Tag: Shared News

Down the Shedrow with Bob Baffert

Year after year, two-time Triple Crown-winning conditioner Bob Baffert has some of the country's top runners in his shedrow and 2021 is no exception. The Hall of Famer has a plethora of possible GI Kentucky Derby runners; a few possible GI Kentucky Oaks contenders; the reigning champion female sprinter; and several exciting unraced prospects. You never know when Baffert will unleash the next superstar or which of his horses will be on top by the first weekend in May, but you can count on him having a live contender in most of the big dances.

Baffert filled the TDN's Christie DeBernardis in on his plans for his leading sophomores and a few of his other top runners.

Though champion Authentic is now retired, Baffert has another son of Into Mischief who may be poised to fill his shoes in the undefeated Life is Good. Tabbed a 'TDN Rising Star' following his dazzling debut win at Del Mar Nov. 22, the $525,000 KEESEP buy followed suit with a victory in Santa Anita's GIII Sham S. Jan. 2.

“He is still doing well. He runs in the San Felipe, so we are getting ready for that.”

Baffert has another unbeaten 'TDN Rising Star' on the Derby trail in Concert Tour. An impressive first-out winner at Santa Anita Jan. 15, the Gary and Mary West homebred captured the GII San Vicente S. next out Feb. 6.

“All is well. He is going to go to the [GII] Rebel [S. Mar. 13 at Oaklawn].”

Freedom Fighter carries the banner for the group known as the Avengers. The dark bay won his career bow at Del Mar Aug. 1 and came up a half-length short of Concert Tour when second in the San Vicente.

“I am going to send him to the [GIII] Gotham [S. Mar. 6 at Aqueduct].”

  • MEDINA SPIRIT (c, 3, Protonico)

Opening his account at Los Alamitos Dec. 11, Medina Spirit completed the exacta behind Life is Good in the Sham. The Florida-bred broke through at the graded level next out with a gritty score in Santa Anita's GIII Robert B. Lewis S. Jan. 30.

“He is nominated everywhere. I will know in about another week. I sort of have an idea, but I am waiting.”

Also campaigned by the Avengers crew, Spielberg placed in both the GI Runhappy Del Mar Futurity S. and the GI American Pharoah S. prior to breaking his maiden at Del Mar Nov. 1. Fourth in the GIII Bob Hope S. Nov. 15, the $1-million KEESEP purchase captured the GII Los Alamitos Futurity S. Dec. 19 and was a disappointing fourth in the Bob Lewis last out.

“He came back and worked well. I might run him in the [GIII] Southwest [S. at Oaklawn Feb. 27].”

  • CLASSIER (c, 3, Empire Maker)

Classier, a $775,000 KEESEP acquisition, earned 'TDN Rising Star' honors for his impressive career bow in Arcadia Oct. 24 and was eighth when last seen in the GI TVG Breeders' Cup Juvenile S. Nov. 6.

   “I had a set back with him. He is off the Derby trail.”

  • TRIPLE TAP (c, 3, Tapit)

Summer Wind homebred Triple Tap has yet to make the races, but his pedigree makes him a very exciting prospect. The chestnut is a half-brother to Triple Crown hero American Pharoah and a full to Jane Lyon's Grade I winner Chasing Yesterday.

“He actually had his first gate work [Thursday] and he went really well [five furlongs in :59.60 (1/32)] (Click here for XBTV video). He's about a month away still. He is getting there slowly. I don't want to jinx him or anything, but he is a nice horse.”

Earning her diploma at third asking in the Anoakia S. Oct. 18, Kalypso checked in second in the GI Starlet S. at Los Alamitos Dec. 5 and came back to win the GII Santa Ynez S. Jan. 3. The chestnut completed the exacta last time in Santa Anita's GIII Las Virgenes S. Feb. 6.

“She is doing well. She is probably more of a one-turn horse, but we will run her back in the next race here [the GIII Santa Ysabel S. Mar. 7] or the [GII] Santa Anita Oaks [Apr. 3]. I'm not sure yet.”

