Keeneland November | Horse Racing Free Tips

Mutasaabeq Makes Successful Dirt Return in Mucho Macho Man

‘TDN Rising Star‘ Mutasaabeq (Into Mischief), already a graded winner on turf of the GII Bourbon S. at Keeneland last season, returned to the main track and asserted his authority late to take Saturday’s Mucho Macho Man S. at Gulfstream Park. Away in good order, the $425,000 Keeneland November weanling fell into a good stalking trip as Awesome Gerry took them along at a solid tempo down the backstretch. The 11-10 chalk appeared to be making hard work of it as they hit the three-furlong marker and Luis Saez was all over his mount, but Mutasaabeq responded to the busy ride to claim the lead with a furlong and a half to race and bounded home a clear-cut winner.

A 4 1/2-length debut winner at Saratoga at first asking Aug. 8, earning the ‘Rising Star’ designation in the process, Mutasaabeq was a distant third to Jackie’s Warrior (Maclean’s Music) in the GI Runhappy Hopeful S. Sept. 7, then overcame a tardy dispatch to win the Bourbon with a furious stretch rally. An 11-2 chance in the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, the bay raced wide on both turns and was beaten better than 10 lengths in 10th behind Fire At Will (Declaration of War).

Mutasaabeq is out of a half-sister to MGSW Cool Cowboy (Kodiak Kowboy) who was acquired with this foal in utero for $180,000 at the 2018 Keeneland January sale. Her progeny in the pipeline include: a California Chrome filly of 2019 and an Uncle Mo colt of 2020. She was bred to Audible for 2021.

“We’ve been targeting this,” winning trainer Todd Pletcher said. “I thought he ran great. We wanted to make sure he got away from the gate cleanly–that hasn’t always been his best first step. I thought he broke pretty well today and put himself in a good spot. Luis had to get after him a little bit on the turn and kept responding and finding more. I thought it was a big effort. We’ll look to try another one on dirt. I’ll talk to the team at Shadwell and come up with a plan. I think today he showed his versatility. He’s now a stakes winner on both surfaces. It’s exciting to have one like that.”

MUCHO MACHO MAN S., $100,000, Gulfstream, 1-2, 3yo, 1m, 1:35.98, ft.
1–MUTASAABEQ, 122, c, 3, by Into Mischief
                1st Dam: Downside Scenario, by Scat Daddy
                2nd Dam: Grand Breeze, by Grand Slam
                3rd Dam: Breeze Lass, by It’s Freezing
($425,000 Wlg ’18 KEENOV). O-Shadwell Stable; B-BlackRidge
Stables LLC (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher; J-Luis Saez. $59,520.
Lifetime Record: GSW & GISP, 5-3-0-1, $259,120.
‘TDN Rising Star’
2–Papetu, 120, c, 3, Dialed In–Lady Malkin, by Sharp Humor.
($80,000 Ylg ’19 KEESEP). O-Magic Stables LLC; B-Almar Farm,
LLC (KY); T-Antonio Sano. $19,200.
3–Awesome Gerry, 120, c, 3, Liam’s Map–Star of Munster, by
Tribal Rule. ($45,000 RNA Wlg ’18 KEENOV; $37,000 RNA Ylg
’19 KEESEP; $50,000 RNA 2yo ’20 OBSMAR). O-John Fanelli,
Cash is King LLC, LC Racing LLC, Paul Braverman & Timothy
Pinch; B-John Liviakis (KY); T-Saffie A. Joseph, Jr.. $9,600.
Margins: 1HF, 1 1/4, 8HF. Odds: 1.10, 20.30, 5.10.
Also Ran: Pickin’ Time, Ultimate Badger, Big Thorn, Raison d’Air, Easy Time, Kiger. Scratched: Jirafales.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

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‘Ending Of A Wonderful Chapter’: Trainer Will VanMeter Disbanding Stable

Trainer Will VanMeter, 37, is stepping away from training Thoroughbreds after six years with his license, according to a post he made on Twitter.

