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Surf Cat Moves To Rancho San Miguel In California

Veteran stallion Surf Cat, a multiple Grade 2-winning millionaire and the sire of 2017 California Horse of the Year Sircat Sally, will stand at Rancho San Miguel in San Miguel, Calif. during the 2021 breeding season. His fee is $2,500, live foal guarantee.

The 19-year-old son of Storm Cat's multiple graded stakes winner Sir Cat has stood exclusively in California since his retirement from racing in 2009 — originally at historic Old English Rancho and most recently at a small, private farm near Chowchilla.

From nine crops of racing age, Surf Cat has sired 57 winners from 84 starters to date, with lifetime progeny earnings of $4,046,140 and average earnings per starter of $48,168. His five black type runners are led by Sircat Sally, a $552,860-earner who won three graded turf stakes at Santa Anita Park and California-bred Horse of the Year honors from the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association in 2017. He is also represented by the dual Grade 3 winner San Onofre ($402,730).

Conditioned by the late trainer Bruce Headley, Surf Cat won six Grade 2 races from 6 1/2 furlongs to 1 1/8 miles from 2005 through 2008: the Swaps Breeders' Cup Stakes and two editions of the Mervyn LeRoy Handicap at Hollywood Park and the Potrero Grande Breeders' Cup Handicap and two runnings of the San Carlos Handicap at Santa Anita. He also ran second by a head in Hollywood's 2007 G1 Triple Bend Invitational Handicap en route to earning $1,045,420 from his 23 career starts.

“I am thrilled to have Surf Cat back; he was one of my favorite racehorses,” said owner Marsha Naify, who campaigned Surf Cat with Headley's wife, Aase. “Bruce did such a wonderful job training him. He has never been promoted very heavily as a stallion, but he has had some good runners, and I want to make the most of his remaining breeding years.”

Produced by the five-time winner Trust Greta, a multiple graded stakes-producing daughter of the Mr. Prospector stallion Centrust, Surf Cat hails from the family of leading sire Broad Brush.

“We are thrilled to have Surf Cat come to Rancho San Miguel,” said farm owner/manager Tom Clark. “He has an amazingly strong produce record from his small crops to date. We look forward to working with Marsha to help Surf Cat reach his full potential as a sire.”

Surf Cat joins a 2021 Rancho San Miguel stallion roster that features Curlin to Mischief, Danzing Candy, Heartwood, Northern Causeway, Richard's Kid, Sir Prancealot (Ire), Slew's Tiznow and Tom's Tribute. Inspections of all stallions at the central California farm are available by appointment.

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Laminitis Claims Grade 1 Winner Majesticperfection In Uruguay

Grade 1 winner Majesticperfection, the sire of Kentucky Oaks winner Lovely Maria, was euthanized following a battle with laminitis at Haras Rapetti in Uruguay, the South American publication Turf Diario reports.

The 15-year-old son of Harlan's Holiday had been standing in Uruguay since 2018 after beginning his breeding career in 2011 at Airdrie Stud.

From eight crops of racing age, Majesticperfection has sired 231 winners, with combined progeny earnings of more than $21 million.

His centerpiece offspring is Lovely Maria, who took the 2015 Oaks with a powerful kick down the Churchill Downs stretch. The filly preceded her signature victory with a score in the Grade 1 Ashland Stakes at Keeneland.

In 2020, Majesticperfection's runners were led by Bell's the One, who upset Serengeti Empress to win the G1 Derby City Distaff Stakes. She also won the G3 Winning Colors Stakes last year, and she finished the season with a third-place effort in the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint. In 2019, Bell's the One won the G2 Raven Run Stakes.

Other runners of note by Majesticperfection include Grade 3 winners Chanteline, Hebbronville, Majestic Dunhill, Lady Ninja, Mr Dumas, and Four Graces.

Majesticperfection's oldest foals since moving to Uruguay will be 2-year-olds of 2021. According to records from the Uruguay Stud Book, the stallion covered 79 mares in 2018 and 58 mares in 2019. He was among the country's most active stallions during both seasons.

Owned during his on-track career by Padua Stables and trained by Steve Asmussen, Majesticperfection won five of six starts for earnings of $310,430.

After finishing third in his debut start, Majesticperfection never lost another race, winning allowance races at Oaklawn Park and Churchill Downs before jumping up to stakes competition in the Iowa Sprint Handicap. He capped off his career with a wire-to-wire drubbing of the G1 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap in Saratoga.

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Breeders’ Cup Runner-Up Dayoutoftheoffice ‘Way Ahead Of Schedule’ For Sophomore Debut

Like the majority of Thoroughbred trainers, Tampa Bay Downs conditioner Tim Hamm is a realist. And he knows it is unlikely his filly Dayoutoftheoffice will be announced as the Eclipse Award Champion 2-Year-Old Filly on Thursday after her second-place finish to Vequist in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies on Nov. 6 at Keeneland.

After her dazzling 5-furlong breeze in 1:01 on Sunday at Tampa Bay Downs, Hamm expects Dayoutoftheoffice to earn another shot against Vequist in the near future. Dayoutoftheoffice had breezed 4 furlongs a week earlier in 49 3/5 seconds in her first workout of 2021.

“She's coming back incredibly well. Her work today (with exercise rider Alfredo Clemente aboard) was awesome,” Hamm said Sunday. “She just did it real easy and she galloped out super strong. She is way ahead of schedule, and it's a good feeling that we can handle her how we want and have her plenty fit for whatever race we choose (as her 3-year-old debut).”

