“This colt has the longest legs we've ever seen on a newborn foal. He has an extraordinary hip and a beautiful head. This is the biggest foal the mare has had. We are very, very happy,” said Martha Rattner, whose Rattner Bloodstock LLC bred the foal.

Greatest Honour, hailing from a half-sister to champion Rags to Riches; Irish Highweight Man of Iron; GSW-US and G1SP-Jpn Casino Drive; GISW Jazil; and the dam of GISW Streaming (Smart Strike), covered 178 mares in his 2023 introductory season, and will stand his second at stud for a fee of $7,500 S&N.

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To her far outside is the pair of homebreds Scandalous (Mastery) and Spinning Class (Twirling Candy). The former is a Pletcher trainee who will carry the colors of co-breeder and co-owners Bass Stables. Cheyenne Stables bought into the filly out of a half-sister to MSW Pickapocket (Mecke); GSW & GISP Wild At Heart (Indian Charlie) and that one's full-sister GSP Visavis. Spinning Class hails from the venerable Janney operation, owned by Stuart S. Janney III, and is the first to the races for GSW My Impression (Sky Mesa), herself a half-sister to the dam of GSW Scarlett Sky (Sky Mesa). This is the female line of Claiborne stalwart First Samurai. TJCIS PPs

7th-CD, $120k, Msw, 2yo, f, 6f, 4:01p.m. ET
Making her career-first start for owner Godolphin is HOPE MISSION (Medaglia d'Oro), the flagbearer to the races for GSW & GISP Arabian Hope (Distorted Humor), who is herself a half-sister to $3.65m FTFMAR grad MGSW Cezanne (Curlin) and MSP Counterforce (Smart Strike). This is the female family of GISW Streaming (Smart Strike); champion 3-year-old filly MGISW Rags to Riches (A.P. Indy); MGSW & GISP Tyson (Tapit); and MGISW Arcangelo (Arrogate). TJCIS PPs

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Sunday, November 19, 2023
4th-TOK, ¥13,720,000 ($91k), Newcomers, 2yo, 1600m
DANON STRADA (JPN) (c, 2, Justify–Stratification, by Australia {GB}) is the first foal out of a daughter of 2007 Eclipse Award-winning 3-year-old filly Rags To Riches (A.P. Indy) and will try to give her outstanding young sire a 10th Japanese winner. Rags To Riches is a half-sister to fellow GI Belmont S. winner Jazil (Seeking the Gold) as well as Casino Drive (Mineshaft), who won the GII Peter Pan S. in this country and the G1 February S. at home. The Justify cross over Galileo (Ire) is responsible for champion City of Troy, Grade II winner Buchu and Irish Group 3 winner Red Riding Hood. B-Oiwake Farm

TAISEI REAL (JPN) (c, 2, Arrogate–Lafta, by Kitten's Joy) is the first to race out of a stakes-winning half-sister to MSW/MGSP Mamdooha (Daaher), who was acquired by Shimokobe Farm for $375,000 at the 2019 Keeneland November Sale and put in foal to this sire prior to shipping to Japan. This colt's female family includes Nashwan, Nayef and GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf winner Lahudood (GB) (Singspiel {Ire}). B-Shimokobe Farm

5th-TOK, ¥13,720,000 ($91k), Newcomers, 2yo, 1400mT
PEAK COLOR (JPN) (f, 2, Constitution–Stephanie's Sister, by Kitten's Joy) is the first produce from a full-sister to five-time Grade I winner Stephanie's Kitten and was purchased by Koichiro Yamaguchi for $350,000 in utero at the 2020 Keeneland November Sale. Stephanie's Sister is also kin to the talented MGSW Heywoods Beach (Speightstown), and the filly's third dam was the outstanding Ramsey Grade I-winning turf distaffer Bail Out Becky (Red Ransom). B-Koichiro Yamaguchi

ILANA (JPN) (f, 2, Palace Malice–Irisa {Arg}, by Pure Prize) tries to add to the recent purple patch for this sire, responsible for recent Group 2 winner Jantar Mantar (Jpn) and Noble Roger, a debut winner last weekend. The filly's dam, a two-time winner at group level and twice placed in Group 1s, is a half-sister to Argentinian 3-year-old colt and dual G1SW Irwin (Arg) (Seek Again). B-Shadai Corporation Inc

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Heavily bet down to 2-5 going for his second straight graded-stakes win, the 4-year-old wasted no time going right for the lead and assumed command a path off the rail ahead of Carrothers (Mshawish). Always under a wrap by jockey Rafael Hernandez, Tyson was briefly headed as he faced pressure up front from that same rival as the opening half went in :49.88. The top pair raced in tandem around the far turn but the grey had another gear left to find and, when roused at the furlong marker, easily dispatched Carrothers and quickly put open lengths on him to hit the wire much the best.

“He's a really nice horse,” said Hernandez. “[trainer] Josie [Carroll] told me, 'Raffi, just play it by ear. It's a small field, just see what happens and try to give a good race to the horse.' He'll do anything you want him to do. He showed up today.”

“It's one of our best pedigrees, one that we've cultivated for more than 30 years,” added owner/breeder John Sikura. “I have great admiration for Mike Tyson, and I thought this is a special horse, so I wanted to name him Tyson. Wonderful horse, beautifully bred and I want to thank everyone at the farm for the great job they've done, and Josie, for being a magnificent trainer and holding this horse together and getting him on the right track. It looks like he's going to be a champion.”

