Bradley Thoroughbreds’ True to Retire

Vicky True, Bradley Thoroughbreds' longest tenured employee, will retire at the end of October, according to the bloodstock agency.

“Just over 22 years ago, Vicky joined the Bradley Thoroughbreds team as the office administrator and has been a steadfast team member ever since,” said the release. “She has managed all Bradley Thoroughbreds stallion season contracts and worked in conjunction with all major farms in the area to ensure our business runs smoothly. Always the first to greet a visitor in the office or answer the phone, Vicky has been the first line of defense at Bradley Thoroughbreds for more than two decades.”

True is a graduate of the University of Kentucky and prior to joining the Bradley Thoroughbreds team, worked at some of the most prestigious farms in Central Kentucky, including Spendthrift, Gainesway, Hill 'n' Dale, and Darby Dan.

“Bradley Thoroughbreds is proud to have counted Vicky as a member of our team for so many years and we wish her a wonderful and well-deserved retirement,” the agency said.

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Unbeaten Argentine Star La Renoleta Returns Saturday At Oaklawn Park

When the racing world last saw Argentine-bred star La Renoleta, she was crushing allowance opponents early last year at Oaklawn in an audition for one of the country's biggest two-turn races for older fillies and mares.

Then, there was an injury. Now, there's a comeback.

Unbeaten La Renoleta (5 for 5) is scheduled to make her first start in over a year in Saturday's seventh race at Oaklawn, a 1-mile allowance, for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen.

After winning her first four career starts in Argentina, including the Estrellas Distaff (Gr. 1) in June 2019 – her last race in South America – La Renoleta was privately purchased by Kentucky bloodstock agent Peter Bradley III (Bradley Thoroughbreds) and sent to Asmussen in the United States.

La Renoleta resurfaced in a Feb. 8, 2020, allowance race at 1 1/16 miles and was a 9 ¾-length winner under perennial Oaklawn riding champion Ricardo Santana Jr., earning a solid 89 Beyer Speed Figure in her American debut. Bradley said La Renoleta was being considered for Oaklawn's $1 million Apple Blossom Handicap (G1) when a minor soft-tissue injury was discovered, prompting a lengthy break from racing.

“While it wasn't career ending, it was one of those things that took a long time to come around,” Bradley said Thursday morning. “We gave her every bit of time she needed, so it looks like she's back on top of her game and we can't wait for her to run this weekend.”

Bradley assembles racing partnerships, or racing ventures, focusing primarily on fillies. After dipping into South America to privately purchase Chilean-bred filly Dacita, who became a multiple Grade 1 winner in the United States for four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown, Bradley said he began tracking La Renoleta in June 2019 before finalizing a deal roughly three months later.

A 6-year-old daughter of grass standout Treasure Beach (a Grade 1 winner in the United States and Group 1 winner in Europe), La Renoleta will again be running at Oaklawn following a lengthy layoff. Bradley said retirement was never seriously considered following her injury, adding four months of recovery stretched to seven out of caution.

“There was a hemorrhage along with it, that made it look worse,” Bradley said. “Essentially, we just wanted to be extra careful and we took some time. Knock on wood, it's paid off. We may have even overreacted a little bit, but that's OK. We wanted to make sure she's 100 percent. That's what we have right now.”

Bradley said La Renoleta resumed training around New Year's Day. The mare has seven published workouts at Oaklawn since March 10 in advance of her 2021 debut.

“We figured she would be ready for a spring/summer campaign,” Bradley said. “We hoped we could have been ready early in the Oaklawn meet and could have made a decision on the Apple Blossom. There's two ways you find out if a horse is ready to run. The horses tell you and then Steve tells you.”

Mexican champion Letruska won last Saturday's $1 million Apple Blossom (G1), nosing out two-time Eclipse Award winner Monomoy Girl. La Renoleta's allowance race is an “extra,” meaning it wasn't in the condition book and is a substitute race written by Oaklawn racing secretary Pat Pope. Bradley said Saturday's comeback spot isn't a prep for something specific, just a gateway to, hopefully, graded stakes events this summer.

