The Fasig-Tipton November Sale will be held Tuesday, beginning at 2 pm.

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The story was first reported by Thoroughbred Racing Commentary.

“Who wouldn't want to win a race like the English Derby?” McPeek said. “It would be special, really special. What was it that Tesio said? The entire breed of the Thoroughbred is judged on one wooden post, the finish line of the Epsom Derby. Is it a trainer's dream to win that kind of race? Absolutely.”

Tiz the Bomb was primarily a turf horse during his 2-year-old year. After the colt broke his maiden on the dirt on July 2 at Ellis Park, McPeek switched him to the grass and he won the Kentucky Downs Juvenile Mile S. and the GII Bourbon S. before finishing second in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf.

Hoping that Tiz the Bomb could run well enough on the dirt to merit a look at the GI Kentucky Derby, McPeek entered the colt in the GIII Holy Bull S. at Gulfstream, but did not get the result he was hoping for. Tiz the Bomb finished a distant seventh.

“He didn't handle the dirt in his face in his last race,” the trainer said. “He's a really talented colt, but he didn't handle the kickback. Considering the fact that I have other Kentucky Derby prospects, there's no sense kidding ourselves and trying to force a round peg into a square hole with this horse. If he's a grass horse he's a grass horse.”

Bringing Tiz the Bomb to England to race will require a change in ownership. He has been racing for Phoenix Thoroughbred, LTD., whose founder Amer Abdulaziz Salman is banned from competing at the U.K. racetracks. It has been alleged that Abdulaziz laundered money as part of a scam involving a fake cryptocurrency. He has denied the allegations. McPeek said that he will lease the horse from Phoenix for the U.K. races and that he will race in the name of McPeek's Magdalena Racing.

“We have to pay all the declarations and fees,” McPeek said. “For me, [Abdulaziz] has been a very honorable client. I think he is a passionate and a good horse owner. I don't know the deep dive details of the things he's dealing with. He assures me he's working on it and trying to get things cleaned up. He loves the game. Whether it's in his colors or mine, the horse deserves a chance at races like this. That's my focus.”

The trip to the U.K. will be part of an ambitious campaign McPeek has laid out that will begin with Mar. 5 John Battaglia Memorial S., which will be run in the synthetic surface at Turfway Park.

“I want to get his confidence back and I think the Battaglia is a good spot to do that,” McPeek said. “He was a little shook up after the race in Florida. He was a little confused. It was adversity that he had never had to experience. I think the Battaglia is good race to get his mind back on track.

McPeek said the Apr. 2 GIII Jeff Ruby Steaks, also on the synthetic surface at Turfway, could be next, followed by the trip to Europe and the 2000 Guineas.

McPeek was among the first U.S.-based trainers to test the waters in Europe. In 2004, his Hard Buck (Brz) (Spend a Buck) finished second in the G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond S. at Ascot. In 2017, he sent Daddy's Lil Darling to the G1 English Oaks, but she was scratched after bolting prior to the start.

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GSWs Smile Happy and Tiz the Bomb were timed in :46.32 seconds, the third fastest of 83 workouts recorded at the distance Saturday.

“It was a nice maintenance work,” said trainer Kenny McPeek. “They went a little quicker than I wanted them to. I gave them instructions to go in about :48, but it's Ok. They're doing good.”

The breeze was the fourth in a series of workouts at Gulfstream for the workmates.

“I may have to run them against each other in the Holy Bull to get the year started,” McPeek said. “At this point, I'm planning to run both.”

Smile Happy won both of his career starts impressively, closing from far back to break his maiden at 1 1/16 miles at Keeneland Oct. 29 before rallying from mid-pack to capture the 1 1/16-mile GII Kentucky Jockey Club S. by 3 1/4 length at Churchill Downs Nov. 27.

Tiz the Bomb broke his maiden on dirt by 14 1/2 lengths going a mile at Ellis July 2 before taking the Kentucky Downs Juvenile S. in September and Keeneland's GII Bourbon S. Oct. 10. He concluded his 2021 season with a strong second-place finish behind Eclipse finalist Modern Games (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) in the Nov. 5 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf at Del Mar. A minor injury forced the bay to bypass last fall's Kentucky Jockey Club.

“He's done great with his little break,” added McPeek. “He had a slight nick on his leg that we had to address with some

simple clean up and antibiotics last fall. He's back into a 3-year-old routine now. He's had a little three eights and a couple of half miles, and he's hitting on all cylinders already, so it's very exciting.”

