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Leslie And Pierre Amestoy Join The TDN Writers’ Room Podcast

Owners Leslie and Pierre Amestoy have been involved with a bunch of good horses, some of them stakes-winning Quarter Horses, but never anything like Practical Move (Practical Joke). The winner of the GII San Felipe S. and the GI Santa Anita Derby so far this year, he will be among the favorites in the upcoming GI Kentucky Derby.

The TDN Writers' Room podcast, presented by Keeneland caught up with the Amestoys this week to find out more about their operation, their background and their thoughts on Practical Move. They were the Green Group Guests of the Week.

Their trainer Tim Yakteen, has been a big part of the story. While he has deputized for Bob Baffert the last two years with his potential Derby starters, he's not normally someone who you think of when it comes to having Derby starters. But the Amestoys believe he has been a perfect fit when it comes to Practical Move.

“One of my old racing partners, Mike Abraham, knew Tim,” Pierre said. “And then another friend of mine, Jaime Gomez from Los Alamitos, knew Tim. I told them that I wanted to go to a nice barn, but I don't want to be with one of those barns that has 300, 400 horses. I want a more on-hands trainer. They both recommended Tim.

“We didn't meet him Tim till last year's Del Mar meet, when Practical Move was running his first race was. He was just as nice as could be. And we could see the operation in the barn. Leslie trained for ten or 15 years. So we knew what we wanted and Tim was what we wanted. He had a great set up and a good operation.”

The Amestoys, who own Practical Move in partnership with Roger Beasley, bought the horse at last year's OBS April sale. They said he was their number one pick among all the horses in the sale, but almost didn't get him. They budgeted $175,000 for the purchase and wound up paying $230,000. They liked the horse enough that they kept bidding until they got him.

“He was our number one pick, which we never get when we got to sales,” Leslie said. “We always pick the number one and can't buy him. We got him and we had no buyer's remorse ever. Oh, we loved him from the start.”

And that's why they named him Practical Move, because, in the end they thought it was a practical move to buy the colt.

As far as the Derby goes, the Amestoys are already thinking strategy.

“I think he's tactical enough,” Pierre said. “Ramon (Vasquez) can put him where he wants him. I would hope we can get a good enough break that we hit the first turn and we have two thirds of them behind us. We want to be up in the first tier or right behind the first tier of horses. This horse has a really good, really strong, high cruising speed so we can get a good spot and then cruise on the backside and set ourselves up. So if we get our trip, I think coming out of the turn, we're going to be close to the leader and then they're going to have to come get us. If his horse switches leads like he's supposed to I think he'll finish strong.”

Elsewhere on the podcast, which is also sponsored by Coolmore, the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association, Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders, 1/ST Racing, WinStar Farm, and West Point Thoroughbreds, the team of Randy Moss, Zoe Cadman and Bill Finley took a look back at the problems with the track surface at Laurel, the positive results coming out of Hawthorne since that track cut the takeout on win, place and show bets to 12% and the newest additions to the Hall of Fame. Not to be missed, the trio also discussed Proxy (Tapit)'s win in the GII Oaklawn H., and the decision by Jimmy Jerkens, who has been struggling to find the winner's circle the last few years, to start training in Saudi Arabia.

Click here to listen to the audio version of this podcast or click here to watch the video version.

The post Leslie And Pierre Amestoy Join The TDN Writers’ Room Podcast appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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MSW Kudos Passes Away at Old Friends

Kudos, a MSW gelding, died on Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2023, at Old Friends Thoroughbred retirement farm in Georgetown, Ky., announced president and founder Michael Blowen.

The 26-year-old bay Thoroughbred (Kris S.–Souq, by Damascus) was found dead in his paddock during late-afternoon feeding. A reason for his death is unknown at this time. Necropsy results are pending to get an accurate cause of death. Bred and owned by longtime Old Friends supporters, Jerry and Ann Moss, Kudos was foaled in Kentucky on Apr. 17, 1997.

Trained by Richard Mandella his entire career, Kudos began racing in 1999, but did not win his first race until his eighth career start as a 4-year-old in a maiden special weight race at Santa Anita on Mar. 17, 2001. He then won his next three consecutive races, two allowance races and the Jim Murray Memorial H. at Hollywood Park for his first stakes victory.

In 2002, he won two more stakes races–the San Marino H. at Santa Anita, and the GI Oaklawn H., which was his first-graded stakes win and the biggest win of his career. In that race, he came back from 15 lengths to win by 4 3/4 lengths.

As a 6-year-old in 2003, he won the GII Californian S., while finishing second in the GII San Pasqual H., and third in the GI Santa Anita H., the GI Oaklawn H., the race he won the previous year, and the GI Hollywood Gold Cup, his final race.

Kudos retired with seven wins, five seconds, four thirds, and $1,238,935 in earnings in 24 career starts. In 2006, the Mosses donated Kudos to Old Friends for his retirement. He was the second horse they retired to Old Friends; the first was Ruhlmann.

“Kudos was one of our first stars and enchanted us for nearly 17 years,” said Blowen. “He was a great symbol of our growth. I can't thank Jerry and Ann and (racing manager) Dottie Ingordo-Shirreffs enough for allowing us to spend all this time with their treasure.”

The post MSW Kudos Passes Away at Old Friends appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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‘We’ve Always Loved His Talent’: Silver State Turning To Gold For Asmussen

Two of the best horses developed by Steve Asmussen for Winchell Thoroughbreds came to the Hall of Fame trainer on the advice of David Lambert. Silver State hasn't reached championship status yet, but the 4-year-old son of Hard Spun continued his climb toward the top of the country's older two-turn division with a half-length victory in the $1 million Oaklawn Handicap (G2) last Saturday at Oaklawn under Ricardo Santana Jr.

