Few have followed the trajectory of the career of Country Grammer (Tonalist) more closely than the well-respected Peter Bradley, who went to work on behalf of the late Paul Pompa, Jr. at the 2019 OBS April Sale. It was Bradley's name on the docket when the hammer fell in the first 20 minutes of the final day of the auction, having parted with $450,000 for the :21 flat breezer who was bred in Kentucky by Scott and Debbie Pierce.

Not Exactly A Buyer's Market

As it turned out, the record-setting 2019 OBS April Sale proved a sensational market to sell into. The overall sales-topper, a $1.3-million colt by Into Mischief–Dixie Song (Fusaichi Pegasus), sold during that final day of trade in Central Florida and was one of three to fetch seven figures. Colonel Liam was the second-priciest horse, a $1.2-million purchase by Robert and Lawana Low.

“That was one of those years when everything was selling really well, and I was trying to kind of look for a support system where it's slightly under the radar,” Bradley explained. “Colonel Liam had sold like 20 hips before this horse did [during the latter stages of the penultimate session]. And I really liked him, but I also kind of knew that he was going to be out of my price range.”

Still, the Tonalist colt had plenty of action and was unlikely to come cheap.

“I had some money to spend. I mean, I spent $450,000 on this horse, so it wasn't like I was trying to find a bargain-basement horse,” he said. “'Obvious' always stands out and, you know, the two kind of–and they weren't really knocks–but one was his sire was not the hottest thing in the world, and, two, he was a May foal. And even though he did everything right, he was pretty immature. He had a great frame on him, but he was a bit on the narrow side. He worked every bit as well as Colonel Liam if I remember correctly. He really leveled out and I don't remember him being pressed  on the gallop out. He looked like he liked his job.”

Country Grammer let down following the sale at WinStar Farm and “the horse pretty much went through his 2-year-old blues,” Bradley reported.

“He was a little wound up, so they took a little more time with him than not, which you know when to do if you've spent time with horses,” Bradley said.

Making Up For Lost Time

Country Grammer was therefore a late-debuting juvenile for Chad Brown, finishing a close fourth on the turf before breaking his maiden when switched to the dirt for the first time in November 2019. Never a factor after losing his footing at the start of the 2020 GII Fountain of Youth S. a short time before COVID-19 changed the entire racing landscape, he was third in a salty Belmont allowance–one spot behind 'TDN Rising Star' and future Dubai World Cup winner Mystic Guide (Ghostzapper)–then was up late to win the GIII Peter Pan S., with Mystic Guide back in third. Country Grammer was fifth to GI Belmont S. hero Tiz the Law (Constitution) in the GI Runhappy Travers S. that August and was sidelined before tragedy intervened.

“Chad thought he was a seriously nice horse, thought he might potentially be a Derby horse for him and that didn't quite work out of course,” said Bradley. “He was maturing and he kept going along. He came up with a little problem and we put him on the sideline and went back to WinStar. Then, sadly, in the interim, Mr. Pompa passed away. Eventually WinStar bought him from for a song.”

Part of the Pompa dispersal at the 2021 Keeneland January Sale–a draft topped by the $925,000 future Eclipse Award winner Regal Glory (Animal Kingdom)–Country Grammer was hammered down for a comparatively paltry $110,000.

“We were prepared to go to $250,000 or so for him and were very surprised we got him for $110,000,” WinStar's Elliott Walden said in a pre-World Cup interview this time last year. “We felt he could be a good handicap horse and we bought him with the intention of sending him to Bob Baffert in California because that division out there seemed a little short on numbers and it's worked out well.”

That is possibly the understatement of the century. Country Grammer's runner-up effort in the 2022 G1 Saudi Cup and subsequent World Cup success netted him better than $10 million. He parlayed a dominating victory in the GII San Antonio S. Dec. 26 into yet another $3.5-million payday in Riyadh behind the reopposing Panthalassa (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) last month and would surge past $21 million in earnings with a win this weekend.

Pete Bradley will be watching Saturday's race with keen interest, hoping that the horse he took a chance on nearly four years ago continues to validate his high opinion of him.

“That's what I do for a living–I'm a talent scout when it comes right down to it,” Bradley said.

