By the time Martinez set down his gelding at the eighth pole, Boys and Bullets was gathering momentum, but still five lengths behind the frontrunner.

As the line loomed, the pack tightened. With a hustling hand ride Martinez gunned for an inside split, then deftly readjusted his aim for a better hole between rivals to the outside.

Boys and Bullets burst through to head-bob with the leader in the final strides, and Martinez kept driving hard through the finish. It was only a few jumps later that the rookie rider gave a jubilant fist pump because he knew he had earned his first official winner as a licensed professional.

Or had he? On the gallop-out, doubts crept in. Returning to unsaddle, Martinez became even less sure, because none of the other riders were saying anything one way or the other.

Then he saw his number glowing on the infield tote board. Boys and Bullets had won by a head. After coming close with six seconds and seven thirds from 29 mounts since his Mar. 5 debut, Martinez was a maiden no more.

“My heart screamed inside of me, I was so happy,” Martinez told TDN. “I was like, 'Wow, I can't believe I got it done on a long shot-the one that you least expect.'”

You've seen the congratulatory rite-of-passage “baptism” that accompanies an apprentice jockey's first win in North America: A gleeful mob of riders and valets douse the grinning newbie with water, shaving cream, boot polish, toothpaste, shampoo, eggs, and whatever other gooey substances can be found in the jocks' room or kitchen.

Martinez's celebratory bath was no different. But his backstory certainly is.

For starters, he's 30 years old and has only been riding horses for 3 1/2 years despite having spent a childhood in a family of racetrackers on the now-defunct New England circuit. In addition, as a teenager, Martinez drifted away from the sport-and for a brief while, his family. He reconnected with both after figuring out, in his words, “that horses really do bring people together.”

“In Boston, I grew up in the 'hood,” Martinez said. “I come from poverty, so it feels nice to, like, be someone now in life. And if feels good to know that my parents are really, really happy for me, and my family supports me in everything I do. I thought I was lost at 20 years old.”

'You're going to be a jockey…'

Martinez's father, also named Francisco, has worked for decades in the stable of trainer Mike Aro. When Aro was based primarily at Rockingham Park and Suffolk Downs, the younger Martinez recalls that he and his two younger brothers were always welcome under the shed row, where they got acquainted with racehorses from infancy.

In the early 2000s, the Martinez boys carried their equine enthusiasm home, where they were fond of watching the nightly televised Suffolk replay show while “riding” the arms of the couch with their dad's leather belts strapped to the furniture as reins.

Those pretend stretch battles did not exactly thrill their mother, Maria Rodriguez.

“My Mom would be like, 'What are you guys breaking down the couch for?'” Martinez reminisced. “And I would say, 'We're learning. We're riding.”

Martinez was allowed to do some hotwalking in the summers before he got out of grade school, and he gained a reputation for being able to handle difficult horses, even as a child.

“Especially the crazy ones. I used to get along with them really good,” Martinez said with pride.

He occasionally would be permitted to get up on horseback, but not beyond the shed row.

Martinez vividly recalls one of Aro's primary jockeys at the time, Michel Lapensee, giving him early encouragement.

“Mike Lapensee once threw his helmet and vest on me and put me up on a horse in Mikey Aro's barn and said, 'You're going to be a jockey when you grow up,'” Martinez recalled.

Decades later, that prediction resonates with poignancy: Lapensee died at age 58 in 2005 after a fall during a race at Suffolk.

But as Martinez grew into his teenage years, his interest in racing became eclipsed by a passion for soccer. He got recruited to play for a statewide team in Massachusetts.

At roughly the same time though, his father decided to follow a job offer to Parx when the Aro outfit relocated to Pennsylvania. This was a few years after Rockingham ceased Thoroughbred racing in 2002 and more than a decade before Suffolk would close in 2019.

“It was just me, my mom, and my two brothers back home,” Martinez said. “Then I broke my three last toes on my right foot, and I just couldn't get back into soccer shape. Every time I tried to run, I couldn't run. I'd fall or trip or something because I had no feeling there yet. And I kind of got mad and got away from it. Then I started hanging around the streets a lot. I got distant from everybody. I dropped out of school.”

Martinez has an uncle, Ruben Rodriguez, who had worked for standings-topping New England trainer Charlie Assimakopoulos. But Rodriguez left the backstretch life to take on construction work when that outfit also relocated as the New England circuit dissolved. Seeing that his nephew was in danger of going adrift, Rodriguez got him a job as a construction laborer in Boston. But Martinez didn't really relish the work and had a nagging feeling something was missing.

His dad phoned one day. “What are you going to do with your life?” he asked his son point-blank.

“Honestly, I was going to call you to come back to the horses,” Martinez told his father. “Because that's all I've known since I was little.”

So Martinez followed his father to Pennsylvania. Eventually, his younger brothers took jobs at Parx as well. Luis, the middle sibling, is now an assistant for Ron Dandy, another transplanted New England trainer. Juan, the youngest, is an exercise rider.

Asked approximately when he made that move to Parx, Martinez rattles off the exact date: Dec. 15, 2012.

“I remember it because it was the best thing I ever did in my life,” Martinez said.

'Never too late to start'

Aro took him on as a hotwalker, but Martinez had lost some muscle memory for the job after being away from horses for a decade.

“I had to basically learn everything again,” Martinez explained. “Because from 10 years old to 19 years old, I hadn't done anything with horses. I hadn't been around them. But I always had a really good connection with them.”

