“We have been working on upgrading our bloodstock over the last several years with a focus on good-running mares that might not have a Kentucky commercial pedigree up front, but still have the ability to create excellent racehorses and future stallion prospects. If you look at the current stallions in Kentucky, you will see that around half are out of mares with non -commercial Kentucky sires. My personal opinion is that it is time to shift focus back to creating sound-running horses that also appeal to buyers in the ring. We have always focused on what our babies will be doing at three, five, 10 and 15 years old-creating a sound horse that can be utilized in many different fields, not just racing. That being said, we at Harper Ridge Thoroughbreds have shifted our focus partly away from True Nicks and have started utilizing the G1 Goldmine match more. For us personally, I feel like G1 gives you a more complete deep dive, if you will, into the overall pedigree-putting a lot of emphasis on mom's side and how the overall group of horses in the pedigree perform when crossed. Most of our mares' current pregnancies and upcoming breedings match this.”

RICH IMAGE (7, Imaging-Richetta, by Polished Numbers) to be bred to Gunite.
We have had this mare from the beginning of her breeding career. Every foal has just gotten nicer and nicer. She throws excellent balance and size. Her first foal by Maximum Security is currently in training with Eric Reed. We have her Tiz the Law yearling filly, who is phenomenal. Anxiously awaiting her Early Voting this year and going to Gunite was a no-brainer. He is beautiful. Retired sound and moves like a well-oiled machine. Gun Runner is really hot right now and the cross was excellent. This female family is really taking off with Ruby Nell (Bolt d'Oro) now a graded stakes winner.

APPEALING WAY (10, Tizway-Turkappeal, by Turkoman) to be bred to Annapolis.
This is another mare we have had since the beginning of her breeding career. She is currently in foal to Mandaloun. She had her first foal last year by Complexity. This is a deep family with a lot of black-type. Older pedigree, but produced sound horses. She is a half-sister to Grade III winner Pink Champagne (Awesome Again) and most of the siblings were excellent runners. She crosses well with Annapolis. He was a winner at two, three and four. He's from a great dirt family but won on turf. I think he will be versatile. It was a G1 Goldmine cross.

Navy Sword will visit Goldencents in 2024 | Coady photo

SAFFRON GIRL (7, Tapizar-Mattie Camp, by Forest Camp) to be bred to Speaker's Corner.
We are breeding Saffron Beach to Speaker's Corner. This is a big, tall mare. Lots of leg. Her first foal by Spun to Run was well put together and nicely balanced. We then bred her to Speaker's Corner because it was off the charts both on G1 and TrueNicks. We are currently waiting for that foal to come and breeding her back to him seemed like a sensible idea. Speaker's Corner won some excellent races, had some excellent Beyer figures and raced into his 4-year-old year. I'm excited to see the foal coming this year. We have had this mare up for sale but she's such a nice mare that its really been a back and forth of not wanting to let her go. She has a lot to offer and is a fan favorite at the barn.

MONEY INTHE STARRS (8, Abraaj–Our Monstarr, by Demons Begone) to be bred to Yaupon.
This is a nice mare. I sent her to the sale this year and she got overlooked. I was happy to take her home. She was a stakes winner on the track and clinched Champion 2-year-old filly in Washington. She is currently in foal to Epicenter and I'm counting the days. Yaupon was well received at the sales and physically he matches her very well. Her pedigree isn't really seen here in Kentucky so its hard to find a great cross for her on paper, so for this mare we are going in a different direction than our other mares. We really liked what she produced with the Knicks Go filly she had last year and are pretty confident with what she will throw in upcoming years. Her mother was an excellent horse and Demons Begone horses are hardy runners.

NAVY SWORD (7, Bodemeister-Wooden Nickel, by Divine Park) to be bred to Goldencents.
This is a nice mare. She ran well in her company. She was a stakes winner of almost $200,000. We ran her G1 report and she really crossed well with Into Mischief sons. Goldencents is proven and is dependable to get you a good runner. This is a mare we are looking forward to having for many years and feel like we are starting her strong with a reliable sire.

DELIGHTFUL DREAMER (7, Animal Kingdom-Age of Silver, by Silver Deputy) to be bred to Jimmy Creed.
This is a mare I had been trying to get for a while. I lost her on a shake last year and was lucky enough to be able to get her this year when she retired. This is a nice family. Mom has proven to be quite fruitful on the blacktype scale. Since Distorted Humor works so well with this family we decided Jimmy Creed was an excellent choice for a first foal. He is also reliable, tried and true. Her mom produced some excellent horses on the Distorted Humor cross so we are hopeful she can do the same.

PENDOLINO (8, Honorable Dillon-Wonzit, by Tizow) to be bred to Yaupon.
We got this mare in New York. She was a hard-knocking mare who won over $200,000. She comes from the immediate family of Naughty Gal (Into Mischief). She's currently due any minute to Rock Your World. Again with Yaupon, he was a great runner, his foals have been very well received at the sales and physically, he matches her well. She has been a dream at the farm and we are excited to see what this family continues to produce.

