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Brown, Klaravich, Jose Ortiz Claim New York Racing Association Titles

Chad Brown won his seventh consecutive New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) year-end training title with 140 wins while Jose Ortiz compiled his third riding crown with 185 victories as racing in 2021 was capped with the conclusion of the card on December 31.

Klaravich Stables retained the title as top owner, racking up 55 wins, seven more than the next-closest competitor, Michael Dubb, to finish as the leading owner for the third straight year at NYRA tracks, which include Belmont Park, Saratoga Race Course and Aqueduct Racetrack.

Brown compiled a 140-104-91 record with 565 starters. He won four individual meets, leading the way at the Aqueduct spring, Belmont spring, Saratoga summer and Belmont fall meets.

“First and foremost, it's a credit to the hard work of my dedicated team and so many people contributing, including a loyal, patient group of owners that supplied our team with a steady supply of talented horses all year – and, of course, all the horses in all different categories and levels giving so many fine efforts,” Brown said. “I feel this year we really spread out further through the jockey colony, using a lot of different talented jockeys that are mostly based in New York, and many of them gave memorable efforts and performances along with our horses, as well.

“And nothing could be accomplished unless NYRA provided us with really safe accommodations for our horses and our staff,” Brown added. “That's really been a constant throughout my time building the company at NYRA. They have been great partners and I'm really excited for what the future holds – there's a lot of exciting things happening at NYRA.”

The four-time Eclipse Award Champion trainer racked up earnings of more than $14.8 million while winning more than 24 percent of the time. Brown's starters finished on the board at a 59 percent clip.

The 43-year-old Brown has paced NYRA trainers on every NYRA year-end standings list since 2015. Among his highlights on the NYRA circuit were Grade 1 wins at Belmont with Jack Christopher [Champagne], Rockemperor [Joe Hirsch Turf Classic], and the Klaravich Stables-owned duo of Search Results [Acorn] and Domestic Spending [Manhattan].

Brown shared his appreciation for his longtime partnership with the influential Klaravich Stables, which is headed by Seth Klarman.

“Mr. Klarman is our largest account and he's a terrific client and friend. He's been in the game a long time and built up quite a stable. His silks are now recognized around the world,” Brown said. “He had a very strong season and we appreciate his support very much. He has a lot of exciting horses moving forward into next season. Certainly, our team couldn't accomplish what we're doing without his support. I'm proud of the success of his stable, not only for the most wins but for the prize money, the win percentage that he has and the earnings per start. He's really built a successful stable in all relevant categories and, of course, he has a number of stakes wins and most importantly graded stakes wins on the NYRA circuit.”

Brown also reflected on a special August day at Saratoga, securing his 2,000th career win when Digital Software, owned by Klaravich Stables and piloted by Ortiz, Jr., won a maiden claiming tilt in front of his hometown fans.

“It was quite a memorable day at Saratoga. It was one of the highlights of the year for me. We have been lucky enough to have our 1,000th win and our 2,000th win at Saratoga, which is storybook for me having grown up here,” Brown said. “And then to do it with the Klaravich silks and with Irad, who has been our main stable rider over the last few years, was quite a highlight.

“I was so appreciative that it happened at Saratoga and it really was one of the highlights of the summer to win another Saratoga title for my team and my friends and family around the area,” Brown added. “It really meant a lot to me, especially after being so far behind early and my team persevering and my horses persevering, steadily finishing off the second half of the meet as strong as any meet we've had there.”

In September, Brown added to his impressive credentials by joining a select group of conditioners to have won 100 graded races at Belmont when Pocket Square bested stablemate Miss Teheran in the Grade 3 Athenia.

Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher finished second with 100 wins, 12 clear of third-place Rudy Rodriguez.

Jose Ortiz entered the final card of 2021 in a tie for most wins with his brother, Irad Ortiz, Jr., but guided Untreated to victory in Race 6, a one-turn mile allowance optional claiming tilt, to edge clear and secure the year-end title outright.

He finished with a record of 185-143-135 from 913 starts, compiling purse earnings in excess of $15.2 million.

