One of the pack of furlong bullet workers Wednesday was a son of Into Mischief out of multiple Grade I winner Separationofpowers (Candy Ride {Arg}). David Scanlon sent the striking bay with the sparkling pedigree (hip 603) to work early in the session.

“We thought he would breeze really well today,” Scanlon said. “He prepped really good. He's been a very honest horse at the farm. He's real forward training and he has a real spring in his step. I always think :9 4/5s are blessings or gifts. I never go up expecting a :9 4/5, but you like to see it happen.”

Separationofpowers won the 2017 GI Frizette S. and GI Test S. for trainer Chad Brown and Klaravich Stables. Her first foal, a filly by Curlin, sold for $650,000 at the 2022 Keeneland September sale. Scanlon purchased the Into Mischief colt, bred by Hunter Valley and Mountmellick Farm, for $350,000 at last summer's Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale.

“For us, he was a pretty penny in Saratoga,” Scanlon said. “We always thought he looked like a real 2-year-old type out there. He's a smooth, well-balanced horse with a really nice hip on him.”

Timing had a lot to do with the colt's price tag among all the glittering offerings at the boutique Saratoga sale, Scanlon said.

“I think at the time, he was a little immature,” he explained. “I had a feeling he was just falling through the cracks there a little bit. Sometimes up there, we do that. We kind of have to look for those bargains and cracks in the market a little bit. If they check all of the boxes, we can't really afford them. The horses a lot of people bring up there are extremely mature, big physical specimens like [$2.3-million 2022 Saratoga topper and GI Kentucky Derby contender] Sierra Leone.

“My wife and I always say, 'You've got to be there,'” Scanlon said. “We will vet a bunch of these and they will blow right past us–we aren't even close, we are off by zeroes. But then that one time you are there, you can get one like this. Luckily, we ended up getting him and he's just been a real standout from day one.”

Daredevil on the Comeback

Daredevil's first crop since being repatriated to the U.S. from Turkey in 2021 are now 2-year-olds and the Lane's End stallion was represented by a pair of bullet workers Wednesday.

The Martin family's Britton Peak consignment sent out a colt by Daredevil (hip 594) to hit the bullet mark. The juvenile was forced to wait out a lengthy delay in the under-tack show after a horse bolted into the rail during his breeze and was attended to on the track.

“Unfortunately, we were right behind the accident,” Greg Martin said. “We were ready to work and we had to wait 45 minutes in the chute. Honestly, I hate to be so bold, but I wouldn't have been shocked if he had gone in :9 3/5. He definitely has a nice video. He has a nice, big stride on him.”

The dark bay is out of graded winner Seasoned Warrior (Majestic Warrior), who is a daughter of Canadian champion Saoirse (Cure the Blues). Martin purchased the colt for $37,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton July sale.

“He looked like an absolutely gorgeous individual,” Martin said. “He was well put together. Just the kind of body that I look for. He stood out.”

Shedaresthedevil | Horsephotos

While Daredevil's American-bred runners included GI Kentucky Oaks winner Shedaresthedevil and GI Preakness S.-winning champion 3-year-old filly Swiss Skydiver, he was already plying his trade in Turkey when those fillies were making headlines in 2020. With his hiatus from the American sales ring now over, buyers may need a reintroduction to the stallion.

“That's why, I think, we got him for that price,” Martin said of the colt's yearling price tag. “I think if he was by a first-year or sophomore stallion or somebody proven, we definitely wouldn't have gotten him for that price.”

Of the colt's progression from last summer, Martin added, “He's definitely gotten bigger. Once in a while, you are going to get that horse who is push-button from day one. And he's been that. He has a really nice pedigree and he's a looker. He's a gorgeous individual.”

A filly by Daredevil (hip 687) worked in :9 4/5 for Hal Hatch's Halcyon Hammock Farm. The bay is out of Starship Gussie (High Cotton), a half-sister to the dam of Shedaresthedevil. Bred in Florida by Mustang Farm, she RNA'd for $72,000 at last year's OBS October sale.

Top Line Well Represented

Five of Wednesday's18 bullet workers were from the Top Line Sales consignment: hip 524, a filly by Into Mischief who is a full-sister to graded winner Maximus Mischief; hip 548, a colt by Gormley; hip 577, a colt by Vekoma; hip 622, a colt by Not This Time; and hip 638, a colt by Maclean's Music.

Wavertree Stables had a pair of juveniles share Wednesday's :9 4/5 co-fastest furlong time. Hip 567 is a filly from the first crop of Horse of the Year Authentic out of stakes winner Sandy's Surprise (Drosselmeyer), while hip 637 is a New York-bred daughter of Omaha Beach out of Sister Margaret (Pulpit).

For the second day in a row, Grassroots Training & Sales had a pair of bullet workers: hip 599, a filly by Munnings; and hip 625, a filly from the first crop of GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile winner Spun to Run.

Also working in :9 4/5 Wednesday: hip 523, a filly by Not This Time consigned by Centofanti Thoroughbreds; hip 530, a filly by Nyquist consigned by Niall Brennan Stables; hip 555, a filly by Global Campaign consigned by Best a Luck Farm; hip 591, a colt by Hard Spun consigned by Harris Training Center; hip 642, a colt by Street Sense consigned by Hartley/DeRenzo Thoroughbreds; and hip 690, a filly by Not This Time consigned by Grade One Investments.

A filly from the first crop of graded winner Instagrand (hip 551) turned in the fastest quarter-mile work of Wednesday's session when covering the distance in :20 3/5. Consigned by Hoppel LLC, the bay is out of Runaway Renee (Munnings) and was purchased for $70,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton October sale.

Conditions during the first four days of the seven-session under-tack show have been ideal, according to Scanlon.

“I don't remember in recent years when we've had such absolutely perfect days,” he said. “I can't remember a year when we had so many cool mornings combined with an east wind–or a tailwind–for so many days in a row. It's been ideal conditions.

It's made for perfect breeze days.”

The ideal conditions are expected to be interrupted by heavy rain Thursday, prompting OBS officials to postpone the under-tack show's fifth session until Friday. Hips 691 through 863 are scheduled to work Friday, with hips 864-1035 on Saturday and hips 1036 through 1208 on Sunday. All sessions begin at 8 a.m.

The OBS Spring sale will be held Tuesday through Friday with bidding starting each day at 10:30 a.m.

The post Bullets Continue to Fly at OBS Wednesday, but Weather KO’s Thursday Breezes appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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As the Tampa Bay Derby runners circled for about 30 minutes in the saddling paddock prior to the race as the extent of the tote outage became apparent, officials at Tampa Bay Downs finally opted to run the Kentucky Derby points race as a non-wagering event. The final race on the card, scheduled to be run after the Tampa Bay Derby, was canceled altogether.

Most recently the runner-up to Hades (Awesome Slew) in the GIII Holy Bull S. Feb. 3, Domestic Product broke outward at the Tampa Bay Derby start, bumped slightly, and was unbothered as jockey Tyler Gaffalione eased into a covered-up position midpack while keeping his mount under a strong hold. Domestic Product's stablemate, fellow Chad Brown trainee Good Money, showed the way through tepid :25.25 and :51.14 early fractions as Gaffalione continued to ask Domestic Product to wait. Tipped wide off the turn, the winner joined a calvary charge bearing down on Good Money with the photo showing mere inches between Domestic Product and No More Time, as Grand Mo the First and Good Money also made noise as part of the final fray.

It was the first Tampa Bay Derby win for both Brown and Gaffalione, as well as for Klaravich Stables. Inaugurated in 1981 with a current purse of $400,000, the Tampa Bay Derby has featured one victor to date (Street Sense, 2007) who went on to win the roses on the first Saturday in May in Louisville.