A debut winner at Del Mar Aug. 30, Varda was second to retired stablemate Princess Noor (Not This Time) in Santa Anita's GII Chandelier S. Sept. 26. The bay defeated both that rival and Kalypso when taking the GI Starlet S. at odds of 17-1.

“She has a little set back and is off the Oaks trail.”

Yet another first-out winner from this barn to earn the 'TDN Rising Star' tag Mar. 7, Gamine was disqualified from a two-turn victory at Oaklawn May 2. Dominating both the GI Longines Acorn S. June 20 and the GI Longines Test S. Aug. 8, the $1.8-million EASMAY buy crossed the line third in the Kentucky Oaks, but was disqualified and placed ninth for a positive test Sept. 4. The bay captured the GI Breeders' Cup F/M Sprint S. Nov. 7, clinching the female sprint championship in the process.

   “Gamine is doing well. She had her second little breeze. We are pointing for Derby week maybe, the GI Derby City Distaff.”

Happier wired the field to earn her diploma and 'TDN Rising Star' honors in her Del Mar unveiling July 31. Sent to the sidelines following that effort, the $800,000 KEESEP purchase returned to action in Arcadia Feb. 14, winning an optional claimer.

“She is a very nice filly. I think she wants to go longer, so we will look to stretch her out.”

The post Down the Shedrow with Bob Baffert appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Feb. 20 Insights

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency
PRICEY INTO MISCHIEF DEBUTS IN NOLA
9th-FG, $50K, Msw, 3yo, f, 5 1/2fT, 5:52p.m.
Tom Amoss unveils an expensive daughter of red-hot sire Into Mischief in NATALIE WOULD, a $500,000 FTMMAY purchase following a :21 3/5 breeze. The bay is a daughter of GSP Global Hottie (Dixie Chatter). Bret Jones homebred Quality of Mercy (Summer Front) also debuts in this spot. The bay is a half-sister to GISW Summer Soiree (War Front) and her dam is a half-sister to MGSW & GISP Mil Kilates (Gold Alert). Ursulina (More Than Ready) looks a sneaky sort debuting with a black-type breeze on display for the in-form Al Stall, Jr. barn. The bay is out of a daughter of SP Kivi (King of Kings {Ire}), whose son Regally Ready (More Than Ready) was a Grade I-winning turf sprinter (Nearctic S.) and won the GII Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint in 2011. Kivi also produced Grade III-winning juvenile Sir Truebadour to the cover of More Than Ready. TJCIS PPs

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Runhappy is Soaring, and McIngvale is On a Winning Streak

Mattress Mack is having some month.

When Alluring Lady (Runhappy) won a maiden special weight race at Aqueduct on Jan. 24, the filly's victory kicked off a torrid streak for her sire. Over a 25-day period, she was one of eight Runhappys to win a race, a list that includes his first stakes winner, Gander S. winner Nicky The Vest.

The Aqueduct winner came just 14 days before Jim McIngvale won the biggest bet of his life, cashing for $3.2 million after betting on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to cover the spread in the Super Bowl. On Thursday, Whoopi Goldberg, on her show The View, suggested that McIngvale be honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his on-going efforts to provide, food, heat and shelter for residents of Houston that have been hit hard by the vicious winter storm.

“We have an obligation and a responsibility to help the people because they have helped us so much,” said McIngvale, who has provided shelter for hundreds of people at his Houston furniture store.

Runhappy's sudden success would have been hard to predict back in the early fall. McIngvale was offering a $100,000 bonus to any offspring of Runhappy that won an open maiden race at Saratoga, the summer meet at Del Mar or Kentucky Downs. Not only did the sire fail to produce a winner at any of those three meets, but his progeny was struggling throughout the country. Through September, he had produced just two winners.