Pedigree Note:

Out of a winning full-sister to both GI Hollywood Starlet S. winner Streaming and SW Treasuring, Tyson counts MGSW Cezanne (Curlin), GSW/G1SP Arabian Hope (Distorted Humor), and recent GI Belmont S. hero Arcangelo (Arrogate) as members of his extended family under just his second dam. Third dam Better Than Honour is responsible for a pair of Belmont S. winners in champion 3-year-old filly Rags to Riches (A.P. Indy) and Jazil (Seeking the Gold) along with GSW/G1SP Casino Drive (Mineshaft) and GSW/GISP Greatest Honour (Tapit). Honouring has not produced a live foal since reporting a full-sister to Tyson in 2021 but did visit leading general sire Into Mischief for the 2024 season.

https://twitter.com/TVG/status/1685394111720001536?s=20

Saturday, Woodbine
SEAGRAM CUP S.-GII, C$178,850, Woodbine, 7-29, 3yo/up,
1 1/16m (AWT), 1:43.26, ft.
1–TYSON, 124, c, 4, by Tapit
      1st Dam: Honouring, by Smart Strike
      2nd Dam: Teeming, by Storm Cat
      3rd Dam: Better Than Honour, by Deputy Minister
($250,000 RNA Ylg '20 KEESEP). O/B-Hill 'n' Dale Equine
Holdings Inc (J G Sikura) & Stretch Run Ventures LLC (KY);
T-Josie Carroll; J-Rafael Manuel Hernandez. C$105,000.
Lifetime Record: 5-4-0-1, $225,205. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click
for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the free
Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Carrothers, 122, g, 5, Mshawish–Queenofperfection, by Arch.
($125,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP). O-Mad Dog Racing Stable; B-Siena
Farms LLC (KY); T-Martin Drexler. C$35,000.
3–Artie's Storm, 122, g, 5, We Miss Artie–Tiz Stormy Now, by
Tiznow. O-Buttigieg Training Centre; B-Sunrise Farm (ON);
T-Paul M Buttigieg. C$23,100.
Margins: 3, HF, 4HF. Odds: 0.45, 4.00, 14.25.
Also Ran: Clear Destination, Kingmax (Ire), Seventyseven Stone.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs.
VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

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The Derby isn't alone as the oldest continuously held major sporting event in the U.S. The Oaks is right there with it, having been held every year, without interruption for wars or pandemics, since racing first began at Churchill in 1875 when the Louisville oval was known as the Louisville Jockey Club. Although the 'Lilies for the Fillies' is somewhat of a prelude to the big event in the public consciousness, it's also a special Classic all on its own. Whether it was Silverbulletday's popular win as the shortest-priced favorite in Oaks history or Rachel Alexandra's 20 1/4-length tour de force or D. Wayne Lukas's record-tying fifth Oaks score last year with Secret Oath, the race has provided so many wonderful moments.

With 149 Kentucky Oaks winners (including two victresses from a 1959 split division), following are highlights of some of the most important by what impact they've had on the sport through their sons and daughters.

Lemons Forever (2003, Lemon Drop Kid–Critikola {Arg}, by Tough Critic), bred by Farfellow Farms Ltd.: The only Kentucky Oaks winner to be officially honored as Broodmare of the Year, she produced champion Forever Unbridled (Unbridled's Song) and additional GISW Unbridled Forever (Unbridled's Song). Her daughters are young and she still has a few more in the pipeline herself, so more could be in her future.

2006 winner Lemons Forever is the only Oaks winner
to be named a Broodmare of the Year | Horsephotos

Seaside Attraction (1987, Seattle Slew–Kamar, by Key to the Mint), bred by Hermitage Farm, Inc., A. G. Clay, and Robert N. Clay: She only had five foals, but four of them were graded winners, including champion Golden Attraction (Mr. Prospector) and GISW Cape Town (Seeking the Gold). Both of her daughters are dams of two or more stakes winners apiece, with French champion Desert Lord (GB) (Green Desert) among their offspring.

Blush With Pride (1979, Blushing Groom {Fr}–Best in Show, by Traffic Judge), bred by Mr. & Mrs. Darrell Brown: Broodmare of the Year Better Than Honour (Deputy Minister), dam of GI Belmont S. winners Rags to Riches (A.P. Indy) (also a champion and Kentucky Oaks winner) and Jazil (Seeking the Gold), is one of her daughters. Other top runners tracing to her to date are European champion Peeping Fawn (Danehill) and GISWs Thewayyouare (Kingmambo), Streaming (Smart Strike), and Paris Lights (Curlin).

Hidden Talent (1956, Dark Star–Dangerous Dame {GB}, by Nasrullah {GB}), bred by Harry F. Guggenheim: Dam of Broodmare of the Year Too Bald (Bald Eagle), her descendants include U.S. champion Capote (Seattle Slew), Canadian champion Lake Country (Caucasus), plus MGISWs Exceller (Vaguely Noble {Ire}) and Broad Brush (Ack Ack).

Lalun (1952, Djeddah {Fr}–Be Faithful, by Bimelech), bred by H. F. Guggenheim: Her two top sons were champion Never Bend (Nasrullah {GB}) and Travers winner Bold Reason (Hail to Reason). Both hit the board in the Kentucky Derby and both had significant influence on the breed.

Real Delight (1949, Bull Lea–Blue Delight, by Blue Larkspur), bred by Calumet Farm: This mare produced three black-type winners, but it's the next generations through her daughters that will keep her in pedigrees. Among the legions of top-class horses descending from her are Hall of Famer and leading sire Alydar (Raise a Native), Broodmare of the Year Sweet Tooth (On-and-On), champions Our Mims (Herbager {Fr}) and Christmas Past (Grey Dawn II {Fr}), and GISWs Sugar and Spice (Key to the Mint), Codex (Arts and Letters), and Grand Slam (Gone West).

How (1948, Princequillo {GB}–The Squaw II {Fr}, by Sickle {GB}), bred by D. Djordjadze: She is the dam of Broodmare of the Year Pocahontas (Roman), whose five stakes winners included champion and excellent sire Tom Rolfe (Ribot {GB}), as well as good sire Chieftain (Bold Ruler) and the dam of outstanding European sire Alzao (Lyphard).

Nellie L. (1940, Blenheim II {GB}–Nellie Flag, by American Flag), bred by Calumet Farm: Among the Grade I winners of the last 50 years tracing to this 1943 Oaks winner are champion and Kentucky Derby winner Bold Forbes (Irish Castle), who was her grandson, and Life At the Top (Seattle Slew), Saratoga Six (Alydar), Lakeway (Seattle Slew), Jilbab (A.P. Indy), and England's Dunbeath (Grey Dawn II {Fr}).

Miss Dogwood (1939, Bull Dog {Fr}–Myrtlewood, by Blue Larkspur), bred by Brownell Combs: Breed-shaping sire Mr. Prospector (Raise a Native) is a grandson of her daughter Sequence (Count Fleet), who is also the ancestress of GISWs Sewickley (Star de Naskra), Shared Interest (Pleasant Colony), Forestry (Storm Cat), and Cash Run (Seeking the Gold), as well as Canadian Broodmare of the Year Amelia Bearhart (Bold Hour) and her dual Canadian Horse of the Year son Chief Bearhart (Chief's Crown), who was also a U.S. champion.

