Tag: Shared News

Taking Stock: Deceased Arrogate and Laoban Strike at Oaklawn

Neither Arrogate, by Unbridled's Song, nor Laoban, a son of Uncle Mo, is still with us, but a first-crop daughter of the former and a second-crop son of the latter won graded Classic preps at Oaklawn over the weekend, underscoring the sire potential each had. Arrogate was seven when he was euthanized in 2020 and Laoban was eight when he was put down almost a year later.

Arrogate's Secret Oath won the Glll Honeybee S. Saturday by 7 1/2 lengths for trainer D. Wayne Lukas, and she has the look of a special filly. She showed explosive acceleration when asked and covered 1 1/16 miles in 1:44.74, earning a 92 Beyer figure and 50 qualifying points for the Gl Kentucky Oaks. She's now a winner of four of six starts, the last three in a row, and it's possible she may take on colts next in the Gl Arkansas Derby to earn points for the Gl Kentucky Derby. Lukas has trained a slew of top-class fillies during his decorated career and hasn't been shy to take on colts with the best of them. He won the Arkansas Derby in 1984 with Althea, a filly, and he also trained Winning Colors, who won the Kentucky Derby in 1988 after beating colts in the Gl Santa Anita Derby.

Secret Oath won the Honeybee in the manner of the odds-on favorite she was, returning $2.60. In contrast, Laoban's Un Ojo, a one-eyed New York-bred gelding, was all out to win the Gll Rebel S. by a half-length at 75-1 from the Lukas-trained Ethereal Road (Quality Road), a 16-1 shot, triggering some massive payouts. Saddled by Ricky Courville, Un Ojo covered 1 1/16 miles in 1:45.69, a slower time than Secret Oath registered in the Honeybee, and he earned an 84 Beyer for his second win in six starts. Nevertheless, Un Ojo picked up 50 qualifying points for the Churchill Classic and earned $600,000 from the $1-million Rebel purse, while Lukas's runner-up took home a check of $200,000 and 25 qualifying points.

In contrast, Secret Oath earned $180,000 for winning the Honeybee and zilch Derby points, which is amusing because she'd likely have won the Rebel based on her Beyer and final time. And Lukas was probably aware beforehand that his filly was better than stablemate Ethereal Road at this point in time, which is another case to make for her testing colts in the Arkansas Derby.

Secret Oath

Secret Oath is one of two black-type winners for her sire, who was a late-developing colt at his best at 1 1/4 miles. Trained by Bob Baffert, Arrogate won seven of 11 starts, earned a North American record of $17.4 million, and is remembered for a remarkable four-race win streak that encompassed the Gl Travers S., Gl Breeders' Cup Classic, Gl Pegasus World Cup Invitational, and the G1 Dubai World Cup. Despite not winning his first stakes race until the Travers in late August of his sophomore season, he won an Eclipse Award as champion 3-year-old colt.

Arrogate entered stud at his owner's Juddmonte in 2018 for a $75,000 fee–highest of all new recruits in North America, with Gun Runner next at $70,000–and was considered Unbridled's Song's last and best hope for getting a top-level stallion son. So far, Secret Oath aside, Arrogate hasn't met expectations, but it's early yet for the type of horse he was, and he'll have three crops to prove his worth, with the Lukas filly leading the way at the moment.

Another young Unbridled's Song son, Lane's End's Liam's Map has exceeded expectations and has quickly become a high-level stallion with four Grade l winners so far, and at this point it looks like he may end up as his sire's best son at stud. It's instructive here to compare his pedigree to those of both Arrogate and Secret Oath.

First, both Arrogate and Liam's Map are bred on a similar cross, as each is from a Forty Niner-line mare.

Second, Liam's Map and Secret Oath share some notable ancestors in their respective backgrounds. I wrote about Liam's Map's pedigree here last October–“Flying Unbridled's Song Flag”–but the short takeaway linking the two is this: both have a lot of Tartan's Aspidistra, the dam of champions Dr. Fager and Ta Wee, in their genetic makeup.

