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Max Player Works and Mr. Big News Added to Derby Line Up

George Hall and SportBLX Thoroughbred Corp.’s Max Player (Honor Code) put in his final work ahead of Saturday’s GI Kentucky Derby with an easy half-mile in :49.80 (26/50) Monday morning at Churchill Downs. The colt put up splits of :12.40 and :24.40 and galloped out in 1:02.80.

“He’s continuing to do well,” Steve Asmussen, who has taken over training duties from Linda Rice, said. “I’m extremely excited about how he’s going to run in the Kentucky Derby. I love how he looks going over the racetrack. His attitude is really good. He came in with a really good attitude and was moving really well. That has stayed the same.”

Max Player won the GIII Withers S. for the New York-based Rice in February and is coming off third-place efforts in the June 20 GI Belmont S. and Aug. 8 GI Travers S. He will be making his first start for Asmussen in the Derby.

“The reason he is here is to give him time to acclimate to the track and the surroundings to hopefully make up the difference,” Asmussen said. “He’s been third to Tiz the Law in his last two races. That horse is the deserving favorite and a tall task. You only have one chance to run in the Derby and we just wanted to do everything we could to give him his best chance.”

Allied Racing Stable’s Mr. Big News (Giant’s Causeway) has been added to the field of Derby contenders. Fifth in the Feb. 15 GII Risen Star S., he won the Apr. 11 Oaklawn S. and is coming off a sixth-place effort in the July 11 GII Toyota Blue Grass S.

“I know we don’t have some of the numbers like Tiz the Law, Art Collector and Honor A. P., but this horse is improving,” said owner Chester Thomas. “I think he is absolutely going to love the distance and will make a big run late.”

Trained by Bret Calhoun, Mr. Big News will be ridden by Gabriel Saez in the Derby. He worked five furlongs in 1:04.40 (2/2) at Churchill Downs Sunday.

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Talamo Earns Ellis Park Riding Title

Joe Talamo, recently relocated from the West Coast, won his first jockey’s title on the Kentucky circuit after riding 20 winners at Ellis Park’s Runhappy Summer meet which concluded Sunday.

“It feels really good,” said Talamo, who won a race both Saturday and Sunday to pull out of a tie with Rafael Bejarano. “Obviously Bejarano didn’t ride the last couple of weeks, so that definitely helped quite a bit, in all honestly. But more than anything, I was just really happy that we got into some nice barns and outfits and won on some really nice 2-year-olds this meet that I’m really excited about in the coming months. I think quite a few of them have a bright future.”

Talamo continued, “I really have to thank all the owners and trainers who supported me this meet, gave me good opportunities. Obviously [agent] Jake [Romans] did a great job. Hopefully we can keep the momentum going.”

Brad Cox and Ken McPeek tied for the meet’s leading trainer title with 10 wins apiece. Cox won Ellis titles in 2015 and 2018 and McPeek was winning his first title at the Henderson oval.

“We had a great meet,” McPeek said. “We had a lot of horses who came into it perfect. I liked the distance 2-year-old races, and I think we even had one win going short. Overall, the team did a great job. We brought up some from Florida to run, so it was a great summer. It’s a fun meet.”

Cox came on top in the money title with purse earnings of $450,261.

“I was happy with the meet,” Cox said. “It’s a great place to start a lot of young horses, to get them going. Whether they won or not, at least we got some races into them and the meet offered a lot of options as far as turf and dirt. The place has been extremely good to us, and we think a lot of Ellis Park. We’re able to stable there, and it’s a big part of our operation for sure. It’s a good meet, and we’re looking forward to bigger and better things to come.”

The Haughey family’s PTK was the leading owner at the meet with six wins from 23 starters.

“My amazing mom, our P, actually passed away unexpectedly in late March,” Kaitlin Haughey said in an email. “PTK was her baby, and we know she must be proud of this achievement. Winning the Ellis Park owner’s title is really a testament to all the many people and horses who keep PTK functioning on a day-to-day basis.”

