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Thursday’s Insights: Constitution Colt Looks To Author Juvenile Score

10th-KD, $150K, Msw, 2yo, 1mT, 6:28 p.m.
The European-style grass course situated on the Kentucky side of the southern border with Tennessee cards a maiden finale which draws $450,000 Keeneland September graduate from last year, PUBLIUS (Constitution). Bred by Twin Creeks Farm, the bay colt debuts out of Sharp Instinct (Awesome Again), who is the dam of seven winners from nine to race. The Brad Cox trainee, ridden by Florent Geroux, is a half-brother to GIII Excelsior S. hero Send It In (Big Brown).

Also entered is the well-bred Tapitoro (Tapit), who was purchased by De Meric Sales for $170,000 at the Keeneland September Sale and was pinhooked for $300,000 during OBS April Sale. Trained by Brian Lynch and ridden by James Graham, the gray colt is a half-sibling to Canadian champion turf male and GI Ricoh Woodbine Mile winner El Tormenta (Stormy Atlantic), GIII Las Cienegas S. victor Zero Tolerance (Mizzen Mast) and Strut the Ring (Strut the Stage).

Out of an extended female family which includes Canadian Horse of the Year Dance Smartly (Danzig), multiple leading sire Smart Strike (Mr. Prospector) and champion 2-year-old colt trio Sky Classic (Nijinsky II), Regal Classic (Vice Regent) and Grey Classic (Grey Dawn II), Tapitoro's dam Torreadora (El Prado {Ire}) is a half-sister to MGSW His Race To Win (Stormy Atlantic) and the dam of MSW Galilean (Uncle Mo). TJCIS PPS

2nd-SAR, $136K, Msw, 2yo, f, 1m, 1:44 p.m.
Up at Saratoga, first timer Paradise Lane (Quality Road) will debut for Hall fo Fame trainer Bill Mott with regular rider Junior Alvarado up. Bred and part-owned by Pam and Martin Wygod, the bay filly is the first offspring out of GI Santa Anita Oaks and GI Zenyatta S. heroine and 'TDN Rising Star' Paradise Woods (Union Rags). Second dam Wild Forest (Forest Wildcat) is a half-sister to GSW and English GSW Tajaaweed (Dynaformer) and digging a little deeper under the fourth dam we find MGSW and GISP Mr. Greeley (Gone West) and GISW Mona de Momma (Speightstown). TJCIS PPS

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Big Dreams in Mind for City of Light’s New Rising Star

Named in honor of Mike Repole's beloved grandmother, Nonna Mia (Empire Maker) won her second career start by 12 lengths for Repole Stable in 2008 and she went on to place in the GI Frizette S. and GIII Tempted S. as a juvenile that year. The mare's first two foals Nonna's Boy (Distorted Humor) and eventual Grade I victor and sire Outwork (Uncle Mo) were both debut winners early in their 2-year-old years and her third foal Nonna Bella (Stay Thirsty) claimed her first two career starts at three.

Last Friday in Saratoga, Nonna Bella's son Fierceness (City of Light)–a second-generation homebred for Repole Stable–showed the same precocity that his family before him has displayed in his 11 plus-length dominating maiden score, but the Repole team is confident that with a sire like City of Light, the new 'TDN Rising Star' has much more to show.

“City of Light was very well received at the outset, got big books of mares, and they sold exceptionally well,” recalled Repole Stables General Manager Eddie Rosen. “But I think you have to remember that he didn't emerge until late in his 3-year-old year and then his 4-year-old year is when he excelled and was spectacular. I think he's one of those sires, like Curlin was, where you have to have some patience and understanding that the best is yet to come.”

City of Light earned his first Grade I victory in the 2017 Malibu S. four months after his maiden win and he went on to claim three more top-level scores including the 2018 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile.

As a shareholder in City of Light, who is now a second-crop sire, Repole Stable has been a supporter of the Lane's End stallion from the get-go. They bred Nonna Bella to the son of Quality Road in his second year at stud hoping to emulate the cross that produced one of Quality Road's best daughters.

“Nona Bella is by Stay Thirsty–a son of Bernardini who Mike raced as well,” Rosen explained. “One of my favorite fillies of recent date is Dunbar Road, who is by Quality Road out of a Bernardini mare, so it was a nick that I thought would work.”

