Trained by Rodolphe Brisset for September Farm LLC and Black Fern LLC, the dark bay gelding was making his first start on turf Friday after just being beaten on the wire in a one-mile maiden allowance over the Turfway synthetic track on debut Feb. 26.

Sent off the 9-5 favorite, Summer Anthem chased in second behind a longshot runaway leader. He enjoyed first run and took over in the stretch and dug in to fend off Pancake House (Maclean's Music) by 3/4 of a length in the smart time of 1:41.61.

An $8,000 purchase at OBS January in 2020, Summer Anthem is a son of Summer of Fun (Include), third in Keeneland's GIII Jessamine S. and in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf in 2012. She became a full black-type winner in Saratoga's Auntie Mame S. the following summer.

“He's a good-looking son of Temple City out of a mare that could really run, stakes winner and graded-stakes placed,” said Gainesway's Sean Tugel. “He showed a lot of talent in his first start and he came out today and validated that. He ran the fastest mile-and-a-sixteenth maiden special weight race of the meet so far. He's got the ability, he's got the talent and there's no better way to prove it than to take him over to the sales ring and take advantage of the sale being here today.”

The idea was hatched while Summer Anthem was being unsaddled.

“It literally came together in about two minutes,” Tugel explained. “We were in the winner's circle and the whole Keeneland sales team was there. We kind of threw it out there and they thought it was a great idea. So we just kind of collaborated. That's one of the ideas behind the sale. We're just going to roll the dice and hopefully people appreciate the offering.”

Added Brisset: “We've always liked the horse and were looking to run him on the grass after that very good effort first out. He should have won that day but became extremely green when he took the lead. He was way more mature today and 1:41 3/5 is an extremely solid time. (Ragozin) numbers should come back in his favor.”

Summer Anthem is available for inspection at Barn 18. His post-race veterinary evaluation will be available in Keeneland's Repository.

Click here for more information about the April Sale.

(6) Summer Anthem with @flothejock denies (11) Pancake House in race 4 today at Keeneland, (12) You Make Me Happy follows. pic.twitter.com/WAEXRUlob7

— Keeneland Racing (@keenelandracing) April 29, 2022

The post Summer Anthem Added To Keeneland April Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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The 17-year-old Dark Angel already has a Group 1-producing sire son in his G1 Diamond Jubilee S. and G1 July Cup-winning Lethal Force (Ire), whose Golden Horde (Ire) also won at the Royal meeting when he took the G1 Commonwealth Cup in 2020. Both Lethal Force and Golden Horde are now at stud in France. Dark Angel sons Gutaifan (Ire), Markaz (Ire), Alhebayeb (Ire) and Heeraat (Ire) have also sired stakes winners, and a significant chapter could be written over the coming seasons, with Dark Angel's world champion sprinter Harry Angel (Ire)'s first runners set to hit the track in just a few months.

In the meantime, Dark Angel's line also has a chance to branch out intercontinentally, with his son Raging Bull (Fr), a Grade I-winning turf miler, about to cover his first book at Gainesway Farm in Kentucky.

Raging Bull was in no way a small coup for Gainesway, or for Kentucky breeders: with the exception of only the brilliant gelded sprinter Battaash (GB), Raging Bull is Dark Angel's most accomplished son by both earnings (£1,335,394) and Grade/Group 1 wins (3).

Raging Bull was purchased by Eugenio Colombo on behalf of Peter Brant for €90,000 from the Wildenstein Dispersal at Goffs Orby in 2016. Joining trainer Chad Brown from the outset, Raging Bull didn't appear until April of his 3-year-old campaign but soon stamped himself a top-class turf runner in the U.S., winning his first two starts before adding the GII Hall Of Fame S. and the GII Saranac S. at Saratoga, over 1 1/16 miles and 1 1/8 miles, respectively. He capped a 3-year-old season in which he won five of his seven starts with a victory in the 1 1/8-mile GI Hollywood Derby in his first attempt at the highest level.

Though Raging Bull didn't find the winner's circle during a 4-year-old campaign in which he ran exclusively in Grade Is, he was never disgraced and picked up placings in the GI Manhattan S. and the GI Fourstardave H. Raging Bull kicked off his 5-year-old season in 2020 with a win in the GI Shoemaker Mile at Santa Anita before finishing third in the GI Maker's Mark Mile. He would return to Keeneland last spring to win the Maker's Mark, and was also third in the GI Woodbine Mile. In a career that spanned 22 starts over four seasons, Raging Bull ran in 15 Grade Is at seven different racetracks. He won seven times for earnings of over $1.7-million.

Raging Bull stands for an advertised fee of $10,000. He has been syndicated at Gainesway, with Brant staying in, and Gainesway's Director Of Stallion Sales and Recruitment, Sean Tugel, said he expects Raging Bull to cover “150-plus” mares this season.

“He has been very popular,” Tugel acknowledged. “He's been well-supported by his syndicate and that includes Mr. Brant-he's going to breed a large number of mares to him. The breeders who have come to see him, most are leaving here booking a mare to him; they like what they see. Certainly the initial contracts and the initial interest in him tells us he's going to be very well supported his first year.”

