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‘We Have High Hopes For Him’: $900,000 Quality Road Colt Prime Factor Romps In Debut For Pletcher

WinStar Farm LLC and CHC Inc.'s Prime Factor appears ready for prime time following the Todd Pletcher's trainee's sparkling debut Saturday at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

The 2-year-old son of Quality Road crossed the finish line under wraps while scoring by 8 ¾ lengths in the six-furlong maiden special weight race carded as Race 2 on a program that featured the $200,000 Fort Lauderdale (G2) and four other stakes.

Bred by Two Hearts Farm LLC and purchased for $900,000 from the Legacy Bloodstock consignment at the 2019 Keeneland September sale, Prime Factor broke alertly from the starting gate to sit alongside pacesetter Dr. Duke along the backstretch and around the far turn before assuming the lead on the turn into the homestretch. The Kentucky-bred colt quickly accelerated at the top of the stretch under mild encouragement from jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. before completing the final eighth of a mile under wraps.

“It was a very professional debut. He broke well and put himself in a good spot. It looked like he was taking Irad wherever he wanted him to go throughout the race,” Pletcher said. “He's been training exceptionally well. We were looking forward to a good debut. Honestly, he exceeded expectations.”

Prime Factor ($6.20), who ran six furlongs in 1:10.38, is out of the Bernardini mare Hailey Brae, a half-sister to Speightster.

“We'll talk to Elliott [Walden] and the guys at WinStar and CHC and come up with a game plan,” Pletcher said. “The good thing about this time of year is there's pretty good options all around. We have high hopes for him.”

Pletcher-trained Bracken, a debuting son of Speightster for Robert and Lawana Low, closed to finish second behind Prime Factor.

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Quality Road Firster Gives Family Another ‘TDN Rising Star’

WinStar Farm and CHC Inc.’s debuting Prime Factor (Quality Road), a $900,000 purchase out of the 2019 Keeneland September yearling sale–the joint-second priciest of 63 Quality Road yearlings to sell in 2019–was off as the 21-10 second choice and turned his first trip to the post into a one-horse affair en route to ‘TDN Rising Star’ honors.

Smoothy into stride, the bay sidled up alongside pacesetting Dr. Duke (Ghostzapper) as the top two pulled well clear of the peloton rounding the turn. Prime Factor eased to the front while racing well off the inside approaching the quarter pole, put several lengths on his rivals entering the final furlong, was taken well in hand at the sixteenth pole and jogged home to score by 8 3/4 lengths. Stablemate Bracken (Speightster), himself a $285,000 Fasig-Tipton July yearling and the most expensive of 71 of his first-crop sire (by Speightstown)’s yearlings to sell last year, closed belatedly to complete the exacta.

“It was a very professional debut. He broke well and put himself in a good spot. It looked like he was taking Irad [Ortiz] wherever he wanted him to go throughout the race,” Pletcher said. “He’s been training exceptionally well. We were looking forward to a good debut. Honestly, he exceeded expectations.”

As for the future, the conditioner said, “We’ll talk to Elliott [Walden] and the guys at WinStar and CHC and come up with a game plan. The good thing about this time of year is there’s pretty good options all around. We have high hopes for him.”

Prime Factor is, in fact, out of a half-sister to fellow ‘Rising Stars’ Speightster and West Coast Swing (Gone West) as well as SW Paiota Falls (Kris S.). Second dam Dance Swiftly is a full-sister to Canadian Horse of the Year and U.S. Eclipse Award winner Dance Smartly. Haylie Brae is the dam of the yearling colt Sea Lane (Liam’s Map) and a weanling colt by Distorted Humor.

2nd-Gulfstream, $40,000, Msw, 12-12, 2yo, 6f, 1:10.38, ft, 8 3/4 lengths.
PRIME FACTOR, c, 2, by Quality Road
1st Dam: Haylie Brae, by Bernardini
2nd Dam: Dance Swiftly, by Danzig
3rd Dam: Classy ‘n Smart, by Smarten
Sales history: $900,000 Ylg ’19 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $24,000. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
O-CHC Inc & WinStar Farm LLC; B-Two Hearts Farm LLC (KY); T-Todd A Pletcher.