Breed-shaping sire Mr. Prospector traced to 1942 Oaks winner
Miss Dogwood | Dell Hancock

Two Bob (1933, The Porter–Blessings, by Chicle {Fr}), bred by C. V. Whitney: What a mare. Her Hall of Fame daughter Two Lea (Bull Lea) produced Hall of Famer and 1958 Kentucky Derby winner Tim Tam (Tom Fool), as well as seven-time black-type winner and sire On-and-On. Another daughter founded the Chris Evert (Swoon's Son) line, the latter being a Hall of Famer whose descendants include champion Chief's Crown (Danzig), MGISWs Sightseek (Distant View) and Tates Creek (Rahy), and so many more top horses. Derby winning filly Winning Colors (Caro {Ire}) also is a direct descendant of Two Bob, as is solid sire Best Turn (Turn-to {Ire}), and a slew of other high-caliber horses.

Fiji (1931, Bostonian–O Girl, by Ormondale), bred by Jack S. Young and Tom B. Young: A daughter produced 1953 Kentucky Derby winner Dark Star, the only horse to defeat Native Dancer, and a granddaughter produced 1964 Kentucky Oaks winner Blue Norther.

Alcibiades (1927, Supremus–Regal Roman {GB}, by Roi Herode {Fr}), bred by Hal Price Headley: Four of her eight foals were black-type winners, including champion and influential sire Menow (Pharamond II {GB}). European champion and another influential sire in Sir Ivor (Sir Gaylord) descended from an Alabama-winning daughter, while a slew of other high-class stakes winners trace to her.

Black Maria (1923, Black Toney–Bird Loose {Fr}, by Sardanapale {Fr}), bred by Himyar Stud or Colonel E. R. Bradley (conflicting accounts): She had only one foal, but one was all she needed. Her descendants include Preakness winner and excellent sire Polynesian, of course responsible for Native Dancer.

Audience (1901, Sir Dixon–Sallie McClelland, by Hindoo), bred by Mrs. Byron McClelland): Among her foals were Whisk Broom II (Broomstick), an eventual Hall of Famer who won major races in both the U.S. and England before becoming a top sire, and Matinee, a blue hen for the Whitneys whose descendants include Hall of Famer Top Flight (Dis Donc {Fr}).

Modesty (1881, War Dance–Ballet, by Planet), bred by George H. Clay: A number of stakes winners trace to this grand chestnut, most notably Regret (Broomstick), the first female winner of the Kentucky Derby in 1915. The GIII Modesty S., to be run on the Oaks undercard after moving to Churchill from Arlington, is named after her.

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The other finalists are Blind Luck (Pollard's Vision), California Chrome (Lucky Pulpit), Game On Dude (Awesome Again), Havre de Grace (Saint Liam), Kona Gold (Java Gold), Lady Eli (Divine Park), Rags to Riches (A.P. Indy), and Songbird (Medaglia d'Oro); trainers Christophe Clement, Kiaran McLaughlin, Graham Motion, Doug O'Neill, John Sadler, and John Shirreffs; and jockey Corey Nakatani.

Hall of Fame voters may select as many or as few candidates as they believe are worthy of induction to the Hall of Fame. All candidates that receive 50 percent plus one vote (majority approval) from the voting panel will be elected to the Hall of Fame. All of the finalists were required to receive support from two-thirds of the 15-member Nominating Committee to qualify for the ballot. Ballots will be mailed to the Hall of Fame voting panel this week and the results of the voting on the contemporary candidates will be announced on Tuesday, Apr. 25. That announcement will also include this year's selections by the Museum's Historic Review and Pillars of the Turf committees.

To be eligible for the Hall of Fame, trainers must be licensed for 25 years, while jockeys must be licensed for 20 years. Thoroughbreds are required to be retired for five calendar years. All candidates must have been active within the past 25 years. The 20- and 25-year requirements for jockeys and trainers, respectively, may be waived at the discretion of the Museum's Executive Committee. Candidates not active within the past 25 years are eligible through the Historic Review process.

The late Arrogate, whose bankroll of $17,422,600 ranks him as North America's wealthiest racehorse of all time, won the Eclipse Award for 3-Year-Old Male in 2016 and holds the North American record for highest career earnings with $17,422,600. Overall the gray Juddmonte Farms homebred won four Grade/Group I races in the care of Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert. He was unraced as a 2-year-old and broke his maiden in his second career start in 2016 and in his first stakes appearance set a track record of 1:59.36 when winning the GI Travers S. by 13 1/2 lengths, the only time in Saratoga history a horse has gone 10 furlongs on the dirt in less than two minutes. He also won the GI Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita and set a Gulfstream Park dirt record of 1:46.83 in the 1/8-mile GI Pegasus World Cup in his 4-year-old debut. He then captured the GI Dubai World Cup to become the all-time earnings leader. Arrogate was retired with a record of 7-1-1 from 11 starts. This is his first year of eligibility for the Hall of Fame.

Blind Luck won the Eclipse Award for champion 3-year-old filly in 2010. Trained by Hall of Famer Jerry Hollendorfer and co-owned by Hollendorfer in partnership with Mark DeDomenico LLC, John Carver, and Peter Abruzzo, Blind Luck earned $3,279,520 from a career line of of 22-12-7-2 and earnings racing from 2009 through 2011. She won a total of 10 graded stakes, including six Grade Is: the Kentucky Oaks, Oak Leaf S., Hollywood Starlet S., Las Virgenes S., Alabama S., and Vanity H.

Havre de Grace won the Eclipse Awards for Horse of the Year and champion older female in 2011. She was trained Anthony Dutrow at ages 2 and 3 and by Larry Jones thereafter. She was campaigned by Rick Porter's Fox Hill Farms throughout her career. She was second to champion and fellow finalist Blind Luck in the GII Delaware Oaks and Alabama S. in 2010 and earned her first graded stakes victory later that year in the GII Cotillion. In her 2011 Horse of the Year campaign, she beat Blind Luck in the GIII Azeri and went on to win Grade Is in the Apple Blossom, Woodward against the boys and Beldame. She made one start as a 5-year-old in 2012 to win the listed New Orleans Ladies' S. and was retired with a career record of 16-9-4-2 and earnings of $2,586,175.

