paul pompa jr. | Horse Racing Free Tips

Maiden Winner With ‘Un’-Tapped Potential

The GI Kentucky Derby-bound Helium (Ironicus) wasn't the only 3-year-old colt to impress on the GII Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby card Mar. 6.

Untreated (Nyquist) put on a show earlier that day as well, graduating by a pole for Todd Pletcher at second asking with a flashy, come-from-behind maiden tally in his two-turn debut (video). He earned a very solid 86 Beyer Speed Figure.

A well-beaten sixth as the 4-5 favorite behind next out GIII Sam F. Davis S. winner Candy Man Rocket (Candy Ride {Arg}) going six furlongs in his unveiling for the late Paul Pompa, Jr. and trainer Chad Brown at Gulfstream Jan. 9, Untreated brought $300,000 from bloodstock agent Steve Young on behalf of Team Valor just five days later at the Keeneland January Sale. He was previously a $550,000 Keeneland September Yearling purchase, the most expensive of 44 yearlings from the first crop of promising young sire Nyquist to switch hands.

“The bottom line is, we got lucky,” Team Valor head Barry Irwin said. “Everybody knew about the horse before he ran. I was prepared to go to what he cost as a yearling, $550,000, and we got him for $300,000. Steve Young, who I've known pretty well for years, is the one who pushed me to buy the horse.”

That must have been one heck of a push considering Irwin's recent words regarding the current state of affairs for racing in this country and his plans for his longtime partnership to compete predominantly abroad going forward.

“I do not like racing in America anymore at this time,” Irwin said. “I am sick of it. The only horse I bought the previous year to stay here was [GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity and GI Arkansas Derby second and 'TDN Rising Star'] Gouverneur Morris [by Constitution]. I can't stand this crap that's going on. But this horse was very intriguing.”

Untreated came out firing once joining Pletcher's Palm Beach Downs string, highlighted by a trio of bullet workouts. He did, however, have a gap between his Jan. 30 and Feb. 20 breezes.

“His first work was a bullet work, but the guy had to tap him on the shoulder to get him to gallop out,” Irwin said. “The next work, another bullet work, but he can't even gallop out a furlong this time. He gets back [to the barn] and he's got an entrapped epiglottis. Now, I would be willing to bet, based on my experience with that, that this horse was already starting to do this when Chad him, but didn't show enough evidence of it yet. So, we got lucky. We had Dr. Yarborough do the procedure in his stall.”

Irwin continued, “It worked and his next two works were just unbelievable. Especially the last one. We knew we had something.”

Drawn wide in post eight in his first try for Team Valor and Pletcher, Untreated was about three deep while rounding the clubhouse turn and raced near the rear heading into the backstretch. The bay traveled nicely from there and launched an eye-catching, four-wide move leaving the four-furlong marker into third. He took over with ease approaching the top of the stretch and increased his margin to the wire, scoring by 8 3/4 lengths. The final time of 1:39.17 was just a few ticks off the Tampa track record of 1:38 3/5 for a mile and 40 yards.

“We were thrilled to see how he did it,” Irwin said.

Untreated is out of the graded-stakes placed Unbridled's Song mare Fully Living and is from the same family of champion Halfbridled (Unbridled). He was co-bred in Kentucky by Ashview Farm and Old Oak Farm.

Untreated is scheduled to return to the worktab Saturday, per Irwin.

Will we see him in a Derby prep next time out?

“I'll quote Mr. Todd Pletcher, 'We're gonna let the horse lead us to that decision,'” Irwin responded. “If we do the conservative thing, we'll look to run him in a small race somewhere. If we want to go crazy, we'll look at either the [GII Toyota] Blue Grass [at Keeneland Apr. 3] or [GII] Wood [Memorial at Aqueduct Apr. 3].”

Irwin concluded, “The problem is, he was ready to run in a prep race for the Tampa Bay Derby. If we had gotten that prep race in, then we'd be in a nice spot. Now, we have to be Big Brown in order to pull off something like that [make the Kentucky Derby]. My clients, by in large, are all dreamers and the Derby is the ultimate lure.”

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‘Pharoah’ Gets His Group 1 in February S.

Café Pharoah delivered a first win at the highest level on dirt for his sire, U.S. Horse of the Year and Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, in the G1 February S. going a mile over the Tokyo dirt on Sunday. His three-quarter length victory guaranteed him a spot in the starting gate in the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Classic this fall.