Among the black-type mares booked to Raging Bull before the start of the covering season are Boat's Ghost (Silver Ghost), the dam of Grade I-winning turf horse Finnegans Wake (Powerscourt {GB}) and the stakes-winning filly Puca (Big Brown); the multiple stakes-winning and graded-placed Courtesan (Street Sense); the multiple Grade II winner and Grade I-placed Great Hot (Brz) (Orientate); the multiple graded stakes-placed General Consensus (Giant's Causeway); and Concert Strike (Smart Strike), the dam of three stakes horses including the listed-winning Night Strike (Liaison).

Indeed, social media was awash with praise for Raging Bull as breeders ventured out to inspect him during the November sales.

“I think breeders were pleasantly surprised by his physical presence when he comes out,” Tugel said. “He has a lot of leg under him and he has bone and substance. Not everybody who was coming out to see a son of Dark Angel was expecting to see that kind of physical presence. He's an extremely good mover and uses himself extremely well. Everyone wants to breed an athlete and he certainly presents himself as an athlete.”

With his aforementioned size, scope and leg, Raging Bull takes the eye as a dirt horse just as much as a turf horse. That could be down to the American influence lent to his pedigree by damsire Mr. Greeley, a son of Gone West and grandson of Mr. Prospector. Raging Bull's dam, Rosa Bonheur, was also purchased by Brant from the Wildenstein dispersal in 2016; she cost €80,000 in foal to Siyouni (Fr), who was at the time a rising talent but not the breakout star he is today. Rosa Bonheur was bred by the Wildenstein family out of their Rolly Polly (Ire) (Mukaddamah), whose versatility and talent on the track is indicative of her grandson's: Rolly Polly won group/graded stakes races in England, France, Italy and the U.S. during a career that spanned three seasons, 18 starts, 10 wins and eight stakes wins. Though Rosa Bonheur's racing career was shorter, the daughter of Mr. Greeley showed the constitution that is evident in Raging Bull when running eight times between April and December of her 3-year-old campaign.

While breeders will overwhelmingly send their mares to Raging Bull expecting to get a turf animal, Tugel noted that it is a distinct possibility, given his pedigree and physique, that Raging Bull's progeny could handle the dirt, too.

“I think being out of a Mr. Greeley mare–who is from the Gone West line and very influential to American dirt and speed– certainly will help,” Tugel said. “Having Northern Dancer lines as well as multiple Mr. Prospector lines–that blood has worked extremely well in America. The amount of leg that he has; you need leg to win dirt races and get over the dirt. So if he transfers that on to his offspring I think he could absolutely be a multi-surface type of sire.”

Raging Bull's sire, Dark Angel, has certainly proven to be that. While his success as a sire, naturally, has been heavily focused on the turf, he has had 366 winners on the dirt and 13 stakes winners on that surface. Last month, Dark Angel's Golden Goal (Ire) established himself as a leading contender for the Gulf region's best dirt races with a win in the G2 Al Maktoum Challenge R1 at Meydan, while a week later Godolphin homebred Real World (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) made it five wins in a row with victory in the G2 Zabeel Mile. That win was on the turf, but trainer Saeed bin Suroor was vocal post-race that Real World, who is already stakes-placed on the dirt, may switch surfaces to target the likes of the Dubai World Cup or Saudi Cup.

It is worth noting, too, that Golden Goal and Real World are eight and five, respectively, making them just the latest stakes winners by Dark Angel to still be at the top of their game well into their careers. Dark Angel was among the very first of a wave of commercial stallions to retire to stud at the end of a 2-year-old campaign, and while that trend is a polarizing one in bloodstock circles it has undeniably in this case resulted in a sire that routinely begets that rare combination of early speed, longevity and class. And it won't hurt Raging Bull's profile that another son of Acclamation who retired at two, Mehmas, is already looking like following Dark Angel's path.

Tugel noted that, like all of Dark Angel's best progeny, Raging Bull had speed, and that he was most effective at or around a mile.

“Dark Angel is a source of speed and that's what we're all looking for in America,” he said. “Raging Bull is a miler and we always say milers make sires. Plus you add Mr. Greeley on the bottom side, it's really speed on speed which is what we're trying to produce here in America.”

“Raging Bull ran through his 6-year-old career and he was a multiple graded stakes winner over multiple seasons,” Tugel added. “To be able to hold that type of form is fantastic. In America we need outcrosses, and he is a complete outcross to all major sirelines barring Mr. Prospector, but you can find many different lines of Mr. P and go different ways. The fact that he can go to all the Storm Cat, Unbridled's Song and Unbridled lines, and Seattle Slew; having that ability to mix with every great American line you want will help him.”

It is no small matter, either, that turf milers are a pivotal part of the bedrock on which Gainesway is built; throughout its history, the farm's various owners have imported turf influences to mix with the American breed, including no fewer than five winners of the G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains: Blushing Groom (Fr), Green Dancer, Riverman, Irish River (Fr) and, most recently, Karakontie (Jpn). The 2014 Poulains and GI Breeders' Cup Mile winner has, with three crops of racing age, established himself as a very solid and versatile source of winners and stakes horses for his $10,000 pricetag; his first crop includes the high-class turf horses Kenzai Warrior and Princess Grace, as well as Sole Volante, the GII Tampa Bay Derby winner on the dirt. It is most certainly not lost on breeders that Gainesway has a proven track record of turning high-class turf horses into a sought-after sires. And Tugel said he expects Karakontie to go to the next level once his better-bred crops hit the track.