Later in the 2010s, Martinez worked as a groom for trainer Scott Lake. In the summer of 2020, he learned that he and his high school sweetheart were going to become the parents of a baby girl, and this got him thinking about trying to get a better-paying racetrack job.

Juan kept pestering his brother to get on horseback and get licensed. One day Martinez accompanied Juan to a local farm where he exercised horses. The farm's trainer had heard that the older Martinez brother wanted to give riding a shot, so he handed Martinez a helmet and gave him a leg up on a massive Quarter Horse nicknamed Gorilla because of his size and strength.

“At that farm, it takes four rounds to jog a mile,” Martinez said. “By the third round my hands were asleep, and I thought he was going to run off with me. But when I laid back, he relaxed. And the more I did that, the more he got along with me.”

The trainer told him no other rider had ever had such kinship with Gorilla.

“What I like about you was you didn't panic, you didn't get scared, you stayed on the horse so he could do his job,” Martinez said the farm's trainer told him.

Back at Parx, Martinez's father had acquired three of his own horses that he cared for in addition to his work for Aro. Although initially reluctant to let his son get licensed and jog them, he relented. At age 27, after a lifetime at the races, Martinez took his first twirl around the track on horseback.

Soon after, someone from John Servis's barn approached Martinez, complimented his style, and asked who he worked for. Martinez said he only got aboard his dad's three horses. The Servis outfit was looking for a galloper, but would let him start learning that skill by jogging. It was a Thursday-could he start on Monday?

“I can start today if you need me,” Martinez beamed by way of reply.

Martinez credits Servis with teaching him to gallop and breeze horses the right way for the last 3 1/2 years.

“I turned into his main two-minute-licker,” Martinez said. “I hit every exact second that he asked me. He'd test me-1:56, 1:58-and I'd hit them. He told me, 'Kid, you've got a clock in your head.'”

Francisco Martinez receives the “initiation” celebration after capturing his first career win | EQUI-PHOTO.

It was also Servis who nominated Martinez to ride in the Amateur Riders Club of America series at Delaware and Laurel. Those are pari-mutuel races in which riders are allowed to tack higher weights well into the 130-plus pound range.

Martinez won the very first amateur race he attempted, on Oct. 6, 2022, at Delaware aboard Boffo Kid (Friesan Fire), who won by a neck with a furious late drive in an off-the-turf route.

“I was just so happy to be in the race that I forgot to put on my goggles,” Martinez said with a laugh. “I was just getting hit with dirt, dirt, dirt. At the three-quarters pole I said, “Should I bring my goggles down?' And I was like, 'Nah, I gallop like this every morning. I'll just leave them off.”

He competed in that series through 2023, winning two of seven races over two years. The amateur jockeys do not get awarded any purse money, and although Equibase lists the wins on their lifetime records, the victories don't count against an apprenticeship if a rider does turn pro.

At Parx, Martinez also got a taste of true horsepower during that time. When trainer Bob Baffert shipped Reincarnate (Good Magic) and Adare Manor (Uncle Mo) to run in a pair of Grade I stakes there, Servis recommended Martinez to get on them in the mornings.

As 2024 neared, Martinez knew it was now or never for taking his shot at being a jockey. Friends in the Parx riding colony were asking him what he was waiting for. His main concerns were getting his weight down from 118 to 110 without resorting to unhealthy measures, and dealing with the loss of steady income from exercising horses. As a jockey, he would still be getting aboard horses in the mornings, only now he'd have to do it for free in exchange for the never-certain prospect of getting mounts on them in the afternoons.

When Martinez told Servis what he was planning to do, the trainer further complicated the decision by saying he had just been about to offer Martinez an assistant's job.

“I told John, 'I want to try this, because if I don't do it, I'm going to regret it,'” Martinez said.

Martinez cut down his weight via diet and intense gym sessions, and February was supposed to be his target to start riding in races. Then his brother Juan broke five ribs in a training accident when his saddle slipped sideways trying to pull up a rank horse, and Martinez delayed his debut.

“He got stuck next to the rail,” Martinez said. “But Juan says the rail saved his life, because if not, that horse would have been dragging him on the ground.”

Martinez finally rode in his first race six weeks ago. He was 11th and last and didn't hit the board for a week, but was not deterred.

When Martinez hit the winner's circle Apr. 10, it unlocked more opportunities. After initially hustling his own mounts without an agent, Martinez has since teamed with Richard Englander, who has him booked on 18 mounts at Parx this Monday through Wednesday, plus two more at Aqueduct on Thursday.

“I'd been wanting to do this since I was little, but I never got the chance,” Martinez said. “And now that I'm doing it, I want to get everything out that I always wanted to get out. Every time I ride I try to give my all. It doesn't matter if the horse is a long shot, what the odds are. If I get along with the horse, I'm at peace with my heart.”

Although Martinez said he has accepted some good-natured ribbing about being a rookie at age 30, he replies pensively when asked what his advice would be to others looking to fulfill a difficult dream later in life.

“It's never too late to start,” Martinez said. “God is always, always open to anybody, and He will push you if you talk to Him. That's one thing that I have learned and believe in. And I believe that thanks to Him, I'm on the right track now.”

The post Week In Review: A 30-Year-Old Bugboy’s First Win: ‘The One You Least Expect’ appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Nicely into stride from gate three, the dark bay filly had early company to her inside in the form of Anna's Arabesque (Munnings), as odds-on L Street Lady (Munnings)–the lone main-track-only entrant–chased that pair from third. Unified Alliance cut the corner into the stretch and kept finding up front en route to an ultimately comfortable first black-type success.

