Tag: John Gunther

Half-Brother To Justify, Stage Raider Impresses In The Slop At Keeneland

The half-brother to 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify, Stage Raider made an impressive picture when breaking his maiden at second asking Saturday at Keeneland. Racing as a homebred for John Gunther's Glennwood Farm, the 3-year-old son of Pioneerof the Nile dominated the seven-furlong dirt event by 10 3/4 lengths despite racing greenly in the stretch. The final time was 1:22.62 over a course rated sloppy, earning a Beyer figure of 95.

Defeated in his first outing on Jan. 23 at Gulfstream Park by the highly-regarded Prevalence, Stage Raider is trained by Chad Brown and was ridden Saturday by reigning champion jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr.

Stage Raider is out of the 2018 Kentucky Broodmare of the Year Stage Magic, a Ghostzapper mare who is the dam of three winners from four foals to race.

Stage Magic's star offspring is Justify, a son of Scat Daddy who went undefeated in six career starts, winning on debut, then taking an optional claiming race and the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby before sweeping the Triple Crown. He finished the year earning Eclipse Award honors as champion 3-year-old male and Horse of the Year.

Justify now stands at Ashford Stud in Versailles, Ky., where his first foals will be yearlings of 2021.

The mare has also produced The Lieutenant, a Grade 3-winning son of Street Sense who stood one Northern Hemisphere season in New York, but was killed during a raid at Haras Barlovento in Peru while standing the 2019 Southern Hemisphere breeding season. His first foals are also yearlings.

Stage Raider was offered at the 2019 Keeneland September Yearling Sale by the Glennwood Farm consignment, but the Gunther family elected to hold on to the colt, after he hammered below his reserve with a final bid of $950,000.

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Half to Justify Crushes His Competition in ‘Rising Star’ Fashion

Stage Raider (Pioneerof the Nile), a half-brother to undefeated Triple Crown hero Justify (Scat Daddy), took one more try than his brother did, but followed in that Horse of the Year's hoofprints with a 'TDN Rising Star'-worthy graduation at Keeneland Saturday. Runner-up to another impressive 'TDN Rising Star' in Prevalence (Medaglia d'Oro) in his seven-panel debut at Gulfstream Jan. 23, the bay was hammered down to 9-5 favoritism to get the money this time. Breaking on top, the Gunther homebred was overtaken by a pair of foes just before the first quarter went up in :22.70. Keeping close tabs from third through a half-mile in :45.75, Stage Raider charged up three wide turning for home and stormed clear in the lane, splashing home to a 10 3/4-length victory. Harvard, who is a full-brother to a champion in Classic Empire, was best of the rest in second, making it an exacta for the late Pioneerof the Nile.

Fellow Gunther homebred Stage Magic's first foal was the ill-fated GSW The Lieutenant. Her second foal Holiday Music (Harlan's Holiday) was privately purchased by Jane Lyon's Summer Wind Farm prior too Justify's Triple Crown sweep to begin her new career as a broodmare. Third time was certainly a charm for Stage Magic was two-time Eclipse winner Justify was foal number three and he was followed by Egyptian Storm (Pioneerof the Nile), who was purchased by David Ingordo for $750,000 carrying her first foal by Quality Road at the 2019 FTKNOV sale. Her 4-year-old colt One More City (Will Take Charge) RNA'd for $1.75 million just months after Justify's retirement and is still unraced. Stage Raider was also a big RNA, leaving the ring unsold at $950,000. Stage Magic lost her Quality Road foal in 2019, but had a Curlin filly in 2020 and was bred back to that Hill 'n' Dale stallion.

 

11th-Keeneland, $79,000, Msw, 4-10, 3yo, 7f, 1:22.62, sy,

10 3/4 lengths.

STAGE RAIDER (c, 3, Pioneerof the Nile–Stage Magic {Broodmare Of The Year, GSP, $133,981}, by Ghostzapper) Sales history: $950,000 RNA Ylg '19 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 2-1-1-0, $55,570. O/B-John D. Gunther (KY); T-Chad C. Brown. *1/2 to The Lieutenant (Street Sense), GSW, $345,882; and to Justify (Scat Daddy), Triple Crown, Horse Of The Year, Ch. 3-year-old Colt, MGISW, $3,798,000. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree or the VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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Saturday’s Racing Insights: Bros to Champions Make Second Starts

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency

11th-KEE, $79K, Msw, 3yo, 7f, 6:38 p.m. ET

A pair of Pioneerof the Nile brothers to high-profile champions look to go one better off of runner-up debuts to close out the Keeneland card Saturday. John Gunther homebred Stage Raider (Pioneerof the Nile) is half to none other than Triple Crown winner Justify (Scat Daddy) as well as the ill-fated GSW The Lieutenant (Street Sense). A $950,000 Keeneland September RNA, the Chad Brown trainee was beaten 8 1/2 lengths by super impressive 'TDN Rising Star' Prevalence (Medaglia d'Oro) going this distance at Gulfstream Jan. 23. Prevalence came back and did what he had to do to take an optional claimer next out, but he settled for sixth in last Saturday's GII Wood Memorial S.