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“He's been under tack for some light exercise, but his bloodwork wasn't completely normal yet,” Mott told DRF Tuesday. “It was just a week ago that he developed a fever. It hasn't been enough time. He could get sick from the flight and we don't want one halfway across the world and have him sick.”

According to Mott, the 8-year-old may be shipped to Dubai for the G1 Al Quoz Sprint Mar. 30. He finished fifth on Dubai World Cup Day in 2022.

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That makes this a surprisingly congested zone, ample for separate assessment. And since clinging to a five-figure fee somewhat represents a show of faith, some of these sires tend to have a fair case in their favor. At a time when fees are widely perceived to be challenging, this is a nook that harbors some decent value.

It is broadly populated by three types. First are the veterans who have achieved an honorable viability over the years (and we know how difficult that is) but are now suffering the commercial prejudice in favor of fresher blood. On the other hand, we have a bunch of younger guns, typically riding out the bumps between the vogue of novelty and distrust of racetrack exposure. And then there are a few in between, horses in their prime who have settled into a workable niche that keeps them competitive with the next tier up.

The senior group is headed by a remarkable pair, both about to enter their 20th year at stud, with a body of work behind them that will forever embarrass the vast majority of this lot. And there's plenty of life left in MINESHAFT, judging from seven stakes scorers this year (one for each of his lifetime Grade I winners) at a ratio that Uncle Mo, Medaglia d'Oro and Tapit have barely matched. A 1-2 in the GII Cigar Mile showcased his continued prowess, both Hoist the Gold and Senor Buscador already owning wins at that level earlier in the year. The former is now in the millionaires' club, and will soon be joined there by the latter assuming he perseveres in 2024.

SKY MESA is still more neglected, yet similarly remains in the top 15 active sires by lifetime earnings, with ratios of black-type and graded stakes action that measure up respectably against all but the elite names. Remember that these old boys can draw some venerable influences close: Sky Mesa's first three dams are by Storm Cat, Affirmed and Round Table, yet the continued vigor of his family has been lately evinced by his half-sister's son Maxfield (Street Sense). Mineshaft's first three dams, meanwhile, are by Mr. Prospector, Hoist the Flag and Herbager (Fr)! Both Mineshaft and Sky Mesa have superb families and to be able to access their blood, relatively undiluted by the huge books nowadays flooding the gene pool, is a diminishing opportunity too obvious to any enlightened breeder to require the formal gilding of a place on the Value Podium.

Really I should have them both up there, but they covered 40 mares between them last year and that tide is hardly going to turn at this stage. Happily, we know them to be in good hands and they will remain long cherished once their service is finally over.

Ditto another veteran, MIDNIGHT LUTE, who had a few more mares than that pair last spring but again hardly the numbers commensurate with his five elite winners–including not just Midnight Bisou but more recently Smooth Like Strait, himself now launching a stud career at a bargain fee–and the solid ratios that also keep him inside the top 20 active sires.

At the other end of the spectrum, meanwhile, most of the younger sires are awaiting the emergence of their first runners. (By the way, don't forget that we gave the absolute beginners a separate assessment, at the outset of this series, highlighting the claims of one standing at this fee in COUNTRY GRAMMER.)

One of the younger guns that has already tested the water on the racetrack, however, has done so with quite promising results. For while COLLECTED found himself in a very competitive intake, his first sophomores this year included winners of the GII Del Mar Derby, GII Pennine Ridge S. and GII Black-Eyed Susan S.

Drain the Clock | Sara Gordon

Among several only just embarked on their new careers, INDEPENDENCE HALL and especially DRAIN THE CLOCK have some big numbers behind them–unsurprisingly, in view of the 101 Beyer clocked by the former in his record-margin romp in the GIII Nashua S., or the similar precocity displayed by the latter as prelude to his GI Woody Stephens success. TACITUS, HAPPY SAVER and IDOL were contrasting brands, on the margin of the elite around a second turn but amply demonstrating the functionality of their aristocratic genes. Happy Saver, in fact, has none other than Weekend Surprise replicated top and bottom: she's his third dam, while her son A.P. Indy is the damsire of Super Saver.

The latter has another son trading in this bracket in RUNHAPPY, whose fee slips despite producing a GI Hopeful winner in the $12,000 yearling Nutella Fella. We saw another glimpse of the real Smile Happy in the GII Alysheba S., meanwhile, and the stakes are now pretty minimal for those keeping the faith with Runhappy.

A couple of nuggets at this level are the Lane's End pair, THE FACTOR and TONALIST. The former had a quiet year by his very consistent standards, and needed to come down in line with his yearling yield, but there's no knocking a stellar lifetime ratio of two winners to three named foals. As for Tonalist, a single horse has blatantly distorted his earning power but what Country Grammer has represented much more fairly is all the toughness one would hope to inherit from Tapit over Pleasant Colony. It's heartening to see that this was recognized by as many as 115 mare owners last spring, twice as many as Tonalist entertained in 2021.

Another farm that demands a visit for those working to this kind of budget is Spendthrift. Admittedly its $10k trio have all long shed the novelty value prized by its more commercial clients, as was clear when their latest yearlings entered the ring. Continued demand in the breeding shed, however, suggests that people can glimpse a different type of value here.