“We always hope to do that with them, if they look like they've got this type of talent,” Bradley said. “Again, one step at a time. We've got this race Saturday. After that, we'll see. If she runs up to our expectations, we'll most probably look for a stakes race. If it turns out that she needs a race, we'll go to Plan B. I would hope that some races at Saratoga would be in her future this summer, some of their top races.”

Co-owners of La Renoleta are Swift Thoroughbreds Inc. (Mark Mache), Paul Braverman and Tim and Anna Cambron. Bradley, in partnership, won the $200,000 Bayakoa Stakes (G3) for older fillies and mares in 2019 at Oaklawn with the Asmussen-trained She's a Julie.

La Renoleta is the 8-5 program favorite for Saturday's seventh race at Oaklawn, which carries a $107,000 purse. Probable post time is 4:04 p.m. (Central).

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Grade 1 Winner She’s A Julie Retired, To Be Offered At Fasig-Tipton November Sale

She's a Julie (2015, mare by Elusive Quality out of Kydd Gloves) has been retired from racing.

“Simply put, 'Julie' is incredible,” said Peter Bradley of Bradley Thoroughbreds, “There are not enough words to express the admiration and gratitude I have for this mare who fiercely laid it down on the track every time we asked her to. With that said, back in the barn she is the sweetest mare in the world. I cannot thank 'Julie' enough for all that she has done for Bradley Thoroughbreds and her co-owners.”

She's a Julie finishes her career with earnings of $1,196,380 claiming two Grade 1's along with winning graded stakes at three, four, and five years of age. Her dam Kydd Gloves has the unique distinction of being one of 56 foals from the only crop of Godolphin's international champion Dubai Millennium.

She's a Julie made her 2-year-old debut a winning one under the Twin Spires at Churchill Downs. At three, 'Julie' began showing her true talent with victories in the Grade 3 Iowa Oaks and G3 Remington Park Oaks. Between those two victories was a runner-up effort in the G1 Alabama at Saratoga Race Course.

She kicked off her 4-year-old campaign with an authoritative victory in the G3 Bayakoa at Oaklawn Park before notching her first G1 win in the La Troienne at Churchill Downs. The remainder of 2019 saw her place in three graded stakes including the G1 Personal Ensign.

In her final season, She's a Julie turned in her most gutsy performance getting up in the shadow of the wire to win the prestigious G1 Ogden Phipps at Belmont Park.

When asked about She's a Julie, Steve Asmussen noted, “Her talent was obvious with two Grade 1 wins on top of her other graded stakes wins and Grade 1 placings. She was the real deal on the racetrack, but you have got to see her in person to understand what a beautiful mare she is. Named after my wife, she is so very special to me and my family. It is really hard for me to let this one go.”

Bradley added, “I would be remiss not to thank Carrol and Stacy Castille, the original owners who are responsible for naming her for Steve's wife Julie, for allowing us to jump on this incredible adventure. Under the tutelage of Steve Asmussen, Scott Blasi, Darren Fleming, Ronnie Warner, Toby Sheets and the entire Asmussen team, 'Julie' was able to show her extraordinary talent and was always cared for like the most exceptional individual that she is. The bond she shared with her regular rider Ricardo Santana Jr. is undeniable. When Julie needed a respite to prepare for her five-year-old campaign, we entrusted her care to Becky Maker. To 'Julie's' entire team, thank you. Although her retirement from racing is the end of an era, one thing is for certain, 'Julie' has a big team rooting her on in her next career!”

She's a Julie will be offered as a broodmare prospect with Denali Stud at the 2020 Fasig-Tipton November “Night of the Stars” Sale on Sunday, Nov. 8 in Lexington, Ky.

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How Much Was That Horse Worth? Max Player Valued At Seven Figures After Withers Score

A win on the Kentucky Derby trail can change a horse's value drastically, and a February assessment released by co-owner SportBLX Thoroughbreds Corp. showed that Kentucky Derby hopeful Max Player was valued well into the seven figures following his win in the Grade 3 Withers Stakes.

A February 19 assessment by Peter Bradley of bloodstock agency Bradley Thoroughbreds gave Max Player a “Fair Market Value” of $1.75 million, shortly after his 3 1/4-length Withers win at Aqueduct on Feb. 1.

