Tag: Shared News

Mating Plans, Presented by Spendthrift: Denali Stud

The TDN's popular annual series 'Mating Plans, presented by Spendthrift,' continues today in a conversation with Denali Stud's Conrad Bandoroff.

FLAG DAY (8, Giant's Causeway–Sense  to Compete, by Street Sense) to be bred to Good Magic.

This mare's first foal, Hall of Fame, broke his maiden in very impressive fashion and was tabbed a 'TDN Rising Star' for his effort. The son of Gun Runner and Flag Day's first foal has been a special horse from the day he was born. He was just one of those foals that, when they stand for the first time, you find yourself saying, “We might have something here.” He was nice from day one and turned into a $1.4-million Saratoga yearling.

Flag Day is a fourth-generation homebred for Ambassador Earle Mack. She is a big, scopey daughter of Giant's Causeway that imparts a lot of size, bone and leg into her foals. This year she goes to a stallion that is rapidly rising through the ranks and looks to be a force to be reckoned with for years to come in Good Magic. I love the balance and athleticism Good Magic imparts in his progeny and this is a mating that works really well physically with the mare. The Smart Strike-Giant's Causeway cross is a good one, producing the likes of Grade I-winning Tom's d'Etat.

FLOWERING PEACH (8, Galileo {Ire}–Naples Bay, by Giant's Causeway) to be bred to Justify.

This is a young mare that has gotten off to a great start in her broodmare career. Her first foal, Buchu (Justify), won the GII Jessamine S. at two and we hope she will have a big year for owner/breeder Richard Rigney and trainer Phil Bauer.

Flowering Peach has an Uncle Mo yearling colt this year that we like a lot. This was as easy a mating as it comes and unsurprisingly Flowering Peach returns to Justify this year–the magic Justify/Galileo cross! Justify's two Breeders' Cup-winning 2-year-olds, as well as City of Troy in Europe and Storm Boy in Australia, capitalized his sensational run and what an important stallion he looks to be.

 LIAM'S PROMENADE (5, Liam's Map–Promenade Girl, by Carson City) to be bred to Nyquist.

Liam's Promenade is a young mare that we have high hopes for. She is a half-sister to the MGISW Cavorting (Bernardini), who is the dam of over $3 million-earning MGISW Clairiere (Curlin). She is currently in foal to Curlin and we cannot wait to see the foal that is produced as it is a cross that has proven to be so prolific in the family.

We have chosen to breed her to Nyquist, who we think was tremendous value this year. Nyquist was on a tear at the end of the year and has some seriously talented horses working for him for this year. He has a loaded pipeline and a lot of momentum behind him. It is a cross that has worked well in the family before, producing GII Penn Mile S. winner Moon Colony (Uncle Mo).

HARD NOT TO LIKE (15, Hard Spun–Like a Gem, by Tactical Cat) to be bred to Cody's Wish.

Hard Not to Like is awaiting the arrival of a Life Is Good foal any day now–a mating that we highlighted last year. The multiple Grade I-winning mare will visit Cody's Wish this year. Hard Not to Like's 4-year-old son Faustin (Curlin) has returned to the worktab for Bob Baffert and Michael Lund Peterson. He was second in the GII San Vincente S. and we hope to see him back competing at the graded stakes level this year.

Cody's Wish is a horse we are so excited to breed to for many reasons, but he just pulls on your heartstrings in so many ways with his fantastic, fairytale-esque story. He also happens to be a very good physical match for Hard Not to Like, who benefits from some size and scope which Cody should provide. It repeats the Curlin cross that produced Faustin as well as the Curlin-Hard Spun cross that is responsible for the likes of Good Magic. We also love that it inbreeds back to Ruby Slippers (Nijinsky II) deeper in the pedigree.

PLAYED HARD (6, Into Mischief–Well Lived, by Tiznow) to be bred to Gun Runner.

We are very excited to welcome Played Hard to Denali Stud to begin the next chapter of her career. It was an incredible Oaks Day watching her hold off Secret Oath (Arrogate) to win the GI La Troienne S. and become the first Grade I winner for trainer Phil Bauer in the Rigney Racing colors.

Played Hard is a gorgeous mare with a deep family. She has all the credentials to become a foundation mare. We will start her off strongly by sending her to Gun Runner. It's a great physical match and we love the pedigree blend. Gun Runner over Storm Cat-line mares has proven to be one of his most productive crosses. Gun Runner over Tiznow has produced the likes of Early Voting, and you also have MGISW Cyberknife under the second dam.

LOVE THEWAY YOUARE (16, Arch–Diversa, by Tabasco Cat) to be bred to Elite Power.

Love Theway Youare is a Grade I-winning, graded-stakes producing mare that we own with our good friend Lincoln Collins. This mating goes by the old adage of breed your proven mare to an unproven stallion and your unproven mare to a proven stallion. Love Theway Youare is the dam of Grade III winner Summer in Saratoga (Hard Spun). She is a big, pretty Arch mare who throws nice, leggy, good-looking foals. She goes to one of the most visually impressive stallions retiring to stud this year in Elite Power. He looks like what a $900,000 yearling should look like and we thought that at $50,000, he still was one of the best values in town for this year.