Asked how Tiz the Bomb might fare on the dirt, McPeek affirmed, “He's not going to have any trouble handling dirt. He's out of a Tiz Now mare and his top line is War Front and they handle dirt fine. I think this horse can run on any surface and he handled the dirt for his maiden win. I think the question is, really, how good can he be on the dirt, too?”

He continued, “The Holy Bull looks like an ideal starting point for him. We need to get some points and ideally, he'd then come back in the [GII] Fountain of Youth [S. Mar. 5]. The dream scenario would be he'd go Holy Bull, Fountain Of Youth then the [GI] Florida Derby [Apr. 2], but we'll see.”

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Rosario finished the day by winning 5 of the 11 races, but he rode in just eight of them. Fortune did not smile on him in the $500,000 filly co-feature, as Turnerloose turned it on down the long stretch to cross the wire five lengths ahead of Yin Yang.

“Look at that, I beat Joel Rosario today,” said a joyful Geroux as he brought Turnerloose back to the winner's circle.

Closing out Monday's holiday program was another $500,000 stakes for 2-year-olds, The Kentucky Downs Juvenile Mile, with 6-1 Tiz the Bomb also using the stretch to his advantage to score a three-quarters-length victory with Brian Hernandez Jr. aboard.

The filly race was more spread out. Behind the top two, sent off at very identical 2-1 odds in the field of nine, it was another 7 1/4 lengths until early pacesetter Verylittlecents and Joe Talamo finished.

“The break, she was very excited there, and didn't get out of there real quickly,” Rosario said. “But she did everything good, and she came running. She's nice, the other horse just got a jump on her. I'm very excited with the way she ran.”

Both of the Cox fillies had broken their maidens at Ellis Park in July. The victory pulled Cox into a tie with Joe Sharp atop the trainer standings, with three apiece.

“Both are very good fillies. I said last week that I liked both fillies, that I thought I'd go 1-2 in the race,” said Jorje Abrego, assistant trainer to Cox, about the pair who are part of the band he was supervising at Ellis this summer. “Turnerloose looked like 'turn her loose' today. She ran well. Yin Yang ran a very good second, so it was very good day for the team.”

Even more excited was Geroux after his first win at the meet, after missing Sunday's opener while riding at Saratoga.

“She was pulling on me pretty much all of the race, she wanted to go,” he said. “So, by the turn, she just kept on going. She was on a mission: she just wanted to take it to them, which was great.”

Turnerloose paid $6, $3 and $2.80, while Yin Yang returned $3.60 and $3. Verylittlecents paid $4 for show in a race timed in 1:36.19 for the mile on a turf course rated as firm.

It was a big win for Turnerloose, owned by Ike and Dawn Thrash, and now Team Cox has to look to her future – and to that of Yin Yang. Turnerloose was a $950,000 purchase at last year's Keeneland September sale, while Selective LLC's Yin Yang sold for $160,000 at the Fasig Tipton sale in October.

“This was big for her, now she's a stakes-winner,” Abrego said. “Now is the time to look for a graded stakes. We'll see how she is tomorrow, and if everything is good, maybe get her ready for Keeneland. Yin Yang just got beat by what, today, was a better horse.”

Not to be outdone, Phoenix Thoroughbred Ltd.'s Tiz the Bomb took a major step forward with his victory in 1:35.83 on the firm turf course.

Tiz the Bomb wins the Kentucky Downs Juvenile Mile

“He's got a license to be a good one,” said trainer Kenny McPeek about the colt, who sold for $330,000 at last year's Fasig Tipton yearling sale. “We're thrilled with the way he ran.”

While Play Action Pass and Edgard J. Zayas were setting the early fractions in the field of 10, Tiz the Bomb was in the middle of the pack.

“He ran well today, the first time on the grass,” said Hernandez. “He put us in the spot and traveled the whole way around there looking like a winner, and got the job done.”

Kiss the Sky, the 2-1 favorite ridden by Jose Ortiz, was just behind Tiz the Bomb, and both colts took a wide path into the stretch for their rallying efforts. But Kiss the Sky, who won a maiden race at Saratoga for trainer Mike Maker in his second start, came up short.

“He ran well, second best,” said Maker, who was leading the Saratoga trainer standings for a good portion of the New York track's summer meeting.

