Tag: Horse Racing

Bellavia Retired To Pleasant Acres Stallions In Florida

Pleasant Acres Stallions is pleased to announce the arrival of Bellavia (Honor Code / Glacken's Gal, by Smoke Glacken) – who will stand in Florida for the 2022 breeding season for a $2,500 fee.

Bellavia's female line has proven exemplary in each generation. His first dam, Glacken's Gal (Smoke Glacken / Lady Diplomat, by Silver Deputy) broke her maiden in her first attempt and two months later won the $100,000 Astoria Stakes (Listed) at Belmont.

A talented athlete on the track, Glacken's Gal has truly shined as a broodmare. She produced Live Lively who, after earning $280,300 racing, foaled Indian Miss – the dam of millionaire champion male sprinter and multiple Grade 1 winner Mitole and the upcoming Breeders' Cup Classic contender and millionaire Grade 1 winner Hot Rod Charlie.

Bellavia's second dam, Lady Diplomat, by Silver Deputy, produced almost $1 million in progeny earnings with nine winners from 12 starters, including three black type winners. His third dam, Mercedes Miss, by Carr de Naskra, produced stakes winner Missme and multiple black type-placed winners. His fourth dam, Kermis, by Graustark, produced 11 winners from 13 starters and more than $1.2 million in progeny earnings – including two black type winners and one black type placer.

“At Pleasant Acres Stallions, we are always searching for the most impressive sire lines to bring to our Florida breeders,” said Joe Barbazon. “Bellavia is by champion dual Grade 1-winning Honor Code and is not only the first Honor Code to stand in Florida, he is the second Honor Code to date to stand anywhere. His commanding presence and impressive build is just like his sire and his grandsire A.P. Indy.”

Bellavia's sire, 2015 champion older horse Honor Code (A.P. Indy / Serena's Cat, by Storm Cat) averaged $345,943 per start in 2015, with career earnings of more than $2.5 million and a record of 6/2/2 from 11 starts. He is a multiple Grade 1 winner and is from the last crop by A.P. Indy.

Honor Code won the G1 Metropolitan Handicap (112 Beyer), the G1 Whitney Stakes (113 Beyer), the G2 Gulfstream Park Handicap and the G2 Remsen Stakes He is the ninth horse in history to win the Met Mile and the Whitney in the same year and still holds the third-highest Beyer (112) up to a mile in 2015. Max Player, by Honor Code, is a 2021 Breeders' Cup Classic contender.

Bellavia joins stallions Amira's Prince, Breaking Lucky, Bucchero, Curlin's Honor, Gunnevera, Handsome Mike, Long On Value, Neolithic, No Never No More, Ride On Curlin, and Sweetontheladies, at the 220-acre farm located just northwest of Ocala.

Pleasant Acres Stallions has received many accolades for excellence, including 2017 Florida Freshman Sire of the Year for Poseidon's Warrior, 2017 DRF Florida-bred Beyer Award, 2009 Florida Breeder of the Year, 2009 Florida Broodmare of the Year, Breeder of the 2009 Florida Horse of the Year, and was ranked third in the nation for leading breeders in 2009 by average earnings per starter with 10 or more starters.

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Mr Speaker Sold To Forks Of The Paluxy Farm In Texas

Grade 1 winner Mr Speaker has been purchased by Lori and Mark Collinsworth and will be relocating to their Forks of the Paluxy Farm in Bluff Dale, Texas for the 2022 breeding season.

“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to stand a horse of Mr Speaker's caliber in Texas,” said Mark Collinsworth. “He was a very talented racehorse, and he is off to a great start in his stallion career with a number of stakes horses already to his credit. With the creation of new Texas-sired stakes races this year and the purse increases we have seen recently in Texas, we are thrilled to offer a stallion with his proven credentials to Texas breeders.”

Mr Speaker is currently represented by four Northern Hemisphere crops of racing age. His top progeny to date includes Grade 1 winner Speech, who annexed the Grade 1 Ashland Stakes at Keeneland as a 3-year-old, and impressive 2021 juvenile stakes winners Speaking and Ironstone. From just 135 foals of racing age, Mr Speaker has produced average earnings of over $47,000 per starter.