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Bayern Filly Last to First in Muskoka S.

Overlooked at long odds here and one of two unraced juvenile fillies in the line up, El Bayern became her GI Breeders’ Cup Classic-winning sire’s first black-type winner in the Muskoka S. on Sunday. Awkwardly away, she looked like she was spinning her wheels while dead last by several lengths for the first few furlongs. Asked for her bid with 2 ½ furlongs left to travel, she looped the field very wide out in the center of the track. Finding more as favored For My Elbi began to run out of steam, she swept by that foe to win going away, breaking her maiden and her black-type duck simultaneously.

Since foaling the winner, El Tara has a yearling colt by Silent Name (Jpn) and a filly of this year by Seattle Serenade. Under the third dam is Canadian Champion Sprinter and MGSW Apelia (Cool Victor), herself the dam of Canadian Champion Older Mare and MGSW Saoirse (Cure the Blues) and GII Adirondack S. victress More Happy (Vindication).

MUSKOKA S., C$250,800, Woodbine, 8-30, 2yo, f, 6 1/2f (AWT), 1:18.91, ft.
1–EL BAYERN, 119, f, 2, by Bayern
                1st Dam: El Tara (SP), by Schossberg
                2nd Dam: Parkview Hills, by Iskandar Elakbar
                3rd Dam: Arbela, by Conquistador Cielo
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN.(C$8,000 Ylg ’19 CANSEP). O-Stacey Van
Camp; B-Hill ‘N’ Dale Farms (ON); T-Michael Mattine; J-Sheena
Ryan. C$150,000. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $114,523. *1/2 to
Quidi Vidi (Marcavelly), MSP, $354,384. **1st SW for her sire
(by Offlee Wild).
2–For My Elbi, 119, f, 2, Souper Speedy–Executrix, by Bold
Executive. (C$24,000 Ylg ’19 CANSEP). O-Krasauskaite Racing
Stable and Raymon, Marco; B-John Carey (ON); T-Laura
Krasauskaite. C$50,000.
3–Ms Wicked, 119, f, 2, War Dancer–Sinful, by Touch Gold.
(C$4,500 RNA Ylg ’19 CANSEP). O-Centennial Farms (Niagara)
Inc.; B-Janeane Everatt, James Everatt & Arika Everatt-Meeuse
(ON); T-Cole Bennett. C$25,000.
Margins: 1, HD, 2HF. Odds: 23.00, 1.75, 3.95.
Also Ran: Howmuchistoomuch, Sensational Girl, Holy Lighting, Leave It With Me, Flawless Pink, Hekla’s Aura, Silent Mamba.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

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Distorted Humor Filly Rolls in Del Mar Unveiling

3rd-Del Mar, $55,000, Msw, 8-30, 2yo, f, 6f, 1:11.67, ft.
VARDA (f, 2, Distorted Humor–She’ll Be Right, by Sky Mesa), sent off at 5-1 in this debut, battled with I’m the Boss of Me (Midshipman) just in front to her inside for the first quarter mile and soon led by a half-length. After a half in :46.36, she jetted away from her foes to win going away by 3 1/4 lengths. Heels Up (Twirling Candy) ran second, 7 1/2 lengths in front of I’m the Boss of Me. The $700,000 OBS Spring sale buy–who breezed a quarter mile in :20 4/5 at the sale–is a half to Getouttamyway (Cross Traffic), MSP, $170,660; Big Family (Any Given Saturday), GSP, $148,433; a yearling by Lookin At Lucky and a weanling by Maclean’s Music. Her dam is a half-sister to GI Blue Grass S. runner-up Storm Treasure (Storm Boot). Sales history: $100,000 Ylg ’19 SARAUG; $700,000 2yo ’20 OBSAPR. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $33,000. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
O-Baoma Corporation; B-Masters 2013 LLC & Distorted Humor Syndicate (NY); T-Bob Baffert.

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