Tiz the Bomb paid $14.20, $5.40 and $4, while Kiss the Sky paid $3.60 and $2.80. Play Action, the 12-1 early leader, was another half-length back in third and returned $6.40.

“They've been bragging on him over at the barn about how well he's been working,” Hernandez said of Tiz the Bomb. “And they were kinda tipping their hand about this performance. Robby Albarado has been working this horse in the mornings. He said that all of a sudden he turned the corner going the right way, and he showed it today.”

McPeek said Tiz the Bomb, who has won two of his three initial starts, might return to dirt in Keeneland's Grade 1 Breeders' Futurity.

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“I'm just very happy with the way he's training over here,” Rodriguez said. “He beat some tough horses the first time and he did it the right way. We just take it day-by-day, but he's been training over here for a while. If he doesn't like the track now, he's never going to like it.”

Joel Rosario, aboard for Doctor Jeff's win and the winner of last year's Saratoga Special aboard Jackie's Warrior (Maclean's Music), will have the return call from post eight.

Freshman sire Gun Runner, who was represented by a pair of graded winners last weekend, has two chances to keep the streak going in the Special. Winchell Thoroughbreds' Gunite (Gun Runner) adds blinkers Saturday following a maiden-breaking score going six furlongs in his third lifetime start at Churchill Downs last time out June 26. The dark bay colt hit the board in both previous five-furlong outings in Louisville.

Another Winchell homebred, Red Run (Gun Runner), was a first-out winner over a sloppy Churchill strip May 9 and was a late-closing fifth in the June 26 GIII Bashford Manor S.

Steve Asmussen, who trained champion Gun Runner, also trains both Winchell colorbearers.

“It's extremely exciting. All a part of what makes racing great,” Asmussen said of Gun Runner's fast start at stud. “We're fortunate to have horses like that and then have the chance for them to prove it. It's amazing how he stamps them just with their attitude. Obviously, he gave them a tremendous amount of ability to find more. Winning and losing is usually the amount of effort willing to be applied.”

Phoenix Thoroughbred's Double Thunder (Super Saver) comes into the Special with a perfect two-for-two record. A debut winner going 4 1/2 furlongs at Monmouth Park June 5, the Todd Pletcher trainee closed from well back to score a 4 3/4-length victory in the Bashford Manor.

Pletcher also saddes Repole Stable's Midnight Worker (Outwork), a debut winner over the Special's six-furlong trip at the Spa July 24.

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The lightly raced Midnight Obsession (Overanalyze), making just her fourth trip to the post, is the 4-1 second choice in the Oaks. She bested fellow Pennsylvania-breds by 5 1/4 lengths in her seven-furlong unveiling at Parx Mar. 2 and came back with a one-length tally going 1 1/16 miles at Belmont Apr. 25. She suffered her first loss when second in the off-turf Lyphard S. at Penn National May 28.

On that same rained-off Penn National card, Orbs Baby Girl (Orb) scored the first stakes win of her career with a front-running 5 1/4-length victory in the one-mile Penn Oaks. She is 15-1 on the Delaware Oaks morning line.

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Aquis' decision is predicated by the fact that Phoenix did not disclose the actions of racing authorities to freeze prize money.

“That conduct of Phoenix has failed to meet our expectations,” a spokesman for Aquis told the AFR. “Any true co-owner should inform their partner of such action by authorities. Phoenix failed to be honest and transparent with us over the prize money freeze, which has rendered the relationship untenable.”

Phoenix reportedly is not permitted to race in France, United Arab Emirates or the United Kingdom. No state racing commissions in the United States have taken regulatory action against Phoenix.

Phoenix continues to be active at U.S. bloodstock sales, including the $1.2 million bid by Phoenix agent Gerard Butler to buy out a partner in stakes winner Lady Apple last November at Fasig-Tipton. Shannon Arvin, president and CEO of Keeneland, released the following statement concerning Phoenix being allowed to participate in sales after court documents filed by a federal prosecutor in a money laundering case involving the multi-billion-dollar OneCoin cryptocurrency scam, accused Abdulaziz of being a money launderer for OneCoin.

“Keeneland is aware of the allegations that may involve Phoenix Thoroughbreds and is monitoring the situation,” said Arvin. “However, it is our understanding that Phoenix Thoroughbred has not been indicted by a grand jury, let alone convicted on any allegations. Keeneland will continue to follow any developments in this matter, and certainly will comply with any regulatory or legal action or direction from a governing authority.”