Favoured at 2-1, the 4-year-old entire settled in a tracking fifth, as Wide Pharoah (Jpn) (Henny Hughes) and Air Almas (Majestic Warrior) slugged it out on the front end. He emerged a clearcut third as noses pointed for home, and swung out to make his challenge 400 metres from the wire.

Conservatively handled to that point by jockey Christophe Lemaire, a trio of right-handed taps kept the Koichi Nishikawa colourbearer's mind on business with a furlong to travel as he passed Air Almas, and he held safe the late rush of 27-1 shot Air Spinel (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}) to win with ears pricked. Wonder Lider (Jpn) (Statue of Liberty) closed from midfield to take third, another 1 3/4 lengths behind. Second favourite Arctos (Jpn) (Admire Aura {Jpn}) never threatened and checked in ninth.

“His condition was super, and I had confidence already at the paddock,” said Lemaire. “We decided to use cheek pieces hoping for a more aggressive performance. His start was good, we were positioned well and he responded beautifully. The colt has such high potential. I had no doubt that he could land a Group 1 win if he gave his best. I'm happy that it all worked out today.”

A winner going 1800 metres at Nakayama in December of 2019, his only race at two, Café Pharoah added the Listed Hyacinth S. last February and June's G3 Unicorn S., both at Tokyo. Only seventh in sloppy going in the Listed Japan Dirt Derby at Oi on July 8, the bay rebounded with another victory in the G3 Sirius S. facing elders last fall. He ran sixth in the G1 Champions Cup in his final start of 2020.

Pedigree Notes
Bred by the late Paul Pompa, Jr. in Kentucky, the winner is the second at the highest level out of American Pharoah's first crop after GI Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup victress Harvey's Lil Goil. The Ashford Stud resident has already celebrated a Group 1 winner from his second crop with G1 Criterium International scorer Van Gogh. The trio are among 14 black-type winners for the Coolmore sire, while five other progeny have placed at the highest level so far.

Selected out of the OBS March Sale for $475,000 after breezing a quarter mile in :21.1, Café Pharoah is one of three group/graded winners for his two-time graded scoring dam and the second male after Giant's Causeway's Night Prowler. The colt is also the first Group 1 winner for Mary's Follies, who was trained by the late John Forbes before Pompa acquired her. The mare's 2018 Uncle Mo colt died, while she has colts of 2019 and 2020 by Candy Ride (Arg) and Connect, respectively. A granddaughter of four-time stakes winner Wave to the Queen (Wavering Monarch), she aborted to Curlin for this spring.

In early January, Mary's Follies (lot 725) was knocked down for $500,000 to BBA Ireland as part of the Pompa Dispersal during the Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale. Her daughter, MGSW and 'TDN Rising Star' Regal Glory (Animal Kingdom) (lot 403) sold earlier in the day for a co-sale topping $925,000 to Peter Brant's White Birch Farm, which races both Stateside and in Europe and won the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe with Sottsass (Fr) (Siyouni {Ire}) in October.

Sunday, Tokyo, Japan
FEBRUARY S.-G1, ¥194,800,000 (US$1,847,689/£1,318,449/€1,524,588), Tokyo, 2-21, 4yo/up, 1600m, 1:34.40, gd.
1–CAFE PHAROAH, 126, c, 4, by American Pharoah
                1st Dam: Mary's Follies (MGSW-US, $338,889),
                                by More Than Ready
                2nd Dam: Catch the Queen, by Miswaki
                3rd Dam: Wave to the Queen, by Wavering Monarch
1ST GROUP 1 WIN. ($475,000 2yo '19 OBSMAR). O-Koichi
Nishikawa; B- Paul P.Pompa (KY); T-Noryuki Hori; J-Christophe
Lemaire. ¥103,360,000. Lifetime Record: 7-5-0-0. *1/2 to
Night Prowler (Giant's Causeway), MGSW-US, $535,682; and
Regal Glory (Animal Kingdom), MGSW-US, $773,884. Click for
   the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick Rating: A++.
2–Air Spinel (Jpn), 126, h, 8, King Kamehameha (Jpn)–Air
Messiah (Jpn), by Sunday Silence. O-Lucky Field Inc.; B-Shadai
Farm (Jpn); ¥40,960,000.
3–Wonder Lider (Jpn), 126, h, 8, Statue of Liberty–Astrea Peace
(Jpn), by Mayano Top Gun (Jpn). O-Yoshinari Yamamoto;
B-Oshima Farm (Jpn); ¥25,480,000.
Margins: 3/4, 1 3/4, HF. Odds: 2.30, 27.00, 18.30.
Also Ran: Red le Zele (Jpn), Air Almas, Inti (Jpn), Mutually (Jpn), Soliste Thunder (Jpn), Arctos (Jpn), Yamanin Imprime (Jpn), Sunrise Nova (Jpn), Smart Dandy (Jpn), Auvergne (Jpn), Wide Pharaoh (Jpn), Success Energy (Jpn), Helios (Jpn).
Click for the JRA chart & video or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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Checking In With Big Brown, Paul Pompa’s Biggest Star

