Jack Wolf | Horse Racing Free Tips

Town and Country Brings More Mischief to Saratoga

The team at Town and Country Farms knew they had a good one when heading into the Keeneland September sale last fall and its Into Mischief colt delivered in the sales ring when selling to the stallion-making partnership of SF Bloodstock/Starlight Racing/Madaket for $850,000. Now named Newgate, he began to justify the price tag with a 'TDN Rising Star'-worthy debut at Del Mar last Saturday (video). The Courtelis family's operation will be hoping history repeats itself when it sends a full-sister to the colt through the sales ring during the second session of the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Selected Yearling Sale next Tuesday.

“She looks absolutely great coming into the sale and is probably our best yearling on the farm,” Town and Country's Chief Executive Officer Shannon Potter said of the yearling, who is catalogued as hip 165 at the two-day boutique auction. “We are really optimistic about what could happen in Saratoga.”

Newgate and the yearling filly are out of Majestic Presence (Majestic Warrior), who was third in the 2014 GIII Delta Downs Princess S. She was purchased by Town and Country while in foal to Runhappy for $360,000 at the 2017 Keeneland November sale.

“She was a big, pretty mare,” Potter said of Majestic Presence's appeal. “When I say pretty, she was really pretty. She was 16.1, she was nice and correct. She had a little bit of race record under her. She had everything that I was looking for and in that price range, she just fit all of those things. And she had a decent pedigree at the time. But now everything is filling in and coming together.”

A half-sister to graded winner Victress (Include) and to the dam of 2019 GII Summertime Oaks winner My Majestic Rose (Majestic Warrior), Majestic Presence has done nothing but impress Potter since joining the Town and Country broodmare band of some 30 head five years ago.

“Majestic Presence puts a really good foal on the ground every year,” Potter said. “I can't say enough about her, because whatever you breed her to, it always comes out looking really well.”

The mare's Runhappy colt sold for $230,000 at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale and her Candy Ride (Arg) colt–who sold for $250,000 at the 2020 Keeneland September sale–just romped home an 8 1/2-length winner in his second start in a $20,000 maiden claimer at Saratoga July 15.

Newgate, the mare's third foal, was special from the start, according to Potter.

“He was just outstanding from the get-go and a very good foal,” Potter said. “By the time he was a yearling, he checked everybody's boxes as far as what you were looking for at the yearling sales.”

Sent off the prohibitive 1-2 favorite after plenty of pre-race hype, Newgate was no surprise while making his debut for the Bob Baffert barn last week.

“He was very, very impressive,” Potter said of the debut effort. “When [SF Bloodstock's] Tom Ryan and [Starlight Racing's] Jack Wolf and the gang got him, we were super excited that he was in their possession and we knew he was going to go to a top-class trainer. We were really high on that horse going into the race because we had heard so much from those guys and other people who thought that he was one of the top horses in Baffert's string–and we all know how many he has in his string.”

Majestic Presence has a weanling filly by Into Mischief's GI Kentucky Derby-winning son Authentic, “who is really good,” according to Potter. “We are just going to cross our fingers and put a little bubble wrap around her.”

The 10-year-old mare was bred back to champion and first-year sire Essential Quality.

“She has been bred to Into Mischief quite a few times and I was trying to breed her to something fresh and young,” Potter said of the mating decision. “And I really like Essential Quality. I thought most of the stuff that he has or maybe doesn't have, she would add to and we were just trying to totally freshen her up with a young stallion, and a promising young stallion at that.”

Through the Taylor Made Sales Agency consignment, Town and Country will offer three yearlings at next week's Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale. The operation will be represented by hip 23, a colt by Candy Ride (Arg) who was co-bred with Off The Hook. Out of Mighty Eros (Freud), the yearling is a half-brother to graded winner and Grade I placed Faypien (Ghostzapper).

“[Off the Hook's] Joe Appelbaum and I are really good friends,” Potter said. “And we've done this back-to-back. He has a really good mare, so we took a shot and did that together. And this is as good a Candy Ride as I've seen. He is totally not your typical Candy Ride. He is very big, he has really nice feet on him and he just looks like a classic two-turn type of horse.”

Hip 48 is a filly by Medaglia d'Oro out of group winner Pretty Perfect (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), a mare Town and Country purchased for $1.125 million at the 2018 Keeneland November sale.

“She is not your typical Medaglia d'Oro filly,” Potter said. “She has a lot of bone and a lot substance, body and hip and all of that. She has a wonderful walk to her. She is just going to be a nice pick up there for an end user, I would think.”

Potter has high hopes for the trio in Saratoga.

“Martin [Deanda], our yearling guy, and all the guys in our yearlings barn have done a really good job of prepping them and getting these three horses ready at the farm,” Potter said.

Fasig-Tipton got the yearling auction season off to a strong start with its July sale last month and Potter hopes that trend continues in Saratoga.

“If you look at July, it was good,” he said. “I am thinking it will be close to the same [at Saratoga]. I guess we will have to wait and see. But we are optimistic about where the business is right now and what is going on. So hopefully it will still stay strong.”

The Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale will be held next Monday and Tuesday at the Humphrey S. Finney Pavilion. Each session begins at 6:30 p.m.

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Five Owners On The Verge Of Leaving Bob Baffert Over NYRA Ban, Legal Filing Reveals

According to the Thoroughbred Daily News, Judge Carol Bagley Amon ordered attorneys for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert to divulge specific names relating to his claim in a July 7 affidavit stating: “I have recently had conversations with other owners who have stated that they may move their horses to other trainers if the New York suspension continues.”

A one-page letter filed on Friday revealed five names: “Gavin Murphy of SF Bloodstock; Jack Wolf of Starlight Racing; Peter Fluor of Speedway Stable; Sol Kumin of Madaket Stables; and George Bolton.”

Judge Amon issued the order to reveal names of owners considering leaving Baffert's stable in response to the New York Racing Association's motion to strike the trainer's affidavit from the record.

Baffert filed suit against NYRA on June 14, nearly a month after the racing association notified the Hall of Fame trainer that he was temporarily banned from racing or stabling at NYRA tracks while the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission conducts its investigation into the post-race drug positive for Baffert-trained Medina Spirit, who crossed the finish line first in the May 1 Kentucky Derby. Baffert is seeking a temporary and permanent injunction against the ban.

As defendant in the case, NYRA filed a memorandum of law on June 30 in opposition to Baffert's motion for preliminary injunction. The Jockey Club filed a brief on that same date as amicus curiae, or friend of the court, claiming that its role as keeper of the Stud Book gives it a “unique interest in ensuring that when Thoroughbreds enter the breeding shed (where they determine the future of the breed through progeny), they do so with records uninfluenced by the effects of medication.”

On July 7, attorneys for Baffert filed their own memorandum of law, which consisted of 434 pages and included an affidavit from the trainer. In the memo, Baffert's attorneys allege that NYRA has “vindictively” targeted the trainer utilizing “hypocrisy” and “backdoor” tactics. The filing also zeroes in on two legal arguments: that the ban violates the trainer's right to due process, and that NYRA has no authority to issue a ban.

That same filing also details the exodus of horses owned by WinStar Farm from Baffert's stable as an example of the type of harm that the ban will cause to the trainer's livelihood.

Read more at the Thoroughbred Daily News.

Additional stories about Baffert's Kentucky Derby positive and ensuing legal battles, listed in order from most recent to the original story:

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Wolf: Gotham Pair Deserve A Shot In ‘Tough Race’ For Derby Points

Having experienced both the high and low ends of the Kentucky Derby spectrum, owner Jack Wolf of Starlight Racing knows the trails and tribulations of the road to the first Saturday in May more than most. On Saturday, he'll be watching the Grade 3, $300,000 Gotham with a sense of cautious optimism when sending out Atlantic Road and Freedom Fighter.

The one-turn mile event at Aqueduct Racetrack is New York's penultimate local qualifier for the Grade 1, $3 million Kentucky Derby on May 1 at Churchill Downs and awards the top four finishers points according to a 50-20-10-5 scale.

Coverage of the Gotham will be available on America's Day at the Races, the acclaimed national telecast produced by the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) in partnership with FOX Sports. Presented by America's Best Racing and Claiborne Farm, America's Day at the Races will broadcast Saturday from 5-6 p.m. Eastern on FS2, with the Gotham slated as Race 9 at 5:07 p.m.

Wolf, who manages Starlight Racing with his wife Laurie, has campaigned 12 Kentucky Derby starters. He was involved in multiple-owner partnerships which campaigned 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify and last year's winner Authentic, but also had two last-place finishers in Keyed Entry (2006) and Monba (2008).

“Through the years, we've had quite a few hoses in the Derby. It's a lot different when you have one that's a favorite as opposed to a longshot like Keyed Entry,” Wolf said. “It's pretty exciting when you have a legit shot. Last year, even though Barclay's horse [Tagg, Tiz the Law] was the big favorite and the one to beat, I was confident that our horse would perform, and obviously he did.”

Trained by Hall of Fame nominee Todd Pletcher, Atlantic Road broke his maiden at second asking over the Aqueduct main track in gate-to-wire fashion under Kendrick Carmouche. The son of Quality Road was originally owned by Pletcher and was privately purchased by Wolf.

“I think the further he goes the better with him being by Quality Road out of a Smart Strike mare,” said Wolf. “He improved considerably and showed a bit of determination down the lane. His last race was encouraging. It'll be a tall ask to compete, but he deserves the chance.”

Atlantic Road was one of four next-out winners of the January 8 maiden special weight at Gulfstream Park, which was won by Lamutanaaty.

“A lot of those horses validated that they were good ones,” Wolf said.

Atlantic Road will break from the rail under jockey Jorge Vargas, Jr.

Fellow Starlight Racing color-bearer Freedom Fighter also has only made two starts but has covered some ground in both efforts. The son of Violence won on debut at Del Mar on August 1 at Del Mar and emerged from a six-month layoff in the Grade 2 San Vicente on February 5 at Santa Anita, where he registered a 94 Beyer Speed Figure with a close second to highly-regarded stable mate Concert Tour.

