For $14,000, Jersey Breeders Bought a ‘Dream Come True’

(Story courtesy of The Thoroughbred Breeders' Association of New Jersey)

New Jersey-based breeder Greg Kilka knew the odds were not in his favor when he arrived at the 2020 Keeneland January Sale. A small-time owner and breeder with a modest budget, what chance did he have of coming home with a horse that could be life-changing? He was playing the lottery.

“I didn't have unlimited resources,” he said.

What he did have was $14,000, what it cost to buy an unraced mare named Adorabella (Ghostzapper) in foal to Fast Anna (Medaglia d'Oro). It was the only horse he bought at the sale.

Fast forward some three years later and Adorabella's first two foals are both stakes winners and her third, a yearling colt by Classic Empire just sold for a sales-topping $135,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Fall Yearling Sale. All three are New Jersey-breds.

“People may think we're overnight successes,” Kilka said. “But my wife and I have been putting money into the sport for some 15 years. But never have we had anything like this.”

Kilka arrived at the sale with bloodstock agent Chris Gracie. They looked at dozens of horses, hoping to find that diamond in the rough that everyone else misses. Hip 945 caught their attention. There wasn't a lot to go on. She was bred by Tracy Farmer but never made it to the races. Her dam, Alydorable (Arch) was 1-for-3 during her brief career and finished third in the Revidere S.

“Physically, she was beautiful,” Kilka said. “There was nothing we could see that was wrong with her when we purchased her. Chris went through lot of mares on my behalf. He liked this one physically and thought she could be a productive broodmare. Looking at her family, he thought there was some upside.”

Kilka said he had no idea why Adorabella had never raced. It turns out she had the type of niggling problems that keep a lot of horses from making it to the races.

According to Joe Miller, who helped manage the racing and breeding operations of Tracy Farmer, Adorabella was sent to Mark Casse to prepare for her debut but came down with some ankle issues.

“We felt like we'd be better off breeding her because she was going to struggle to make it to the races,” Miller said. “Now I feel embarrassed that we sold her. Fortunately, Tracy still has the rest of the family. He's pressing on with the family, so, hopefully, they'll keep breeding stakes winners out of Adorabella.”

Kilka teamed up with Christine Connelly of Bright View Farm and they are the co-breeders of the Fast Anna foal, which they decided to sell at auction. Named Girl Trouble (Fast Anna), she sold for a mere $15,000 at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton Midatlantic Fall Yearling Sale. The buyers were Swilcan Stable LLC and LC Racing and they turned her over to top Midlantic trainer Butch Reid. She's gone 5-for-13 and has won two stakes, both at Parx, the Future Stars Filly Division S. and the Parx Futurity.

Kilka and Connelly were off to a fast start with Adorabella, but it would only get better.

Kilka had been part of a partnership that raced Bucchero (Kantharos) and was eager to give the stallion a try. He didn't know at the time that Bucchero would become a rising star among stallions. From his first two crops to race, he's had 50 winners (61% winners to starters, below only Army Mule and well ahead of horses like Justify and Good Magic. He's had three stakes winners and eight total stakes horses from modest books of mares.

“I probably wouldn't have been shrewd enough to breed her to Bucchero, who's off to a phenomenal start as a stallion” Miller said. “More power to them. They've done a great job managing her.”

The mating of Bucchero and Adorabella produced Book'em Danno, named for Steve McGarrett's go-to closing line in the old Hawaii Five-O series. This time Kilka and Connelly decided to sell the foal privately and he was purchased by Atlantic Six Racing LLC., which is comprised of a group of friends who are residents of the Jersey Shore.

Trained by Derek Ryan, Book'em Danno broke his maiden on Aug. 2 at Monmouth, besting a field of Jersey-breds by 9 1/2 lengths. Believing his horse was ready for a tougher challenge, Ryan entered him back against open company in the Smoke Glacken S. at Monmouth, which he won by two lengths.

