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Zandon Further Flatters Remsen Form in Blue Grass

hiSure, horses like Go For Gin and Thunder Gulch parlayed victories in the GII Remsen S. at two into GI Kentucky Derby glory in 1994 and 1995, respectively, but there are few races over the last 30 years that have taken more of a beating than that late-season Aqueduct feature as a pointer to success in Louisville.

Perhaps that theory is due for a rethink. In the space of about 30 minutes Saturday afternoon, 2021 Remsen winner Mo Donegal (Uncle Mo) clawed his way past Early Voting (Gun Runner) to take the GII Wood Memorial and, at an unseasonably cold Keeneland, the latter's stablemate Zandon (Upstart), the unlucky loser of the Remsen, followed suit with an eye-catching tally in the Toyota Blue Grass S., its Grade I status and $1-million purse restored for 2022.

Sent off the 21-10 second choice behind 'TDN Rising Star' Smile Happy (Runhappy), Zandon was a bit sluggish out of gate four and raced with just three behind banking into the clubhouse turn, as 'Rising Star' Emmanuel (More Than Ready) galloped them along through moderate early fractions of :24.04 and :48.39, with longshot Golden Glider (Ghostzapper) his shadow and Smile Happy three deep. Ridden exceptionally quietly by Flavien Prat through the middle furlongs, Zandon was clearly last, but unhurried and traveling comfortably into the second bend. Still at the tail with as little as three furlongs to race, the $170,000 Keeneland September graduate was set alight by the in-form Flavien Prat–who had earlier won the GI Madison S. aboard Just One Time (Not This Time)–five-sixteenths of a mile from the wire. Committed to an inside run into the stretch, having carefully weaved his way through traffic, Zandon was shifted out and around Smile Happy at the furlong grounds and finished full of run for the victory. Emmanuel rounded out the triple.

“He broke just OK,” Prat admitted. “Then I got myself covered up so I was there with nothing I could do about it. The pace was a bit slow, so I was wandering down the backside. But I was traveling super–it was just a matter of finding a gap and getting a clean run down the lane.”

Winning owner Jeff Drown was duly thrilled with the outcome.

“I'm working on [catching my breath], working on it,” he said. “What a great race. What a fantastic performance. Chad did a fantastic job. Flavien rode him perfect. It just felt good.”

While Mo Donegal was the most experienced of Saturday's three Triple Crown prep winners with a whopping four previous starts and Taiba was the least tried with just the maiden win to his credit, Zandon was making his fourth career appearance in the Blue Grass. A maiden winner over six furlongs of the Belmont main track Oct. 9, the dark bay was on the stretch-out for the Remsen and got into a bumping match with Mo Donegal late, only to drop a heartbreaking nose decision. Legged up over the winter at Payson Park, he made his sophomore debut in the GII Risen Star S. Feb. 19 and missed the break there as well, but ran on nicely to finish third, beaten just over three lengths, to subsequent GII Louisiana Derby hero and top Derby hopeful Epicenter (Gun Runner) and Smile Happy.

Pedigree Notes:

Zandon is the first Grade I winner, seventh black-type winner and third graded winner for New York-bred Upstart, who is also set to be represented in the GI Longines Kentucky Oaks by the undefeated Kathleen O. The stallion's 4-year-old 'TDN Rising Star' son Reinvestment Risk was also a good second in Saturday's GI Carter H. back in New York.

Zandon is Airdrie-bred through and through, being out of a mare by the farm's Creative Cause whose half-sister and 'TDN Rising Star' Cairo Memories (Cairo Prince) was ultra-impressive in winning at the graded level for the first time in Saturday's GIII Providencia S. at Santa Anita. This is also the extended female family of the Brereton Jones-bred GSW/GISP Hello Liberty (Forest Camp); Pious Ashley (Include); MGSW Significant Form (Creative Cause); and GSW Hay Dakota (Haynesfield). All four sires stand or stood at Airdrie.

Memories Prevail is also the dam of the 2-year-old colt Sol Principe Gris (Summer Front), a yearling filly by American Freedom and was covered by Cairo Prince in 2021.

