Tag: Simon Callaghan

City of Light Filly Delivers a ‘TDN Rising Star’ Debut Win at Los Al

Benedetta (f, 2, City of Light–Tessie Flip, by Grand Slam), a $750,000 OBS March purchase by Kaleem Shah, kicked off her career in style with a 'TDN Rising Star' performance at Los Alamitos Saturday afternoon.

The 3-5 favorite bumped with a rival at the start and recovered nicely to flash good speed through an opening quarter in :21.94. Traveling powerfully while about four wide on the turn for home, she switched over to her right lead in the stretch and was under cruise control down the lane to win by a geared-down three lengths over Tambo (Enticed).

Benedetta RNA'd for $290,000 as a Keeneland September yearling, then fired a :9 4/5 bullet from the Top Line Sales LLC, Agent X consignment at OBS March this year.

Tessie Flip, a two-time winning half-sister to MGISW Switch (Quiet American), is also responsible for Jo Jo Air (Scat Daddy), MSW & GSP, $221,474; the 3-year-old stakes-placed colt in Ireland and $400,000 KEESEP yearling Congo River (Mendelssohn); and a 2023 filly by Maxfield. Tessie Flip, a $200,000 KEEJAN purchase by Springhouse Farm in 2014, RNA'd for $370,000 at the 2014 KEENOV sale.

Benedetta is the second 'TDN Rising Star' for City of Light.

3rd-Los Alamitos, $45,500, Msw, 7-8, 2yo, f, 5f, :57.92, ft, 3 lengths.
BENEDETTA, f, 2, by City of Light
                1st Dam: Tessie Flip, by Grand Slam
                2nd Dam: Antoniette, by Nicholas
                3rd Dam: Queen of Women, by Sharpen Up (GB)
Sales history: $290,000 RNA Ylg '22 KEESEP; $750,000 2yo '23 OBSMAR. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $27,000. Click for the Equibase.com chart or the free
Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
O-Kaleem Shah, Inc.; B-Springhouse Farm & Dromoland Farm (KY); T-Simon Callaghan. *1/2 to Jo Jo Air (Scat Daddy), MSW & GSP, $221,474.

The post City of Light Filly Delivers a ‘TDN Rising Star’ Debut Win at Los Al appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Shah Bringing His ‘Best’ to Del Mar

Kaleem Shah went to $1.8 million to acquire a pair of powerful-looking :9 4/5 breezers from the OBS March 2-Year-Old Sale earlier this spring. Both are expected to be in action this summer at Del Mar.

Arman (Bolt d'Oro), a $600,000 OBS March graduate and the first of the highly regarded duo to make the races, debuted with a visually impressive 'TDN Rising Star' performance at Churchill Downs June 23. Named after Shah's son, the bay is being aimed at the GIII Best Pal S. Aug. 14.

Shah, ahem, clearly made them an offer they couldn't refuse extending to a sale-topping, $1.2 million for OBS March boss Don Corleone (More Than Ready). He is nearing his debut in a spot still to be determined at the seaside track.

Both purchases were advised by Shah's primary trainer Simon Callaghan and bloodstock agent Ben McElroy.

“One thing that I've known is money does not buy you love, and money doesn't buy you a fast horse,” Shah said with a laugh. “Having said that, it all remains to be seen.”

Drawn widest of all in post 10, Arman had his work cut out for him after breaking toward the rear going five furlongs in his unveiling. Hung out in a four-wide fourth heading into the far turn, the 8-5 favorite began to rev up with a sweeping move approaching the quarter pole. He gained command as they straightened for home and leveled off nicely after a couple of left handers from Martin Garcia to win going away by 2 1/2 lengths. He earned a respectable 74 Beyer Speed Figure for the effort.

Shah–the founder and president of the Virginia-based CalNet, which handles intelligence analysis and telecommunications for its clients, including the U.S. federal government and military–made a special trip to Louisville to be on hand for Arman's unveiling last month.

“He's named after my son, so I had to be there,” Shah said. “He'll be 24-years-old soon and is doing his masters in cybersecurity at George Washington.”

Shah added of the four-legged Arman, “Most of the pundits thought that coming from the outside post at Churchill was a difficult task, but he got it done that day, so on to the next one. He's pointing to the Best Pal. We shall see what he does.”

Bred in Florida by Loren Nichols, Arman RNA'd for $52,000 as a yearling at OBS October. Offered on behalf of Nichols by Top Line Sales at OBS March, Arman brought $600,000 from Shah after motoring through an eighth in :9 4/5.