Prior to his Holy Bull second last month, Domestic Product–an open-daylight winner in a nine-furlong maiden special weight Oct. 27 at the Belmont at Aqueduct meet–finished an unheralded seventh in the GII Remsen S. Dec. 2. The Remsen is proving to be a key race, as the winner, Dornoch (Good Magic), won last week's GII Fountain of Youth S.; the runner-up, 'TDN Rising Star' Sierra Leone (Gun Runner), won the Feb. 17 GII Risen Star S.; and the third-place finisher, Drum Roll Please (Hard Spun), won the Jerome S. in his last start in January. Domestic Product's first start since, that runner-up trip in the Holy Bull, involved a bumpy start and a six-wide bid in which he outslugged Eclipse champion 2-year-old Fierceness (City of Light).

Pedigree Notes:

The first stakes winner out of a daughter of the late Paynter, Domestic Product is by Coolmore America's Practical Joke, the continent's current-leading fourth-crop sire of 2024 by both earnings and black-type winners. A son of Into Mischief, Practical Joke has 25 career graded winners and 37 stakes winners worldwide.

Unraced Goods and Services, the Tampa Bay Derby winner's dam, sold at the 2021 Keeneland November sale for $37,000 to Railway Street when Domestic Product was a weanling. The mare produced a 2022 filly by Complexity in New York, aborted to Honest Mischief for 2023, and was bred to Drain the Clock for this term.

#5 DOMESTIC PRODUCT wins the tight photo in the $400,000 Tampa Bay Derby (G3). He earns 50 points on the @SpendthriftFarm Road to the Kentucky Derby for trainer Chad Brown with @Tyler_Gaff in the irons. Domestic Product is sired by @CoolmoreAmerica's Practical Joke. pic.twitter.com/1q3IqJgMDh

— TVG (@TVG) March 9, 2024

Saturday, Tampa Bay Downs
LAMBHOLM SOUTH TAMPA BAY DERBY-GIII, $350,000, Tampa Bay Downs, 3-9, 3yo, 1 1/16m, 1:45.47, ft.
1–DOMESTIC PRODUCT, 120, c, 3, by Practical Joke
                1st Dam: Goods and Services, by Paynter
                2nd Dam: Indian Legend, by Cherokee Run
                3rd Dam: Virginia Bee, by Virginia Rapids
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN.
O/B-Klaravich Stables (KY); T-Chad C. Brown; J-Tyler
Gaffalione. $210,000. Lifetime Record: 5-2-1-0, $314,200.
Werk Nick Rating: D+.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–No More Time, 120, c, 3, Not This Time–Baroness Juliette,
by Speightstown. ($40,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP). O-Morplay Racing
LLC; B-MAMAS Thoroughbreds, LLC (IA); T-Jose Francisco
D'Angelo. $70,000.
3–Grand Mo the First, 120, c, 3, Uncle Mo–Lilies So Fair,
by Giant's Causeway. ($125,000 RNA Ylg '22 KEESEP; $135,000
Ylg '22 FTKOCT; $335,000 RNA 2yo '23 OBSMAR). O-Granpollo
Stables LLC; B-John D. Gunther (KY); T-Victor Barboza, Jr.
$35,000.
Margins: NK, HD, HF. Odds: 0.00, 0.00, 0.00.
Also Ran: Good Money, Heartened, Sturdy, Crazy Mason, Everdoit, Catire Vizcaya, Give Me Liberty.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

The post Klaravich’s Domestic Product Wins Wild Tampa Bay Derby appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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“It's really my DNA from Bobby Frankel,” Brown, a former assistant to the late Hall of Famer, said of his Matriarch record. “This was one of his favorite races, everybody knows that. He always pointed fillies to this race every year and I worked in Southern California for him for some time and I remember him pointing certain horses to this race and winning.”

Brown continued, “I still use a lot of what he taught me to get horses to this race and I always think of him when I am designing a campaign for a horse to get to the Matriarch. It's just one of those races that I decided early on in my career, when I started getting better horses, that it was going to be part of my program to point horses to it. We've been very successful and I want to thank my team for really executing the things that I've taught them that he passed down to me.”

Making just the fifth start of her career, Surge Capacity was away a tad awkwardly before settling in midpack along the rail as stablemate and favorite Whitebeam tracked pacesetting longshot Gracelund Gray (Goldencents) through fractions of :22.80 and :45.89. Surge Capacity inched closer down the backstretch, but was mired in traffic into the far turn and was shuffled back approaching the stretch as Fluffy Socks was rallying in the clear on the outside.

Whitebeam had a short-lived advantage in upper stretch as Fluffy Socks produced a powerful rally down the center of the course to take the lead inside the final furlong. Surge Capacity finally found her way into the clear as the wire loomed and finished with a late flourish to just edge her stablemate in the dying strides.

Surge Capacity's completed the race in 1:33.95, the fastest mile grass race of the meeting.

“She's a fighter, you know, she likes to run,” said winning rider Joel Rosario. “She likes the competition. I kind of had no choice but to stay inside [in the stretch]. I was just trying to save the ground and then go from there. I was very lucky, with her kick. She is a very nice horse.”

Surge Capacity, a debut winner over the Monmouth lawn in June, quickly added a graded stakes victory to her resume in the July 21 GIII Lake George S. She suffered her lone defeat to date when second behind Aspray (Quality Road) in the Aug. 19 GII Lake Placid S., but rebounded to win the Oct. 27 GIII Valley View S. at Keeneland last time out.

“She has always trained like a really good horse,” Brown said of the winner. “She didn't run at two because she had some sore shins, but she is a beautiful horse. And a little bonus, she is by Flintshire, who I was lucky enough to train his last year in training and he was a champion turf horse. He was a really remarkable horse and this filly seems to be one of his best offspring. And I trained her mother and a lot of the siblings.”

Brown said he was impressed with all four of his Matriarch runners.

“Beaute Cachee had trouble around the eighth pole and then found her stride again and kicked on to be third which, watching the replay, was a really remarkable run by her,” he said. “And then when you look at Whitebeam, she was much closer to the pace then we had planned on being. For her to still hang on for fourth after being right on a very fast pace, I thought was a really good race. That was not the plan at all. Flavien [Prat] said afterwards that he didn't think they were going that fast and she was doing it comfortably, but it's really not the trip that she wants and the fact that she was able to hang on for a minor award showed that she ran a great race because she had every right to cave and fall back through the field as the wire came up, given how fast the pace was. All four horses ran terrific.”

Still the trainer admitted the photo finish between the winner and runner-up was a little bittersweet.

“It's always a difficult position when it's your two horses going for the wire in a Grade I race. I was pleased that it was my horses in the stretch, all four of them battling down there to try to win. But it was slightly bittersweet with Fluffy Socks being the 5-year-old of the two in the photo versus the 3-year-old. Not that I would pick between them, but once the result was up, I have to feel for Fluffy Socks a little bit because she is such a courageous, consistent horse who is in the later stages of her career. And it would have been nice to see her win a Grade I, but on the other hand, that's horse racing. And Surge Capacity really ran a terrific race.”

Pedigree Notes:

Surge Capacity is one of three graded winners for her sire Flintshire (GB) (Dansili {GB}), Eclipse champion turf horse of 2016, and she is his first Grade I winner. The stallion's son Verbal won the GIII Cecil B DeMille on this same card in 2021.

Klaravich Stable purchased Surge Capacity's dam Strong Incentive for $200,000 at the 2014 OBS April sale. Racing for the partnership of Seth Klarman's Klaravich and William Lawrence, the bay won two of six starts, including the 2015 Jammed Lovely S.

Bloodstock agent Mike Ryan purchased the mare on behalf of Klaravich as part of the dissolution of the partnership for $40,000 at the 2018 Keeneland November sale. The mare's 2-year-old daughter Ways and Means (Practical Joke) was second in this year's GI Spinaway S. in the Klaravich colors. Put through the ring at Fasig-Tipton November last month, Strong Incentive sold in foal to Good Magic for $2.15 million to Alpha Delta Stables.