Fierceness as a foal at Lane's End | courtesy Lane's End Farm

And “work” it did as Fierceness was a standout from the start when he was foaled at Lane's End. While initially slated to go through the sales ring, he was ultimately withdrawn from Keeneland September and retained by his breeder.

Like his dam, granddam and both his grandsires, Fierceness was sent to represent the Todd Pletcher barn and he turned heads early there as well.

“He came into our Monmouth division and quickly showed that he was at the head of the class there,” Pletcher shared. “When we brought him in to Saratoga and got serious with some of his breezes, we were impressed with what we were seeing.”

Going into his debut with eight published works under his belt, Fierceness was sent off at even money and quickly turned the six furlong contest into a one-horse race. Taking the lead early, the bay opened up over the Saratoga slop to win in hand, coming home in 1:09 2/5.

“We knew that he had good gait speed from his works and we had a sloppy track, so we talked to Irad and said to make sure you get away from the gate alertly,” explained Pletcher. “We didn't want to be behind a bunch of horses in a sloppy track. So he broke alertly and it was a pretty straightforward performance from there. At the eighth pole you felt good about it and then he opened up impressively and Irad took him in hand late and the time was exceptional. It was everything you could hope for in a debut.”

“There are a lot of them where you're wishing for the wire or hoping to get there in time, but this was one where you could kind of sit back and enjoy the ride,” Rosen added with a laugh.

The 95 Beyer Speed Figure that Fierceness earned in his debut is the co-second highest number of any 2-year-old so far this year.

“It gives you a lot to look forward to,” Rosen said. “I think when you have a 2-year-old that wins like that first-time out, obviously dreams come to mind and the biggest dream is the first Saturday in May. But it's a long time between now and then.”

As for the rest of the colt's juvenile season, Pletcher said they are aiming to take on the Oct. 7 GI Champagne S. ahead of a trip to the Breeders' Cup.

Pletcher is looking forward to debuting another City of Light colt soon. Enlighten, a $450,000 yearling purchase for Centennial Farms, breezed five furlongs in 1:01.55 (1/23) on Aug. 27 at Saratoga.

“We're high on the City of Lights that we have,” Pletcher said. “There are so many good-looking ones that resemble City of Light, who greatly resembles Quality Road. I love to see that in a stallion line when they pass along similar conformation and looks.”

City of Light has 34 winners on the year thus far. On the same card that Fierceness debuted on, the stallion's 3-year-old daughter White Chocolate drew clear to break her maiden definitively for Chad Summers and Gold Square LLC. City of Light's six stakes winners are led by G3 UAE Oaks victress Mimi Kakushi, GI Alcibiades S. runner-up Chop Chop, and GSP Gaslight Dancer, who returns to the starting gate on Saturday in the Gun Runner S. at Kentucky Downs.

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With Woodbine Continuing To Compile Admirable Safety Numbers, Lawson Remains Big Fan Of Synthetic Surfaces

When it comes to breakdowns, the Tapeta surface at Woodbine isn't perfect. But it might be as close to perfect as any surface on the continent.

While horses throughout North America broke down on the dirt at a rate of 1.44 per 1,000 starts in 2022, the rate of breakdowns over the synthetic surface at Woodbine was 0.42. This year, after about 4,500 starts over Tapeta there have been only two fatalities during races. Also, there have been about 14,000 published workouts over Woodbine's synthetic tracks and only two fatalities there.

Woodbine CEO Jim Lawson is proud of those numbers, but not surprised.

“The statistics don't lie,” Lawson said.

Lawson, like most in the industry, has grown gravely concerned about the many high-profile breakdowns that have occurred this year in racing and believes that the sport must do something to combat the problem. Does that mean a massive shift from dirt surfaces to synthetic surfaces? While he is hesitant to tell someone else how to run their racetrack, he's not shy about telling Woodbine's story.

Woodbine replaced its dirt track with a Polytrack synthetic surface in 2006. By 2016, there was a need for a new racing surface and Lawson said he was under intense pressure to go back to dirt.