Kona Gold | Sarah K. Andrew

Kona Gold won the Eclipse Award as champion sprinter in 2000 and set a six-furlong track record at Churchill Downs when he won the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint. Campaigned by the partnership of trainer Bruce Headley, Irwin and Andrew Molasky, Michael Singh, et al, Kona Gold raced from 1998 through 2003 with a record of 30-14-7-2 and earnings of $2,293,384. He set a track record for 5 1/2 furlongs at Santa Anita and won a total of 10 graded stakes, including the Grade I San Carlos H. He retired in 2003 and served as Headley's stable pony for a few years before being sent to the Kentucky Horse Park's Hall of Champions until he died in 2009.

Rags to Riches won the Eclipse Award for champion 3-year-old filly in 2007, a campaign highlighted by an historic victory in the GI Belmont S. She was trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher for owners Michael B. Tabor and Derrick Smith and broke her maiden in her second career start at Santa Anita to begin a five-race win streak, including four Grade 1s–Las Virgenes S., Santa Anita Oaks, Kentucky Oaks and the Belmont, where she defeated two-time Horse of the Year Curlin. She retired with a record of 7-5-1-0 and earnings of $1,342,528.

California Chrome won Eclipse Awards for Horse of the Year in 2014 and 2016, as well as champion 3-Year-Old Male in 2014 and champion Older Male in 2016. Trained by Art Sherman for Perry Martin and Steve Coburn, and later Taylor Made Farm, California Chrome won a total of 10 graded/group stakes including the Kentucky Derby, Preakness S., Santa Anita Derby, and Hollywood Derby in his first Horse of the Year campaign in 2014. In 2016, he surpassed Hall of Famer Curlin for the North American earnings record, which was subsequently broken by Arrogate. Overall, California Chrome won at seven different tracks retired with a career line of 27-16-4-1, $14,752,650. is his first year of eligibility for the Hall of Fame and after a few years at stud in Kentucky, stands at Arrow Stud in Japan.

Game on Dude | Horsephotos

Game On Dude won 14 graded stakes over his five-year career from 2010 to 2014, including eight Grade Is., he compiled a record. He was owned by the partnership of Joe Torre's Diamond Pride LLC, Lanni Family Trust, Mercedes Stable LLC, and Bernie Schiappa and trained by Baffert. He is the only horse to win the Santa Anita H. three times (2011, 2013, 2014), setting a stakes record in the 2014 edition by covering 1 1/4 miles in 1:58.17. Game On Dude also won the GI Hollywood Gold Cup and GII San Antonio S. twice each, as well as single editions of the GI Pacific Classic, GII Californian S., GII Charles Town Classic, GIII Lone Star Derby, and GIII Native Diver S. In 2013, Game On Dude swept the three signature Grade 1 races for older horses in California–the Santa Anita H., Hollywood Gold Cup, and Pacific Classic — becoming only the second horse to win those three events in a single year, joining Hall of Famer Lava Man. He retired with a career line of 34- 16-7-1 and earnings of $6,498,893. He is currently a resident at Old Friends in Kentucky.

Lady Eli, who was trained by Eclipse Award winner Chad Brown, won the 2017 Eclipse Award for Champion Turf Female. She won her first six starts, including Grade I victories in the 2014 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies and 2015 Belmont Oaks. And after suriving a year-long battle with she returned in 2016 to win the GI Flower Bowl and finish second in the GI Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf. She retired with a record of 14-10-3-0 from 14 starts with earnings of $2,959,800. This is her first year of eligibility for the Hall of Fame.

Songbird | Coady Photography

Songbird won Eclipse Awards for champion 2-Year-Old Filly in 2015 and champion 3-Year-Old Filly in 2016. Trained by Jerry Hollendorfer for Fox Hill Farms, Songbird won the first 11 races of her career, including Grade I victories in the Del Mar Debutante, Chandelier, Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, Santa Anita Oaks, Coaching Club American Oaks, Alabama, and Cotillion. As a 4-year-old she also won consecutive Grade Is in the Ogden Phipps and Delaware H. Overall, Songbird posted a record of 13-2-0 from 15 starts and earned $4,692,000. This is her first year of eligibility for the Hall of Fame.

Clement, 57, has won 2,334 races to date with purse earnings of more than $159 million in a career that began in 1991. The French-born Clement trained three-time Eclipse Award winner Gio Ponti, as well as 2014 GI Belmont S. winner Tonalist. Clement has won 262 graded stakes and his first Breeders' Cup race in 2021 when Pizza Bianca captured the GI Juvenile Fillies Turf.

Motion, 58, is making his second appearance on the Hall of Fame ballot, has won 2,638 races to date with purse earnings of more than $143 million in a career that began in 1993. He won the Kentucky Derby and G1 Dubai World Cup with champion Animal Kingdom, trained two-time Eclipse Award winner Main Sequence and has won four Breeders' Cup races. Main Sequence accounted for one of those Breeders' Cup wins, as did Better Talk Now, Shared Account and her daughter Sharing. A native of Cambridge, England, Motion has won 192 graded stakes. He has trained 11 horses that have earned $1 million or more, including Miss Temple City, who defeated males in both the Shadwell Turf Mile and Maker's 46 Mile. Motion has won training titles at Keeneland and Pimlico and ranks fourth all time with 37 stakes wins at Keeneland.

O'Neill, 54, has won 2,6762 races to date with purse earnings of more than $153 million in a career that began in 1988. He won the Kentucky Derby and GI Preakness in 2012 with I'll Have Another and a second Derby in 2016 with Nyquist. O'Neill has trained five Eclipse Award winners–I'll Have Another, Maryfield, Nyquist, Stevie Wonderboy, and Thor's Echo–and has won five Breeders' Cup races. A native of Dearborn, Mich., O'Neill won nine graded stakes with Hall of Fame member Lava Man. O'Neill has won five training titles at Del Mar, where in 2015 he became the first trainer to win five races on a card there. He has also won four training titles at Santa Anita, including a record 56-win meet in the winter of 2006-2007, and ranks third all time there with 971 wins.