“The hammer falling after the sale of Edgemont Road also signified the ending of a wonderful chapter in myself and Kristin's lives,” Vanmeter wrote, referred to his wife. “We sadly will be removing our shingle from Barn 62 on Rice Road after eight rewarding years conditioning Thoroughbreds.”

Stakes-placed Edgemont Road sold at the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale on Nov. 17, hammering for $275,000 to Eddie Kenneally, agent for William Werner.

VanMeter, the son of well-known consignor and former practicing veterinarian Tom VanMeter, saddled a total of 64 winners from 527 starters with earnings of more than $3.3 million.

“Thank you to all the men and women that have woken 365 days a year before the sunrise to work in our shed,” VanMeter wrote. “In particular: Kristin VanMeter, Headley VanMeter, and Sarah Hamilton for being the bedrock of our stable. They helped build an atmosphere of professionalism and attention to detail that has been a pleasure to work within.”

VanMeter also thanked mentors D. Wayne Lukas, Sebastian Nicholl, and Tom Voss, as well as John Ed and Isabel Anthony, and owners Dr. Thomas VanMeter, Mr. and Mrs. Tommy Ligon, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Fletcher, Mr. Dennis Park, Mr. and Mrs. John Mayer, Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Allor, Mr. and Mrs. Lindsay LaRoche.

The post ‘Ending Of A Wonderful Chapter’: Trainer Will VanMeter Disbanding Stable appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Hidden Scroll Tops KEENOV Tuesday

‘TDN Rising Star’ Hidden Scroll (Hard Spun) (Hip 3295) topped Tuesday’s session of the Keeneland November Sale, which was highlighted by the horses of racing age section, when selling for $525,000 to Fergus Galvin, who was acting on behalf of Marc Detampel. The 4-year-old colt was consigned by WinStar Racing as agent for owner/breeder Juddmonte Farms.

” He is going to go to Brad Cox,” Galvin said. “His pre-race antics are well-documented. We are just hoping a change of scenery might benefit the horse. We know he has a world of talent. It is just a matter of getting it out of him.”

He continued, “He has run some huge numbers. On his best day, he is Grade I caliber. He has shown that talent in the past. He is also a beautiful physical. If we can unearth the talent out of him, we are definitely excited to see what the future holds for him.”

Trained by Bill Mott, Hidden Scroll romped by 14 lengths in the slop on debut at Gulfstream in January of last year. Off the board in both the GII Fountain of Youth S. and GI Florida Derby last term, the bay was third in a Churchill allowance that May and was subsequently shelved for the season.

Kicking off this season with an optional claimer score at Gulfstream Mar. 1, Hidden Scroll was off the board in the GIII Count Fleet Sprint H. in April and dropped his rider after stumbling at the start next out in a Belmont optional claimer in June. Eighth when trying turf in the GI Jaipur S. 17 days later. He was fifth when last seen in a Saratoga turf test Aug. 1.

The second highest-priced offering of the day was Miss J McKay (Hangover Kid) (Hip 3085), who summoned $300,000 from Jackson Farms. Consigned by Elite, the 3-year-old by Maxis Stable, Madaket Stables and Wonder Stables with trainer Cathal Lynch. The MD-bred has been in the money in eight of her nine starts and captured the Anne Arundel County S. last term.

A total of 216 horses summoned $5,697,700 with an average of $26,3378 and a median of $10,000. There were a total of 25 RNAs. Throughout the nine days of selling so far, 2,060 horses changed hands for a gross of $156,257,200 with an av erage of $75,853 and a median of $30,000. Overall, 416 Thoroughbreds failed to meet their reserves.

“There were a few soft spots, but the horses that vetted clean and were good race prospects were making money,” said Galvin.

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ER Nurse Cashes in on Keeneland November Book 3 Topper

Over the past eight months, there have been very few jobs more demanding, more exhausting, more defeating, than that of an ER nurse.