Note that Unbridled, the sire of Unbridled's Song, was 4×4 to Aspidistra–his fourth dam. Liam's Map's second dam Yada Yada was closely inbred 2×3 to Ta Wee, giving Liam's Map four repetitions of Aspidistra, his sixth dam, 6x6x5x6. The other cross to the Tartan foundation mare comes through Great Above, a son of Ta Wee.

Secret Oath, like Liam's Map, also gets Aspidistra twice through Unbridled. But she also gets another two doses through her broodmare sire Quiet American, who was 3×2 to Dr. Fager, and one through Great Above, just like Liam's Map. She is, therefore, 7x7x6x5x5 to Aspidistra, for a total of five crosses.

In fact, the imprimatur of John Nerud and Tartan is all over the pedigree of Secret Oath. Another great foundation mare for Nerud/Tartan was Cequillo, the third dam of Fappiano and his son Quiet American. Because Secret Oath is inbred 4×3 to Fappiano and is from a Quiet American mare, she has Cequillo 7x6x5.

Secret Oath is owned by Briland Farm and was bred by Briland in partnership with Robert Mitchell and Stacy Mitchell. Secret Oath's dam, the Quiet American mare Absinthe Minded, also bred by the same connections and raced by Briland with Lukas, was a multiple Grade l-placed stakes winner of $607,747, but there isn't much black type in the pedigree under the next few dams. The third and fourth dams, Rockford Peach, by Great Above; and Strawberry Skyline, by Hatchet Man, respectively, were bred in New York by Michael Mulholland.

Un Ojo

Un Ojo was bred in New York by Southern Equine Stables and is raced by Cypress Creek Equine. In partnership, Southern Equine raced Laoban, whose only win from nine starts came in the Gll Jim Dandy S. at Saratoga. The son of Uncle Mo retired to Sequel Stallions in New York with earnings of $526,250 and initially stood for $7,500, but he was a hit with his first 2-year-olds–ending up second on the 2020 first-crop list behind Uncle Mo's Nyquist–and was moved to WinStar in Kentucky for the 2021 season at a $25,000 fee.

Along with Nyquist and Outwork, Laoban was part of a trio of Uncle Mo freshmen to make an immediate impact in 2020. He's the sire of 10 black-type winners, with his first crop containing Grade l winner Simply Ravishing and Grade ll winner and multiple Grade l-placed Keepmeinmind, a surefire sign that Laoban was moving his mares way up.

Un Ojo is a well-bred gelding compared to some others by his sire, who covered mares for $5,000 in his last season in New York. Un Ojo's dam is the A.P. Indy mare Risk a Chance, a New York-bred stakes-placed winner for owner/breeders Chester and Mary Broman. Risk a Chance was out of the Broman-bred Seeking the Gold mare Seeking the Ante, a Grade ll winner of almost $400,000, who in turn was produced by multiple Grade l winner Antespend, an Elmendorf-bred daughter of Spend a Buck raced by the Bromans late in her career after Elmendorf's Jack Kent Cooke passed away. Antespend also produced the Bromans' homebred Gl Florida Derby winner Friends Lake.

The Bromans bred Risk a Chance's first three living foals (she was not pregnant in 2016 and aborted in 2017) without stakes success. Her first foal by Desert Party was unplaced, the second, by Freud, was a winner who earned almost $120,000 racing exclusively at Finger Lakes, and her third was a Quality Road colt, now four, who is unraced after bringing $550,000 as a yearling at Saratoga. They sold Risk a Chance in foal to Laoban for $40,000 at the Fasig-Tipton New York Saratoga Fall Mixed sale in 2018, and Southern Equine was the lucky buyer.

That fortuitous purchase made Southern Equine the breeder of Un Ojo, who now has a ticket to the Kentucky Derby.

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

The post Taking Stock: Deceased Arrogate and Laoban Strike at Oaklawn appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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TDN Derby 12 for March 1

There was only one points-based GI Kentucky Derby prep last weekend, but even though it produced a 75-1 winner, there was no major shakeup within the ranks. This coming Saturday's quartet of qualifying points races, headlined by the GII Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth S. at Gulfstream Park, portends the possibility of some major moves in the near future, though.