Unified Alliance made the first six starts of her career for John Servis, winning her maiden at first asking at Parx last December before adding a romping 10 1/4-length allowance score in Bensalem Apr. 3. A distant last of four in the rained-off Memories of Silver S. at Aqueduct Apr. 29, she led into the final furlong of the June 11 Jersey Girl S. at Belmont, but was outfinished by L Street Lady and settled for second.

“We were sitting at the table with claps of thunder and bolts of lightning [last night], and I said, 'I could really do with this going on for four more hours just to really knock it on the head,'” the winning trainer said. “It didn't last four hours, but we got enough [rain]. She actually worked really, really well on the grass at Belmont, so we were definitely going to roll the dice and see if she could [run on] turf today, but obviously it cut up into an easier race when it came off.”

The fourth stakes winner for her Lane's End-based sire (by Candy Ride {Arg}), Unified Alliance is the only of her dam's foals to race and hails from the female family of GISW A. P. Adventure (A.P. Indy). Star Power did not produce a foal in any of the last three years and was bred to McKinzie this season. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

CORONATION CUP S., $139,500, Saratoga, 7-14, 3yo, f, 5 1/2f (off turf), 1:03.80, ft.
1–UNIFIED ALLIANCE, 120, f, 3, by Unified
1st Dam: Star Power, by Speightstown
2nd Dam: Sequel, by A.P. Indy
3rd Dam: Nataliano, by Fappiano
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. ($170,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP; $60,000 2yo '22 EASMAY). O-Reagan Jack Racing; B-Calvin & Shane Crain (KY); T-Thomas Morley; J-Javier Castellano. $82,500. Lifetime Record: 7-3-2-1, $193,500.
2–Anna's Arabesque, 118, f, 3, Munnings–Classy Music, by Maclean's Music. ($220,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP). O-Rigney Racing, LLC; B-Patrick Waresk (KY); T-Philip A Bauer. $30,000.
3–L Street Lady, 122, f, 3, Munnings–Lady Gayle, by Scat Daddy. ($125,000 Ylg '21 FTKJUL). O-Madaket Stables LLC; B-T & G Farm of Kentucky LLC (KY); T-Brittany T Russell. $18,000.
Margins: 1HF, 6 3/4, 5 3/4. Odds: 2.75, 2.25, 0.95.
Also Ran: Wildhawk. Scratched: Bosserati, Love Appeals, Love Reigns (Ire), My Sweet Affair, Violet Gibson (Ire).

UNIFIED ALLIANCE wins the Coronation Cup Stakes with @jjcjockey aboard for trainer @morley_racing! Congratulations to the connections! #Saratoga pic.twitter.com/8DuWYHeBZs

— NYRA () (@TheNYRA) July 14, 2023

The post Unified Alliance ‘Rains’ In Off-Turf Coronation Cup appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

“The first horse through the ring this morning brought six figures and the last horse through the ring brought six figures,” said Fasig-Tipton president Boyd Browning. “There was brisk activity and great trade, literally from start to finish today. It was very similar to yesterday.”

Midway through the four-day auction, 524 yearlings have sold for $28,232,900. The average of $53,880 is up 19.5% from the same point a year ago and the median is up 25% to $25,000. The 2021 auction produced records for gross, average and median and, through two days, the 2022 renewal remains well ahead of those marks.

“Quality sells,” Browning said. “There is a great demand for quality and there is great competition for what are perceived to be the quality offerings. But you are also seeing depth of the market. I thought today was a little bit stronger in the middle market than yesterday. It was a very, very vibrant marketplace and great participation, not only from American buyers, but international purchasers as well. It was a very, very healthy marketplace today.”

The day's top 10 yearlings were purchased by 10 different buyers and were sold by 10 different consignors.

The Green family's DJ Stable made the biggest purchase of Tuesday's session, going to $600,000 to acquire a filly by Tapit from the Blake-Albina Thoroughbred Services consignment.

The two-day results continued a season of strong returns at the yearling auctions, according to Hanzly Albina.

“I think all of the yearling sales this year have been super strong,” Albina said. “They have exceeded expectations on all fronts. If you had the right horse in the right sale, you got more money than you would have estimated if you put reasonable estimates on your horses. I think Maryland was terrific, Keeneland was terrific and July was great. The mixed sale they just had up in Saratoga was unbelievable. And then this sale has been great as well.”

The Fasig-Tipton October Yearlings Sale continues through Thursday with sessions beginning daily at 10 a.m.

DJ Stable Strikes Again

The Green family's DJ Stable, which purchased three yearlings during the first session of the Fasig-Tipton October Sale, was back in action again Tuesday in Lexington, going to $600,000 to acquire a filly by Tapit (hip 629) from the Blake-Albina Thoroughbred Services consignment.

“Between Kim Valerio and Mark Casse, we looked at almost every single horse in the sale,” Len Green said. “If you have faith in your trainer, like we do with Mark Casse, and you beat the bushes, then all you have to do is put your money where your mouth is. And that's what this basically is.”

The gray filly is out of multiple graded-stakes winner Carolyn's Cat (Forestry) and is a full-sister to graded winner Mufajaah. She was bred by Newtown Anner Stud, which purchased the mare for $210,000 at the 2018 Keeneland November sale.

The yearling was making her second trip through the sales ring this fall after RNA'ing for $425,000 at last month's Keeneland September sale.

