Tag: saratoga

Annual Sponsor-A-Family Program Highlights Holiday Season for NY Backstretch Community

Of all the events, activities, programs, and services that the New York Race Track Chaplaincy provides to the backstretch communities at Aqueduct, Belmont Park, and Saratoga Race Course, the Christmas Sponsor-A-Family program closes out the year in a very special way that touches the hearts of donors and families alike.

Months of preparation culminate with the distribution of food, clothing, toys, and gifts for approximately 250 families just before Christmas each year. (This year, the distribution will take place at the new Chaplaincy Center at Belmont Park on Tuesday, December 19, 2023.)

“It is almost impossible to describe the joy and gratitude these recipients feel each year,” said Karen Chavez, the general manager of the New York Race Track Chaplaincy. “Virtually all of the recipients are spending the holidays thousands of miles away from their place or birth and their original home and the donations to this program help them enjoy the holidays in a way that they could not otherwise afford.”

Chavez often hears directly from donors and how it “puts them in the Christmas spirit and helps them enjoy the holiday season a lot more.”

“They are all very glad to pitch in and we are eternally grateful for their humanitarian spirit,” she said.

In the Saratoga area, Stephen Sullivan, the owner of the Olde Bryan Inn restaurant in Saratoga Springs, provides a delicious dinner free of charge to recipients of the gifts which makes for a very special evening.

West Point Thoroughbreds and The Jockey Club Safety Net Foundation also serve as sponsors of the Sponsor-A-Family Program.

A year ago, the program was able to find sponsorship for every one of the families in need and Chavez said the Chaplaincy is striving to match that achievement in 2023.

Chaplaincy Photo

“It has been a challenging year in many ways, and we would love to bless all these families again this year,” she said.

Online donations for this program can be made on the Chaplaincy website at www.rtcany.org.
To donate by check, please make checks payable to the NY Race Track Chaplaincy and mail to:
NY Race Track Chaplaincy, PO Box 37191, Elmont, NY 11003.

The chaplaincy ministers to the needs of the backstretch community at the NYRA racetracks (Aqueduct Racetrack, Belmont Park, and Saratoga Race Course) as well as surrounding farms through a wide variety of programs. They include enrichment programs for children, teen mentoring, women's enrichment, social service, and recreational programs, as well as educational opportunities, and non-denominational religious services.

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Cave Rock Full-Brother Debuting at Tokyo

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 Saturday running at Kyoto and Tokyo Racecourses. Group 1 racing takes the week off in Japan, giving leading riders Christophe Lemaire and Yuga Kawada an opportunity to make the trans-Pacific trip to the Breeders' Cup, but plenty of action to be witnessed all the same:

Saturday, November 4, 2023
4th-TOK, ¥13,720,000 ($91k), Newcomers, 2yo, 1600m
ASSURBANIPAL (c, 2, Arrogate–Georgie's Angel, by Bellamy Road) is the latest to the races from the 2011 GIII Schuylerville S. victress whose biggest claim to fame thus far is this colt's full-brother Cave Rock, named a 'TDN Rising Star' when graduating by six lengths at first asking two days before this year-younger sibling sold to Tom McCrocklin, agent for Champion Equine, for $700,000 to top the 2022 Fasig-Tipton New York-Bred Sale. Cave Rock would go on to add the GI Del Mar Futurity and GI American Pharoah S. before settling for second in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile, and those efforts helped assure that Assurbanipal would be one of the star turns at OBS March, where he fetched $1.05 million from Katsumi Yoshida (breeze video). Joao Moreira takes the call. Longford Farm acquired Georgie's Angel for $75,000 with this colt in utero at Keeneland November in 2020. Also debuting here is $125,000 KEESEP grad American Runner (Gun Runner), a son of Uruguayan champion 3-year-old filly Acqua Fresh (Uru) (Ecclesiastic). B-Kathleen Schweizer (NY)

5th-KYO, ¥13,720,000 ($91k), Newcomers, 2yo, 1600mT
LA LA MONSTRE (c, 2, Mitole–Speightstastic, by Speightstown) was the third-priciest of 105 yearlings reported as sold in 2022 (121 ring) for this first-crop sire (by Eskendereya) when hammering for $390,000 at the Keeneland September sale. Cove Springs acquired this colt's dam, a full-sister to MGSW & GSP Bayerd and half to MSP Sphene (Bodemeister), for $65,000 at Keeneland November in 2017, and the mare's current yearling, a colt by Not This Time, made $725,000 from Repole/Spendthrift at this year's Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale. B-Cove Springs LLC (KY)

