Siena Farm | Horse Racing Free Tips

In Due Time Seeks to Land on Derby Bubble in Lexington

It's last call for many in Keeneland's GIII Stonestreet Lexington S. as the race to solidify, or sneak into, the GI Kentucky Derby starting gate enters the final furlong. In Due Time (Not This Time) heads this field with an ever-improving resume in both distance and class. A debut winner in the mud at Monmouth last summer, the chestnut was shelved for six months, resurfacing with a third in a Gulfstream optional claimer Jan. 8. A dominant optional claimer winner next out when extended to a mile in Hallandale Feb. 4, good for a 92 Beyer Speed Figure, he was a strong second behind Simplification (Not This Time) in the GII Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth S. last out Mar. 5. In Due Time currently sits in 29th on the Derby leaderboard with 20 points and he could secure 20 more with a win here, which would put him right on the bubble for a spot in the Derby starting gate.

One who races to keep his spot as number 20 on the leaderboard is the hard-trying Tawny Port (Pioneerof the Nile), who is one of five runners with 40 points. A win here will jump the colt into 12th with 60. Opening his account with a pair of wins on the Turfway synthetic, Tawny Port closed to be fifth in his first try on dirt in the GII Risen Star S. at Fair Grounds Feb. 19, which was one by Derby points leader Epicenter (Not This Time). Second to Tiz the Bomb (Hit It a Bomb) last out Apr. 2 in the GIII Jeff Ruby Steaks S. back on the synthetic at Turfway Park, Tawny Port will try to overcome a two-week turnaround as the 5-2 morning line favorite.

The formidable WinStar and Siena Farm partnership will send out two in hopes of landing points and a spot on the bubble: Major General (Constitution) and Strava (Into Mischief), who is also owner in partnership with Denny Crum. A $420,000 KEESEP buy, Major General followed a first-out score with a win in the GIII Iroquois S. at Churchill in September. He adds blinkers for this event after a non-factor 10th in the GII Tampa Bay Derby Mar. 12. Also adding blinkers here, $825,000 KEENOV purchase Strava captured his debut sprinting at Keeneland in October and was second next out in the slop at Fair Grounds Jan. 15. Extended to two turns in NOLA a month later, the bay checked in third behind recent GI Arkansas Derby victor Cyberknife (Gun Runner).

D. Wayne Lukas saddles Ethereal Road (Quality Road), who is back in just a week after a tired seventh-place effort Apr. 9 in the local GI Toyota Blue Grass S.

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Carter Field Takes Shape

Godolphin's Speaker's Corner (Street Sense) and First Captain (Curlin), owned by West Point Thoroughbreds, Siena Farm, Woodford Racing and celebrity chef Bobby Flay, appear on course for a tilt at the seven-furlong GI Carter H. Apr. 9 at Aqueduct. This term, the former, trained by Bill Mott, has posted a pair of one-turn victories at Gulfstream Park–the GIII Fred Hooper S. Jan. 29 followed by the Mar. 5 GII Gulfstream Park Mile. Last year, he won three starts in New York, including a 6 3/4-length triumph in a Belmont optional claimer in October before finishing runner up in the nine-furlong Discovery S. He also finished a well-beaten sixth in the GI Pennsylvania Derby in September.

“He showed plenty last year,” said Godolphin bloodstock director Michael Banahan. “We tried stretching him out, but it wasn't really what he wanted to do. We got him back out to one-turn miles and he was impressive in both of those. That's what it looks like he wants to do.”

Speaker's Corner breezed four furlongs in :50.80 at Payson Mar. 18. The Godolphin homebred is out of Tyburn Brook (Bernardini), a daughter of 2006 GI Breeders' Cup Distaff winner Round Pond.

“He's a bigger and stronger version of himself,” said Banahan. “Even as a foal and as a yearling, we always liked him on the farm. He's out of an unraced mare but has a very good pedigree. Once he went to Florida to get pre-trained, he showed plenty of talent. When he was sent to Bill, he said the same, so we were always hopeful of him.”

Also gearing up in next month's Carter, First Captain will aim to garner his first win at the top level. Bred by Bobby Flay Thoroughbreds, First Captain made a winning seasonal debut for Shug McGaughey in a seven-furlong allowance sprint at Gulfstream Feb. 27. Last season, he reeled off three-straight wins at Belmont, including a 1 3/4-length score in the GIII Dwyer going a one-turn mile at Belmont in July before finishing third in the July 30 nine-furlong Curlin S. at Saratoga.

“He's got that one-turn grinding type of style which, generally, is a tough style to win with at Gulfstream, so we were happy that he ran well,” said West Point Thoroughbreds spokesman Jason Blewitt. “The fact that he got up to win, not that it was a surprise, really felt great. We were proud of him to find the finish with such a closing kick. He bounced out if it in really good shape for Shug.”

Exceptional at the one-turn mile, the Carter will serve as a litmus test of sort to see whether he can win going two turns.

