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GISW Proxy Heads Pegasus Workers

Godolphin's Proxy (Tapit) had his last major workout at the Fair Grounds Saturday in preparation for the GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational at Gulfstream Jan. 28. The 5-year-old official time for the six-furlong move to the seven-eighths pole was 1:13.20, the fastest of two works at the distance Saturday morning.

Working in tandem with stablemate Global Sensation (Into Mischief), the pair covered five-eighths in 1:00.40, with Proxy working an additional eighth-mile past the wire. With a crush of horses working right after the track's renovation break, exercise rider Arturo Aparicio ran into traffic past the wire and had to steer Proxy around a couple of horses galloping out from their own workout.

“Basically Proxy had to go around those horses and weave a little bit to navigate around the turn,” Stidham explained. “It probably cost him a length or two in the final time. But a very nice work. He finished up well and went on out real nice and continued to gallop out well down the backside.”

He added, “The last work [five-eighths in a minute flat] and this work were the two important works. I just wanted to see him finish up willingly and then continue around the turn with good energy. He did that last time and this time really well.”

Runner-up in the GIII Lecomte S. and GII Risen Star S. in the spring of his sophomore season, the homebred finished fourth in the GII Louisiana Derby and GIII Lexington S. before bowing out for the remainder of the season. In 2022, he returned with an allowance win in New Orleans in February before hitting the board in his next four starts, including a third in the GII Stephen Foster S. last summer. Trying Grade I company for the first time in the Nov. 25 Clark, he came home a 3/4-length winner going nine furlongs, the same distance as the Pegasus.

“We talk about it, that Proxy wasn't quite where he needed to be to go into the Triple Crown,” Stidham explained. “It wasn't 'Oh well, why don't we do this or that?' It was a done deal. Believe me, the reason [2021 G1 Dubai World Cup scorer] Mystic Guide [Ghostzapper] did what he did was because of that, allowing us to go slow with him and skip some of the big races, including the Breeders' Cup. With Proxy, skipping the Triple Crown has allowed us to get to winning the Clark. I don't think a lot of people realize how important those decisions are in a horse's career, for their future.”

Also working toward the Pegasus, Saffie Joseph Jr. sent out Daniel Alonso's Skippylongstocking (Exaggerator) and Fernando Vine Ode and Michael and Jules Iavarone's O'Connor (Chi) (Boboman) to the main track at Palm Meadows for easy half-mile breezes Saturday morning.

Skippylongstocking breezed a half-mile in :48.50 (18/99), while O'Connor was caught in :51.05 (88/99) at Gulfstream's satellite training facility in Palm Beach County. Both horses were breezing for the first time since running in the GIII Harlan's Holiday S., won by Skippylongstocking. O'Connor finished fourth in the 8 1/2-furlong test Dec. 31. Joseph Jr. also trains White Abarrio (Race Day), who prepped for the Pegasus at Gulfstream Friday morning with a five-furlong work in :59.24.

Joseph also sent Ken Ramsey and the Estate of Sarah Ramsay's Artie's Princess (We Miss Artie) to Palm Meadows' main track for a half-mile breeze in :48.45 in preparation for a start in the GIII Pegasus World Cup Filly & Mare Turf invitational.

At Santa Anita Saturday, GI Awesome Again winner Defunded (Dialed In) also worked in advance of the Pegasus World Cup. The Bob Baffert trainee drilled six furlongs in 1:12.6.

Taking on the Pegasus Turf

At Santa Anita Saturday morning, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners' Speaking Scout (Mr Speaker), victorious in the Dec. 3 GI Hollywood Derby, breezed a half-mile in :48.20 for a start in the GI Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational. Also pointing toward the Turf, Three Diamonds Farm's Atone posted his third straight bullet workout Saturday at Gulfstream, powering through five-eighths of a mile in :59.96 (1/48). The prior two weeks, Atone worked in :59.04 and :59.20.

A $130,000 Fasig-Tipton July purchase, he led all the way through a leisurely pace to win his last start, an Aqueduct turf allowance Nov. 10.