1) CLASSIC CAUSEWAY (c, Giant's Causeway–Private World, by Thunder Gulch) O/B-Kentucky West Racing LLC & Clarke M. Cooper Family Living Trust (KY). T-Brian A. Lynch. Lifetime Record: GSW & GISP, 4-2-1-1, $301,100. Last Start: 1st GIII Sam F. Davis S. Next Start: GII Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby, TAM, Mar. 12. KY Derby Points: 16.

This Giant's Causeway homebred for Kentucky West Racing and Clarke Cooper looms as the horse to beat in the Mar. 12 GII Tampa Bay Derby. But let the bettor beware–the last four editions of that race have been won by longshots higher than 8-1. Feb. 26 marked the first breeze for Classic Causeway since his grace-under-pressure wiring of the Feb. 12 GIII Sam F. Davis S., and he clocked in at :48.50 for a measured half mile at Palm Meadows (25/120). Although this colt's only other win from four starts was a 90-Beyer, 6 1/2-length score (at 13-1 odds!) in his Saratoga unveiling, his third- and second-place tries in subsequent graded stakes were also impressive and very much useful from an experience-building perspective.

Classic Causeway got hung out to dry from post 13 when a beaten fave in the GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity S. Oct 9, then he stalked capably and was on the move with 'TDN Rising Star' and eventual winner Smile Happy (Runhappy) before yielding late in the in the GII Kentucky Jockey Club S. Nov. 27. He didn't have to scrape the bottom of his stamina reserves when winning at 1 1/16 miles last month, and the deeper into the Derby season that he remains a top contender, the better his Giant's Causeway (out of a Thunder Gulch mare) breeding line will look come May 7.

2) SMILE HAPPY (c, Runhappy–Pleasant Smile, by Pleasant Tap) 'TDN Rising Star' O-Lucky Seven Stable. B-Moreau Bloodstock Int'l Inc. & White Bloodstock LLC (KY). T-Kenneth G. McPeek. Sales History: $175,000 wlg '19 KEENOV; $185,000 ylg '20 FTKSEL. Lifetime Record: GSW,  3-2-1-0, $364,810. Last Start: 2nd GII Risen Star S. Next Start: Uncommitted. KY Derby Points: 30.

We often hear trainers say some variation of “all options are open,” but that phrasing is not a cliché in the case of 'TDN Rising Star' Smile Happy. Here's a sky's-the-limit colt with some swagger to his style who'll be making his second start off of a better-than-it-appears 2022 debut, and he has the potential to scare off competition wherever trainer Kenny McPeek opts to send him. McPeek said Friday this son of Runhappy ($175,000 KEENOV; $185,000 FTKSEL) will likely race next in either the GI Curlin Florida Derby Apr. 2 or the GI Toyota Blue Grass S. Apr. 9. The goal, he said, is to keep Smile Happy and stablemate Rattle N Roll (Connect) separated. Both are stabled at Gulfstream, and “you'll see one in the Blue Grass and one in the Florida Derby.”

Of Smile Happy's second-place effort in the Feb. 19 GII Risen Star S. at Fair Grounds, McPeek said, “He ran well in New Orleans. I think he could have been a tad closer, but the pace didn't set up well for him. He still showed real bravery to run late.”

3) MESSIER (c, Empire Maker–Checkered Past, by Smart Strike) 'TDN Rising Star' O-SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Robert E. Masterson, Jay A. Schoenfarber, Waves Edge Capital LLC, Catherine M. Donovan, Golconda Stable & Siena Farm LLC. B-Sam-Son Farm (ON). T-Bob Baffert. Sales History: $470,000 ylg '20 FTKSEL. Lifetime Record: 5-3-2-0, $285,600. Last Start: 1st GIII Robert B. Lewis S. Next Start: Uncommitted. KY Derby Points: N/A.

   'TDN Rising Star' Messier on Monday posted his first workout since a 15-length, 103-Beyer thrashing of the GIII Robert B. Lewis S. Feb. 5. He breezed a half mile in :48 at Santa Anita (16/57). This $470,000 FTKSEL colt by Empire Maker clearly rates as the top West Coast sophomore threat, but currently remains ineligible to earn Derby qualifying points or to start at Churchill Downs because of trainer Bob Baffert's banishment by the track's corporate parent. Baffert is also trying to fight a separate Kentucky Horse Racing Commission suspension related to a drug positive in his 2021 Derby winner that could keep him out of action for a 90-day period that would run Mar. 8-June 5.