Saturday, Keeneland
TOYOTA BLUE GRASS S.-GI, $1,000,000, Keeneland, 4-9, 3yo, 1 1/8m, 1:50.35, gd.
1–ZANDON, 123, c, 3, by Upstart
                1st Dam: Memories Prevail, by Creative Cause
                2nd Dam: Incarnate Memories, by Indian Charlie
                3rd Dam: Witness Post, by Gone West
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN, 1ST GRADE I
WIN. ($170,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP). O-Jeff Drown; B-Brereton C
Jones (KY); T-Chad C. Brown; J-Flavien Prat. $573,500. Lifetime
Record: 4-2-1-1, $713,000. Werk Nick Rating: B. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Smile Happy, 123, c, 3, Runhappy–Pleasant Smile, by
Pleasant Tap. 'TDN Rising Star' 1ST G1 BLACK TYPE.
   ($175,000 Wlg '19 KEENOV; $185,000 Ylg '20 FTKSEL). O-Lucky
Seven Stable (Mackin); B-Moreau Bloodstock Int'l Inc & White
Bloodstock LLC (KY); T-Kenneth G McPeek. $185,000.
3--Emmanuel, 123, c, 3, More Than Ready–Hard Cloth, by Hard
Spun. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE, 1ST G1
   BLACK TYPE. ($350,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP). 'TDN Rising Star'
O-WinStar Farm LLC & Siena Farm LLC; B-Helen K Groves
Revocable Trust (KY); T-Todd A Pletcher. $92,500.
Margins: 2HF, 3 3/4, HF. Odds: 2.10, 1.90, 5.50.
Also Ran: Golden Glider, Trademark, Rattle N Roll, Ethereal Road, Commandperformance, Blackadder, Volcanic, Fenwick. Scratched: Grantham. 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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Golden Pal Utterly Dominant in Shakertown

Wesley Ward has trained his fair share of fast horses in his career, but where it comes to Golden Pal (Uncle Mo), “this is the fastest of the fast.” That is some compliment, and few would quibble with him after watching the two-time Breeders' Cup winner treat nine fellow turf sprinters to a spectacular front-running tour-de-force in Saturday's GII Shakertown S. at Keeneland.

Sent off the prohibitive 3-5 chalk in his seasonal debut, Golden Pal–who overcame the 13 hole in a field of 14 to win the 2020 GII Juvenile Turf Sprint over this course and distance–blasted away from gate 10 and established a clear lead within a matter of yards. Allowed to make the running while racing in about the two path, he covered his opening quarter in a sensational :20.94 and maintained a daylight advantage on his rivals on the turn over a turf course that had taken better than three inches of rain over the course of the week. Still just galloping along off the fence turning for home, he got the half-mile in an other-worldly :43.58 and was never in any sort of danger. Johnny Unleashed (Colonel John) was second at 70-1, while Gear Jockey (Twirling Candy) rounded out the triple.

“He's just blessed with speed and agility,” Ward continued. “He moves like a cat; he's so quick. For a big, sturdy horse like he is–he's just a once-in-a-lifetime horse.”

Narrowly runner-up to The Lir Jet (Ire) (Prince of Lir {Ire}) as a maiden in the 2020 G2 Norfolk S. at Royal Ascot, Golden Pal bested Cowan (Kantharos) in that year's Juvenile Turf Sprint, but was forced to miss a return trip to the Royal Meeting, making Saratoga's GIII Quick Call S. his first win at the graded level last July. Owner/breeder Randall Lowe sold the colt to the Coolmore partners and Westerberg, but he was a disappointing seventh in the G1 Coolmore Wootton Bassett Nunthorpe S. in August before bouncing back in Keeneland's GII Woodford S. in October. Golden Pal ran them off the feet in the GI Turf Sprint in his most recent appearance Nov. 6, and Ward indicated that the G1 King's Stand S. at Royal Ascot June 14 over a stiff five furlongs is next on the dance card.

Pedigree Notes:

Golden Pal is the first foal to the races for his dam, a Grade III winner and 10-times stakes winner overall, who also has a runner-up effort in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint to her record. Lady Shipman is a full-sister to Just Talkin, herself multiple stakes-placed in turf sprints, and whose first foal, an American Pharoah colt named Talkin Pharoah, was signed for by Ward for $260,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale. The colt breezed three furlongs at Turfway Park in :35.40 Apr. 7. Lady Shipman is also the dam of the yearling colt Lieutenant General (Omaha Beach) and is due to Uncle Mo this season.

Saturday, Keeneland
SHAKERTOWN S.-GII, $317,657, Keeneland, 4-9, 3yo/up, 5 1/2fT, 1:02.21, gd.
1–GOLDEN PAL, 126, c, 4, by Uncle Mo
                1st Dam: Lady Shipman (GSW-Can, MSW & GISP-USA, $902,387), by Midshipman
                2nd Dam: Sumthingtotalkabt, by Mutakddim
                3rd Dam: Nannetta, by Falstaff
($325,000 RNA Ylg '19 KEESEP). O-Magnier, Mrs. John, Tabor, Michael B., Smith, Derrick and Westerberg; B-Randall E Lowe (FL); T-Wesley A. Ward; J-Irad Ortiz, Jr.. $174,375. Lifetime Record: 9-6-2-0, $1,473,431. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Johnny Unleashed, 122, g, 5, Colonel John–Ready to Unleash, by More Than Ready. 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($10,000 Ylg'18 KEESEP). O-Foster Family Racing, Reynolds, Lonnie, H & H Horses, LLC and Mills, Joseph; B-St. Simon Place, Scott Stephens & Betsy T Wells (KY); T-Eric N. Foster. $65,625.
3–Gear Jockey, 124, h, 5, Twirling Candy–Switching Gears, by Tapit. O/B-Calumet Farm (KY); T-George R. Arnold, II. $32,813.
Margins: 4 3/4, 3/4, NK. Odds: 0.60, 70.20, 9.80.
Also Ran: Diamond Oops, The Lir Jet (Ire), Just Might, Barraza, Natural Power (Ire), Chess Master, Filo Di Arianna (Brz). Scratched: Cowan.
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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Just One Time Up In Time in Madison