That had the connections thinking Breeders' Cup and they wheeled Book'em Danno back in the Oct. 8 Futurity S. at Aqueduct for what was to be his turf debut. The race was a “Win and You're In” for the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint, but things took a wrong turn when the race was rained off the grass.

That didn't prove to be a problem on the racetrack as Book'em Danno dominated, winning by 6 1/2 lengths. But because the race came off the turf it was no longer a Win and You're In race, so “Danno” will not be headed to Santa Anita. It was also downgraded from a Grade III to a listed race.

 

 

“Maybe that was a blessing in disguise, Ryan said. “The Breeders' Cup race is at five furlongs and that might be too short for him.”

Ryan now plans to run Book'em Danno in the Nov. 5 Nashua S., run on the dirt at one mile at Aqueduct.

“We plan to stretch him out now,” Ryan said. “It's a one-turn mile and I don't think that will give him any trouble. He'll handle the distance. He's a very laid-back horse. He switches himself off and then when you call on him he's there. I'd like to try him on the grass at some point. He's bred for it. I think if that race stayed on the grass the result would have been the same.”

Should Book 'em Danno win the Nashua he'll join the conversation when it comes to hopefuls for the 2024 GI Kentucky Derby. But Ryan isn't ready to look that far ahead. He said the Nashua will be the gelding's last start of the year. He will then ship to Tampa Bay Downs and gear up for his 3-year-old campaign.

For Kilka and Connelly, the best should be yet to come. The $135,000 they picked up when selling the Classic Empire–Adorabella foal was their first real payday. (The yearling was bought by the same connections that own Girl Trouble). The next could come as soon as Nov. 7–two days after the Nashua–as Adorabella has been supplemented to the Fasig-Tipton November Sale (hip 261). She sells from the Gracie Bloodstock consignment in foal to Medaglia d'Oro, carrying one bred like the aforementioned Girl Trouble.

So what did Kilka really get for his $14,000?

“A dream come true,” he said. “An absolute dream come true.”

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Another Great Navigator, Another Star?

The minute owner Vincent Annarella of Holly Crest Farm named a New Jersey-bred he owned and bred Great Navigator (Sea Wizard), the colt had a lot to live up to. The name was borrowed from the first Great Navigator (Gulch), who was trained by a longtime Monmouth Park stalwart, the late John Mazza, and won the 1992 GI Hopeful S. at Saratoga. Could this one be as good? It's not out of the question.

Running in an open-company maiden special weight race on the June 4 card at Monmouth, Great Navigator won by 5 3/4 lengths, covering the 4 1/2 furlongs in 52.34 seconds.

“I don't know how good he is,” winning trainer Eddie Owens, Jr. said. “I know he's a nice horse. How far will he go? I don't know. He's going to grow and is only going to get bigger. After he passed those horses, the jockey pretty much eased up on him. He might be a lot better than I think he is.”

The first Great Navigator was owned by Ron and Rosemary Shockley. He was bred in Kentucky and was bought for $70,000 at a Fasig-Tipton 2-year-old sale. After breaking his maiden at Monmouth by eight lengths, he finished second in the Tyro S. and third in the GII Sapling S. before registering the upset in the Hopeful at 24-1. He would go on to win three more stakes and finish second in the GII Fountain of Youth. He had to be euthanized after breaking down in the 1993 Jersey Shore Breeders' Cup at Atlantic City. He was later buried in the Monmouth Park infield.

Mazza passed away in May of 2020 at the age of 82. In what was one of the final chapters to his training career, he trained New Jersey-bred Horse of the Year Horologist (Gemologist) through the first part of her career and won the GIII Monmouth Oaks with her in 2019. He also trained Sea Wizard (Uncle Mo) during his brief career.

Though Annarella did not own the first Great Navigator, he was closely connected to Mazza throughout his long training career, as Mazza served as the private trainer for Holly Crest for about 50 years. To name a horse in honor of the best horse Mazza ever trained was a fitting way to remember a person who was beloved on the Monmouth backstretch. When Mazza passed away, Owens, his former assistant, took over as Holly Crest's trainer.