The post ‘Grammer’ Lessons–Part II appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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“Mr. Pompa was a gentleman and a great sport to work for,” said Lane's End's Allaire Ryan, who supervised the sale of most of Pompa's horses. “First and foremost he cared about his horses and always made the right decisions for them. Alongside his trainers and the farms and training centers he entrusted with his stock, he built a very successful racing stable and commercial breeding operation. There was a plan for each horse from start to finish. Those plans might have had to change day to day, but Mr. Pompa was a discusser, a listener, a thinker and a decision maker through-and-through. Mr. Pompa was a student of the business, always took the time to talk about what was going on with his mares, foals and yearlings. He gave you his time because he was interested in the horses and genuinely cared about each of them. He enjoyed every conversation with him for being thorough, pragmatic, and above all caring.”

Shortly after Pompa's death, his family dispersed of all of his racing and breeding stock. Most of his stock sold in a dispersal handled by Ryan and the Lane's End team at the 2021 Keeneland January Sale. The headliner of that dispersal–and the entire sale–was 'TDN Rising Star' Regal Glory, who was purchased by Peter Brant's White Birch Farm for $925,000 and returned to her regular trainer Chad Brown.

A homebred out of Pompa's GSW Mary's Follies (More Than Ready), Regal Glory had won a trio of graded events prior to the dispersal, but her resume had one thing missing. She filled in that missing piece 10 months after selling to Brant when she captured the GI Martriarch S. in November. The chestnut has continued to honor her late owner and breeder Pompa this year with wins in the GIII Pegasus World Cup F/M Turf Invitational S. in January and another top-level score in the GI Jenny Wiley S. at Keeneland in April.

“This filly gave Mr. Pompa a lot to be proud of as she was a homebred for him,” Ryan said. “She dead-heated in the [GII] Lake Placid at Saratoga on very dark, stormy afternoon. I remember how long the stewards deliberated the race call afterwards–a frustrating moment for Mr. Pompa as an owner to share a big win in such tough conditions, but again, he was always the one to see the glass half full and be a good sport in trying situations. There was always tomorrow. He was so proud of this filly after that race.”

Ryan continued, “Mr. Pompa decided after he bred Mary's Follies to Curlin in 2020 that he would sell the mare in November at a time when her commercial value was at its highest. In turn, his plans for Regal Glory were to continue her career and retire her to his broodmare band at [Lane's End] farm. With Chad Brown, Mr. Pompa had this filly on the trajectory to improve with age and she's done exactly that. It's been incredibly satisfying to see Chad and Mr. Brant guide her to this stage in her career and keep her sound and happy at this age. We still cheer for her!”

A $450,000 OBSAPR purchase for Pompa, Country Grammer captured the GIII Peter Pan S. in July of 2020 and gathered some hype heading into that year's GI Runhappy Travers S. Unfortunately, he did not hit his best stride that day, finishing fifth behind GI Belmont S. winner Tiz the Law (Constitution). Shelved for the rest of the season, he was purchased by WinStar for just $110,000 at the KEEJAN dispersal.

Sent to Bob Baffert, Country Grammer showed he was only getting better with age, winning the GI Hollywood Gold Cup S. in his second start for his new connections last May. Benched for the remainder of the year, the bay made his seasonal bow in the desert, finishing second in the G1 Saudi Cup in February and upended heavy favorite Life is Good (Into Mischief) with a decisive score in the G1 Dubai World Cup a month later.

“Country Grammer was another nice physical when he came under our care at the sale,” Ryan said. “I never saw his as a young horse, but from photographs he looks like a quality individual for his sire Tonalist. He had been at WinStar's training center for some R&R and was back training leading up to the sale, so they [Elliott Walden, David Hanley, Destin Heath and Dr. Nieman] appreciated where he was in his career having that insider knowledge. By design after his passing, several of the Pompa dispersal's horses of racing age were prepared here leading up to the sale. Again, credit is due for the programs that have managed these dispersal graduates and brought them–back in Country Grammer's case–to competing at not only the graded stakes level, but now the highest international level of our sport. The win in Dubai was thrilling to see. He validated his status as a top older horse amongst the best talent in the world. It was one of those moments when I thought to myself, if only Mr. Pompa could see this.”