“We couldn't be happier with that result,” said Hanzly Albina. “We really thought a lot of her. That's why we didn't let her go the first time. I think she is a beautiful Tapit filly with pedigree. The mare has been very generous to us. I think she warranted the $600,000 and we are very happy that she is in good hands. Mr. Green has a great racing operation and it's good for us because hopefully our mare will get another stakes winner.”

Asked about the difference in sales results, Albina said, “It's hard to say–maybe a month of growth. You can't say the buyers weren't there. The buyers were there. So I don't know why she was overlooked. Maybe she just needed a little more time to grow.”

McCrocklin Swings for Into Mischief Colt

Tom McCrocklin took a big swing to acquire a colt by Into Mischief (hip 752) for $560,000 on behalf of a pinhooking partnership late in Tuesday's second session of the Fasig-Tipton October sale. The bay yearling was bred by John Oxley, who campaigned his dam, Canadian champion Delightful Mary (Limehouse). He was consigned by Gainesway.

“He's a beautiful, beautiful horse,” McCrocklin said. “All the usuals: a beautiful horse, athletic, by Into Mischief, out of a really good female family. He was bought for a partnership and is going to go to a 2-year-old sale. We are going to do the high wire act and we will see how it works out. Check with me in the spring.”

It was the second time of the yearling sales season that McCrocklin stretched to acquire a pinhooking prospect. He went to a sales-topping $700,000 to purchase a colt by Arrogate on behalf of Michael Sucher's Champion Equine at the Fasig-Tipton New York-Bred Yearlings Sale just days after the yearling's 2-year-old full-brother Cave Rock broke his maiden at Del Mar. Since then, Cave Rock solidified his position at the top of his division with wins in the GI Del Mar Futurity and GI American Pharoah S.

McCrocklin confirmed that colt remains on track for the 2-year-old sales.

“Obviously, we are on the Cave Rock bandwagon,” the Ocala horseman said.

Asked the value of purchasing high-priced pinhook prospects, McCrocklin laughed and said, “There is zero value in buying these horses to resell, but there is a continued desire for people to have the best and we are trying to acquire those horses to resell. It's up to me to get the job done for people that are very eager to try to hit the home run.”

McCrocklin added there are options for the partnership if the pinhooking route doesn't prove successful.

“We're not opposed to keeping horses to race,” he said. “It's not like they are on a one-way ticket and we have no other options. We certainly have the option to race. We understand the more a horse costs, the more the market shrinks on the other end. So it's not like we are going into it uninformed, but it's a conscious decision to try and sell some of the very best horses that go to auction. So we will give it a go.”

Through two sessions, McCrocklin has signed for six yearlings. He went to $190,000 to acquire a filly by Good Magic (hip 283) and went to $145,000 to take home a son of Maclean's Music (hip 23).

Of the market in Lexington this week, McCrocklin said, “Selective and strong, as usual. Very little middle and almost no bottom. So it's difficult. These people I am competing with are very smart and they are very experienced and very saavy. It's a lot of fun competing with them.”

He paused and added with a smile, “You just want to beat their ass every chance you get.”

Another Gun Runner for Winchell

Looking to continue the success it is having with offspring of Gun Runner, Winchell Thoroughbreds acquired a son of the operation's champion (hip 685) for $550,000 during Tuesday's second session of the Fasig-Tipton October sale. Out of the stakes-placed Classy Dancer (Speightstown) and from the family of Paynter, the yearling was bred by Andrew Warren and was consigned by Lane's End.

“We have obviously enjoyed the run that Gun Runner has put us on and the only the way to continue that is to get more of them,” trainer Steve Asmussen said after signing the ticket on the yearling. “We felt this one was as similar to [Grade I winner] Gunite as anything that we've seen in a public auction.”

Of the wide variety of successful racehorses by the sire, Asmussen said, “I am extremely pleased with the variety of types that have a good amount of success. We felt [with this yearling] the cross was along the lines and that we could compare this one to Gunite. Obviously, with Wicked Halo and Echo Zulu and several of the others, he has other physical types and crosses that work extremely well as well.”

Winchell Thoroughbred pre-entered four horses in the upcoming Breeders' Cup, led by Epicenter (Not This Time) in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic and including a trio by Gun Runner: Wicked Halo, Echo Zulu and Gunite.

After adding another yearling by the stallion to the roster Tuesday, Winchell manager David Fiske said, “There is nothing like it, but more of it.”

Of the operation's four Breeders' Cup pre-entries, Fiske said, “The two that worked Sunday came out of the works well. And now we just cross our fingers.”

Speedway Makes Some Late Magic

Peter Fluor and K.C. Weiner's Speedway Stables made its lone yearling purchase of the season when bloodstock agent Marette Farrell went to $400,000 to acquire a colt by Good Magic (hip 778) from the Hunter Valley Farm consignment Tuesday in Lexington.

“He was a stunning physical,” Farrell said. “We thought he was the most athletic horse we'd seen in a long time. What struck me the most about him was, the very first time we saw him, he came out and he moved like a cat. And every time I came back to see him, it was like he was bigger and he was more horse. And he was so composed. I love to see a horse that has class like that because the horses you see in stakes races act like that and move like that.”

The chestnut colt is out of Divine Escapade (A.P. Indy) and is a half to stakes winner King of the Court (Speightstown). His second dam is Grade I winner Madcap Escapade (Hennessy).

He was bred by Sun Valley Farm and was acquired by Hunter Valley Farm for $150,000 at last year's Keeneland November sale.