And surge she did! #3 SURGE CAPACITY ($11.40) snuck up the rail to out-rally Fluffy Socks and top the Chad Brown-trained superfecta in the $300,000 G1 Matriarch Stakes at Del Mar! pic.twitter.com/HcvCtKDlVN

— TVG (@TVG) December 3, 2023

Sunday, Del Mar
MATRIARCH S.-GI, $303,500, Del Mar, 12-3, 3yo/up, f/m, 1mT, 1:33.95, fm.
1–SURGE CAPACITY, 120, f, 3, by Flintshire (GB)
                1st Dam: Strong Incentive (SW, $123,568),
                                by Warrior's Reward
                2nd Dam: G G's Dolly, by Comic Strip
                3rd Dam: Parfait, by Kingmambo
1ST GRADE I WIN. O/B-Klaravich Stables (KY); T-Chad C.
Brown; J-Joel Rosario. $180,000. Lifetime Record: 5-4-1-0,
$518,975. *1/2 to Highly Motivated (Into Mischief), GSW,
$667,375; and Ways and Means (Practical Joke), GISP,
$117,750. Werk Nick Rating: B+.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Fluffy Socks, 123, m, 5, by Slumber (GB)
                1st Dam: Breakfast Time, by Kitten's Joy
                2nd Dam: Costume Designer, by Capote
                3rd Dam: Ravnina, by Nureyev
O/B-Head Of Plains Partners (KY); T-Chad C. Brown. $60,000.
3–Beaute Cachee (Fr), 123, f, 4, by Literato (Fr)
                1st Dam: Sign And Seal (Ire), by Hurricane Run (Ire)
                2nd Dam: Seraphine (Ger), by Dashing Blade (GB)
                3rd Dam: Sovereign Touch (Ire), by Pennine Walk (Ire)
1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE, 1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. (€1,500 Ylg
'20 ARQAU). O-Madaket Stables LLC, Michael Dubb and Louis
Lazzinnaro LLC; B-Gregor Vischer (FR); T-Chad C. Brown.
$36,000.
Margins: HD, 1HF, HD. Odds: 4.70, 6.10, 18.70.
Also Ran: Whitebeam (GB), Ruby Nell, Closing Remarks, Elm Drive, Gracelund Gray, Queen Goddess, Hamwood Flier (Ire), Wakanaka (Ire), Elounda Queen (Ire).
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

The post More Matriarch Domination: Brown Runners 1-2-3-4 at Del Mar appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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LEXINGTON, KY – The first of two Book 2 sessions of the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale saw marked polarization, as the demand for the perceived quality remained strong, but fell off for the less desired offerings.

“It's been a realistic, selective market today,” said Keeneland Vice President of Sales Tony Lacy. “I think it was pretty evident throughout the day, people knew what they wanted and they were very specific about what they were willing to invest in. Speaking to a lot of sellers, they were very pragmatic about the market. They saw, if a mare was young and was well-bred, you were in pretty good shape. I think any mares that were a little older probably have been exposed a little bit and were a tougher sell. And from the consignors we spoke to, there was an acknowledgment that that's where the market is at the moment. So a little bit of softening, but again, that's to be expected in certain areas.”

For the session, 213 head grossed $34,428,000. The session average of $161,634 fell 9.21% from a year ago, while the median fell 14.29% to $120,000.

The 4-year-old racing/broodmare prospect Cancel This (Malibu Moon), consigned by Four Star Sales, was the session's top-priced lot when selling for $825,000 to Larkin Armstrong on behalf of Helen Alexander.

Competition for the top weanlings continued to be strong Thursday, with a colt by Constitution selling for top price of $525,000 from Cherry Knoll Farm. The weanling was one of five to sell for $400,000 or over during the session. There were two to reach that level in the same session last year.

“The market has been really strong and on a bull run for some years,” said Keeneland Director of Sales Operations Cormac Breathnach. “We had a great September sale and yearling market this year. I think that's reflected in strong foal sales.”

The Keeneland November sale continues through Nov. 16 with sessions beginning daily at 10 a.m.

Cancel This Shines at KeeNov Opener

Well into Thursday's session, Cancel This (Malibu Moon) (Hip 601) broke to the fore with a session-topping $825,000 bid from Helen Alexander, bidding from her customary place in front of the media stand at the back of the pavilion. Consigned by Four Star Sales, she was offered as a racing or broodmare prospect.

Kerry Cauthen, Larkin Armstrong, and Helen Alexander | Keeneland

“We [initially] thought maybe we should put the whole budget on one mare, but we got blown out of the water [at Fasig-Tipton Tuesday]. So we decided to divide it up instead,” said Larkin Armstrong, signing on behalf of Alexander. “We were waiting for this one. [She was good enough to] have sold in any sale.”

Alexander also signed for a pair of mares in Keeneland's Book 1: Candy Raid (Candy Ride {Arg}) (Hip 206), who brought $425,000 and Weekend Away (Malibu Moon) (Hip 166), a $400,000 purchase. Both mares were consigned by Taylor Made Sales.

“[Alexander] went into the sale wanting to buy some nice young mares for her breeding program, so I feel like we got horses that we're really excited about,” added Armstrong.

The 4-year-old filly was sold by Corey Johnson, whose CJ Thoroughbreds secured the filly for $180,000 at Keeneland September in 2020.

“When Dale Romans picked her out, I remember thinking that she was one of the most athletic, well-balanced yearlings we had ever bought,” said Johnson, obviously reveling in the moment following her sale. “That was three years ago. Our plan was to buy yearlings, race, and then sell them as broodmare prospects. I would say this one worked out very well.”

The bay made 20 starts over three seasons on the track, winning only once but hitting the board on 11 other occasions, including a runner-up effort in Presque Isle's Satin and Lace S. in July. She entered the sale with earnings over $240,000.

“She had really a good, solid racing career,” said Johnson. “And then, of course, we get a little lucky where the pedigree really booms up. It would be very difficult to expect something like that. We just figured the market would take her as far as it would go. We're very excited.”

After the Ring: Kerry Cauthen discusses the $825,000 sale of Cancel This, who topped session 2 of #KeeNov.

The Stakes-placed Malibu Moon filly is from the active family of Brightwork, Midnight Bourbon, Girvin and more. pic.twitter.com/PA3BJbtHj4

— Keeneland Sales (@keenelandsales) November 10, 2023

Out of MSW Catch My Fancy (Yes It's True), the filly is a half-sister to SW and GSP Dubini (Gio Ponti), SW What a Catch and full-sister to Catch the Moon, dam of GI Haskell Invitational winner Girvin (Tale of Ekati) and Grade III scorers Midnight Bourbon (Tiznow), who also finished second in the GI Preakness S. and GI Travers S., and Cocked and Loaded (Colonel John). To add some extra luster to the page, Cancel This is also a full-sister to Clarendon Fancy, dam of this summer's GI Spinaway S. winner Brightwork (Outwork).

“We sold her for some really great clients, Corey Johnsen. It's always great to win for friends,” added Kerry Cauthen.  “I think that was beyond our expectations by quite a number, but when you bring out the best-looking filly of the day, you're going to get rewarded.”–@CbossTDN

Finley Strikes Late for Exotic West

Unbeaten GI Breeders' Cup Classic winner Flightline took Terry Finley and his West Point Thoroughbred partners on the ride of a lifetime last year and Finley was keen to acquire Exotic West (Hard Spun) (hip 667), in foal to the champion, Thursday at Keeneland. Finley purchased the 5-year-old mare, the second to last horse through the ring during the second session of the November auction, for $650,000.

“David [Ingordo} really liked the mare. She was a beautiful mare,” Finley said. “The Flightlines have been selling really well, but we thought with her placement in the sale, we might get a little lucky. And I think we were–either people were tired or they went to dinner. Obviously, the appetite for Flightline is really over the top–better than we expected and we had high expectations. Anytime you can get one in a belly with a young mare like that, you're going to take a shot.”