The victory was the fifth consecutive for Silver State, who became the first horse to win the Oaklawn Handicap – Oaklawn's biggest prize for older two-turn runners – $150,000 Fifth Season Stakes at 1 mile and the $500,000 Essex Handicap at 1 1/16 miles. The latter two races, Jan. 23 and March 13, respectively, were major local steppingstones to the 1 1/8-mile Oaklawn Handicap.

Asmussen said on the recommendation of Lambert, a noted equine physiologist, Winchell Thoroughbreds (Ron and Joan Winchell) purchased Silver State for $450,000 at the 2018 Keeneland September Yearling Sales. Lambert, founder and president of Equine Analysis Systems in Midway, Ky., also steered the Winchells toward privately purchasing half-interest in Gun Runner and retaining homebred Untapable to race. Both became Eclipse Award winners.

Now, silver is turning to gold for the Winchells, who campaign Silver State with prominent Arkansas breeder/owner Willis Horton.

“It's a horse the Hortons and Winchells purchased on Dr. Lambert's advice, that has continued to develop and get better,” Asmussen said. “We've always loved his talent level.”

Silver State earned a preliminary Beyer Speed Figure of 101, equaling a career high, for his Oaklawn Handicap victory. After falling off the Kentucky Derby trail following a seventh-place finish in the $1 million Louisiana Derby (G2) in March 2020 at Fair Grounds, Silver State returned with two sharp allowance victories last fall in Kentucky before emerging as Oaklawn's top older two-turn runner this year. His Beyer Speed Figures, a numerical representation of performance, have ranged from 97 to 101, during the winning streak. Asmussen calls Silver State, “a gorgeous animal” who needed time to develop because he's “massive in size.”

“This race is significant enough,” Asmussen said. “He'll get the future we were hoping for, and this proves it.”

Asmussen said next-race plans are pending for Silver State, who won for the sixth time in 10 lifetime starts. Silver State ($1,230,094) became a millionaire after collecting the $600,000 winning check.

It was the first Oaklawn Handicap victory for Asmussen and the Winchells and the second for Horton, who also won the race in 2014 with champion Will Take Charge. Horton turned 81 last Saturday.

“The Hortons owning half this horse with the Winchells and how important Oaklawn is to them, the Hortons are to Oaklawn, what a great birthday present for him today,” Asmussen said.

The Oaklawn Handicap was Asmussen's record 95th Oaklawn stakes victory. Asmussen also won the $600,000 Apple Blossom Handicap (G1) for older fillies and mares in 2015 with Untapable and the $500,000 Razorback Handicap (G3) for older horses in 2017 with Gun Runner. Untapable won an Eclipse Award as the country's champion 3-year-old filly of 2014. Gun Runner captured two Eclipse Awards (Horse of the Year and older dirt male) in 2017.

Asmussen has a meet-high 49 victories this year as he seeks his record-tying 11th Oaklawn training title. The Oaklawn Handicap pushed his purse earnings at the meet to more than $5 million. He enters the final eight racing days at $5,072,636 and with a chance to break his single-season Oaklawn record ($5,644,609), set in 2019.

The post ‘We’ve Always Loved His Talent’: Silver State Turning To Gold For Asmussen appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Silver State Rolls To Fifth Consecutive Win In $1-Million Oaklawn Handicap

With six horses spread across the track at the eighth pole and a million dollars up for grabs, Saturday's Grade 2 Oaklawn Handicap looked to be almost anyone's race. But Silver State was going the best of all and drew off for a half-length victory under Ricardo Santana Jr., winning for the fifth consecutive time for trainer Steve Asmussen but making it a graded stakes first for the Hard Spun 4-year-old owned by Winchell Thoroughbreds and Willis Horton Racing.

Sent away at 9-2 odds, Silver State covered 1 1/8 miles in 1:49.56 on a track upgraded to fast after being listed as good much of the day. He paid $11.40 for the win, his sixth in 10 career starts.

Todd Pletcher-trained Fearless, coming off a G2 victory in the Gulfstream Park Mile, finished second, with 9-5 favorite Express Train, who shipped in from Southern California for trainer John Shirreffs, a length back in third in the field of eight older horses. Pacesetter Warrior's Charge was fourth.

“We've always loved his talent level,” Asmussen said of Silver State. “The five-race win streak and putting it all together against such a talented field today, significant race, extremely pleased with him. The horse has been training really well. He's figured out winning. I think what we saw in the two races here previously, he chose to win. They were very competitive. Watching the races, just like today, I think that's made all the difference in him.”

Silver State was coming off a neck win in the $500,000 Essex Handicap and prior to that won the Fifth Season Stakes by a nose – both this year at Oaklawn. He began his streak with a seven-length allowance win last October at Keeneland, then added a November allowance/optional claiming race at Churchill Downs.

In the Oaklawn Handicap, Silver State carried 118 pounds, four fewer than highweighted Express Train.

Breaking from the rail, Silver State saved ground most of the trip racing in mid-pack as Warrior's Charge set fractions of :22.73, :47.06 and 1:11.67.

Santana tipped Silver State five wide into the stretch, and after passing the mile marker in 1:37.23, there were six runners within about a length of each other. Silver State emerged from the pack and went on to victory.

The post Silver State Rolls To Fifth Consecutive Win In $1-Million Oaklawn Handicap appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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