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Eclipse Winner Caressing, Dam of Champion West Coast, Dies

Caressing (Honour and Glory–Lovin Touch, by Majestic Prince), the dam of Eclipse Award winner West Coast (Flatter), passed away due to laminitic conditions at Hermitage Farm Sept. 14. She was 23 years of age and was laid to rest between the paddocks and next to the foaling barn at the Kentucky nursery.

Bred by Brereton C. Jones, Caressing was purchased by Hermitage's Carl Pollard for $180,000 at the 1999 Keeneland September Yearling Sale and was a maiden winner at second asking before adding a seven-length victory in the Bassinet S. at River Downs. Runner-up in the GIII Arlington-Washington Lassie, the dark bay belied odds of 47-1 in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, giving young jockey John Velazquez the second of his 18 championship victories to date and securing the Eclipse Award. She added the GIII La Troienne S. and GIII Singapore Plate at three and retired in 2002 with five wins from 18 starts and earnings of $955,998.

The dam of GSP duo of Gold Hawk (Empire Maker) and Juan and Bina (Indian Charlie), Caressing produced a colt to the cover of Flatter in 2014. Ben Glass, agent for Gary and Mary West, had a budget of $350,000 when the colt went through the ring at Keeneland September in 2015, but Glass went to $425,000 for Caressing's eighth foal. Turned over to Bob Baffert, West Coast made up for lost time at three, winning the Easy Goer S. and the GIII Los Alamitos Derby before defeating each of the Classic winners from 2017–GI Kentucky Derby hero Always Dreaming (Bodemeister), GI Preakness S. winner Cloud Computing (Maclean's Music) and GI Belmont S. victor Tapwrit (Tapit) in the GI Travers S. His third-place effort to Horse of the Year Gun Runner (Candy Ride {Arg}) cemented the 3-year-old championship. Now standing at Lane's End, West Coast is represented by his first crop of yearlings this year.

Caressing's first live foal, My Goodness (Storm Cat) was a $475,000 KEESEP yearling and since her export to Japan has been responsible for Danon Kingly (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), winner of this year's G1 Yasuda Kinen, as well as Group 3 winner Danon Legend (Macho Uno) and SW Danon Good (Jpn) (Elusive Quality).

Caressing is the dam of the Pollard-owned 2-year-old colt Touch Code (Honor Code), in training at Saratoga with Bill Mott and a yearling colt by Gun Runner that also be retained.

WATCH: Caressing winning the 2000 BC Juvenile Fillies

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Champion Caressing, Dam Of Champion West Coast, Dies At Age 23

Champion Caressing passed on Sept. 14 at Hermitage Farm due to laminitic conditions.

She is buried at Hermitage between the paddocks next to the foaling barn, where she devoted so much time to watching future champions grow.

Caressing, a dark bay mare foaled in 1998, was purchased as a yearling for $180,000 on behalf of Carl F. Pollard. Sent into training with veteran trainer David R. Vance, Caressing was a winner in her second start as a 2-year-old and advanced in her third career race to the Bassinet Stakes, winning by seven lengths.

A 47-1 longshot in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, Caressing's victory solidified her as the recipient of the 2000 Eclipse Award as champion 2-year-old filly. She retired in 2002 with earnings of $955,998.

The highlight of Caressing's career as a broodmare came in 2014 with foaling season coming to a close with a bay colt by Flatter born on May 14.

Upon visit from Keeneland prior to the sale, Frankie Brothers remarked, “He's either going to blossom or he's going to go the other way.”

The son of Flatter flourished at the right time and caught the eye of Ben Glass, agent for Gary and Mary West, at the sale, despite his late foaling date.

“But I just loved this colt,” said Glass. “He was so charismatic and carried himself so well. He had such a fluid walk he would slink along like a panther. He had good size and a great big overstep on him.”

The price limit for Glass was set at $350,000, but he stretched to $425,000 to bring home Caressing's eighth foal from Hermitage Farm's consignment.

Appropriately named West Coast, the Flatter colt moved to Santa Anita Park under the care of Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert. He did not race at two and finally debuted in February of 2017, taking two starts to win.

West Coast skipped the Kentucky Derby and Triple Crown races entirely. However, he made a scene at Belmont Park on Belmont Stakes day in the Easer Goer Stakes, winning by 3 3/4 lengths. West Coast returned to California for the Los Alamitos Derby to score by 2 3/4 lengths.

The 3-year-old then traversed the U.S. again for the “Midsummer Derby,” the prestigious Grade 1 Travers Stakes, at Saratoga, where he soundly defeated all three classic winners: Always Dreaming (Kentucky Derby), Cloud Computing (Preakness Stakes), and Tapwrit (Belmont Stakes). Now considered one of the top colts in the three-year old division, West Coast made his next start in the G1 Pennsylvania Derby to win by 7 1/4 lengths.

Piloted by Mike Smith in his subsequent stakes victories, Smith admired, “He's just better than they are. As a matter of fact, he was getting bored.”

Closing out his 3-year-old campaign, West Coast faced older horses for the first time in the Breeders' Cup Classic and finished a strong third. He was then voted 2017 Eclipse Award champion 3-year old male.

West Coast's 4-year-old season ended winless in 2018, but his presence was still felt with runner-up finishes in the Grade/Group 1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational, Dubai World Cup, and Awesome Again Stakes. He retired following the 2018 Breeders' Cup Classic to Lane's End Farm. His first foals are yearlings of 2021.