“He's in top form. The freshening did him well, so I expect another big performance from him,” said trainer Mike Maker, who won the 2020 Pegasus Turf with Zulu Alpha. “He's always been a straightforward horse, works well, puts a bunch into his gallops.”

For the second straight year, Atone needed defections from the Pegasus Turf's original invitees in order to run. Last year, he finished fourth, losing by a total of 1 3/4 lengths to two-time winner Colonel Liam (Liam's Map).

While the 6-year-old gelding has never won a stakes, he has hot the board five times in graded-stakes over the past 13 months.

“He's been a little bit of a hard-luck horse,” Maker said. “He's a lot more mature this year than he was last year.”

Maker also indicated Mark Breen's Endorsed (Medaglia d'Oro), fourth in last year's Pegasus World Cup at 85-1 odds, and Nice Guy Stables' GIII Knickerbocker S. winner King Cause (Creative Cause), who is awaiting a spot in the Pegasus Turf, would run if they get into their respective races.

Both horses are currently on the reserve list. The final invitational lists will be released Wednesday, Jan. 18 with the draw for all Pegasus races to take place Sunday, Jan. 22.

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Corrales, Lobo, Oxo Equine Sweep Titles at Turfway Holiday Meet

At the close of 2022, Turfway Park's Holiday Meet concluded with jockey Gerardo Corrales, trainer Paulo Lobo and Larry Best's OXO Equine winning their respective titles.

Corrales tabbed 30 wins from 104 mounts–a stout 29% win clip. His mounts tallied $1,115,484 in purse earnings. Corrales' meet was highlighted by a victory in the $125,000 Prairie Bayou Stakes aboard the Lobo-trained In Love (BRZ) (Agnes Gold {Jpn}). The 26-year-old rider also won the $125,000 Holiday Inaugural Stakes aboard Ready to Venture (GB) (Kingman {GB}). Corrales finished eight wins in front of Joe Ramos. Luan Machado was third with 13 victories followed by Declan Cannon (11) and Manny Esquivel (9).

In the trainer standings, Paulo Lobo, who trains many horses for OXO Equine, recorded 11 wins from 29 starters. His runners earned $531,772 in purses. Among his top performers were the aforementioned In Love, along with allowance winners Bromley (Mastery), Greyes Creek (Pioneerof the Nile), Koolhaus (Nyquist), Purple Dream (Point of Entry), Quaria Comet (Shackleford) and Querobin Dourada (Capo Bastone). Lobo recently won a $70,000 maiden special weight contest with OXO Equine's Itzos (Bolt d'Oro), a sibling to the great Rachel Alexandra (Medaglia d'Oro). Lobo finished five wins clear of Doug Cowans and Mike Maker while Brad Cox, Bill Morey and Wesley Ward were tied in fourth with five victories.

OXO Equine tallied four wins at the Holiday Meet, which tied with Stanley Bergman's Brownwood Farm. OXO Equine's runners earned $205,079, nearly $29,000 more than Brownwood Farm.

“As we end 2022 OXO [Equine] had a year that saw us hit our record win mark and money won,” racing manager Don Chatlos said on Twitter (@DCHI23). “Our trainers and jockeys know they are appreciated but it's the grooms, hot walkers, exercise riders and assistants that do all the heavy lifting. So, it's a toast to them. We can't thank you enough.”

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Racehorses Lead the Way at Fasig-Tipton December Sale

The top six sellers at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic December Mixed and Horses of Racing Age Sale Tuesday were all racehorses, led by the 3-year-old gelding Radical Right (First Samurai) (Hip 281), who brought $260,000 from Tom Kagele.

The Richard Shultz homebred is a three-time winner and entered the sale off a second in the City of Laurel S. Nov. 26 for trainer Dale Capuano. He was consigned by Northview Stallion Station.

Trainer Mike Maker was very active, purchasing four racehorses, including the second highest-priced offering Heldish (Great Notion) (Hip 243), who summoned $160,000. His four purchases totaled $437,000 with an average of $109,250.