The most recent former Pompa horse to achieve black-type is his homebred colt Ethereal Road (Quality Road), who rallied to a good-looking victory in the Sir Barton S. last weekend. Out of Pompa's War Front mare Sustained, who is also responsible for GSW Turned Aside (American Pharoah), the bay colt brought $90,000 from Dr. Aaron Sones at the 2020 Keeneland September just one month before Pompa's passing and was turned over to D. Wayne Lukas.

A second in the GII Rebel S. in February and fourth in the GIII Stonestreet Lexington S. in April earned Ethereal Road enough points for a spot in the GI Kentucky Derby starting gate. However, the day before the race, Lukas decided his colt needed more time and scratched, opening the door for upset winner Rich Strike (Keen Ice). The Hall of Fame conditioner still won a big prize that weekend thanks to GI Kentucky Oaks victress Secret Oath (Arrogate) and initially considered both sophomores for the GI Preakness S. Instead he sent the filly to the Classic and placed Ethereal Road in an easier spot on the undercard, which he won with ease.

“Ethereal Road was a big, physically forward yearling that we raised on the farm,” Ryan said. “From day one he was that way. I remember distinctly the order in which we showed yearlings at the farm in our September sale previews to potential buyers. He was the final yearling of each show because he completely filled your eye. Turned Aside had just come off his win in the [GIII] Quick Call S. at Saratoga, so for us at the farm, it was a very exciting time to showcase a yearling colt by Quality Road out of a young, successful producer. While he would keep the odd homebred each year to race, Mr. Pompa's plan was always to take this horse to the sale.”

Pompa's name could still be connected to the winner of a Triple Crown race this year in GI Belmont S. contender We the People (Constitution). Pete Bradley purchased the colt for $220,000 at the 2020 KEESEP sale on Pompa's behalf and he was turned over to Eddie Woods, who did the early conditioning on most of the businessman's horses. Instead of selling in the KEEJAN dispersal, We the People was sent through last year's Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream Sale, bringing $230,000 from WinStar Farm, who partnered with Siena Farm and CMNWLTH.

Opening his account with a pair of wins at Oaklawn this winter, the 'TDN Rising Star' found the waters a bit too deep in the GI Arkansas Derby Apr. 2, finishing seventh. But, the bay showed he just needed time, coming back to romp in Belmont's GIII Peter Pan S. May 14 and is now headed for the Test of a Champion June 11.

“He was always a nice horse,” Woods said. “He is by a good stallion. He is a tough, hardy horse like all the Constitutions are. He was a bit disappointing in the Arkansas Derby, but I think it was just too soon for him. He showed how good he is the other day and he is a really nice horse going forward.”

Woods said he was not surprised to see Pompa's continued effect on the industry.

“He had quite an impact because he paid both ends,” the Ocala-based horseman said. “He was a good breeder and a buyer. He bought at every level. He bought yearlings and 2-year-olds. He usually spent plenty of money. He was really easy to work for and deal with. He took bad news as well as he took good news. He was a very straight forward person. You just had to be honest with him all the time. That's all he asked of you. It is ironic now to see all these horses he was involved in winning graded stakes because he would have loved it. He was so into it. It showed he had the right stock.”

Ryan echoed similar sentiments, saying, “It was a tragedy that he passed at a time when he was prepared to retire and focus solely on his racing and breeding. He enjoyed every day of it, but as we've seen since the dispersal, there was so much more coming in the pipeline that he didn't get to experience. It's been so gratifying to see the Pompa graduates compete successfully at the top levels of our sport, but it's definitely bittersweet knowing how much enjoyment Mr. Pompa would be having if they were still in his colors. I can only imagine how proud he would be!”

With the likes of Regal Glory, Country Grammer, Ethereal Road and We the People competing at the top of the game this year and even more in the pipeline, Pompa's legacy will not only grow, but leave an even bigger impact than he could have ever imagined.

