Tag: Peter Pan Stakes

Arcangelo Tunes Up for Belmont

Blue Rose Farm's Arcangelo (Arrogate), last-out winner of the GIII Peter Pan S., worked five furlongs in 1:02.81 (2/5) at Belmont Park Wednesday in preparation for the June 10 GI Belmont S. New York Racing Association clockers caught the grey galloping out six-furlongs in 1:15 4/5 and seven-furlongs in 1:28 4/5. Javier Castellano was in the irons.

“He's a nice, beautiful-moving horse and he did it easy. He's a good work horse. In the morning, you can work him :59 if you wanted,” Castellano said. “We all know that [the Belmont is] a mile and a half and you don't want to go crazy with a bullet work. We just give him a good foundation and I think we both agree we let him do what he wants to do in the morning and be happy. You can see he's a very happy horse and he goes to the post nice–very relaxed, comfortable rhythm. I let him gallop out and in the turn I asked him a little bit and he took off and had a good open gallop. He's a big horse, long beautiful stride. He likes to reach for more ground. The farther he can go, the more he's comfortable.”

Trained by Jena Antonucci, Arcangelo broke his maiden going one mile at Gulfstream in March and was making his stakes debut when getting his head in front on the line in the nine-furlong Peter Pan. The Belmont will be the ridgling's first start around two turns.

“It's not a secret he hasn't gone two turns yet and that's the obvious conversation and we talked a lot about that,” Antonucci said. “The second half of the work was more important for me than the first half. Going off, he was super relaxed and that's what we were looking for–I didn't want him dragging Javier to the pole and him having to take any natural ability momentum away from him. He did that perfectly and Javier was a statue aboard the horse. We wanted to get that second turn around him and Javier was concerned to smooch at him too much.”

Antonucci will be starting her first horse in a Triple Crown race as Arcangelo looks to become the first Peter Pan winner since Tonalist won the Belmont in 2014.

“They're all special, and not the be cliche, but my job is to stay out of his way,” Antonucci said. “It [the opportunity] doesn't fall on deaf ears. It's special–if it's 10 in the gate or 11 in the gate of that entire foal crop, that's a very small percentage. So, I definitely don't lose sight of that and I'm very blessed to have the opportunity and for the team to have the opportunity. They've put in a lot of work and they deserve it.”

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We the People Makes a Strong Declaration in Seasonal Bow

5th-Keeneland, $130,000, Alw (NW3$X)/Opt. Clm ($100,000), 4-28, 4yo/up, 1 1/8m, 1:50.29, gd, 3 lengths.
WE THE PEOPLE (c, 4, Constitution–Letchworth, by Tiznow) was last seen in Parx's crowning GI Pennsylvania Derby as MGISW Taiba (Gun Runner), GISW Zandon (Upstart), and MGISW Cyberknife (Gun Runner) went on to fill the trifecta. Before that, he'd made a name for himself on the back of a 10 1/4-length score in the GIII Peter Pan S., and then ran fourth in the GI Belmont S. next out as stablemates GISW Mo Donegal (Uncle Mo) and Champion 3-year-old filly, MGISW Nest (Curlin) rounded a big day for their–now shared–conditioner. Making said trainer change from Rodolphe Brisset to Todd Pletcher for this start, the betting public was not dissuaded by the lengthy layoff as they made the good looking colt the 3-5 favorite, and were not disappointed. Jumping fairly and setting the pace with ears pricked, the dark bay cruised through the first turn and shifted down to the two path as a pair of challengers pressed the point nearing the final bend. Inching away at the three furlong pole, he widened his margin of advantage to three lengths as Britain's Kitten (Big Blue Kitten) came on for second.

Out of a daughter of GISW Harmony Lodge (Hennessy), We the People is her most accomplished offspring thus far. He has a 3-year-old half-brother Absolutely Certain (Always Dreaming) as well as two other younger half-brothers–a 2-year-old by Audible and a yearling by More Than Ready. Letchworth is a half to MGSP Armistice day (Declaration of War) and GSW Stratford Hill (A.P. Indy). This is the female family of GISP Graeme Hall (Dehere) and GISW Pinehurst (Twirling Candy). Sales history: $110,000 Wlg '19 KEENOV; $220,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP; $230,0002yo '21 FTFMAR. Lifetime Record: GSW, 8-4-1-0, $524,843. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
O-WinStar Farm LLC, Bobby Flay, CMNWLTH and Siena Farm LLC; B-Henley Farms Inc. (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher.

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The Week in Review: Just What is Jason Servis Thinking

A Jan. 23 trial date for the Jason Servis case was announced last week, which means in about eight months there will be some closure and Servis will learn his fate. The way he has handled things, it seems that he is at least somewhat optimistic that he will be found not guilty. If so, he is deluding himself. Everything about this case says that he has virtually no chance of being acquitted.

Which raises a question: why is he fighting this when it makes far more sense to go to the government and cut a deal that will result in less prison time?