“John was a good friend of mine” said Owens, a Long Branch, NJ, resident. “I was the assistant to Joe Orseno for 17, 18 years. We were in the barn next to John's and then in the same barn. He was the nicest guy. We talked almost every day and he always asked me to come to work for him. When Joe didn't send any horses to New Jersey in 2019, I took John up on his offer.”

Owens said he would have preferred to run Great Navigator first time out in a Jersey-bred race, but there weren't any scheduled for 2-year-old maidens until the last week of June. Knowing his horse was ready to run, he opted for the open- company maiden.

With Jairo Rendon aboard, Great Navigator, sent off at 17-1, settled into third early. He started rolling coming out of the far turn and rushed past the pacesetters in mid-stretch to win easily.

“I wouldn't have ran him in that race if I didn't think he could compete against those horses.” Owens said. “I thought he would run well and I wasn't surprised that he did run well. I was surprised that he finished so strong. I was wondering if I had him tight enough. I guess I did.”

It was a big day not only for Great Navigator, but also for his sire. Sea Wizard was picked out by Mazza at the 2015 OBS March 2-Year-Old Sale, where he sold for $190,000. For Mazza and owner Mac Nichol, he finished second in his debut in an Oct. 11, 2015 race at Belmont before winning a March 27, 2016 maiden at Gulfstream by three lengths. Mazza had big plans for the colt but he was injured and never ran again after the maiden win. He never got a chance to show what he could do on the racetrack.

Sea Wizard stands at stud at Sam Fieramosca's Colonial Farms in Colts Neck, New Jersey, for a stud fee of $1,500. On the same day that Great Navigator won so impressively, Owens and Holly Crest sent out another first-time starter by the sire, the 2-year-old Jersey-bred filly Carats Forever (Sea Wizard). Also facing open company, she flashed some early speed before finishing third, 3 1/4 lengths behind the winner.

“I knew she would run well,” Owens said. “What surprised me with her was that she was on the front end battling. I was hoping she would relax a little more.”

Great Navigator and Carats Forever were the first two horses by Sea Wizard to make a start. It's early, but Sea Wizard showed a lot of promise during his brief career and his first two foals ran beyond expectations in their debuts. He is an interesting sire.

Owens isn't sure what is next for Great Navigator and said he will look for a stakes race for him. With few options available in the early summer months for 2-year-olds that have broken their maidens, Great Navigator's next race could come in the July 16 GIII Sanford S. at Saratoga. The Sanford, of course, is a prep for the Hopeful, run this year on Sept. 5, 30 years and six days after the original Great Navigator won the race.

“How good is this horse?” Owens said. “We're going to find out.”

 

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Monmouth Park Adds Two Live Sunday Race Dates in September

Monmouth Park has added two live racing dates on Sundays in September to extend the 2022 meet to 62 days following approval from the New Jersey Racing Commission.

Sept. 11 and Sept. 18 – the new closing day — are the added live dates, with stakes races highlighting both cards. The $85,000 Pinot Grigio S. will headline the Sept. 11 card, with the $85,000 Joey P. S. set for Sept. 18. Both are for New Jersey-breds at five furlongs on the turf.

Monmouth Park's 77th season gets underway on Saturday, May 7.

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Horologist Makes Successful Return From Layoff In Top Flight Invitational

Three-time graded stakes winner Horologist recaptured her 2020 form in notching a comeback triumph in Saturday's 80th running of the $100,000 Top Flight Invitational, a nine-furlong test for older fillies and mares at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y.

Trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, the New Jersey-bred daughter of Gemologist is owned by There's A Chance Stable, Medallion Racing, Abbondanza Racing, Parkland Thoroughbreds, Paradise Farms Corporation and David Staudacher.

Last season, Horologist put together a successful 4-year-old campaign which earned her New Jersey Horse of the Year honors. Her accomplishments included triumphs in the Grade 3 Molly Pitcher at Monmouth Park and the Grade 2 Beldame Invitational at Belmont Park, where she finished ahead of graded stakes winners Point of Honor and Dunbar Road. Horologist capped off her prosperous season in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Distaff at Keeneland when ninth to Monomoy Girl.