“It feels great. This is what we work for every day,” said Ortiz, who earned Eclipse Award honors as the nation's Outstanding Jockey in 2017. “I couldn't have done it by myself. I want to thank all the owners and trainers that gave me opportunities and my agent [Jimmy Riccio, Jr.], who does a great job.”

The 28-year-old enjoyed a year of both quality and quantity, including a pair of wins at the Breeders' Cup in November at Del Mar with Pizza Bianca [Juvenile Fillies Turf] and Aloha West [Sprint]. Ortiz posted three Grade 1 wins this year on the NYRA circuit, all at Belmont, winning with Jack Christopher [Champagne], Letruska [Ogden Phipps], and Drain the Clock [Woody Stephens].

Ortiz, Jr. finished second with 184 wins, one clear of Manny Franco in third place.

Luis Cardenas, who became a journeyman in late May, was the leading apprentice on the NYRA circuit in 2021 with 30 wins.

Klaravich Stables won four NYRA individual meets in 2021, leading the way at the Belmont spring, Saratoga summer, Belmont fall and Aqueduct fall meets.

In total, Klaravich Stables sent out 207 starters, going 55-28-41, winning at a 26.57 percent clip, while racking up circuit-best earnings of more than $5 million in the process. Klaravich Stables won nine graded races in 2021 on the NYRA circuit, including his Grade 1 wins with the Brown-trained Search Results and Domestic Spending.

Dubb's 48 wins was second-most on the circuit with Repole Stable finishing third with 34 wins.

Live racing resumes New Year's Day Saturday at the Big A with a nine-race card highlighted by the $150,000 Jerome, a one-mile contest for newly minted 3-year-olds offering 10-4-2-1 qualifying points to the top-four finishers towards the Kentucky Derby. First post is 12:20 p.m. Eastern.

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Ortiz Jr., Pletcher Win Leading Jockey, Trainer For Aqueduct Fall Meet

Irad Ortiz, Jr. led all riders at the 15-day fall meet at Aqueduct Racetrack to earn his eighth riding title at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y. Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher compiled 13 wins, leading all trainers through the fall meet, with Klaravich Stables claiming the title as leading owner with five wins.

Ortiz, Jr., 29, finished the meet with a record of 76-21-7-12 and earnings of more than $1.44 million, winning at a 27.63% clip. He garnered five stakes victories during the Big A fall meet including a triumph aboard Peter Brant's Serve the King in the Grade 2 Red Smith on November 20 as well as the Key Cents when piloting the Pletcher-trained Classy Edition.

On Saturday, Ortiz, Jr. added three more stakes victories to his ledger when piloting the Brad Cox-conditioned Lady Rocket [G3 Go for Wand], as well as Mo Donegal [G2 Remsen] and Nest [G2 Demoiselle] to their respective wins for Pletcher on Cigar Mile Day.

Despite not riding in New York on Sunday, Ortiz, Jr., who was in his native Puerto Rico to ride at Camarero, maintained his lead over all other riders, with Jose Lezcano and Luis Saez tying for second with 17 wins apiece.

Pletcher scored five stakes wins during the meet, spearheaded by Americanrevolution capturing the G1 Cigar Mile presented by NYRA Bets. In addition to his trio of Cigar Mile Day scores, he saddled Repole Stable's Never Surprised to victory in the Gio Ponti on November 26 and Classy Edition in the Key Cents.

Pletcher boasted a ledger of 52-13-8-7 for the meet with earnings in excess of $1.55 million, while winning at a 25% clip. It was his first Aqueduct fall title since 2018, when he tied with Rudy Rodriguez with a dozen victories apiece.

“We've had a good fall,” Pletcher said. “We had a solid Belmont meet and we were fortunate enough to have a good Aqueduct meet as well so we're thankful. The main thing is you just want the horses to perform to their capabilities. We're fortunate enough to train horses like these. You want to do the best you can with them and it's gratifying to see them do so well.”

Pletcher finished two victories ahead of both Christophe Clement, who captured the 2020 fall meet title at the Big A, and Chad Brown, who won this year's Saratoga and Belmont fall titles.