Caressing's first foal, My Goodness by Storm Cat, has since become a prominent broodmare in the Japanese breeding Industry, producing colts Danon Kingly (Earnings: $4,469,755), Danon Legend (Earnings: $3,324,208), and Danon Good (Earnings: $1,231,688). Caressing's other black-type earners include Gold Hawk and Juan and Bina.

She has a 2-year-old son of Honor Code, named Touch Code, in training at Saratoga with Trainer Bill Mott for Carl F. Pollard, and a yearling colt by Horse of the Year Gun Runner who will be retained.

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Santa Anita’s Autumn Wagering Menu Includes Golden Hour Pick 4, Golden Hour Double

Santa Anita's 16-day Autumn Meet, which opens this Friday, Oct. 1, will again offer fans a comprehensive wagering menu that will complement a full schedule of world class racing. With four stakes slated for opening day, including the Grade 2, $200,000 Eddie D, which marks a return to sprinting at about 6 ½ furlongs down the Camino Real hillside turf course, interest is running high as horsemen will enter for a nine-race program on Tuesday morning.

Two popular wagers that combine races at Santa Anita and Golden Gate Fields, the $1 Golden Hour Pick 4, which features a low 15 percent takeout and the $5 Golden Hour Double, will be offered this Friday, Saturday and Sunday, resume on Oct. 22, 23 & 24 and on closing weekend, Oct. 29, 30 & 31, with the resumption of racing at Golden Gate. (Golden Gate will be dark for three weekends in mid-October during the Big Fresno Fair).

Walk-up admission is welcomed and in addition to betting on-track, fans have a variety of wagering options, including 1 ST.com/Bet, which can be downloaded free of charge at the App Store. In addition to Santa Anita's simulcast signal, all of the track's races will be shown live on TVG.

Santa Anita's popular 20 cent Rainbow Pick Six Jackpot wager, which consists of the final six races on each day's program, is again available, as is the low 14 percent takeout 50 cent Early Pick 5 and 50 cent Late Pick 5.

Providing there is no single ticket winner, the 20 cent Single Ticket Rainbow Pick Six is paid on a daily basis to those consolation tickets with the highest number of winning tickets. Thirty percent of the net Rainbow pool is then carried over to a jackpot pool on the next racing day. Should there be no perfect tickets through Oct. 30, there could be a massive jackpot pool leading into a mandatory payout on closing day, Oct. 31.

The $1 Stronach Five will be offered each Friday throughout the meet and will consist of a fast paced series of five races from Santa Anita, Gulfstream Park, Golden Gate Fields and Laurel Park. The Stronach Five is a one dollar minimum wager with a 12 percent takeout.

Santa Anita will also continue to offer $1 exactas, $2 rolling Daily Doubles, 50 cent rolling Pick 3's, an early 50 cent Pick 4, as well as 10 cent Superfectas on all races with a minimum of six runners.

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2021 AUTUMN MEET COMPLETE WAGERING MENU

–20 cent Rainbow Pick Six offered on the final six races each day

–The Stronach Five, a $1 minimum wager with a 12 percent takeout, offered each Friday

–Low 14 percent takeout 50 cent Early Pick 5, as well as 50 cent Late Pick 5

–$1 Golden Hour Pick Four, with 15 percent takeout

–$5 Golden Hour Late Double, with 15 percent takeout

–$2 Win, Place & Show wagering on each race, featuring the lowest takeout (15.43 percent) of any major racetrack in North America

–50 cent Trifectas on each race with a minimum of four scheduled starters

–10 cent Superfectas on all races with a minimum of six scheduled starters

–$1 Exactas on each race

— 50 cent Early Pick 4, which will be comprised of races two through five

–50 cent Late Pick 4, comprised of the final four races each day

–50 cent Mid Pick 4, available only when there are 11 or more races carded. In the event of an 11-race program, wager begins with Race 5

–Rolling $2 Daily Doubles

–50 cent Rolling Pick 3's, beginning with the first race each day

–$1 Super Hi 5, available on all races with seven or more declared starters, requires players to pick the first five finishers in exact order. If there are no perfect tickets with five winners, no consolation, 100 percent of the net pool is carried over to the next Super Hi 5 race.

For additional information regarding Santa Anita's 2021 Autumn Meet, please visit santaanita.com or call (626) 574-RACE.

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Kentucky Derby Museum: Free Kids Admission During Fall Break

Kentucky Derby Museum, located at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., is offering a Fall Break deal where children 12 and under receive FREE general admission on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays from September 29 – October 20. This window of time ensures all local school districts in the Greater Louisville area can participate – including southern Indiana schools.

Families will be able to enjoy a Historic Walking Tour of Churchill Downs; see “The Greatest Race,” the Museum's 360° media experience; and take part in a scavenger hunt. Guests can purchase lunch at the Derby Cafe Express and make it a fun day out for the entire family!

A parent or guardian must be present with children at all times. Adults and children 13+ will need to purchase a general admission ticket to enter. Groups of 5 or more children will be required to have 1 adult for every 5 children in the group.

Guests can go to DerbyMuseum.org/fallbreak to plan their visit. Tickets for parents, guardians, and students who are age 13+ may be purchased at the door or online. Children 12 and under get in for free at the door.

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