WinStar Farm and CHC Inc.'s Harvard (Pioneerof the Nile), meanwhile, was second going a furlong shorter at Gulfstream Feb. 28, good for a field's-best last-out Beyer Speed Figure of 75. Bred by China Horse Club, the Rodolphe Brisset pupil is a full to 2016 champion juvenile and 2017 GI Arkansas Derby winner Classic Empire, who has first 2-year-olds himself this season. TJCIS PPs

4th-OP, $93K, Msw, 3yo, 6f, 2:42 p.m. ET

Bob Baffert brings in Following Sea (Runhappy) for a lucrative maiden special weight try a few races before he'll be represented by the two expected favorites in the GI Arkansas Derby. Spendthrift homebred Following Sea crossed the wire second on debut behind stablemate and subsequent GI Runhappy Santa Anita fourth Defunded (Dialed In) at Santa Anita Mar. 6, but he was moved back to third by the stewards for interference. The bay was a $230,000 in utero purchase at the 2017 Keeneland November sale. His stakes-winning dam has already produced one stakes horse and is half to SW and MGSP Qahira (Cairo Prince), who is also conditioned by Baffert.

Frank Fletcher Racing and Ten Strike Racing will be represented by Brad Cox-trained firster Amazing Rocket (Into Mischief). The $500,000 KEESEP buy is a grandson of MSW Amazing Buy (High Yield). Happymac (Runhappy) was a $360,000 KEESEP yearling who RNA'd last year at OBSAPR for $800,000 following a :20 3/5 bullet breeze. The half-brother to speedy GSW/MGISP Shancelot (Shanghai Bobby) was fourth in the Saratoga mud last August–two slots behind recent GII Toyota Blue Grass runner-up Highly Motivated (Into Mischief)–and was beaten a neck after setting the pace at Keeneland in October. He's one of two to be saddled by Steve Asmussen, along with $170,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-bred Arms an Armor (Laoban).

Rising Empire (Empire Maker) earned the same Beyer Speed Figure–64–when finishing fourth on debut that Happymac did at Keeneland one day earlier. The half-brother to MGSW marathoner and 'TDN Rising Star' Rocketry (Hard Spun) was a $275,000 KEESEP yearling turned $700,000 OBSAPR grad off a :10 1/5 move. Terawatt (Nyquist) was a $200,000 KEENOV weanling, $300,000 FTSAUG yearling and $295,000 FTMMAY RNA (:10 1/5). He's a half to GSW Native Bombshell (War Front). TJCIS PPs

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Half-Brother to Justify Primed for Gulfstream Debut

He has bred a Triple Crown winner, but John Gunther has yet to have his first superstar as an owner. He's hoping that may soon change.

Gunther is the owner and breeder of Stage Raider (Pioneerof the Nile), a half-brother to Triple Crown winner Justify (Scat Daddy), who will make his debut in Saturday's sixth race at Gulfstream. And while no one is predicting that Stage Raider will win the Triple Crown, both Gunther and trainer Chad Brown are optimistic that the 3-year-old colt has above average talent.

“He seems to have plenty of ability,” Brown said. “Being a half-brother to a legendary horse, the expectations are lofty. In his works, he seems to have plenty of ability and definitely belongs in the 'A' circuit in a race like this with these kinds of horses.”

Gunther is primarily a breeder, so it was no surprise when he entered Justify in the 2016 Keeneland September sale, where he sold for $500,000. Less than two years later, Justify completed the Triple Crown sweep with a win in the GI Belmont S. and was soon thereafter retired. The dam, Stage Magic, was named the 2018 Broodmare of the Year.

“To me, it's far more exciting to be able to keep them and race them,” Gunther said. “I love racing but having the operation like ours, especially one our size, you need that cash flow. You have to sell them just to keep the operation profitable going forward. You have to take your yearlings to market.”

That doesn't mean he is willing to give them away. Stage Raider was entered in the 2019 Keeneland September sale, but did not meet his reserve price of $950,000.

“I felt the price we had on him at the sale was a reasonable price, seeing that he is a half-brother to Justify,” Gunther said. “He was not small, he was medium-sized. I think when a lot of people looked at him they thought of Justify, who was probably one of the best yearlings we've ever consigned at the sale. Justify was so big and strong when he was at the sale and I think people were expecting there would be a little more size with this horse.

“What we usually do is if they don't sell, we race them,” he said. “We are always excited to race them. That's just the business we are in. I wish I could afford to race them all.”

When Gunther doesn't get his price at the sales, he will normally race the horses himself. He owns another half-brother to Justify, a horse named One More City (Will Take Charge). A 4-year-old who has yet to race, he RNA'd at the 2018 Keeneland September sale for $1.75 million. He has had three published workouts, none since May.

Stage Raider was sent to Brown last summer and had his first workout for him Sept. 29 at Saratoga. While sensing that the colt had promise, Brown wasn't satisfied with how he was developing mentally.

“When he first came into us, he was a bit immature,” Brown said. “It took a while for him to get things together mentally. The owners, the Gunthers, have been very patient and are never in a rush.”

Brown said that Stage Raider started to put it together in recent works, in particular his last two. He worked five furlongs in 1:01 Jan. 16 at Palm Meadows and seven days earlier went a half-mile out of the gate in :48.

“I've been really pleased with his training over the last month,” he said. “He's really come together mentally. He's always been a good mover on the track.”

On paper, it looks like Brown has chosen a particularly tough race for Stage Raider's debut. Todd Pletcher will send out Ghazaaly (Curlin), a $1.05 million purchase at Keeneland September. Godolphin has a well-bred first-time starter in Prevalence (Medaglia d'Oro) and Shug McGaughey has the first-timer Marching (Liam's Map). Traveller (Tourist) is another Pletcher-trainee making his debut and has a pair of bullet workouts at Palm Beach Downs. He is a half-brother to Grade I winner Eight Rings (Empire Maker).

“I am nervous, of course,” Gunther said. “He's a half-brother to Justify, so there are a lot of expectations out there. Talking to Chad, he seems very pleased with the way he is coming along. He seems to be improving week to week, so we are keeping our fingers crossed and will see how he handles that first start. I'm just hoping for the best.”

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