Freedom Fighter is co-owned by Starlight Racing alongside SF Racing, Madaket Stables, Golconda Stables, Siena Farm and Robert E. Masterson and was purchased for $120,000 at the 2019 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

“His figures have improved dramatically just looking at his Beyers and he ran an 8 on the [Ragozin] sheets. But it looks like a tough race,” Wolf said.

Campaigned by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, Freedom Fighter has trained forwardly toward the Gotham, firing a pair of bullets over the Santa Anita main track, most recently a five-furlong drill in 59.20 on February 27 – the fastest of 63 recorded works at the distance.

“When Bob tells you the horse is good and breezing the way he is, I get pretty excited,” Wolf said. “Relatively speaking, paying $120,000 for him in comparison to what we've paid for some of the others is a bit of a bargain, especially if he moves forward.”

Wolf and owner Sol Kumin of Madaket Stables tasted Derby victory together previously with Justify and Authentic.

Wolf appears to have horses firing on multiple cylinders on the Derby trail as Starlight Racing also is part owner of Spielberg, a fellow Baffert trainee who was recently a game second to champion Essential Quality in the Grade 3 Southwest at Oaklawn Park. A son of Union Rags, Spielberg won the Grade 2 Los Alamitos Futurity in December and currently sits seventh on the leaderboard with 17 points.

He also has Grade 3 Holy Bull runner-up Tarantino for trainer Rodolphe Brisset, who was a last out fourth in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth and is No. 22 on the leaderboard with nine points.

Both Spielberg and Tarantino are owned by the same five other owners who also own Freedom Fighter.

Wolf said that the ownership group is an enjoyable one to be involved with.

“I've been friends with Tom [Ryan of SF Racing] a number of years,” said Wolf. “He talked to me about getting together with SF and then Sol came along as well. It's a really fun group of people. All of us have been through the highs and lows and we all have a good time, win, lose or draw.

“We've got two of the best trainers in the business,” Wolf added. “Bob doesn't get too excited until April, which is probably the right thing. I think if you have one that's qualified and doing well by April, then you can get excited. The end of a horse's 2-year-old year and the beginning of the following year is too early, but we all like to dream.”

Having traveled the road to the Kentucky Derby many times, Wolf said he knows not to get too carried away with Derby fever.

“There's so many variables between now and then, but it's cool to have nice horses and be in this position,” Wolf said.

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Jack Wolf Joins TDN Writers’ Room

Fresh off a dominant Grade I win by his Starlight Racing’s Charlatan (Speightstown) and a newly-minted ‘TDN Rising Star’ for his outfit, Jack Wolf joined the TDN Writers’ Room presented by Keeneland Wednesday morning. Calling in via Zoom as the Green Group Guest of the Week, Wolf talked about the highs and lows of 2020 with his barn star, Thoroughbred aftercare and more.

Charlatan’s 3-year-old campaign featured dazzling victories but also a disqualification for a positive drug test in the GI Arkansas Derby and a long layoff that forced him to miss the GI Kentucky Derby. Luckily for Starlight, they also owned a piece of a colt named Authentic (Into Mischief) who carried the flag to a Derby victory and presumptive Horse of the Year trophy.

“It was a roller coaster,” Wolf said. “Initially we had three big horses in there of which Charlatan looked like he was probably going to be the best of the three with Eight Rings and Authentic. Then all this stuff happened. We went to Arkansas and got the disqualification there, then we had to remove a small chip [in his ankle] and that put everything up in the air. In any case, when you’ve got somebody like Bob Baffert adjusting to all these changes, I think we have a little bit of an advantage over everybody else. Then we had Authentic, who [because of the Derby postponement] had seven weeks between the Haskell and the Derby. I don’t think Authentic would have won the Derby if it was run May 2, and it all just worked out. Crazy business.”

Two weeks after Charlatan’s devastating GI Malibu S. win, 3-year-old filly Jouster (Noble Mission {GB}) kept Starlight spirits high with an 8 3/4-length maiden romp Sunday at Gulfstream to earn ‘Rising Star’ honors. The $360,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga buy was a beaten favorite in her first two starts on dirt before relishing the turf in Sunday’s graduation.

“I think we’ve got her on the right surface now,” Wolf said. “The field that she beat the other day, there were some pretty nice horses. I was talking to one of our partners last night and he asked if I thought we’d win the race. I was at the race. So, I’m not going to go down there without thinking we’re going to win the thing. But, in any case, I didn’t think we’d win by 8 3/4 lengths. She’ll probably run in an allowance race next and we’ll point for something like the Belmont Oaks and some of those longer turf races, in the summer.”

Elsewhere on the show, the writers reacted to the passing of Juddmonte Farms’ Khalid Abdullah, discussed the swift industry backlash to Eric Guillot in the West Point Thoroughbreds news segment and looked forward to the beginning of Derby prep season. Click here to watch the podcast; click here for the audio-only version.

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