The Indiana Horse Racing Commission approved two additional 2020 racing dates for Indiana Grand at their regular monthly meeting Thursday, Oct. 1. The two dates will be included on the final week of racing, increasing the schedule to 92 days for Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse action and a total of 96 days overall, adding in four days dedicated to all-Quarter Horse racing.
The two additional dates added to the schedule will be Monday, Nov. 16 and Thursday, Nov. 19, which will become the new closing date for the 18th season of Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing at Indiana Grand. Post time for both days is 2:20 p.m.
“While the unprecedented COVID conditions have been difficult, our meet thus far has been a success by any measure,” said Eric Halstrom, vice president and general manager of racing at Indiana Grand. “With our total handle being up almost 60 percent over the same days in 2019, we're thrilled to add two additional racing days and more opportunities for our horsemen near the end of the meet.”
The two additional dates are expected to include both Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing.
Racing is held Monday through Thursday until Thursday, Nov. 19. All-Quarter Horse racing is set for Saturday, Oct. 3 and Saturday, Oct. 24. For more information, go to www.indianagrand.com.
Qatar Racing, Flurry Racing Stables and Big Aut Farms' Shedaresthedevil will take on older horses for the first time Sunday when she heads a field of six fillies and mares in the 65th running of the $400,000 Juddmonte Spinster (G1) going 1 1/8 miles on the main track.
Slated as the ninth race on Sunday's 10-race program at Keeneland, the Juddmonte Spinster is a “Win and You're In” race for the $2 million Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) to be run here Nov. 7. First post Sunday is 1:05 p.m. ET with the Juddmonte Spinster going at 5:45 p.m.
Trained by Brad Cox, Shedaresthedevil brings a three-race win streak into the Juddmonte Spinster highlighted by her 15-1 upset in the Kentucky Oaks. Prior to that race, she won the Indiana Oaks (G3) by 5 lengths to mark her second Grade 3 victory of 2020.
Florent Geroux, who has been aboard for Shedaresthedevil's past three starts, has the call Sunday and will break from post position three. Geroux won the 2016 Juddmonte Spinster on I'm a Chatterbox.
Emollient in 2013 is the most recent 3-year-old to win the Juddmonte Spinster.
Chief among Shedaresthedevil's challengers is Karen Eggert and Paul Eggert's Ollie's Candy, who has raced exclusively in Grade 1 company in 2020.
Trained by John Sadler, the 5-year-old Ollie's Candy enters the Juddmonte Spinster off a runner-up effort in the Clement L. Hirsch (G1) at Del Mar, a race she won in 2019. Sunday's race will mark her third venture outside California this year, having posted a runner-up finish in the Apple Blossom (G1) at Oaklawn Park in April and a third, beaten a neck, in the Ogden Phipps (G1) at Belmont in June.
Joel Rosario has the mount and will break from post position two.
The field for the Juddmonte Spinster, from the rail out with riders and weights, is: Saracosa (Martin Garcia, 124 pounds), Ollie's Candy (Rosario, 124), Shedaresthedevil (Geroux, 121), Our Super Freak (Brian Hernandez Jr., 124), Valiance (Luis Saez, 124) and Lady Kate (Tyler Gaffalione, 124).
Fasig-Tipton has cataloged 1,553 yearlings for its Kentucky October Yearlings Sale, to be held on Oct. 26-29, in Lexington, Ky.
The four continuous sessions, conducted on Monday-Thursday, will begin each day at 10 a.m.
“This is the strongest group of yearlings we have ever offered at Kentucky October,” said Fasig-Tipton president Boyd Browning. “This spring, a significant number of sellers decided that they would target October with many of their top yearlings. Buyers will find tremendous quality here, no matter what their budget.”
This year's catalog cover features recent sale graduates British Idiom and Gretzky the Great, both Grade 1 winning 2-year-olds. British Idiom captured the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies and Grade 1 Alcibiades Stakes on her way to being named Eclipse champion 2-year-old filly of 2019. Gretzky the Great recently won the G1 Summer Stakes on Sept. 20 — his second consecutive stakes win this year – to establish himself as one of the top 2-year-olds in the country.