Sure enough, on the track JIMMY CREED produced another three graded stakes winners including the evergreen Casa Creed, whose Fourstardave H. win was his fourth at the top level. Jimmy Creed is carving out a very viable place at this level, with his book back up into three figures last spring, and only narrowly misses joining one of his neighbors on the podium.

VALUE PODIUM

Bronze: HONOR A.P.
Honor Code–Hollywood Story (Wild Rush)
Lane's End $10,000

Honor A.P. | Sarah Andrew

This is our clear pick among the many young stallions whose farms are hoping that this kind of fee will prove only a foundation, once some actual runners can attest to their genetic prowess.

That, of course, is the reverse of the usual scenario. As a rule, the commercial market backs away faster and faster, the closer a stallion gets to the unsparing exposure of the racetrack. Everyone knows that most young sires will fail, and tries to ride their fleeting commercial momentum. If you truly believe in a horse, however, this is the time to double down.

Only where could you hope to find a combination of top-class pedigree, physique and performance for just 10 grand? Well, right here at Lane's End–that's where.

Honor A.P. beat the subsequent Horse of the Year at Santa Anita, and did so fair and square. He would surely have gone close to doing so again, but for his nightmare trip in the September “Derby”. The matter was left unresolved by his further misfortune, but nobody could deny that he had ticked the performance box in the little opportunity he had.

Physique? How does $850,000 Saratoga yearling sound?

And as for the genetic package, he's out of a Grade I winner (at both two and five) by a sire from one of the great modern families. True, Honor Code himself has proved a rather disappointing sire, to the extent that he recently became another far-sighted “rescue” by a Japanese industry prepared to play a longer game. Honor Code promptly came up with Honor Marie's GII Kentucky Jockey Club S. as something to remember him by, but his departure is probably good news for his son. It must have been difficult to launch Honor A.P. alongside his own sire, when the latter had failed to pull away into a higher tier of the market.

Honor A.P. now gets a clear run even as he prepares to launch his first runners. He made a perfectly solid sales debut, his 48 yearlings processed at $55,145 highlighted by a $375,000 colt. Just because Honor Code did not prove consistently potent, that doesn't alter the fact that Honor A.P. converted a stellar genetic legacy into something luminously functional on the track. Unsurprisingly he struggled for numbers in his third book, but we've been given every incentive to hang in there with a fee cut from $15,000. With luck, his quality will start to now take his mares past those floundering against the dull tides of quantity.

Silver: FROSTED
Tapit–Fast Cookie (Deputy Minister)
Darley $10,000

Frosted | Darley

Could it be that Frosted has finally reached a point where he becomes a value proposition?

There's no denying that he has been a letdown to this point. The fastest GI Met Mile winner in history retired with his 123 Beyer as the most expensive option of the 2017 intake, at $50,000, and averaged around $225,000 with his first yearlings. And here he is, after 344 starters, still waiting for that breakout Grade I winner.

In the meantime, his fee has slumped consecutively until settling at $10,000 last year. But if we reset our bearings accordingly, we'd have to concede that he has had a quietly productive campaign, his 18 black-type performers including three graded stakes winners (plus one in Australia). True, he's still benefiting from some of the classy mares he received early on: Keeneland Grade III winner Frost Point, for instance, is out of a Grade I-winning millionaire. So we'll have to see whether he can maintain this kind of output with rather lesser raw materials, but it's very striking that last spring Frosted moved his book up from 108 to 154.

Evidently the kind of commercial breeders who could not initially afford him have by no means given up on the gray, and it may be that a different kind of cocktail will shake some fresh flavors–as a sprint influence, for instance, and even as a turf one, as in the case of globetrotting Jasper Krone–out of a horse that once seemed to have the world at his feet. After all, he traded 66 of his latest crop of yearlings at $65,475, which would do very nicely indeed off this kind of fee; while one sold for $50,000 in the previous crop soared to $900,000 at OBS in April.

Frosted is still only on his fourth crop and that leaves ample scope for a market thaw.

Gold: CROSS TRAFFIC
Unbridled's Song–Stop Traffic (Cure The Blues)
Spendthrift $10,000

Cross Traffic | Spendthrift

This horse has endured some dazing fluctuations since being crowned champion freshman by multiple indices in 2018. His reward in 2019 was the attention of 188 mares at $25,000, up from just 60 at $7,500 the previous year. The resulting crop were juveniles of 2022, when 33 individual winners from 79 starters put him second in the all-comers' 2-year-old table, with no fewer than 13 of them earning black-type. And how did they follow through this year? Well, 63 of his 105 sophomore starters won, notably GI Ashland S. winner Defining Purpose. And another 3-year-old filly was on track for a stunning Grade I debut when taking her unbeaten spree of five (Saratoga maiden and stakes at two, another stakes and two graded stakes at three) into the Test S. Her name, you will scarcely need reminding, was Maple Leaf Mel.