Tuesday's positive return was the result of good timing, according to Hunter Valley's Fergus Galvin.

“He was a really good-looking, good-moving colt,” Galvin said. “We had him in the Keeneleand [September] sale, but we took the view early on that he would mature a lot for this sale. And he has really matured in the last six weeks. We had a lot of faith in the stallion and he's come on a lot in the last month as well. That was a big help.”

This fall, Good Magic has been represented by Blazing Sevens, winner of the Oct. 1 GI Champagne S., as well as Curly Jack, winner of the Sept. 17 GIII Iroquois S. His daughter Vegas Magic won the GII Sorrento S. in August.

Uncle Mo Joins BSW/Crow Colts Group

The BSW/Crow Colts Group and partners Spendthrift Farm and Gandharvi continued to add to its 2022 roster with the purchase of an Uncle Mo colt (hip 425) for $350,000 Tuesday in Lexington.

“Obviously, the sire power is there,” Jake Memolo said after signing the ticket on the yearling. “Uncle Mo is as good a sire as you could ask for. And this yearling is a strong, fast-looking horse. We were happy to get him at that price.”

Out of stakes-placed Adore You (Tactical Cat), the yearling is a half-brother to multiple stakes winner and multiple Grade I-placed Piedi Bianchi (Overanalzye). The gray colt, who RNA'd for $320,000 as a weanling at last year's Keeneland November sale, was bred by Deann and Greg Baer and was consigned by Wynnstay Sales.

During Monday's first session of the sale, the group purchased a colt by City of Light (hip 249) for $260,000.

“We maybe will add a couple more throughout the week,” Memolo said. “We are at 15 now, so we will be hoping to add maybe two or three more and see where we go.”

The BSW/Crow Colts Group purchased 11 yearlings for $4,840,000 at the Keeneland September sale.

Liz Crow's long history of success buying out of the Fasig-Tipton October sale has continued this year with Grade I winners Goodnight Olive (Ghostzapper) and Jack Christopher (Munnings) and the plan was always to shop for colts for the group at the last yearling auction of the year, according to Memolo.

“Liz has done so well at this sale and it's a sale she likes to target,” Memolo said. “This sale presents a lot of quality, so it's always nice to come here with a little bit of money to spend.”

Main Line Finds Some Fillies

Trainer John Servis and his partners in Main Line Racing worked the barns at Newtown Paddocks en masse over the weekend and enjoyed the fruits of their labors when securing three fillies during the first two sessions of the Fasig-Tipton October Sale. The group made its biggest purchase Tuesday when going to $300,000 to acquire a filly by City of Light (hip 578) out of Boodles (Mr. Greeley) from the Eaton Sales consignment.

“I just thought she looked awesome,” Servis said of the filly. “We chased a couple of other fillies that we didn't get, but we were really saving for this filly.”

The Main Line team got off to a quick start Monday morning when going to $220,000 for a daughter of first-crop sire Audible (hip 6). Consigned by Eaton Sales, the dark bay filly is out of Safwah (Medaglia d'Oro), a half-sister to GI Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming (Bodemeister) and to Grade I winner Hot Dixie Chick (Dixie Union).

“I always try to look at the younger stallions because we are breeding some now, so I pay attention to who the up-and-coming stallions might be and try to get lucky and get to them before they get too popular. I've seen quite a few Audibles that I really liked,” Servis said of the young WinStar stallion who has been popular in the sales ring all fall. “He seems to put a really good hip on all of them. But they all look athletic. I don't know that I've seen one that hasn't looked athletic.”

Rounding out the Main Line trio of October purchases was a filly by Not This Time (hip 203) purchased for $125,000 from the Taylor Made Sales Agency consignment.

The group intentionally focuses on purchasing fillies.

“It's just for residual value,” Servis explained. “Hopefully, if they do some good, we have a shot to get our money back.”

Of the partnership, Servis said, “We have been together since, I'm going to say, 2005. It's Dr. Louis Bucky out of Philadelphia, William Schwartz, who owned a construction company that he sold a few years ago, and his son Drew, who lives in D.C. and does commercial real estate and myself. It's the four of us.”

The Main Line team won the 2019 GIII Dr. James Penny Memorial S. with Notapradaprice (Paddy o'Prado) and has been represented this year by stakes winner Love in the Air (Constitution).

Servis agreed competition at the October sale remained strong.

“I think we got lucky with the Audible filly on the first day because she was so early in the sale,” he said. “I knew it was going to be a strong sale because the pinhookers didn't get a lot accomplished at the September sale, so I knew a lot of those guys would be there, which they were. And I think we got really lucky. I think we did really well.”

The post Tapit Filly on Top as Vibrant Trade Continues at Fasig-Tipton October appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

A 4-year-old son of Into Mischief, Mischevious Alex retired with seven wins in 15 starts with earnings of $734,355. He was trained by John Servis and Saffie Joseph Jr., for owners Cash Is King and LC Racing.

Mischevious Alex started in the Servis barn, where he won on debut as a juvenile at Parx Racing and finished that season with a win in the Parx Juvenile Stakes. He started off his 3-year-old campaign with a pair of Grade 3 wins in the Swale Stakes at Gulfstream Park and the Gotham Stakes at Aqueduct.

The colt was moved to the Joseph barn for his 4-year-old season, where he won his first three starts of the season: a Gulfstream Park allowance optional claiming race, the G3 Gulfstream Park Sprint Stakes, and the G1 Carter Handicap. He also finished third in the G1 Metropolitan Handicap.

