Tag: Malathaat

Stonestreet’s Emery ‘More Than Ready’ For Graduation Day

Justice Julia (Medaglia d'Oro–Dreaming of Julia) would have been the sexier half of a commonly owned entry that was sent off as the 7-10 favorite in what became the first race of the final week of racing at Saratoga, but the half-sister to champion Malathaat (Curlin) was never truly involved, and entrymate Emery (f, 2, More Than Ready–Athena, by Street Sense) proved more than equal to the task, skipping clear in the final 150 yards to debut impressively.

Away in midpack in a scratched-down field of five, Emery tracked from an inside position early on before easing out into the clear down the back as Waskesiu (American Pharoah) took them along through a quarter in :21.97 over a drying-out strip. Three deep into the stretch, Emery came after the pacesetter with about a furlong to travel and did her best work through the line, scoring by about four lengths over Waskesiu. The cleverly named Before You Go Go (Mitole) was free of excuses in third, as apparently was Justice Julia, who trailed in.

“From the time I got on her, she was cool, calm and collected,” winning rider Tyler Gaffalione, told Saratoga Live. “She warmed up great and did what I asked her to, she's really kind. She broke alertly and put herself into a great spot. Once we got to the outside, she was very comfortable and just kept kind of building on that.”

Gaffalione, who missed some time after being thrown from the stricken New York Thunder (Nyquist) in last Saturday's GI H. Allen Jerkens S., reflected on his summer at the Spa. His current tally of 30 wins is just three shy of his career best.

“It's amazing,” he said. “Anytime you can come up here and compete with these guys, it feels really good. I owe a lot of credit to my agent, he's been getting me on a lot of live mounts and horseman have been putting me on good horses. There's just something about being up here in Saratoga, it just gives you a little more life and you want to try to be as successful as possible here.”

A $235,000 Keeneland November weanling purchase by the Stonestreet braintrust, Emery has a now-yearling American Pharoah half-sister that cost $70,000 at last year's Novembeer Sale. Stonestreet acquired the winner's dam, who hails from the female family of Grade I winner Peeping Tom (Eagle Eyed), for $130,000 at last year's KEENOV sale, and she produced a filly by Improbable this term before being covered by Good Magic.

2nd-Saratoga, $101,850, Msw, 8-30, 2yo, f, 6f, 1:09.80, my, 5 3/4 lengths.
EMERY (f, 2, More Than Ready–Athena {MSW, $459,222}, by Street Sense) Sales history: $235,000 Wlg '21 KEENOV. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $57,750. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
O-Stonestreet Stables LLC; B-Mary K Grum (KY); T-Brad H Cox.

 

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Champion Nest Primed for Seasonal Debut in Shuvee

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – There will be no easing back into competition for champion Nest (Curlin). Certainly not on a Sunday in July at Saratoga Race Course.

In the first start of her 4-year-old season–which was delayed by illness–in the GII Shuvee S., Nest is likely to face Clairiere (Curlin), the leader of the older female dirt division, and GI La Troienne winner Played Hard (Into Mischief).

“It's not the position we set out to be on at the beginning of this year, but it's kind of where we are,” Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher said. “We've given up some recency to some really good horses, so hopefully she runs well and it brings her forward.”

 

Nest, co-owned by Repole Stable, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Michael House, really strengthened her case for the 3-year-old filly championship last summer at Saratoga with emphatic victories over Secret Oath (Arrogate) in the GI Coaching Club American Oaks and the GI Alabama S. Secret Oath won the GI Kentucky Oaks by two lengths over Nest, the 2-1 favorite. In the showdowns at Saratoga after Triple Crown tests against males–Secret  Oath was fourth in the GI Preakness S., Nest was second in the GI Belmont S.–Nest left no doubt about who deserved to be at the top of the table. She won the CCA Oaks by 12 1/4 lengths and the 1 1/4-miles Alabama by 4 1/4.

In her first test against older horses, Nest crushed the field in the GII Beldame S. by 9 1/4 lengths. She was the 7-5 favorite in the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff, but ended up fourth, some 3 1/4 lengths behind stablemate Malathaat (Curlin), who nipped Blue Stripe (Equal Stripes {Arg}) and Clairiere. Malathaat clinched the older filly Eclipse Award with that performance. Pletcher said Nest had a less-than-ideal trip in the Distaff at Keeneland.

As scheduled, Nest was given the next few months off to recover from her eight-race, five-victory season. It turned out to be a much longer break than planned. Pletcher said that three hours after she made the cross-Florida trip from the farm in Ocala to his stable at Palm Beach Downs, she spiked a fever. She got in a three-furlong work Apr. 15, had another upper respiratory issue and did not breeze again until May 13 at Belmont Park.