Malia Hopkins can attest to that. She’s the ER nurse manager for not one, but two ERs in Stuttgart, Arkansas.

It’s been an unimaginable year for the well-practiced RN, but she said one event last week made the ongoing battle against the pandemic more than worth it.

In the fourth session of the Keeneland November Sale, her first-ever horse to go through a sales ring hammered down as the top-selling weanling of Book 3.

Selling as Hip 1269 with the Four Star Sales consignment, her Mendelssohn colt out of Abuntia (Olmodavor) sold for $300,000, the highest-priced weanling of the sale for the first-crop Coolmore sire.

The colt was foaled and raised at Woodstock Farm in Lexington, and while Hopkins was not able to visit him as much as she had hoped in his first few months due to the pandemic, she’s been eagerly receiving photos of the youngster since day one.

“Dealing with the pandemic and managing the ERs has made for a very stressful year,” she said. “To have something like this occur 100% made my year worth it. Being with Woodstock Farm, they got that colt in shape and made him look like he was a million-dollar colt. They all went above and beyond to make this an amazing end of the year for me.”

Hopkins shares her love of horses with her mother, who is also a nurse. The mother-daughter duo were involved in the Quarter Horse breeding industry when Hopkins was a child. But at the age of 21, a car crash left her unable to ride and they were forced to dissolve their business.

Just a few years ago, they decided to venture into the Thoroughbred industry. Hopkins said it took some time to find a few broodmares that piqued her interest, but one in particular caught her eye.

Abuntia came from the family of several notable winners. She was a half-sister to multiple graded stakes winner St. Joe Bay (Saint Anddan), and her third dam was three-time Eclipse winner and Grade I producer Susan’s Girl (Quadrangle).

The only catch was her spotty produce record.

Her first foal in 2015, a filly by Regal Ransom, sold for $1,000 at the OBS Winter Mixed Sale and never saw the racetrack. Then over the next two years, the mare couldn’t get in foal.

“[The sellers] told us that she was having some difficulties getting in foal, so that’s when we got in touch with Jeff Little,” Hopkins said. “Jeff got her in shape and got her in foal to Not This Time on the first cover.”

The resulting filly, now a two-year-old, was retained for racing. Hopkins said she’s now in training in Kentucky and will race next year at Oaklawn Park.

The mare didn’t carry the same luck the next two breeding season, failing to catch both years. But Hopkins had high hopes for 2019, as there was one potential stallion that she thought would be a perfect match.

“We saw Mendelssohn on the racetrack and started bugging Coolmore in August,” she said with a laugh. “They said they could get us a contract. We went from Arkansas to Kentucky to watch him run in the Breeders’ Cup, and I was praying he didn’t win so I could continue to afford him.”

Abuntia checked in foal, and her Mendelssohn colt was born at the end of February, just before Hopkins stepped onto the Coronavirus front line.

“We were blessed with a beautiful colt that looked phenomenal,” she recalled. “With COVID, I couldn’t come up to see him as much, but from the very first photos they were sending, I could tell it was a nice individual. He was probably about two months old when he started showing he was a real standout and a class act.”

Hopkins was able to make the trip to Lexington to watch her first foal go through the sales ring to the tune of $300,000, selling to Larry Best’s OXO Equine.

“I was so nervous I couldn’t actually videotape it,” she said. “I tried. But thankfully he did amazing and brought what he did. I’m ecstatic that Larry Best has the horse and I’m extremely grateful for Coolmore, Four Star Sales and Tony [Lacy, consignor and advisor] for everything they’ve done for us. It was an amazing first experience.”

Two days later, Hopkins had another weanling go through the sales ring, this one a filly by Not This Time that was born and raised at Hopkins’s farm in Arkansas and brought $37,000.

“With her being an Arkansas-bred, I was tickled to death with that,” she said.

Hopkins puts no stock in beginner’s luck and has even higher aspirations for the future.

Her goal for next year?

“I would love to be able to have a topper in Book 2 next time.”

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