Tag: Maker’s Mark Mile

Master Of The Seas A Convincing Winner of the Maker’s Mark Mile

Making his fourth straight appearance on the North American continent, Godolphin's Master Of The Seas (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) overcame easy underfoot conditions and five other rivals to add Friday's GI Maker's Mark Mile to his previous victories in the GI Ricoh Woodbine Mile and GI Breeders' Cup Mile when last seen at Santa Anita last November. Naval Power (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}), conversely racing for the first time on these shores, completed the exacta for the 'Boys In Blue.'

Sent off at 77 cents on the dollar while making his 6-year-old debut on a rare sunny afternoon in Central Kentucky, Master Of The Seas gained a foothold at the fence and raced in the slipstream of pacesetting 'TDN Rising Star' Emmanuel (More Than Ready), though perhaps a fraction keen beneath William Buick through an opening quarter in :24.38 on ground officially listed as yielding, but riding significantly slower than that.

More or less into the box seat inside of 'Rising Star' and 2022 Maker's Mark winner Shirl's Speight (Speightstown) passing the half-mile in :49.20, Master Of The Seas traveled strongly on the turn, looking all over a winner assuming he was able to find running room when push came to shove. They lined up six across the course at the three-sixteenths, but Master Of The Seas went for a run underneath the weakening pacesetter in upper stretch and kicked on nicely to win off as much the best. Naval Power was a touch slow to begin, but split horses four off the inside with a bit better than a furlong to travel and came home well for second. Integration (Quality Road) came wide for the drive, but could not match strides with the Godolphin duo and settled for a never-nearer third.

Master Of The Seas joins the likes of Kip Deville and Wise Dan (2x) to have won the Maker's Mark subsequent to their Breeders' Cup Mile successes. Miesque's Approval won the 2006 Maker's Mark before upsetting that year's Mile at Churchill Downs. It was a first win in the race for Sheikh Mohammed's operation.

“When he's done as much winning as he has over here (in North America) on quick ground, you're always slightly dubious when the ground is as testing as it is out there today, but he does have past form on slower surfaces,” said winning trainer Charlie Appleby. “What I liked about it is that they (stablemates Master of The Seas and runner-up Naval Power [GB]) got into a nice rhythm around there. Naval Power unfortunately was a bit slow from the gate. (Jockey) William (Buick) got in a lovely (position) for (Master of The Seas). Once they came off the turn, all William needed was that gap to be able to give him the signal to pick up.”

Nearly three years ago to the day, Master Of The Seas was winning the G3 Craven S. at Newmarket before going down to a nose defeat at the hooves of Poetic Flare (Ire) (Dawn Approach {Ire}) in the G1 English 2000 Guineas a few weeks later at British racing headquarters. Winner of the G3 Earl of Sefton S. in a single 4-year-old start, the bay was unseen again until taking out the G2 Zabeel Mile in Dubai in early 2023, but he was never a factor in the G1 Dubai Turf two months later.

The easy winner of the G2 Summer Mile over the straight course at Ascot last July, Master Of The Seas easily accounted for Shirl's Speight in Toronto in September, was outfinished by champion Up to the Mark (Not This Time) in the GI Keeneland Turf Mile over course and distance Oct. 7 and managed to conquer gate 13 of 13 in the Breeders' Cup Mile, pegging back the commonly owned Mawj (Ire) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}) on the wire.

Appleby said that both Master Of The Seas and Naval Power would remain in the U.S., with the former likely for the GI Turf Classic on the Kentucky Derby undercard May 4. Both horses will summer in Saratoga, the trainer said.

Pedigree Notes:

Master of the Seas, one of 57 Group 1/Grade I winners for his legendary sire, is one of 10 winners from 12 to the races from his dam, a listed winner and runner-up in the 2002 G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches in France and later twice placed in this country at the graded level while under the care of Eoin Harty.

Firth of Lorne's G3 UAE Oaks-winning daughter Falls of Lora is  not only the dam of Godolphin's four-time Australian Group 1 winner Cascadian (GB) (New Approach {Ire}), but also of Albahr (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), winner of the 2019 GI Summer S. at Woodbine, and Isle of Jura (GB) (New Approach {Ire}), a three- time listed winner in Bahrain this season. Another daughter of Firth of Lorne, Bint Almatar (Kingmambo), produced G1 Metropolitan S. hero Just Fine (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}).

Firth of Lorne's final foal is the 4-year-old filly Sithchean (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), victorious in her lone trip to the races over the Chelmsford all-weather in March 2023.