“The last two seasons, once Karakontie's runners got to the track, we've seen his best quality books come,” Tugel said. “His initial crop was his most mares bred, but in the past two seasons he has bred his second and third largest books and best quality. He has graded stakes winners in both of his first two crops of racing age and he has black-type horses in his third crop and hopefully they can go on to be graded stakes winners. But the 2-year-olds coming behind them we have great expectations for, as well as the yearlings and the foals that are hitting the ground this year.

“I truly believe over the next several years we're going to see a lot more from Karakontie. He gets you good, honest horses that train on. They run on dirt and turf, they run on synthetic, he's had a Kentucky Derby starter, he's had multiple graded stakes winners on the dirt. Princess Grace looks like she could be a top level filly, and she's almost a millionaire. His commercial presence has continued to grow; he's only averaged about nine to 10 yearlings per year through the ring but still gets multiple six-figure horses throughout the year. He's just a good, honest horse with great value and potential.”

With the path to success for a turf sire paved at Gainesway, Raging Bull has the chance to cement not only his own legacy, but also that of his sire, Dark Angel, as a sire of sires.

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The 16-year-old son of Northern Afleet is in good health. He will remain at Gainesway for the entirety of his pensioned life, and he will remain available to visit on farm tours.

“He was an outstanding colt on the track and was an exciting stallion to retire to Gainesway,” said Gainesway's Sean Tugel. “His stallion career was successful in producing seven Grade 1 winners and making his mark as a broodmare sire.”

Afleet Alex stood his entire career at Gainesway, entering stud in 2006 after a dual-classic winning racetrack career where he earned more than $2.7 million. He has sired 14 crops of racing age, with 550 winners and combined progeny earnings of more than $51.6 million.

His debut crop of runners arguably reached its zenith during the 2010 Travers Stakes, when Afleet Alex was represented by three runners: Admiral Alex, Afleet Again, and winner Afleet Express. Afleet Again would go on to win the Breeders' Cup Marathon a year later.

That class also included Grade 1 winner Dublin and Grade 2 winners Afleeting Lady and Harissa.

Afleet Alex saw his best 2-year-old ascend in 2014 when Texas Red won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Santa Anita Park and finish as an Eclipse Award finalist for champion 2-year-old male. He won the Grade 2 Jim Dandy Stakes the following year.

Other Grade 1 winners by Afleet Alex include Iotapa, Materiality, and Sharla Rae.

His best international runners include Canadian champion Skywire, Korean champion Dolkong, and Puerto Rican champions Cuqui's Love and Advier.

As a broodmare sire, Afleet Alex is responsible for Belmont Stakes winner Sir Winston, Grade 1 winner Dream Tree, and Argentine Group 1 winner Mahagonny, along with other notable runners Bourbonic, Suddenbreakingnews, Attachment Rate, and Estilo Talentoso.

The post Champion Afleet Alex Pensioned From Stud Duty appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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“Gainesway has officially pensioned Afleet Alex from stallion duties,” said Sean Tugel, Gainesway's director of stallion sales and recruitment. “He is in great health currently and will remain at Gainesway for the entirety of his retirement, available to be visited by all of his fans on Horse Country Tours, etc.”

Owned by Chuck Zacney's Cash is King Stable and trained by Tim Ritchey, the Florida-bred won the GII Sanford S., and the GI Hopeful S. before finishing second in the GI Champagne and GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile at two. Third in the GI Kentucky Derby, he stumbled badly in the stretch of the Preakness when he clipped heels with another horse, but recovered to go on and win.

“He was an outstanding colt on the track and was an exciting stallion to retire to Gainesway,” said Tugel. “His stallion career was successful in producing seven Grade I winners and making his mark as a broodmare sire.” Among those seven Grade I winners were Texas Red, winner of the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile; and Afleet Express, winner of the GI Travers S.

“Alex turned 20 this year and in talking people to Gainesway, his book has declined,” said Chuck Zacney, “So, it's a business decision, but the good news is he's going to remain at Gainesway, and when people stop by, they want to see Afleet Alex. He's going to live a very good life at Gainesway. I talked to Antony Beck and he reassured me he would continue to be held in high regard.”

Zacney, who named Afleet Alex for his then 4-year-old son, who now manages his father's stable, said that his 12-month career, “was such a great ride. He won his first two races by double digits, then he went to Saratoga and won two graded stakes. He had a great campaign at two, and through the Triple Crown races, but after the Belmont, we found out he had an injury and we had to retire him, but what a great 12 months. He will live a long and healthy prosperous life. He has a special place in my heart and always will. It was a great experience for the family, a great ride, shared by so many. Tim Ritchey had his eyes on him from day one at the sale, and did a great job training him.”

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“We're very excited to have Raging Bull,” said Gainesway Farm's Sean Tugel. “Gainesway was really established on bringing turf milers over here from Europe, so we're kind of going back to our roots. Turf racing in America continues to grow in stature and Raging Bull was an extremely talented horse, making 22 starts including 15 Grade Is. His sire, Dark Angel, is respected worldwide as a great source of speed and precocity, so I think he fits the mold of a successful stallion.”