Seth Klarman's Klaravich Stables captured their fourth owner title on the NYRA circuit this season when taking the Aqueduct fall meet title for the second straight year.

Last year, Klaravich Stables tied with Repole Stable for the 2020 fall meet, each owner earning five wins apiece. Klaravich Stables mimicked that amount of victories this fall meet, which included maiden scores with the Chad Brown-trained Inflation Adjusted, Core Conviction, and Marketsegmentation.

Klaravich Stables, NYRA's overall leading owner for the past two years, exited the fall meet with a 17-5-0-5 record and purse earnings of nearly $260,000. Michael Dubb and Repole Stable tied for second with four wins each.

Live racing resumes on Thursday when Aqueduct will kick off the 56-day winter meet which runs through Sunday, March 27. The winter meet will feature 46 stakes races worth nearly $6 million in purses. First post on the eight-race card is 12:50 p.m. Eastern.

America's Day at the Races will present daily coverage and analysis of the winter meet at Aqueduct Racetrack on the networks of FOX Sports. For the complete broadcast schedule, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Aqueduct Racetrack, and the best way to bet every race of the fall meet. Available to horseplayers nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.

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Taking Stock: The Kingmans in America

Juddmonte's European-based Kingman (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) is one of the best young stallions in the world. Through four crops of racing age, Kingman is represented to date by 42 black-type winners, 22 of them group or graded winners, four at the highest level. Moreover, he sires black-type winners at a rate of 9% from foals. In these days of big books, that's an excellent ratio. For comparison, Juddmonte's outstanding sire Frankel (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) gets 10% black-type winners from foals, while Frankel's legendary sire got 11%.

Kingman is keeping heady company, and he caught the attention of some American owners early, most notably from Seth Klarman's Klaravich Stable and Peter Brant. Chad Brown trains for both owners and is behind a number of Kingmans that have won or placed in graded races over the last three weeks, reminding us once again that Kingman is that rare European stallion with a particularly sharp record over American turf tracks.

On Saturday, Klaravich's 3-year-old colt Public Sector (GB) (Kingman {GB}) won the Gll Hill Prince S. at nine furlongs over the inner turf course at Belmont–his third consecutive graded score, following wins in the Glll Saranac S. over a mile and a sixteenth on the inner turf at Saratoga and the Gll National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame S. over a mile on the same course. Altogether, Public Sector has won five of nine starts with three second-place finishes and has earned almost $600,000.

The weekend before, Klaravich's 3-year-old filly Technical Analysis (Ire) was second to runaway winner Shantisara (Ire) (Coulsty {Ire})–also trained by Brown–in the Gl Queen Elizabeth ll Challenge Cup S. Presented by Dixiana at Keeneland over nine furlongs on turf. Prior to the Queen Elizabeth, Technical Analysis had won the Gll Lake Placid S. over a mile and a sixteenth on the inner turf course at Saratoga and the Glll Lake George S. at a mile on the same course. Technical Analysis has a record of four wins from seven starts with two placings and has earned almost $400,000.

The weekend before that, Peter Brant's 5-year-old Serve the King (GB), a member of Kingman's first crop, was second to the Brown-trained Rockemperor (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) in the Gl Joe Hirsch Turf Classic over 12 furlongs on turf at Belmont. A listed winner, Serve the King has won four of 10 starts with three placings and earned almost $300,000, and it looks as if he's on the verge of landing a graded race sometime soon.

Brown also trains Klaravich's 4-year-old Kingman gelding Domestic Spending (GB), the best of them all. Most recently he was second as the heavy favorite in the Gl Mr. D. over 10 furlongs on turf at Arlington in August, but before that had won three consecutive Grade l races on grass: the Hollywood Derby over nine furlongs at Del Mar; the nine-furlong Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic at Churchill; and the 10-furlong Resorts World Casino Manhattan S. over the inner course at Belmont. All told, Domestic Spending has won six of eight starts and earned $1.4 million.

Brown also trained the stakes winner and Grade lll-placed She's Got You (GB) (Kingman {GB}), a 5-year-old homebred mare for John and Tanya Gunther, plus several other stakes-placed, allowance, and maiden Kingman winners, mostly for Klaravich and Brant, who sourced these horses mostly from the Tattersalls October yearling sale's Book 1.