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Since then, Country Grammer has made only two starts, both abroad and both fruitful: he was second in the G1 Saudi Cup, a $20-million race in Riyadh on Feb. 26, earning $3.5 million; and he won the $12-million Dubai World Cup Saturday, collecting almost $7 million, giving the strapping colt who races for the partnership of Zedan Racing, WinStar and Commonwealth Thoroughbreds total earnings of $10,837,320.

Country Grammer's prize money from the Middle East has catapulted his Lane's End-based sire Tonalist from the back of the field to second place on North America's general sires list with year-to-date progeny earnings of $11,772,495, behind leader and fellow Lane's End sire Quality Road's $13,392,856. Quality Road himself was the beneficiary of a $10-million Middle Eastern boost, as it was his son Emblem Road who won the Saudi Cup from Country Grammer.

For context, Spendthrift's mighty Into Mischief, the leading sire of 2019, 2020, and 2021, sits in third place at the moment with progeny earnings of $6,779,549.

Quality Road and Into Mischief are top-class stallions and are fully booked; the former stands for $150,000 and the latter for $250,000. Tonalist, in contrast, isn't a proven horse, has only three crops racing (not including current 2-year-olds), and has a modest $10,000 fee this year, so he stands to benefit the most from the accumulated earnings of Country Grammer with half the breeding season still ahead of him.

In light of Country Grammer's exploits, a re-examination of Tonalist reveals a horse with impeccable credentials and one who has potential to separate himself from others standing in his fee range. For one, he's a son of the outstanding Tapit, who is establishing himself as a sire maker, notably with Constitution; he's a Classic winner at 12 furlongs (Gl Belmont S.) who also won Grade l races at 10 furlongs (Jockey Club Gold Cup) and eight furlongs (Cigar Mile); he's a standout physical specimen with significant scope and size, attributes he's clearly passed on to 5-year-old Country Grammer, a member of his first crop; and he's from the immediate family of Horse of the Year Havre de Grace, which is to say from the blue-blooded Toll Booth branch of Missy Baba, his fourth dam and also the fourth dam of A.P. Indy. Because Tapit is an A.P Indy-line sire, inbreeding to Missy Baba lurks in the background of Tonalist, too.

Essentially, Tonalist ticks every box, except for perhaps early maturity, and he is the sire of eight black-type winners so far through his first three crops. Among them is the good first-crop filly Tonalist's Shape, who won her first five starts from late September at two to late February at three, when she took the Gll Davona Dale S. at Gulfstream. It's worth noting that both she and Country Grammer are bred on the potent Tapit/Storm Cat cross.

Country Grammer

The type of horse that Country Grammer has developed into is exactly what you'd expect from Tonalist, and this could actually benefit the stallion moving forward. Early maturity, which is prized at 2-year-old sales, isn't exactly what Tonalist is about–he only made one start at two himself and was unplaced, though Country Grammer did sell and win at two. But Tonalist does have the potential to deliver a late fall 2-year-old or an early spring 3-year-old with the potential of staying 10 furlongs, which is what's increasingly sought after these days as the most promising Classics contenders' schedules are delayed to coincide with the high-points races for the Gl Kentucky Derby that are held in March and April. And continued development through four and five can have its own lucrative benefits these days, as Country Grammer has so aptly shown.

Bred by Scott and Debbie Pierce at their Omega Farm in Kentucky, Country Grammer was a $60,000 Keeneland September yearling and a $450,000 OBS April 2-year-old. He made his debut as an October 2-year-old at Belmont at a mile for trainer Chad Brown and owner Paul Pompa Jr., running fourth. He returned at Aqueduct in November to win his next start, a 9-furlong maiden special, which is as far as 2-year-olds are asked to run in North America and a strong indicator that 10 furlongs would be well within reach at three and beyond.

Aside from Tonalist, Country Grammer's pedigree contains some internal structural elements that indicated this as well. For instance, he is inbred 3×4 to Pleasant Colony and 5×5 to Nijinsky –two strong markers for stamina in pedigrees.

Moreover, his tail-female line goes back to filly Triple Crown winner Chris Evert, Country Grammer's fifth dam; Chris Evert won the GI Coaching Club American Oaks back in 1974 when that race was contested at 12 furlongs and held more prestige than the now-Gl Kentucky Oaks, which was a Grade ll race at that time at a mile and a sixteenth.