Raging Bull has only been at Gainesway for a few weeks now, having shipped in from Del Mar after the GI Breeders' Cup Mile, but Tugel said breeders have been thrilled by what they've seen with the strapping bay.

“From the initial viewings by the breeders, they're really excited when he comes out,” Tugel said. “Physically, he's a big, strong horse. He's got a lot of leg under him and he has bone and substance. I think he's the kind of horse that you can really imagine getting dirt horses as well as turf horses and that's what really separates him apart from previous turf horses who have stood in America, that size and stature that he presents.”

Machmer Hall's Carrie Brogden was impressed after her first visit with Raging Bull.

“I was kind of surprised because you don't expect to have a turf horse that is so big and grand,” she explained. “He had size and presence and was dappled from head to toe. He was sound as a bell and charged up and down the lane when we saw him. He has size and scope, much more like an American horse than a European horse. I understand why he's here. He's big and beautiful and anyone who sees him is going to realize that.”

Owner Peter Brant and Raging Bull make their way to the winner's circle for the GI Hollywood Derby | Benoit

Archie St. George shared a similar first impression.

“Raging Bull is a lovely horse,” he said. “He looks unbelievable. Turf racing has become very well-received over here and he has a lot of quality, presence and strength, so I would imagine that he's what the breeders want.”

The six-year-old's sire, Dark Angel, is a resident of Yeomanstown Stud and currently sits atop this year's European Leading Sires of 2-Year-Olds list.

“Dark Angel has established his credentials worldwide as a sire of sires,” Tugel noted. “He's been so successful everywhere else in the world but we haven't gotten a really top-notch son of his here in America yet. Certainly this is the first one. He's a great influencer of speed and with the miler/sprinter types, so I think bringing that to America is a great advantage for every American breeder.”

Bred in France by Dayton Investments Limited, Raging Bull is the third foal out of the stakes-placed Mr. Greeley mare Rosa Bonheur and is the grandson of Rolly Polly (Ire) (Mukaddamah), an Italian highweight at two who later claimed a pair of graded stakes in California for Bobby Frankel. 

“On the female side, Mr. Greeley stood here at Gainesway so it's dear to our hearts, but it also gives us a lot of hope that he can be a cross-surface stallion and it gives it a little bit of an American feel as well,” Tugel explained. “Breeders can easily relate to the Mr. Prospector line. Raging Bull is a great outcross to all American stallion lines and he's a horse that will fit a lot of people's breeding programs in America.”

Campaigned by Peter Brant, Raging Bull was a debut winner as a 3-year-old at Keeneland's 2018 spring meet. That summer, the Chad Brown trainee claimed consecutive victories at Saratoga in the GII National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame S. and the GIII Saranac S. He stepped up to Grade I company in the Hollywood Derby and rallied from the back of the field to win by half a length.

As an older horse, Raging Bull won the GI Shoemaker Mile S. at four and the GI Maker's Mark Mile S. at five, scoring a 106 Beyer Speed Figure in his final career victory.

“The Maker's Mark Mile this year was an excellent race and really showed his determination,” Tugel said. “He weaved in and out of horses and had really good speed. To show up in the spring and beat a very talented field in front of all the breeders really put the cap on his career.”

The top-class performer retired with earnings of over $1.7 million after winning or placing in 12 graded contests over his three-year career, including a runner-up effort to MGISW Got Stormy (Get Stormy) in the 2019 Fourstardave H. as well as a second-place performance against Ivar (Brz) (Agnes Gold {Jpn}) in the 2020 GI Shadwell Turf Mile S.

Raging Bull all alone in the GI Shoemaker Mile S. | Benoit

“It's incredible when a horse can maintain that Grade I level over multiple seasons,” Tugel said. “To have that competitive will and to keep showing up every single time and line up in 15 Grade I races, it takes a lot of heart and a lot of soundness. He showed up and tried every single time. He had seven triple-digit Beyer Speed Figures. He's a horse that has that will, determination and soundness, and that's usually what separates the good ones.”

Tugel said when Gainesway was approached by owner Peter Brant about the possibility of standing Raging Bull upon his retirement, the farm jumped at the opportunity.

“He was on a lot of farms' lists and we were following him for a long time. Milers make great stallions and he was a consistent miler throughout his career. Soundness is something that we need in our breed and is also something that he brings, having made 22 career starts over multiple seasons.”

Raging Bull will stand for a fee of $10,000 in 2022.

“He's already been extremely well-received,” Tugel said. “People love him when he comes out of the barn. He's one of those horses that grabs your imagination. The fact that he ran in the Breeders Cup and then shipped right in and looks as good as he does, that's why he ran 22 times and was able to hold up to it. The same class that he showed on the racetrack, he's shown already here at Gainesway.”

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The 4-year-old filly was consigned to the sale by Meg Levy's Bluewater Sales LLC and topped yet another day of exceptional trade in the Bluegrass. A total of 271 horses sold for $10,507,100 Monday, an increase of 67.4% over last year's COVID-affected sale, while the average of $38,772 represented a gain of 63.4% over 2020. The median price of $26,000 was ahead by 73.3% over last year. Twenty horses realized six-figure sums as opposed to six last November.