Off the five-month respite, Horologist broke sharply from post 5 but allowed Grade 3 Comely victress Mrs. Danvers to dictate terms into the first turn. Jockey Junior Alvarado kept Horologist one path to the pacesetter's outside in second through easy opening fractions of 24.72 for the quarter-mile and 49.55 for the half-mile over the fast main track.

Around the far turn, Horologist inched her way up to even terms with Mrs. Danvers and put up a furious bid when asked. Jockey Kendrick Carmouche started getting busy aboard Mrs. Danvers, who was a persistent customer toward the inside. Just outside the eighth pole, Horologist put a nose in front and never relinquished, taking her 5-year-old debut by one length in a time of 1:52.14.

It was another neck to Sonata Stable's Lucky Stride, last-out winner of the Nellie Morse at Laurel Park, who was compromised at the start but produced a late-closing effort to complete the trifecta.

Queen Nekia, Thankful and Flashndynamite completed the order of finish.

The victory was a fifth overall stakes win for Horologist, who defeated her Garden State-bred counterparts in the 2019 Smart N Classy and Grade 3 Monmouth Oaks for former trainer John Mazza.

Returning $4.00 as the even-money favorite, Horologist upped her lifetime earnings past the three-quarter million mark to $770,439 and a record of 21-8-2-4.

The win was a third stakes triumph of the 11-day Aqueduct spring meet for Mott and Alvarado, who previously teamed up with Modernist in the Grade 3 Excelsior as well as Grade 3 Distaff Handicap winner Paris Lights who, like Horologist, also was making her first start of 2021.

“Coming off the layoff, this track is very tiring and I didn't want to be on the lead and have someone putting pressure on me the whole way,” said Alvarado, who was aboard Horologist for her Beldame Invitational triumph. “It took me a little bit to get her settled, but when she settled on the backside, I knew it was good. When she [Mrs. Danvers] came back to me, I knew we were good after that. Turning for home, I had to ask her a little bit, but it's not easy coming from a layoff on this track going a mile and an eighth. She really tried. I was pretty happy with the way she did it. She was the class of the race.”

Carmouche said Hall of Fame trainer Shug McCaughey left the ball in his court in terms of setting the pace.

“Shug said I could do either way; if I wanted the lead or if I wanted to sit off it,” Carmouche said. “I figured coming out of there, I'd see what happens. If I let Junior have the lead, it was going to be too easy, and I'd rather do it than have him do it. The filly ran well. She fought back gamely it was just a better horse beat us today.”

Bred by Holly Crest Farm, Horologist is out of the Stephen Got Even mare Cinderella Time.

Live racing resumes Sunday at Aqueduct with a nine-race card featuring the $100,000 Plenty of Grace for fillies and mares going one mile over the inner turf. First post is 1:20 p.m. Eastern.

Post-race quotes:

Adam Beschizza (winning rider of Silver Dust)
“He's a very talented animal and he's proven at this level. These small fields, I feel like he gets a hold of the race a lot easier. Today he had a nice stalking position and he had a hold of the race at the right time. He took the bull by the horns and he dug deep. Thank you very much to (owner) Mr. (Tom) Durant and (trainer) Mr. (Bret) Calhoun. I know (Calhoun has) a busy day at Oaklawn today, but this will surely lift his spirits and I just want to thank him for keeping faith in me.”

Jade Lowder (assistant to winning trainer Bret Calhoun)
“I just think he's been good lately. He's been ready to throw a race like this and Bret's done a great job with him. Five-horse field, outside trip the whole way. I think he really liked the track and liked the going.”

Javier Castellano (rider of runner-up Night Ops)
“He was closing well down the center of the track. He ran a good race and tried hard.”

Tom Drury (trainer of fourth-place finisher Sprawl)
“He ran his eyeballs out today. He really tried hard.”

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