Bred in Kentucky by WinStar Farm, Mischevious Alex is out of the winning Speightstown mare White Pants Night. His extended family includes Grade 3 winner Hebbronville.

Mischevious Alex is expected to arrive in Japan in November, and he will stand at Shizunai Stallion Station in Hokkaido. He joins a JBBA roster that also features stallions with North American ties including Creator, Aldebaran, Came Home, Cape Blanco, David Junior, Eskendereya, Johannesburg, Squirtle Squirt, and Stravinsky.

The post Mischevious Alex Retired To Stand In Japan appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Trained by John Servis and campaigned by Cash Is King LLC at two, the bay won two of five starts, including the Parx Juvenile. Victorious in the GIII Swale S. and GIII Gotham S. early in his sophomore season, he was subsequently transferred to Saffie Joseph Jr. after LC Racing secured a stake in the colt. The winner of a pair of starts at Gulfstream for new connections, including the six-furlong GIII Gulfstream Park Sprint, the WinStar Farm-bred recorded his biggest career win in the GI Carter H. at Aqueduct. Third in Belmont's GI Met Mile later that June, he finished off the board in his final two starts against Grade I company. He retired with seven wins from 15 starts and earnings of $734,355.

The post GISW Mischevious Alex to JBBA Shizunai appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Bred in Kentucky by WinStar Farm, Mischevious Alex was a $75,000 Keeneland September yearling and was acquired privately by Charles Zacney's Cash Is King LLC after failing to meet his reserve at $140,000 at OBS April in 2019. A debut winner at Parx that June for trainer John Servis, the bay announced his arrival with a 9 3/4-length thumping of his rivals in the Parx Juvenile S. following which LC Racing bought into the colt. Mischevious Alex stamped himself as the leading sprinter/miler of his generation in early 2020, winning the seven-furlong GIII Swale S. by seven lengths and the GIII Gotham S. going Aqueduct's one-turn mile.

Turned over to Saffie Joseph, Jr. for his 4-year-old season, Mischevious Alex annexed a pair of starts in Florida, including the GIII Gulfstream Park Sprint S. before validating 4-5 favoritism in the Carter, accounting for MGISW Mind Control (Stay Thirsty). A courageous third in the GI Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan H. in June after battling Knicks Go (Paynter) on the front end, Mischevious Alex retires with a record of 15-7-1-2 and earnings of $734,355. According to the release from the JBBA, Mischevious Alex will leave for Japan in early November. Shizunai Stallion Station is also home to American imports Animal Kingdom, Declaration of War, Eskendereya and Noble Mission (GB).

Mischevious Alex, who is bred on the same cross as fellow Grade I winner Mia Mischief, is out of a winning half-sister to the fleet GSW Hebbronville (Majesticperfection) from the same Harlan's Holiday sire line and to SW & GSP Master of Disaster (Dance Master). Into Mischief, who just celebrated his 100th black-type winner, is the sire of 13 winners from 17 runners in Japan, including the Group 2-placed Delta Barows.

WATCH: Mischevious Alex runs them ragged in the Carter

The post Mischevious Alex To Stand In Japan appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Thursday morning, John and Tyler Servis, father and son, stood along the outer rail on the backside of Parx, waiting for their horses to train. Tyler, with his arm draped around his dad's shoulders, talked about their horses.

Saturday, the veteran Parx-based trainer, will be joined by his son, now also a trainer, as they send their horses to the gate amid a stakes-filled program highlighted by the Grade 1, $1 million Pennsylvania Derby at Parx.

John has five horses entered on the day including stakes runners Precious (Plum Pretty), Leader of the Band (Cotillion G1) and Irish Cork (Alphabet Soup).

Tyler will send two, led by Shooger Ray Too in the Grade 3, $200,000 Greenwood Cup. It will be just his third time saddling a horse in a graded stakes in his short time as a trainer.

Tyler, 30, went out on his own two years ago after spending the majority of his young life in the shadow of his dad among the 10,744 starts, 1,306 victories and $52 million in earnings. He was about 14 years old with a front row seat when the ever-popular Smarty Jones made a bid for the Triple Crown in 2004, sweeping the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness before falling short as the runner-up in the Belmont Stakes.

Together they worked side-by-side amid the long hours, through good days and bad. The elder horseman, a master at his craft, teaching his son through hands-on experience in the hope that he could one day follow in his footsteps. Now Tyler has 18 horses stabled in the barn alongside his father on the backstretch.

“I started galloping for him when I was 14 at Oaklawn,” Tyler said. “I got on my first horse at the track and then when I turned 16, I was able to get a license and I'd gallop for him before school. I did that for a couple of years, and I'd say probably during my junior year of high school I became his foreman. Then in my senior year when I graduated, I became his assistant. Then two years ago I decided to go out on my own.”

The decision to embark on a training career can happen too soon, too late or not at all as many have failed over the years. For the Servis' the decision for Tyler to remain with his dad or try his own hand wasn't easy decision.

“It was both ways,” Tyler said. “He was pushing me a little bit to try to go out and do my own thing and see what I could do, and I was getting to the point where I think I was ready for that change and that type of task at hand.”

John, the proud dad, recalled one dream his son had over a decade ago. Tyler dreamt about being a jockey when he grew up. As a high school freshman, he was 5-feet-7 and weighed 90 pounds. By his senior year, he was 6-feet tall, and doubled his weight. Now, as they train separately for different clients, the bond still remains.