Has Servis not been paying attention? So far, the government is undefeated, unscored upon and running up the score. They have gotten a number of people to plead guilty, including Jorge Navarro, who is rotting away in prison. Seth Fishman and Lisa Giannelli fought and took their cases to court and in both cases the jury didn't have time to order lunch before convicting them. Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil, who is one tough cookie, has never shown so much as an ounce of sympathy for the dopers, alleged and otherwise.

Not that any of this should come as a surprise. Going to federal court and winning a criminal case brought by the federal government is nearly impossible. According to a survey by the Pew Research Center, 90% of those indicted in federal cases in 2018 pled guilty. Eight percent of all cases were dismissed and 2% went to trial. The end result is that in 2018, only 320 of 79,704 total federal defendants went to trial and won their cases, at least in the form of an acquittal.

The government's m.o. is to build cases against defendants that are so solid that a conviction is all but assured. That's the case with Servis. They say they have numerous wiretapped phone conversations in which he talks about drugging his horses. In one, he was allegedly caught saying that he gave the drug SGF-1000 to virtually all of the horses under his care. In court, when pleading guilty, veterinarian Kristian Rhein implicated Servis, testifying that he sold him illegal, performance-enhancing drugs. The prosecution has done an excellent job.

What, then, could possibly be Servis's defense? I can't even begin to think of one. I'm not a lawyer, but isn't this the very definition of being caught red-handed?

Then there's the matter of legal fees. Servis has hired a big-time lawyer in Rita Galvin, who represented former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo in his battle over sexual harassment charges. The meter has been running for a long time and there's no doubt that Lawyer Galvin gets a hefty fee for her services.

The longest sentence handed out so far has been the five years given to Navarro. But for Servis, it could be far worse. In a superceding indictment issued in November, 2020, the charges of mail and wire fraud conspiracy were added to the original charges of drug adulteration and misbranding. The maximum sentence for drug adulteration and misbranding is five years. The maximum sentence for wire and mail fraud is 20 years. Now facing a possible sentence of 25 years, the 65-year-old Servis may well spend the rest of his life in prison.

If he takes the case to trial, the government has no incentive to go easy on him. If he loses, he is going to go to prison for a long time. The 25 years, or something close to it, is a possibility. That's why he needs to cut a deal. Why not ask that the mail and wire fraud charges be dropped and agree to plead guilty to the drug adulteration and misbranding charges?

Yes, Servis is innocent until proven guilty. Yes, he is entitled to his day in court. But he's heading down a path that is no doubt going to dead-end in his being convicted. Does he not realize this? Did he, after so many years of allegedly doping horses and not getting caught, come to think he is a bulletproof? This is not going to end well for him.

Short Fields in Stakes Races

Six graded stakes races were conducted Saturday and four of them had five-horse fields. The other two were the GIII Peter Pan S., which featured eight runners, and the GIII Beaugay S., which had a field of seven. The average field size for the six races was 5.83.

The most glaring example was the GI Man o'War S. It had all the elements that normally attract decent sized fields. It's a Grade I, the purse is $700,000 and it's a grass race. Still, after a scratch, only five runners went to the post.

This is an on-going problem and it's getting worse all of the time. You're even seeing a race like the GI Apple Blossom H., worth $1 million, attract only five horses.

The foal crop keeps falling and the top horses have never raced more infrequently. But there's been no adjustment when it comes to stakes racing. We're left with a situation where there are too many stakes races and not enough horses to fill them. It might be a tough ask to ask tracks to eliminate a meaningful number of their stakes races, but that's exactly what needs to happen.

Alabama-Bred Siblings Duke It Out

You probably haven't been paying much attention to the Alabama breeding program, which has been hanging on by a thread since the Birmingham Turf Club closed years ago. But there still is such a thing as an Alabama-bred and with no racing in the state they occasionally show in special races carded just for them in Louisiana. That was the case Saturday night at Evangeline Downs, which produced a racing oddity. Three of the five starters in the $25,000 race were full-siblings. Two Mikes N Doc G, Liken It and Kellys the Boss are all by Doc N Bubba G out of the mare Ausbrook and were bred by Kent and Lisa Gremmels. They finished behind Foolish Steve (Mosquiot). Among the brothers and sisters, Two Mikes N Doc G fared best, finishing third.

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Constitution’s We the People Takes Flight in Peter Pan

'TDN Rising Star' We the People (Constitution) put on a show for those that braved the rain at Belmont Saturday–and the fans watching at home–with a dominant and seemingly effortless victory in the GII Peter Pan S., the local prep for the GI Belmont S. June 11.

Dispatched as the 5-2 second choice behind 2-1 favorite Set Sail (Malibu Moon), We the People broke alertly and hustled up to take immediate control. Clicking off opening splits of :23.46 and :47.24 on a clear lead, the bay was still well within himself under a motionless Flavien Prat turning for home. Prat shook the reins at the colt at the top of the lane and We the People instantly responded, opening up on the field with ease to win for fun by 10 1/4 lengths. Golden Glider (Ghostzapper) was the runner-up with Electability (Quality Road) in third. Favored Set Sail never made any impact, finishing sixth.