“I certainly never gave up on him,” McIngvale said. “I did that 2-year-old bonus that created a lot of hype and then my sister-in-law reminded me that the great Runhappy didn't win his first race until December of his 2-year old year. I made a boneheaded mistake promoting him like I did when his first crop was just two.”

What McIngvale didn't know at the time was that the Runhappys would turn out to be late developers that prefer going a distance, a surprise since the sire was the 2015 Eclipse Award winning sprinter.

“The people from Claiborne kept telling me that the great Bull Hancock always said you can't judge a stallion until their first crop has gotten through their whole 4-year-old year,” he said. “I believe in the Claiborne philosophy. Certainly, his 3-year-olds are, so far, doing very well. Win, lose or draw, I'm always pleased with Runhappy, but right now he is on a roll.”

The streak has vaulted Runhappy to the number three spot in earnings on the TDN's year-to-date second crop sire list, where he leads by winners with nine.

Among the recent winners, Nicky the Vest could turn out to be the best. A New York-bred owned by Robert LaPenta and trained by Jonathan Thomas, he kicked off his career with a maiden win in December before romping by 11 3/4 lengths in the Gander. His connections have said they will look for a traditional prep for the GI Kentucky Derby for his next start.

“I am very excited about Nicky the Vest,” McIngvale said.  “He's got great connections behind him and they absolutely know what they're doing. He is exciting and so is the horse (Run Classic) that won other day at Fair Grounds. There are a lot of exciting Runhappys out there.”

McIngvale owns several Runhappys, but has had little success with them. He said that should change later on this year.

“We have a lot of quality 2-year-olds by Runhappy,” he said.  “With our 3-year-olds, a couple of them have had some nagging injuries and are still coming around. We're really optimistic about the 2-year-olds. We've got some nice ones that are fast.”

Before the streak began, Runhappy's stud fee for this year was cut from $25,000 to $10,000. Had they had more time to make a decision, that may not have happened. But McIngvale said he is fine with the new fee.

“I am a value guy,” McIngvale said. “Cutting the stud fee makes Runhappy the best value in the stallion book, especially considering what he has done recently. He should have a good year. We're in this for the long term and not just for one season.”

While the new stud fee may cost McIngvale some money, he's in a good position to absorb some of the loss. When he bets, he bets a lot. Just prior to the Super Bowl, McIngvale flew to Colorado, where sports betting is legal, and bet $3.46 million on the Bucs after logging on to a DraftKings mobile betting app. He got Tampa Bay and Tom Brady at +3.5 points. With Tampa crushing Kansas City, the outcome of his bet was never in serious doubt.

“There wasn't a lot of tension in that game so I didn't have to sweat it out or throw anything at the television,” he said.

McIngvale often links his large wagers to promotions at his stores, Gallery Furniture. But for now, he's more focused on helping out a community in need. He said he decided to open his stores up to the public after driving down a Houston street and witnessing paramedics deal with a homeless person who had apparently died of exposure.

“We hope to be back to normalcy,” he said. “But until then, we're here for Houston because tough times never last for us Texans. Tough people do. And we're tough Texans.”

He has also been busy putting together a new ad campaign for Runhappy, which debuted this week. McIngvale is still quite the promoter and this time he has something to promote.

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Knicks Go, Charlatan Battle in the Desert

Knicks Go (Paynter) and Charlatan (Speightstown), a pair of major forces headlining the American racing scene in 2020, take on 12 others in Saturday's $20-million Saudi World Cup at King Abdulaziz Racecourse outside Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Both Grade I winners in their latest starts, the pair represent two of America's leading trainers, Brad Cox, who took home his first Eclipse Award last season, and Bob Baffert, a 2020 finalist who had previously annexed four training titles.