Shirreffs, 77, has won 565 races, including 107 graded events, with purse earnings of $51.9 million. He is best known for training Hall of Famer Zenyatta, a four-time Eclipse Award winner with 19 consecutive victories, i3cluding 13 Grade Is. Shirreffs won the 2005 Kentucky Derby with Giacomo at odds of 50-1.

Kiaran McLaughlin | Horsephotos

McLaughlin, 62, who is making his first appearance on the Hall of Fame ballot, won 1,809 races with purse earnings of $130,031,267 (including international statistics) from 1995 through 2021. He ranks 20th all time in North American earnings and has saddled 179 graded/group stakes winners, inclduding, three in the Breeders' Cup races–2006 Classic (Invasor), 2007 Filly and Mare Turf (Lahudood), and the 2016 Dirt Mile (Tamarkuz). He won the 2006 Belmont S. with Jazil.

Sadler, 66, who is appearing on the ballot for the first time, has won 2,728 races with purse earnings of more than $145 million (15th all time) in a career that began in 1978. He has won 188 graded stakes, including the Breeders' Cup Classic with Eclipse Award winner Accelerate in 2018 and Horse of the Year Flightline in 2022. He also trained champion Stellar Wind and has conditioned 10 horses that have earned $1 million or more–Accelerate, Flightline, Stellar Wind, Switch, Higher Power, Catapult, Flagstaff, Hard Aces, Healthy Addiction, and Iotapa. Sadler ranks No. 2 all time at Del Mar in both wins (532) and stakes wins (85). At Santa Anita, he ranks second all time in wins (1,046) and seventh in stakes wins (82).

Nakatani, 52, won 3,909 races with purse earnings of $234,554,534 million in a career that spanned from 1988 to 2018. He ranks 14th all time in career earnings and won 341 graded stakes. Nakatani won 10 Breeders' Cup races (one of only 10 riders to do so), including four editions of the Sprint. He won three riding titles at Del Mar, two at Santa Anita and one at Hollywood Park, as well as four Oak Tree meetings. Nakatani won a record 19 stakes during the 2006-2007 Santa Anita meet, breaking the track's previous single-meet record held by Hall of Famer Laffit Pincay, Jr. He ranks eighth all time in stakes wins at Santa Anita with 134 and ninth in overall wins at there with 1,075. He also stands second all-time at Del Mar with 108 stakes wins and sixth in overall wins with 705.

Chaired by Edward L. Bowen, the Hall of Fame Nominating Committee is comprised of Bowen, Caton Bredar, Steven Crist, Tom Durkin, Bob Ehalt, Tracy Gantz, Teresa Genaro, Jane Goldstein, Steve Haskin, Jay Hovdey, Alicia Hughes, Tom Law, Jay Privman, Michael Veitch, and Charlotte Weber.

The Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place on Friday, Aug. 4, at the Fasig-Tipton Sales Pavilion in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., at 10:30 a.m. The ceremony is open to the public and free to attend.

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In this series, participants throughout the Thoroughbred industry share the names and stories of the horses that have taught them the most about life, revealing the limitless ways that horses can impact the people around them. Some came early on in their careers and helped them set a course for the rest of their lives, while others brought valuable lessons to veterans of the business.

Question: Which horse has taught you the most about life?

Anna Seitz, Fasig-Tipton: “I worked for Todd Pletcher when he had Rags to Riches and she won the Belmont Stakes. Somehow, she changed me…just because she was so amazing, beating the boys. I just remember she made me want to be better at what I do.

“She was a cool horse. She was mean and nasty in the stall, but then, when I got to pony her out on the track, she was a completely different horse. Just to be around something so great, and to be a part of that team, it was pretty special.

“When she won the Belmont Stakes, I started hyperventilating, and I'd never hyperventilated before. I didn't know what was going on. I just remember Todd's assistant being like, 'You've gotta breathe,' and I said, 'I can't.' I was just so overwhelmed. It was like a dream.

“I ponied and walked hots for Todd, but I also did a lot of office stuff. I took care of owners, and whatever Todd needed. I got to see everything, so it was cool to get to work with the horses, but also deal with the owners. It was a great experience, and now I have horses with Todd.”

Anna Seitz leads I'm Already Sexy into the winner's circle

About Rags to Riches
2004, m., A.P. Indy x Better Than Honour, by Deputy Minister

One of the great fillies of the 2000s, Rags to Riches established herself at the top of her division early in her 3-year-old campaign with wins in the G1 Las Virgenes Stakes and Santa Anita Oaks before taking the Kentucky Oaks by a dominant 4 1/4 lengths. She then became the first filly to win the Belmont Stakes in 102 years when she bested Preakness Stakes winner Curlin by a head in one of the most exciting renewals in the history of the classic race.

Rags to Riches finished the season with an Eclipse Award as champion 3-year-old filly of 2007. She retired with five wins in seven starts for earnings of $1,342,528.

Bred in Kentucky by Skara Glen Stables, Rags to Riches was a $1.9-million purchase by the Coolmore partnership at the 2005 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

Now a broodmare, Rags to Riches is the dam of two winners from five foals to race. Her most notable runner to date is the Galileo colt Rhett Butler, who was a two-time champion in Hungary.

The post Lesson Horses Presented By John Deere Equine Discount Program: Anna Seitz On Rags To Riches appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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The latest issue of the PR Back Ring is now online, ahead of the Fasig-Tipton November Sale.

The PR Back Ring is the Paulick Report's bloodstock newsletter, released ahead of, and during, every major North American Thoroughbred auction. Seeking to expand beyond the usual pdf presentation, the Back Ring offers a dynamic experience for bloodstock content, heavy on visual elements and statistics to appeal to readers on all platforms, especially mobile devices.

Here is what's inside this issue…

CLICK HERE TO READ THIS ISSUE OF THE PR BACK RING

• Lead Feature: Bloodstock editor Joe Nevills examines the leading stallions by year-to-year gain in mares bred, and how each horse in the top five took a unique path to get there.
• Stallion Spotlight Presented By New York Thoroughbred Breeders Inc.: Molly Lightner on Honest Mischief, New York's most popular stallion of 2021 by mares bred.
• Toast To Vino Rosso Presented By Spendthrift Farm: Taking a closer look at two first-crop Vino Rosso weanlings at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale.
• Ask Your Veterinarian Presented By Kentucky Performance Products: Dr. Rolf Embertson of Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital discusses when and why a veterinarian might perform a C-section on a pregnant mare.
• Lesson Horses Presented By John Deere Equine Discount Program: Anna Seitz of Fasig-Tipton explains what working with champion Rags to Riches taught her about life.
• Ask Your Insurer Presented By Muirfield Insurance: Bryce Burton of Muirfield Insurance explains the options to insure an in-utero foal from a broodmare purchased at auction.
• Pennsylvania Leaderboard Presented By Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association: Tracking the leading earners of Pennsylvania owner bonus incentive earnings heading into the fall.
• First-Crop Sire Watch: First weanlings cataloged in the Fasig-Tipton November Sale.

