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Sacred Wish Looks To Stay Clean On the Green In Valley View

The GIII Bank of America Valley View S. kicks off the graded action on the final two days of the fall meeting at Keeneland, and a mostly evenly matched group of sophomore fillies will head to the post.

Sacred Wish (Not This Time) was something other than a failure on the main track, with placings in the GII Gulfstream Park Oaks–in her first start following a private acquisition by a partnership group headed up by Black Type Thoroughbreds and Swinbank Stable–and a near miss behind Wet Paint (Blame) in the GI CCA Oaks in July. The dark bay never reached contention in the GI Alabama S. after some problems getting out of the gate and tried the turf for the first time in the Sept. 15 Winter Memories S. at Aqueduct. She took to it beautifully, coming away late to score comfortably and looks to have trained on strongly since.

Klaravich Stable homebred Surge Capacity (Flintshire {GB}) is the 3-1 favorite on the morning line and with good reason, as she won Saratoga's GIII Lake George S. at second asking July 21, where she had Secret Money (Good Samaritan) back in third, and was second best to stablemate Aspray (Quality Road) in the GII Lake Placid S. Aug. 19. Secret Money did her part to flatter the Lake George form when edging next-out Glen Cove S. winner Danse Macabre (Army Mule) in the 6 1/2-furlong GIII Music City S. at Kentucky Downs Sept. 2.

Trainer Jessica Harrington sends in Moyglare Stud homebred Eternal Silence (War Front) for her U.S. debut. Third to the recently retired Tahiyra (Ire) (Siyouni {Fr}) in the Group 1 stakes sponsored by her owner last fall, the bay won her maiden by 11 lengths going a mile a Naas June 28 and exits a fourth in listed company at Killarney the following month. Shane Foley ships in to ride.

So rich in quality is the Valley View that three fillies that have already struck at the graded level are no better than bit players. The rail-drawn Heavenly Sunday (Candy Ride {Arg}) wired Churchill's GII Edgewood S. May 5, while Safeen (War Front) picked up her graded score in the GIII Pucker Up S. at Ellis in August. The most intriguing of this trio is Abundancia (California Chrome), a Group 2 winner on the dirt in Peru and Group 1 placed on both surfaces.

The post Sacred Wish Looks To Stay Clean On the Green In Valley View appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Nicolai Hoping Saratoga Sale Topper Just the Start of October Success

Richard Nicolai, who sold the record-setting sale topper at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Fall Mixed Sale Tuesday, hopes the month ends on another high note in the winner's circle at Keeneland where Secret Money (Good Samaritan) goes postward in the Oct. 27 GIII Valley View S..

Nicolai knew he was sending a good horse through the ring when the weanling son of Good Magic was offered at Fasig-Tipton Tuesday, but the breeder admitted he was surprised when the colt brought a sale-record $230,000 from C F Farm.

“I thought he would sell well,” Nicolai said of the weanling, who was consigned by Vinery Sales. “I had a $175,000 reserve on him–not believing that I could hit the $175,000 reserve. But I figured, if I got the $175,000, I would let him go. If I didn't, I would sell him as a yearling. He was perfect in every way. But I was very, very surprised to see him bring $230,000. I thought he was a really good colt–good looker, good mover. His family was OK, it wasn't jumping off the page. It kind of surprised me when he went that high.”

The result provided a quick return on investment for Nicolai, who purchased the sale-topper's dam Popstar (Medaglia d'Oro), with the colt in utero, for $29,000 at the Keeneland January sale earlier this year.

“She is a beautiful mare,” Nicolai said of the 10-year-old Popstar. “She had a Catholic Boy 2-year-old this year and I thought I could get lucky if she hit. And I got lucky because the Catholic Boy 2-year-old finished second in a stakes race.”

Lady d'Oro (Catholic Boy) followed a maiden-breaking victory at Monmouth with a runner-up effort in the July 29 Colleen S. That result, plus the hot streak of Good Magic, prompted Nicolai to offer the weanling Tuesday.

“He was so good looking and all of the people that I consult with said, 'Good Magic is hot right now. You are going to get a premium for him. Take the money,'” Nicolai said. “I am investing a lot of money on other broodmares, so it was good to get a little bit of revenue stream.”