The highest-priced weanling was a $75,000 filly (Hip 139) from the first crop of Grade I winner Global Campaign, bought by Wellspring Stables LLC. The most expensive broodmare was In My Time (Scat Daddy) (Hip 113), who sold in foal to Practical Joke for $62,000. She was purchased by trainer Wayne Potts, acting as agent for Barak Farm.

In total, 172 horses grossed $3,233,600 with an average of $18,800 and median of $10,000. Fifty-six horses failed to meet their reserves for an RNA rate of 24.5%.

During last year's sale, which was bolstered by the 86-horse dispersal of Joseph Becker, 261 of the 332 horses on offer sold for $3,905,100. The average was $14,962 and the median was $10,000. Seventy-one horses failed to sell for an RNA rate of 21.38%. The 2021 renewal was topped by maiden 2-year-old Safalow's Mission (Mission Impazible), who brought $130,000 from New York-based trainer Linda Rice, acting on behalf of Thelma and Louise Stable.

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Maker, Van Berg Win Two Each on Snow-Tinged Claiming Crown

Trainer Mike Maker racked up his 20th and 21st Claiming Crown victories on Saturday, extending his lifetime lead among conditioners in that annual series by saddling Keystone Field (Candy Ride {Arg}) to a determined half-length win in the featured $175,000 Jewel.

But while Maker's familiar presence in the winner's circle underscored his resilience in the event often described as the “blue-collar Breeders' Cup,” a trainer taking his first crack at the Claiming Crown, Tom Van Berg, also registered two series victories and added a third on the undercard for a three-win afternoon.

The Claiming Crown, which began in 1999 as a way to showcase and reward horses who compete in the types of races that form the backbone of day-to-day American racing, is a partnership between the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association and the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association. After initially rotating among smaller tracks in its formative years, Gulfstream Park had evolved into the host track over the past decade.

But for 2022, the Claiming Crown switched sites to Churchill Downs, and the series was moved up from early December to the Saturday after the Breeders' Cup, a spot where it faced practically zero simulcast competition in terms of marquee events on the national calendar.

Speculation had been rife over the past several months about whether Churchill Downs would actually be able to host turf racing for the Claiming Crown because of the fragile condition of its slow-to-grow $10 million grass course. But Mother Nature interceded on the morning of Nov. 13 by dusting Louisville with early-season snow and freezing temperatures, making it a necessity for track management to move all scheduled turf races to the sloppy and sealed main track.

As if the gray, chilly conditions weren't enough to underscore the hardscrabble nature of the claiming event, Van Berg's two wins for his ownership outfit, Grit to Glory Racing, LLC, lent additional support in the form of an appropriate name: Not only because “grit to glory” is a catchphrase that epitomizes the Claiming Crown, but because those words were also the subtitle of a biography written about Tom Van Berg's father, the late, great Hall-of-Fame trainer Jack Van Berg.

“This is the first time we've participated in it as a stable,” Tom Van Berg said of the eight-race Claiming Crown slate that featured $1.05 million in guaranteed purses, plus additional funding from the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund. “When we heard the news it was coming to Churchill, it made a big difference on who we ran and how many we ran. I think if it was in Florida, we'd probably have taken one down there. Instead we have five in today, so [the series being at Churchill] made a big difference for us.”

Another twist this year was that the Claiming Crown races, which have traditionally been conducted under starter allowance conditions but called stakes, couldn't technically be called “stakes” this year because the Claiming Crown would then be subject to no-Lasix restrictions that are required for stakes. But even though not designated as black-type, the races for the most part retained their traditional naming to keep continuity with previous editions.

In the featured nine-furlong Jewel, the Maker-trained Keystone Field opened up with a big move off the far turn and then grudgingly stayed on late at 6-1 odds in 1:53.29 under Gerardo Corrales.

The 7-year-old gelding is now 6-for-21 lifetime for owner Three Diamonds Farm (Kirk Wycoff).