Cumulatively, Keeneland reports 1391 horses sold through six sessions for turnover of $176,713,100, an improvement of 30.9% from last November. The average of $127,040 bettered last year's corresponding figure by 17.4%, while the median of $75,000 was up by 36.4%.

Noel Murphy's Castle Park Farm consigned and co-bred Monday's weanling topper, selling a colt by Not This Time to Hunter Valley Farm for $200,000.

The Keeneland November Sale continues through Friday with daily sessions beginning at 10 a.m. ET.

Pop a Choc Sneaks In Under the Wire…

With just six horses left to sell during the Book 4 opener Monday at Keeneland November, Clear Ridge Stables paid a session-topping $265,000 for hip 2242, the Bluewater Sales-consigned Pop a Choc (Bernardini).

A $330,000 purchase by Justin Casse at Keeneland September in 2018, Pop a Choc was trained by the agent's brother Mark for John Oxley and Gary Barber, breaking her maiden at third asking over the Belmont main track in July 2020 before adding a three-length success sprinting over the Woodbine Tapeta July 17. Levy thought that her placement with time ticking away in the session was actually a positive.

“I think quality has been sticking out, in particular, and I think actually being at the end of the day may have helped her,” Bluewater's Meg Levy offered. “Everybody right now seems to be looking for something they can have a little fun with, run with and not risk too much, hopefully buy something with a bit of residual. She was faster looking than a typical Bernardini with a big hip and straight hind leg. It seems like the stars aligned.”

Levy continued: “She was a really well-balanced filly, deep hip, beautiful neck, very correct. She was a very nice mover and out of a Cuvee mare, so she looked more like that side in terms of her physical. She has a good blend of speed and stamina and Bernardini is such a good horse, for a broodmare prospect especially.”

Through six days of trade at the November Sale, Bluewater has sold 31 horses for $5,364,000, topped by the $775,000 Spanish Loveaffair (Karakontie {Jpn}), who was bought by Doug Cauthen on behalf of Roy and Gretchen Jackson's Lael Stable.

“It's gone quite well,” Levy said Bluewater's success through six days of trade. “I was saying to people today that I look like a bad appraiser today, but I'll take that any day on the under side. It feels good right now. I don't know what's driving the market right now, in particular for the broodmares, because I do feel like it's slanted towards the broodmares. I feel like I see fewer people bidding on the weanlings than I've seen in the past years. Maybe the tax situation is spurring some of the broodmare buying in terms of the ability to depreciate them immediately.”

Gainesway Farm's Sean Tugel signed the winning ticket on Pop a Choc and said they would consult with partners on a potential mate. Given the commercial nature of her pedigree, Pop a Choc could return to a sales ring in the near future or they could elect to sell from her, he said.

Repartee Does Recio Proud…

The late Mike Recio acquired the newly turned 9-year-old Repartee (Distorted Humor) for $35,000 after she failed to meet her reserve when carrying to Not This Time at the Keeneland January Sale earlier this year. Offered in the first half-hour of trade Monday, Repartee paid tribute to the popular horseman when hammering to Pitlochry Partners for $215,000.

“I'm sure he'd be looking down on us today and smiling,” said consignor Archie St. George after selling the Repartee on behalf of Recio's South Point Sales, who owned the mare in partnership.

Cataloged as hip 1849, Repartee is out of the stakes-winning Dubai Dancer (A.P. Indy), a full-sister to GI Ashland S. winner Little Belle, whose daughter Dickinson (Medaglia d'Oro) was victorious in the GI Jenny Wiley S. The mare's second foal, Munnyfor Ro (Munnings), has made the investment look shrewd. Runner-up for a $35,000 tag over the winter, the chestnut filly broke her maiden in Keeneland maiden special weight company in April and was runner-up in the GIII Selene S. before taking down fellow Ontario-breds in the Woodbine Oaks Aug. 1. Since the catalog, Munnyfor Ro was a close fourth against the boys in the Aug. 22 Queen's Plate, took out the grassy Wonder Where S. Oct. 2 and the Ontario Damsel S. on the synth Oct. 31. To add further luster to the family, Repartee's yearling filly by Unified made $200,000 from Peter Brant's White Birch Farm at Keeneland September two months ago.

“Physically she is a nice, strong mare,” St. George commented “The fact that she's produced a very nice horse that's won over $500,000 obviously helps and the yearling sold very well this year. Unfortunately, she had a bit of bad luck with her produce this year, but on the whole, she produces very nice horse. She'll be a very nice mare for her new owners. It's a nice family and she's a nice, strong mare by a good stallion in Distorted Humor. John Moynihan bought her and apparently she's going to go to Charlatan. I wish them luck and thank them very much.”

St. George reported that the Not This Time foal Repartee was carrying at the time of her purchase suffered a setback and died earlier this year. He added that the mare did not cycle thereafter and was not bred this year.

St. George said he was humbled by the opportunity to consign horses to the November sale on behalf of South Point.