CLICK HERE TO READ THIS ISSUE OF THE PR BACK RING

The post PR Back Ring Fasig-Tipton November: Fastest-Rising Stocks In The Stallion Market appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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If? By the time he won the GI Kentucky Derby for the first time with Super Saver in 2010, Pletcher, then a month away from his 43rd birthday, already had nine champions, four Eclipse Awards as outstanding trainer, four national money-earned titles, had topped the Saratoga trainers table six times and had earned the Gulfstream Park training title for the seventh consecutive year. Super Saver's Derby triumph was his 72nd Grade I victory.

When? With that remarkable resume in place halfway through his 15th season as a trainer, Pletcher already was a lock to be elected to the Hall of Fame at the National Museum of Racing. It just became a matter of time for him to become eligible in 2021, meeting the Hall of Fame requirement of 25 years as a licensed trainer.

As a result, the announcement in May of the first-time-on-the-ballot elections of Pletcher and 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah might rank as the biggest non-story in racing this decade.

Pletcher, 54, will be formally inducted during the annual Hall of Fame ceremony Friday morning at Fasig-Tipton's Humphrey S. Finney Sales Pavilion. Since the 2020 ceremony was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Hall of Fame classes from both years–a total of seven people and three horses–will be inducted and honored. Pletcher will be the final inductee on the stage and said that he will deliver an acceptance speech that will last between six and seven minutes. If Pletcher's attention-to-detail past is prologue, he will hit the mark.

Pletcher with his father, JJ | Joe DiOrio

While he grew up in a racing family based in Texas, graduated from the University of Arizona's Racetrack Industry Program and was promptly hired by superstar trainer D. Wayne Lukas, Pletcher said the Hall of Fame was not something he aimed for in his youth.

“I never thought about the possibility of that happening,” he said. “Once things start going well you're aware of it. Certainly, having worked for Wayne while he was inducted, I was aware of that. But I didn't start off thinking that's my goal.

“The goals that we try to, as a team, put in place are pretty simple. We try to do the best job we can with each and every opportunity we get with each and every horse. In some cases that's winning a maiden New York-bred or a claiming race or whatever.”

That approach quickly carried Pletcher to the top of sport and ultimately to the Hall of Fame. He became racing's career leader in purse money earned in May 2014 when he passed Lukas with Jack Milton's victory in the Poker at Belmont. In September 2015 Pletcher became the first trainer to crack $300 million in earnings. He led the way to $400 million on January 30.

Since his father Jake trained Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses in the Southwest, horses and racing have always been a part of Pletcher's life. He began helping his father when he was in elementary school.

“I knew early on that I wanted to train horses. The only time there was any question was just when I was going to do it,” he said. “I wanted to go to work right after high school and both of my parents felt very strongly that they wanted me to go to college. The one compromise that we made was that I go get a college education. I'm glad I did. It was a fun four years of my life.”

Thanks to his father's involvement in racing, Pletcher had summer jobs in high school and college with top trainers Henry Moreno, Charlie Whittingham and Lukas. In December 1988, during senior year in college, Pletcher met with Lukas. At that point, Lukas was operating a huge national stable with divisions being managed by his son Jeff and other talented young assistants, including Randy Bradshaw, Kiaran McLaughlin, Mark Hennig and Dallas Stewart.

More Than Ready, the first of Pletcher's top runners to find prominence as a sire | Horsephotos

“I sort of had an informal interview with Wayne at Santa Anita,” he said. “He told me I could count on a job, to give him a call when I graduated and he would tell me where to go. When I did that he said go to Belmont. Part of what was so great about that was going to work, not only for Wayne, but Jeff, who was the assistant for half a year and Kiaran was an assistant for the other half. I got to work under those two guys.

“Jeff was a huge influence. He was a pretty strict disciplinarian, but he was a good coach. He expected things done a certain way. I think learning under him was important. And then the other half of the year working with Kiaran, I got to work with two guys, very different personalities, that were both very talented horseman. It was a really good balance for me.”

Pletcher has said through the years that being hired by Lukas was important to the development of his career.

“It was such a great learning environment, to not only being exposed to so many good horses, but seeing the organization itself and how that operated,” he said. “Plus, by being in a larger organization, you were able to get some additional responsibility that you might not in a smaller barn.”

Lukas said that it was clear from the beginning that Pletcher was a good fit for his stable.

“He started out right. He had a very strong work ethic and he had a great attention to detail,” Lukas said. “One of the things that we impart to those guys is attention to detail and organization. We organize the barn. That comes from my coaching background probably, but we organize the barn. He adapted to that and fell into that very quickly and became very, very strong.”

In 1991, Pletcher was promoted to assistant trainer. He stayed on with Lukas, managing barns in New York and Florida until late in 1995 when, at the age of 28, he took out a license to open his own stable.

“It was very difficult to leave,” he said. “You're walking away from a tremendous assistant job. You're working around the best horses in the country. To leave that and open up a stable where I had seven horses, none of which had ever won a race; it was intimidating to leave that but for me it felt like it was time to. If you're ever going to do it, you just got to do it.

Pletcher and Lukas in 2006 | Horsephotos

“Sometimes as an assistant, you kind of think the phone's going to ring one day and 'Hey, you've got 20 horses that I want you to train.' I think after a little while you realize that you've just got to get out there and try to do it yourself and see if you can succeed. I talked to my parents a lot about it, to my wife a lot about it and we decided it was. Let's give it a shot.”

Pletcher's first career starter, Paramount, finished sixth of 12 on Jan. 13, 1996, at Gulfstream Park. Thirteen days later, Pletcher won with his second runner, Majestic Number, in a maiden claimer race for 3-year-old fillies. Jerry Bailey, who had been Pletcher's babysitter on occasion years before when he prepping for what turned into a career as a Hall of Fame jockey and whose father was Pletcher's dentist, was up for that important first victory.