The catalog may now be viewed online, and will also be available via the equineline sales catalogue app. Print catalogs will be available on-site in Lexington approximately one week before the sale, as well as from Fasig-Tipton's regional offices and national representatives at that time.
Online bidding and phone bidding services will be available to buyers.
In this continuing series, we take a look ahead at US-bred and/or conceived runners entered for the upcoming weekend at the tracks on the Japan Racing Association circuit, with a focus on pedigree and/or performance in the sales ring. Here are the horses of interest for this weekend running at Chukyo and Nakayama Racecourses, the latter of which plays host to Sunday’s G1 Sprinters’ S., the first of 13 fall Group 1s in Japan and featuring US-breds Mozu Superflare (Speightstown) and Mr Melody (Scat Daddy):
Saturday, October 3, 2020 4th-CKO, ¥13,400,000 ($127k), Newcomers, 2yo, 1800m PARADISUM (c, 2, Medaglia d’Oro–Taste of Heaven {Aus}, by Encosta de Lago {Aus}) is the third foal from his dam, a full-sister to G1SW sire Manhattan Rain (Aus) and SW/G1SP stallion Echoes of Heaven (Aus); as well as a half-sister to the legendary Redoute’s Choice (Aus) (Danehill), G1SW Platinum Scissors (Aus) (Danehill) and GSW Sliding Cube (Aus) (Rock of Gibraltar {Ire}), the dam of ‘TDN Rising Star’ and successful young stallion Rubick (Aus) (Encosta de Lago {Aus}). The female family also includes Group 1 winners Shoals (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), Hurricane Sky (Aus) (Star Watch {Aus}) and Umatilla (NZ) (Miswaki). Noted Australian bloodstock agent James Harron signed the ticket on then 3-year-old Taste of Heaven at A$1.5m (US$1.389m) during the Teeley Assets Reduction at the 2014 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale. Paradisum was bought back on a bid of $235K at Keeneland November in 2018 before hammering for $400K at last year’s KEESEP sale. The Jan. 31 foal is inbred 4×4 to Fairy Bridge, the dam of the full-brothers Sadler’s Wells and Fairy King. B-Elevage II LLC (KY)
8th-NKY, ¥14,300,000 ($136k), Allowance, 3yo/up 1200m SUI (f, 3, Candy Ride {Arg}–Eltimaas, by Ghostzapper) was tried over 1800m and 1400m in her first two career starts with limited success, but proved easily best when scoring by four front-running lengths over this course and trip Mar. 22. The half-sister to champion sprinter and Japanese-based sire Drefong (Gio Ponti) was a $300K KEESEP acquisition and was successfully resold for $675K at last year’s OBS March Sale. Eltimaas, a half-sister to champion Action This Day (Kris S.), was purchased by Machmer Hall for $77K in foal to Mizzen Mast at KEENOV in 2013. B-Machmer Hall, Carrie & Craig Brogden (KY)
Another one for Lyle Hewitson as he goes coast to coast on 6. SUI (Candy Ride x Eltimaas (Ghostzapper)) at Royal Nakayama in Race 2pic.twitter.com/8IVzq9sGim
11th-CKO, Sirius S.-G3, ¥68m ($644k), 3yo/up, 1900m CAFE PHAROAH (c, 3, American Pharoah–Mary’s Follies, by More Than Ready) assumed the mantle as Japan’s top 3-year-old dirt horse earlier this year with victories in the Listed Hyacinth S. in February and in the G3 Unicorn S. (see below, gate 16) in June, both at Tokyo, and with it locked up the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby. But he stubbed his toe when a well-beaten seventh to Danon Pharaoh (Jpn) (American Pharoah) in the Listed Japan Dirt Derby in July and resumes against his elders here. A $475K graduate of last year’s OBSMAR sale, Cafe Pharoah is a half-brother to ‘TDN Rising Star’ Regal Glory (Animal Kingdom), who recently padded her resume with a win in the GIII Kentucky Downs Ladies’ Turf S. Cafe Pharoah gets the services of Christophe Lemaire. B-Paul P Pompa Jr (KY)
as he goes coast to coast on 6. SUI 
(Candy Ride x Eltimaas (Ghostzapper)) at Royal Nakayama 
in Race 2