Tag: Justify

Justify’s Heartland Impresses In ‘Rising Star’ Debut At Del Mar

When Hall of Famer Bob Baffert debuts a well-bred 2-year-old colt at Del Mar's summer meeting, the horse racing world pauses to pay attention. Taking money opposite the MyRacehorse entry of A Day to Remember (American Pharoah), Heartland (Justify) proved his mettle with a near last-to-first effort to become the newest 'TDN Rising Star'.

Off at 4-5 as the gates opened, the race looked like it may be over for the colt before it even began when Heartland ducked to the inside in the opening strides and nearly unseated jockey Juan Hernandez. Now racing next to last as the field carried on up front, the Baffert trainee never looked panicked, rating nicely through an opening quarter in :21.23 set by Slider (Jimmy Creed) and A Day to Remember racing in tandem. Still with just one horse beat into the far turn, Heartland began to make up ground, first overtaking the second flight of Invincible (Uncle Mo) and Head Lad (St Patrick's Day) before spinning through a wide gap along the fence to draw even with the pacesetters a furlong from the wire. Doing his best running late, Heartland cruised by Slider and opened up for the decisive victory before galloping out a mile ahead of the competition.

The seventh 'Rising Star' for second-crop sire Justify, who was a 'Rising Star' himself, Heartland will surely seek to follow in the footsteps of his half-brother, champion 2-year-old colt, MGISW, and young sire Classic Empire (Pioneerof the Nile). Sambuca Classica, herself a daughter of SW/MGISP In Her Glory, is also responsible for Exclamation Point (Concord Point), SP, $290,540, Anytime Magic (Fusaichi Pegasus), MSW, $202,945 and Uptown Twirl (Twirling Candy), MSW, $170,714. More recently, she foaled a yearling filly from the first crop of Eclipse Champion older dirt male Improbable (City Zip) but failed to report a foal this year when bred to Quality Road. She was part of the first book of mares to visit MGISW Life Is Good (Into Mischief) for a 2024 foal.

1st-Del Mar, $82,500, Msw, 7-29, 2yo, 5 1/2f, 1:03.20, ft, 2 lengths.
HEARTLAND, c, 2, Justify
                1st Dam: Sambuca Classica, by Cat Thief
                2nd Dam: In Her Glory, by Miswaki
                3rd Dam: Forever Waving, by Hoist the Flag
Sales History: $575,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $49,200. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
O-CHC INC., Siena Farm LLC and WinStar Farm LLC; B-Chc Inc. (KY); T-Bob Baffert.

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Saturday’s Saratoga Notes: Cox and Pletcher Runners Headline Worktab

West Will Power (Bernardini), a last-out winner of the GI Stephen Foster S., worked five furlongs in 1:02.24 (1/4) in company with the stakes-placed Tapit Shoes (Tapit) for trainer Brad Cox over Saratoga's Oklahoma training track Saturday.

West Will Power, owned and bred by Gary and Mary West, is under consideration for either next Saturday's GI Whitney S. or the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup Sept. 2 at the Spa.

“It's a very prestigious race. It means a lot,” Cox said of the Whitney. “We'll see how things unfold after this work and make a decision a little bit later. We'll speak with the West team and come up with a plan.”

The Cox-trained Verifying (Justify), a narrow winner of the GIII Indiana Derby, worked a half mile in :48.75 (13/53) in company with the maiden Fighting Back (Lookin At Lucky) over the Oklahoma training track.

Cox said that Verifying will point to the seven-furlong GI H. Allen Jerkens Memorial Aug. 26 at Saratoga.

“He went a really good half. I wasn't looking to do a whole lot with him, but he was on it,” Cox said. “He was ready to do something.”

Charge It Breezes for Whitney…

'TDN Rising Star' Charge It (Tapit), a front-running winner of the GII Suburban S. last out downstate, worked a half mile in :48.77 (28/101) Saturday morning over the main track in his final tune up for next Saturday's Whitney.

“I thought it was excellent,” trainer Todd Pletcher said. “He did it well in hand and looked good doing it. I've been very pleased with the way he's trained since the Suburban.”

Pletcher continued, “He's a horse that's always trained really strongly and shown hints that he's capable to run a big race. His (GIII) Dwyer was brilliant. His Suburban, I thought, was his most professional race. He's starting to put it all together consistently. It's a very tall order going up against the best older horses in training, but we're happy with the way he's coming into it.”

Pletcher added that fellow 'Rising Star' Tapit Trice (Tapit), fifth in the GI Haskell, will target the GI Travers S. Aug. 26.

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Saturday Insights: Prolific Siblings The Name Of The Game In Saturday Action

7th-SAR, $136K, Msw, 2yo, 6 1/2f, 3:52 p.m.