DEFERLER (f, 2, Mendelssohn–Heavenly Romance {Jpn}, by Sunday Silence) is out of a dam that upset Zenno Rob Roy (Jpn) in the 2005 Tenno Sho (Autumn) and has since gone on to be an important producer for North Hills, accounting for the likes of MGSW/MG1SP Awardee (Jungle Pocket {Jpn}), MSW Amour Briller (Smart Strike) and Lani (Tapit), winner of the G2 UAE Derby and later placed in the GI Belmont S. B-North Hills Co Ltd (KY)

11th-TOK, Keio Hai Nisai S.-G2, ¥72m ($480k), 2yo, 1400mT
Just hours before the commonly owned Jasper Krone (Frosted) takes his place in the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint, JASPER NOIR (c, 2, Frosted–Funny Bay, by Medaglia d'Oro) makes his black-type debut here. A $35,000 KEENOV weanling turned $280,000 OBSMAR breezer, the chestnut, who is out of a half-sister to MGSW Stanford (Malibu Moon), exits an easy front-running maiden-breaking victory over 1200 meters at Niigata Oct. 15 (video, SC 1). B-Nina Theodora Camperlengo (KY)

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A Classic Season for Castellano

ARCADIA, CA – As Javier Castellano gets ready to ride three mounts on Breeders' Cup Saturday, the recently turned 46-year-old is amidst one of the best years of his career. And it almost never happened.

A pair of Breeders' Cup wins at the 2019 Championships put an exclamation point on the Hall of Famer's eighth straight season with more than $20 million in earnings. But, the year 2020, like it was for so many, was more about overcoming adversity for the native of Venezuela.

Castellano was the first jockey to test positive for COVID-19–he wasn't symptomatic, thankfully–during the beginning of the pandemic in March and was on the sidelines again after undergoing hip surgery at the end of the year.

“It was tough, not just for myself, but for everybody in the world in 2020,” Castellano said. “I only missed three months. And it seemed like it was forever.”

Castellano returned to action in 2021, but wasn't exactly welcomed back with open arms. Competing in pound for pound the deepest jockey colony in the nation in New York, Castellano rode 105 winners that season, good for $9,804,024 in earnings. After going just 13-for-142 at the prestigious Saratoga meeting, Castellano's career was suddenly at a crossroads.

Javier Castellano entered the Hall of Fame in 2017 | Horsephotos

“I was devastated. I was ready to give up,” said Castellano, a winner of four straight Eclipse Awards as Outstanding Jockey between 2013-16. “I just came back from everything and people didn't give me an opportunity. One moment I thought, 'I think this is it. I can't keep doing what I'm doing.' I was really really depressed.”

He continued, “They didn't care about who you are or what you did in the past. It's amazing. I was a Hall of Fame rider, a four-time leading jockey in the nation in back-to-back years, had six Travers then, 12 Breeders' Cups and won more than 5,000 races. And it didn't mean anything. You have to prove yourself and that you belong.”

Castellano picked himself up off the mat and hired longtime former racing official P.J. Campo to handle his book. He began to right the ship with 163 victories in 2022. By comparison, Castellano rode a total of 212 winners combined the previous two years.

How did he power his way through?

“Mentally, I had to be strong,” said Castellano, a married father of three. “A lot of discipline and dedication. Do the homework every single day. Regroup and try to be very positive.”

The momentum began to build for Castellano after he won three races on Saratoga's opening day card that summer.

“In 2022, we started rolling a little bit in Saratoga,” Castellano said. “I also went out of town for the right people and won some races. I knock a little bit and the door began to open a little here and there.”

Castellano is no longer the one doing the knocking this year.

He put to bed an 0-for-15 mark on the first Saturday in May with a 15-1 upset aboard Mage (Good Magic) in the GI Kentucky Derby, and, just five weeks later, secured his first GI Belmont S. victory with Arcangelo (Arrogate). Castellano became the first jockey to win two Triple Crown races on two different horses in the same year since Calvin Borel did so in 2009. He's won 16 graded races so far this year, including seven at the top level.

“Thank God, I've been very blessed and very fortunate to have one of the best years of my career,” Castellano said. “It was a great achievement to win the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes, two Triple Crown races in the same year. I was always missing something on my resume.”

