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Liam’s Map Pair Set To Duke It Out in Ack Ack

Stonestreet Stables' 'TDN Rising Star' Beau Liam (Liam's Map), unbeaten in three starts in the lower grades, takes a steep rise in class as he squares off with the well-traveled Rushie (Liam's Map) in Saturday's GIII Ack Ack S. at Churchill Downs. Each could book a ticket to this year's GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, won in spectacular fashion by their sire at Keeneland in 2015.

The homebred turned in a freakish effort on debut, sitting off a quick pace, cruising past the front-runners under a hold and scampering home by 7 1/2 lengths en route to his 'Rising Star'. The bay was never given a breather in a loaded first-level Saratoga allowance July 17, but battled on bravely to best the talented Witsel (Nyquist) by a nose and backed that up with a six-length success in an Aug. 29 allowance at the Spa. He stretches out to Churchill's one-turn mile Saturday, the same course and distance over which his dam Belle of Perintown (Dehere) won the 2002 Pocahontas S.

Rushie ran with credit along the Triple Crown trail in 2020, finishing third in the GI Santa Anita Derby in early June and in the GII Toyota Blue Grass S. the following month before striking from just off the pace in the GII Pat Day Mile on the Kentucky Derby undercard Sept. 5. Seventh to Knicks Go (Paynter) in the Dirt Mile, he has yet to get his picture taken in four tries this term, but has run well, including placings in the Apr. 10 Oaklawn Mile and in the GII Charles Town Classic Aug. 27 over a nine-furlong trip that is beyond his best.

South Bend (Algorithms) has taken just one of his last 16 starts, but he is unbeaten in two outings around one turn beneath the Twin Spires, having graduated at first asking over six furlongs before adding the Street Sense S. at the track and distance in 2019. He returns to the dirt off unplaced efforts on the turf at Saratoga in August and last month at Kentucky Downs.

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Chance It Retired To Journeyman Stud In Florida

Florida-bred Chance It, a winner of two of the three legs of the prestigious FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes in 2019 at Gulfstream Park, has been retired and will stand the 2022 breeding season at Brent and Crystal Fernung's Journeyman Stud in Ocala, Fla.

“We're excited to stand Chance It here at Journeyman next year,” said Journeyman's Brent Fernung. “He is a beloved Florida-bred racehorse that displayed tons of talent. Had he not got injured, I'm sure he would have annexed at least one Grade 1 stake before he was finished. Chance It won from six furlongs to a mile and a sixteenth and showed indications that he would have won going further. It'll be a pleasure to work with Mary and her entire team.”

Chance It was trained by Saffie Joseph Jr. for Shooting Star Thoroughbreds, a syndicate managed by Mary Lightner of Ocala, Fla.

Chance It won the $100,000 FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes Dr. Fager over six furlongs by 3 1/4 lengths on Aug. 3 of 2019 before dominating the $400,000 FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes In Reality two starts later in September, winning the 1 1/16-mile test by 7 1/4 lengths. He was also second, missing by just a head to Liam's Lucky Charm, in the $200,000 FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes Affirmed going seven furlongs on Aug. 31.

By Currency Swap out of Vagabon Diva, by Pleasantly Perfect, Chance It started his sophomore campaign with victory in the $100,000 Mucho Macho Man on Jan. 4, 2020 at Gulfstream Park, achieving a Beyer Speed Figure of 99 while defeating stakes-winner As Seen On Tv and future graded stakes-winner Sole Volante.

In four starts this year, Chance It was second twice including a runner-up performance in the Grade 3 Smile Sprint over six furlongs at Gulfstream Park on July 3 and third in the G1 Forego going seven furlongs at Saratoga on Aug. 28 while earning a 97 Beyer. He was retired after his final start in the G2 Kelso at Belmont Park on Sept. 25 when he suffered a minor injury to his left front leg.

Chance It, who was bred in the Sunshine State by Bett Usher, finished his career with four wins, four seconds and a third in 11 lifetime races while earning $583,330.

The handsome bay colt will join a stellar stallion roster at Journeyman Stud that includes Khozan, the leading sire in Florida in 2020 and 2021; St Patrick's Day, who is a full-brother to Triple Crown winner American Pharoah; and Mr. Money, a winner of four graded stakes as a 3-year-old.

Chance It's fee for the 2022 breeding season has not been announced.

