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Kentucky Derby Consignor Standings Presented By Keeneland: Final Countdown Sees Sequel New York, Taylor Made On Top

When a young horse goes through the ring at any auction, a few cents of every dollar in the hammer price is spent on the hope that the horse will one day end up in the Kentucky Derby. Before they can be bought, though, they have to be found.

At the end of a Derby trail that had a four-month detour, we have a final picture of which consignors had the most success producing horses who earned Derby qualifying points for this year's race, both in quantity and quality. Of the 18 horses with intentions to run as of Monday afternoon, 15 went through the ring at least once at public auction, and all but two of those earned points for their consignors in this year's Kentucky Derby Consignor Standings.

Tiz The Law has been the de facto leader of his division for much of the Derby prep season, and when he ascended to the top of the points standings, his consignor Sequel New York joined him. The son of Constitution was Sequel's only graduate to earn points on this year's Derby trail, but the postponement of the race from May to September left him and Sequel with an astronomical 372 points as the runners descend on Churchill Downs.

Tiz the Law's accumulation journey began at Churchill Downs, where he earned two points for a third-place effort in the G2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes. He then picked up 10 points when he won the G3 Holy Bull Stakes, and he cemented himself as a top contender following a 100-point triumph in the G1 Florida Derby. From there, Tiz the Law piled it on during his summer campaign, earning 150 points by winning the Belmont Stakes, and another 100 points in the G1 Travers Stakes.

Sequel was the top consignor by Derby points, both in the overall standings and among consignors of yearlings. The top point-getter among consignors specializing in 2-year-old sales was Randy Bradshaw, who had 150 points on the lone strength of Nadal.

A son of Blame, Nadal picked up 40 points in the G2 Rebel Stakes, then earned 100 points by winning the second division of the G1 Arkansas Derby.

Nadal was an incredibly successful pinhook for Bradshaw, who bought him for $65,000 at the 2018 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, then sold him for $700,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream Selected 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale.

Taylor Made Sales Agency led all consignors on this year's Kentucky Derby trail by the number of horses that earned qualifying points, with nine.

The group was led by Shotski, a Blame colt who picked up 19 points with a win in the G2 Remsen Stakes, a second in the G3 Withers Stakes, and a fourth in the G2 Fountain of Youth Stakes. The Taylor Made Grade 1 graduate board added another name last fall when Eight Rings, by Empire Maker, won the G1 American Pharoah Stakes and earned 10 points. Texas Swing, a son of Curlin, also earned 10 points with a third in the G2 Tampa Bay Derby.

Other Taylor Made graduates to pick up points on the Derby trail include Three Technique (Mr Speaker, 9 points); Scabbard (More Than Ready, 9 points); Arkaan (Into Mischief, 4 points); Cosmo (Distorted Humor, 4 points); Earner (Carpe Diem, 2 points); and Super John (Super Saver, 2 points).

Taylor Made will also send graduate Mr. Big News, a son of Giant's Causeway, into the Derby starting gate without any qualifying points.

A pair of juvenile consignors tied for the most point-earners, each with three.

Top Line Sales graduates picked up a combined 131 points on the Derby trail, led by Ny Traffic, a son of Cross Traffic who earned 110 points with runner-up efforts in the G1 Haskell Stakes, G2 Louisiana Derby, and G3 Matt Winn Stakes, along with a third in the G2 Risen Star Stakes.

The Top Line consignment also featured Candy Tycoon, an earner of 20 points by Twirling Candy, and Gozilla, by Flatter, who earned one point.

Wavertree Stables also saw three graduates earn points, including Country Grammer, a first-crop Tonalist colt who got 50 points for winning the G3 Peter Pan Stakes.

Independence Hall, also from a first-crop sire in Constitution, picked up 14 points with a win in the listed Jerome Stakes and a runner-up effort in the G3 Sam F. Davis Stakes. Rounding out the trio of first-crop point-earners was Wrecking Crew, who picked up five points with a third in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile and a fourth in the G2 Los Alamitos Futurity.