From his older stock, Cross Traffic also produced homebred Here Mi Song to win the GIII Commonwealth S for a three-horse program that also includes her dam, an apt measure of the type of service he can perform for the smaller breeder.

Ludicrously, however, his 2020 book plunged by two-thirds and he ended up with only 28 live foals, of which a bare dozen started this year, leaving him submerged in the general sires' table despite 14 black-type performers. He must continue to ride out this slump after another couple of quiet years, but his book last spring responded to his 2022 deeds with a rally to 84.

The hope now must be that Cross Traffic can consolidate the second chance he has earned from those fickle breeders. It will assist his cause that the familiar precocity of his stock tends to be fortified with maturity, after the fashion of near-millionaire Ny Traffic who soaked up four campaigns. Cross Traffic himself, remember, raced only as a 4-year-old, when making up for lost time with a GI Met Mile second and GI Whitney success on just his fourth and fifth starts.

His family has some fairly exotic seeding, albeit no more so than the big horse on this farm. And it is full of runners, not least his dual Grade I-winning dam. She has additionally given Unbridled's Song the mother of Gulfport (Uncle Mo), who won the Bashford Manor by a dozen lengths last year before his promotion to replace Forte (Violence) in the GI Hopeful S. There's some real genetic vigor here, then, and Cross Traffic has now shown twice over-with his juveniles of 2018 and 2022-the kind of crop he can produce if only he's given the chance. And, at this kind of money, a proper, sustained chance is just what he deserves.

Sires At $10,000: Breeders Selections

Fabricio Buffolo | Keeneland

Fabricio Buffolo, Buffalo Bloodstock
Gold Medal: Happy Saver
I think he is a nice example of what a true American dirt horse looks like, especially with such an impressive and powerful shoulder. I think it's hard to not think about his name and not associate it with such a solid and sturdy front end. He was a very good racehorse who showed grit and resilience throughout his races against all the best in the country. He is an interesting young stallion.

Silver Medal: Midnight Lute
When considering the group of stallions with runners standing at $10,000, I think that he stands out with a solid percentage of black-type horses and black-type winners to runners, including five Grade I winners which is not usual at this price bracket.
He's quite versatile with his progeny having good performers on different surfaces and distances, and the key lies in finding a mare that can suit him physically.

Bronze Medal: Jimmy Creed
He is another horse that has done fairly well at this stud fee bracket getting a good percentage of black-type horses compared to others, including some with higher price tags. It's evident that the market can be quite tough on horses like him that have had a decent number of crops, but he has received continued support in the last few years attesting to the confidence that breeders have found in him.

The Factor | Lee Thomas

Elgin Hamner, Prime Bloodstock
Gold Medal: The Factor
If The Factor had not left for a couple of years, I believe he would be a constant top 25 sire. He's great value to have a shot at a good runner.

Silver Medal: Frosted
I was really high on him coming out, he's a strong horse with a strong race record. Love the Tapit over Deputy Minister. Now, he has established himself as a racehorse producer.
He's always top two or three of his crop and gets a bigger, stronger horse than The Factor. They seem to run anywhere and are selling ok. He just needed a couple of big horses earlier.

Bronze Medal: Goldencents
It's hard to make it as a sire, but they run early and often. They don't sell as well as they should (can lack size), but each one born could be a runner.

Honorable Mention: Honor A.P.
No runners yet, but the physical when he stamps them is pretty strong. We have to keep that A.P. blood going, it's the best two turn blood of the last 20 years, and he is one of the last of that line with a shot.

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“That filly, we've had a few strange things happen with her when she was young, and then she had such a nice winter. We elected to give her this summer off, because I just felt like she needed it,” Rice explained. “She came back really well and of course we wheeled her back on short rest, but once they're older and more mature, it can work out.”

Rice added the next likely target for the daughter of Liam's Map is the $150,000 Interborough S., a seven-panel sprint for fillies and mares, set to run Jan. 20.

Freshwater and Arrogance Back in the Barn

A pair of noteworthy names recently resurfaced on the work tab for the trainer including GSW Joey Freshwater (Jimmy Creed) and SW & MGSP Arctic Arrogance (Frosted). The former posted his first work since failing to hit the board in the Salvatore M DeBunda Sprint S. back in August. The GIII Bay Shore S. winner covered a half-mile over the Belmont training track in :50.40 this past Thursday.

“Joey had three months off and he looks good,” said Rice. “He's fresh. He should be ready sometime in January, not really any target yet. Maybe we'll start him in a 'two-other-than' allowance and go from there. Baby steps.”

A presence to reckon with in the spring on New York's Road to the Kentucky Derby, Arctic Arrogance has not been seen since his fourth-place effort in the GII Wood Memorial in April. He'd previously made a name for himself with three-straight runner-up efforts in the GII Remsen, the listed Jerome, and the GIII Withers S.

The grey returned to the tab Sunday with a half-mile breeze in :52.60, but Rice admits it's going to be a slow process to her him back to the races.

“The breeze was good. He's on the fat side and was always hard to get weight off of, so he's heavy right now. It will take us a little while. We've just got to get him going.”