4) EMMANUEL (c, More Than Ready–Hard Cloth, by Hard Spun) 'TDN Rising Star' O-WinStar Farm LLC & Siena Farm LLC. B-Helen K. Groves Revocable Trust (KY). T-Todd A. Pletcher. Sales History: $350,000 ylg '20 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $50,400. Last Start: 1st Tampa Bay Downs ALW. Next Start: GII Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth S., GP, Mar. 5. KY Derby Points: 0.

The physically imposing Emmanuel has been honed with two bullet breezes at Palm Beach Downs ahead of Saturday's off-Lasix start in the GII Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth S. at Gulfstream. This 'TDN Rising Star' has won his two combined starts by 10 1/4 lengths and has been on the front end at every call (although a rival in his Tampa allowance win briefly seized the lead between calls in upper stretch before Emmanuel snatched it right back). This $350,000 KEESEP son of More Than Ready has projected as a “speed of the speed” type of horse since a one-turn-mile MSW crushing three months ago at Gulfstream, and now he'll be asked to dive into the deep end of the Derby prep pool. Bearing the likely burden of favoritism will make the task even more difficult: The public's choice in the Fountain of Youth has gone down in defeat in four of the last five editions, managing only three wins from the last 15 renewals.

5) MO DONEGAL (c, Uncle Mo–Callingmissbrown, by Pulpit) O-Donegal Racing. B-Ashview Farm & Colts Neck Stables (KY). T-Todd A. Pletcher. Sales History: $250,000 ylg '20 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: GSW, 4-2-0-2, $221,800. Last Start: 3rd GIII Holy Bull S. Next Start: GII Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth S., GP, Mar. 5. KY Derby Points: 12.

Mo Donegal owns two victories sandwiched by a pair of thirds, and it wouldn't be a stretch to say he's packed more learning into those starts than any of the other contenders on this list. This $250,000 KEESEP colt by Uncle Mo broke slowly from the rail in his 6 1/2-furlong debut, checked at the half-mile pole, then rallied with purpose. His MSW win at 1 1/16 miles featured a midpack rally to close an open-length gap late. In the GII Remsen S., he glided athletically past four frontrunners at the head of the lane before engaging in a tenacious stretch battle to beat well-regarded Zandon (Upstart) by a nose after :12.33 final furlong. His Holy Bull run produced a world of trip trouble, but Mo Donegal overcame being boxed in and getting hooked wide before unleashing a belated burst through the final sixteenth (that could have resulted in a better placing had the race not been run under a short-stretch configuration at Gulfstream).

6) ZANDON (c, Upstart–Memories Prevail, by Creative Cause) O-Jeff Drown. B-Brereton C. Jones (KY). T-Chad C. Brown. Sales History: $170,000 ylg '20 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: MGSP, 3-1-1-0, $139,500. Last Start: 3rd GII Risen Star S. Next Start: Possible for GI Toyota Blue Grass S., KEE, Apr. 9. KY Derby Points: 14.

Although Zandon is one of two horses ranked within the Top 12 not to have won beyond the maiden ranks (No. 12 is the other), his bandwagon is sagging under the weight of supporters piling on after his gallant blown-break rally in the Risen Star at the Fair Grounds. It's also a little odd to see that such a coveted mount has had a new jockey every time he's raced (Joel Rosario, John Velazquez, Jose Ortiz). Earlier this winter, trainer Chad Brown favorably compared Zandon to his 2017 GI Preakness S. winner Cloud Computing (both won their MSW debuts going short even though neither was cut out to be a sprinter). If this $170,000 KEESEP colt by Upstart goes next in the Apr. 9 GI Blue Grass S. as anticipated, he'd have only four starts under his belt if Brown then opts to go to Louisville with him. Since 1937, only three horses have won the Derby with four or fewer lifetime starts: Animal Kingdom (four), plus Justify and Big Brown (three each).

