Tag: peru

The Lieutenant, Justify’s Ill-Fated Half-Brother, Represented By First Winner At Saratoga

Nearly three years following the tragic slaughter of The Lieutenant, as well as three other stallions located at Haras Barlovento in Peru, where he was standing for the 2019 southern hemisphere season, the New York-based half-brother to Triple Crown champion Justify (Scat Daddy) was represented by his first winner at Saratoga.

A graded stakes winner who retired with a 4-2-1 record from 15 starts and $345,882 in earnings, The Lieutenant stood just a single season at Sequel Stallions New York where he bred a reported 46 mares before shipping south to Peru where, just four months later, he would be killed in a break in along with three other stallions at Haras Barlovento, which has since closed its operation.  His only crop of foals, numbered just 32, included Sunday's winner Vacation Dance.

After failing to meet his reserve at OBS March (:10), Vacation Dance brought $90,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale (:10.1) earlier this year. Making his career debut Sunday at 8-1, he was slow into stride and settled mid-pack in fifth while racing in the clear to the outside. Under a ride midway around the turn, Vacation Dance bid three wide past the quarter pole to take command at the top of the lane and, despite drifting out in the final furlong, he held steady to the line to just hold off Disarmed (Maclean's Music) by a head.

From the extended family of GI Woodward S. winner Art Collector (Bernardini), Vacation Dance has a yearling half-sister by Mucho Macho Man and a weanling half-sister by Heart to Heart. His dam was sent to Combatant for the 2023 season.

1st-Saratoga, $88,000, (S), Msw, 9-4, 2yo, 5 1/2fT, 1:03.52, fm, head.
VACATION DANCE (c, 2, The Lieutenant–Matinee Express, by Zensational) Sales History: $45,000 Ylg '21 EASOCT; $140,000 RNA 2yo '22 OBSMAR; $90,000 2yo '22 EASMAY. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $48,400. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
O-Sleeping Giant Stables, LLC, America's Pastime Stables & KimDon Racing, LLC; B-Harry Landry & James Hogan (NY); T-John C. Kimmel.

 

 

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Asmussen’s Next Target: Juan Suarez

The Week in Review by Bill Finley

Steve Asmussen moved past Dale Baird Saturday to become North America's all-time leading trainer in wins with 9,446. But for such a goal-oriented individual, it's no time to rest. To be number one in the world, Asmussen still has to catch Peruvian trainer Juan Suarez. And it won't be easy.

Suarez, as of Saturday, had 9,886 wins–or 440 more than Asmussen. On the same day that Asmussen won one race from 13 starters spread across four racetracks, Suarez had three wins on the Saturday card at Peru's only racetrack, the Hipodromo de Monterrico, which is in Lima.

Over the last five years, Suarez, 71, is averaging 315 wins a year, while Asmussen is averaging 390. That means he will likely chip away at Suarez's lead but could spend years trying to catch him. The main advantage Asmussen has is his age. He is 16 years younger than Suarez and will surely outlast him.

Suarez was born in Santiago, Chile and moved to Peru in 1963 at the age of 13. The family moved because Suarez's father, Juan Suarez, Sr., was hired as the trainer for Haras Barlovento, then among the leading stables in the country. The elder Suarez won the most prestigious race in Peru, the G1 Derby Nacional, eight times. Suarez worked as an assistant to his father before going out on his own in 1980 and won 116 races that year.

Much like Asmussen, he built up a huge stable that delivered year after year. From 2001 on, he has not had fewer than 200 winners in a year. He had a personal best 368 in 2013. He currently trains 210 horses and has had as many as 300 at times.

Asmussen enjoys advantages Suarez will never have. Not only does he have more horses than Suarez, but he has the ability to race at four or five tracks at a time. Suarez is restricted to running at Hipodromo de Monterrico.

Through an interpreter, Suarez said that his numbers are down because the stable is still dealing with COVID-19 issues. Though in his seventies, he shows no signs of slowing down and he is not contemplating retirement.

“I live for this activity and I do not have any plans for retirement,” he said. “I am still active in the field here in Peru and many horse owners still look to me because of my experience and our friendship.”

It seems that Asmussen and Suarez share many of the same attributes and both believe the key to success is hard work, putting together a good team and paying attention to every last detail.

“The most important thing is having a dedicated work team,” Suarez said. “You must also have support from your family because the job takes up so much of your time.”

“I was reading about Steve Asmussen and his having such a great memory,” said Suarez's nephew, Lexington-based bloodstock agent Dante Zanelli, Jr. “My uncle is just like that. He has a photographic memory. He has had as many as 300 horses at a time and he knows everything about every horse. He knows his horses and he remembers everything about them. That has a lot to do with his success. He is also an extremely good trainer and has great people working for him. It's very similar to what Steve Asmussen has.”

