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Honor Roll Presented By Breeze Up Consignors Association: Mr. Monomoy’s Global Trek

Mr. Monomoy's pedigree and race record are about as American as they come, but his time with Willie Browne's Mocklershill Stud in Ireland set the gears in motion to realize his potential stateside.

The son of Palace Malice is a half-sibling to champion Monomoy Girl, but the probable future Hall of Famer hadn't begun to tap into her true star power by the time her younger brother went through the ring as a weanling at the 2017 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale.

He was purchased by Fir Grove Farm for $60,000 as a weanling-to-yearling pinhook prospect, but Willie Browne of Mocklershill Stud said the colt wasn't ready for primetime. Mr. Monomoy was entered in the 2018 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, but he was withdrawn before going through the ring.

“He was a nice foal, a little dipped in the back,” Browne said. “We brought him back to Keeneland as a yearling, having had the big update with Monomoy Girl. I thought I didn't have a home run. He looked backward and there was no interest in him.”

Browne had no other option but to bring the colt back to Ireland and train him toward a breeze up sale in Europe. He was pointed toward the Arqana May Breeze Up Sale, but the road to the French sale continued to have twists and turns.

“He was quite difficult to train in the first couple of months, having nagging problems such as sore shins,” Browne said. “Consequently, he had a short preparation for the Arqana Sale. He worked exceptionally well in the two weeks leading up to the sale.”

Mr. Monomoy sold to Mandore International Agency for 180,000 Euros (US$202,230), and he was returned stateside. He debuted later that year for owners Madaket Stables, Built To Win Stable, and Doheny Racing Stable. Michael Dubb would eventually buy in on the horse, as well.

The colt broke his maiden by 5 1⁄2 furlongs in his second start as a juvenile, and he continued to improve at three with a third in the Grade 3 Lecomte Stakes. His final start was his most important, going wire-to-wire and drawing off to win the G2 Risen Star Stakes by 2 1/2 lengths.

Mr. Monomoy is currently standing his first season as a stallion at Waldorf Farm in North Chatham, N.Y.

Though he was offered in a European sale, Browne said he was not surprised that Mr. Monomoy became successful as a U.S. dirt runner. The horseman said about 15 of the 85 to 90 horses he acquired in Mr. Monomoy's class were born or purchased in the U.S., making the transition back to the home turf a logical one.

There are numerous recent examples of prominent U.S. runners who were sold as juveniles at the European breeze up sales; a list that includes Preakness Stakes winner War of Will, G2 Fountain of Youth Stakes winner Ete Indien, and Grade 3 winners Outburst and Vitalogy.

The post Honor Roll Presented By Breeze Up Consignors Association: Mr. Monomoy’s Global Trek appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Possible Suitors for Arlington Park, But Will Churchill Sell to a Racetrack Operator?

With the track having been put up for sale and with parent company Churchill Downs Inc. failing to commit to a meet after this year's season, Arlington Park's days may be numbered. But there may be a flicker of hope. Mike Campbell, the president of the Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association, told the TDN that he knows of a number of companies and individuals interested in buying the track and keep it open for racing.

“There is interest, for sure, from different parties that wish to keep it just as a racetrack,” Campbell said. “They're interested in developing part of the property and keeping the rest of it for live racing. There has been interest from multiple parties.”

Campbell declined to disclose just who was interested in buying the track.

The picture for Arlington became bleak when Churchill failed to apply for a casino license in 2019, saying in a release that it would be “financially untenable” to have a casino at the track. It is widely believed that Churchill does not want a casino at Arlington because it would siphon away business from its successful casino in nearby Des Plaines, Illinois. In February, the track took another step toward extinction when Churchill announced that it was putting the property on the market.

Campbell said those interested in buying the track have only begun the process.

“It hasn't evolved past the point of conversations, discussions,” he said. “There has been nothing in depth.”

At deadline for this story, Arlington General Manager and Senior Vice President Tony Petrillo had not returned a call seeking comment.

Though Campbell said he was a bit more optimistic about Arlington's future than he was before hearing from potential buyers, he said he is afraid that Churchill will not sell the property to anyone wishing to keep racing there. When asked why he had come to that conclusion, he pointed to recent comments made by CDI's CEO Bill Carstanjen. In a recent conference call with shareholders, Carstanjen said: “We will conduct racing in 2021 at Arlington while moving forward with the transaction to sell this highly desirable land for other non-horse racing mixed used options.”

One individual, who asked to remain anonymous, said his group had reached out to Churchill in hopes that they could begin negotiations to buy the track, only to be rebuffed.