With Castellano's two Classic winners on a collision course this summer, he stuck with the recently retired Arcangelo, who followed up with a convincing win in the GI Travers S., the rider's record seventh victory in the 'Mid-Summer Derby.' The gray, unfortunately, was scratched from the Breeders' Cup Classic–a race Castellano won aboard the sensational Ghostzapper in 2004–earlier this week after developing a foot issue.

Javier Castellano celebrates aboard Ghostzapper following the 2004 Classic | Horsephotos

“He gave me an opportunity to regroup in my career, and, in my life, and enjoy these beautiful moments with my family,” Castellano said.

As for Arcangelo missing the Classic and now off to begin his career at stud at Lane's End, he said, “This is hard, but one decision I fully support. Arcangelo is safe and sound and that's all I can really think about. He has given me so much and I'm so blessed to have been part of the team.”

Castellano's mounts on Saturday's Championship program at Santa Anita include: GI Beverly D. S. winner and E.P. Taylor S. winner Fev Rover (Ire) (Gutaifan {Ire}) in the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf; GII American Turf S. winner and narrow GI Saratoga Derby Invitational S. runner-up Webslinger (Constitution) in the GII Twilight Derby; and Time for Trouble (English Channel) in the 1 5/8-mile GII Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance S.

“It could be a good example for anybody,” Castellano concluded. “You never give up. When you want something in life, you have to work for it. When you work for it, you get it.”

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Empire-Breds Set To Shine At Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Fall Mixed Sale

A total of 337 horses–an increase of some 44% over 2022–are set to go under the hammer during Tuesday's Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Fall Mixed Sale which kicks off at 10 a.m. ET at the Humphrey S. Finney Sales Pavilion in upstate New York.

“We are looking forward to it very much,” said Fasig-Tipton President and CEO Boyd Browning, Jr. “We have a great catalog of weanlings, some very interesting mares as well and there has been plenty of action on the grounds so far. We all benefit from the great New York-bred program, the best state-bred program around.”

Browning, Jr. anticipates that the market will toss up few surprises.

“I think it's going to be the same story we've seen for quite a while,” he said. “The ones that are viewed as quality and 'desirable', there will be lots of competition for them and they'll be harder to buy than buyers would expect them to be. The ones that don't have as great of commercial appeal or have a little age on them or don't vet will be harder to sell. So expect continued polarization in the marketplace, but I think that we all recognize that is the market and don't really see any reason it will be any different this week or next week at the [Fasig-Tipton Kentucky] yearling sale. We kind of have an idea where the market is.”

Weanlings comprise over 72% of the catalog, 244 entries to be exact, giving end-users and resellers alike the opportunity to invest in quality New York-bred bloodstock. Buyers will have a compelling group of sires from which to choose, including the New York-based Central Banker, Fog of War, Galilean, Honest Mischief, Slumber (GB), Solomini and War Dancer. With increasing frequency, New York breeders send their mares away from the Empire state to be bred, and sires domiciled outside New York with weanlings on offer include Army Mule, Beau Liam, Bolt d'Oro, Cairo Prince, Classic Empire, Dialed In, Game Winner, Hard Spun, Independence Hall, Known Agenda, Liam's Map, Maximus Mischief, Medaglia d'Oro, Mitole, Tacitus, New York-bred Tiz the Law, Vekoma and Yaupon.

Held for the first time in 2012, the Saratoga Fall Mixed Sale has grown in popularity over the years, moving in tandem with the increasing strength of the New York-bred program.

“From a commercial perspective, the foals became more viable, people wanted to have an outlet in New York to sell their New York-breds and we always try to be responsive to the market,” Browning said about the sale as a concept. “We don't create the market, but we try to serve the market and it was evident there was a need and an opportunity to do business here.

“I think when you think of Fasig-Tipton, it's synonymous with one word–Saratoga. We've been selling horses there for over 100 years, it's a huge part of what we do and who we are. Our premier yearling sale is held in New York every year and the New York-bred program is a good complement to our activity. We're fortunate to do a lot of business here.”

The first horse through the ring during last year's Saratoga Fall Mixed Sale crossed the six-figure threshold, one of nine $100,000-plus transactions during the single-session auction. A trio of weanlings shared top honors in 2022: fillies by Malibu Moon and Not This Time and a colt by Vekoma each sold for $150,000, which helped bolster the overall statistics. The average of $32,392 represented a 44.3% increase over 2021, while the median price doubled to $20,000.

 

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