While Suarez wants to win, he is not consumed with winning.

“I don't focus too much on the wins,” he said. “I pay more attention to the work. I want everything to be OK, and then to see the result of the hard work done by my team and I.”

Suarez has had just one starter in the U.S. For the 2012 GII Breeders' Cup Marathon at Santa Anita, he brought over the Peruvian-bred mare Almudena (Per) (Silver Planet {Arg}). A Group 1 winner in her native country, she finished 10th with Jose Valdivia, Jr. aboard. Valdivia is Suarez's nephew. He is also related to retired jockey Fernando Toro, who is his brother-in-law.

“That was a great experience,” Suarez said. “We did not have much luck in that race but the experience and being able to celebrate the experience was amazing. I love how in the USA they make the experience even greater with the Breeders' Cup organization and all the attention to detail.”

He has also exported horses to the U.S., including a stakes winner at Hialeah. He trained Tomcito (Street Cry {Ire}) before sending him to Zanelli, then a trainer, for the 2008 GI Florida Derby, where he was third.

Zanelli said that his uncle has considered opening up a small stable at Del Mar.

“We have talked about that and the logistics involved and how to make it work,” Zanelli said “He's been talking to his owners about this and has been trying to get permission from the Jockey Club of Peru to open a stable at Del Mar. He'll explore that again for next year. He has a couple of pretty good horses that could win there. He'd like to have a stable with six to nine horses.”

With 12 horses entered Saturday at the Hipodromo de Monterrico, Suarez didn't have time to watch Asmussen move past Dale Baird, but he is well aware of Asmussen's accomplishments and he is an admirer.

“I know that Mr. Steve Asmussen is one of the top-tier horse trainers in the USA,” he said. “I also know that he has a lot of horses and a great work team and family. That shows why he is so successful. His breaking the record in the USA shows the great work ethic that he has. I know the sacrifices you must make to train horses, for the trainer, the family and the team that works with him. It is particularly difficult in such a competitive horse racing country as it is in the USA. I wish the best to Mr. Asmussen and congratulate him for the enormous achievement he has accomplished.”

Panza Left His Mark on Saratoga and NYRA

The paid attendance Saturday at Saratoga for the card topped by the GI Whitney S. was 38,525 and the all-sources handle was $36,820,234. Yes, Saratoga sells itself, but those numbers may not have been possible without NYRA Senior Vice President of Racing Operations Martin Panza. Panza announced his resignation last week. He will work through the end of the Belmont fall meet.

Panza “got it.” He loves racing and is always happy to roll his sleeves up and get to work to make it better. Two of his primary innovations were on display Saturday and contributed to the card's success. He put together the successful turf series for 3-year-old males and fillies that includes the $1-million GI Saratoga Derby Invitational run Saturday. He's also an advocate of creating “Super Saturdays” at the NYRA tracks. Saturday's card didn't include just the Whitney, it had five stakes races and three Grade I's. He turned the card for the GI Belmont S. into a day that goes well beyond the Belmont itself. Next to the two Breeders' Cup Days, it is the best card on the year.

His successor will have big shoes to fill.

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Breeders’ Cup Challenge: Filly & Mare Turf Berth On The Line In Peru

Stud El Castillo's Esperanza Blanca and Stud Ehden's Sissy Chanel, the first two finishers in the Clasico Republica Argentina (G3), lead 14 starters in Saturday's 1 ¼-mile Gran Premio Pamplona (G1) at Hipodromo Monterrico in Peru. The Gran Premio Pamplona winner will receive an automatic berth into this year's US$2 million Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1) through the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series.

The Breeders' Cup Challenge Series is an international series of 84 stakes races whose winners receive automatic starting positions and fees paid into a corresponding race of the Breeders' Cup World Championships, which will be held at Del Mar racetrack in Del Mar, California on Nov. 5-6.

As part of the benefits of the Challenge Series, Breeders' Cup will pay the entry fees for the Gran Premio Pamplona winner to start in the Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf, which will be run at 1 3/8 miles at Del Mar. Breeders' Cup will also provide a travel allowance of US$40,000 for all starters based outside of North America to compete in the World Championships.

Esperanza Blanca, bred in Kentucky by Calumet Farm, is a 4-year-old chestnut daughter of Grey Swallow (IRE). In the May 29 Republica Argentina, Esperanza Blanca, trained by David Prieto, came from fourth place inside the final furlong and wore down her rivals in deep stretch to finish a length ahead of Sissy Chanel. That was her fourth career victory and her first triumph in four starts this year. In her three previous stakes races in 2021, she finished third and then had two runner-up placings. Victor Salazar will ride Esperanza Blanca, breaking from post seven.