“We knew when it came up sloppy that a son of Candy Ride should handle the surface great,” Wycoff said. “I left the [Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale] a few hours ago, and it's a great sale-but winning races is better.”

One of trainer Van Berg's two wins for his Grit to Glory partnership came in the $125,000 Rapid Transit over seven furlongs. The Queens Jules (Scat Daddy) provided the most exciting finish of the day by clawing back the lead when headed in deep stretch and scoring by the barest of nostrils with Florent Geroux up in 1:25.10 for seven furlongs at 8-1 odds. The 7-year-old gelding has switched barns via the claim box weight times in 59-race career prior to earning win number 12 on Saturday.

That same owner/trainer/jockey combo teamed for a win by Petit Verdot (Vancouver {AUS}) in the $150,000 Canterbury Tom Metzen Memorial, moved from the grass to 5 ½ furlongs over the slop and reduced to a field of five after six scratches. The 4-year-old gelding forced the issue near the front end to register a length-of-stretch, head-bob victory at 2-1 odds in 1:05.52. Petit Verdot had been claimed in his last three starts of 2021 prior to a four-win campaign so far this season, with eight in-the-money finishes from 10 tries.

On a day when Kentucky-based horses enjoyed a six-win, home-court advantage, Parx-based horses shipped in to snag two Claiming Crown races.

In the off-the-turf $150,000 Tiara for distaffers at 1 1/16 miles, Out of Sorts (Dramedy) demonstrated why she's now 3-for-3 on wet dirt tracks. She roared home by 10 lengths in 1:47.34 for trainer Robert Mosco and owner John Fanelli, with Paco Lopez up at 6-1 odds.

The 4-year-old filly had been claimed for $25,000 by those connections out of her most recent start, an Oct. 4 wire job back at Parx, and Saturday's blowout win returned nearly four times that investment in immediate purse dividends.

One race later, in the $100,000 Ready's Rocket Express, Philly connections struck again, with 6-year-old gelding Hero Tiger (Hero of Order) splashing past rivals at the sixteenth pole to tally by 1 ¼ lengths in the $100,000 Iron Horse Kent Stirling Memorial in 1:11.89 for six furlongs. Trained by third-generation horseman John T. Kirby for owner Gregg O'Donnell, it was the second Claiming Crown win on the day for jockey Luis Saez.

To win the Express, the 4-1 Hero Tiger had to run down 2-1 favorite Beverly Park (Munnings), who snatched the lead on far turn but couldn't sustain his bid, fading to fourth in an attempt to win his 13th race of the year from 26 starts. Beverly Park's 12 victories in 2022 are still good enough for winningest horse on the continent honors, with his next closest rival four wins behind.

In the $150,000 Emerald, the even-money Palace Coup (Bernardini) pressed the pace and drew away late for a two-length score for owner FAS Racing (Adis Smajlovic) and trainer Joe Sharp in 1:46.40 for 1 1/16 miles in an off-the-turfer, giving jockey Lopez his second Claiming Crown winner of the day.

The one-turn-mile $100,000 Glass Slipper was won by Invaluable (Include) for owner Paradise Farms Corp. (Peter Proscia), providing Claiming Crown doubles for trainer Maker and jockey Saez. Off at 3-1, the speed-centric 5-year-old mare won by 1 ½ lengths in 1:39.84. Claimed six times in her 24-race career, from $50,000 all the way down to $8,000, Invaluable is now 3-for-7 on wet tracks and was re-equipped with blinkers for first time in two years.

Time for Trouble (English Channel) won the $100,000 Iron Horse Kent Sterling Memorial for trainer Jeff Hiles, who also owns the 5-year-old gelding in partnership with Thorndale Stable, LLC (Paul Parker). Joe Talamo engaged in a long, grind-'em-down effort before drawing away late by 3 ¼ lengths in 1:46.79 for 1 1/16 miles. Since being claimed on June 18, 2021, for $8,000, Time For Trouble has won five of eight over varying surfaces and distances, including firm and good turf, plus fast and slop on the main track, all the way up to 1 3/8 miles in distance.

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