Consigned by Grovendale Sales, Exotic West won the 2022 Top Flight Invitational and was second in the GII Allaire DuPont Distaff S. after being claimed by Louis Lazzinnaro for $40,000 at Saratoga in 2021.

Seven mares have sold in foal to Flightline for $6,625,000 through two sessions of the Keeneland November sale. Leading the way were the $1.65-million Dalika (Ger) (Pastorius {GB}) and $1.45-million Champagne Lady (Uncle Mo).

“Our outlook is we can't get enough of them,” Finley said. “We are really happy with [Flightline's] first book of mares and the second one is shaping up really well already. If you can't get excited about owning a piece of Flightline and having a shot to have his babies and the expectation of having them hit the track in a couple of years, you probably don't need to be in the game.”

Lady Scarlet Brings $625K On Day 2

Early in Thursday's Book 2 opener at Keeneland, Lady Scarlet (Union Rags) (Hip 338) brought $625,000 from Thirty Year Farm. The Saratoga-based farm's Kristen Esler handled the signing duties on the GIII Miss Preakness S. winner.

Kristen Esler | Keeneland

“We loved her,” said Esler, who operates Thirty Year Farm with her husband, Matt. “She was our first pick. She was in my heart from the moment I saw her. She's beautiful and she's everything we looked for in conformation. She was an A+. She carried herself really well. I like to look them in the eye and spend some time. She is one that we wanted to bring to our farm.”

Consigned by Lane's End, the 4-year-old is a daughter of Exclude (GB) (Include), a daughter of SW Soldera, herself responsible for MGSW Exhi (Maria's Mon) and SW Diluvien (Manduro). The daughter of Polish Numbers is also a sister to Soldata, dam of Group 2 scorer Alignement (GB) (Pivotal {GB}).

A $200,000 purchase at this venue in January, the mare visited Flightline before returning to Keeneland Thursday.

Thirty Year Farm also made a purchase in Book 1, buying Hip 163 Walking Miracle (Into Mischief) for $525,000.

“This is the one that was our highest priority. We had one that we got yesterday and we were happy with that purchase, so we may be set, but we don't know yet.” —@CbossTDN

Muths Flip a Lady

Chip Muth and his sons, always on the lookout for young mares to buy, put in foal and return to the market, purchased Lady Scarlet (Union Rags) (hip 338) for $200,000 at the Keeneland January sale earlier this year. Covered by champion Flightline, the mare returned to the Keeneland sales ring Thursday and sold for $625,000 to Thirty Year Farm.

“We needed a couple of mares and we went through looking at young stakes mares,” Muth said. “That mare kind of caught our eye. And we got lucky and got her for the right kind of money.”

Lady Scarlet | Keeneland

The 4-year-old Lady Scarlet won last year's GIII Miss Preakness S. and Cicada S.

Muth admitted he thought the mare might have brought more money Thursday.

“To be honest, we all felt like the mare would bring more,” he said. “We sold two mares out here last year almost back to back for $750,000 and one for $700,000.”

Also Thursday at Keeneland, Muth sold Miss Mattie B (Tonalist) (hip 373) for $425,000. The 4-year-old, who was third in last year's GII Santa Ynez S., sold in foal to Quality Road.

“That's pretty much what we do,” Muth said. “We buy mares and put them in foal to the right horses. We restock 24/7. We are always on the prowl. We very seldom buy on the open market–just when we have a need for one and haven't been able to find something to fill a need.”

Asked what the family looks for in mares to buy with an eye towards resale, Muth smiled and said, “Can't tell you our secrets.”

But he added, “Physicals. Young mares, nice American fillies by name brand stallions. And they have got to be drop-dead gorgeous kind of mares.”

Muth said he generally sells about 20 mares a year.

“We concentrate on November,” he said. “We bring mares here in the fall and in January we will bring some that got in our program a little later and might be carrying a later foaling date.”

Constitution Colt Tops Thursday's Weanlings

South Carolina horseman Peter Pugh purchased Thursday's top-priced weanling when going to $525,000 to acquire a colt by Constitution (hip 286) from the Nursery Place consignment.

Hip 286 | Keeneland 

“He was super well-balanced and a real good mover,” said Pugh, who purchased the weanling in the name of Cherry Knoll Farm. “Every time we saw him, he was the same.”

Asked if the plan was to pinhook the dark bay colt, Pugh said, “For now. Obviously you want to hit the home run, but I have a partner on him also, we discuss all of this stuff as time goes on.”

The weanling is out of Gone to Town (Munnings) and was bred by Nursery Place and Dicken Equine. Nursery Place purchased the mare for $240,000 at the 2019 Keeneland November sale. She RNA'd with the Constitution colt in utero for $190,000 at last year's Keeneland November sale.

“He was probably one of the better colts we've raised in the last 10 years.”

After the Ring: Griffin Mayer on the $525,000 sale of their weanling colt by Constitution (hip 286) earlier today at #Keeneland. #KeeNov pic.twitter.com/KC5ObzMhbO

— Keeneland Sales (@keenelandsales) November 10, 2023

“We try to bring a handful of weanlings every year to Keeneland–a very select few,” said Nursery Place's Griffin Mayer. “They have to be really, really nice with pedigrees and by the right sires. He checked all the boxes and honestly, he's probably one of the better colts that we've raised in the last 10 years. He's very special. He's a homebred for my dad and one of his partners, John Dicken of Dicken Equine.”

Cherry Knoll has purchased three weanlings at Keeneland so far this week and acquired two colts at the Fasig-Tipton sale Tuesday, going to $500,000 for a son of Into Mischief (hip 268) and $270,000 for a colt by Not This Time (hip 61).

“It's the same old, same old,” Pugh said. “The better horses bring the money. You have to pay for them.”

Klaravich Enjoys Strong Results at November Sales

Ranking as the nation's second-leading owner in earnings so far this season, Klaravich Stables capitalized on that racetrack success with the sale of a trio of its stable stars in the select sessions of this week's most important breeding stock auctions. Among the headliners at Tuesday's Fasig-Tipton November sale was GI Acorn S. winner Search Results (Flatter) (Hip 179), who sold for $3.6 million to Katsumi Yoshida.

Turning its focus on Keeneland in Book 1, the Seth Klarman-led operation also followed up with the sale of four-time graded winner and Grade I-placed Technical Analysis (Ire) (Kingman {GB}) (Hip 145), who sold to Japan's J S Company for $1 million in addition to black-type producer Strong Incentive (Warrior's Reward) (Hip 264), who realized $2.15 million from Alpha Delta Stables. She sold in foal to hot sire Good Magic.

Klaravich had GII Mother Goose S. winner Gerrymander (Into Mischief) also entered at Fasig-Tipton earlier this week, but opted to withdraw her and retain her for a 5-year-old campaign.

“[Klarman] really likes racing and he wanted to run her as a 5-year-old,” said Klaravich's bloodstock agent Mike Ryan. “If they are sound, they have talent and they still have the desire, then you can run them. Many of them are really not at their best until they're about five anyway. And with turf horses, it can be older than that. There is so much opportunity, you don't have to run them frequently. You know what they are. You pick your spots, five or six races and they can be very successful.”

Technical Analysis | Sarah Andrew

All consigned by Elite, the trio of mares were campaigned throughout their careers by Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown, whom Ryan credits with much of the team's success on the track.

“Chad is a huge part of the success,” said Ryan. “We understand each other very well now. When I tell him I really like something, he listens. And I know what he likes. We have a great dialogue and a tremendous trust between us. That's important.”

The most accomplished of the trio, Search Results, a daughter of Co Cola (Candy Ride {Arg}), was bred by Machmer Hall. In addition to the Acorn, she also won five more black-type races, including the GII Ruffian S. and GIII Gazelle S. She also hit the board in six Grade I tests, headed by the Kentucky Oaks.

Search Results, who brought $310,000 at the 2019 Keeneland September Sale, led that season's Book 4 opener.