“We missed a month,” Pletcher said. “She got a pretty good lung infection that took us a while to get under control. Our original plan was for maybe running the [Apr. 21 GIII] Doubledogdare at Keeneland or the [May 5 GI] La Troienne at Churchill as a prep for the [June 10 GI] Ogden Phipps. It took us too long to get ready, so here we are.”

Pletcher said he considered bringing Nest back in the GIII Molly Pitcher Saturday at Monmouth Park, but opted to ship her to Saratoga and walk her across Union Ave. to run in the Shuvee.

She worked nine times at Belmont Park before completing her preparation Sunday morning with a half-mile breeze in :50 in company over the Oklahoma training track.

After what was a routine pre-race work, Pletcher said the most impressive part of Nest's breeze happened after the timing ended in front of the clocker's stand.

“The gallop out,” he said. “She seems to keep going.”

Clairiere has been a top-notch homebred performer for Stonestreet Stables and Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen. She has won eight of 19 starts and earned $3.1 million. Last year she handled Malathaat in the Shuvee, but was never a factor while finishing last of five in the GI Personal Ensign S. This year, she was second to Secret Oath in the GII Azeri S. and has won the GI Apple Blossom H. and Ogden Phipps. Played Hard was third in the Phipps, her 10th straight top-three finish since October 2021.

Considering the probables listed by NYRA, the Shuvee is likely to go off with a small, high-quality field. Pletcher said it figures to be a tough test.

“We expect big things from her always,” he said. “It's a lot to ask of her, but she ran well in her debut at a mile and a sixteenth and she's basically run well pretty much every start of her career. Hopefully we've got her fit enough to perform well and this is the first step towards bigger goals.”

Pletcher said he has not noticed any significant changes in Nest this season.

“She was so good last year that it's hard to see,” he said. “I think the main thing is she's filled out a bit, maybe carrying a little more condition than she was last year.”

What Nest has shown Pletcher in training is the running style that made her so effective during her championship season.

“It's what makes most of the good ones good, kind of a high cruising speed and the ability to carry it over a distance of ground,” he said. “As you saw last year, she has that ability on the dirt to accelerate, really quicken, the last part of a race. A lot of times, horses just have to keep grinding away but as we saw in the Coaching Club and the Alabama last year, she can cruise and then quicken.”

A few minutes after the workout Sunday, Pletcher said that gear-changing move was on display.

“If you saw the end of the gallop-out there,” he said, “she was all of a sudden 10 lengths in front of the other horse.”

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Casse/Greathouse Delighted With Rhyme Schemes After Ellis Romp

Pura Vida Investments celebrated a maiden-breaking win in style Thursday at Ellis Park when 2-year-old Rhyme Schemes (Ghostzapper–Katherine, by Distorted Humor) won second out in a gate-to-wire romp by 9 1/2 lengths and posted a 94 Beyer speed figure at the Pea Patch for trainer Norm Casse.

In his debut May 18 at Churchill Downs, the chestnut colt finished a well-beaten sixth behind first-time starter Wilson Q (Constitution) and next-out Tremont S. victor Gold Sweep (Speightstown).

“We've gone about training our 2-year-olds a little bit differently this year than previous years,” Casse said. “This was Rhyme Schemes' second start and we haven't really cranked up any of our 2-year-olds going into their debut. We've been using their first start to build on their fitness. So, it was extremely impressive the way this horse won. We added blinkers for his second start and they seemed to help a lot as well.”

Bred by Parks Investment Group, he brought $210,000 out of the Paramount Sales consignment at Keeneland September and was part of nearly a dozen that Pura Vida purchased at the sale. Launched by bloodstock agent Deuce Greathouse, the group has upped its ante each year, beginning in 2020 when they spent $350,000 on six fillies.

“We've really tried to keep it small,” said Greathouse. “Cindy Hutson and Brett Setzer were foundation investors that helped me get Pura Vida going. We just went over $1.5 million in purchases this past year, but we intend on continuing to keep the circle small. I've know Norm [Casse] for some time and even though we weren't sure how Rhyme Schemes would run, we knew he was from one of the best families in North America.”

Out of a female family which includes MGISW Dream Rush (Wild Rush) and her daughter GISW Dreaming of Julia (A.P. Indy), who in turn produced two-time champion Malathaat (Curlin) and her full-sister GSW Julia Shining, Rhyme Schemes is his dam's second offspring to make the races. He has a 3-year-old half-brother named Nullarbor (Candy Ride {Arg}), who went for $40,000 back in April at the Keeneland Horses of Racing Age sale to Sean S. Perl Bloodstock and is now owned by Smith Ranch Stables. Dam Katherine is also responsible for a yearling colt by Honor A.P. and she foaled another one by Candy Ride (Arg}) Apr. 22.

