Tag: maiden

A ‘Pirate’s Life For Him: Son Of Omaha Beach Is Newest ‘TDN Rising Star’

Few Todd Pletcher first-time starters fail to live up to their billing if they break as 1-5 favorites and Pirate (Omaha Beach) kept that trend rolling with a three-length win to graduate at Saratoga and become the Spa's first 2023 'TDN Rising Star' and the first for his freshman sire (by War Front).

Never under the radar, the 2-year-old half-brother to GI Preakness S. winner National Treasure (Quality Road) took all the money and quickly silenced any doubt about his inside draw with a quick beginning under jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. Arteta (Take Charge Indy) joined him in a sprint to the front and the pair stayed in close quarters through opening fractions of :22.26 and :45.70. Tucked against the rail around the turn, Pirate kicked on as his rival faded back and was set down with a furlong to run. Second-time starter Just Steel (Justify), a $500,000 KEESEP yearling, chased him to the wire but was never a threat, as Pirate sailed to the easy win.

“He got away alertly, but they put a lot of pressure on him early,” said Pletcher. “I thought it was a good performance and very professional like he's been since we got him.”

All things equal, Pirate will be considered for the seven-furlong GI Hopeful S. Sept. 4.

“We'll play it by ear. Normally we'd wait for the Hopeful, but we'll see how things go,” said Pletcher, who saddled 'TDN Rising Star' Forte (Violence) to victory in last year's renewal.

The fourth overall winner for Omaha Beach, Pirate is a half to the aforementioned National Treasure along with Ultimate (Speightstown), SW, $362,556, recent winner of the Iowa Sprint S. Treasure is herself a half to a pair of graded-stakes performers as well as MSW Inspired (Unbridled's Song), the dam of GSP Carmel Road (Quality Road) and the dams of Vow (Union Rags), an impressive allowance winner at Horseshoe Indianapolis July 6 and Blum's Top Secret (Uncle Mo), a 5 1/2-length maiden winner at Ellis Park last month. Under the third dam is MGSW/GISP Multiple Choice (Mt. Livermore) and GI Clark H. victor Leofric (Candy Ride {Arg}). Treasure is responsible for a yearling filly by the Blum-bred Horse of the Year Authentic named Renoir and was bred to Quality Road for a full-sibling to National Treasure in 2023 but failed to produce a live foal.

1st-Saratoga, $105,000, Msw, 7-15, 2yo, 5 1/2f, 1:04.89, ft, 3 lengths.
PIRATE, c, 2, Omaha Beach
                1st Dam: Treasure, by Medaglia d'Oro
                2nd Dam: Proposal, by Mt. Livermore
                3rd Dam: Lady of Choice, by Storm Bird
Sales History: $350,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $57,750. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
O-Harrell Ventures, LLC and Starlight Racing; B-Peter E. Blum Thoroughbreds, LLC (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher.

 

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Contessa’s Becky’s Joker Upsets Schuylerville in Career Debut

Much of the pre-race speculation about Saratoga's GIII Schuylerville S. for 2-year-old fillies going six furlongs on the dirt seemed to focus on which Hall of Famer–D. Wayne Lukas or Todd Pletcher–would be the first to win the traditional opening-day feature for the record seventh time, unless another Hall of Famer–Steve Asmussen–got in the way. Instead, that trio had to settle for filling out the superfecta as it was another veteran conditioner, Gary Contessa, who notched his first Schuylerville win with Becky's Joker (Practical Joke–Becky's Best, by Elusive Quality), the only filly in the field without a start under her belt. It was also Contessa's first black-type win at Saratoga since the Skidmore S. in 2019 and his first graded win anywhere since the 2018 GI Spinaway S. He had since quit training and then returned.

“This is the way to come back,” said Contessa. “I've tried the real world, but this side of the fence is the happier place for me. I like the other side of the fence, but I love this side of the fence.”