Friday, Keeneland
MAKER'S MARK MILE S.-GI, $517,775, Keeneland, 4-12, 4yo/up, 1mT, 1:37.10, yl.
1–MASTER OF THE SEAS (IRE), 123, g, 6, by Dubawi (Ire)
1st Dam: Firth of Lorne (Ire) (SW & G1SP-Fr, MGSP-USA, $163,189), by Danehill
2nd Dam: Kerrera (Ire), by Diesis (GB)
3rd Dam: Rimosa's Pet (GB), by Petingo (GB)
O/B-Godolphin (IRE); T-Charles Appleby; J-William Buick.
$306,125. Lifetime Record: Hwt. Older Horse-Eur & Eng at
7-9.5f, 17-9-3-2, MGSW & G1SP-Eng, GSW & G1SP-UAE,
GISW-Can, $2,520,582. *1/2 to Latharnach (Iffraaj {GB}), SW &
G1SP-Eng, $217,472; Falls of Lora (Ire) (Street Cry {Ire}),
GSW-UAE, SW-Eng, $246,417; and Etive (Elusive Quality),
SW-Ger, MSP-Fr, $126,693. Werk Nick Rating: B+. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or free Equineline.com
catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Naval Power (GB), 123, g, 4, Teofilo (Ire)–Emirates Rewards
(GB), by Dubawi (Ire). 1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. O/B-Godolphin
(GB); T-Charles Appleby. $98,750.
3–Integration, 123, c, 4, Quality Road–Harmonize, by Scat
Daddy. 1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. ($700,000 Ylg '21 FTSAUG).
O-West Point Thoroughbreds and Woodford Racing, LLC;
B-Larkin Armstrong (KY); T-Claude R. McGaughey III. $59,250.
Margins: 2 1/4, 2 1/4, NK. Odds: 0.77, 5.80, 3.74.
Also Ran: Shirl's Speight, Emmanuel, Kubrick (Ire). Scratched: Du Jour, Equitize (GB).
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

 

 

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Master of The Seas Returns in Maker’s Mark

Keeneland kicks off the second weekend of the Spring Meet with the much-heralded return Friday of last year's GI Breeders' Cup Mile winner in the 36th running of the $600,000 GI Maker's Mark Mile S. Master of The Seas (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), unseen in the starting gate since his nose win over Mawj (Ire) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}) in the Mile last November, was most recently spotted with trainer Charlie Appleby's string in Dubai before shipping stateside to Keeneland. Now six, the Godolphin homebred has been here before, notching a second over this course last October in the GI Coolmore Turf Mile S. to eventual champion Up to the Mark (Not This Time). Although the gelding hasn't started in five months and rain was plentiful at Keeneland Thursday which may downgrade the turf, Appleby is confident Master of The Seas, who also won the GI Ricoh Woodbine Mile S. last fall, will show his best.

“He is a worthy favorite,” said Appleby. “He broke his maiden on soft ground, and he's won a Group 2 on soft.”

Apply also brings Godolphin's Naval Power (GB) (Teofilo {Ire}), winner of six of seven lifetime, including his last two going a furlong further at Meydan. There were 13 months and a castration between those two wins, but his G2 Singspiel S. victory Feb. 23 earned him a ticket to the U.S. for a barn that has excelled in graded events in America.

“He has won on soft ground, and this will give him a chance to gain experience over here,” said Appleby.

The 2022 Maker's Mark Mile victor, Charles Fipke's 'TDN Rising Star' Shirl's Speight (Speightstown), has not found the winner's circle since that signature win. He's faced Master of the Seas in two of his last three, getting closest with a runner-up finish in the Woodbine Mile. He clearly has an affinity for Keeneland, with a second in the 2022 edition of the Breeders' Cup Mile to another Appleby trainee in Modern Games (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}).

“Hard to believe, but [Shirl's Speight] has been running in all of the big ones with a couple of seconds,” said trainer Roger Attfield. “He's been doing well since his last race, which was the [Jan. 27 GI] Pegasus [World Cup Turf Invitational].”

The Maker's Mark field is rounded out by uber-impressive two-back GII Hill Prince S. winner Integration (Quality Road); 'TDN Rising Star' and Mar. 2 GIII Canadian Turf S. winner Emmanuel (More Than Ready); and a Chad Brown-trained pair of recent Tampa allowance winners in Kubrick (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) and Equitize (GB) (Kingman {GB}).

Du Jour (Temple City), winner of the GI Frank E. Kilroe Mile S. Mar. 3, reportedly didn't make the trip from Santa Anita and will be scratched.

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MGSW/MGISP Sacred Life Sires First Foal

9-year-old stallion Scared Life (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}), a multiple graded-stakes winner and third in both the GI Arlington Million and the GI Makers Mark Mile, was represented by his first foal Feb. 21. The colt, out of the mare Fire Assay (Medaglia d'Oro), was born in Kentucky according to War Horse Place. Sacred Life, retired after the 2022 Arlington Million, stands at Kentucky's War Horse Place for $2,000 alongside Hog Creek Hustle (Overanalyze), Rombauer (Twirling Candy) and Smooth Like Straight (Midnight Lute).