“He was going to be a jockey, John said. “He was 16. I have pictures of him breezing horses and his mother was so upset, saying 'I don't want him to be a jockey. I said, 'honey, trust me, when he grows into those feet, he's not going to be a jockey.”

“It's fun and it's exciting”, John said. “Every time he runs a horse, he'll call me five minutes after the race and ask, “what did you think?' If he doesn't call it's because the horse won, and he's basking in the glory. So, then I'll call him and say, 'hey, you never called me!' He'll say, 'oh, I was so busy, I didn't have time.'

“We're right next to each other here (on the backside). After a horse runs or after they work, I'll bring them outside the next day and go over them and jog them down the road and stuff like that. He does the same thing, but it's funny that now when we do that, just one of us, the other will come out and look at them too so it's neat. He does it for me and I do it for him,” John said.

When Tyler saddles Shooger Ray Too in the Greenwood Cup, he will be hoping the third time is the charm after saddling Wentz to a fourth-place finish in the Grade 3 Maryland Sprint Stakes in his first year on his own. He then shipped to Aqueduct and finished fifth in the Grade 3 Tom Fool Handicap.

Tyler will need to win 33 graded stakes if he wants to match his dad's mark, but for now he's focused on Saturday, and he likes his horse's chance in the 1 1/2-mile race.

“He is doing very well,” Tyler said. “He came out of his race really well from Saratoga (2nd in the Birdstone, Aug. 5). We have been pointing to this race all year, so obviously, we have high hopes for him. This is his home track, and he will relish the distance in this race and hopefully we'll come out with good results.”

“I'll be taking ten to New York for the winter,” Tyler said. “My first time up there. I want to try and branch out a little bit and generate some business. New face, new opportunity and maybe attract some new people. The experience won't hurt. At least I can say I tried if it doesn't work out.”

Win or lose this Saturday, the future is bright for the young horseman. From great lineage comes great opportunity with hopes of a promising career for years to come.

The post Like Father, Like Son: Servises Make It A Family Affair At Parx appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Edie Meeny Miny Mo went into the G3 Monmouth Oaks with two wins in two lifetime starts, ready to try stakes company for the first time. Also in the field of nine for the G3 Monmouth Oaks was Leader of the Band, a last-out third behind Crazy Beautiful in the Delaware Oaks. Under jockey Frankie Pennington, Leader of the Band broke cleanly, running seventh behind early leader Coppelia entering the first turn. Edie Meeny Miny Mo took the lead before the first quarter, striding out to a two-length advantage over Midnight Obsession and Coppelia. Repelling a challenge from Midnight Obsession on the final turn, the favorite looked like she might get an easy win in her first race around two turns.

On the final turn, Pennington took Leader of the Band to the outside, the filly accelerating through the stretch to catch Edie Meeny Miny Mo in the race's final strides. Midnight Obsession held on for third. The final time for the 1 1/16 miles was 1:43.44.

Leader of the Band paid $22.60, $7.40, and $4.40. Edie Meeny Miny Mo paid $4.00 and $2.60. Midnight Obsession paid $2.80 to show.

Find this race's chart here.

“She ran great. Unfortunately, my other horse (third-place finisher Midnight Obsession) came out a little bit and bothered her at the start, so I thought she would be a little bit closer. But it might have worked out for the best. Paco Lopez had Midnight Obsession a little closer than I expected, because I knew Edie Meeny Mino Mo would probably have to show speed coming out of two sprints. But it all worked out in our favor,” Leader of the Band's trainer John Servis commented after G3 Monmouth Oaks.

“The last time she ran in the Delaware Oaks she didn't get off great. Today she made a great run late. When the pace was up ahead of me, she felt pretty good and I was sitting there and every time I nudged her she was giving me something so I felt pretty comfortable coming out of the three-eighths turn.” Frankie Pennington said post-race. “She clipped heels a little bit after the break and I was a little further back than I wanted to be but she is such a nice horse, she kept chugging and she got the job done.”

Bred in Pennsylvania by owner SMD Limited, Leader of the Band is by Bandbox out of the Sir Cat mare Catsuit. The win in the G3 Monmouth Oaks brings Leader of the Band to two wins in five starts in 2021 and a lifetime record of three wins in seven starts for career earnings of $264,540.

The post Leader of the Band Rallies Late To Win Monmouth Oaks appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Midnight Obsession, second in the Grade 3 Delaware Oaks on July 3, and Leader of the Band, third in the same race, are part of a nine-horse field for the Grade 3 Monmouth Oaks, the headliner on Saturday's 12-race card at Monmouth Park.

“The biggest reason I'm doing this again is because there are not enough 3-year-old races around right now,” said Servis. “But both of these fillies both also deserve this chance. They're both doing really good.”

In the case of Midnight Obsession, who has two wins and two seconds in four career starts, all this year, Servis is also curious to see how the daughter of Overanalyze handles a fast track. She has yet to race on one.

Leader of the Band, with a 2-2-2 line from six career starts, will look to make amends after a poor start in the Delaware Oaks that saw the daughter of Bandbox rally from last in the nine-horse field to get third, though she was beaten 8¾ lengths by race winner Crazy Beautiful.

Midnight Obsession was six lengths behind the winner.

“I think Leader of the Band will improve off her last race,” said Servis. “She got off flat footed and didn't break well at all. And I'm hoping for a fast track for Midnight Obsession to see how she'll handle that. She hasn't run on one yet.”