DREAM TREE (9, Uncle Mo–Afleet Maggi, by Afleet Alex) to be bred to Constitution.

Dream Tree is a young, Grade I-winning mare that we have high hopes for. Her first three foals have been striking individuals that have all looked the part. Her newly turned 3-year-old first foal, Wimberly (Curlin), was a $700,000 yearling purchase by David Ingordo and is in training with John Sadler out in California. Her 2-year-old son of Into Mischief is doing very well in his early paces at Payton Training Center in Ocala, and she has a very promising Gun Runner yearling filly that has been nice since day one.

Dream Tree will go to a stallion we are big believers in: Constitution. We think you will be reading his name a lot this year and he is currently represented by three colts in the TDN's Top 12 Derby List. Tapit over Indian Charlie is the cross that produced generational talent Flightline.

NICKEL (11, Unbridled's Song–Consider It Done, by Green Dancer) to be bred to Twirling Candy.

This mare is a favorite of ours–I know we aren't supposed to say that but she is just one of those mares that you have a soft spot for. She is a gorgeous Unbridled's Song mare and the expression black cats throw black kittens could not be more appropriate when it comes to her foals. All of them are big, pretty and athletic.

She visits Twirling Candy this year–a horse we feel is great value and such a solid, consistent, proven stallion. This is such a good cross. Candy Ride and Twirling Candy over Unbridled's Song have produced seven stakes winners including Gift Box, Leofric, and Fore Left.

Interested in sharing your own mating plans? Email garyking@thetdn.com.

The post Mating Plans, Presented by Spendthrift: Denali Stud appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Thursday Insights: Pretty Liam Looms Large In First-Level Allowance

8th-GP, $91K, Alw/Opt. Clm., 3yo, f, 5f (AWT), 3:39 p.m. ET
St. Elias homebred PRETTY LIAM (Liam's Map) opened her account in outstanding fashion at first asking, firing home to take a course-and-distance maiden by a widening 3 3/4 lengths Jan. 11, good for a lofty 85 Beyer Speed Figure. Irad Ortiz, Jr. has a return call aboard the bay, whose year-older half-sister Danse Macabre (Army Mule) was a leading turf female of her generation in 2023, winning this track's GIII Herecomesthebride S. and three other stakes around one turn, including the valuable Untapable S. at Kentucky Downs. The winning dam Sylphide (Blame) is a half-sister to three-time graded winner and multiple Grade I-placed Cambodia (War Front) and the deeper female family includes the U.S.-bred three-time champion sprinter in South Africa Overarching (Arch), herself responsible for Grade 1 winner Lady of the House (SAf) (Dynasty {SAf}). TJCIS PPs

 

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Second Chances: Cornishman ‘Could Be a Horse That We Can Be Talking About Through the Season’

In this continuing series, TDN's Senior Racing Editor Steve Sherack catches up with the connections of promising maidens to keep on your radar.

Cornishman (c, 3, Curlin–Penwith, by Bernardini) came flashing home to finish a bang-up second sprinting on debut on the GIII Lecomte undercard at Fair Grounds Jan. 20.

Off as the 3-1 second choice with his Brad Cox-trained stablemate Exploration (Curlin) receiving the bulk of the action at 3-2, the Godolphin homebred was bumped from both sides after exiting from post nine and trailed the field of 11 through an opening quarter in :22.40.

Cornishman caught the eye as he began to wind up from far back with a four-wide sweep beneath Florent Geroux on the far turn and was tipped out to the seven path as they straightened. He continued to motor powerfully down the center in the stretch and was clocked in a field-best final furlong of :11.97 to cross the line a length behind the Dallas Stewart-trained newcomer Bee Dancer (Bee Jersey). The aforementioned Exploration, a $900,000 Keeneland September graduate, just got tagged on the line by his stablemate for runner-up honors.

The final time for the six-furlong affair was 1:10.92. Cornishman earned a 75 Beyer Speed Figure for the effort.

“He's a horse that we've liked all along,” Godolphin USA Director of Bloodstock Michael Banahan said. “Just little juvenile stuff last year and we had to give him some time off. Once Brad (Cox) got him back in there, he was going well for him and he really liked him. We were very much looking forward to his debut and thought that he was a horse that showed plenty of potential in the morning.”

He continued, “He breaks good out of the gate, but that day, Florent (Geroux) said that he couldn't get him settled well enough. He was the last one in the gate, and when they pulled the latches, he wasn't ready for it. Taking all that into consideration–breaking last, having to go wide, etc.–we were extremely happy with the way he ran and how well he finished up with the trip that he had. And that was a race to get him started going three quarters. That's nothing of what he wants to do.”

Cornishman returned to the worktab with a four-furlong move in :49 (23/74) in New Orleans Feb. 2. He could see additional distance in his next start later this month, per Banahan.