Brown obviously knows how to prepare the Kingmans for U.S. racing, as they fall into his wheelhouse as a master of turf horses, but that they succeed regularly here under American training conditions and on harder surfaces than in Europe is a testament to their adaptability–no small feat. One other thing about them: they consistently exhibit acceleration and “try,” always fighting to the finish, and those are the precious attributes that make a world-class sire.

The Kingmans tend to excel from a mile to a mile and a quarter both in Europe and the U.S., and this season the stallion is represented in Europe by the outstanding 4-year-old miler Palace Pier (GB), who'd won three consecutive Group 1 races before going down by a neck to Baaeed (GB) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) in the G1 Queen Elizabeth ll S. at Ascot Oct. 16. Palace Pier is a winner of nine races from 11 starts and has earned the equivalent of $2.4 million. He'll enter stud next year at Darley.

Kingman, a son of Invincible Spirit (Ire) and very much a Danzig-line horse by type and aptitude, was himself an outstanding miler for Khalid Abdullah, winning seven of eight starts. His lone loss, as the 6/4 favorite in the G1 2000 Guineas, was a shocker when he was nipped in the dying stages of the race by 40-1 Night of Thunder (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), but he went on to win four consecutive Group 1 races after that: the Irish 2000 Guineas, the St. James's Palace (from Night of Thunder); the Sussex; and the Prix Jacques le Marois.

He entered stud at Juddmonte's Banstead Manor in 2015 as the highest-rated horse of 2014 on Timeform and covered mares in his first year at a fee of £55,000. This year, it was £150,000. There's nothing like success to bolster demand, and Kingman was a hit off the bat with a first-crop Classic-winning miler, Persian King (Ire), who served his first mares this year at Haras d'Etreham in France.

Klaravich

Kingman's first yearlings were offered at auction in 2017, and that year Klaravich purchased one colt by the stallion for the equivalent of $167,290 among the six yearlings the stable took home from Tattersalls October Book 1 for a total of $1.8 million.

The stars of that group were Grade l winners Newspaperofrecord (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) and Digital Age (Ire) (Invincible Spirit) and listed winner Value Proposition (GB) (Dansili {GB}), but the Kingman colt Good Governance (GB), a $167,290 purchase, was talented if not sound. He'd won his first start by a nose at three in a maiden special at Saratoga and was then thrown into stakes company in his next start, the Glll Saranac at Saratoga. Good Governance made a fight of it, finishing second by a neck, but he wasn't seen again until the following year. At four, he won an allowance at Belmont on his season debut, then ran third in the Gll Bernard Baruch before going on the shelf again. He's made one start this year, a fourth-place finish in an Aqueduct AOC in April, and hasn't raced since, but his early class, plus the top-level race the stable won with Digital Age, a horse by Kingman's sire, no doubt made the stable return to the well the following year.

In 2018 at the same venue, Klaravich bought 10 yearlings for $2.9 million by such sires as Lope de Vega, Sea the Stars (Ire), Dansili, Gleneagles (Ire) and Australia (GB), but the best of the lot and the only Grade l winner among the group was Kingman's Domestic Spending, a $413,973 buy. The only other Kingman from this group, the colt Principled Stand (GB), a $288,701 purchase, is a winner of two of three starts and looks like he's got a future.

In 2019 at Tattersalls October Book 1, Klaravich bought 15 yearlings for $3.8 million, and included among this group that featured colts and fillies by such as Lope de Vega, Shamardal, Invincible Spirit, and Dubawi were four Kingmans. Two of them are the aforementioned Grade ll winners Technical Analysis, who cost $258,109, and Public Sector, a $217,822 buy, and they are the only black-type winners from this group so far.

With this type of record with Kingman, it's only a matter of time before other American owners start copying the Klaravich formula, and why not?

Sid Fernando is president and CEO of Werk Thoroughbred Consultants, Inc., originator of the Werk Nick Rating and eNicks.