The dispersal of the late Paul Pompa Jr. at the Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale has given the racing world a chance to reflect on the life of the accomplished owner and breeder, but the most notable monument to Pompa's success on the racetrack stands in a paddock outside Stillwater, N.Y.

Big Brown took Pompa to the cusp of a Triple Crown in 2008, and he brought home the Eclipse Award as champion 3-year-old male. Pompa bought the son of Boundary for $190,000 at the 2007 Keeneland April 2-year-olds in training sale, and he accumulated partners in the horse following the colt's 11 1/4-length debut triumph as a juvenile at Saratoga.

By the time Big Brown retired to Three Chimneys Farm in Midway, Ky., for the 2009 breeding season, he had won seven of eight starts and earned over $3.6 million on the racetrack. He stood his first six seasons at Three Chimneys before being relocated to New York in 2015.

Prior to the move, Big Brown was responsible for the most expensive 2-year-old sale graduate of 2012 (the $1.3-million Darwin from his first crop), and the betting public's second choice in the 2015 Kentucky Derby (Grade 1 winner and classic-placed Dortmund), but the loudest fireworks were spaced too far apart to meet the expectations set upon his arrival in Kentucky.

New York was the site of Big Brown's only defeat on the racetrack, when he failed to clinch the Triple Crown in the Belmont Stakes, but his full-time residency in the state has gotten off to a positive start on the track and in the breeding shed.

Big Brown will stand the 2021 breeding season at Irish Hill & Dutchess Views Stallions in Stillwater, N.Y., where his oldest New York-sired runners recently turned five.

His first crop of New York-sired runners saw two horses earn points on the Kentucky Derby trail, in G3 Jeff Ruby Steaks winner Somelikeithotbrown and G3 Withers Stakes runner-up Not That Brady. Somelikeithotbrown, in particular, has carried the banner for Big Brown's first class of New York-sired runners, highlighted by a win in last year's G2 Bernard Baruch Handicap at Saratoga.

“Big Brown's been a huge addition to Irish Hill,” said stallion manager Bill Leak. “To have a Kentucky Derby winner stand anywhere is just an honor to be a part of, and we've enjoyed every aspect of that. Him being such a classy horse on top of it, it's just a thrill to work with him every day. It's why we're here, to work with horses like that.

“On the business side, he's been a huge boon for Irish Hill,” Leak continued. “We've had some really good mares and really good owners because of Big Brown. We've built some really good relationships, and we look forward to building more in the future, all because of him.”

Leak described Big Brown as an easy keeper at his new farm, where he moved in 2017 after Irish Hill Century Farm and the stallion's previous residence Dutchess Views Farm merged their stallion operations. Big Brown is owned by Andrew Cohen's Sunrise Stallions.

When Big Brown arrived at the farm, Leak said managing the politics of introducing a new stallion into the ecosystem was one of the biggest challenges, as it is for any stallion.

“You just take your time,” he said. “It is a learning process. It took us a while to figure out he didn't like being near certain horses, and we needed to alter his turnout schedule, where he got turned out or where other horses got turned out, just to learn his personality. Stallions are so territorial. They've really got to be careful about who's around them, and he's such a proud horse, we had to be careful about what other horses were near him.”

Though he's further removed from the spotlight than he was a decade ago, Irish Hill Century owner Rick Burke said Big Brown maintains a fan following in his new digs, especially during the Saratoga meet, when visitors descend upon the area from around the country.

“He loves attention,” Burke said. “Him and Bellamy Road, they know they're the big dogs on the block. When they walk into that breeding shed, they just know what to do. They have a lot of presence to them.”