When asked about Rhyme Schemes's next start, Greathouse said, “I think it has to be a stakes, perhaps the Bashford Manor next month or Saratoga makes a ton of sense too, so we will have to see.”

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Stonestreet’s Monarch Builds a Growing Dynasty

Compared to an exquisite painting by her owner Barbara Banke, Dreaming of Julia (A.P. Indy) has been regarded as racing royalty from the very beginning. Now 13 years old, the Grade I winner reigns as monarch of Stonestreet's world-class broodmare band, and this spring, she was crowned 2022 Kentucky Broodmare of the Year.

Thanks to the efforts of her two Curlin daughters Malathaat and Julia Shining, Dreaming of Julia has already put together a produce record for the books, yet Banke and her team at Stonestreet are hopeful that their star mare is just getting started.

“I think Dreaming of Julia is our top mare,” Banke said. “Every year we look forward to seeing her baby and she does not disappoint. Every year, there is something really special from that mare.”

With three of Dreaming of Julia's fillies still awaiting their moment in the spotlight, Banke has the opportunity to dream big with a mare that very well could have wound up in a different breeding program had it not been for Banke's steady confidence from day one.

Foaled at Stonestreet in early March, Dreaming of Julia was the first foal out of Grade I victress Dream Rush (Wild Rush), who Stonestreet was the underbidder on at the 2007 Fasig-Tipton November Sale but then purchased privately two years later when she was carrying Dreaming of Julia.

“Dreaming of Julia was beautiful from the first minute we saw her and she stayed beautiful,” Banke recalled. “She was elegant and really aristocratic-looking.”

As the A.P. Indy filly progressed as a yearling, Banke could not be swayed by the commercial attention that this youngster would attract in the sales ring. She decided that the filly would be a birthday gift to herself and would remain in the Stonestreet program.

Flash forward several years and Dreaming of Julia was concluding a successful racing campaign for Stonestreet and Todd Pletcher. A 'TDN Rising Star' on debut, Dreaming of Julia's career was highlighted by three straight victories as a juvenile, which she won by a combined 27 lengths and culminated with a Grade I score in the Frizette S., as well as a stunning 21 3/4-length romp in the GII Gulfstream Oaks as a sophomore.

“She was brilliantly fast and had a tremendous stride,” Banke said of the racehorse she named after her daughter. “She just ate up the ground. And she has a great mind, the nicest horse in the world. All of those things combined to make her a great racehorse.”

Many of the characteristics that defined Dreaming of Julia's career could also be used to describe her daughters Malathaat and Julia Shining–the first a champion for Todd Pletcher and the second a Grade II winner now in training as a sophomore for the same Hall of Fame trainer.

Pletcher reflected on the shared qualities of his former stable star Dreaming of Julia and her daughters.

“First and foremost, they all have natural talent,” he explained. “They all have very good minds and are very willing, straightforward-training horses.”

Pletcher has now worked with four fillies out of Dreaming of Julia, starting with her first extremely promising daughter Golden Julia (Medaglia d'Oro) who died tragically in a stall accident before she made it to the starting gate.

The next foal sold to Shadwell Estate Co. for $1.05 million as a yearling in 2019. Malathaat's tremendous campaign was marked by Eclipse Award honors at three and four and led Banke to decide that, “We're not going to sell any more fillies out of Dreaming of Julia.”

“Malathaat was special from the first time we breezed her,” Pletcher said of the six-time Grade I winner and Kentucky Oaks victress. “She was just different. She was gifted and she continued to get better. A really intelligent filly to be around and a sweetheart in the barn, she was a pleasure.”

Malathaat noses ahead in a thrilling 2022 GI Breeders' Cup Distaff | Coady

Going out a champion in the 2022 GI Breeders' Cup Distaff, Malathaat retired to Shadwell's broodmare band and visited Spendthrift's leading sire Into Mischief. She is the first of Dreaming of Julia's daughters to launch a breeding career.

While Malathaat is the most decorated of her dam's offspring for now, it is her younger sister Julia Shining–who is also by Stonestreet's two-time Horse of the Year Curlin–that Pletcher said reminds him most of Dreaming of Julia.

Like her elder sister and dam, Julia Shining was named a 'TDN Rising Star' on debut last fall at Keeneland. She went on to win the GII Demoiselle S. to conclude her juvenile season, but settled for third in both starts this year and did not earn enough points to qualify for the Kentucky Oaks.