“We're very excited about him going forward,” Banahan said. “Hopefully, we get to run maybe in mid-February–maybe Risen Star weekend if they have a one mile and a sixteenth or something (similar) down there. Very much looking forward to stretching him out and seeing what he could do. Very hopeful that he could be a horse that we can be talking about through the season.”

Hailing from a very active and deep female family, Cornishman is out of GSW & MGISP Penwith, a daughter of MGISW and GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies runner-up Composure (Touch Gold). The latter brought $3.6 million from Sheikh Mohammed's operation at the 2003 Keeneland November sale.

Penwith | Kenny Martin

Penwith is a full-sister to the unraced dam of last Friday's GIII Bayakoa S. winner Comparative (Street Sense) and MGSW Shared Sense (Street Sense); a half-sister to MGISP Centring (A.P. Indy), the dam of last term's GI Frizette S. runner-up Central Avenue (Street Sense); and a half-sister to GISP Tranquil Manner (A.P. Indy).

The Curlin x Bernardini cross has produced standouts such as MGISW Clairiere, GISW Paris Lights, MGSW Cezanne and GSW & MGISP Point of Honor. Cornishman is also bred similarly to Curlin-sired champions Stellar Wind, Malathaat and Nest.

Godolphin, of course, also bred and raced Curlin's recently crowned Horse of the Year Cody's Wish, who is set to begin his first season at stud for a fee of $75,000 at Jonabell Farm.

“He has the pedigree that if he goes on and progresses like we think he will, he'll have a shot at hopefully some nice races down the road,” Banahan said. “But let's get him there first. He has to break his maiden first.”

The post Second Chances: Cornishman ‘Could Be a Horse That We Can Be Talking About Through the Season’ appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Kenny McPeek Joins TDN Writers’ Room Podcast

No one was hotter last week than trainer Kenny McPeek, who won two stakes at Oaklawn over the weekend, one a prep for the GI Kentucky Derby, the other a prep for the GI Kentucky Oaks. McPeek scored with the filly Band of Gold (Preservationist), who, at 24-1, won the Martha Washington S. Two races later, it was the colt Mystik Dan (Goldencents), who was an impressive eight-length winner of the GIII Southwest S. at odds of 11-1. That meant there was plenty to talk about when McPeek joined this week's TDN Writers' Room podcast presented by Keeneland. McPeek was the Green Group Guest of the Week.

Though Mystik Dan had been a bit inconsistent during his brief career, McPeek said he always knew the colt had ability.

“This horse is really fast,” McPeek said. “He has been from the beginning. Initially, I ran him twice in sprint races and afterward I kind of regretted it a little bit because we had to retool him a little bit. He's so quick, but you had to kind of re-teach him and he needed to learn how to go longer. What he did this past weekend was pretty special in the sense that we've been teaching him to sit off horses. Let him just go easy and then learn to utilize that speed. The last three furlongs, it looked like he was shot out of a cannon.”

McPeek has won the GI Preakness S. and the GI Belmont S., but a Derby win has eluded him. He came close with his first ever runner Tejano Run (Tejabo), who was second in 1995. But, overall, he is 0-for-9 in America's greatest race. How badly does he want to add a Derby win to his resume?

“For me, being from Kentucky, it is a big deal,” McPeek said. “I think any horse trainer wants to win a race like that. But it's got to come together on its own. If it happens, it happens. If it doesn't, it doesn't. I'm not going to put all my eggs in the one basket and say I haven't won the Derby so I haven't had a full career.”

Band of Gold was a badly beaten fifth in the Untapable S., but McPeek wasn't about to give up on her after she won her debut, a maiden race at Churchill Downs.

“Any filly that wins first time out like she did at Churchill Downs is obviously talented,” he said. “I think that she got a little confused in her second start at the Fair Grounds. We ran her in the Untapable, but she never really figured out what she was supposed to do out there. She was the one that we somewhat had to regroup with.”

In the stallion spotlight segments, the podcast featured Coolmore's Tiz the Law (Constitution), who stands for a fee of $20,000. The focus was also on Audible (Into Mischief), who stands at WinStar Farm for a fee of $15,000.

Elsewhere on the podcast, which is also sponsored by the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association, 1/ST Racing, West Point Thoroughbreds, and XBTV.com, the team of Randy Moss, Bill Finley and Zoe Cadman reviewed the ultra-impressive win by Nysos (Nyquist) in the GIII Robert B. Lewis. Because he is trained by Bob Baffert, who remains under a ban at Churchill Downs, he cannot run in the Derby. The panel agreed that the absence of Nysos and the other Baffert runners could turn into the type of controversy that could overshadow the race itself. The discussion also included the GIII Holy Bull S., in which the heavily favored champion Fierceness (City of Light) didn't have the best of trips on his way to a third-place finish. All agreed that it was a subpar race from a horse who shows signs that he can't handle adversity. The podcast closed with a look at the story of trainer Jeffrey Englehart, who is facing a two-year suspension for clenbuterol, which he insists was administered to the horse before it came into his barn.

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