others. Students in the program get valuable hands-on experience interning at nearby Rillito Park — the birthplace of Quarter Horse racing — which has an annual six-week winter meet.

The combination of classwork and experience — and treks across the country to visit racetracks — came together quite nicely for him.

“I realized this is what I wanted pretty quickly after I got out there,” he recalled. “The last two years have been the best of my life, from when I started there, to when I graduated from there (in December), to being able to visit tracks and gain new experiences. I loved so much of it and still love every second of it.”

Sausville's fascination with traveling to tracks around the country started eight or nine years ago though.

“I had already been to Keeneland, Belmont and Saratoga at that point, but the next place I visited was Beulah Park in Columbus. It was on its last legs. It was down to its final few race days left. There weren't more than a dozen people in the place the day I was there. It was dusty and dirty. But you could visualize how nice the place was at one time. There was an air to it. I said to my family, if there are other places like this around the country, I want to see them.”

Future track trips would sometimes be as a family, as father and son, and on other occasions, solo. On one trip, he drove from school in Tuscon to New York and visited eight or nine different tracks on the way east. With help from RTIP's Wendy Davis and Mike Weiss, he set up meetings at each with graduates of the program and with former guest speakers they had.

“I found there's such a comradery among everyone. I got to see so many alumni from the program and meet people that all had a common ground. It was great to see the passion that brings everyone together. I grew up watching races from the rail with my dad. This gave me the chance to see racing from the inside.

“I'm trying to learn bits and pieces of everything,” he added. “When you watch racing as a fan, you see some of those bits and pieces. When you get into it more, you see all the avenues it takes — working hands on with the horses, working the sales, breeding. I spent five months helping foal out mares — something I never thought about doing when I was 16 or 17.”

Sausville was asked about some top highlights from his travels.

“Arlington was great,” he replied. “I went to the Million and had an amazing time. Saratoga is my home and I sometimes get spoiled with it. Fairmount Park in Illinois stands out. I was there on a Saturday night when they had an 8:30 PM post time. The place was packed. They ran for lower purses but the crowds were jammed in along the rail. Same with Rillito,” he continued. “They didn't run for a lot of purse money there. Maiden special weight races went for $1,000. But when the horses came down the stretch, people were three- and four-deep at the rail screaming. At every track, there is an experience that separates each one from the other.”

Sausville estimates he has visited between 55 and 57 closed racetracks.

“There is an element about seeing a closed venue. I love seeing what is left. I love the history of racing.  It's what drew me into visiting. I went to Alabama and visited the Birmingham Turf Club.  It was a mecca at one time, but just never made it. To see it was amazing. It's gorgeous to see what they built it for. They had been running greyhounds most recently but aren't any more since the pandemic hit. To see that element of the past is just really exciting to feel it and experience it.”

Garden State Park, Great Lakes Downs and Pinnacle are some of the tracks he has been to that did not survive.

“At Detroit Race Course, there is nothing left,” he said. “It's just a couple of warehouses now. In other places, you can still see the grandstand or the track. Everybody in the industry started somewhere and has experiences. Take a place like Woodlands in Kansas City. Nobody knows what's going on with it now but there are 10 people that started their careers there and had some of the best times of their professional lives there. I've heard some amazing stories about some amazing places and they are all genuine. I don't know if I would have heard these unless people knew I had that level of interest.”

Before arriving at Colonial Downs, Sausville worked for five months at the 2,200-acre Stone Farm in Paris, Kentucky. After the Colonial meet ends, he will head back to Kentucky but instead of a farm, he'll be based at Keeneland to help prepare for this year's Breeders' Cup. Working at Colonial though completes a “full circle” type experience.

“I've always loved watching races on TV and certain simulcast signals would catch my eye,” he recalled. “Colonial was one of them. One of my favorite horses won the 2012 Virginia Derby. I remember watching Silver Max win it upstairs at the Saratoga harness track on a small, dirty simulcast screen. Now eight years later, I get to look out at that beautiful turf course in person every day. It's amazing to realize where I came from and where I am now.”

Colonial's Jill Byrne could not be happier with where Sausville is now.

“I met Alex initially at Breeders' Cup last year where he was working for Dora Delgado in the racing department. I knew if he was Dora-approved he had to have all the necessary qualities for a future in racing operations! Then I got to see Alex in action at the RTIP Symposium and it was even more obvious that he has the drive, knowledge and passion to learn everything about the racing industry and be a positive addition to our team at Colonial Downs. Alex is going to be a major force in horse racing's future.”

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