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What Was Your Favorite Moment of 2023: Jared Shoemaker

As 2023 draws to a close, the TDN is asking industry members to name their favorite moment of the year. Send yours to suefinley@thetdn.com.

The most memorable moment of 2023 was our Keeneland September yearling class assembling at the sale. I always look forward to that two-week stretch and the excitement surrounding all the new horses we bring into the stable. Twice this year, I thought we were finished buying…once after picking up the Caracaro filly and again after we bought the War of Will filly we were (and still are) thrilled with. Then, on the last weekend of the sale, Marc [Wampler] calls me and says “Well, I bought another one.” We ended up with six yearlings and I couldn't be happier with any of them, especially the surprise Temple City filly.

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Twelve Days a Racing: Jared Shoemaker Pipes Up

Jared Shoemaker, co-managing partner of Pocket Aces Racing, grew up in Lexington and fondly remembers going to Keeneland with his extended family from the time he could walk. It was one of his favorite things to do as a child.

By the time he was in high school, he admits to spending a lot of afternoons at the track while supposedly in class. Not one to miss a good day of racing–no matter the reason–he scheduled all of his lectures at the University of Kentucky to be done by noon so he could get to Keeneland by first post.

Shoemaker has spent the last 27 years in northeastern Kentucky, where his wife is from. He invested about 10 years working in college athletics and has been in the pharmaceutical industry full-time since 2008.

Pocket Aces Racing was born over a card game among friends in 2005, hence the double ace silks. They all pitched in and bought a Victory Gallop yearling filly to eventually race at Charles Town. Aptly named 'Victory Morning', the filly won her debut by about 10 lengths in her first start in September of her 2-year-old year. People that had never been owners, and had never even imagined owning a race horse (Shoemaker included), had so much fun with it that they decided to formalize, and turn it into a business.

Almost 17 years later from that four-time winning first filly, the syndicate has grown to over 300 partners and 30 active runners, give or take a few.

Shoemaker joined TDN for a Q&A and some reminiscing. Here are his answers to breeding and racing's most poignant questions for 2022 and into the new year!

TDN: What is your racing or bloodstock highlight for this year?

JS: Temple City Terror winning the G3 Dowager at Keeneland.

TDN: Who is your value sire for 2023?

JS: Temple City

TDN: Who do you predict will be the leading freshman sire next year?

JS: Flameaway

TDN: If you could nominate one candidate (person or horse) to the Hall of Fame, who would get your nomination? Why?

JS: Perry Ouzts – 7,336 says it all. I don't care what level it is; you can't argue with that number of wins.

TDN: What is one positive change you'd like to see in racing next year?

JS: Serious, real, and swift consequences for individuals that tarnish our great sport by cheating. Enough is enough.

TDN: Who is your favorite horse of all time?

JS: Ferdinand. His win in the Derby with Bill Shoemaker aboard is what really elevated my love for racing to the next level.

TDN: What was the most exciting race you saw this year?

JS: It's personal for me – it was Temple City Terror in the Dowager. To win a graded stake at Keeneland [having grown up at the track] is everything for me.

TDN: If you could go back in time and see one race in person, what would it be?

JS: The 1978 Triple Crown Races, but if I have to pick one, the 1978 Belmont.

TDN: If you could only go to one track for the rest of your life, which one would you pick?

JS: Keeneland

TDN: If you could compete in any race in the world outside the US, which one would you want an entry in?

JS: Dubai World Cup

TDN: What was the biggest “surprise” of 2022–be it sales price, track performance, or a stallion?

JS: I don't really think I'd call it a surprise, but I'm happy to see Good Magic at the top of the First-Crop Sire list. It's great to see a son of Curlin off to such a great start as a sire.

TDN: Who would you tab as your favorite 'TDN Rising Star'?

JS: We bought a Siyouni gelding out of the HORA sale at Keeneland last month so I'll go with Intinso who won an allowance at New Castle in late October.