A multiple graded stakes winner on dual surfaces, and an earner of over $1.2 million on the racetrack, Mr Speaker won six of his 18 careers starts and finished on the board 11 times in his career. His career highlight came in his 3-year-old season, winning the G1 Belmont Derby over an internationally renowned field that included eight graded stakes winners. In addition to his Grade 1 win, Mr. Speaker added graded stakes victories in the G2 Commonwealth Cup at Laurel Park, the G3 Lexington at Keeneland, and the G3 Dania Beach at Gulfstream Park.

Mr Speaker is from one of the last crops by sire-of-sires Pulpit and hails from a deep Phipps Stable pedigree. Out of the Unbridled mare Salute, Mr Speaker is a half-brother to Grade 3 winner Fire Away. His second dam is the undefeated, Hall-of-Fame member Personal Ensign.

Mr Speaker will stand for $5,000.

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Equibase Analysis: Good Effort The One To Catch In Vosburgh

Saturday's Grade 2, $250,000 Vosburgh Stakes is a “Win & You're In” for the Breeders' Cup Sprint. Although only drawing a field of five, there is not one horse entered who is without a chance to succeed. Since the group is small, I'll dispense with the normal listing of their qualifications and cover all five horses in detail.

Good Effort (IRE) has won eight of 29 career races, all on turf or all-weather. However, he has run big races on dirt, specifically when missing by a neck in a 13 horse field this past March in the Group 3 Mahab Al Shimaal Stakes in Dubai on a left handed course like the one at Belmont. Overmatched in the Group 1 Dubai Golden Shaheen Stakes after that, Good Effort (IRE) rebounded to miss by three-quarters of a length in a group 3 stakes in the U.K. after making the lead and holding on until very late in the race. Overmatched once more in the Group 1 Darley July Cup Stakes and the Group 2 King George Qater Stakes, the latter run at five furlongs on grass, Good Effort (IRE) rebounded to lead from start to finish in a very fast six and one-half furlong race in France on all-weather last month.

From January through November 2020, Good Effort (IRE) won four straight races, in three of the four making the lead shortly after the start and easily holding the front to the end. Adding blinkers to insure he does the same as in Europe and Dubai, considering he earned very consistent ™ Equibase® Speed Figures of 108 to 110 in his top efforts, Good Effort (IRE) has a shot to surprise the local contingent and win this year's Vosburgh Stakes in front running fashion.

Following Sea cuts back from seven furlongs to six furlongs which may be the key to a top effort. He finished third and well behind the top two finishers in the Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial Stakes in August, but those two horses (Jackie's Warrior and Life is Good) both won their next starts in top stakes company. Before the Jerkens, Following Sea finished third when trying two-turns for the first time in the Grade 1 Haskell Stakes, an irrelevant experiment in my opinion. Prior to the Haskell, Following Sea won easily by six and one-half lengths at Belmont and prior to that he won by five and three-quarter lengths at this six furlong trip, earning a career best 110 ™ figure good enough to win this race. Cutting back to his best distance gives Following Sea a good shot to do just that and he's another likely to be a bit ignored in the wagering compared to others in this year's Vosburgh.

Firenze Fire is likely to be favored on the strength of his big effort at the end of August in the Grade 1 Forego Stakes. In the Forego, Firenze Fire went head-and-head with eventual winner Yaupon for the final quarter mile, even trying to bite his foe multiple times in the stretch run. That effort earned a strong 112 figure, similar to the 113 figure earned two races before that when second in the Grade 2 John A. Nerud Stakes at Belmont. Winner of the 2020 Vosburgh with a 116 figure, Firenze Fire shows up with his “A” game nearly every time he runs and must be respected as a contender.

Baby Yoda is one of two three year olds in the field, the other Following Sea. He is the most lightly raced horse in the group, having run four times, but he has improved markedly in each race, starting with an 84 figure effort, then 91, then 97 and finally 111 in his most recent race. That most recent effort on September 4 was visually impressive as Baby Yoda easily drew off to a four and one-quarter length victory. Trainer Bill Mott knows this young horse still has improving to do and that is why he puts him in a stakes race for the first time, as that 111 figure matches up well with the 112 figure Firenze Fire earned in the similar Grade 1 Forego Stakes one week before Baby Yoda's last win.