Sissy Chanel, bred in Kentucky by Azienda Agricola Valle Falcone, was Peru's champion turf mare of 2020. Sissy Chanel also has an impressive Breeders' Cup pedigree: A 4-year-old chestnut daughter of 2011 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) winner Tapizar out of Passing By (GB) by 2008 Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) winner Raven's Pass. Trained by Juan Suarez, Sissy Chanel won four consecutive turf races last year at Monterrico, culminating with a 1 ¼-length triumph in the 9-furlong Clasico Mary July in October. She began this year with a second-place finish to Grenas (PER) in the Clasico Ala Moana on Jan. 29, but returned on March 27 and posted a 2 ½-length victory over Esperanza Blanca in the 1 ¼-mile Clasico Ernesto Ayulo Pardo. A winner of six races in nine turf starts, Sissy Chanel will be ridden by Martin Chuan from post three.

The 7-year-old Grenas, a homebred of Haras Los Azahares, has won 10 races. A gray daughter of Meal Penalty out of Belle Breeze by Powerscourt (GB), Grenas comes into the race off a victory by a head in the 1-mile Clasico Sambi at Monterrico on May 12. Trained by Andreas Arredondo, the Sambi win came after four consecutive defeats following her triumph in the Ala Moana. Ronald Ramos has the mount on Grenas, breaking from post one.

Stud Arriba Arequipa's gray/roan 3-year-old Reina de Mollendo (ARG) has won three of her five starts for trainer Luis Olivares, but will be stepping back into stakes company following two easy allowance sprint victories over the course. A gray/roan filly by Mastercraftsman (IRE), Reina de Mollendo finished second by 1 ¼ lengths to stablemate Salmation (PER) in a 1 1/8-mile allowance on May 28, which was her most recent start. Miguel Vilcarima will ride Reina de Mollendo from post 10.

Stud El Herraje's 3-year-old Salmation, Peru's 2020 champion turf 3-year-old filly, captured 1 ¼-mile Clasico Oscar Berckemeyer Pazos (G3) last October. After three defeats this year, Salmation, also trained by Olivares, returned to the winner's circle with back-to-back allowance scores at 1 1/8 miles on May 1 and May 28 at Monterrico. Salmation will be ridden by Carlos Herrera from post five.

Another intriguing starter, making her turf debut after six races on dirt, is Stud Augusta's 3-year-old Quinta Nota. Bred in Kentucky by Charles Fipke, this dark bay or brown daughter of Tale of Ekati won the 1 ¼-mile Clasico Enrique Ayulo Pardo, a Group 1, by 4 ¾ lengths last October in her second start. Trained by Alfonso Arias Rodriguez and ridden from post 14 by Roy Melgarejo, Quinta Nota lost her next three races before capturing the 1 1/8-mile Clasico Portadora by 3 ½ lengths on May 21.

The Gran Premio Pamplona is the third “Win and You're In” race in this year's Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf division. Queen Supreme (SAF) was the first to gain a free berth into the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf when she won the Cartier Paddock Stakes (G1) at Kenilworth Racecourse in South Africa on Jan. 9. Gran Alegria (JPN) was the next horse to receive an invitation when she captured the Victoria Mile (G1) on May 16 at Tokyo Racecourse in Japan.

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‘Everything I Know I Learned From Him’: Hall Of Famer Prado Returns To Riding After Loss Of Father

Nearly a month since his last mount – and after traveling to Peru to mourn the loss of his father – Hall of Fame jockey Edgar Prado will return to the saddle Saturday at Gulfstream Park.

“It happened suddenly,” said Prado of the death of his father, Jose. “I went to see him in the hospital, but he passed away before I could get there.”

Prado, one of 12 children, said returning to Peru has brought back a lot of memories, feelings, and appreciation.

“Everything I know I learned from him,” said Prado of his father, an assistant trainer and groom. “He was very dedicated to his horses, and I learned to love and respect horses through him.

“When you go back you start thinking, especially when you start opening boxes of memories. Your mind starts to go back, and you think about everything that has happened in your life. You realize in order to achieve success sometimes you have to risk something…you pay the price of missing parents and family. But maybe I would have missed more if I didn't take the chance.”

Prado returns Saturday with two mounts for trainer Timothy Hamm. In the second race, Prado rides the debuting 2-year-old colt Cloud Play, a son of Into Mischief bred and owned by Patricia Pavlish. In the fifth, a maiden claiming event on the turf, Prado rides Mission Brief.

Prado, who is represented by agent Cliff Hopmans, is three wins shy of 7,100 and is ranked eighth all-time in wins. The 53-year-old is 45 wins shy of surpassing Chris McCarron for seventh. Prado, who makes his home in South Florida, says he is looking forward to getting back in the saddle.

“I feel good, physically and mentally,” he said. “My kids want me to stop, but I like what I'm doing. I feel a passion for the game, and I love winning and riding.”

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