“I'm not totally convinced he doesn't want to go two turns,” said Blewitt. “Although the Curlin was disappointing out of him, it maybe was a case of a bad trip and he did have a minor ankle issue after that,” Blewitt said. “There's no denying that his races at Belmont last spring and summer were mighty impressive as well as the seven-eighths win at Gulfstream. It looks pretty black and white on paper that he's 4-for-4 around one turn, so I'm anxious to see how he'll stack up in the Carter. It's a race that has a very rich history.”

A strong performance from First Captain in the Carter could pave the way to the GI Hill 'N' Dale Metropolitan H. June 11 at Belmont. Vekoma is the most recent horse to capture the Carter-Met Mile double in 2020.

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TDN Snippets: Week of March 7-13

Legacy pedigrees made their presence felt last week as debuters and Derby contenders alike took to the stage. Here's how things stand now that the dust has cleared.

One last hurrah for Giant's Causeway…
Classic Causeway flies his late sire's flag high as part of a very exclusive club. One of three members of Giant's Causeway's final crop–and all colts, the GII Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby winner is the third son of the 'Iron Horse' to conquer the race behind Carpe Diem and Destin. With two generations of Classic-winning dam sires in his pedigree, the chestnut seeks to fly in further rarified air in May.

An American in the Land of Oz…
LNJ Foxwood's Lighthouse (Mizzen Mast) might have shown a new light on US participation in Australian racing when the mare came home strongest of all to win the G1 Coolmore Classic at Rosehill on Saturday. She's the second US-bred in three years to win the Coolmore, joining Con Te Partiro in 2020. Con Te Partiro was purchased privately from Newgate SF (after RNA-ing at Keeneland November in 2020) by Sheikh Fahad's Qatar Racing for $1.6 million.

A strong Constitution…
We the People declared himself a voice unable to be ignored when the Constitution colt dominated his allowance rivals at Oaklawn Park en route to declaration of rising stardom. The $230,000 FTFMAR snag by Winstar Farm, CMNWLTH, & Siena Farm became his sire's seventh 'TDN Rising Star' in two years. We the People was bred on the same Constitution/Tiznow cross as MGISW Tiz the Law. Picked up by Henley Farms for $40,000 at the 2019 KEEJAN sale with We the People in utero, his dam, Letchworth produced an Always Dreaming colt in 2020 and an Audible colt in 2021. Both are May foals. She was bred back to More Than Ready.

Team Valor sees green with inexpensive filly…
Green Up (Upstart) might be a bit immature with room to grow, according to Barry Irwin, but the filly has already shown the only path for her is up. Coming off a big figure second place effort for prior connections, the globetrotting silks flew home in a 6 3/4 length masterclass in Hallendale with 'TDN Rising Star' honors as icing. A modest $10,000 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic yearling, and a later private acquisition by Irwin's syndicate, Green Up claims the solid runner Just Call Kenny (Jump Start) in her female family. She is her sire's second Rising Star along with Reinvestment Risk last year and Upstart also claims Kentucky Oaks prospect Kathleen O.

The Curlin Factor…
Juddmonte homebred Obligatory began her 2022 campaign the same way she ended 2021: with a graded win. Curlin, who is the sire of this filly and 46 other graded winners, has 86 black-type winners to his name, representing just over 11% of his starters. Incredible numbers especially when considering 16 of those are Grade I winners. Obligatory is a third-generation Juddmonte homebred. Juddmonte bought her unraced third dam, Nijinsky Star, for $700,000 at the 1987 Keeneland November sale.

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Pricey Violence Colt Wins Debut at Fair Grounds

9th-Fair Grounds, $58,000, Msw, 1-22, 3yo, 6f, 1:11.65, ft, 2 3/4 lengths.
FEROCIOUSLY (c, 3, Violence–Brinkley {SP}, by City Zip), sent off the 5-2 choice while facing a pair of seven-figure purchases, settled in a close-up second behind 9-1 chance Vintage Vinyl (Maclean's Music), who led through :22.15. Meanwhile, $1.5-million Fasig-Tipton grad Vincoe (Quality Road), sent off at 7-2, tried to make a grab for the lead along the inside but had the door slammed in his face, and soon found himself in last, about six lengths off the front. Edging in front of Vintage Vinyl midway on the turn and drifting out four paths wide turning for home, Ferociously kept up the tempo through the stretch, reporting home a two-length winner. Despite his early problems, Vincoe offered the best turn of foot late, grabbing the place spot from Vintage Vinyl, 2 3/4 lengths from the winner. Brinkley, a half-sister to GSW and Grade 1/Group 1 placed Bound for Nowhere (The Factor), produced a colt by West Coast last season and was bred back to Hard Spun. This is the family of champion sprinter Midnight Lute. Sales history: $410,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $34,800. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
O-WinStar Farm LLC & Siena Farm LLC; B-Douglas Scharbauer (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen.

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