Ryan recalled, “She was an exceptional-looking filly. I remember when I bought her [at KEESEP] it was very late in the sale and I said 'this filly will top the sale today. We need to buy her.' And she did. I remember saying at the time that I thought she could win the Spinaway. She was really special. And she is by a sire that I really like and out of a mare by Candy Ride, who is starting to show up prominently in pedigrees. She was a magnificent physical all her life.”

He continued, “From a physical perspective, it was very hard to fault her. She reminded me of [champion turf female] Rushing Fall [More Than Ready]. Very elegant, had size and substance and class. She had the whole deal.”

Through four seasons on the track, Technical Analysis accounted for eight wins, six at the stakes level, including her latest trip to the winner's circle in the Athenia S. last month. She also placed in the GI QEII Challenge Cup S. and the GI Diana S. The daughter of Sealife (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), who realized 200,000gns at the 2019 Tattersalls October Sale, sold at Keeneland as a racing or broodmare prospect.

“When we bought her in Newmarket, there was no black-type in the first two dams,” recalled Ryan. “We thought we just bought a nice filly at the time. Kingman was starting to roll on pretty good. But she really made her own pedigree. She proved to be a very successful filly, just a notch below Grade I. I thought she was going to bring a little bit more than she did, to tell you the truth, but I think the fact she was the only black-type under the first two dams might have had something to do with it.”

Also showing stakes prowess on the racetrack albeit lightly raced, Strong Incentive collected her only taste of black-type in Woodbine's Jammed Lovely S. in 2015 before retiring to the breeding shed. The mare proved to be of greater value in her latter career, producing Grade III winners Highly Motivated (Into Mischief) and Surge Capacity (Flintshire {GB}).

Ryan went to $200,000 on behalf of Klarman and William Lawrence at the OBSAPR sale in 2014, and was back to secure the filly for Klarman at Keeneland November in 2018 after the Klaravich partners decided to part ways. Her son, Highly Motivated, was also sent to the sale's ring that season, bringing $240,000.

“Both Strong Incentive and Highly Motivated went to the sale that year to dissolve the partnership,” said Ryan. “She was open at the time she sold. She was a big, beautiful mare and didn't have any black-type at that time, but she was a gorgeous mare and there was so much going for her. I told [Klarman] he needed to keep this mare. For only $40,000, she's proven to be a steal.”

Underscoring the point, Strong Incentive's most recent foal to race, Ways and Means (Practical Joke), finished runner-up in this summer's GI Spinaway S. And according to Ryan, the 'TDN Rising Star' could be the crowning jewel of the mare's produce thus far.

“Highly Motivated was very good, but I think the best one might be Ways and Means,” he opined. “She missed the Breeders' Cup with a bit of an issue, but she is very, very good. Three top horses out of three different sires. That's impressive for any mare.”

Given Klaravich's latest success in the sales ring, Ryan is quick to give props to the patience and commitment of Klarman, who is likely to find himself once again among the finalists for leading owner of the 2023 season.

Ryan said, “It is great to see him rewarded because he invests a significant amount of capital every year to buy yearlings and 2-year-olds and racing is his passion. He's a great owner. Really loves the game. And he deserves all the success.” —@CbossTDN

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“Search Results has been such a wonderful horse not only for us to work with, but for Seth and Beth Klarman,” said Chad Brown. “In a tough profession where you deal with a lot of ups and downs and a lot of changes with each individual horse from day to day, she's a rare horse that was very uncomplicated. When you came into the barn in the morning or you went to the paddock in the afternoon, you could always depend on Search Results.”

Mike Ryan, a member of the scouting team for Klaravich, has high hopes for Search Results going into Saturday's race, but he is even more confident in how she will be received when she hits Newtown Paddocks on Nov. 7.

“To win the Breeders' Cup would be off the charts,” he said. “It would be the culmination of a fantastic career. She will sell well. I know people are going to love her because she's a spectacular physical. I can't fault her and I don't think anybody else will. She's elegant. She's got size, strength, substance, quality, class and presence. She's the full package.”

Ryan has been high on Search Results ever since he first saw the filly as a yearling at Machmer Hall in the summer of 2019.

Flash forward to the eighth session of the Keeneland September Sale and the image of the Flatter filly from Machmer Hall was still fresh in his mind. He was just as impressed with the youngster on the sales grounds.

“She was an absolutely beautiful filly,” he recalled. ” A good size, strong, feminine, very powerful through her quarters and she moved like a cheetah. Her mind was fantastic. I told Chad that this was a filly that we needed to try and buy.”

The promising bay, who was out of Grade III-placed Co Cola, wound up topping the session when she sold to Ryan for $310,000.

As consistent as she was talented, Search Results went on to place in all but one of her 16  career starts, with earnings to date of just short of $2 million.

Search Results get her first career graded stakes win in the 2021 GIII Gazelle S. | Search Results

Undefeated in her first three starts including a Grade III score in the Gazelle S., Search Results was handed her first career loss when she finished a close neck behind champion Malathaat (Curlin) in the GI Kentucky Oaks. The field also included four-time Grade I winner Clairiere (Curlin), plus Grade I winners Maracuja (Honor Code) and Pauline's Pearl (Tapit).

It was a race that, to Ryan, emphasizes the filly's outstanding talent.

“She ran against the best of her generation,” he explained. “Malathaat was a terrific filly and if Search Results had switched to her correct lead that day, she may have beaten her. We'll never know. She was just born in a year with some very tough fillies and I think eight out of 10 years she might have been an Oaks winner. She competed at the highest level throughout her career and never disappointed.”

Turning back to a mile to claim the GI Acorn in her next start, Search Results delivered what Brown said he believes was her best effort.

“For her to come right back in five weeks and run as well as she did in the Acorn showed a lot about her constitution, resiliency, class and durability,” he noted. “That was a very tough stretch dual in the Oaks and I was so impressed with how she bounced out of it and was able to get the Grade I at Belmont.”

Search Results again stamped herself as a top performer as an older horse, adding to her resume with wins in the GII Ruffian S. and GIII Molly Pitcher at four and the GIII Locust Grove S. in her most recent start this year at five. She has also earned four additional Grade I placings, including two half-length runner-up efforts to Malathaat in the 2022 GI Personal Ensign and to Clairiere in the 2023 GI Ogden Phipps.

“She has won sprinting and going around two turns, so she is a very versatile horse,” said Brown. “She's very consistent and efficient in the way she moves. She's also a pleasure to work with in the barn. She's got a great attitude and a laid-back mind. Anyone that has had the pleasure of having their hands on her has commented on what a classy, sweet mare she is.”

Search Results fights off GISW Obligatory (Curlin) to get the win in the 2021 Acorn S. | Sarah Andrew

“She never shunned competition,” added Ryan. “Half her starts were in Grade I races and she competed in all of them. It was pretty amazing because she never really got a lot of downtime. She never had a soundness issue. I bet when she walks in here to Fasig-Tipton, she'll have legs like a yearling.”

Selling as Hip 179, Search Results will be offered by ELiTE Sales on the Night of the Stars.

Fasig-Tipton's Boyd Browning said that the daughter of Flatter's pedigree is another bonus to her credentials as a broodmare prospect.

“Flatter was known to be a racehorse sire,” he explained. “They're hard-knocking and trying–those attributes that you look for and hope that they'll pass on to future generations. I think you've got a real opportunity with Search Results to combine the finest attributes of both Flatter and Candy Ride, along with an outstanding pedigree, race record and physical.”

“Search Results should attract buyers both domestically and internationally,” added Brown. “She's such a flawless physical specimen and her consistency and soundness, which is so important to try to pass on to our breed, is really hard to match with anything else you could find.

Brown reiterated just how much Search Results will be missed within his operation, but noted that her next chapter as a broodmare will make way for the next generation of Klaravich trainees.