Just One Time (Not This Time) took her career to the next level with her first Grade I score in Keeneland's Madison S. Saturday. Away without incident after being pounded down to 2-1 favoritism late, the lightly raced PA-bred sat towards the back as Lady Rocket (Tale of the Cat) and Kimari (Munnings) knocked heads with longshot Club Car (Malibu Moon) through a snappy first quarter in :22.11. Just One Time has just one beat, Bell's the One (Majesticperfection), as the favorites continued their battle through a :44.50 half-mile. That Grade I winner launched her rally first approaching the far turn with Just One Time four wide to her outside and just off her heels. Lady Rocket and Kimari continued to throw it down in early stretch, but Bell's the One was coming on strongly with Just One Time going even better behind her. Bell's the One hit the front in the final sixteenth, but Just One Time mowed her down in the final strides to win by 3/4 of a length. Kimari bested Lady Rocket for third.

“It worked out today,” trainer Brad Cox said. “Obviously, there was a hot pace up front, but it's not ideal. We'd like to break and be a little more involved. That's how she was before she came to us. We put a starting gate blanket on her today, and honestly it didn't help her a whole lot getting away from there.”

“I was hoping to get a good break and get myself into the race,” Flavien Prat said. “Unfortunately, she broke a bit flat-footed so we went to Plan B and she ran really well in the stretch.”

Kicking off her career with a pair of wins last spring, including Presque Isle's PA-bred Malvern Rose S., Just One Time failed to fire next out in that venue's Lady Erie S. in August. Dominating an allowance on the Penn National dirt in September, she was equally dominant in that venue's state-bred New Start S. Oct. 22 in her final start for trainer Michael Salvaggio, Jr. Bought into by Commonwealth New Era Racing, Just One Time was transferred to Cox and captured Gulfstream's GII Inside Information S. in her first start for that barn Jan. 29.

Pedigree Notes:

Just One Time is the second Grade I winner for red-hot young sire Not This Time, following 'TDN Rising Star' Princess Noor. She is one of six graded winners for that Taylor Made stallion and one of three this year with the other two being GII Louisiana Derby victor Epicenter and GII Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth S. scorer Simplification. The winner is also one of 18 black-type scorers for Not This Time. Just One Time marks six Grade I victors out of a daughter of Speightstown and is one of 17 graded winners and 42 black-type achievers for that broodmare sire. Chad Schumer picked up Ida Clark with Just One Time in utero for $45,000 at the 2017 KEENOV sale for Warriors Reward LLC. They bred her back to Outwork and sold her to McMahon & Hill Bloodstock for $60,000 in the 2019 KEEJAN sale. The resulting foal is a filly now named Hard Place, who was a $200,000 OBSMAR purchase by Spendthrift Farm. She has since produced a juvenile colt by Goldencents and a yearling filly by Runhappy. Ida Clark was bred back to Catholic Boy.

Saturday, Keeneland
MADISON S.-GI, $439,850, Keeneland, 4-9, 4yo/up, f/m, 7f, 1:22.79, my.
1–JUST ONE TIME, 123, f, 4, by Not This Time
                1st Dam: Ida Clark, by Speightstown
                2nd Dam: Eliza Donner, by Oh Say
                3rd Dam: Witch Wabbit, by Salem
1ST GRADE I WIN. O-Warriors Reward, LLC and Commonwealth New Era Racing; B-Warrior's Reward LLC (PA); T-Brad H. Cox; J-Flavien Prat. $235,600. Lifetime Record: GSW, 7-6-0-0, $525,195. *1/2 to Black Stetson (More Than Ready), SW, $141,678. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Bell's the One, 123, m, 6, by Majesticperfection
                1st Dam: Street Mate, by Street Cry (Ire)
                2nd Dam: Day Mate, by Dayjur
                3rd Dam: Possible Mate, by King's Bishop
($155,000 Ylg '17 FTKJUL). O-Lothenbach Stables, Inc. (Bob Lothenbach); B-Bret Jones (KY); T-Neil L. Pessin. $95,000.
3–Kimari, 123, m, 5, by Munnings
                1st Dam: Cozze Up Lady (GSW, $407,169), by Cozzene
                2nd Dam: The White Lady, by Johannesburg
                3rd Dam: Maha Al Iman, by Pulpit
($152,000 Ylg '18 FTKJUL; $2,700,000 4yo '21 FTKNOV).
O-Westerberg Limited, Mrs. John Magnier, Jonathan Poulin, Derrick Smith and Michael B. Tabor; B-China Horse Club International Limited (KY); T-Wesley A. Ward. $47,500.
Margins: 3/4, 3, 1HF. Odds: 2.30, 5.60, 2.60.
Also Ran: Lady Rocket, Four Graces, Cilla, Club Car, Kalypso, Center Aisle. Scratched: Tiz Splendid News.
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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Karakontie Filly Remains Perfect in Appalachian