Though the horse enters the first Saturday in September with no qualifying points, Wavertree Stables' graduates on this year's trail also include Money Moves, a son of Candy Ride who is a likely Derby starter.

As the field of potential Derby starters stands through Monday afternoon, Lane's End is the only consignor with multiple graduates scheduled to enter the starting gate.

Max Player, a first-crop son of Honor Code, has 60 points after winning the G3 Withers Stakes and finishing third in the Belmont Stakes and G1 Travers Stakes. Sole Volante, also a first-cropper by Karakontie, picked up 30 points with a victory in the G3 Sam F. Davis Stakes and a runner-up effort in the G2 Tampa Bay Derby.

Lane's End finished with the second-most point-earners on this year's Derby trail, with five.

The group was topped by Wells Bayou, a Lookin at Lucky colt with 104 points from winning the G2 Louisiana Derby and running second in the G3 Southwest Stakes. Arkaan, by Into Mischief, who earned four points with a third in the listed Pegasus Stakes. Express Train, by Union Rags, earned one point for running fourth in the American Pharoah Stakes.

The post Kentucky Derby Consignor Standings Presented By Keeneland: Final Countdown Sees Sequel New York, Taylor Made On Top appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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A Decade Later, Zenyatta Still Racing Royalty

Whether you choose to believe them or not, people always said that she knew where the finish line was. And there was never any denying the intelligence of four-time Eclipse champion and Horse of the Year Zenyatta (Street Cry {Ire}).

She was quirky and a bit high-strung, and she made a hobby out of throwing exercise riders in the mornings. Her dance when she hit the track during warmup, whether it was to toy with her fans or to release adrenaline, and her ability to switch gears as she weaved between foes and charged down the lane towards the wire were all the elements that made Zenyatta, well, Zenyatta.

Now almost 10 years since that heart-wrenching day at Churchill Downs that kept her just short of a 20-race perfect record, the 16-year-old broodmare still has the same bright eye and the presence of a champion.

“Zenyatta’s probably the most intelligent horse on the farm,” said Jenn Laidlaw, the broodmare manager at Lane’s End Farm. “She knows that she’s important and she knows who she is. She has a real presence about her.”

The Hall of Famer can spot a camera from a mile away and when she spies someone approaching her paddock, she presents her hind end to the fence and awaits expectantly for a good scratching, pawing impatiently if it is not received in a timely manner.

Zenyatta’s exceptional talent on the track has yet to be seen in her offspring, with her first foal Cozmic One (Bernardini) running unplaced in five starts, but now succeeding in the show ring. Her other son Ziconic (Tapit) also never visited the winner’s circle.

But in the next few years, there is new opportunity for Zenyatta’s progeny to succeed.

Her daughter Zellda, a 3-year-old filly by Medaglia d’Oro, is in training under John Shirreffs and recorded her latest breeze on July 13, going four furlongs from the gate at Del Mar.

And this year, a second daughter arrived to carry on the family name.

Zenyatta foaled a filly by Candy Ride (Arg) on May 17.

“She’s been a superstar since day one,” Laidlaw said of the foal. “She popped up and started walking within an hour. She’s been healthy. She’s been happy. She hasn’t put a foot wrong since she’s been here. She’s got a great body and is a fairly correct foal, really typical for a Candy Ride. She’s probably my favorite of Zenyatta’s foals.”

Laidlaw added that this filly has the same gregarious personality as her mother.

“She knows who she is,” she said. “She’ll stand, she’ll pose, she knows when the camera is on her. She enjoys being groomed and she enjoys everybody giving her attention.”

Laidlaw has held various positions at Lane’s End over the last 10 years and has been present for Zenyatta’s entire broodmare career.

“With a foal at foot, she’s a great mom,” Laidlaw said. “She loves other foals. She usually has the other foals around her. She’s just a really smart mare and is great to be around.”

