Sam’s Treasure Switches to Dirt and Romps in Saratoga Maiden

by Bill Finley & Patrycja Szpyra

As he often does with his 2-year-olds, trainer Wesley Ward started Sam's Treasure (Munnings) off in a grass race, in this case a five-furlong maiden on May 11 at Belmont. She finished second, 2 3/4 lengths behind the winner–Cynane (Omaha Beach) had the distinction of being her sire's first winner and was Royal Ascot-bound for a time–but there was nothing about the performance to suggest that she could develop into a top horse. Maybe Ward should have been thinking dirt all along.

In a much improved effort, Sam's Treasure dominated nine rivals to win the $136,500 six-furlong race by 5 3/4 lengths. She tracked pacesetter Life's Joy (Mitole) down the backstretch, took over on the turn and then drew clear of her rivals to post a dominant victory. After being steadied early and losing ground, Colonial Rose (Constitution) managed to recover well enough to safely secure runner-up honors, but long behind the winner.

Sam's Treasure was ridden by John Velazquez, who was subbing for the injured Jose Ortiz.

The field included Camera (Curlin), a first-time starter from the Todd Pletcher barn who cost $1,050,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale. The daughter of MGISP Cassies Dreamer (Flatter) bobbled a few steps out of the gate and never recovered. She finished ninth as the 70-100 favorite.

“Earlier on we had her on both surfaces,” Ward said of Sam's Treasure. “I just thought she's a big filly. She came to hand early but the races at Keeneland are at 4 1/2 furlongs and a horse needs to be a little quicker than she is to win those. The Belmont race came up. I like to run horses on grass there because it's a kind and forgiving surface. If she didn't win, I thought that would still set her up nicely for Saratoga and it did.”

Sam's Treasure, also a Fasig-Tipton Saratoga graduate, was picked out at the sale by the team of Ben McElroy, Ward and Mike Hall, the managing director of the owner, Breeze Easy LLC. She sold for $700,000.

 

“She was beautiful here last summer at the Saratoga sale,” Ward said. “We went around and looked at all the horses and this was Ben McElroy's pick as well. We kind of pushed Mike Hall into buying her because it was a lot of money for her.”

At the time of the sale, Hall's partner in Breeze Easy was Sam Ross. Ross died in September at the age of 79.

“Unfortunately, Sam died last year so Mike Hall named her Sam's Treasure after Sam,” Ward said. “And Sam's Treasure came through for him today. Sam is shining down on us. Mike is someone you really want to get behind and win for. It's so hard to win, especially here at Saratoga. To have a filly as promising as this, I'm really excited.”

Bred by Baron Thoroughbreds in Kentucky, Sam's Treasure is the second offspring for her dam, Malibu Treasure, but the first to make the races ahead of elder half-brother Buckeye Don (Speightstown). The mare had back-to-back colts by Promises Fulfilled, a yearling and a 2023 foal. Hailing from a Graded stakes-placed and multiple stakes-winning half-sister to G1SP & MGSW Choctaw Nation, Malibu Treasure can also claim GSW Her Temper; GISW El Deal (Munnings); and GSW Thunder Achiever as members of her extended female family.

6th-Saratoga, $105,000, Msw, 7-23, 2yo, f, 6f, 1:11.22, ft, 5 3/4 lengths.
SAM'S TREASURE (f, 2, Munnings–Malibu Treasure, by Malibu Moon) Sales history: $700,000 Ylg '22 FTSAUG. Lifetime Record: 2-1-1-0, $75,750. O-Breeze Easy, LLC; B-Baron Thoroughbreds, LLC (KY); T-Wesley A. Ward. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

The post Sam’s Treasure Switches to Dirt and Romps in Saratoga Maiden appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Thursday’s Insights: $700k Munnings Daughter Debuts

1st-BEL, $90K, Msw, 2yo, f, 5fT, 3:05 p.m.
Belmont Park opens the week with a maiden sprint over the grass which includes $700,000 FTSAUG buy SAM'S TREASURE (Munnings). The Wesley Ward trainee with Irad Ortiz in the irons, counts second dam MSW Treasured Up (Medaglia d'Oro) and her half-sister GSW Choctaw Nation (Louis Quatorze) in her family.

Out of Ward's stable also comes a daughter out of Freshman Sire Advertise (GB), who was a multiple Group 1 turf sprinter in Europe. Chitarra (Ire), hammered down for 300,000 guineas at the Tattersalls October Yearling sale last fall, is a Stonestreet-owned bay filly ridden by John Velazquez.

Omaha Beach is also represented here with his first stateside entry. A $250,000 KEESEP purchase, Cynane hails from a female family which includes a number of prominent Grade I winners including Pleasant Home (Seeking the Gold), Pine Island (Arch) and Point of Entry (Dynaformer). Drawn to the far outside, the Tom Morley trainee will have the services of Javier Castellano. TJCIS PPS

2nd-CD, $120K, Msw, 2yo, f, 4 1/2f, 5:29 p.m.
Fresh off Derby Week, Churchill Downs returns to action on Thursday evening and entered is a $300,000 OBSMAR purchase, which set a high mark this year among 2-Year-Olds In-Training for those by sire Maclean's Music (video). Bred by Whisper Hill Farm, trained by Brad Cox and ridden by Florent Geroux, MUSICAL DIVA's second dam Shop Glack (Smoke Glacken) is a half-sister to both GI Personal Ensign heroine Miss Shop (Deputy Minister) and Shop Again (Wild Again), who produced GISW Power Broker (Pulpit).

Opposing her will be a pair of freshman Mitole's first-time starters V V's Dream, a $190,000 KEESEP purchase trained by Kenny McPeek, and homebred April Clover from Steve Asmussen's shedrow. World of Trouble, another young sire, is represented by Girls Weekend, also making her career debut. TJCIS PPS

The post Thursday’s Insights: $700k Munnings Daughter Debuts appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Verified by MonsterInsights