When the Schuylerville gates flew, Pletcher's $600,000 Keeneland September buy and June 18 Belmont debut winner Wine On Tap (Tapit) flew with them. She was quickly joined by Robert Reid trainee and June 18 Parx romper Camelina (Maximus Mischief) and Lukas's June 23 Ellis scorer Saratoga Secret (Arrogate). Becky's Joker had broken last in the scratched-down field of seven, but charged up the rail as that initial quarter sped by in :22.45. The eventual winner loomed on the turn to take advantage of a generous gap and joined the party made by the top three at the :46.03 half, but didn't stick around, pulling clear down the stretch despite running greenly and drifting significantly in the lane. She was 21-1.

“When she broke a little slow, I wasn't surprised because she's so big,” said Contessa. “She's 16.3 [hands], so I expected her to break slow and I was hoping she would engage immediately and she did. She got right behind the leaders and I loved her position. I felt we had a big chance turning for home.”

Saratoga Secret held for second, with Asmussen's June 11 Astoria S. winner Closing Act (Munnings) edging out Wine On Tap for third. Each of Becky's Joker's rivals was previously undefeated, all having broken their maiden at first asking with Closing Act the lone two-time starter and two-time winner coming into the race.

“I knew that physically she was as good as anything in this race,” said Contessa of Becky's Joker. “She trained like a stakes horse, but you don't know what's going to happen once the gate opens.

“With [owner] Lee Pokoik, it's easy because he always wants to run in stakes races. I didn't have to do much convincing to the owner and I would have to just eat a little crow if I was wrong.”

A $130,000 weanling at Keeneland November, Becky's Joker was a $50,000 RNA in her return to the ring in last year's Keeneland September sale. All nine of her published works have been at Saratoga. She signaled her readiness for her Schuylerville debut with a bullet three furlongs in :34 4/5 (1/19) July 7. Contessa indicated Becky's Joker would target the GI Spinaway S. Sept. 3.

“I bought her as a weanling right after she was born and with Lee, we always try to sell them as yearlings,” said Contessa. “If they don't sell as yearlings, we sell them as a 2-year-old. When she went to the yearling sale, everyone said she was too big. Then we took her to the March 2-year-old sale in Ocala this year and everyone that looked at her said she was too big. I'm thinking in the back of my mind, 'This is good, I may get to keep this one.' That's exactly what happened, and the same thing happened with Sippican Harbor [Orb], who won the Spinaway a few years ago. Nobody wanted her at the yearling sale or the 2-year-old sale and we got to win a Grade I with her, so hopefully we get to win a Grade I with this one.”

Pedigree Notes:

Becky's Joker is one of eight graded winners for Coolmore America's Practical Joke, who is also the sire of 15 black-type winners from his three Northern Hemisphere crops to race. The Schuylerville winner is the only one of the Into Mischief son's stakes winners out of an Elusive Quality mare, but Practical Joke does have stakes winners out of other sons of Gone West, including Speightstown and Proud Citizen. Elusive Quality has 159 stakes winners out of his daughters.

The winner's unraced dam was a $20,000 Keeneland January purchase in 2020 by Jay Goodwin and produced Becky's Joker the next year. Becky's Best, a half-sister to MGSW Vertical Oak (Giant Oak), also has a yearling colt by Caravaggio, who hammered for $90,000 to Becky's Farm at Keeneland November, and produced a colt by Silver State on Mar. 1.

Thursday, Saratoga
SCHUYLERVILLE S.-GIII, $175,000, Saratoga, 7-13, 2yo, f, 6f, 1:12.52, ft.
1–BECKY'S JOKER, 118, f, 2, by Practical Joke
                1st Dam: Becky's Best, by Elusive Quality
                2nd Dam: Vertical Vision, by Pollard's Vision
                3rd Dam: Caney Creek, by Service Stripe
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($130,000
Wlg '21 KEENOV; $50,000 RNA Ylg '22 KEESEP). O-Lee Pokoik;
B-Warran J Harang (KY); T-Gary C. Contessa; J-Javier
Castellano. $96,250. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $96,250.
Werk Nick Rating: B.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Saratoga Secret, 120, f, 2, Arrogate–Sister, by Fort Larned.
1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($200,000 Ylg '22
FTSAUG). O-BC Stables, LLC; B-Mulholland Springs LLC & Roger
& Mary A. Pardieck (KY); T-D. Wayne Lukas. $35,000.
3–Closing Act, 122, f, 2, Munnings–Evening Show, by Master
Command. 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. O/B-Douglas Scharbauer
(TX); T-Steven M. Asmussen. $21,000.
Margins: 3 1/4, 3HF, HD. Odds: 21.20, 3.55, 5.00.
Also Ran: Wine On Tap, Carmelina, Sugar Treat, Kiss for Luck. Scratched: Dancing Diana, Mila Junes, Status Seeker, Union Suit.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