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Chez Pierre Right at Home in Maker’s Mark; Modern Games Second

The public bet reigning Eclipse Award-winning turf male Modern Games (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) like he couldn't lose Friday's GI Maker's Mark Mile at Keeneland, but Lael Stables Chez Pierre (Fr) (Mehmas {Ire}) had other designs, as he kicked hard into the stretch and ran out a very easy winner in stakes-record time.

Alertly into stride from gate three, the 5-year-old dueled inside and heads apart with Peter Brant's Dr Zempf (GB) (Dark Angel {Ire}) around the first turn and tugged his way to the front beneath Flavien Prat to lead passing the five-furlong peg. The Brown trainee, trying a two-turn mile for the first time, proved a handful for Tyler Gaffalione down the backstretch and was allowed to stride to the front with a half-mile to race, but Prat remained unhurried aboard Chez Pierre, who was never off the bridle and re-engaged Dr Zempf going well at the top of the lane. The two-time Arqana sales grad pinched a break in upper stretch and really poured it on from there to prevail by 3 1/2 lengths. The final time of 1:33.46 lowered the previous mark of 1:33.54 set by Perfect Soul (Ire) back in 2004.

“I talked with [trainer] Arnaud [Delacour] that we could find ourselves on the lead, which happened,” said Prat. “But he wasn't really comfortable. He was looking around, and when [Dr Zempf] down the backside made a move, it actually helped me a lot because then I had a target and he was able to settle down and get in a good rhythm.”

Modern Games looked a bit flat-footed when Dr. Zempf rolled to the front and was hard-ridden the remainder, but could do no better than second, just ahead of second pick Up To the Mark (Not This Time) in third.

“He had a good trip,” William Buick said of the beaten favorite. “The winner went well. I was under pressure a little bit earlier than I thought I would be. The pace was even. I'm sure he will improve from this run. I was closing, but I was under pressure quite soon.”

Trained in France by Francis-Henri Graffard after selling for €100,000 at the 2020 Arqana July Sale, Chez Pierre was perfect in a pair of starts at two at Chantilly and added a conditions event at that venue in May 2021 before shipping stateside. A big-figure allowance winner at Tampa in his U.S. bow last March, he was sidelined off a blowout victory in the Henry Clark S. at Laurel the following month and resumed with a keen sixth behind 'TDN Rising Star' Emmanuel (More Than Ready) in the GIII Tampa Bay S. Feb. 4.

Pedigree Notes:

Chez Pierre is the 13th graded/group winner and fourth top-level scorer for Tally-Ho Stud's Mehmas (by Acclamation {GB}), half of which have come in this country, the other being Del Mar Oaks heroine Going Global (Ire).

Chez Pierre's dam was purchased by Mandore International Agency for €15,000 at the 2015 Arqana February Sale and has since gone on to punch well above her weight in the breeding shed. The half-sister to GIII Buena Vista H. heroine Uraib (Ire) (Mark of Esteem {Ire}) is also the dam of Chez Pierre's year-younger Listed Prix Saraca-winning half-sister Zelda (Fr) (Zelzal {Fr}) and produced a full-brother to the latter in 2021.

Friday, Keeneland
MAKER'S MARK MILE S.-GI, $518,575, Keeneland, 4-14, 4yo/up, 1mT, 1:33.46, fm.
1–CHEZ PIERRE (FR), 123, g, 5, by Mehmas (Ire)
                1st Dam: Hortensia (Ity), by Orpen
                2nd Dam: Hamsaat (Ire), by Sadler's Wells
                3rd Dam: Steel Habit (Ire), by Habitat
1ST GRADED STAKES WIN, 1ST GRADE I WIN. (€25,000 Ylg
'19 ARAUG; €100,000 2yo '20 ARQSRM). O-Lael Stables;
B-SCEA des Prairies & Ecurie de Castillon (FR); T-Arnaud
Delacour; J-Flavien Prat. $298,375. Lifetime Record: 7-6-0-0,
$427,791. Werk Nick Rating: A.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the
free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Modern Games (Ire), 123, c, 4, Dubawi (Ire)–Modern Ideals
(GB), by New Approach (Ire). O/B-Godolphin (Ire); T-Charles
Appleby. $96,250.
3–Up to the Mark, 123, c, 4, Not This Time–Belle's Finale, by
Ghostzapper. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE,
1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. ($450,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP). O-Repole
Stable and St. Elias Stable; B-Ramspring Farm (KY); T-Todd A.
Pletcher. $57,750.
Margins: 3HF, NK, 1 1/4. Odds: 9.42, 0.45, 5.39.
Also Ran: Cabo Spirit, Speaking Scout, Dr Zempf (GB), Emmanuel, In Love (Brz).
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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