“I was under a lot of pressure and was attacked for considering that we go with Tapeta,” he said. “We wanted to be transparent about it, so we polled all our horsepeople. There was maybe a slight preference for Tapeta, but the people who were advocates of going back to dirt were nasty about it. I can't describe it any other way. We did the right thing when we moved to Tapeta.”

The Tapeta surface has consistently been one of the safest tracks in North America.

“It's come time for the industry to take a harder, more honest look at what's going on,” Lawson said. “As an industry, we are in a difficult position. The industry seriously needs to consider a change.”

Woodbine Racetrack's Tapeta surface | Michael Burns

An owner and breeder before he got involved in management at Woodbine, Lawson is well versed in dirt racing. He said that changing weather conditions make it difficult to maintain consistency on dirt tracks and that inconsistent tracks can be unsafe tracks. That was particularly an issue in Canada, where the early spring and late fall can be include a lot of nasty weather.

“A dirt surface is very good as long as the conditions are perfect and it's well maintained,” he said. “These major tracks, they do a good job. But they are dealt the hand they are dealt. You get cold weather and moisture and have to deal with drying out tracks. It's just not the same when it comes to consistency. Inconsistency with dirt surface is what is causing a lot of the problems. That's what we saw in California when they had their problems. It was watery on top, hard underneath. Or you would have a drying out track that would get lumps. It's much easier to keep a synthetic track, especially when you factor in weather, consistent and safer for the horses.”

Lawson has heard all the arguments made for sticking with dirt, namely that switching to synthetics would cause an upheaval in the breeding industry. He's not buying it.

“When we were deciding whether to go to Tapeta or back to dirt, I kept hearing that these stallions, particularly traditional dirt stallions in Kentucky, would be affected,” he said. “I have never seen any evidence that horses by high-end stallions won't do just as well on the Tapeta. Most horses like the Tapeta, regardless of who their sire is. It's the rare horse that doesn't like Tapeta. I have never bought this argument that it is somehow going to change the breed if we as an industry move significantly toward synthetic surfaces. I don't think anymore than 10 or 15 percent of the horses don't like Tapeta.”

The Breeders' Cup has been run once at Woodbine, in 1996 when the main track was dirt. Though the Woodbine facility is a good fit for the event, it has not come back since and Lawson is among those who believe one of the reasons is that the Breeders' Cup team does not want to upend things by switching its traditional dirt races to synthetics.

“I quietly campaigned a couple of years ago to have the Breeders' Cup take a hard look at Woodbine again because of our turf courses and our synthetic track,” he said. “I thought they could make a statement that this is potentially the future of the industry.” He has not given up on having the event return to Toronto.

“I think that it would be a bold statement to move the Breeders' Cup to Woodbine at some point,” he said. “For there to be meaningful change, it's going to take someone to step up. I would love to see them give Woodbine another chance at the Breeders' Cup. That's not me campaigning for the Breeders. Cup. I think the industry needs to recognize it has a serious problem and that this is a way to address this issue.”

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Summer Breezes: Plenty of ‘Anticipation’ for Carson’s Run

Some of the most highly anticipated races during the summer racing season are the 'baby' races during the boutique meetings at both Saratoga and Del Mar and at Ellis Park, which attract its fair share of high-priced offspring from a variety of top national outfits.

Summer Breezes highlights debuting 2-year-olds at those meetings that have been sourced at the breeze-up sales earlier in the year, with links to their under-tack previews. To follow are the entries for Thursday at Saratoga, including previously raced horses in the GIII With Anticipation S.:

Thursday, August 31, 2023
Saratoga 2, 2yo, f, 1m, 1:44 p.m. ET
Horse (Sire), Sale, Price ($), Breeze
Rising Inflation (Mitole), OBSAPR, 200,000, :10.1
Consignor: Niall Brennan Stables, agent
Buyer: Klaravich Stable Inc

Sar 8, GIII With Anticipation S., $175k, 4:34 p.m. ET
Carson's Run (Cupid), OBSAPR, 170,000, :10.1
Consignor: Randy Miles, agent
Buyer: West Point Thoroughbreds, L.E.B., agent

Wine Collector (Flameaway), OBSMAR, 50,000, :10.2
Consignor: de Meric Sales, agent
Buyer: Lugamo Racing Stable

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