“It's obviously wonderful to sell these horses for the family,” he said. “It's very nice that [Recio's wife] Nancy chose me to represent Mike and his estate and I'm just so happy that the whole thing has gone well. Mike was a good friend and it's very gratifying. The way his horses have been received shows just how well-liked he was in our game. The results show that he bought some really nice horses and it's great to see him reap the rewards.”

Repartee's 6-year-old full-sister Tijuana Dancer (hip 1946) sold later in the session for $140,000 in foal to Vino Rosso.

Castle Park Colt Sells At the Right 'Time'…

It was a case of love at first sight for Castle Park Farm's Noel Murphy and his partner Dermot Joyce when the appropriately named Worth a Chance Mo (Uncle Mo), a daughter of the talented Grade III-winning 2-year-old Just Louise (Five Star Day), went through the ring at the 2020 Fasig-Tipton February Sale. The mare the partners were able to secure for a mere $9,000 some 21 months ago was responsible for the Monday weanling topper at the November Sale when her colt by the in-form Not This Time (hip 1988) fetched $200,000. Hunter Valley Farm was the successful bidder.

“Great result, delighted,” the Irishman enthused. “I knew he was going to sell well, but that was way beyond our expectations. He was a lovely colt, very popular, had lots and lots of vetting.

“The sire is doing very well, he's a very good stallion,” Murphy added. “He's very popular at the moment. He was an exceptional 2-year-old, a beautiful-looking horse and we thought we'd take a chance on him. My partner, Dermot Joyce, was the one to come up with the idea.”

Uncle Mo filly. Solid black-type family. Nine-thousand dollars?

“Dermot pointed her out to me. He manages Springhouse Farm, they bred her,” said Murphy. “He loved the family and he loved all the progeny out of Just Louise, so that's why we did it. She's not the most correct horse in the world, but she is a beautiful-bodied mare, a great-walking mare with a lovely head on her. When Dermot pointed her out, I said, 'we have to buy her, she's a lovely mare.'”

The proverbial cherry on top came less than 24 hours prior to the colt's sale, when Forbidden Kingdom (American Pharoah), the 2-year-old half-brother to Worth a Chance Mo, completed the exacta behind 'TDN Rising Star' Messier (Empire Maker) in Sunday's GIII Bob Hope S. at Del Mar. Forbidden Kingdom won his maiden at first asking at the seaside oval Aug. 21 and was third in the grassy Speakeasy S. at Santa Anita Oct. 1 prior to his effort over the weekend.

Worth a Chance Mo was bred to Global Campaign earlier this year, Murphy said.

Picture perfect, every way you turn. #KeeNov pic.twitter.com/ut2b0KxDJ3

— Keeneland Sales (@keenelandsales) November 15, 2021

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The latest issue of the PR Back Ring is now online, looking ahead to Book 1 of the Keeneland September Yearling 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 Presented By Gainesway: Meredith Daugherty polls the decision-makers at major Kentucky stallion operations about which Grade 1 races for 3-year-olds hold the most weight when assessing potential stallion prospects.
• Stallion Spotlight: Sean Tugel of Gaineseway discusses young sire Karakontie, who is getting notable winners on both surfaces.
• Honor Roll Presented By Keeneland: Breeder Sabrina Moore reflects on the journey Knicks Go has taken from a $40,000 yearling at the Keeneland September sale to an earner of more than $5.3 million.
• Ask Your Insurer Presented By Muirfield Insurance: Bryce Burton of Muirfield Insurance goes into the details of covering yearlings, including notable dates and endorsements.
• Second-Crop Sire Watch: Stallions whose second crops of yearlings are represented in the Keeneland September catalog, including the number of horses cataloged and the farm where the stallion is currently advertised.

CLICK HERE TO READ THIS ISSUE OF THE PR BACK RING

The post PR Back Ring Book 1, Keeneland September: Which Stallion-Making Races Make The Best Stallions? appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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“Certainly Tapit's status in the Kentucky stallion ranks and the all-time ranks of stallions keeps getting elevated every year,” Gainesway's Sean Tugel said. “He has produced four outstanding winners of the Test of the Champion, with Tapwrit being one of them, which was exciting because Tapwrit was able to break his maiden as a 2-year-old and be a 2-year-old stakes winner, but also carry that speed and precocity to go a mile and a half and win a very impressive Belmont S.”

Essential Quality and Tapwrit are Tapit's only Belmont winners to also be stakes winners at two. The other pair, Tonalist and Creator, did not break their maiden until early in their sophomore year.

After selling for $1.2 million to partners Bridlewood Farm, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Robert LaPenta at the 2015 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Sale, Tapwrit broke his maiden at second asking and then took the Pulpit S. at Gulfstream as a juvenile. At three, the Todd Pletcher pupil ran second in the GIII Sam F. Davis S. and took the GII Tampa Bay Derby before his eventual two-length win at Belmont Park.

Retiring after his 4-year-old season with earnings of over $1.3 million, Tapwrit joined his sire at Gainesway Farm in 2019.

But he wasn't the only son of the Tapit to join the stallion ranks in Kentucky. Nearly ten young sires by Tapit had started their stud careers in the Bluegrass in the three years before Tapwrit came around. What set this newcomer apart?