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Saturday, Saratoga
FOURSTARDAVE H.-GI, $500,000, Saratoga, 8-12, 3yo/up, 1mT, 1:34.20, gd.
1–CASA CREED, 125, h, 7, by Jimmy Creed
1st Dam: Achalaya, by Bellamy Road
2nd Dam: Wild Heart Dancing, by Farma Way
3rd Dam: Star of Wicklow, by Fast Play
($15,000 Ylg '17 OBSWIN; $105,000 Ylg '17 KEESEP). O-LRE Racing LLC & JEH Racing Stable LLC; B-Silver Springs Stud LLC (KY); T-William I Mott; J-Luis Saez. $275,000. Lifetime Record: MGSP-KSA, 33-9-5-5, $2,460,308. *1/2 to Chess's Dream (Jess's Dream), GSW, $238,418. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Annapolis, 124, c, 4, War Front–My Miss Sophia, by Unbridled's Song. 'TDN Rising Star' O-Bass Racing LLC; B-Bass Stables LLC (KY); T-Todd A Pletcher. $100,000.
3–Ice Chocolat (Brz), 118, g, 5, Goldikovic (Ire)–Amor Chocolat (Brz), by Northern Afleet. 1ST G1 BLACK-TYPE. O-Gary Barber, Wachtel Stable & Peter Deutsch; B-Haras Niju (BRZ); T-Mark E Casse. $60,000.
Margins: 3/4, HF, 4HF. Odds: 1.85, 1.25, 11.30.
Also Ran: My Sea Cottage (Ire), Emmanuel, Full Screen, So High (GB). Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

CASA CREED DOES IT AGAIN! Son of @spendthriftfarm stallion Jimmy Creed, @luissaezpty leads him to victory in the Fourstardave (G1)! #Saratoga pic.twitter.com/nGaDXjuwpg

— NYRA () (@TheNYRA) August 12, 2023

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“It's very rewarding,” said Mott after the Kelso. “Ordinarily, you don't get any more than two seasons out of a horse running at the top level. To have a horse that can run at two, three, and maybe four seasons to run at the very highest level is very good. You don't find those kind.”

Casa Creed is most assuredly one of “those kind.” Although he hasn't won since last August, he was coming off a third in the GI Jaipur S. June 10 at Belmont in his first start of the year after taking that race in both 2021 and 2022. He hasn't shirked any competition, has traveled to Dubai and Saudi Arabia, and has now won seven black-type events, including five graded races and three at the highest level. This is his sixth consecutive season running at the Spa, where he made his first career visit to the winner's circle in an off-the-turf main track maiden in 2018.

#8 Casa Creed takes the G3 Kelso S. at Saratoga under @luissaezpty for trainer Bill Mott!

#TwinSpiresReplay pic.twitter.com/IoYnfl3S41

— TwinSpires Racing (@TwinSpires) July 15, 2023

“He's a fun horse,” said Mott. “We love to see him run and we try to give him enough time to make sure he's ready to go but at this point in time it doesn't have to be a Grade I. The Fourstardave is and that's a big goal, but to be able to see him and have him compete is great fun.” In addition to winning the Fourstardave last year, Casa Creed was third in the race in both 2020 and 2021. This year's Fourstardave is set for Aug. 12.

A $105,000 Keeneland September yearling who has earned more than 20 times that amount, Casa Creed broke from the outside in the Kelso and settled comfortably a few spots wide as streaking consecutive four-race winner Big Everest (GB) (The Gurkha {Ire}) led the way through a :23.35 first quarter. 'TDN Rising Star' and last year's GI Turf Mile S. winner at Keeneland, Annapolis (War Front), raced in tandem to the inside of Casa Creed, the two several lengths behind Big Everest after a half in :47.07. As the field bunched up going into the far turn, Luis Saez let Casa Creed out a notch and he mowed down the horses in front of him while wide, collared and went by Big Everest with no fuss, then pulled clear all while on his wrong lead. It wasn't until the last few strides that he swapped to his correct lead, but it didn't matter as he had a length on the field as Annapolis chased him home. GSW English Bee (English Channel) finished third.

“He's special,” said Lee Einsidler of co-owner LRE Racing. “He's taken us around the world and he's made a huge difference in our lives, really. When you get into this game, they become part of your family. Life is all about building memories and this is another great one.”

Pedigree Notes:

Three-time GISW Casa Creed is one of five graded winners for Spendthrift Farm's Jimmy Creed, who also has 21 black-type winners. Interestingly, two of the stakes winners by the son of Distorted Humor are out of Bellamy Road mares. The latter has 11 stakes winners out of his daughters, including last year's MGISW Cave Rock (Arrogate).