7) EPICENTER (c, Not This Time–Silent Candy, by Candy Ride {Arg}) O-Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC. B-Westwind Farms (KY). T-Steven M. Asmussen. Sales History: $260,000 ylg '20 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: GSW, 5-3-1-0, $410,639. Last Start: 1st GII Risen Star S. Next Start: GII Louisiana Derby, FG, Mar. 26. KY Derby Points: 64.

After Epicenter got nailed at the wire by an out-of-the-clouds longshot to lose the GIII Lecomte S. by a head back on Jan. 22, jockey Joel Rosario described him as a hard tryer who is “very straightforward, everything he does.” That description resonated after this $260,000 KEESEP colt wired the GII Risen Star S. in wrapped-up fashion in his next start. But the Lecomte might end up being the better barometer moving forward. An all-business Epicenter won several internal pace battles before turning back a wall of horses at the head of the lane, then won a prolonged stretch battle with the favorite. Yes, he got blindsided at the final jump by a pick-up-the-pieces 28-1 shot. But Epicenter galloped out stronger and longer after the wire. That's the type of total-race composure that is invaluable in Louisville, but that sophomores don't often display in the middle of winter. With two open-length wins and a narrow defeat over the Fair Grounds surface, this son of Not This Time will have a distinct home-court advantage heading into the Louisiana Derby.

8) EARLY VOTING (c, Gun Runner–Amour d'Ete, by Tiznow) O-Klaravich Stables, Inc. B-Three Chimneys Farm, LLC. T-Chad C. Brown. Sales History: $200,000 ylg '20 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: GSW, 2-2-0-0, $181,500. Last Start: 1st GIII Withers S. Next Start: Uncommitted. KY Derby Points: 10.

The write-up for Zandon (at No. 6 above) referenced that he could only have four lifetime starts heading into the Derby. But his stablemate, Early Voting, might only have three. The difference is this $200,000 KEESEP colt owns a stakes win and a 2-for-2 record. The little bit we've seen from this first-crop son of Gun Runner so far indicates he's a speed-centric threat capable of applying sustained pressure rather than making one flashy move, and his learning curve appears to be arcing upward. Early Voting is the lone Top 12 contender to be training in New York for the winter; unless trainer Chad Brown decides to enter him on Wednesday for Saturday's GIII Gotham S. (a cut back to a one-turn mile after a GIII Withers S. win at nine furlongs), it appears as if the Apr. 9 GII Wood Memorial S. will be his target. At the time Early Voting won the Withers, a legit criticism was that the field seemed weak. But this past Saturday's GII Rebel S. at Oaklawn featured a $152 upset by Withers runner-up Un Ojo (Laoban).

9) RATTLE N ROLL (c, Connect–Jazz Tune, by Johannesburg) O-Lucky Seven Stable. B-St. Simon Place (KY). T-Kenneth G. McPeek. Sales History: $55,000 wlg '19 KEENOV; $210,000 ylg '20 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: GISW, 4-2-0-1, $379,460. Last Start: 1st GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity. Next Start: GII Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth S., GP, Mar. 5. KY Derby Points: 10.

Trainer Kenny McPeek keeps bringing up an interesting point on Twitter: Why aren't all points-eligible Derby preps run at equal weights? He cites, for example, that Rattle N Roll, as a graded stakes winner at a mile or over, will run off a five-month layoff in Saturday's Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth S. carrying the maximum 123 pounds. Others with lesser records will be eligible for weight breaks.

“Should my 3-year-olds be pointed to only preps that are equal weights?” McPeek wrote. “This has me thinking about doing exactly that.”

Regardless of the weight his colt will have to shoulder, McPeek probably wouldn't want to swap out this son of Connect ($55,000 KEENOV; $210,000 KEESEP) for any other Derby prospect. Rattle N Roll unwound from midpack to run off with the GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity S. by 4 1/4 lengths back on Oct. 9, leaving current No.1 contender Classic Causeway in his wake. A foot abscess kept him out of the Breeders' Cup, and McPeek has brought him back slowly but steadily, with two breezes each at three, four and five furlongs since the end of January.