Laidlaw also said she enjoys witnessing the interaction between the champion mare and her adoring fans.

“When the fans get the opportunity to meet her, they’ll just start crying,” she said. “It’s really heartwarming to see how much she affected people’s daily lives and how much they love her. There are stories people tell you about how she’s helped them through situations or how she gave them motivation. We have a girl that works here and [Zenyatta] is what brought her into the industry. She absolutely loves this mare.”

Zenyatta was bred back to Candy Ride this year, and her filly this year will soon be weaned. The Hall of Famer isn’t in the spotlight quite as often nowadays as she was a decade ago, but she will always be racing royalty.

“I think Zenyatta being special is different for different people,” Laidlaw said. “Obviously she was a great race mare, but she just really got you excited every race she was in. She’s an outstanding horse for this industry, to bring people in and get them excited. Everybody loves her.”

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Grade 1-Winning Millionaire Concrete Rose To Be Offered At 2020 Keeneland November Sale

Grade 1 winner and millionaire Concrete Rose will be offered as a racing or broodmare prospect during the premier Book 1 of this year's Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale, which begins Monday, Nov. 9, and follows the Breeders' Cup World Championships at Keeneland on Nov. 6-7.

Concrete Rose, a 4-year-old daughter of successful young sire Twirling Candy who has won six of seven races and earned $1,218,650, will be consigned by Lane's End, agent for co-owners Ashbrook Farm and BBN Racing.

“We're excited to offer Concrete Rose as a racing or broodmare prospect with such great companies as Lane's End and Keeneland,” Ashbrook racing manager Bo Bromagen said. “Working with them as partners gives us the greatest opportunity to showcase her.”

“Lane's End proudly welcomes Grade 1 winner Concrete Rose back to our sale consignment, this time as a racing/broodmare prospect at Keeneland November,” Lane's End director of sales Allaire Ryan said. “Concrete Rose was previously sold by Lane's End at Keeneland September in 2017 and from the start of her racing career has been a banner sale graduate for us and for our versatile resident stallion Twirling Candy. To date, she is the sire's leader of lifetime top performers with over $1.2 million in career earnings – more than Grade 1-winning sons Gift Box and Collusion Illusion.

“We are thrilled for the opportunity to highlight our November consignment with a filly of her caliber,” Ryan added. “Her combined talent, looks and breeding will make her a sought-after prospect for any top-level program.”

“Concrete Rose is a once-in-a-generation elite athlete that everyone dreams of owning,” BBN Racing founding partner Brian Klatsky said. “It's been an honor and a privilege for all of our partners at BBN Racing to be associated with her. She has already created memories of a lifetime and is not done yet.”

“She is something to have in your barn,” trainer Rusty Arnold said. “Great mind on her. She is not complicated. She is easy to train. You hear this from trainers, but she is one of those horses you just stay out of her way and she'll say 'I'll get the rest done.'”

Concrete Rose's connections had high hopes for the filly when she began her career in a maiden race at Saratoga at odds of 12-1.

“About the eighth pole, I decided she was a good horse because she was about five lengths back and she flew by the leader and galloped out pretty strong,” Arnold said. “From that day on, she trained like a special horse, and she acted like a special horse.”

Advancing to graded stakes company in her next start, Concrete Rose proved her talent with a 3-length triumph in Keeneland's Grade 2 JPMorgan Chase Jessamine.

“She's beautiful, incredibly athletic, stands over some ground,” Bromagen said. “She's well-balanced with a great shoulder and hip. But her mind really makes her stand apart. She's incredibly smart. When she progressed from her 2- to 3-year-old year, you could sense the change in her personality from doing things on talent to really taking ahold of the bit and going after them.”