Hamm said Dayoutoftheoffice will likely make her first 3-year-old start on either Feb. 27 in the Grade 2 Davona Dale at Gulfstream or on March 6 in the G3 Honeybee Stakes at Oaklawn Park. “We nominated her to the Suncoast (on Feb. 6 at Tampa Bay Downs), but that is probably a little too quick,” he said. Hamm added that the Grade 1, $1.25-million Longines Kentucky Oaks on April 30 at Churchill Downs is in his plans for the Kentucky-bred daughter of Into Mischief.

Although Dayoutoftheoffice is 1-1 against Vequist, having beaten her in the G1 Frizette Stakes on Oct. 10 at Belmont, and had a better record last year – three victories from four starts, with the lone second in the Juvenile Fillies, compared to Vequist's two victories and two seconds – Eclipse voters have traditionally given extra weight to winning a Breeders' Cup race.

“Just being nominated is great. It says you had one of the best 2-year-old fillies in the country,” said Hamm, who also co-owns Dayoutoftheoffice under his Blazing Meadows Farm banner in partnership with Siena Farm. “I'd love to say we have a chance, but if you're voting, you're going to see who won on championship day (at the Breeders' Cup).”

The third nominee in the 2-Year-Old Filly category is Aunt Pearl, whose 3-for-3 record includes a victory in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (voters have been known to lean toward dirt horses when push comes to shove, but you never know).

The 50th Eclipse Awards Ceremony honoring the sport's 2020 champions will be held Thursday as a virtual event, with portions hosted from Spendthrift Farm in Lexington, Ky. Winners in 17 equine and human categories will be announced in a program streamed live on multiple outlets, including TVG and Racetrack Television Network, beginning at 7:30 p.m. (see below for the finalists).

Hamm had a previous brush with Eclipse Award glory, having sold Wait a While as an unraced 2-year-old in 2005 after purchasing her the previous year as a yearling. She was part of his pinhooking program and reaped a $210,000 profit. In 2006, Wait a While earned the Eclipse as Champion 3-Year-Old Filly for owner Arindel and trainer Todd Pletcher.

“We breed them, raise them, sell them and race them. It is all part of our plan,” Hamm said.

Here are the Eclipse Award finalists (in alphabetical order) in each category:

Horse of the Year: Authentic, Improbable, Monomoy Girl

2-Year-Old Male: Essential Quality, Fire At Will, Jackie's Warrior

2-Year-Old Filly: Aunt Pearl, Dayoutoftheoffice, Vequist

3-Year-Old Male: Authentic, Nadal, Tiz the Law

3-Year-Old Filly: Gamine, Shedaresthedevil, Swiss Skydiver

Older Dirt Male: Improbable, Maximum Security, Vekoma

Older Dirt Female: Midnight Bisou, Monomoy Girl, Serengeti Empress

Male Sprinter: Vekoma, Volatile, Whitmore

Female Sprinter: Gamine, Glass Slippers, Serengeti Empress

Male Turf Horse: Channel Maker, Order of Australia, Zulu Alpha

Female Turf horse: Audarya, Rushing Fall, Tarnawa

Steeplechase Horse: Moscato, Rashaan, Snap Decision

Owner: Godolphin, Klaravich Stables, and the partnership of Spendthrift Farm, MyRaceHorse Stable, Madaket Stables, and Starlight Racing

Breeder: Calumet Farm, Peter E. Blum Thoroughbreds, WinStar Farm

Trainer: Steve Asmussen, Bob Baffert, Brad Cox

Jockey: Irad Ortiz, Jr., Joel Rosario, John Velazquez

Apprentice Jockey: Luis Cardenas, Yarmarie Correa, Alexander Crispin

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Champion Sprinter Big Drama Dies At Age 15

Big Drama, the champion sprinter of 2010, was euthanized over the weekend due to complications from a stomach issue, BloodHorse reports. He was 15.

The son of Montbrook last stood at Stormborne Stallions in Citra, Fla., where he was set to stand the upcoming breeding season for an advertised fee of $5,000.

Since entering stud in 2012, Big Drama has spent two separate stints at Florida Stonewall Farm, once under the HallMarc Stallions banner and later under Prestige Stallions, with two seasons at Bridlewood Farm sandwiched between them. He began standing for Oakton Farm Stallions in 2019, and the operation renamed itself Stormborne Stallions ahead of this year's breeding season.

Big Drama has sired seven crops of racing age, with 136 winners and combined progeny earnings of just under $9 million. He has sired four stakes winners, with R Kinsley Doll and Tribal Drama earning their black type in Florida, Miss Deplorable at Monmouth Park, and General Council in New Mexico.

Racing as a homebred for Harold Queen and trained by David Fawkes, Big Drama won 11 of 19 starts and earned $2,746,060.

Big Drama started fast as a 2-year-old, sweeping the three races in his division of the Florida Sire Stakes, then capping off his season with a victory in the Grade 3 Delta Jackpot Stakes. He finished second in the G2 Swale Stakes in his 3-year-old bow, and the remainder of his season saw him run fifth in the 2009 Preakness Stakes, win the listed Red Legend Stakes at Charles Town, and finish second in the G2 West Virginia Derby.

The horse's championship season came at age four, starting in the summer with wins in the Ponche Handicap and G2 Smile Stakes at Calder Race Course. After second-place efforts in the G1 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap and G1 Forego Stakes in Saratoga, he secured the champion sprinter Eclipse Award with a strong, front-running victory in the Breeders' Cup Sprint at Churchill Downs.

Big Drama raced for one more season after his Eclipse-winning campaign, taking the G3 Mr. Prospector Stakes and the non-graded Whippleton Stakes before finishing seventh in that season's Breeders' Cup Sprint.