In July 1996 at Monmouth he picked up his first stakes win with Stu's Choice in the $40,000 John McSorley. The first graded stakes win came in 1998, the year that the 31-year-old won the first of his 14 Saratoga titles. According to Equibase, through Sunday, Aug. 1, Pletcher was seventh in career wins with 5,155 and his $409,890,881 in career earnings was more than $48 million clear of runner-up Steve Asmussen. Pletcher's website shows a total of 1,328 stakes won by his runners. That list of stakes includes two Derby wins; three in the GI Belmont S.; four GI Kentucky Oaks; six GI Florida Derbys; three in the GI Whitney and two GI Travers. He has won a total of 11 Breeders' Cup races in nine divisions. Many of his top horses have been ridden by Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez in a longstanding partnership.

Pletcher said that the filly Jersey Girl and More Than Ready, who won of a total of 13 stakes between them from 1997 to 2000 were the horses that put him on the map. His legacy, he said, is likely to be the colts that raced for him and went on to become prominent stallions, starting with More Than Ready. When it is posed, Pletcher gently pushes away an obvious question on the eve of his Hall of Fame induction: does he have a favorite horse?

Pletcher got his first Classic win with Rags to Riches | Horsephotos

“No, and I try to avoid that,” he said. “I've always said the most excited I've ever been after a race was when Rags to Riches won the Belmont (2007). That's still holds true for a lot of reasons. One, just the enormity of a filly winning a Belmont. But the fashion that it happened when she stumbled at the start and the stretch-long duel (with Preakness winner Curlin). My first Classic win and Johnny's first Classic win. It was just so much to be excited about.

“As far as all-time favorites, I've been blessed to have a lot of good ones.”

Like Lukas and other prominent horsemen who found early success and established their Hall of Fame credentials, Pletcher had to wait until he reached his year of eligibility to be placed on the ballot. Lukas said Pletcher had made his mark long ago.

“His career, exemplifies so much perfection, so many good things,” Lukas  said. “That's what it's all about. He's why we put people in the Hall of Fame when they have the character and work ethic and achievements that he's put together. That's why we get guys in. I'm glad to welcome him to our fraternity.”

Pletcher's wife Tracy, their three children and his parents will be part of the group of about 15 family members that will attend the induction. Typically composed in victory and defeat, Pletcher said he's not sure how he will react when it's his turn to be inducted.

“Everyone that I've talked to said yes, be prepared to be emotional,” he said. “Hopefully I can hold it together, say the right things. I'm going to be careful about naming too many individuals because I fear leaving someone out.”

The post More Than Ready, It’s Pletcher’s Time appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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But while both share a fresh, progressive profile, in other respects they could scarcely be more different. 'TDN Rising Star' First Captain (Curlin), winner of the GIII Dwyer S. on his stakes debut Monday, is beginning to live up to his onerous billing as a $1.5 million Fasig-Tipton Saratoga joint sale-topper by one of the world's leading stallions. In contrast Masqueparade, who won the GIII Ohio Derby the previous weekend, belongs to the very first crop of Upstart, an aptly named $10,000 foil at Airdrie to Hill 'n' Dale's $175,000 veteran.

If anything, First Captain's pedigree has become even more aristocratic since his presentation by one of the greatest of our horsemen, Arthur Hancock of Stone Farm, at the Humphrey S. Finney Pavilion in 2019. For he represents a celebrated dynasty already refreshed this year not only by GII Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth S. winner Greatest Honour (Tapit), but also by the 4-year-old Cezanne, another son of Curlin to have vindicated the top price at an elite sale. (Though it must be acknowledged that the $3.65 million Gulfstream 2-year-old has again evinced his fragility since that stunning return in the GIII Kona Gold S.).

Greatest Honour, Cezanne and First Captain all trace their ancestry to the matriarch Blush With Pride (Blushing Groom {Fr}), the GI Kentucky Oaks winner of 1982 whose daughter Better Than Honour (Deputy Minister) famously produced consecutive winners of the GI Belmont S.–Jazil (Seeking the Gold, 2006) and Rags to Riches (A.P. Indy, 2007). Both Greatest Honour and Cezanne do so through Better Than Honour herself, as second and third dam, respectively; but First Captain's mother, the Grade III winner America (A.P. Indy), is a granddaughter of Better Than Honour's half-sister Butterfly Blue (Ire) (Sadler's Wells).

It is remarkable to remind ourselves now that Blush With Pride was cashed in at the age of 18, for $635,000 at the Keeneland November Sale of 1997. At that stage, Better Than Honour was still only a yearling, but John Magnier and his partners in Coolmore–as so often–were ahead of the game even with an ageing mare who had appeared to make patchy use of her opportunities. By the time Better Than Honour had developed into an excellent track performer, and then an even better broodmare, Blush With Pride had closed out her own breeding career in Ireland with four foals by Coolmore's champion sire Sadler's Wells.

The first of these turned out to be the Group 1-placed juvenile Maryinsky (Ire), who later produced elite runners in Peeping Fawn (Danehill) and Thewayyouare (Kingmambo). And the next was Butterfly Blue (Ire), who only broke her maiden on the final of nine starts (albeit highly tried on occasion) for Aidan O'Brien and was culled with a maiden cover by Fasliyev, a precocious sprinter by Nureyev, for $610,000 to Horse France at Keeneland November in 2004.

The filly she was carrying that day was sold in the same ring 12 months later, for $290,000, to the late Jim Sapara of Winsong Farm. And it was only a couple of weeks after this filly, meanwhile named Lacadena, had added a stakes placing to her debut success at Woodbine in 2007 that her dam's half-sister was credited with her second Belmont success.

Her family tree having duly obtained a historic new distinction, Lacadena failed to meet her reserve at $1.4 million at Keeneland that November. Nonetheless, she resurfaced the following year in the silks of Bobby Flay, and though unable to win in a light sophomore campaign, she would prove a fertile investment.

Most obviously, when returned to Keeneland in 2015 to realize $1.3 million from Heider Family Stables. In the meantime, however, she had produced two significant daughters. One, Paris Bikini (Bernardini), brought $425,000 on finishing a mildly successful track career–only to work a big profit for WinStar last year when sold to Katsumi Yoshida for $1.95 million at Fasig-Tipton last November, her homebred daughter Paris Lights (Curlin) having won the GI Coaching Club American Oaks.