Unraced Achalaya has been through the sales ring six times, most recently in 2021 at Keeneland November when selling in foal to Authentic. Out of MGSW Wild Heart Dancing (Farma Way) and a half to GISW Man From Wicklow (Turkoman), she brought $725,000 from Thirty Year Farm. That was a far cry from her 2018 trip through the OBS Winter Mixed ring, when she brought $15,000 from Trackside Farm while in foal to Jess's Dream. At the 2018 sale, she was carrying eventual MGSW Chess's Dream in utero while Casa Creed had just turned two and had yet to race. Achalaya has since produced a 2021 colt named Bold Landing (Omaha Beach), who hammered for $775,000 from White Birch Farm at Keeneland September, and a yearling filly by Authentic, who was a $390,000 RNA as a Fasig-Tipton November weanling. She most recently produced a filly by Curlin, born Apr. 30.

Saturday, Saratoga
KELSO S.-GIII, $175,000, Saratoga, 7-15, 4yo/up, 1mT, 1:35.51, fm.
1–CASA CREED, 124, h, 7, by Jimmy Creed
           1st Dam: Achalaya, by Bellamy Road
           2nd Dam: Wild Heart Dancing, by Farma Way
           3rd Dam: Star of Wicklow, by Fast Play
($15,000 Ylg '17 OBSWIN; $105,000 Ylg '17 KEESEP). O-LRE Racing LLC and JEH Racing Stable LLC; B-Silver Springs Stud, LLC (KY); T-William I. Mott; J-Luis Saez. $96,250. Lifetime Record: MGISW, 32-8-5-5, $2,185,308. *1/2 to Chess's Dream (Jess's Dream), GSW, $237,418. Werk Nick Rating: C+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Annapolis, 124, c, 4, War Front–My Miss Sophia, by Unbridled's Song. 'TDN Rising Star'. O-Bass Racing, LLC; B-Bass Stables, LLC (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher. $35,000.
3–English Bee, 118, g, 7, English Channel–Evil Kitten, by Kitten's Joy. O/B-Calumet Farm (KY); T-H. Graham Motion. $21,000.
Margins: 1, 1 1/4, HD. Odds: 2.25, 0.95, 31.75.
Also Ran: Ice Chocolat (Brz), Big Everest (GB), Filo Di Arianna (Brz), Anaconda. Scratched: Gun It, Mid Day Image.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

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Off as the second choice with the scratch odds-on morning-line favorite Love Reigns (Ire) (U S Navy Flag)–who is reportedly training up to the Breeders' Cup–Private Creed was taken in hand by Joel Rosario early to attempt to save some ground from the 10 post. He tugged his way up into fourth just behind the leaders at the top of the lane, and slowly built up his momentum to eventually reel in Love Reigns's favored stablemate No Nay Hudson) in the final sixteenth. An extremely green Mo Stash was flying late, but ran out of real estate and came up 3/4 of a length short. No Nay Hudson held third.

“It worked out perfect,” said Rosario. “He showed a lot of speed, [coming from] the post position on the outside. The whole time I was just the passenger. He did the job.”

A $45,000 KEESEP yearling turned $155,000 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic juvenile off a :10 3/5 breeze but very strong gallop out, the bay graduated on debut at Ellis July 30, and was third–one slot and 3/4 of a length behind No Nay Hudson–in Saratoga's Skidmore S. Aug. 19. Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen added blinkers ahead of the race at Kentucky Downs, which was contested over 6 1/2 panels.

“He acts like he'd go farther, but with the success he's having sprinting we're very happy to keep doing this with him for now,” said Asmussen, adding, “With the addition of blinkers he's two for two, so we definitely like that.”

The winner's dam was a minor stakes winner going two turns on the dirt and was purchased by Sharon and Ed Hudon's  Sierra Farm for $85,000 at KEENOV '15. Unlucky in her first three breeding seasons, South Andros's first foal to survive was Private Creed. Her yearling colt by Vino Rosso fetched $200,000 from Spendthrift Farm at Fasig-Tipton July. Next in the pipeline is a Complexity colt, and South Andros is back in foal carrying a full to Private Creed.

INDIAN SUMMER S. PRESENTED BY KEENELAND SELECT, $244,688, Keeneland, 10-9, 2yo, 5 1/2fT, 1:02.30, fm.
1–PRIVATE CREED, 120, c, 2, by Jimmy Creed
                1st Dam: South Andros (SW, $207,125), by Sky Mesa
                2nd Dam: Misty Rain, by Rubiano
                3rd Dam: Vigorous Search, by Vigors
($45,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP; $155,000 2yo '22 EASMAY). O-Mike
McCarty; B-Sierra Farm (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen; J-Joel
Rosario. $145,313. Lifetime Record: 4-3-0-1, $509,313.
2–Mo Stash, 118, c, 2, Mo Town–Making Mark Money, by
Smart Strike. ($130,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP). 1ST BLACK TYPE.
O-BBN Racing, LLC; B-Rhineshire Farm LLC (KY); T-Victoria H.
Oliver. $46,875.
3–No Nay Hudson (Ire), 118, c, 2, No Nay Never–Raw Silk, by
Malibu Moon. ($190,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP). O-Andrew Farm &
For the People Racing Stable LLC; B-RJB Bloodstock (IRE);
T-Wesley A. Ward. $18,750.
Margins: 3/4, 1, 1. Odds: 2.64, 5.80, 1.81.
Also Ran: Ghent, Mounsieur Coco, Bourbon Therapy, Kbcya Later, Revere Note, Numero Seis, Castelmola. Scratched: Love Reigns (Ire). Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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“The one horse (Sharp Aza Tack) had so much speed,” said winning jockey Joel Rosario. “My horse was comfortable, he was happy where he was. He settled nicely going into the turn. For a second, I didn't know, as it took him a little time to get going. He just found another gear. He broke good and I was right there. Just a good trip.”