Leading off a group of well-related maiden colts at the Spa, DORNOCH (Good Magic), the full-brother to this year's GI Kentucky Derby winner Mage, finally gets to debut after failing to draw in as a main-track only entry last week. A $325,000 Keeneland September yearling, the Danny Gargan trainee recorded a four-furlong work from the gate in :46 2/5 July 22, the best of 119 at the distance. The dam, herself a stakes-winning and graded-stakes placed 'TDN Rising Star', is a half to GISW Finnegans Wake (Powerscourt {GB}). Jockey Luis Saez gets aboard for owners West Paces Racing LLC, R. A. Hill Stable, Belmar Racing and Breeding, LLC and Two Eights Racing.

Drawn furthest outside of the bunch, Act of Mutiny (Quality Road), a homebred for W.S. Farish, is a half to MGSW and young sire Catalina Cruiser (Union Rags) along with GSW/GISP Eagle (Candy Ride {Arg}) and MGSW Royal Flag (Candy Ride {Arg}).

One of the few starters with any experience, Lambo (Uncle Mo) finished a distant second as the favorite at Ellis Park June 22–his first start since bringing $950,000 at the OBS March Sale earlier this year. This colt's second dam is champion 2-year-old filly Storm Song (Summer Squall), also the second dam of MG1SW Order of St George (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). Tyler Gaffalione retains the mount for trainer Steve Asmussen. TJCIS PPS

1st-DMR, $82K, Msw, 2yo, 5 1/2f, 5:00 p.m.

A China Horse Club-bred colt, Heartland (Justify) claims MGISW and champion 2-year-old colt Classic Empire (Pioneerof the Nile) as his half-brother. Picked up by his breeder in partnership with Siena Farm and Winstar Farm for $575,000 at last year's Keeneland September Sale, the chestnut posted a best-of-74 work from the gate July 14, covering the distance in :46 2/5 for trainer Bob Baffert. TJCIS PPS

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Valentine Candy Flashes Impressive Speed to Win Loaded Saratoga Maiden

by Bill Finley & Patrycja Szpyra

On paper, Saturday's seventh race at Saratoga looked wide open and loaded with talent. All the major players had horses in the race, Wayne Lukas, Chad Brown, Steve Asmussen, Brad Cox , Bill Mott and Todd Pletcher, who had two starters in the six furlong maiden special weight event. The race figured to be fought all the way to the wire.

Instead it was the Asmussen horse, Valentine Candy (Justify), who ran them off their feet right out of the gate. Sent off at 5-2 and ridden by Ricardo Santana Jr. he exploded off the blocks and was three lengths in front in what announcer Frank Mirahmadi called “the blink of en eye.”

The fractions were 22.10 and 45.94, but Valentine Candy was still cruising on the lead as the field turned into the stretch. The Todd Pletcher-trained Protective (Medaglia d'Oro) made a solid late bid to cut into the winning margin, but it was a case of too little too late. The final time for the six furlongs run over a fast track was 1:11.74 and Valentine Candy won by three-quarters of a length.

“I had a good talk with Steve two days ago,” Santana said. “He said he really liked this horse. When the gate opened, he broke so fast. Then I just sat chilly with him. When turning for home, I asked him and he gave me a good kick. I have a lot of respect for Steve. Basically, he and his family are part of my family. Thanks to him, I am Ricardo Santana.”

Valentine Candy is owned by Bill and Corinne Heiligbrodt in partnership with Jackpot Farm, Whispering Oaks Farm, and Keith and Ginger Myers. He was purchased for $250,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale.

“I love 2-year-olds and I loved the way he ran,” said Bill Heiligbrodt. “He ran like a Heiligbrodt, Asmussen, Santana horse, especially with the way he broke out of the gate. This is a really nice horse.”

“This was very exciting and we are excited about his career. We thought he would win and he did,” said Corrine Heiligbrodt.

 

Valentine Candy's dam is Taste Like Candy (Candy Ride {Arg}), who won the GI Hollywood Starlet S. in 2013. The 2-year-old was bred by Pine Creek LP. He is her first to race in the States behind lone, elder half-brother King Happy (Street Sense), who campaigned in Europe. The mare most recently had a 2023 Mitole colt and hails from the extended female family of GSW Wonderwherecraigis (Munnings); MGISW Affirmed Success; GISW & G1SP Exbourne; and GISW Expelled.

The Heiligbrodts, Asmussen and Santana have gone down this road before with a quick, classy horse. After he broke his maiden in his third start at Oaklawn, the same connections went on quite the roll with Mitole (Eskendereya), a four-time Grade I winner who wrapped up the 2019 sprint championship with a win in the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint.

Daily Grind (Medaglia d'Oro), a $1.35 million Fasig-Tipton August finished eighth for trainer Wayne Lukas and BC Stables LLC.

7th-Saratoga, $105,000, Msw, 7-22, 2yo, 6f, 1:11.74, ft, 3/4 length.
VALENTINE CANDY (c, 2, Justify–Taste Like Candy {GISP, $286,205}, by Candy Ride {Arg}) Sales history: $250,000 Ylg '22 FTKOCT. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $57,750. O-L. William and Corinne Heiligbrodt, Jackpot Farm, Whispering Oaks Farm LLC,  Keith and Ginger Myers; B-Pine Creek LP (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

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