Juddmonte got into this family when it purchased Chris Evert's Nijinsky daughter Nijinsky Star–Country Grammer's fourth dam–for $700,000 at Keeneland November in 1987, carrying a foal by Conquistador Cielo, and the internationally renowned farm shaped this branch of Chris Evert that leads to Country Grammer.

This family includes, among others, the Juddmonte multiple Grade l winners Sightseek, by Distant View, and Tates Creek, by Rahy, both fillies produced from the Nureyev stakes winner Viviana, a daughter of Nijinsky Star.

Viviana is a full sister to Willstar, Country Grammer's third dam. Like Viviana, Willstar also produced a highest-level filly for Juddmonte in G1 Prix de la Foret winner Etoile Montante, a daughter of Miswaki. Also like Viviana, Willstar was mated to Juddmonte homebred Distant View, producing Prima Centauri, Country Grammer's second dam and a mare that's closely related to the aforementioned Sightseek.

Prima Centauri, unplaced in two starts, was culled by Juddmonte in 2001 and eventually came into the hands of Dixiana, which paid $270,000 for her at Keeneland November in 2005. She was carrying a colt by Forestry, who must have physically impressed Dixiana as a weanling, because the mare was bred back to Forestry in 2007, producing Arabian Song, Country Grammer's dam, in 2008.

The Forestry full brother to Arabian Song made $425,000 as a Keeneland September yearling but never raced. Arabian Song sold for only $40,000 at Keeneland September to Rabbah Bloodstock, but won one race from six starts, a $40,000 maiden claimer at Churchill.

The Pierces acquired Arabian Song after her racing career and bred her first five foals. Among them is the 4-year-old Runhappy Grade lll-placed filly Joyful Cadence, who'd sold for $90,000 as a weanling at Keeneland November in 2018 before making $235,000 as a yearling at Keeneland the next September. The Pierces also sold Arabian Song, in foal to Wicked Strong, at Keeneland November in 2018 for $5,000, to Abdul Aziz Al-Ateeqi, who sent the mare to Saudi Arabia. The Wicked Strong foal is a 3-year-old filly named Gharz (KSA), who is placed in four starts.

Country Grammer Ownership

The topsy-turvy auction history and ownership changes of this immediate family that include Saudi Arabian involvement extend to Country Grammer as well.

After Pompa died in October of 2020, his stock was dispersed at Keeneland January in 2021. Country Grammer, who, as noted earlier, had sold for $450,000 as a 2-year-old, had gone on to win the Glll Peter Pan S. at three and was among those in the sale. Elliott Walden, president and CEO of WinStar, knew of the colt's talents as he'd been in training at the farm, and he was able to surprisingly purchase the colt for the bargain price of $110,000 at the dispersal.

Sent to Bob Baffert, who'd trained Justify for WinStar and partners and had Into Mischief's Life Is Good as the 3-year-old stable star for WinStar and CHC Inc., Country Grammer blossomed last year to win the Hollywood Gold Cup S.

However, both Country Grammer and Life Is Good were transferred later to Todd Pletcher after “Bob got in the penalty box” after the Medina Spirit controversy at Churchill, Walden explained by phone Monday, after arriving in Miami from Dubai. Walden said that Country Grammer was unable to start for Pletcher, however, after sustaining a minor ankle injury and was sent back to WinStar to recover. He was then sent back to Baffert.

Somewhere around this time the colt's ownership changed as well. First Commonwealth, which sells microshares in horses, purchased 30% of Country Grammer, leaving WinStar a 70% stake, until Saudi Arabian Amr Zedan offered to buy the entire horse.

“Amr Zedan is great for the industry and so easy to deal with,” Walden said. “He just told us to put a price on the horse, and we agreed to sell 50% of the horse to him, so we–WinStar and Commonwealth–paired down our interests to bring him aboard.”

And the rest is interesting history. Flying the same Zedan silks as Medina Spirit, Country Grammer gave Amr Zedan some revenge on Life Is Good–the same colt Medina Spirit had chased early in his career.

Sid Fernando is president and CEO of Werk Thoroughbred Consultants, Inc., originator of the Werk Nick Rating and eNicks.