10) MAJOR GENERAL (c, Constitution–No Mo Lemons, by Uncle Mo) O-WinStar Farm LLC & Siena Farm LLC. B-Circular Road Breeders (KY). T-Todd A. Pletcher. Sales History: $265,000 ylg '20 KEEJAN; $420,000 ylg '20 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: GSW, 2-2-0-0, $232,525. Last Start: 1st GIII Iroquois S. Next Start: GII Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby, TAM, Mar. 12. KY Derby Points: 10.

Trainer Todd Pletcher had some juggling to do among his sophomores at entry time for Saturday's Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth S., and with Emmanuel and Mo Donegal opting for Gulfstream, that put Major General on the traveling team headed for the Mar. 12 GII Tampa Bay Derby. This Constitution colt ($265,000 KEEJAN; $420,000 KEESEP) will be approaching nearly six months between starts, having wrapped up his juvenile season early on Sept. 18 with a victory in the GIII Iroquois S. at Churchill Downs. That race resonated strongly from a visual perspective–Major General overcame a bobble at the break, lost momentum four wide through the first turn, engaged the favorite 2 1/2 furlongs out while not shying from rough contact in upper stretch, then still had enough left late overpower an onrushing closer. Yet the Iroquois has proven to be a weak race, with the horses Major General defeated that night under the Churchill lights now a collective 2-for-20 since then. And its 1:44.88 final clocking wasn't stellar either: In the prior race on the card, 2-year-old fillies in the GIII Golden Rod S. at the same 1 1/16 miles distance ran faster by 1.10 seconds.

11) WHITE ABARRIO (c, Race Day–Catching Diamonds, by Into Mischief) O-C2 Racing Stable LLC and La Milagrosa Stable, LLC. B-Spendthrift Farm LLC (KY). T-Saffie A. Joseph, Jr. Sales History: $7,500 ylg '20 OBSWIN; $40,000 2yo '21 OBSMAR. Lifetime Record: GSW, 4-3-0-1, $240,850. Last Start: 1st GIII Holy Bull S. Next Start: GI Curlin Florida Derby, GP, Apr. 2. KY Derby Points: 12.

Only No. 3-ranked Messier (103) and No. 7-ranked Epicenter (98), have run faster Beyers than White Abarrio (97) among all sophomores so far this season. After wiring the Holy Bull S. at 6-1 odds ahead of trip-troubled favorites, this son of Race Day ($7,500 OBSWIN; $40,000 OBSMAR) had his first breeze back since the win on Sunday, working three furlongs in :36.22 (4/29) at Gulfstream, where he is 3-for-3 and preparing for the Florida Derby.

“Going into his last race, he really didn't have ideal preparation,” said trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. “He actually missed two works. When you go into a race like that after missing two works, you're giving up some kind of fitness. When a horse runs such a big race and you don't have him as fit as he should be, I think it's taxing for a horse. You don't want to bring them back too quick off a layoff.”

12) GIANT GAME (c, Giant's Causeway–Game For More, by More Than Ready) O-West Point Thoroughbreds & Albaugh Family Stables LLC. B-H. Allen Poindexter (KY). T-Dale Romans. Sales History: $500,000 ylg '20 FTKSEL. Lifetime Record: GISP, 4-1-0-3, $244,900. Last Start: 8th GIII Holy Bull S. Next Start: GII Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth S., GP, Mar. 5. KY Derby Points: 4.

Would you breathe easier knowing that Giant Game's eighth-place finish in the Holy Bull S. was at least partially attributable to a displacement of his soft palate that has since been corrected by a common surgical procedure? Hopefully, this son of Giant's Causeway will be the one breathing easier in Saturday's Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth S. Remember that airway problems plagued Medina Spirit around this time of the season last year (March operation to fix an entrapped epiglottis), and he recovered well enough to go from being a mid-tier California contender to crossing the wire first in the Kentucky Derby at 12-1 odds. This $500,000 FTKSEL colt ran an above-expectations third at 21-1 in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile, and he's gotten a lot thicker since last autumn according to trainer Dale Romans: “He's not the tallest horse in the world. He's a more racier Giant's Causeway than you usually see.”