Of course, a lot has changed since mid-February, including Max Player's likely fair market value. The valuation came before the COVID-19 pandemic shuffled the economy and the 2020 racing calendar, especially in the spring, where many traditional Kentucky Derby preps were canceled or postponed, affecting the Honor Code colt's present and future earning potential.

On the other side of the coin, Max Player is now a classic-placed runner after finishing third in the Belmont Stakes on June 20, and the qualifying points he earned in that effort all but clinched a spot in the gate for the Derby in September. Punching that ticket would be worth something to a buyer trying to get in the race, and that possibility is reflected in Bradley's assessment.

Though it's outdated now for the individual, the February valuation can provide a useful – and somewhat rare to the public – snapshot of what a 3-year-old colt in a similar stage of his career might be worth on paper.

The criteria for assigning fair market value to a Thoroughbred can vary from person to person, accounting for differences of opinion, method, and preference. As has been seen in the wide disparity between assessment and value at auction in the Zayat Stables dispersal, a bloodstock agent's valuation is not a binding assignment of value if the parties disagree, but an expert's opinion is an invaluable tool in guiding the conversation between the two sides of a transaction, and for other matters including insurance.

In his correspondence with Joseph De Perio of Sport BLX published on the company's website, Bradley said he reviewed Max Player's race record and pedigree, and assessed the horse's physical conformation through video provided by trainer Linda Rice. Veterinary assessments were not performed as part of the analysis, and Bradley noted that the valuation was based on the colt being “insurable and sound.” Rice vouched for Max Player's soundness and “noted that to the best of her knowledge he has not had any surgeries or intra-articular joint injections.”

In the letter, Bradley wrote;

“Based on information and videos received from Linda Rice, MAX PLAYER is a big strong colt standing 16-2 hands tall. From the videos, he appears to have long pasterns and is offset (2/5) through his left knee. He has a slightly high neck tie but moves nicely at the walk. These observations are supported by the fact that the colt RNA'd as a yearling for $150,000. While the conformational flaws could have affected his value as a yearling, they are not significant and should not affect the horse's soundness. All in all, he is an above average individual and for the purpose of this appraisal has been given a B+ physical rating.”

As expected, much of Bradley's assessment centers on Max Player's ability to enter the Kentucky Derby, arguably the biggest economic driver for any young horse.

At the time, Max Player had 10 qualifying points for the Derby, by virtue of his Withers score. This ranked him 19th among eligible contenders as of mid-February, but Bradley noted the colt would likely need significantly more points to ensure a spot in the race. The average cutoff point for the previous three Derbies was 33 points.

With so much still to be determined on the Derby trail at that point, Bradley's next point of assessment came in projecting his likelihood of making it to Louisville by seeing how he stacked up against the other 3-year-olds vying for one of the 20 spots. He did this by using comparative speed figures, including Beyer Speed Figures and Ragozin Sheet numbers, the distances of his previous races, pedigree history, and his placement on Derby rankings put out by the Daily Racing Form, BloodHorse, and Thoroughbred Daily News.

Based on the doors that were open for him at the time, and the ability that Max Player had already shown winning two of his first three starts, Bradley said the colt had what it took to be in the Derby mix, and that was worth something.

Bradley further elaborated:

“In 2017 the North American thoroughbred foal crop was 22,156 foals, and MAX PLAYER has the racing credentials to be considered one of the top 20 candidates from that foal crop to potentially participate in the KY Derby. He still needs a win or enough points to make the cut and would be considered to be in the bottom half of the top 20 possible. Nonetheless, a colt that is on the Kentucky Derby trail is valued at a premium price. 19 of the 20 Derby starters will be worth significantly less the day after the race.”

SportBLX is an agency that offers investment opportunities in athletes, sports teams, and racehorses. The company is owned by George Hall, who owns and bred Max Player. The colt will target the G1 Travers Stakes for his next start.

On Tuesday, SportBLX announced a second round of public investment in Max Player, through its Annestes Thoroughbreds program, which focuses on ownership in Kentucky-breds raised at Hall's Versailles, Ky., farm. SportBLX owns a 14-percent stake in Max Player.

To view Max Player's full assessment, click here.

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