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Alms was game to deny Shifty She for the place, while Gift List checked in fourth.

Though typically near the pace or leading the way in her 16-race career, Regal Glory was last in the field in the early going. Alms and Shifty She were together at the front and led the way through fractions of 23.94 seconds, 48.03 and 1:11.98. Meanwhile, jockey Jose Ortiz guided Regal Glory to the outside on the run up the backstretch and began moving past other horses entering the turn.

“The '5' horse [Gift List] broke really sharp and took my position,” Ortiz said. “He broke a step faster than I did, but they went fast early and I was able to put her outside to follow Luis [Saez] on Sweet Melania – I rode her before and I know she likes the track and decided to follow her. At the three-eighths pole, I had a lot of horse and decided to go around everybody. You could see I had a lot of horse under me. She was just the best in the race.

“I was a little nervous early on because she didn't break that well, which she does sometimes,” trainer Chad Brown said. “Thankfully, Jose knows her so well and she's so good that she was able to overcome it. He rode a beautiful Plan B type of race. It didn't go his way the first part of it. Once he got her down the backside and following a live horse to move him up, it was really good judgment for him and the horse was there for him. I was proud of both of them.”

Godolphin's Alms, trained by Michael Stidham, was second at 19-1. Shifty She was third.

“I had a perfect trip,” said Alm's jockey Joel Rosario. “She dragged me up to the lead and it looked like she gave everything she got, just the winner came right by us. But she ran well. I was on the lead and then that horse came and put a little pressure there but she was fine with it, and then she came back a little bit the last part so that was good.”

Bred in Kentucky by Paul Pompa, Regal Glory is out of the multiple graded stakes-winning More Than Ready mare Mary's Follies. Pompa raced Regal Glory through her 2020 season, acquiring a trio of graded stakes wins on the turf, before Brant picked her up from the 2021 Pompa dispersal. Remaining in Brown's barn, Regal Glory got her first Grade 1 win at the end of 2021, capturing the Matriarch at Del Mar in late November.

Brant purchased Regal Glory in January 2021 for $925,000 at the disbursement sale of the late Paul Pompa's bloodstock. Following the Filly and Mare Turf victory, Brown said Brant might change his plans to retire her.

“She was scheduled to be bred to Into Mischief,” Brown said. “Mr. Brant and I were watching her train this week up at Payson, and we were remarking how sound she is and how great she looks at this age. We left it the morning, let's see how she runs and comes out of this race. It's not out of the question to run her at 6. So I'm going to let him enjoy this win, and we're going to look at the horse, and ultimately he's going to decide.”

Overall, Regal Glory has amassed a record of 10 wins and 4 seconds from 17 starts, for earnings of over $1.5 million.

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The field of six fillies and mares were all group or graded stakes winners, including Princess Grace, who was a last-out third in the G2 Goldikova on the Breeders' Cup undercard Nov. 6 at Del Mar, and Regal Glory, who shipped west from her last-out second-place finish in the First Lady at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky. With no obvious early speed in the race, the field broke evenly, Jose Ortiz taking advantage of the absence of a clear pacesetter to send Regal Glory to the lead by 2 1/2 lengths. Zofelle was second and Viadera third as Regal Glory set fractions of :24.06 and :48.50, controlling the pace around the first turn and down the backstretch.

Into the far turn, Regal Glory held a two-length lead, as Zoffelle and Viadera started their closing moves. The daughter of Animal Kingdom was able to maintain her lead down the stretch, striding out to a three-length lead in the last sixteenth. Zofelle held on for second, with Princess Grace passing Viadera late to take third.

The final time for the one-mile Matriarch was 1:35.33. Find this race's chart here.

Regal Glory paid $5.20, $3.00, and $2.10. Zofelle paid $5.40 and $3.00. Princess Grace paid $2.40.

Bred in Kentucky by the late Paul Pompa, Regal Glory is out of the More Than Ready mare Mary's Follies, a graded stakes winner. She is owned by Peter Brant and trained by Chad Brown, who scores his second stakes win of the day after Juddmonte Farm's Verbal won the G3 Cecil B. DeMille earlier on Sunday's card. Consigned by Lane's End, the 5-year-old mare was sold to White Birch Farm for $925,000 at the January 2021 Keeneland Horses of All Ages Sale. With her win in the G1 Matriarch, Regal Glory has three wins in five starts in 2021, for a lifetime record of 16-9-4-0 and career earnings of $1,244,884.