Gainesway homebred Spendarella maintained her perfect record with a 1 3/4-length victory in the GII Appalachian S. Presented by Japan Racing Association at Keeneland Saturday.

Sent straight to the head of affairs, the bay was soon headed by Glenall (Ire) (Coulsty {Ire}) to her inside and was content to perch in second turning into the backstretch. Well in hand under Tyler Gaffalione, the favorite still maintained her position as noses pointed for home. She took over just before the quarter pole and withstood the closing rally of Dolce Zel to win handily by 1 3/4 lengths. The latter was three-quarters of a length ahead of Skims, who closed strongly to take third.

Gaffalione, who was riding his third winner of the day and second consecutive stakes winner after Prevalence (Medaglia d'Oro) in the GIII Commonwealth S., said, “She was going into the first turn very comfortably. She was in a great rhythm, and that other horse [Glenall]coming up inside didn't bother her at all. She relaxed beautifully and had some turn of foot.”

Added trainer Graham Motion, “She's made me look good. She just does everything so easily. She's such a professional, she's a fighter–she obviously loves it. She makes me look smart.

“I've heard mention of Ascot possibly, so we'll see. I need to talk to Wesley [Ward, who has enjoyed notable success at the Royal meeting].”

Pedigree Notes:
Spendarella was a winner at first asking over the Gulfstream turf in February and an all-the-way winner of the GIII Herecomesthebride S. there Mar. 5. The Graham Motion trainee is one of eight black-type winners and five graded winners for her Gainesway sire.

A full-sister to the MSW & MGSP Spanish Loveaffair (Karakontie {Jpn}), $284,090; as well as a half to the GI American Oaks heroine Spanish Queen (Tribal Rule); the winner is followed by the 2-year-old filly Spanish Destiny (Destin). Her dam, Spanish Bunny, foaled a colt by Uncle Mo born Feb. 17. The winning fourth dam Sunerta (Robert) was a half-sister to U.S. champion and Grade I winner Bates Motel (Sir Ivor), as well as English group winner Super Asset (Sir Ivor) and GI San Antonio H. hero Hatim (Exclusive Native).

Saturday, Keeneland
APPALACHIAN S. PRESENTED BY JAPAN RACING ASSOCIATION-GII, $308,950, Keeneland, 4-9, 3yo, f, 1mT, 1:37.41, gd.
1–SPENDARELLA, 118, f, 3, by Karakontie (Jpn)
                1st Dam: Spanish Bunny, by Unusual Heat
                2nd Dam: Spanish Beam, by El Gran Senor
                3rd Dam: Solar Beam, by Majestic Light
($220,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP). O-Gainesway Stable (Antony Beck);
B-Gainesway Thoroughbreds Ltd. (NY); T-H. Graham Motion;
J-Tyler Gaffalione. $179,025. Lifetime Record: GSW, 3-3-0-0,
$283,675. *Full to Spanish Loveaffair, MSW & MGSP,
$284,090; 1/2 to Spanish Queen (Tribal Rule), GISW, $423,600.
Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the
   eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Dolce Zel (Fr), 118, f, 3, Zelzal (Fr)–Dolce Attesa (GB), by Dr
Fong. O-Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables LLC and Robert V.
LaPenta; B-Scuderia Micolo Di Nicola Galli & C. SNC (FR);
T-Chad C. Brown. $57,750.
3–Skims (GB), 118, f, 3, Frankel (GB)–Royal Decree, by Street
Cry (Ire). 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE.
($235,000 RNA Ylg '20 KEESEP). O/B-Andrew Rosen; T-Claude
McGaughey III. $28,875.
Margins: 1 3/4, 3/4, 2 1/4. Odds: 0.70, 3.20, 7.00.
Also Ran: Kneesnhips, An Agent Mistake, Glenall (Ire), Ouraika (Fr), Trobairitz.
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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