Popstar is currently in foal to Central Banker.

“I brought her back and I had to breed her to a New York stallion to make this colt New York eligible, so I bred her to Central Banker,” Nicolai said. “Next year we are going to send her to Kentucky.”

Nicolai's Fortune Farm bred and campaigned Sue's Fortune (Jump Start), winner of the 2018 GII Adirondack S. He sold that mare for $300,000 at the 2019 Keeneland November sale, but at the same auction purchased Pantsonfire (Ire) (Sir Percy {GB}) for $70,000. That mare's Gun Runner filly sold for $290,000 at the Fasig-Tipton New York-Bred Yearlings Sale in August.

“I have about 15 broodmares,” Nicolai said. “And I have another 10 or 15 that I am partners on with Taylor Made. The plan is to keep improving, not more, just better quality. I have done a little of that in the last couple of years. Yesterday, I bought three mares out of that sale. It's a step forward for me–they were young mares and there is a chance to build a family.”

Nicolai is also working on building up his broodmare band from scratch.

“I went out and bought a bunch of fillies as yearlings,” he said. “I have half a dozen yearlings right now this year that I am breaking–all well-bred fillies.”

Heading Nicolai's racing stable at the moment is the 3-year-old filly Secret Money, who he co-owns with Robert Hahn and Matthew Hand. Trained by Brendan Walsh, the bay was third in the July 21 GIII Lake George S. at Saratoga before a one-length victory in the $1-million GIII Music City S. at Kentucky Downs last time out.

“She is doing really well,” Nicolai said of the filly. “She's training well and we are really looking forward to her.”

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Graded Preview: Turf Battle Set For Lake George

If you are searching for some Saratoga race name history, then head about 30 miles west from the horse hubbub in the complete opposite direction of Lake George. On Route 29 just outside Johnstown, New York, you'll find Johnson Hall, an impressive Georgian structure that became a historic house museum.

In 1763, a century before Saratoga Race Course was founded, the manor was literally carved out of the wilderness as a symbol of refinement by power couple Sir William Johnson and his common-law wife, Molly Brant.

On their turf they held massive front yard meetings with the Five Nations of the Iroquois, were bestowed land and titles by the British government, and Brant, who hailed from an important family herself, was a Mohawk Indian that birthed eight children by the Irish-born Johnson.

Always controversial, Sir William is the culprit who named Lake George in honor of The King. Back in the future, the mere is not only a key pleasure spot, but it's also a Grade III turf race for 3-year-old fillies which takes place this Friday afternoon at Saratoga. Here's a preview.

Over the past eight years, only trainers Brendan Walsh and George Weaver can claim wins over Chad Brown in the Lake George. Walsh will try to duplicate his feat from 2017 with Secret Money (Good Samaritan), who broke her maiden at second asking while sprinting on the grass at Keeneland in April before clearing allowance company a month later at Churchill Downs. Despite her fifth-place finish in the Alywow S. at Woodbine June 25, she was more than competitive.

A pair of other entrants who are of interest include Queen Picasso (GB) (Kingman {GB}), trained by Christophe Clement and Lil Miss Moonlight (City of Light) from Tim Hamm's shedrow. The former is looking to collect her third career victory in a row after she won last time out by two lengths in the GIII Soaring Softly S. at Belmont Park, while the latter has never finished out of the money.

Brown's entries comprise half of the 10-horse field and most handicappers will be looking closely at the strong stakes grass experience held by Liguria (War Front) and Revalita (Fr) (Recoletos {Fr}). Liguria won the Wild Applause S. at Belmont Park June 24 with a sweeping seven-wide move to get up in time.

Also part of the Lake George are a trio of Brown trainees owned by Klaravich Stables. Tax Implications (GB) (Mehmas {Ire}), who ran second to Liguria in the Wild Applause, and Utilization Rate (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}) will be joined by Surge Capacity (Flintshire {GB}), who will have to answer the class hike question with only a debut score to her credit June 10 at Monmouth by 1 1/2 lengths. Her dam, Strong Incentive (Warrior's Reward) produced another Klaravich-owned trainee in GSW Highly Motivated (Into Mischief).

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