Jalen Journey has won eight of 16 career races including three of nine at this six furlong trip. All four of his stakes tries in the U.S. were excellent efforts, starting with a runner-up effort in the Grade 3 Smile Sprint Stakes in June 2019 in which he led late and missed by less than a length to a top sprinter in Diamond Oops. Since returning from Dubai in May of this year, Jalen Journey has finished first or second in all four races, most recently when crossing the line second but moved up to first in the Grade 3 Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash Stakes when the winner was disqualified for interference. That effort earned a 108 figure and just prior to that Jalen Journey earned a career-best 111 figure, another effort on par with the best of this group

Top Win Contenders:
Good Effort (IRE)
Following Sea

Vosburgh Stakes – Grade 2
Race 5 at Belmont Park
Saturday, October 9 – Post Time 2:45 PM E.T.
Six Furlongs
Three Years Olds and Upward
Purse: $250,000

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Racing’s Future In The Spotlight During Virtual IFHA Conference

Thursday featured the launch of the 55th International Conference of Horseracing Authorities, organized by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA). Held virtually for the second consecutive year, the 2021 Conference examines global racing's evolution and future challenges. The Japan Racing Association (JRA) is the official partner of this year's Conference.

Video of the International Conference of Horseracing Authorities is available on the IFHA's website and social media platforms. Podcasts of the speakers are also available.

The keynote speech was given by incoming IFHA Chair Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, who was recently elected as the new head of the Federation following Louis Romanet's retirement. Following his speech, the Conference featured panels on digitalization and media; equine welfare; and climate change and sustainability. The Conference concluded with a tribute to Romanet, who is retiring after 27 years as Chairman and who was appointed to the honorary position of Chairman Emeritus effective Oct. 4, 2021.

“The 55th International Conference of the IFHA comes at a most significant time for our sport and the world,” said Engelbrecht-Bresges. “We face major macro challenges arising from the pandemic and climate change. More than ever, we must work together and harness the wealth of talent and expertise within our membership to not only face these challenges, but ensure that our sport thrives in the short, medium, and long term.

“This Conference gives us the opportunity to look forward at some key parts of the IFHA's strategy for the future. We are fortunate to have world-class speakers sharing their insights regarding digitalization and media, equine welfare, climate change and sustainability.”

Guest speakers at this year's Conference included Michael Mulvihill, executive vice president, head of strategy and analytics at FOX Sports; Jamie Stier, chair of the IFHA Horse Welfare Committee and Racing Victoria's executive general manager, integrity services; Di Arbuthnot, the chief executive for Retraining of Racehorses (RoR) and chair of the International Forum for the Aftercare of Racehorses (IFAR); and Allen Hershkowitz, a founding director and chairman of Sport and Sustainability International and environmental science advisor to the New York Yankees. Respected presenter Rishi Persad returned this year to serve as moderator.

The first International Conference of Horseracing Authorities was organised and hosted by the Société d'Encouragement in Paris, France, on October 9, 1967. Since 1994, the annual conference has been organised by the IFHA at France Galop. In 2019, the Conference convened delegates from more than 50 different countries with a number of other racing executives and media members in attendance. Historically held the day after the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (G1), the Conference transitioned to a virtual format in 2020 as the result of COVID-19.

About IFHA

The IFHA is the global leader for the international sport of Thoroughbred racing, seeking to promote all facets of the worldwide sport; protect the welfare of the equine and human athlete; and protect and grow its global social and economic significance for current and future generations.

Major areas of the IFHA's activities include:

  • Making and amending the International Agreement on Breeding, Racing and Wagering (the IABRW)
  • Policy development relating to welfare and safety of horses and riders
  • International Race Planning and Grading (“black type”)
  • World Rankings
  • The fight against Equine Prohibited Substances and Practices
  • Harmonization of Racing Rules
  • Certification of IFHA Reference Labs
  • Promoting commercial development of the racing industry globally

The IFHA is a foundation member with Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) of the International Horse Sports Confederation and is affiliated to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE).

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