“This is going to be a hard horse to let go of because she has been so special to us, but the Klarmans are so active in the sport and they're looking toward the next chapter with these young horses that we have,” he said. “Seth and Beth always want to do the right thing by the horses, from top-class mares like Search Results all the way to the horses that are still maidens. We're looking forward to hopefully developing the next Search Results.”

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The farm said that the stallion, a son of Gun Runner, was subject to an ongoing insurance claim.

Early Voting got off to a successful start at stud in 2023, and did get mares in foal, but experienced problems midway through the season. Those issues have apparently not been resolved.

Owned by Klaravich Stables, the 2022 Preakness winner stood for a fee of $25,000 in 2023. Out of a half-sister to Speightstown (Gone West), Early Voting made each of his first three starts at Aqueduct, winning a maiden special weight and the GIII Withers S. before finishing second by a neck to eventual GI Belmont S. winner Mo Donegal (Uncle Mo) in the GII Wood Memorial S. He bypassed the Kentucky Derby and recorded a 105 Beyer in his Preakness win.

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Nations Pride Adds Another Graded Win To His Resume

Autumn in North America is a rich seasonal hunting ground for Godolphin's European raiders, particularly those trained by Charlie Appleby, and Nations Pride (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) scooped Woodbine's GI Canadian International S. recently (video). The royal blue homebred had landed the GI Saratoga Derby Invitational S. and GIII Jockey Club Derby Invitational S. last year.

Also a top-level winner in Germany, the 4-year-old colt is a half-brother to Crystal Of Time (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), a weanling colt by Ghaiyyath (Ire), and he has a yearling full-sister. Their dam, the Oasis Dream (GB) mare Important Time (Ire), won at the listed level in Germany and is a daughter of Satwa Queen (Fr) (Muhtathir {GB}), who won the G1 Prix de l'Opera. Australian standout Militarize (NZ) (Dundeel {NZ}) and G1 Phoenix S. hero Lucky Vega (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) are also in the family.

The best North American runner by Darley veteran Teofilo, Nations Pride is one of four stakes winners in that jurisdiction for the 19-year-old. Seventeen of his 27 runners have won in America (63%), including dual Grade II winner Amira's Prince (Ire).

Bold Act Another Graded Winner In The Royal Blue

Just a few days after Nations Pride won in Canada, Godolphin and Charlie Appleby celebrated another homebred graded winner, this time with New Approach (Ire) gelding Bold Act (Ire) in the GIII Sycamore S. at Keeneland (video).

Successful in the Listed Prix Nureyev in August, the multiple group-placed 3-year-old is out of the listed winner Dancing Sands (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), who placed three times at the group level. His year-younger half-sister Dazzling Star (GB) (Blue Point {Ire}) was third in the GI Natalma S., while Dancing Sands's latest pair are colts by Cracksman (GB) and Frankel (GB), respectively. G1 Futurity S. hero and sire Bakharoff (The Minstrel) is under the third dam.

The 13th winner from 23 runners (56%) in the U.S. for his Darley sire, Bold Act is New Approach's fourth black-type winner there. Both Ceisteach (Ire) and Messi (Ger) are Grade III scorers.

Lucky Girl Returns A Winner At Santa Anita

Already a dual American stakes winner, Lucky Girl (Ire) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}) made it a hat trick for Panic Stable, LLC and trainer Phil D'Amato in the Swingtime S. at Santa Anita a few days ago (video).

Bred by Paul Hyland, the 4-year-old filly was originally a £19,000 yearling buy out of the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale by Meadowview Stables. She did not meet her reserve when a £24,000 buy-back at the Goffs UK Breeze-Up Sale in 2021, and duly made one start at Gowran Park for Helen Slattery and trainer Andrew Slattery, where she finished third. The four-time winning dam Abbey Angel (Ire) (Arcano {Ire})'s latest produce is a yearling colt by Kodi Bear (Ire) whose latest trip through the ring resulted in a 110,000gns buy-back during the Tattersall October Yearling Sale.

Former reverse shuttle stallion Exceed And Excel has sired an even 10 black-type winners from his 41 U.S. runners (24%). Of those 41, 22 have earned at least one victory (54%). The Darley stallion's American best are GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Outstrip (GB) and GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint winner Mischief Magic (Ire).

Brant's No Nay Never Filly a New York Winner

Peter Brant and Chad Brown's Notinamillionyears (Ire) (No Nay Never) won at second asking during the Belmont at the Big A meeting earlier this week (video).

Bred by Lynch-Bages & Rhinestone Bloodstock, the daughter of Dancing Shoes (Ire) (Danehill) was acquired by BSW/Crow for $450,000 out of the 2021 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. The winner is a half-sister to GII La Canada S. winner Striking Dancer (Smart Strike) and G2 Gran Premio del Jockey Club hero Raymond Tusk (Ire) (High Chaparral {Ire}). Emmaline (Affirmed), the winner's second dam, is a half-sister to American champion Bates Motel (Sir Ivor).

Coolmore stallion No Nay Never has sired 43 winners from 78 runners (55%) in the U.S. Breeders' Cup winner Meditate (Ire) is one of three graded winners, and he has nine stakes winners overall in the Land of the Free.

NOTINAMILLIONYEARS wins the fourth race with @iradortiz up for trainer Chad Brown. pic.twitter.com/pBRvqVz6W0

— NYRA ( ) (@TheNYRA) October 12, 2023

Sea The Stars Filly Graduates In California

Red Baron's Barn, LLC and Rancho Temescal Thoroughbred Partners' Star Of The Night (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) won at Santa Anita this month (video). The Sunderland Holding-bred 3-year-old was making her second start for trainer Mark Glatt after a runner-up finish at Del Mar.

Out of the winning Simple Elegance (Street Cry {Ire}), Star Of The Night has juvenile half-brother by Gleneagles (Ire) and a yearling half-brother by the late Le Havre (Ire) who was picked up by Ross Doyle and Ciaran Murphy for €37,000 out of the recent Goffs Orby Book 2 Sale. Lackendarra Stables and Eddie Linehan bought the dark bay for €40,000 out of the 2021 Goffs Orby Sale, and sent her back through the ring at the 2022 Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up Sale where she made 140,000gns on the bid of her current owners. Her dam is one of six winners out of the Pulpit mare Rutherienne, who landed the GI Del Mar Oaks.

The Aga Khan's Studs' Sea The Stars has 17 winners from 37 runners (46%) in the U.S. His sextet of stakes winners are led by GII Fort Marcy S. winner and GI Manhattan S. third Ottoman Fleet (GB).

Repeat Winners

Repeat Making Waves alumni have been in outstanding form in recent weeks, and the GI Beverly D. S. heroine Fev Rover (Ire) (Gutaifan {Ire}) doubled her Grade I tally with a stalking score in the E. P. Taylor S. at Woodbine on Oct. 8 (video). Raced by Tracy Farmer, the Mark Casse pupil is pointing toward the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf at Santa Anita in November.

Eternal Hope (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) was the latest Making Waves alum to display her abundant talent in the GII Sands Point S. as the Belmont at the Big A meeting continued on Saturday (video). The Godolphin homebred was winning her second graded race in a row for Charlie Appleby, after taking the GIII Jockey Club Oaks Invitational S. last month.

Klaravich Stables' McKulick (GB) (Frankel {GB}), best known as the winner of the GI Belmont Oaks Invitational S. in 2022, also claimed her second graded victory of the year in the GIII Waya S. earlier in October (video). The Chad Brown trainee won the GII Glens Falls S. at the Saratoga meeting in August.

She's a star! It's Fev Rover who takes out the G1 E. P. Taylor Stakes at Woodbine for Javier Castellano and Mark Casse! pic.twitter.com/yT9ZM8P3CG

— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) October 8, 2023

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Closed on closing day.

On purpose.

While it may be a sad afternoon for the 22,097 patrons on the grounds for the last card of 2023, the Fitch brothers, who operate King's and the City Tavern on Caroline Street, use closing day at the track to pause a bit on Labor Day and celebrate. They put on a party for every member of their staff, all of whom were able to bring a guest, in late morning and then take the group over to the races.