The post Taking Stock: The Kingmans in America appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Thoroughbred Owners And Breeders Among 2,755 Billionaires Ranked By Forbes

As owners of the French luxury brand, Chanel, brothers Alain and Gerard Wertheimer are among the world's most fashionable Thoroughbred owners and breeders. According to the latest World's Billionaires List published by Forbes, they are also the richest.

According to Forbes, Alain and Gerard Wertheimer each have a net worth of $34.5 billion putting them at No. 41 on the list of 2,755 billionaires worldwide.

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is atop the list with an estimated net worth of $177 billion.

Racing primarily with homebreds in Europe and the U.S. under the stable name Wertheimer et Frere, the brothers are best known for campaigning Goldikova, three-time winner of the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Mile. Their current stable star is Todd Pletcher-trained Happy Saver.

At least a dozen others from the Forbes Billionaires List have been identified as Thoroughbred owners or breeders. (Note: The list does not include members of Arab country ruling families, including the Maktoums of Dubai.)

Next on the list among individuals affiliated with Thoroughbred racing and breeder is financier George Soros, whose Soros Fund Management in 2008 launched SF Racing and SF Bloodstock, now operated by Gavin Murphy and Tom Ryan. Forbes estimates a net worth of $8.6 billion for the Soros, putting him at No. 288.

Cable television magnate John Malone is ranked 316^th on the Forbes list with an estimated net worth of $7.8 billion. One of America's biggest landowners, Malone owns Bridlewood Farm in Ocala, Fla., and Ballylinch Stud in Ireland.

Tamara Gustavson, daughter of the late B. Wayne Hughes, is ranked 496^th on the list with an estimated net worth of $5.6 billion. With husband Eric, Tamara Gustavson now operates Spendthrift, which Forbes estimated has a $400 million value. A Forbes-produced video explains how they arrived at that estimate, based on leading stallion Into Mischief, other bloodstock holdings and the farm's property and buildings.

Wayne Hughes, who died in August, remained on the Forbes list, ranked 925^th with an estimated net worth of $3.3 billion. A self-made billionaire, Hughes created Public Storage, the largest self-storage company in the U.S.

Vincent Viola is ranked 807^th on the list with an estimated net worth of $3.7 billion acquired in part from his electronic trading startup, Virtu Financial. Owner of the NHL's Florida Panthers, Viola co-owned Vino Rosso, winner of the G1 Breeders' Cup Classic in 2019.

Another owner of sports teams, Gayle Benson, ranks 891^st on the Forbes lislt with an estimated net worth of $3.4 billion. Benson, widow of Tom Benson, owns the NFL's New Orleans Saints and NBA's New Orleans Pelicans. Her GMB Racing campaigned Tom's d'Etat, winner of the G1 Clark Stakes at Churchill Downs in 2019.

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Brad Kelley, owner of Calumet Farm, has an estimated net worth of $2.6 billion, putting him 1,205^th on the list of the world's richest people. Kelley, who lives in Tennessee, made his fortune in the tobacco industry.

Gerald Ford, who races as Diamond A Racing Corporation, is 1,249^th on the list with an estimated net worth of $2.5 billion. Ford built his wealth through acquisition of distressed banks.

Kevin Plank, who created the Under Armour sportswear brand and owns Sagamore Farm in Maryland, has an estimated net worth of $2 billion putting him at No. 1,580.

Charlotte Weber, an heir to the Campbell Soup Co., is listed as No. 1,833 with an estimated net worth of $1.7 million. Owner of Live Oak Plantation, Weber's homebreds have won a host of Grade 1 races, and she's won two editions of the G1 Breeders' Cup Mile with World Approval and Miesque's Approval.

Kenny Troutt, owner of WinStar Farm, founded long-distance company Excel Communications more than 30 years ago. Forbes estimates his net worth at $1.5 billion, putting him at No. 2,035 on their list.

Also having an estimated net worth of $1.5 billion is Seth Klarman, whose Klaravich Stables has developed into one of the industry's leading owners, winning Horse of the Year for Bricks and Mortar in 2019 and voted an outstanding owner Eclipse Award with William H. Lawrence, his partner on a number of runners. Klarman manages one of the financial market's largest hedge funds, Boston-based Baupost.

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