TDN: What is a hill you will die on when it comes to horse racing or breeding?

JS: We have to clean up the sport, but we can't fool ourselves into thinking that getting rid of the cheaters and restoring confidence in the game is the panacea for all our woes.

TDN: Do you have thoughts on what more needs doing?

JS: We have to do a better job attracting new fans and making our sport more accessible. I realize everyone has their fiefdoms they want to protect, but the industry HAS to come together and cooperate to grow our sport.

TDN: Secretariat or Flightline? Care to stir the pot?

JS: Secretariat. Always Secretariat

TDN: The burning question on everyone's mind–do you decorate your house for the winter holidays before or after Thanksgiving?

JS: Always after.

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Temple City Terror To Train On Following Long Island Score

Fresh off a breakthrough victory at the graded level and subsequent $600,000 purchase by Town & Country Farms at the recently concluded Keeneland November Sale, Temple City Terror (Temple City) gave those that backed her into 65 cents on the dollar scarcely a nervous moment as she ran out a hands-and-heels winner of Friday's GIII Long Island S. at Aqeuduct.

Content to take up her customary position at the back of the field, the 6-year-old switched off nicely for Jose Ortiz as a somewhat hard-to-handle Big Time Lady (Big Brown) took them along at an even clip. Last, but always within easy striking distance down the backstretch, Temple City Terror was given her cue with about three furlongs to go, aided by a wayward Big Time Lady, who bothered Capital Structure (GB) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) badly and cost that one any chance. Rocky Sky (Ire) (Rock of Gibraltar {Ire}) inherited the lead and kicked into a clear lead in upper stretch, but possessed of one of the strongest finishing kicks when she is on song, Temple City Terror gathered up Rocky Sky and pulled away under minimal encouragement.

Reasonably lightly raced for a horse soon to be seven, Temple City Terror successfully defended her title in Churchill's Keertana S. May 28, but she caught an unsuitably soft Delaware turf course and could not get through the ground when seventh as the choice in the GIII R. G. Dick Memorial S. July 9. The dark bay completed the exacta behind future GI Longines Breeders' Cup Turf third War Like Goddess (English Channel) in Saratoga's GII Glens Falls S. Aug. 6 and was a pace-compromised fourth in the GII Flower Bowl S. Sept. 3 ahead of her facile success in the GIII Rood & Riddle Dowager S. in what became her final appearance for Pocket Aces Racing and Somewhere Stable Kentucky and trainer Brendan Walsh.

And it appears there is more to come.

“As long as she continues to tell us that she wants to keep doing this, that's what we are going to let her do,” Shannon Potter, CEO of Town and Country, told the TDN while on his way out of Aqueduct Friday. “She's very sound and Brendan's team has done an awesome job with her. She was great today and there's no reason not go go on.”

Added Walsh: “She ran great and we were delighted with her. You couldn't ask for much more than that. These guys, to be fair, they came to me and asked if they should keep going on and I said, 'Absolutely.' I think she's only just gotten good now.”

Town and Country has previously bought successfully at breeding stock sales, with an eye on keeping those purchases in training. Stopchargingmaria (Tale of the Cat_ won the 2014 GI CCA Oaks and GI Alabama S. for Repole Stable and was led out unsold of that year's Fasig-Tipton November Sale on a bid of $3.15 million. Town and Country took over ownership in 2015 and the filly rewarded them with a victory in that year's GI Breeders' Cup Distaff at Keeneland. Stopchargingmaria was subsequently sold on for $2.8 million at FTKNOV in 2016.

Temple City Terror will winter at Palm Meadows, Potter said.

Pedigree Notes:

Temple City Terror is the latest of 13 graded winners for her sire, the only active son of Dynaformer in Kentucky, and is one of four winners from as many to race from her dam, whose 5-year-old daughter R Calli Kim (Revolutionary) was trained by Walsh to a third-place effort in an 11-furlong allowance over the Belmont turf when last seen July 3. She is also the dam of the 4-year-old maiden-winning colt Silent Steve (Dominus).