A $155,000 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Sale grad (:10.3), Private Creed has a yearling half-brother by Vino Rosso and a weanling half-brother by Complexity. South Andros was bred back to Jimmy Creed for a full-sibling to Private Creed in 2023. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

GLOBAL TOTE JUVENILE SPRINT S., $500,000, Kentucky Downs, 9-8, 2yo, 6 1/2fT, 1:18.19, fm.
1–PRIVATE CREED, 120, c, 2, by Jimmy Creed
                1st Dam: South Andros (SW, $207,125), by Sky Mesa
                2nd Dam: Misty Rain, by Rubiano
                3rd Dam: Vigorous Search, by Vigors
($45,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP; $155,000 2yo '22 EASMAY).
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN. O-Mike McCarty; B-Sierra Farm (KY);
T-Steven M. Asmussen; J-Joel Rosario. $310,000. Lifetime
Record: 3-2-0-1, $364,000.
2–Sharp Aza Tack, 122, c, 2, Sharp Azteca–Que Chulo, by
Bernardini. ($72,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP; $100,000 2yo '22
OBSMAR). O-R3 Racing LLC; B-Joe & Emily Cowles (KY);
T-Doug F. O'Neill. $100,000.
3–Accident, 118, g, 2, Tale of Verve–Not Java (Fr), by
Not Bourbon. ($3,000 Ylg '21 FTKOCT). 1ST BLACK TYPE.
O-Tommy C. Short & Robert Heyer; B-C. F. Farms Ltd. (KY);
T-Tommy C. Short. $50,000.
Margins: 3/4, 3HF, 2. Odds: 2.79, 0.26, 27.39.
Also Ran: Bourbon Therapy, Revere Note. Scratched: Bourbon Spirit, Fadethenoise, Half a Chance.

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Given a 4-1 chance in this field of five, the rail-drawn Casa Creed dropped back early and trailed in fifth as longshot Get Smokin (Get Stormy) led through fractions of :24.01 and :47.94. Locked and loaded on the far turn, he was tipped out widest of all at the top of the stretch, and, after shifting in around the three-sixteenths marker and getting subsequently corrected by Luis Saez, came flying over the top with massive strides to get the money. Regal Glory, who was attempting to become the third female winner of the race in the last four years, was second best.

A solid third in this race last year, Casa Creed came within a neck of capturing the G3 Turf Sprint Cup in Saudi Arabia in his 2022 lidlifter Feb. 26. Freshened after finishing fifth in the G1 Al Quoz Sprint at Meydan Mar. 26, the bay successfully defended his Jaipur title on the GI Belmont S. undercard last out June 11.

“He's in great form and won two Grade I's since coming back [from Dubai], so scrap that theory that they can't travel and do good,” winning Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott said. “We've always felt he was capable of going a mile and I think it's a matter of getting his run timed properly and having the right trip, and he did it today. He's run good races at a mile before and got very good speed figures, and today he got his picture taken.”

Casa Creed has taken two previous swings at the GI Breeders' Cup Mile, finishing 12th at Keeneland in 2020 and eighth at Del Mar last year. He earned a fees-paid berth into this year's GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint via his win in the Jaipur and added a free trip to the GI Breeders' Cup Mile with his win in the Fourstardave.

Where will we see Casa Creed land at the Championships this fall?

“We'll talk about that,” Mott said. “We're already hashing that over, but we'll see. I think six-to-seven [furlongs] is probably his best–he's somewhere in between. But he was drawing away going a mile today. I guess it depends on the trip and how he's doing on the day.”

Pedigree Notes:

The lone Grade I scorer and one of four graded winners for the under-appreciated Jimmy Creed, Casa Creed is out of an unraced daughter of four-time graded winner Wild Heart Dancing (Farma Way), the dam of MSPs Unbridled's Heart (Unbridled's Song) and Leopard Rock (Speightstown). Third dam Star of Wicklow was responsible for GISW Man From Wicklow (Turkoman). Achalaya is the dam of Jimmy Creed's 2-year-old half-brother by Distorted Humor, a yearling by Omaha Beach and a filly by Horse of the Year Authentic foaled Apr. 15. She was bred back to Curlin. Bellamy Road is the broodmare sire of two graded winners.