Knicks Go, winner of the 2018 GI Breeders' Futurity S. while under the care of Ben Colebrook, marked his debut for Cox and Korea Racing Authority in 2020 with a victory in an 8 1/2-furlong optional claimer at Oaklawn last February. Off for the ensuing seven months, the grey romped by 10 1/4 lengths in a Keeneland optional claimer in October before posting an emphatic win in the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile at the Lexington oval Nov. 7. Well supported for his 2021 bow in the Jan. 23 GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational S. at Gulfstream, the Maryland bred once again proved best, winning by 2 3/4 lengths.

Knicks Go was keen during a 1600-meter gallop Friday morning under assistant trainer Dustin Dugas.

“He loves to train and is so difficult to handle sometimes,” Dugas said. “But he has a lot of talent, obviously, and is sitting on a big race. He's very, very fast and is extremely tough.”

It wouldn't be a big-money event without a Baffert-conditioned runner, and the Hall of Fame trainer is represented by the lightly-raced Charlatan in the latest renewal of the nine-furlong Saudi Cup. In his latest work prior to leaving the U.S., the chestnut completed seven furlongs in 1:24.60 at Santa Anita Feb. 7.

“[Charlatan] is doing well,” Baffert told the TDN. “He has a great mind and is getting over the track well. We feel good about our chances, but they still have to get around there. I love the way he worked when he left here. I didn't do much with him there, just a light little half [mile]. He was ready to run.”

An impressive winner in his first two starts at Santa Anita last winter, the SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Racing and Stonestreet Stables runner finished first but was demoted to ninth after testing positive for a banned substance in the May 2 GI Arkansas Derby before being forced to the sidelines with a minor ankle injury. The colt returned to action with a brilliant score in the Dec. 26 GI Malibu S. at Santa Anita.

Accompanied by Mike Smith, Charlatan drew post 9, while Knicks Go–who will be partnered by Joel Rosario–will exit stall five.

“He has to break well, but he has a nice post,” said Baffert. “Knicks Go is in there [and] Charlatan likes a target. [In the Malibu], he had [SW] Nashville [Speightstown] as his target and that worked out alright. It is a mile-and-an-eighth, but that long stretch gets demanding in the final sixteenth. There are good horses in there.”

No stranger to Riyadh, Prince A A Faisal's Mishriff (Ire) (Make Believe {GB}) was second in last season's Saudi Derby and will try to go one better in this year's Cup.

Jockey David Egan, who was in the irons in the Saudi Derby, has been aboard the 4-year-old for the last three mornings at track work.

“Similar to last year, Mishriff has been thriving since he arrived here in Riyadh,” he said. “He seems to really enjoy the style of training and the surface here in Saudi Arabia. He looks amazing, feels fresh and has been moving fluently up to the race.”

Following his Saudi sojourn, the Irish bred reeled off three consecutive victories over the summer, including Chantilly's G1 Prix du Jockey Club and the G2 Prix Guillaume d'Ornano at Deauville. He finished eighth in his latest start in Newmarket's G1 Qipco Champion S. in October.

“Mishriff looks stronger again since I saw him in Newmarket at the end of last year and he has traveled extremely well,” said Ted Voute, racing manager to Prince A A Faisal. “He has thrived over the winter. He looks well and ready for the race.”

He added, “David said he changed legs easily going into the turns and was a natural from that point of view. We're looking forward to the race.”

Japan offers a worthy contender in Chuwa Wizard (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}). Last December's G1 Champions Cup winner enjoyed an easy canter on the dirt track before a gate-schooling session Friday.

“He shipped to Dubai last year [for the Dubai World Cup Carnival], but had to fly back to Japan due to the cancellation of the race meetings. I think the travel experiences helped him a lot this time,” explained trainer Ryuji Okubo. “Last year, he lost 10 kg during the trip to Dubai, but this year he only lost 4 kg when he flew into Saudi Arabia. He is enjoying it here and is feeling really good. He is a very straightforward horse.”

Asked about his charge's inside post position, Okubo added, “He will start from barrier one, so we can make ground all the way through the race. I understand the American horses are very fast, but I expect Chuwa Wizard can track them and overtake them with his strong closing speed.”

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