Friday, Aqueduct
LONG ISLAND S.-GIII, $300,000, Aqueduct, 11-25, 3yo/up, f/m, 1 3/8mT, 2:15.56, fm.
1–TEMPLE CITY TERROR, 125, m, 6, by Temple City
                1st Dam: It Takes Two, by More Than Ready
                2nd Dam: Chastity Belle, by Gilded Time
                3rd Dam: Exquisite Mistress, by Nasty and Bold
($22,000 Ylg '17 KEESEP; $600,000 6yo '22 KEENOV). O-Town and Country Racing, LLC; B-Upson Downs Farm (KY); T-Brendan P. Walsh; J-Jose L. Ortiz. $165,000. Lifetime Record: 29-7-5-5, $861,218. Werk Nick Rating: A Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Rocky Sky (Ire), 125, f, 4, Rock of Gibraltar (Ire)–Road Tosky (Ire), by Elusive City. O-Peter M. Brant; B-Eadling Farm Ltd (IRE); T-Chad C. Brown. $60,000.
3–Kalifornia Queen (Ger), 121, m, 5, Lope de Vega (Ire)– Kaldera (Ger), by Sinndar (Ire). (€70,000 Ylg '18 BBAGO; €260,000 3yo '20 ARARC). O-Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables LLC, First Row Partners & Michael J. Caruso; B-Stall Torjager (GER); T-Chad C. Brown. $36,000.
Margins: 1HF, 6 3/4, 1. Odds: 0.65, 4.30, 6.70.
Also Ran: Capital Structure (GB), Tic Tic Tic Boom, Big Time Lady.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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Temple City Terror Roars to Victory in Dowager

In eye-catching fashion, Temple City Terror (m, 6, Temple City–It Takes Two, by More Than Ready) roared in the stretch to win the GIII Rood and Riddle Dowager S. by open lengths and secure her first graded-stakes victory at 5-2. In no hurry as leaders set an open quarter of :23.86, and a :48.14, 1:13.40 split to follow, the dark bay launched her patented move coming off the final turn and inhaled her rivals to come home in 2:27.98. Luck Money (Lookin at Lucky) and Sister Otoole (Amira's Prince) rounded out the minor awards.

Sunday, Keeneland
ROOD AND RIDDLE DOWAGER S.-GIII, $294,688, Keeneland, 10-23, 3yo/up, f/m, 1 1/2mT, 2:27.98, fm.
1–TEMPLE CITY TERROR, 121, m, 6, by Temple City
               1st Dam: It Takes Two, by More Than Ready
               2nd Dam: Chastity Belle, by Gilded Time
               3rd Dam: Exquisite Mistress, by Nasty and Bold
1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($22,000 Ylg '17 KEESEP).
O-Pocket Aces Racing LLC & Somewhere Stable Kentucky
LLC; B-Upson Downs Farm (KY); T-Brendan P. Walsh; J-Tyler
Gaffalione. $174,375. Lifetime Record: 28-6-5-5, $696,218.
Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross
pedigree or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style
pedigree.
2–Luck Money, 121, m, 5, Lookin At Lucky–Flagrant, by Rahy.
O/B-Catherine M. Wills (KY); T-Arnaud Delacour. $56,250.
3–Sister Otoole, 121, m, 5, Amira's Prince (Ire)–O' Toole, by
Distorted Humor. O-Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners; B-Helen
Barbazon & Joseph Barbazon (FL); T-H. Graham Motion.
$23,438.
Margins: 3, 2, 3. Odds: 2.97, 6.73, 10.11.
Also Ran: Coastana, Flying Fortress, Mia Martina, Core Values, Beside Herself, Stand Tall, Go Big Blue Nation. Scratched: Queen Bourbon.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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