On the Bubble (in alphabetical order):

Belgrade (Hard Spun): We're edging into March and there isn't much room on the list for late bloomers, but this H. Graham Motion trainee ($45,000 at FTKSEL and just sold for $700,000 at KEEJAN) remains an intriguing wild card off a 2-for-2 start at Fair Grounds and Tampa.

Blackadder (Quality Road): This $620,000 KEESEP colt was back on Monday's work tab at Santa Anita following a late-run win in the Feb. 12 El Camino Real Derby.

Charge It (Tapit): Whisper Hill Farm homebred and 'TDN Rising Star' owns an 8 1/2-length, 93-Beyer win for Pletcher in a one-turn MSW mile at Gulfstream.

Ethereal Road (Quality Road): Gave up serious real estate while hooked four wide on both turns in the slowly run GII Rebel S., yet led from the quarter pole until 50 yards from the wire. Not a bad effort for a recent 19-1 MSW grad. GI Arkansas Derby is next for this D. Wayne Lukas-trained $90,000 KEEEP colt.

In Due Time (Not This Time): Three-time sales grad ($9,500 KEENOV; $35,000 KEESEP; $95,000 OBSAPR) rides an upward-trending speed figures arc (that tops out with a 92 Beyer) into stakes company with a start in Saturday's Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth S.

Un Ojo (Laoban): This one-eyed, New York-bred gelding leapfrogged the leaderboard to snare second on the qualifying points list after a 75-1 shocker in the rain-soaked Rebel. He saved ground every step and came to life 50 yards before the finish to post an 84-Beyer upset; 3-year-old fillies in a companion stakes ran nearly a second faster for same distance earlier on that card. Onward to the Arkansas Derby.

The post TDN Derby 12 for March 1 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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More Than Ready Represented By First Japanese Stakes Winner

Jean Gros (More Than Ready) became the 214th worldwide black-type winner–and first in Japan–for his legendary sire with a spectacular performance in Sunday's $333,992 Listed Marguerite S. at Hanshin Racecourse.

The 6-5 favorite was away alertly, but was checked hard off heels prior to the entry to the turn, perhaps having caused his own problems. The full-brother to Tom's Ready, MGSW & GISP, $1,036,267, soon recovered from that bit of trouble and traveled strongly on the turn before easing off heels and into the four path on the swing for home. The dark bay swooped in front with about a furlong to race and edged clear to score by a widening 1 1/2 lengths with ears pricked (see below, SC 7). The final time of 1:08 flat was about 0.2 seconds faster than the six-furlong split in the 1400-meter G3 Hankyu Hai for older horses in the following race. Jean Gros is one of 18 winners from 20 to race in Japan for the now 25-year-old More Than Ready.

“He has tremendous speed and was very easy to ride today. He is a very talented colt,” commented winning jockey Yutaka Take.

A $130,000 buyback out of the 2020 Keeneland September sale, Jean Gros was knocked down to this trainer for $265,000 at OBS March the following spring after breezing an eighth of a mile in :10 flat.

Barren to Arrogate for 2020, Goodbye Stranger foaled an Audible filly last March and was bred back to Horse of the Year Authentic.

Sunday's Results:
10th-Hanshin, Marguerite S.-Listed, ¥38,410,000 ($333,992), 3yo, 1200mT, 1:08, gd/fm.
JEAN GROS, c, 3, by More Than Ready
1st Dam: Goodbye Stranger, by Broad Brush
2nd Dam: Prime Investor, by Deputy Minister
3rd Dam: Starushka, by Sham
Sales history: $130,000 RNA Ylg '20 KEESEP; $265,000 2yo '21 OBSMAR. Lifetime Record: 7-3-2-1, $408,534.
O-Susumu Fujita; B-Nursery Place & Partners (KY); T-Hideyuki Mori.

 

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Thoughts from Ocala Part 1: Freshman Sires

With the start of the 2-year-old in training sales just around the corner, a visit to Ocala proved to be informative as we checked in with consignors who are starting the fine-tuning process with their sales horses. In the weeks leading up to the OBS March Sale, which starts March 15, we will release a series of video features covering the topics everyone is talking about as the sales season approaches: Who might be this year's top freshman sire? Which freshman sires could be flying under the radar? What horses are these consignors most looking forward to presenting to the market? And speaking of the market, what are consignors' thoughts on the overall health of the 2-year-old market in 2022?

