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Sisterson: True Timber ‘Not A One-Dimensional Sprinter,’ To Target Saudi Cup

British born Jack Sisterson, a rising star of the US training ranks, is strongly considering The Saudi Cup for his impressive Cigar Mile winner True Timber. After his 5 1/2 length victory in the Grade 1 at Aqueduct on Saturday, True Timber's handler was thrilled the 6-year-old was able to perform to such a high level.

“We were very proud of him and it was so rewarding for all the staff that put the hard work in 24/7,” said Sisterson. “He came to us from Kiaran McLaughlin in early springtime. We gave him a brief break and he was penclled in to run at Keeneland but we couldn't because of the pandemic.

“He ran in an open allowance race there in July and ran very well to be third. Any race at Keeneland is a tough one and we thought it would be a stepping stone. It shows how good a trainer Kiaran is that he came to us in such good form. His best race last year was the Cigar Mile, so it was a race we wanted to target.”

The son of Mineshaft is now heading for warmer climes.

“He's heading back home to Keeneland and then we'll be shipping him down to Florida towards the end of the week. We're going to be changing his training regime up a bit, from a sprinter to more of a miler,” said Sisterson.

“We'll then be looking at races like the Pegasus World Cup and The Saudi Cup. These are the races you dream of and it's important to capitalize when the moment's right. [The Cigar Mile] gives us the confidence to go for races like that. I don't think the trip will be an issue at all, he has the presence of a distance type of horse, not a one-dimensional sprinter.”

Originally from Durham in England, Sisterson has now been in America for 15 years.

“I came over on a soccer scholarship from the University of Louisville,” said the 35-year-old. “My family had a few horses in point-to-points back in the UK and I always wanted to be involved at some level.”

He couldn't have received a better education in US racing: “I've been incredibly fortunate to learn from the best and the support I've received has been amazing. I started off working for Todd Pletcher and then Doug O'Neill, so I've been around some incredible horses.”

A trip to Saudi Arabia wouldn't be a first for Sisterson either, as he travelled to Riyadh when working with O'Neill.

“I made it out to Saudi when we took Bailoutbobby over there for a Grade One in 2016. He had been bought by Prince Faisal and I had a great time, meeting lots of people. It would be fantastic to go over there again.”

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‘He’s Never Let Me Down’: Exultant Chasing Repeat Victory In Hong Kong Vase

Exultant is already proven as one of the best stayers Hong Kong has ever produced but this Sunday (Dec. 13) at Sha Tin he has the chance to take his place in the history books by becoming the first locally-trained dual winner of the G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Vase (2400m, about 1 1/2 miles).

And champion jockey Zac Purton is going into the HK$20 million (about US$2.58) staying test with an aura of positivity that yet another consistent effort from the five-time G1 winner will see him challenge for a sixth top-level success.

“You always go to the races with a great deal of confidence with Exultant – he's never let me down, so let's just hope that he can continue to give us his best,” Purton said.

The Teofilo gelding has finished inside the top three 23 times from 27 Hong Kong runs, including 11 wins and nine second placings. The last time he finished outside of the top three was over 700 days ago, two runs before his 2018 Hong Kong Vase success.

“He means a lot to me – stayers in Hong Kong are rare and hard to come by and he's certainly been our best stayer the last few years – I've had a good association with him and I've won some big races on him,” Purton said.

Purton has been in the plate for the bulk of Exultant's (126lb) runs, through his Four-Year-Old Classic Series campaign and each of his five wins at the top-level.

“He's never let me down, he's always there he always runs well and if he gets beat he gets beat because another horse has had a softer run or is better than him on the day, but he's so consistent – it's very hard to find a horse that's as consistent as him,” Purton said.

Even before export under the care of Michael Halford at Copper Beach Stables – the bay was consistent, with two wins at three followed by a third-placed effort in the 2017 G1 Irish 2000 Guineas (1600m) behind well-regarded Churchill and dual G1 Dubai World Cup (dirt, 2000m) winner Thunder Snow.