Midnight Obsession, owned by Main Line Racing Stable, has been more aggressively spotted by Servis to this point. After winning her debut by 5¼ lengths at Parx on March 2, she won an $80,000 allowance optional claimer at Belmont Park. She was then second, beaten just a half-length, in the Lyphard Stakes against older fillies at Penn National on May 28.

The runner-up showing in the Delaware Oaks followed that.

“She has been very forward since day one,” said Servis. “She has run good for us every time so far. When she was second against older fillies (in the Lyphard) she beat the rest of the field pretty good and then hooked a good one in the Delaware Oaks. We're looking for a good race from her.”

The mile and a sixteenth won't be an issue for Midnight Obsession since her last three races have been at that distance.

Paco Lopez is listed to ride.

Leader of the Band, owned by SMD Limited, has had a slower progression to reach this point, though she has never been worse than third in her career.

“I thought she ran well in the Delaware Oaks, all things considered,” said Servis. “She was way back after the break. Quite frankly, I didn't think she had a prayer and she had a nice run to be third. I know she got beat quite a bit. It wasn't her best effort but I expect more from her this time.”

Frankie Pennington has the mount.

The field also features Penn Oaks winner Orbs Baby Girl, trained by Anthony Margotta; the Joseph Saffie, Jr.-trained Allworthy and Edie Meeny Miny Mo, unbeaten in two career starts, both sprints.

Trainer Miguel Vera is fully aware of the challenges facing his 3-year-old filly Edie Meeny Miny Mo.

She has never been around two turns, nor has she ever tried any stakes company yet. And she's the least experienced filly in the nine-horse field with just two career starts.

But Vera remains confident in her chances in the $250,000 mile and a sixteenth feature for one important reason: Talent. Edie Meeny Miny Mo, he says, oozes it.

“It's a big step up for her but she deserves this chance,” said Vera. “She has shown she has the potential to be a special horse.”

A Maryland-bred daughter of Upstart-Plum by Pure Prize, Edie Meeny Miny Mo was unraced at 2 “because she's a big filly who needed time to grow and develop,” said Vera.

Her debut on April 23 at Pimlico in a six-furlong maiden race was impressive – a 4¼-length win. But her follow-up in an optional $62,000 claimer at Pimlico on June 13 bordered on dazzling. She won that six-furlong dash by six-lengths despite being steadied as Vera used the race to teach her to come off the pace. That effort earned her a 91 Beyer Speed Figure.

“I know there is a question about the distance since her only two races have been six furlongs and she is trying a mile and a sixteenth now,” said the Maryland-based Vera. “I don't think it will be a problem. I feel confident she can go that distance. She's the kind of horse who can go a lot of different distances.

“I'm impressed by what she has done but not surprised by it. She showed she had talent from day one.”

A further endorsement of the filly's ability: Victor Espinoza is coming in to ride. It is the only mount he has scheduled on the 12-race card.

“I'm very confident in her,” said Vera. “I think she is a real race horse. We're going to find out more on Saturday. But she has always shown she should be in these kind of races.

“It's a great race to see where we are with her.”

Owned by Holly Hill Stables LLC, Edie Meeny Miny Mo was purchased for $400,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Midatlantic 2-year-olds in training sale.

“The day she breezed there she left quite an impression,” said Vera. “She does everything right. Sometimes she does more than I ask her to do. But that's her.”

For Vera, who has been training since 2011, Edie Meeny Mino Mo, also represents the chance for an elusive graded stakes victory. He has yet to get one.

“It would mean a lot to me,” he said. “But just to be in this kind of race, any graded race, is awesome. She has shown me the potential to be the best horse I have ever had.”

The post Monmouth Oaks: John Servis Doubling Up Again, Unbeaten Edie Meeny Mino Mo Faces Big Test appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Old Friends attending veterinary, Dr. Bryan Waldridge, released this statement: “Slim Shadey showed signs of colic and was referred for further diagnostics and treatment. Exploratory surgery revealed a twisted large intestine that was corrected. Unfortunately, he fractured a hind leg recovering from anesthesia. Bone fractures during recovery from anesthesia are uncommon, but an inherent risk of equine anesthesia.”

Slim Shadey was bred in Great Britain by Phil Cunningham and spent two seasons racing throughout England and Ireland. He made his U.S. debut for Cunningham and trainer Simon Callaghan in 2012 at Santa Anita, kicking off what was to become his banner season.

In February of 2012 Slim Shadey captured his first graded-stakes, the Grade 2 San Marcos at Santa Anita (a race he would capture again in 2013). Then, in September of that year, Slim Shadey took the top spot in the G2 John Henry Turf Championship, which served as a stepping stone to a run in the G1 Breeders' Cup Turf, where he finished eighth.

By 2014 Slim began a series of claims to trainers David Jacobson and John Servis (for owner Michael Dubb), before ending with owner Michael Hui and trainer Mike Maker in June of 2018 at Belmont Park.

Retired in 2019, Slim Shadey ended his career with 83 starts, 14 wins, and earnings of $1,278,855.

“Slim Shadey was on Old Friends' radar for nearly two years,” said Old Friends President Michael Blowen. “Between Michael Dubb and Michael Hui, I knew he was in great hands. When Hui called to say he was ready I was overjoyed. Today I was equally devastated,” Blowen continued. “You try to do what's best and, even then, it doesn't always work out.”

The post Old Friends Pensioner Slim Shadey Euthanized With Leg Fracture Following Colic Surgery appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post