Jason Fitch teed up “awesome” and “fantastic” to describe business at King's during the season.

That wasn't the case for the New York Racing Association. Despite unusually wet weather that did a number on total handle, NYRA reported that attendance was up 2.8% to 1,105,863, the third-highest in history. It was the eighth consecutive year that Saratoga's attendance topped one million. The average daily paid attendance was 27,642.

With 65 races washed off the turf–a 306% jump from the 16 last summer–and four cancelled due to wet weather, handle dropped 9.0%, from $878,211,963 to $799,229,288. The daily average handle was $19,980,732.

A year ago, the handle jumped $62.7 million, 7.7%, from rainy 2021 when NYRA lost 45 grass races.

For King's, Fitch said, “The weather was OK. I think the weather not being as hot helped out. Unfortunately, when it rains during the season it sucks for the track, but for us, people just get out of the rain.”

The Fitch brothers' taverns and other Saratoga businesses are likely to be packed with racing fans in early June if the New York Racing Association moves the GI Belmont S. upstate during the demolition and rebuild of Belmont Park. NYRA officials acknowledged in June that the 2025 Belmont could be held at Saratoga. On Sunday, NYRA President and CEO David O'Rourke said his company is considering running the Belmont S. in Saratoga in 2024 and 2025.

In a runaway, Irad Ortiz, Jr. was the leading jockey for the second consecutive year and fifth overall with 62 wins. His brother, Jose, was next with 37 wins.

Linda Rice tied Chad Brown for the training title with 35 victories by winning twice Monday, including the final race of the season with Lt. Mitchell (The Lieutenant). In what might be a historic bookend, Rice also won the first race of the season on July 13 with Bustin Bay (Bustin Stones).

“We won three yesterday which gave us a chance,” said Rice. “I thought it was pretty unlikely, but you never know. The day before we were second beaten a neck, fourth beaten a head. But then yesterday after winning three, I thought, 'Well, maybe we have a chance.' It's been a tremendous year. A lot of highs and lows in racing. We've all seen them and we've all experienced them. Today was a good day.”

Rice made history in 2009 when she became the first woman to win the Saratoga title. Now she has two.

“They were both really special in their own way. You never take the fun out of the first one and, of course, this is a win and a tie at the same time,” said Rice. “It's been a great year, it's been a lot of fun, there's always a little heartache in the middle and would've, could've, should'ves. But it's been a great meet.”

It was Brown's third straight title and sixth overall.

“It was a great meet and I'm proud of my team,” said Brown. “The Alabama and Saratoga Derby at the top, those were huge wins. My team persevered through the weather–we had a record number of off-the-turf races and second-places, and they were still able to grind out a tie for the win, which is amazing. Hopefully, we can continue that into the fall.”

Seth Klarman's Klaravich Stables finished on top of the owner's table with 22 victories, including the GI Albama S. with Randomized (Nyquist).

“Winning at Saratoga is always special,” said Klarman. “Winning a race that's as historically important as the Alabama will always be a highlight of my ownership career.”

Klaravich Stables now boasts 23 owners' titles at NYRA tracks, and six consecutive at Saratoga.

According to NYRA, 10.61 inches of rain fell after July and led to a soggy, sometimes grim meet. The 155th Saratoga season was irreparably damaged by the deaths of eight horses, who suffered injuries in racing, and four more who were euthanized after being injured in training. Even though more than five dozen races were taken of the turf for safety reasons, six of the eight deaths were from incidents in races that were conducted on the turf courses. One of the six on turf was believed to be a heart attack.

The two fatalities from dirt races were eerily similar: high-profile unbeaten 3-year-olds breaking down in the stretch while leading and on their way to victory in seven-furlong undercard races on the two biggest days of the meet. Maple Leaf Mel (Cross Traffic) shattered her right foreleg in the GI Test S. on Whitney Day, Aug. 5. Three weeks later, New York Thunder (Nyquist) suffered a catastrophic injury to his left foreleg in the GI H. Allen Jerkens on Travers Day.

The horrific injuries dramatically changed the atmosphere each day and diminished the reaction for White Abbario (Race Day)'s surprise win at 10-1 in the Whitney and Arcangelo (Arrogate)'s victory in the Travers.

“Triumph and tragedy could be a good way to put it,” O'Rourke said.

New York Thunder's death was the second on Travers Day. Two hours and forty minutes earlier, Nobel (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}), an Irish-bred 4-year-old was injured in the gallop-out after the fifth race on turf. O'Rourke said NYRA considered cancelling the remainder of the card following the Jerkens and possibly not running the following day. He said that his team reviewed the surfaces, consulted with jockeys, trainers and veterinarians and decided that the tracks were safe. There were no serious injuries reported in the seven race days following the Travers program.

“I think a fair question would be, 'Well, what's our reaction?'” O'Rourke said about the injuries and deaths. “Over the last few years, we've leaned pretty heavily on the technology, whether it is trackers, projects going on two years now. PET scan imaging has been a discussion that's coming to fruition near-term. Of course, you have other things such as tracks. For us, it's leaning in to those type of two aspects of technology that will allow us to improve safety. We're completely focused, and more than ever motivated, to move as quickly and as prudently as possible on some of these.”

Tracking sensors are aimed at identifying changes in a horse's stride that may be the result of stress on legs or an undetected injury. PET scans will be used for deeper analysis of horses that have been flagged by vets for possibly having an issue.

NYRA will have a synthetic track at the new Belmont Park and O'Rourke said a synthetic track could be installed at Saratoga, but it would not happen in time for the 2024 season. Synthetic tracks are considered to be safer surfaces for horses. Turf horses adjust better to synthetic surfaces than dirt and there are likely to be fewer scratches when races are moved from turf to synthetic surfaces.

“You could do one here with the inner turf course and then widen the outer turf course. You'll get more lanes,” O'Rourke said. “You'll have technically less running lanes on turf, but in off-weather you wouldn't be beating up the course. So you might get more actual run out of it. And then Option B is you go with synthetic and you change out the dirt tracks. And that's something that the board is engaged on right now, that conversation.”

O'Rourke said it was not likely that the dirt track at Saratoga would be replaced by a synthetic track in the near term.

The $1.25-million Travers drew the three winners of the Triple Crown races for a showdown in August for just the fourth time in history. Forte (Violence), the 2-year-old champion, also was in the mix and was the favorite. Arcangelo, trained by Jena Antonucci for Blue Rose Farm, completed the Belmont S.- Travers double. In the three previous times, a horse that did not compete in any of the Triple Crown races prevailed.

Antonucci bucked current practices and did not give the gray colt a prep race before the Travers. Hall of Famer Javier Castellano added to his stakes record, with his seventh victory, as Arcangelo won by a length over Disarm (Gun Runner).

With the victory, Antonucci became the second woman and the first since Mary Hirsch, to win Saratoga's biggest race. She gave credit to her crew.

“Mostly gratifying for the team and for what we collectively have done,” she said. “Yes, someone has to sign the paychecks and drum the drum, but this isn't a “me” thing, it's an “us” thing. This horse is showing what the team can do.”

Antonucci said the meet was one of mixed emotions, of highs and lows.

“If anything, I hope that it heightens the responsibility of every person involved to steward the best decisions possible,” she said. “And if, through tragedy, we all feel the most exposed to do better and to grow, than that's what's going to be. I think every single person needs to make sure and do a self-check that everyone's doing their part to make it all more productive and a better outcome for everybody.”

Castellano continued with what has been a strong year with three graded-stakes wins: the Travers, the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup and the GIII Schuylerville on opening day. Veteran trainer Gary Contessa, returning to racing in New York after a stint in Delaware, managed just two wins, but they were in graded stakes, the Schuylerville and the GI Hopeful on Monday with Nutella Fella (Runhappy), who paid a whopping $111.