The post Chance It Retired To Journeyman Stud In Florida appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Ohio Fall Mixed Sale To Take Place Oct. 15

The Ohio Thoroughbred Breeders and Owners (OTBO) Mixed Sale is scheduled to kick-off at the Delaware County Fairgrounds just outside of Columbus, Ohio on Friday Oct. 15 at 2:30 p.m. Eastern.

Breeders, owners and consignors have come together to catalog 94-plus total entrants, making this OTBO sale the largest in several years. The complete catalog can be found at otbo.com.

The greatest portion of the catalog is populated with future stars of the Ohio-racing program (both accredited and registered), with 51 total Ohio-bred yearlings, 16 juveniles and 11 weanlings offered. The Ohio-bred yearlings offered are highlighted by hot Kentucky-based stallions such as Dialed In, Liam's Map and first crop sire Army Mule, and Ohio-based stallions such as Itsmyluckyday, National Flag, Fort Larned and 2020 Ohio Stallion of the Year, Mobil.

The offerings include “lucky” Hip 13, Storm of Nineteen, a 2-year-old registered Ohio-bred filly by Get Stormy that is a half-sister to the great Ohio stakes fixture, Altissimo, who himself is a 10-time stakes winner (nine in Ohio and one in open company); Hip 17, Be True, a multiple stakes- producing mare by Shakespeare that is in foal to the late Ohio-stallion Danza, and Hip 18, her yearling Ohio-bred filly by Mshawish.

Hip 28, a 2-year-old colt by Oxbow that is a half-brother to perhaps the most famous recent Ohio bred (now a stallion), Rivers Run Deep, is another with historic ties. Hip 60 is an acccredited Ohio yearling colt by Awesome Patriot who is the sire of Bella Sofia, a four-time winner of over $542,000 this year including the Grade 1 Longines Test Stakes and most recently the G2 Gallant Bloom Handicap at Belmont Park on Sept. 26.

“The overall talent offered in this OTBO Mixed Sale catalog will almost certainly bring similar energy seen at the Keeneland Sept Yearling Sale,“ said Ohio-based bloodstock agent Tony Fischbach of Donnybrook Bloodstock. “The quality of this year's Ohio-bred yearlings is well-above what we've seen in recent years…which shows the commitment of Ohio's breeders to breed better and better racehorses.”

In recognition of the growing success of the OTBO sale, a new race has been created. The inaugural edition of the OTBO Sales Graduate Stake will be run on March 5 at Mahoning Valley Racetrack. The race is open to all Ohio-bred/accredited 3-year-olds who passed through any sale from 2019 forward, including the 2-year-olds entered this year. The purse is an estimated $50,000 and will be six furlongs.

Online bidding will be available. For more information and a full catalog, visit otbo.com.

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Knicks Go Lays Over Field in Lukas Classic

The inaugural running of the GIII Lukas Classic in 2013, contested as the Homecoming Classic, was won handily by the previous year's GI Breeders' Cup Classic hero Fort Larned (E Dubai), who would go on to finish a hard-trying fourth in defense of his Classic title five weeks later. This year's renewal goes through Korea Racing Authority's Knicks Go (Paynter), who is expected to cement his status as the favorite for the championship day feature Saturday afternoon.

An imperious winner of last year's GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile over a Keeneland main track that played to his strengths, the Maryland-bred wired the GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational S. in January to earn a trip to the $20-million Saudi Cup. A tiring fourth over the one-turn, nine-furlong configuration at King Abdulaziz in February, he failed to fire in the GI Met Mile H., also around a single bend June 5, and got the confidence boost he needed with a 10 1/4-length romp in the GIII Prairie Meadows Cornhusker H. going a two-turn mile and an eighth July 10, good for a career-best 113 Beyer. When Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil) elected not to match motors with him in the GI Whitney S. Aug. 7, Knicks Go was loose on the lead and set an aggressive pace, but had plenty to offer late in besting Maxfield (Street Sense) by 4 1/2 solid lengths.

Beaten at odds-on in the GI Woodward S. and GI Jockey Club Gold Cup last season, Tacitus (Tapit) was a non-threatening fourth in last year's Classic and makes his first start since a seventh in the Saudi Cup. He looks to be training forwardly at Saratoga for this return to action.

Independence Hall (Constitution) popped a career-best 104 Beyer when finishing three lengths adrift of Knicks Go in the Pegasus and was most likely in need of the run when fifth to GI Awesome Again S. hopeful Tripoli (Kitten's Joy) in the GI TVG.com Pacific Classic over the Classic course and distance first off a four-month layoff Aug. 21.

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