Sunday will see Tony Cruz's gritty 6-year-old face six rivals, including Chefano (126lb), Ho Ho Khan (126lb), Columbus County (126lb), Royal Julius (126lb), Playa Del Puente (126lb) and the Aidan O'Brien-trained Mogul (121lb).

The O'Brien-trained galloper captured the G1 Grand Prix de Paris (2400m) two starts ago over subsequent G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe runner-up In Swoop.

“Mogul looks hard to beat, so let's just hope I can get a good gate – this horse for whatever reason always seems to draw a bad gate, he's certainly due to draw a good gate and hopefully he just gets a nice run,” Purton said.

The Irish-bred galloper has had two runs back this term for two runner-up efforts, firstly the G3 Sa Sa Ladies' Purse Handicap (1800m) before close defeat to stablemate and leading LONGINES Hong Kong Cup (2000m) contender Furore.

“I thought it was a good effort, the pace of the race was a little bit stronger than I thought it would be and Time Warp put the pedal down further from home than what I thought was necessary, so it really made it hard for those horses up on the speed which is where I was,” the Australian ace said.

“Furore sat right on my tail the whole way and came passed me under a hold, so it was a little bit concerning and a little bit disappointing that he was able to go past me so easily.

“Because Exultant is known for his fighting heart and his strong will to win, so while it's probably a nice performance it's maybe just a shade below than the performance he put in last year,” Purton said.

But an added two furlongs this Sunday, mixed with two runs already this term combined with a slightly smaller field than usual, serves as a recipe that bodes well for the four-time champion jockey.

“Now we go into the Vase and step out at his preferred distance after having a couple of runs under his belt in a race that doesn't look as if it's as strong as it has been before, we don't have as many Europeans, we only have one French and we don't have the Japanese – it's certainly a winnable race,” Purton said.

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Brooklyn Strong a Terrific Story on 2021 Derby Trail and Potentially Much More

Making the Grade, which will run through the 2021 Triple Crown races, focuses on the winners or top performers of the key races, usually from the previous weekend, who could make an impact the Triple Crown. We’ll be taking a close look at impressive winners and evaluating their chances to win classic races based upon ability, running style, connections (owner, trainer, jockey), and pedigree.

Fire’s Finale Returns From Two-Month Layoff To Capture Pennsylvania Nursery Stakes

Fire's Finale came from last with a half mile to go, swept past eleven rivals and went on to win Monday's $80,000 Pennsylvania Nursery Stakes for state-bred 2-year-olds at Parx Racing by a length. It was the second win in seven starts this year for the Jump Start colt, his first stakes victory, and pushed his freshman earnings to just over $101,000.

After a busy schedule, making six starts though mid-October, trainer Kelly Breen opted to rest Fire's Finale for nearly two months before returning to the races for the Nursery. Breaking his maiden in that sixth start here at Parx, winning in a special weight over a sloppy track, maybe he had started to figure things out. Returning to the work tab at Belmont in November, he posted a bullet work at five-eighths on Nov. 17 and then impressed with another bullet work at half-mile on Nov. 25, the 2-year-old working the best of 92 that day.

The colt's late season development continued into the Nursery.

Taken back in the early part of the race by winning jockey Mychal Sanchez, Fire's Finale began to make headway as the race entered the far turn. Able to make a run on the inside of horses in the bulky field, he followed the move of Kidnapped as they rounded the far turn. While Kidnapped got first run on the two tiring front runners, Just a Thought and Beren, Fire's Finale was still moving well and coming off the turn was able to angle out for a clear path and started to kick into high gear in the final furlong. Kidnapped held the lead briefly in the stretch, but Fire's Finale surged past with about 70 yards to go and moved away at the end to win by a full length.

The final time for the seven furlongs on a fast track was 1:25.35.

Owned by Kenwood Racing and Degaetano and Pastore, Inc., Fire's Finale went off at odds of 11-1 and returned $25.80 to win.

Kidnapped, the 5-2 second choice, was next to last early, ran a terrific race with another big run from the back but simply could not hold off the winner and settled for second. Just a Thought (18-1) in a pace duel with Beren, held on for third.

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