Stonestreet Training Center's Ian Brennan, who worked with Dreaming of Julia herself when she was learning the ropes as a racehorse just over a decade ago, spoke highly of Julia Shining but said that the filly was always likely to get better with time.

“Julia Shining was big and pretty, a beautiful mover with a lot of class,” he recalled.  “You could tell that she was long and narrow, so with time she was just going to get better and better. Even back to her first work on the farm, you could tell that there was a lot of ability there but that she would just get better with time. When you look at Julia Shining now, she has filled out a bit more and I do think her best is in front of her.”

Pletcher is also a firm believer that the best is yet to come for his trainee. Asked if Julia Shining has already realized her true potential, Pletcher responded emphatically.

“Not at all,” he said. “She's still putting it all together. I think the blinkers helped last time. She's the type that will get better with time and I don't think we've seen her peak yet. Hopefully she can stay in training as a 4-year-old and she'll be even better then.”

Dreaming of Julia's 2-year-old filly by Medaglia d'Oro | Stonestreet

Pletcher added that Julia Shining is enjoying a brief freshening and will return to the starting gate later this summer.

Dreaming of Julia has three more daughter in the pipeline who could potentially add to their dam's legacy in the coming years.

The next filly set to begin her racing career is an unnamed 2-year-old by Medaglia d'Oro who just arrived in Pletcher's barn at Saratoga a few weeks ago.

“She's doing great,” Pletcher reported. “So far everything is straightforward. She's very professional, like this whole family has been.”

According to Pletcher, while his team is still getting acquainted with the juvenile, if all goes smoothly he could anticipate a debut in Saratoga later this summer.

Brennan said that he believes this juvenile might come out swinging a bit earlier than her older sisters.

“The 2-year-old is a little more precocious than the others,” he shared. “She's maybe not quite as big as Julia Shining, with more of Medaglia d'Oro in her. She's very, very smooth. They're all very smooth.”

Continuing to draw comparisons between Dreaming of Julia and her daughters, Brennan added, “Just a ton of class with the whole family. They cover a lot of ground with a lot of power behind. They're all very easy to handle. If anything, they just need a bit of time to fill out and mature. Even though they're precocious enough at two, they all just get better with time.”

Dreaming of Julia's yearling of this year is a full-sister to Malathaat and Julia Shining.

“She is spectacular but once again, she is not in the sale,” Banke prefaced. “She will be going to Ocala for training sometime soon. This will now be the third Curlin filly out of Dreaming of Julia and hopefully there will be others in the future. The brains and the speed of Curlin and Dreaming of Julia are a really good match.”

This spring, another auspicious individual arrived at Stonestreet when Dreaming of Julia produced her first foal by Into Mischief. The filly arrived on April 25.

Dreaming of Julia's filly by Into Mischief, foaled April 25 this year | Katie Petrunyak

Just this year, Into Mischief has produced two Grade I winners from similar matings with Kentucky Oaks victress Pretty Mischievous, who is out of GISW Pretty City Dancer (Tapit), and Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational S. winner Atone, who is out of a daughter of A.P. Indy.

Dreaming of Julia was bred back to Curlin.

“One of these days, we might even get a colt,” Banke said with a laugh.

In Banke's eyes, Dreaming of Julia has been deserving of every accolade she has received, but the leading owner said that celebrating the mare's Broodmare of the Year distinction was a rewarding chapter in Dreaming of Julia's story.

“We always thought that she should be considered as a Broodmare of the Year just on the basis of Malathaat,” she explained. “But with Julia Shining and her wins to follow, she's definitely Broodmare of the Year.”

Banke is already scouting out which of her productive broodmares might be deserving of the same award some day. She said Glinda the Good (Hard Spun) is a top candidate. The Stonestreet homebred is the dam of champion and now leading second-crop sire Good Magic and her produce record also includes a 2-year-old full-sister to Good Magic that Banke just named Penny Royal, as well as a Quality Road yearling filly and an Into Mischief colt foaled Mar. 16 this year.

With a breeding program like Stonestreet's, the stars might just align for the operation to land another award-winning producer in the future. Pletcher emphasized just that point.

“I think any time you have a Broodmare of the Year, that's an accomplishment,” he said. “It's really a tribute to Barbara and her entire team to have a mare like that. I think it exemplifies Stonestreet's entire mating plan of buying a filly like Dream Rush with loads of speed and then putting Dreaming of Julia to a stallion like Curlin with loads of ability and stamina. It's a tremendous achievement on their part and it tells you how special of a breeding program they have developed.”

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