Despite having two horses from his first New York crop make noise on the Derby trail, and Dortmund coming into his own shortly after his sire moved north, Burke said those runners didn't move the needle as much as one might expect in terms of drawing mares. Getting winners in Saratoga, such as Somelikeithotbrown's Bernard Baruch, grabbed the attention of New York breeders.

“It can make a stallion like him,” Burke said. “It can reinvigorate where people see his name a lot, having a big Saratoga meet.”

Big Brown was also well-represented in 2020 by Funny Guy, whose three stakes wins last year included the John Morrissey Handicap at Saratoga. He also finished second in the G2 Vosburgh Stakes.

Funny Guy and Somelikeithotbrown helped lead Big Brown to the top of New York's sire list in 2020 by both winners and earnings, notching 57 winners and more than $2.7 million made on the racetrack, respectively.

“He's a textbook quality horse,” Leak said. “Him being the number-one sire in New York is not a surprise, I don't think. He's just shown it throughout his career that he's just that kind of animal.”

Once Big Brown went off to stud, Pompa's most successful tie to the stallion came as a breeder. In Big Brown's second year at Three Chimneys, Pompa's program produced Coach Inge, who sold to Repole Stables as a 2-year-old and went on to win the G2 Brooklyn Invitational Stakes in 2015. He followed that victory with in-the-money efforts in the G2 Suburban Handicap and G1 Woodward Stakes.

Popma's biggest triumph with a Big Brown runner of his own was the homebred Send It In, who won nine of 18 starts, highlighted by the G3 Excelsior Stakes in 2017.

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Enthusiasm For Dispersals Energizes Day Two Of Keeneland January Sale

Two prominent dispersals – 20 broodmares, yearlings and horses of racing age sold by Lane's End, agent for the Complete Dispersal of the Estate of Paul P. Pompa Jr., and 21 in-foal broodmares owned by Sam-Son Farm, the acclaimed breed-to-race operation in Ontario – fueled brisk commerce on Tuesday's second day of the Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale.

A horse from each dispersal sold for $925,000 apiece to lead the session. Via phone bidding with a Keeneland representative, Peter Brant's White Birch Farm paid the amount for the third horse in the ring, Regal Glory, a multiple graded stakes winner for Pompa. Later in the day, Gainesway Farm purchased Danceforthecause, in foal to Twirling Candy, from Sam-Son to equal the price.

On Tuesday, Keeneland sold 247 horses for $23,319,400, for an average of $94,411 and a median of $40,000.

A total of 453 horses grossed $35,414,800 through two sessions of the four-day sale, for an average of $78,178 and a median of $37,000.

“The power of the dispersal was very obvious today with nine of the top 10 prices paid for horses from the dispersals,” Keeneland director of sales operations Geoffrey Russell said. “These dispersals are bittersweet, but we appreciate the trust they put in Keeneland to put the show on today.

“The opportunity, especially with the Sam-Son Dispersal, to get into these mares has been limited over the years,” he added. “People are hungry to get into these strong female families. The same is true for the mares owned by Mr. Pompa. Breeders are looking for blue skies ahead and they have to have the product to produce yearlings to sell.”

The Pompa Dispersal generated sales of $4,037,000 and included four horses sold for $400,000 or more. Co-highest priced Regal Glory, a 5-year-old daughter of Animal Kingdom out of graded stakes winner Mary's Follies, by More Than Ready, won the 2019 Grade 2 Lake Placid and G3 Lake George and captured the 2020 G3 Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf in her most recent start. She was cataloged as a racing or broodmare prospect.

White Birch acquired another Pompa horse when it paid $260,000 for Proper Mad, whose 3-year-old Union Rags colt, Carillo, won his career debut on Jan. 8 at Aqueduct. From the family of Grade 1 winner Dunbar Road, Proper Mad is an 8-year-old daughter of Bernardini and the Unbridled mare Private Gift who is in foal to Connect. Carillo is scheduled to sell here Thursday when the Pompa Dispersal continues with 19 horses.

Pompa, a widely respected horseman and businessman who died in October 2020, had a successful association with Keeneland. In 2007, he paid $190,000 for future Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner and champion Big Brown at Keeneland's April 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale. He also campaigned Night Prowler to win the 2015 G3 Transylvania at Keeneland and raced Fanny Freud in partnership with Stephen Yarbrough and Anthony Grey to win Keeneland's 2010 G2 Beaumont.