In this first episode, we spoke with Eddie Woods, Nick de Meric and Susan Montanye about the freshman sires whose 2-year-olds have impressed them most throughout the breaking and training process, and we asked them to show us a few of those sires' most promising progeny that we will see at the sales in the coming weeks.

EDDIE WOODS

This year's freshman sires are a good group overall, probably better than average.

The Justifys are way more precocious than I thought they would be. We have a Justify colt out of Runway Doll (Majestic Warrior) who is a lovely colt going to OBS March [Hip 89]. He's all quality and is built like a tank

The Good Magics are very nice horses. They're laid-back, kind of Curlin-y type horses. We have a Good Magic colt out of Jane Says (Tale of Ekati) going to OBS March [Hip 520]. He's a beautiful-looking horse and we're really happy with him. We have several other Good Magic 2-year-olds who are going to the races that are quite nice.

The City of Lights are beautiful, big, strong, strapping horses. We have a City of Light colt out of Forest Gamble (Forest Wildcat) that is going to OBS March [Hip 439] and is a magnificent-looking horse, so we are looking forward to offering him.

The Mendelssohns also have a lot of quality. They look like they might just take a little bit of time. The Accelerates are looking good as well.

NICK DE MERIC

   We have a reasonable cross-section of first-year sires this year. I'd say the ones that have impressed me at this point in the game would include Good Magic, for sure, Bolt d'Oro and West Coast. We have a couple of really nice West Coasts. Mendelssohn is another that has really got my attention. I only have one Justify, but she's a lovely filly and I'm hearing good things from other people about the Justifys, so he would definitely be on the list as well. Some of the horses we have by these first-year sires are going to sales and some of them are going straight to the races.

I have two Good Magic colts and they're kind of different types physically. One is a big, husky individual and the other is a little on the smaller, more nimble side, but they're both taking a little bit of added pressure really well. They're eating the bottom out of their feed tubs, they're light on their feet and everything that we've done with them they've done well within themselves with plenty in reserve. We haven't really squeezed on them yet, but we're just getting to a point where we're asking a little bit more from them and they seem to be handling everything so easily.

I've got a Bolt d'Oro filly out of Scorpio Queen (Aus) (Choisir {Aus}) who has been breezing really well. She's another one that is doing, if anything, a little more than she's being asked for. She's going to OBS April. She's a big, rugged filly. She seemed to be all head and no body when she first arrived here, but as she's grown and filled out and her musculature has improved, she's starting to look really balanced and I really like the way she's been breezing. She's looking like she could be a good one. We've had several others Bolt d'Oros as yearlings and we've been noting at the sales that he's consistently getting good individuals, so that's also a good indicator.

Susan Montanye and her OBS March-bound Bolt d'Oro colt out of Queen of May | Katie Petrunyak

SUSAN MONTANYE: SBM Training and Sales

   I've been really impressed so far with the Bolt d'Oros. I actually have several of them, one going to the OBS March Sale, one going to the Miami sale, one possibly going to the OBS April Sale and a couple that are going to the races. They've all been light on their feet, very precocious and they love to train. I think it's going to be a big year for Bolt.

My Bolt d'Oro colt going to the OBS March Sale is out of Queen of May (Bernardini) [Hip 51]. If I were rich, he wouldn't be for sale. I just absolutely love him. He is all business. He looks like he'll be fast and want to stretch. There really isn't anything to knock on him. I can't wait to see who ends up getting him and then root him on in his career because I think he's going to be special.

The other colt out of Platinum Song (My Golden Song) is actually a May foal, but he's a big boy. We are taking him down to the Miami sale [Hip 44]. He's a little bit different that the Queen of May colt. I think he's going to be maybe just a tad bit of a later bloomer than Queen of May, but he's going to be a phenomenal individual on the racetrack.

I also have a couple City of Lights. I have a filly out of Edith Court (Pomeroy) going to the OBS March Sale [Hip 405]. She's super fun and classy. I think she's going to be really fast early, more of a sprinter type.

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