“[In the Arkansas Derby] Everyone broke well and all sent [for the lead] so I found myself wide and had to take back, drop in, and he didn't understand what I wanted from him from that point on,” Prat said. “Today, he broke well and got me into the race. I wanted a clean trip and to be in the clear and see what he could do from there. He responded really well.”

“We know how good he is,” said winning trainer Rodolphe Brisset, who also saddled fourth-place Western River (Tapit). “He's just his own enemy sometimes because he's a little cocky. Today was good. He got a little warm in the paddock and we gave him a shower and you could see he kind of relaxed and was drying up. I thought the warmup was good compared to Arkansas. Of course, if we bring one all the way here it's because we thought he had a shot to do that. He can run on anything. He's one of those kind.”

As for running one or both of his pupils in the Belmont, Brisset said, “We [brought] both here to see if we could consider the Belmont. Obviously, We the People passed the test and I think I'll have to watch the replay and take my time and wait 10 days to decide on Western River. He only got beat [less than] a half-length for second. I don't think the race set up for him too because they went in :47 1/5 and it wasn't really fast enough to make that big kick. We know the two turns may be the key, too, for Western River.”

A $110,000 KEENOV weanling turned $220,000 KEESEP yearling, We the People summoned $230,000 from WinStar at the Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream Sale after breezing in :10 3/5 as part of the dispersal of the estate of the late Paul Pompa. He is the third former Pompa horse to win a graded stakes this year, following G1 Dubai World Cup winner Country Grammar (Tonalist) and GI Jenny Wiley S. victress Regal Glory (Animal Kingdom).

Graduating by 5 3/4 lengths going a mile on debut at Oaklawn Feb. 12, We the People earned the 'Rising Star' nod when repeating that effort in an Oaklawn optional claimer exactly one month later. Attempting to get on the GI Kentucky Derby trail, he ran in the Apr. 2 GI Arkansas Derby–his first start without Lasix–but failed to fire, finishing seventh.

Pedigree Notes:
We The People is the second son of Constitution to win the Peter Pan, following 2021 victor Promise Keeper. He is the 21st worldwide graded winner (13 NH & 8 SH) and 34th worldwide black-type scorer (22 NH & 12 SH) for the young WinStar phenom. The colt is also the 29th graded victor and 54th black-type winner out of a daughter of the pensioned Tiznow. We the People is bred on the same Constitution/Tiznow cross as the stallion's best son, Tiz the Law, whose quartet of Grade I wins includes the Belmont S., albeit that was the year it was run at 1 1/8 miles as the first leg of the Triple Crown in 2020.

We the People's unraced dam Letchworth is a daughter of GI Ballerina H. winner Harmony Lodge (Hennessy), who also produced SW & MGSP Armistice Day (Declaration of War) and GSW Stratford Hill (A.P. Indy). Harmony Lodge's dam is GSW Win Crafty Lady (Crafty Prospector), who is responsible for MGSW & GISP millionaire and sire Graeme Hall (Dehere) and GSW Win McCool (Giant's Causeway). This is also the family of Grade I winners Magnum Moon (Malibu Moon) and Pinehurst (Twirling Candy).

The Barbe family's Henley Farms acquired Letchworth for $40,000 at the 2019 Keeneland January sale with We the People in utero. She has since produced a juvenile colt by Always Dreaming, who brought $220,000 at the recent OBS April Sale, and a yearling colt by Audible. She was bred back to More Than Ready.

Saturday, Belmont
PETER PAN S.-GIII, $200,000, Belmont, 5-14, 3yo, 1 1/8m, 1:48.27, gd.
1–WE THE PEOPLE, 118, c, 3, by Constitution
               1st Dam: Letchworth, by Tiznow
               2nd Dam: Harmony Lodge, by Hennessy
               3rd Dam: Win Crafty Lady, by Crafty Prospector
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($110,000
Wlg '19 KEENOV; $220,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP; $230,000 2yo '21
FTFMAR). O-WinStar Farm LLC, CMNWLTH & Siena Farm
LLC; B-Henley Farms Inc. (KY); T-Rodolphe Brisset; J-Flavien
Prat. $110,000. 'TDN Rising Star' Lifetime Record: 4-3-0-0,
$230,250. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Golden Glider, 118, c, 3, Ghostzapper–Golden Scarf, by
Orientate. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE.
($395,000 Wlg '19 KEENOV). O-Gary Barber, Manfred
Conrad, & Penny Conrad; B-Nursery Place & Dicken Equine
(KY); T-Mark E. Casse. $40,000.
3–Electability, 118, g, 3, Quality Road–Spindle, by Hard Spun.
1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($300,000 Wlg
'19 KEENOV). O-Klaravich Stables, Inc.; B-Purple H
Bloodstock (KY); T-Chad C. Brown. $24,000.
Margins: 10 1/4, NO, NK. Odds: 2.95, 4.70, 3.35.
Also Ran: Western River, Cooke Creek, Set Sail, Complete Agenda, State Planning.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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