Saturday, Saratoga
FOURSTARDAVE H.-GI, $485,000, Saratoga, 8-13, 3yo/up, 1mT, 1:34.20, fm.
1–CASA CREED, 122, h, 6, by Jimmy Creed
                1st Dam: Achalaya, by Bellamy Road
                2nd Dam: Wild Heart Dancing, by Farma Way
                3rd Dam: Star of Wicklow, by Fast Play
($15,000 Ylg '17 OBSWIN; $105,000 Ylg '17 KEESEP). O-LRE
Racing LLC & JEH Racing Stable LLC; B-Silver Springs Stud, LLC
(KY); T-William I. Mott; J-Luis Saez. $275,000. Lifetime Record:
27-7-4-4, $1,703,308. *1/2 to Chess's Dream (Jess's Dream),
GSW, $185,715. Werk Nick Rating: A++.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Regal Glory, 119, m, 6, Animal Kingdom–Mary's Follies, by
More Than Ready. ($925,000 5yo '21 KEEJAN). O-Peter M.
Brant; B-Paul P Pompa (KY); T-Chad C. Brown. $100,000.
3–Masen (GB), 123, g, 4, Kingman (GB)–Continental Drift, by
Smart Strike. O/B-Juddmonte Farms Ltd. (GB); T-Chad C.
Brown. $60,000.
Margins: 1HF, HF, 3/4. Odds: 4.20, 0.50, 3.55.
Also Ran: Get Smokin, Front Run the Fed.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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“We'll find out how high we can go with him,” trainer Michael Tomlinson said. “Saratoga is an exciting and fun place to be. The atmosphere is unmatched, that's for sure.”

Off as the 2-5 favorite from his inside draw, Conagher flashed his usual speed and was hounded through early fractions of :22.37 and :44.44. He began to shake loose as they straightened for home and kept finding in the stretch beneath Joe Rocco, Jr. to score by 2 1/4 lengths while stopping the timer for seven furlongs in an eye-catching 1:21.42.

“This horse is probably as fast a horse that I've ever trained,” Tomlinson said.

The Patricias Hope LLC and Mark Farrar colorbearer is a perfect three-for-three sprinting on dirt this season, including an impressive 5 1/4-length victory over subsequent GII Amsterdam S. winner Gunite (Gun Runner) in a very live optional claimer at Churchill Downs June 3. Conagher earned a career-high 104 Beyer Speed Figure that day.

For comparison, the only 3-year-olds to run faster races around one turn this term are Jack Christopher (Munnings) (107 Beyer/GI Woody Stephens S.) and Charge It (Tapit) (111 Beyer/GIII Dwyer S.), respectively.

Conagher is likely to face off again with last year's aforementioned GI Hopeful S. winner Gunite as well as the ultra-talented Jack Christopher in the highly coveted stallion-making race at the Spa later this month.

“We obviously beat a good horse in Gunite,” Tomlinson said.

“That was his first race off a layoff, but we beat him the right way. So, we'll see. It sure looks like Gunite likes Saratoga, his record there is impeccable. Then you've probably got Jack Christopher coming back [after a third-place finish in the GI Haskell]. Might be a big challenge for us. It's gonna be a loaded race for sure.”

Conagher was turning back in distance for the Housebuster after giving two turns a shot while making his stakes debut in the Iowa Derby July 9. After leading by four lengths in the stretch, he held his own in defeat, finishing second behind next-out Iowa Stallion S. winner Ain't Life Grand (Not This Time).

“We weren't disappointed, but just decided that he's a better sprinter than he is going two turns, so we backed him up,” Tomlinson said. “We wanted to give him a prep race before we went to New York. I thought the race fell in line timing wise just fine. Just felt like he needed a little sharpener as opposed to having to work him two or three extra times.”

Conagher, just a mere $9,000 FTKOCT yearling graduate, was purchased privately by these connections following a debut second behind subsequent GIII Sanford S. runner-up and $550,000 OBSMAR graduate Headline Report (Gormley) for owner/trainer Robert B. McCutchen as a 2-year-old during last term's Keeneland spring meet.

“I've known Bobby and Jason McCutchen for a long time and have bought several horses off them,” Tomlinson said. “When I was told that Bobby was high on this horse, I ventured over to Keeneland and took a look at him after he ran that one time. We made a deal and purchased him for two of my good owners. I put them together and the rest is history. They sure have had a lot of fun since.”

Fun, indeed.

Bred in Kentucky by La Bahia Stud Inc., Conagher sports a record of 9-4-3-1 and career earnings of $312,353. His lone off-the-board finish took place while making his 3-year-old debut on the Gulfstream grass in February. That was his first start since graduating at fourth asking over the Colonial lawn last July.

“He just needed some time,” Tomlinson said of the layoff. “Little 2-year-old infirmities, so we gave him all the time he needed. It felt like he was a nice colt all long.”

Since launching his training career in 1991, the Louisville-based Tomlinson has tightened the girth on 635 winners, led by graded stakes winners like Barbados (Speightstown), Jordan's Henny (Henny Hughes), Kettleoneup (Victory Gallop), Sir Cherokee (Cherokee Run) and others. Barbados, winner of the 2015 GIII Hutcheson S., also finished third as the favorite for Tomlinson in that term's GII Amsterdam S. at Saratoga.

“I'm kind of a little guy,” Tomlinson concluded. “I have a medium-sized stable with about 40 head. We've had some good horses in the past. But we've had a little bit of a drought for a few years. It's kind of refreshing to have a good one for a change.”

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