“I think what separates Tapwrit from many other sons of Tapit is that he has that Grade I form on the bottom side,” Tugel noted. “His dam, Appealing Zophie (Successful Appeal), was a Grade I-winning 2-year-old. That gave him the precocity to run not only at Saratoga as a 2-year-old, but break his maiden and be a stakes winner.”

Of the nine sons of Tapit standing in Kentucky today, Tapwrit holds the distinction of the only son of a Grade I winner.

Appealing Zophie, a blowout winner of the 2006 GI Spinaway S., produced another top performer the year after Tapwrit hit the ground in Ride a Comet (Candy Ride {Arg}). The three-time graded stakes winner ran second in this year's GI Maker's Mark Mile S. at Keeneland. Meanwhile the mare's 3-year-old filly Inject (Frosted), a six-length debut winner last year, recently took the Goldfinch S. at Prarie Meadows for Brad Cox.

“It's a very active family and a very precocious family,” Tugel said. “And Tapwrit is the best in that family.”

The Classic winner's propensity to combine precocity and the ability to stretch out as an older horse, Tugel added, is another indication of success at stud for Tapwrit.

“Over the last 15 years, Union Rags and American Pharoah are the only other [current sires] that have won a 2-year-old stakes race and also won the Belmont at a mile and a half. Those are two sires that have done well in their early careers, so if Tapwrit can follow suit, the sky is the limit for him.”

When Tapwrit joined the roster at Gainesway with a $12,500 initial stud fee, breeders supported the newcomer with 154 mares in his first book. He remained at the same fee the following year and was given a minor COVID-induced adjustment this year at $10,000. The early results on his first crop of foals were positive enough to keep the breeders coming in years two and three.

“He bred 249 mares total in his first two years and we're still piling up the mares here in year three, but the physicals that he has produced is helping him maintain very solid book sizes,” Tugel said.”He was a $1.2 million Saratoga yearling and is now throwing his good looks to his offspring.”

Tapwrit one of nine sons of Tapit currently at stud in Kentucky. | Equisport Photo

Tugel explained how he believes Tapwrit is passing some of his best attributes on to his first few crops.

“There is no rubber stamp for what a good Tapit looks like, but we see that Tapit himself produces good balance in his offspring and that's what we're seeing in these Tapwrits,” he said. “They look athletic and have a nice amount of leg and good bone to them.”

At the weanling sales, Tapwrit's first crop averaged $46,444 with 18 of 26 sold. His top-priced weanling, a colt out of the Smart Strike mare Smart N Soft, brought $100,000 to Black Cat Stable at Keeneland November.

“I think the weanling sales really helped him gain some traction as a third-year horse,” Tugel said. “When a stallion's initial crop can get the attention of both pinhookers and the breeders, it's a great storm to maintain really good support for a horse early on in his career. By producing the physicals and replicating his outstanding looks, we're very excited to bring his first crop of yearlings to the sales this year.”

At the upcoming Fasig-Tipton July Sale on July 13, Tapwrit will be represented by nine first-crop yearlings.

“The fact that he has nine in there tells you how early they're maturing,” Tugel noted.”They're horses that look not only like they're going to make the races early, just like himself and his dam, but that they should hold together and mature to be good two-turn route types that we want to win the Oaks and the Derby.”

Tapwrit colt out of Black Coronas sells as Hip 2 at the upcoming Fasig-Tipton July Sale.

One breeder in particular has high hopes for her July-bound yearling. Denise Belcher's Phoenix Farm is the co-breeder of a Tapwrit colt out of Black Coronas (Curlin). The January-foaled yearling was bred by Chad Frederick and Belcher's Phoenix Farm and Racing and will sell as Hip 2 from the Four Star Sales consignment.

“He's been a big, strong colt from the time he hit the ground,” Belcher said. “He precocious, good-minded, has a good walk and a great physical. We think he's going to appeal to the end users and the pinhookers.”

The young colt is a three-quarters brother to Drop Anchor, a 3-year-old son of Anchor Down that won on debut at Ellis Park last summer as a juvenile.

“The Tapwrit colt has a wonderful demeanor to him when he comes out of the barn,” Belcher said. “He has a presence and you can't really help but take a look at him. He really has that, 'look at me, I'm something special' [attitude] and he's got a great mind. He's very easy to work with and we've enjoyed having him.”

Tugel also noted the exceptional presence he's seen in many of Tapwrit's first yearlings.

“They have a lot of class and a lot of intelligence,” he said. “They enjoy the prepping and they enjoy having something to do. You want horses to like what they do and be smart about it, and that's something we've seen in the Tapwrit yearlings. They should handle the sales process and breaking process really well, so we're chomping at the bit to let the public see them.”

Other notable Tapwrits heading for the Fasig-Tipton July Sale include Hip 80, the $100,000 colt out of Smart N Soft that led Tapwrit's progeny at the weanling sales, Hip 90, a filly out of a half-sister to four-time GISW and sire Tiz the Law (Constitution) and Hip 93, a filly out of a half-sister to juvenile champion Hansen (Tapit).

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“It's a real pleasure and privilege to get to work in this business and be so close to an absolute legend,” said Tugel, calling in via Zoom as the Green Group Guest of the Week. “I can remember when I first came to Kentucky and Storm Cat was still breeding and commanding $500,000. I would take mares over there when I was at Hill 'n' Dale and you just remember that allure of a legendary stallion. Tapit is that now. You're in awe of him. Every year, he continues to raise his stature and produce champions. He's a horse that makes people's dreams come alive.”