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Spirit of St Louis Wins Easily On Debut At Aqueduct

3rd-Aqueduct, $70,000, (S), Msw, 2-17, 4yo/up, 1m, 1:39.47, sy, 8 1/2 lengths.
SPIRIT OF ST LOUIS (g, 4, Medaglia d'Oro–Khancord Kid {GSW, $167,343}, by Lemon Drop Kid), picked up for $300,000 as a yearling at Keeneland September in 2020, took his time making the races but made his belated debut at 2-1 over a sloppy New York track Friday. Poised just off the lead after enduring contact at the break, the well-related gelding sat a wide trip, chasing three wide up the backstretch as Central Pride (Lord Nelson) paced the field through a :47.43 opening half. Given his cue around the far turn, Spirit of St Louis swarmed up with a five-wide move past the quarter pole to sprint by the leading pair and go clear with a furlong to run. Unchallenged down the lane, he cantered under the wire 8 ½ lengths ahead of post-time favorite Refuah (Daredevil). Khancord Kid, already responsible for the likes of GI Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint upsetter Bar of Gold (Medaglia d'Oro), GISW, $1,551,000–who has since produced GSW Coinage (Tapit) and $825,000 Saratoga yearling Chulligan (Justify)–and Land Mine (Mineshaft), SP, $158,342, produced a winning 3-year-old filly, Im Just Kiddin (Justify), a yearling filly by Uncle Mo, and is carrying to Medaglia d'Oro for a full-sibling to Spirit of St Louis and Bar of Gold in 2023. Sales History: $300,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $38,500. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
O-Peter M. Brant; B-Chester & Mary R. Broman (NY); T-Chad C. Brown.

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Godolphin’s Quickstep Lives Up To Her Name For Wootton Bassett In Deauville Debut

4th-Deauville, €27,000, Mdn, 12-16, unraced 2yo, f, 7 1/2f (AWT), 1:31.73, st.
QUICKSTEP (FR) (f, 2, Wootton Bassett {GB}–Dance Toupie {Fr}, by Dansili {GB}) was well away from the inside stall to race in a handy third after the opening quarter of this debutantes' heat. Making smooth headway on the bridle in the straight and sent with 300 metres remaining, the even-money pick took a slender advantage into the final furlong and kept on powerfully under whipless coaxing in the closing stages to defeat Sunlike (Fr) (De Treville {GB}) by 1 1/4 lengths. Quickstep is the seventh of eight foals and sixth scorer from as many runners produced by a half-sister to four black-type performers out of G3 Prix d'Arenberg victrix and G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches runner-up Toupie (GB) (Intikhab). The May-foaled dark bay, who joined the Godolphin fold for 350,000gns from the Haras d'Etreham draft at the Tattersalls October Sale Book 2, is a full-sister to G3 Prix Daphnis second Dave (Fr) and a half to GIII Daytona S. third Commander (Fr) (War Command) and a weanling filly by Persian King (Ire). The latter was purchased by Bobby Flay for €65,000 out of the Arqana December Breeding Stock Sale earlier this month. Sales history: €120,000 Wlg '20 ARQDEC; 350,000gns Ylg '21 TATOCT. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, €13,500. Video, sponsored by TVG.
O-Godolphin; B-Mathieu Daguzan-Garros (FR); T-Andre Fabre.

 

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