The Sam-Son Dispersal was the session's leading consignor with sales of $6,733,000 that featured six horses bringing $400,000 and more. The dispersal represented a closing chapter in the story of the multiple Eclipse Award- and Sovereign Award-winning operation founded in 1972 by the late Ernie Samuel and still run by his family. Sam-Son bred and raced horses that earned four Eclipse Awards and 84 Sovereign Awards along with 44 graded stakes winners.

Over the years, a number of Sam-Son horses raced at Keeneland, and the farm received the distinguished Keeneland Tray during the 2005 Spring Meet to recognize its graded stakes success – a milestone that only 20 owners have reached in track history.

The dispersal was especially emotional for the Sam-Son team at Keeneland.

“With the business of the game and trying to get everything ready – we have worked so hard to do this – we haven't really given ourselves time to absorb it all,” Sam-Son manager Dave Whitford said. “I think after the sale is when it is really going to sink in.

“There is pressure to do things right for the (Samuel) family,” he continued. “They have been doing this for 50 years, and we don't want to mess that up. There is a great legacy, and we have felt that pressure. It is (all) bittersweet, for sure.”

Danceforthecause, who sold to Gainesway Farm for $925,000, is a 10-year-old daughter of Giant's Causeway who has produced Grade 1 winner Say the Word and Grade 2 winner Rideforthecause. She is out of the Thunder Gulch mare Dancethruthestorm, a daughter of Sam-Son's Racing Hall of Famer Dance Smartly.

“She is a really beautiful mare and has been such a good producer already,” said Gainesway director of bloodstock and racing Alex Solis II, who signed the ticket. “I feel this is the best Sam-Son family there is with Dance Smartly as the second dam and Smart Strike right there on the page.”

Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa paid $900,000 for another Sam-Son mare, Deceptive Vision, and went to $530,000 to acquire her half-sister Fun in the Desert. Both are out of Canadian champion Eye of the Sphynx, by Smart Strike.

Deceptive Vision is an 11-year-old daughter of A.P. Indy in foal to War Front. She is a full sister to Canadian champion Eye of the Leopard and stakes winners Hotep and Desert Isle.

Fun in the Desert, a 10-year-old mare by Distorted Humor, is the dam of Canadian champion Desert Ride. In foal to Candy Ride (ARG), she is carrying a full sibling to Desert Ride.

The session's leading buyer was Phil Schoenthal, agent for Determined Stud of Maryland, who purchased five horses for a total of $2.12 million. Topping the acquisitions at $875,000 was the Sam-Son mare Southern Ring, a Grade 3-winning daughter of Speightstown in foal to Into Mischief. She is out of stakes winner Seeking the Ring, by Seeking the Gold, and from the family of Canadian champion Catch the Ring.

For Determined, Schoenthal purchased two horses from the Pompa Dispersal. They went to $570,000 for Off Topic, a 5-year-old Grade 1-placed daughter of Street Sense consigned as a racing or broodmare prospect. Out of Off Limits, by Include, she is from the family of Grade 1 winners Miner's Mark, Traditionally and My Flag.

They paid $320,000 for Sustained, an 11-year-old, graded stakes-placed daughter of War Front in foal to Connect. Out of Sweetstorm Amy, by Lemon Drop Kid, Sustained is the dam of Grade 3 winner Turned Aside, who won the Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship in November and is scheduled to sell here Thursday.

Another top-priced horse from the Pompa Dispersal on Tuesday was stakes winner Beautiful Lover, a 5-year-old daughter of Arch sold to Moyglare Stud Farm for $650,000. Consigned as a racing or broodmare prospect, she is out of American Skipper, by Quiet American, and a half-sister to Grade 2 winner Zivo.

Moyglare's Fiona Craig said Beautiful Lover would resume her racing career with trainer Christophe Clement.

“Hopefully the pandemic will cease so (Moyglare owner) Eva (Maria Bucher-Haefner) will be able to come over and see her race,” Craig said. “Long term we'll add (Beautiful Lover) to the broodmare band.”

At $400,000, the session's highest-priced yearling was a filly from the first crop of City of Light sold to Larry Best's OXO Equine. Lane's End, agent, consigned the daughter of the Bernardini mare I'll Show Me, a half-sister to champion Proud Spell and from the family of stakes winners Indian Spell and Dak Attack.

The January Sale continues Wednesday and runs through Thursday. All sessions begin at 10 a.m. ET.

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