Since the money laundering accusations were made in federal court against Abdulaziz, it is believed that he has not traveled to the United States from Dubai, where he resides.

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The Aquis Group and the Fung family have indicated they will end their Thoroughbred racing partnership with Phoenix Thoroughbreds after it was confirmed that Phoenix's prize money had been frozen in New South Wales and Victoria.

The Australian Financial Review has reported that Aquis had not been informed that Phoenix's prize money had been frozen in Australia's two biggest racing states and, having failed to get answers from the Dubai-based operation, will seek to end the relationship.

Aquis told the AFR that it was left in the dark by Phoenix over the move by racing authorities in Australia to prevent Phoenix from benefitting from its Thoroughbred ownership until legal investigations into the company were completed. It was only made aware of the situation by media reports last week.

“That conduct of Phoenix has failed to meet our expectations,” a spokesman for Aquis told the AFR.

“Any true co-owner should inform their partner of such action by authorities. Phoenix failed to be honest and transparent with us over the prize money freeze, which has rendered the relationship untenable.

“We have sought further clarification from Phoenix multiple times since late last week over matters of their relationship with racing regulatory bodies in Australia, but they completely failed to answer questions. The matter has been placed in the hands of our lawyers.”

The spokesman said Aquis and the Fung family planned to immediately terminate all co-ownership of racehorses with Phoenix.

Phoenix Thoroughbreds responded to Aquis' comments by saying it did not see the need to disclose the prize money freeze.

“Given the conditions placed on us by Racing NSW and Racing Victoria only affects our [Phoenix Thoroughbreds] prize money share, we regard this as an internal matter. Any money due to our partners and trainers remain unaffected, as does our ability to race,” it read.

“None of this impacts our professional relationship with Aquis or their revenue streams from racing horses in partnership with us. With this in mind, we felt there was no reason to inform them of this private situation and stand by that decision.”

A dissolution of the partnership between Aquis and the Fung family and Phoenix Thoroughbreds would have major ramifications for the Australian Thoroughbred industry, as they share ownership in a significant number of thoroughbreds, including the 19 yearlings they spent A$11.6 million on together at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale in January.

They are also part of the ownership of G1 Golden Slipper winner Farnan (Aus) (Not A Single Doubt {Aus}), along with Kia Ora Stud, where he will stand for the 2021 season. Farnan was bred by Phoenix and raced in partnership with Aquis before Kia Ora bought in ahead of his 3-year-old season.

Following the reported news of the upcoming Aquis/Phoenix partnership dissolution, the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) is now under pressure to examine lease agreements being used by trainers to race previously suspended horses that are still owned by Phoenix Thoroughbreds and the Phoenix Ladies Syndicate, the Racing Post reported on Wednesday. The leases were approved by the BHA and several horses that used to carry the Phoenix colours or Phoenix Ladies colours have been in action this month. The BHA did indicate that they can look into specific leasing arrangements if it was warranted.

“We cannot comment on the specifics of any leasing arrangements or possible leasing arrangements,” a BHA spokesperson told Racing Post. “When a horse is leased, it must be lodged with the BHA and the BHA has the ability to investigate if it has any concerns regarding a lease.”

Phoenix Thoroughbreds founder Amer Abdulaziz has been linked to money laundering allegations made in a U.S. court in a case involving the OneCoin cryptocurrency scam, allegations that he has repeatedly denied.

The fallout from those allegations led to Phoenix Thoroughbreds being banned from racing horses in England and France late last year and Dubai this January.

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Phoenix Founder Amer Abdulaziz was named in a U.S. federal court trial in November 2019 as allegedly being involved in a money laundering operation and as having stolen €100-million from OneCoin, a sham cryptocurrency he purportedly helped to run. Abdulaziz and Phoenix Thoroughbreds have denied the allegations.

A spokesperson for Racing Victoria told TDN AusNZ, “While these legal proceedings remain ongoing, RV has decided to place a freeze on Phoenix Thoroughbreds' portion of prizemoney earned by horses they own or part-own. Should any information come to light via these legal proceedings or other means that warrant further action being taken within our jurisdiction, then we will consider it at the time.”

Phoenix, which was leading buyer at this year's Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale in partnership with Tony Fung of Aquis with A$11.65-million spent, has been banned from racing in the UK, and reportedly in France. No action has yet been taken in the U.S.

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