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Cafe Pharoah (American Pharoah), winner of this year's G1 February S. going a mile over the Tokyo dirt track (video) and one of 14 winners from 18 Japanese starters for his sire, switches to the grass for Sunday's $709,167 G3 Hakodate Kinen over the metric mile and a quarter at Hakodate Racecourse. The 4-year-old, bred by the late Paul Pompa, Jr., has an outstanding pedigree for the turf, as he is out of Mary's Follies (More Than Ready), a two-time graded winner on the grass, first for the late John Forbes in the 2009 GIII Boiling Springs S. and later for Pompa and Chad Brown in that year's GII Mrs. Revere S.

Mary's Follies has gone on to an outstanding career in the breeding shed, accounting for dual turf graded winner Night Prowler (Giant's Causeway) and 'TDN Rising Star' Regal Glory (Animal Kingdom), who saluted in the GII Lake Placid S. and GIII Lake George S. in 2019 before adding last year's GIII Kentucky Downs Ladies' Turf S. Following Pompa's unexpected passing last fall, Mary's Follies sold for $500,000 in foal to Curlin at Keeneland January, while Regal Glory fetched $925,000 as a racing/broodmare prospect from Peter Brant.

Leading rider Christophe Lemaire has the call on the $475,000 OBS March graduate from gate one in a field of 16.

4h CAFE PHAROAH (American Pharoah) final trackwork under Lemaire ahead of his debut run on Turf this weekend in the G3 2000m Hakodate Kinen.

A JRA G1 winner on Dirt, his only misses have come on the heavier NAR Dirt.

Seemed comfortable on Turf.pic.twitter.com/vHgAuHudH6

— Graham Pavey (@LongBallToNoOne) July 15, 2021

The progressive Lotus Land (Point of Entry) has earned her way back into group competition with three facile victories in a row and should have her fair share of backers in Sunday's $683,287 G3 Toyota Sho Chukyo Kinen at Kokura Racecourse.

Bred in Kentucky by Dr. Naoya Yoshida and Dr. Aaron Sones, has finished outside the top three just once in her career, when down the field in the G1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies in 2019, but is three-for-four in 2021, including a 1 3/4-length tally when last seen in the Listed Yonago S. going a mile at Hanshin June 19 (see below, gate 13).

One of a half-dozen females in a field of 12, Lotus Land will be ridden by Kota Fujioka in the nine-furlong test.

WATCH: Lotus Land winning the Listed Yonago S.

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Despite swirling uncertainties caused by the global pandemic, the market proved resilient and surprisingly deep when Keeneland staged its September Yearling Sale and November Breeding Stock Sale last fall. Sales officials look for those trends continue into the January marketplace.

“I think the November sale was similar to the September market,” said Keeneland’s Director of Sales Operations Geoffrey Russell. “In September, we were very apprehensive going into the second week about where we were going to be and it worked out very well. And it was the same in the November sale. We were worried about the middle and lower-end markets and they stood up very well. We hope all that continues on in January.”

The three dispersals in the January catalogue figure to increase interest in the auction.

“I think it will be a slightly different January sale as we’ve got three very nice dispersals in here,” Russell said. “Obviously, we’d prefer they weren’t dispersing, but if they had to, we are glad they are doing it with us.”

The Sam-Son Farm dispersal features 21 in-foal broodmares, all of whom were paraded before prospective buyers Saturday morning at Keeneland.

The dispersal of the late Paul Pompa, which is being handled by the Lane’s End consignment, includes 39 broodmares, yearlings, broodmare and stallion prospects and horses of racing age. The dispersal continued to generate updates as sale time approached, with homebred Carillo (Union Rags) tabbed a ‘TDN Rising Star’ with a debut win at Aqueduct Friday. Both the sophomore (hip 1556) and his dam, Proper Mad (Bernardini) (hip 793), will be offered at Keeneland this week.