“We reached out to them as a group of horsemen to see if they would allow us to pursue buying the track for pari-mutuel racing only and were told that Churchill had no interest in talking to us,” the source said.

When announcing that the track was being put up for sale, Carstanjen made no mention of it possibly remaining as a racetrack.

“Arlington's ideal location in Chicago's northwest suburbs, together with direct access to downtown Chicago via an on-site Metra rail station, presents a unique redevelopment opportunity. We expect to see robust interest in the site and look forward to working with potential buyers,” Carstanjen said in a statement.

Campbell estimated that the property, which sits on 326 acres 30 miles northwest of downtown Chicago, was worth about $125 million. “It's worth a lot less than people have been led to believe,” Campbell said.

Campbell said he could not speculate why Churchill might refuse to sell the track to anyone wishing to keep it open and running for horse racing, but he remained pessimistic that the property would be sold to anyone committed to racing.

“It would do them no harm and it would not put them at a competitive disadvantage if there continued to be racing at Arlington Park beyond 2021,” he said. “There would be no competition for their casino. Gamblers who gamble on slot machines and table games, they are a different breed from horseplayers. The frustrating part for those of us who want to save this historical, iconic racetrack is the fact that everything you can glean from this speaks to Churchill wanting to not allow even racing there. That's baffling to me.”

The 2021 meet is scheduled to end Sept. 25.

Churchill management has released statements that raise the possibility that they will want to keep a racing license in the possibility that they could open a racino somewhere else in the state. Campbell said he was not optimistic that a new track would be built.

If Churchill goes ahead with its current plans, racing in the Chicago area would be down to just one track, Hawthorne. Hawthorne is obligated to also hold a harness racing meet, which means the opportunity to run Thoroughbreds there is limited.

“Arlington Park is a wonderful institution that's been part of our society for almost 100 years and I'm afraid they're going to run a bulldozer through it,” Campbell said.

The post Possible Suitors for Arlington Park, But Will Churchill Sell to a Racetrack Operator? appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Keeneland Catalogs 23 Horses For March Digital Sale

Keeneland has cataloged 23 horses for its March Digital Sale, to be held Tuesday, March 23 as part of Keeneland's Digital Sales Ring platform. The March Sale catalog is available at Keenelanddigital.com.

Online bidding opens at 10 a.m. ET on March 23 and will begin to close that day at 2 p.m.

How to Register and Bid

Buyers are encouraged to register for an account in the Keeneland Digital Sales Ring in advance of sale day. In order to log in to the Keeneland Digital Sales Ring, you should register for an account or log in through the Keeneland Sales Portal. Your universal login applies to both the Sales Portal and the Digital Sales Ring.

Step 1: Visit portal.keeneland.com and create an account or log in to your existing Keeneland Sales Portal Account;

Step 2: Upon sign in, click “My Account” and review your current credit limit. Request credit as needed. We recommend you do this prior to the sale day;

Step 3: Click the “Digital Sales Ring” button in the top right corner to automatically access and participate in the Digital Sale.

Buyers have two options for bidding on the day of the sale:

Direct Bid allows you to bid manually as you go.
Max Bid establishes a top price that you are willing to pay for a hip. As the bidding progresses, the software will automatically bid on your behalf as you are outbid up to your maximum.

For more information about the March Sale, contact Dean Roethemeier at droethemeier@keeneland.com, Kyle Wilson at kwilson@keeneland.com or Chip McGaughey at cmcgaughey@keeneland.com.

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The Keeneland Digital Sales Ring has scheduled a total of seven mixed sales for 2021. They will continue in May, June, July, August, October and December.

The post Keeneland Catalogs 23 Horses For March Digital Sale appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Gary Contessa To Send Out First Starter In Nearly A Year This Friday At Aqueduct

Trainer Gary Contessa announced his retirement from training racehorses in March of 2020, but last December he made the decision to return as a private trainer for Bell Gable Stable. This Friday, the trainer will have his first starter since March 21, 2020 at Aqueduct.

According to the Daily Racing Form, Contessa won't be at the track to saddle Trustyourinstinct in the day's eighth race, a $40,000 claimer for New York-breds at six furlongs. The trainer will instead be setting up his base at Delaware Park, where the backstretch just opened this week.

Bell Gable is operated by Nick and Delora Beaver out of a farm near Delaware Park. Contessa's role for the couple includes building the racing operation, picking out horses at the sales, and assisting in the breeding operation.

“It's been a wonderful experience so far,” Contessa told drf.com. “He's one in a million.”