Concrete Rose opened her 3-year-old campaign with a win in the G3 Florida Oaks at Tampa Bay Downs and remained undefeated for the year. Her outstanding performance at Churchill Downs on Kentucky Oaks Day in the G3 Edgewood, in which she defeated Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf winner Newspaperofrecord by 3 3/4 lengths, cemented her status among the sport's most talented 3-year-old fillies on turf. She polished her resumé in her next race with a nearly 3-length victory in the $750,000 G1 Belmont Oaks Invitational, a showcase of division standouts.

That dominance continued in her next race at Saratoga, where she won the inaugural $750,000 Saratoga Oaks Invitational by 4 3/4 lengths. With the victory, the superstar captured two-thirds of the New York Racing Association's new Turf Tiara series.

“I've never seen a filly win by the margins that she did on the turf,” Arnold said. “Usually turf races are very close; the runners all stay together. Other than her Tampa race, which was coming off a layoff, she never had a close race.”

“Watch the replays of her races,” Bromagen said. “The greatest testament to her ability is what she's shown on the race track: the horses she beat and the level of competition.”

Out of the winning Powerscourt mare Solerina, Concrete Rose is from a family of successful North American and international performers. Her family includes Horse of the Year and Kentucky Derby winner Ferdinand.

“Concrete Rose is an extremely accomplished racehorse – one of the best of her generation in her division – and her future is exciting whether she returns to the race track or begins her career as a broodmare,” Keeneland president-elect and interim head of sales Shannon Arvin said. “Keeneland is thrilled for the opportunity to present Concrete Rose at the November Sale with all the support a performer of her stature deserves.”

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Grade I-Winning Millionaire Concrete Rose to be Offered at Keeneland November

Grade I winner and millionaire Concrete Rose (f, 4, Twirling Candy–Solerina, by Powerscourt {GB}) will be offered as a racing or broodmare prospect during the premier Book 1 of this year’s Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale, which begins Monday, Nov. 9, and follows the Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Keeneland Nov. 6-7.

Concrete Rose has won six of seven career starts and has bankrolled $1,218,650, led by wins in the 2019 GI Belmont Oaks Invitational S. and Saratoga Oaks Invitational S. She will be consigned by Lane’s End, agent for co-owners Ashbrook Farm and BBN Racing.

“We’re excited to offer Concrete Rose as a racing or broodmare prospect with such great companies as Lane’s End and Keeneland,” Ashbrook Racing Manager Bo Bromagen said. “Working with them as partners gives us the greatest opportunity to showcase her.”

After RNA’ing for $19,000 as a KEENOV weanling, Concrete Rose brought $20,000 as a KEESEP yearling and $61,000 as a Fasig-Tipton Midlantic juvenile.

“Lane’s End proudly welcomes Grade I winner Concrete Rose back to our sale consignment, this time as a racing/broodmare prospect at Keeneland November,” Lane’s End Director of Sales Allaire Ryan said. “Concrete Rose was previously sold by Lane’s End at Keeneland September in 2017 and from the start of her racing career has been a banner sale graduate for us and for our versatile resident stallion Twirling Candy. To date, she is the sire’s leader of lifetime top performers with over $1.2 million in career earnings–more than Grade I-winning sons Gift Box and Collusion Illusion. We are thrilled for the opportunity to highlight our November consignment with a filly of her caliber. Her combined talent, looks and breeding will make her a sought-after prospect for any top-level program.”

Trainer Rusty Arnold added, “She is something to have in your barn. Great mind on her. She is not complicated. She is easy to train. You hear this from trainers, but she is one of those horses you just stay out of her way and she’ll say ‘I’ll get the rest done.’ She trained like a special horse, and she acted like a special horse.”

“Concrete Rose is an extremely accomplished racehorse–one of the best of her generation in her division–and her future is exciting whether she returns to the racetrack or begins her career as a broodmare,” Keeneland President-Elect and Interim Head of Sales Shannon Arvin said. “Keeneland is thrilled for the opportunity to present Concrete Rose at the November Sale with all the support a performer of her stature deserves.”

The post Grade I-Winning Millionaire Concrete Rose to be Offered at Keeneland November appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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