The Spry dispersal with Hill ‘n’ Dale Sales Agency, agent, cataloged 46 broodmares and broodmare prospects, yearlings and racing prospects.

“The Sam-Son horses had a nice show this morning and the Pompa horses seem to be doing very well on the racetrack,” said Russell. “So that is all very positive. Quality dispersals, as these are, bring in more people.”

The January sale will be the third auction at which Keeneland will offer buyers the opportunity to bid on-line. It is an option, first necessitated by the coronavirus pandemic and ensuing travel restrictions, which continues to grow in popularity.

“We have the same system set up and we expect it to continue to be very popular,” Keeneland President Shannon Arvin said of the internet bidding. “It opens up a lot of doors.”

Russell added, “I think, of all the things we have done because of COVID, I think the internet bidding is definitely something that is here to stay. I think as each sale has gone on–not just ours, but at other sales companies, as well–I think buyers are getting more comfortable with it.”

The Keeneland January sale continues through Thursday with each session beginning at 10 a.m.

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PRICEY NYQUIST FIRSTER DEBUTS AHEAD OF JANUARY SALE
5th-Gulfstream, $50K, Msw, 3yo, 6f, post time: 2:05 p.m. ET
Less than a week before he sells as part of the complete dispersal of the estate of the late Paul Pompa, Jr., UNTREATED (Nyquist) gets his career underway Saturday afternoon. A son of GSP Fully Living (Unbridled’s Song), the bay colt was knocked down for $550K at KEESEP in 2019, the most expensive of his sire’s 44 first-crop yearlings reported as sold that year. Untreated’s second dam, Half A.P. (Pulpit), is a half-sister to champion Halfbridled (Unbridled). Chad Brown trains the April foal and has given the call to Irad Ortiz, Jr. Untreated, whose year-younger half-sister by Medaglia d’Oro fetched $800K as KEESEP last fall, is cataloged as hip 1564 at Keeneland next Thursday. TJCIS PPs

UNCLE MO COLTS DRAW INSIDE AND OUT GOING A MILE
7th-Gulfstream, $50K, Msw, 3yo, 1m, post time: 3:15 p.m. ET
ROSENQUIST (Uncle Mo) is a daughter of Not in Jest (Unbridled’s Song), a full-sister to ‘TDN Rising Star’ and GISW Cross Traffic, who was offered carrying this colt in utero at FTKNOV in 2017, but was led out unsold when bidding stalled out at $700K. The February-foaled bay, a $750K KEESEP acquisition, is the first foal from his dam, who is also responsible for the now juvenile colt Dr. Perry (Into Mischief), who made $690K at KEESEP in 2020; and a yearling filly by Medaglia d’Oro. First Task (Uncle Mo), a $300K KEENOV weanling, was successfully resold for $725K at KEESEP and is out of a daughter of SW Cascading (Smart Strike). The latter’s dam Teeming (Storm Cat), who produced GISW Streaming (Smart Strike) and SW Treasuring (Smart Strike), was a half-sister to GI Belmont S. winners Rags to Riches (A.P. Indy) and Jazil (Seeking the Gold), GSW Casino Drive and SW Man of Iron (Giant’s Causeway). TJCIS PPs

TOP-SELLING EXAGGERATOR COLT GETS GOING
7th-Santa Anita, $61K, Msw, 3yo, 1mT, post time: 6:05 p.m. ET
EXALTED JOY (Exaggerator) cost $400K as a KEESEP yearling, a price which was the joint most-expensive of Exaggerator’s 63 first-crop yearlings sold in 2019 and tops among his colts. The chestnut is out of Classic Joy (Kitten’s Joy), a daughter of MGSW & GISP Classic Stamp (Regal Classic), the dam of MSW Regal Conqueror (Sky Conqueror) and granddam of last year’s Breeders’ S. third English Conqueror (English Channel). Classic Joy was a $95K buyback at KEENOV in 2017. Earls Rock (Ire) (Fascinating Rock {Ire}) is an interesting foe making his U.S. debut. He was a first-out second Sept. 4 at Down Royal in Ireland to A Case of You (Ire) (Hot Streak {Ire}), who returned to take the G3 Anglesey S. in his next start. TJCIS PPs

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