This is the 10th season that the Fitch brothers have operated King's. The track season is the busiest time of the year for their business. To mark the end of the exciting and tiring summer, the Fitches and their staff take the day, have a party and go to the races.

“It's bittersweet,” Jason Fitch said. “Love the meet. Love the hustle and bustle of summer. You love Travers, but you hate Travers because Travers means that summer is over.”

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At the end of a nose-to-nose battle through the stretch with Appellate (Constitution), Weigh the Risks reached the wire first with the margin of victory listed as a head. Appellate's Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano claimed foul, alleging interference in the stretch of the 1 1/16 miles turf race, but after a lengthy review the stewards did not change the order of finish. Later Darling (More Than Ready) closed from six lengths back at the top of the stretch to finish third by a neck.

Progeny (Goldencents) and Appellate set the pace with splits of 24.53, 51.14 and 1:16.28. Weigh the Risks was three or four paths off the rail in the backstretch, but had clear running. She went after Appellate in the stretch and they came close to each other three times, which prompted the claim of foul by Castellano.

“She was quite wide in the race off a slow pace,” Brown said. “I'm not saying it was a dream trip, but she didn't have as much trouble.”

Weigh the Risks, the 3-5 favorite, reached the wire in 1:45.49. She paid $3.50 to win. Klaravich purchased Weigh the Risks for $205,000 at Fasig-Tipton October. She was bred by Porta Pai Stables.

“She had a rough trip first time out,” Brown said. “We've always thought a lot of her. An ugly, slow pace today, but she was able to grind it out against another filly who looks like

she's got a bright future. We were just lucky to get our nose down first.”

Weigh the Risks was leading trainer Brown's sixth 2-year-old maiden winner of the Saratoga meet. Five of them have been for Seth Klarman's Klaravich Stables.

1st-Saratoga, $105,000, Msw, 9-3, 2yo, f, 1 1/16mT, 1:45.49, fm, head.
WEIGH THE RISKS (f, 2, Mendelssohn–Beautiful Liar, by Candy Ride {Arg}) was favored in her career unveiling over this course and distance Aug. 6, closing from far off the pace to just get pegged a neck by Ozara (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}). Sent off the 3-5 choice to get the job done this time, the chestnut settled into a stalking fifth behind the leading pair of Progeny (Goldencents) and Appellate (Constitution) through a sensible opening quarter in :24.53. Biding her time two wide down the backstretch, she took aim at the leaders from the four-path approaching the quarter pole. Straightening for home, Progeny began her retreat, while Appellate hung tough as Weigh the Risks reached even terms midstretch. With the leading pair seemingly alternating on the front end with each stride, it was the Chad Brown trainee that gained the narrow victory over Appellate at the wire. Arguably the best performance, however, was produced by Later Darling (More Than Ready), who closed like a freight train after a problematic run early on to finish third.  The winner, a half to Cheapskate Diva (Animal Kingdom), MSW, $188,040, is also half to a yearling filly by Protonico and a 2023 colt by Flameaway. Beautiful Liar, who sold for $23,000 carrying a Goldencents colt at Keeneland November in 2019, was bred back to Hard Spun this season. Sales History: $205,000 Ylg '22 FTKOCT. Lifetime Record: 2-1-1-0, $78,750.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuelTV.
O-Klaravich Stables, Inc.; B-Porta Pia Stables, LLC (KY); T-Chad C. Brown.

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Beautifully into stride from the eight hole, Randomized made a bee line towards the fence and raced eagerly under the wire for the first time as the outposted Defining Purpose (Cross Traffic) did the chasing to her outside. The opening quarter split was strong enough–:23.45–but Rosario had Randomized nicely in hand with a one-length advantage turning up the Saratoga backstretch. The $420,000 Keeneland September purchase switched off well, covering an internal half-mile in :48.88, and was urged along mildly rounding the turn as Brian Hernandez, Jr. began to get serious atop Defining Purpose. Favored Wet Paint (Blame), who had raced closer to the pace than usual, was beginning to find her best stride at the fence as Randomized rolled out into the four path in upper stretch, but she found plenty in the final furlong and was home a clear-cut winner.

A debut third sprinting here last July, Randomized graduated by an imposing 5 1/2 lengths going Aqueduct's one-turn mile Mar. 31, but was no better than a distant sixth of eight when tried in the GI Acorn S. at Belmont June 9. The bay regrouped in the restricted Wilton S. going Saratoga's modified one-turn mile July 14 and made every yard, earning a field-best 97 Beyer Speed Figure in the process.

Chad Brown was giving full marks to owner Seth Klarman for the decision to run Saturday.

“I wasn't real confident [about the 10 furlongs]. I was confident that she would run a real good race,” said the trainer, who saddled Dunbar Road (Quality Road) to win the 2019 Alabama, also her fifth career start. “I was really just going to rest her for the [GI] Cotillion [S.] at a mile and a sixteenth. As it got closer and I reported she was breezing well, I said, 'let's at least enter and look at the pace scenario.' We talked about it the other day and he said, 'if you're willing to do it, I have a good feeling about this.' He was right.”

Pedigree Notes:

Randomized is the ninth graded winner for Darley America's Nyquist and his third Grade I scorer, joining first-crop produce Vequist and Gretzky the Great, and she is the 15th worldwide elite-level winner produced by a daughter of the late Elusive Quality.

Richard and Connie Snyder's Cove Springs acquired French Passport, a half-sister to MGSW/MGISP Smooth Air (Smooth Jazz), GSW Overdriven (Tale of the Cat) and the dam of MGISW Got Stormy (Get Stormy), for $200,000 in foal to American Pharoah at the 2018 Keeneland November Sale. Klaravich also owns the 2-year-old half-brother to Randomized, Marginal Cost (Justify), who fetched $10,000 less than his half-sister at KEESEP last year. French Passport is also responsible for a Frosted filly that is cataloged to sell with Hidden Brook as hip 1711 at Keeneland next month and a weanling filly by Maxfield.

Saturday, Saratoga
ALABAMA S. PRESENTED BY KEENELAND SALES-GI, $600,000, Saratoga, 8-19, 3yo, f, 1 1/4m, 2:03.07, ft.
1–RANDOMIZED, 121, f, 3, by Nyquist
1st Dam: French Passport, by Elusive Quality
2nd Dam: Air France, by French Deputy
3rd Dam: Twin Propeller, by Known Fact
1ST GRADED STAKES WIN, 1ST GRADE I WIN. ($420,000 Ylg
'21 KEESEP). O-Klaravich Stables, Inc.; B-Cove Springs, LLC (KY);
T-Chad C. Brown; J-Joel Rosario. $330,000. Lifetime Record:
5-3-0-1, $465,850. Werk Nick Rating: A.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Wet Paint, 121, f, 3, by Blame
1st Dam: Sky Painter (GSP, $169,755), by Street Cry (Ire)
2nd Dam: Skylighter, by Sky Mesa
3rd Dam: Painted Lady, by Broad Brush
O/B-Godolphin (KY); T-Brad H. Cox. $120,000.
3–Defining Purpose, 121, f, 3, by Cross Traffic
1st Dam: Defining Hope (MSW, $306,238), by Strong Hope
2nd Dam: On the Point, by Point Given
3rd Dam: Longingtobeme, by Belong to Me
($14,000 RNA Ylg '21 KEEJAN). O-Katsumi Yoshida; B-Colette
Marie VanMatre (KY); T-Kenneth G. McPeek. $72,000.
Margins: 4, 1HF, 8HF. Odds: 7.10, 1.90, 14.20.
Also Ran: Sabra Tuff, Gambling Girl, Taxed, Sacred Wish, Fireline, Julia Shining, Chocolate Gelato.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

RANDOMIZED, by @DarleyStallions Nyquist, wins the Alabama Stakes pres. by @keenelandsales (G1) impressively under @JRosarioJockey for Chad Brown! #Saratoga pic.twitter.com/iPIwCsSV57

— NYRA () (@TheNYRA) August 19, 2023

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