The other high achiever bred by Flay from Lacadena was America, the dam of First Captain. She was boldly retained at $725,000 as a Keeneland September yearling, a gamble that paid off fairly handsomely. For a start, she proved a productive performer for Bill Mott, winning five of 22 starts and adding podiums in the GI Mother Goose S. and GI Delaware H. to success in the GIII Turnback the Alarm H. And she was then, very presciently, mated with the sire of Paris Lights just days after that filly was foaled. The result is First Captain, who topped the Saratoga Sale just weeks before she was offered with an Uncle Mo cover at Fasig-Tipton in November 2019. Once again, the reserve was both ambitious–she was retained at $3.1 million–

and astute. Her half-sister, remember, would only be exalted by the rise of Paris Lights the following year.

The docket for her Curlin colt had been signed in as many as seven different names, but that of Flay himself has meanwhile resurfaced alongside three of them–West Point Thoroughbreds, Siena Farm and Woodford Racing–in the partnership registered behind First Captain for his belated, but immaculate start for Shug McGaughey. After beating a next-out 'Rising Star' Mahaamel (Into Mischief) over seven furlongs in April, he graduated to an allowance score over a mile of slop before landing the odds, albeit not in the most flamboyant fashion, by reeling in a front-runner in the Dwyer. In fairness, he was forced wide entering the stretch and a second turn will doubtless tell us more about the feasibility of the GI Runhappy Travers S.

Given his trainer's admirable circumspection, the Curlin S. may well appeal not just for its aptness, but also as a less-searching rehearsal than the GII Jim Dandy S. Whatever happens, he will surely keep progressing. Even at the most elementary level, you would expect a Curlin colt out of an A.P. Indy mare to flourish with maturity and distance; and the anterior intervention of Sadler's Wells in one of the modern breed's landmark Classic families can only serve that orientation.

A.P. Influence Behind the 'Masque'…

A.P. Indy is also a significant presence behind Masqueparade, who is by a grandson and whose damsire is out of one of his daughters. This is a different kind of slow burn. Whereas First Captain was late on the scene, but landed running, Masqueparade did get onto the track at two (albeit only just) but then required four attempts round the Fair Grounds to break his maiden. With those foundations laid, however, he proved a revelation when Al Stall Jr. brought him up to Churchill, winning an allowance on the Derby undercard by just shy of a dozen lengths; and he then consolidated that breakthrough by seeing off some quite accomplished rivals at Thistledown.

I do like the antecedents of this horse, who represents not only a model barn, but also one of the most exemplary programs in the Bluegrass, having been bred by Brereton C. Jones in support of Upstart's debut at Airdrie Stud. (A $100,000 weanling pinhook, he made $180,000 from FTGGG as a yearling.) Masqueparade's dam, Cry War Eagle (Any Given Saturday), was recruited to the farm on her retirement for just $40,000 at Keeneland January 2015. It says plenty about our strange industry that her value as a weanling had depreciated so steeply–she had changed hands for $170,000 in the same ring-despite winning five of 20 starts in the meantime.

That record was sewn from hardy genetic reserves: her half-brother Actin Good (Yes It's True) was a stakes winner or graded stakes-placed in four consecutive seasons, including the GIII Pegasus S. among five wins in 25 starts overall. And their dam was a half-sister to Voice Of Destiny (Mane Minister), teak winner of 24 races (including a couple of graded stakes) between the ages of two and 10! Moreover, the next dam is an Alysheba half-sister to GI Breeders' Cup Sprint winner Very Subtle (Hoist the Silver) plus another brisk one in Schematic (Upper Mile), whose respective win tallies ended up 12-for-29 and eight-for-15.

We can rely on Airdrie to draw out such wholesome ingredients not just in their broodmare band, but also in their stallion roster. Sure enough, Upstart was Grade I-placed at two, three and four, besides thrashing Frosted by five and a half lengths in the GII Lambholm South Holy Bull S.

How very auspicious, then, that Upstart should have made such a businesslike start with his first juveniles last year. Reinvestment Risk romped in an early maiden Saratoga to become a 'Rising Star' before twice chasing home speedball Jackie's Warrior (Maclean's Music) at Grade I level, while only the runaway train Not This Time mustered more freshman winners. Consistent with his own track profile, Upstart is now maintaining that momentum in a second campaign where only the eccentric case of Protonico deprives him of the highest earnings-per-named-foal among active Kentucky stallions in this intake.

In the meantime, moreover, he was again in conspicuous demand at the 2-year-old sales, advancing what was already a good yield for his second crop of yearlings (his $45,159 average held up well against fee, not least in a pandemic market and while rehousing as many as 41 out of 47 into the ring) as high as $113,250. Moreover, he has already bucked the usual trend, his first yearlings having been received so warmly (average $63,608) that his fourth book, a notoriously challenging one for most sires, went right back up to 90 after taking the customary slide from 146 to 86 and then just 38.

Both as a runner and a sire, Upstart has introduced more precocity than we associate with the Flatter brand. But remember how another son of Flatter, West Coast, is one of the best recent examples of the type of late-on-the-scene sophomore under discussion. (Though credited with beating all three Classic winners in his Travers, it would be churlish to pretend that they had made it to Saratoga in the same kind of form). So don't be surprised to see Upstart consolidate from here.

Other new names will doubtless emerge to challenge those who have absorbed the grueling Triple Crown trail, though Mr. Wireless (Dialed In) tore up the script prepared for odds-on Fulsome (Into Mischief) in the GIII Indiana Derby Wednesday. Remarkably, the breeders of Mr. Wireless, John and Iveta Kerber, had also been responsible for Iowa Derby winner Stilleto Boy (Shackleford) just five days previously. The Kerbers remain involved in Stilleto Boy and will be hoping to secure due reward for this notable achievement when he enters the ring at Fasig Tipton next week as hip 557 at the Horses of Racing Age Sale.

Not all of these later developers, of course, will cope with the raising of the bar. Some, like those fireflies, will fade away as shyly as they have emerged. But one or two, perhaps, will discover a glow that endures even until mirrored by the Pacific sunset at the Breeders' Cup in November.

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