Tapit is on pace to pass Giant's Causeway and become the all-time leading North American sire at some point this summer, as his progeny have banked, at last count, $170,556,107 on the racetrack (Giant's Causeway sits at $172,393,625). Tugel talked about what that would mean for the farm and the Beck family, whose patriarch Graham Beck bought Gainesway from founder John R. Gaines in 1989.

“One thing about Gainesway is it's steeped in the history of the game,” Tugel said. “Part of our farm is the old Greentree facility and farm of the Whitney family. So horses like Peter Pan, Domino, some unbelievable stallions have stood here. When Mr. Gaines had the farm he stood Lyphard, Riverman, Cozzene. Now there's a new chapter in the long history of Gainesway with the Beck family, who have stood what is arguably the best sire of modern history. For him to be the all-time leading North American sire, that's what Mr. Beck bought the farm for and what his son Antony has been able to carry on the legacy with. So for them, I don't think anything would be more special.”

Elsewhere on the show, which is also sponsored by West Point Thoroughbreds, the Minnesota Racehorse Engagement Project and Legacy Bloodstock, the writers reacted to a monster Belmont Day card, questioned the merits of the latest legal action by Bob Baffert and Amr Zedan, and remembered the great Rick Porter. Click here to watch the podcast; click here for the audio-only version or find it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

The post Sean Tugel Talks Tapit On Writers’ Room appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Goldencents (Into Mischief), winner of both the 2013 and 2014 edition, now leads his class of third-crop sires. The following year’s winner, Liam’s Map (Unbridled’s Song), is already a two-time Grade I producer with his first crop of 3-year-olds while 2016 champion Tamarkuz (Speightstown) now has a Grade III winner in his first crop of juveniles. The subsequent winners in the late Battle of Midway (Smart Strike) and City of Light (Quality Road) are still waiting for their first runners, but initial first crops are already turning heads both on the farm and in the sales ring.

Last year’s Dirt Mile Champion Spun to Run (Hard Spun) retired to Gainesway Farm this year and will stand his initial season at stud for $12,500.

“Spun to Run is a horse that we’re very excited about,” said Gainesway’s Director of Stallion Sales and Recruitment Sean Tugel. “Certainly his Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile win was his marquee victory and he did it very easily. He did it by widening lengths. On that day he ran a 109 Beyer and he certainly made everyone realize the type of talent he had.”

Spun to Run broke first at last year’s championship meet at Santa Anita and was never passed, besting a field that included Grade I winners Omaha Beach (War Front) and Improbable (City Zip), as well as Coal Front (Stay Thirsty) and Mr. Money (Goldencents).

Prior to his Breeders’ Cup victory, the Juan Carlos Guerrero-trainee blossomed in the later half of his sophomore season, finishing third in the GI Haskell Invitational S. behind Maximum Security (New Year’s Day) before taking the GIII Smarty Jones S. and later earning a 110 Beyer in the M.P Ballezzi Appreciation Mile S.

“It was a very strong 3-year-old campaign,” Tugel said. “He ran a `zero’ five times on Thorographs, which was very good. He’s a horse that showed brilliance, and brilliance makes sires.”

Following his Breeders’ Cup victory, Spun to Run wrapped up his sophomore season with a runner-up effort behind Maximum Security in the GI Cigar Mile H. While prepping for the 2020 GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational, an injury forced the dark bay to scratch and ultimately retire.

“It was bad timing,” Tugel said. “[Owner Bob Donaldson] had a big 4-year-old campaign planned out for him. Unfortunately it didn’t go as the owner had hoped, but that allowed us to go out and get him. It was an injury that took time to come back from, and unfortunately he missed the breeding season and the racing season this year. But certainly he’s a young horse still, he’s turning five, and he’s let down beautifully in his time off from training. I think people are going to be very excited when they see him.”

The son of Hard Spun is out of the stakes-winning Grand Slam mare Yawkey Way and his half-sister Tap It All (Tapizar) is also a stakes winner.

“Certainly the Danzig sire line has been a sire line that has been dominant throughout the world, not only in America but in Australia and Europe,” Tugel said. “The fact that his first three dams are all juvenile winners and his first dam was a juvenile stakes winner at Saratoga makes it very exciting to think that speed and precocity is going to be passed on through his offspring.”

Tugel added that he finds Spun to Run to represent the best blend of Grand Slam and Hard Spun.

“He has a beautiful shoulder and a beautiful amount of bone,” he said. “You see a lot of that Grand Slam and Gone West in through his neckline and jaw. The strength of his hind leg is a great benefit that he gets from his bottom side. He’s a beautiful mover and he has a lot of leg to him. I think he’s a true miler, and milers make stallions.”

Tugel said that breeders have been impressed by the million-dollar-earning miler as he nears the start of his stud career.

“The breeders that have seen him so far have really liked him,” he said. “He’s a horse that kind of grabs your imagination as soon as you see him. He has a personality and an intelligence. He’s a horse that captivates the breeders when he walks out and that’s what drew us to him.”

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