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Saturday’s Insights: Expensive Quality Road Colts Square Off at Gulfstream

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency

2nd-Gulstream Park, $50k, Msw, 2yo, 6f, post time: 12:35 p.m.
Todd Pletcher saddles firster PRIME FACTOR (Quality Road) for China Horse Club and WinStar Farm. The bay colt was a $900,000 purchase at last year’s Keeneland September sale. He is out of Haylie Brae (Bernardini), a half-sister to graded-winning freshman sire Speightster and a granddaughter of blue hen mare Classy ‘n Smart (Smarten). Christophe Clement sends out Shel Evans’s Broadway (Quality Road), a $500,000 purchase at last year’s Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Yearling Sale. The juvenile is the first foal out of Etiquette (Tapit), a half-sister to graded winner Pleasant Prince (Indy King) and from the family of Canadian champion Holy Helena. TJCIS PPs

7th-Gulfstream Park, $50k, Msw, 2yo, 1m, post time: 3:08 p.m.
Godolphin’s ALEXANDER VALLEY (Medaglia d’Oro) makes his first trip to the post for trainer Bill Mott. Purchased for $2.15-million at the 2019 Keeneland September sale, the bay colt is the first foal out of Grade I winner Tara’s Tango (Unbridled’s Song). TJCIS PPs

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Notable US-Bred & -Sired Runners in Japan: Dec. 12 & 13, 2020

In this continuing series, we take a look ahead at US-bred and/or conceived runners entered for the upcoming weekend at the tracks on the Japan Racing Association circuit, with a focus on pedigree and/or performance in the sales ring. Here are the horses of interest for this weekend running at Chukyo and Hanshin Racecourses:

2nd-HSN, ¥9,680,000 ($93k), Maiden, 2yo, 1800m
AMERICAN PEACE (c, 2, Tapit–La Cloche, by Ghostzapper) is one of at least four runners by this sire entered this weekend for owner Katsumi Yoshizawa of Master Fencer (Jpn) fame and is the early 1-2 favorite off a strong runner-up effort when trying the dirt for the first time at Chukyo Oct. 4 (video, gate 10). The $325K Keeneland September yearling, a full-brother to GSW Bellevais, is out of a Grade III-winning daughter of MGISW Memories of Silver (Silver Hawk), herself the dam of MGISW Winter Memories (El Prado {Ire}) and granddam of MSW & MGSP ‘TDN Rising Star’ Winter Sunset (Tapit). This is also the female family of ‘Rising Star’ Hawkish (Artie Schiller). Don Alberto Corp. acquired La Cloche for $2.4m in foal to Tapit at Fasig-Tipton November in 2014. B-Don Alberto Corporation (KY)

5th-HSN, ¥13,400,000 ($129k), Newcomers, 2yo, 1800m
MOZU LADY MO (f, 2, Uncle Mo–Czarina, by Bernardini) cost $375K at KEESEP in 2019 and is out of a full-sister to MGISW To Honor and Serve and GISW Angela Renee; and a half to SW & GISP Elnaawi (Street Sense). The filly’s third dam was responsible for MGSW India (Hennessy), whose MG1SW son Mozu Ascot (Frankel {GB}) was recently retired to stand the 2021 breeding season at Arrow Stud. The March foal is bred on the same cross responsible for GISW Mo Town and GSW Modernist. B-Rigney Racing LLC (KY)

Sunday, December 13, 2020
4th-HSN, ¥13,400,000 ($129k), Newcomers, 2yo, 1800m
YORIKUN ROAD (JPN) (c, 2, Quality Road–Hymnotic, by War Front) is the first produce for his dam, a full-sister to SW & G1SP Whitecliffsofdover, who was purchased for $240K with this foal in utero at KEENOV in 2017. The colt’s second dam Orate (A.P. Indy) also produced SW & GISP Endless Chatter (First Samurai) and is a full-sister to the late, influential sire Pulpit. Since her export to Japan, Hymnotic has foaled colts by Horse of the Year Kitasan Black (Jpn) (Black Tide {Jpn}) each of the last two years. B-Yanagawa Bokujo

10th-CKO, ¥19,110,000 ($184k), Allowance, 2yo, 1400mT
MOON BEAD (JPN) (f, 2, American Pharoah–Evening Jewel, by Northern Afleet) overcame a wide trip from the 18 hole to graduate by a half-length going this distance on Niigata debut Oct. 17 (see below) and should enjoy a softer run in this more compact field. Shadai Farm acquired this MGISW dam for $950K at KEENOV in 2016 and the mare foaled a Pioneerof the Nile colt the following spring. She was bred to American Pharoah and was exported before producing this filly in March 2018. Evening Jewel is the dam of a yearling Deep Impact (Jpn) colt and was covered this past season by Duramente (Jpn). B-Shadai Farm

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