Already one of eight winners for promising freshman sire Bolt d'Oro (by Medaglia d'Oro)–currently ranked a narrow second by earnings via TDN Sire Lists–Arman is out of Beautissimo (Uncle Mo), an unraced half-sister to the stakes-winning and multiple graded-placed Two Thirty Five (Stay Thirsty). He hails from the extended female family of champion Halfbridled (Unbridled).

Don Corleone, meanwhile, topped the two-day OBS March Sale following a much-buzzed about :9 4/5 breeze from the Wavertree Stables, Inc. (Ciaran Dunne), agent, consignment. Bred in Kentucky by WinStar Farm, LLC, he was previously a $120,000 KEESEP yearling purchase by Lehigh Bloodstock, a pinhooking partnership led by Dunne. The dark bay is out of the unraced Indian Charlie mare Broad Spectrum, a half-sister to recent GIII Sanford S. winner Mo Strike (Uncle Mo). Don Corleone breezed four furlongs in :49 (32/61) at Del Mar July 21, his seventh workout since early June.

“Obviously, you've got to go one race at a time, and you don't want to get ahead of yourself,” Shah concluded. “We'll see how this all pans out. But, certainly, it's promising for now.”

The post Shah Bringing His ‘Best’ to Del Mar appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Bolt d’Oro Colt Overcomes Wide Draw, Earns ‘TDN Rising Star’ Nod on Debut at Churchill

Arman (c, 2, Bolt d'Oro–Beautissimo, by Uncle Mo), a $600,000 OBS March purchase (:9 4/5) by Kaleem Shah, overcame a very wide draw in post 10 to earn 'TDN Rising Star' honors going five furlongs on debut at Churchill Downs Thursday evening.

The 8-5 favorite wasn't off to a great beginning breaking toward the rear and rushed up on the outside to chase in fourth heading into the far turn. Four wide and on the move approaching the quarter pole, he gained a narrow advantage in the stretch and leveled off nicely after a couple of left handers from Martin Garcia to win going away by 2 1/2 lengths. Longshot Eakly (Caleb's Posse) was second. Arman becomes the seventh winner and first 'Rising Star' for his red-hot freshman sire (by Medaglia d'Oro).

Arman is one of seven of the 49 Bolt d'Oro juveniles reported as sold to fetch $500,000 or more this year.

Shah, on hand at Churchill Downs, named the promising bay after his son Arman.

“My team collectively loved the horse, so I decided to name him after my son,” Shah said on the FS2 'America's Day at the Races' broadcast.

“So, there was a lot of pressure on the team,” he added with a laugh. “Arman was running, I had to show up for the race.”

The Florida-bred is out Beautissimo (Uncle Mo), an unraced half-sister to the stakes-winning and multiple graded-placed dirt router Two Thirty Five (Stay Thirsty). Beautissimo brought $50,000 from Trackside Farm at the 2018 Keeneland November Sale. She is also responsible for the unraced 3-year-old colt Tone Poem (Tonalist) and a filly by Vino Rosso of 2021. Beautissimo was bred to Goldencents for 2022.

This is the extended female family of champion Halfbridled (Unbridled).

5th-Churchill Downs, $120,000, Msw, 6-23, 2yo, 5f, :58.14, ft, 2 1/2 lengths.
ARMAN, c, 2, by Bolt d'Oro
1st Dam: Beautissimo, by Uncle Mo
2nd Dam: A Footstep Away, by Giant's Causeway
3rd Dam: At The Half, by Seeking the Gold
Sales history: $52,000 RNA Ylg '21 OBSOCT; $600,000 2yo '22 OBSMAR. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $35,560. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG. Click for the free Equineline.com catalog-style pedigree.
O-Kaleem Shah, Inc.; B-Loren Nichols (FL); T-Simon Callaghan.

The post Bolt d’Oro Colt Overcomes Wide Draw, Earns ‘TDN Rising Star’ Nod on Debut at Churchill appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

‘Memories’ Meets ‘Love’ in Honeymoon

The top two 3-year-old turf fillies in California will face off for the first time along with five other foes in Sunday's nine-furlong GIII Honeymoon S. on the Santa Anita lawn.

Cairo Memories (Cairo Prince), named a 'TDN Rising Star' for a 4 1/2-length debut victory Sept. 5 at Del Mar, the $50,000 Keeneland September purchase backed that up with 2 1/4-length tally in the local Surfer Girl S. before finishing ninth with a troubled trip in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. Switched to dirt, the gray was a half-length second in Los Alamitos's GI Starlet S., but finished seventh, beaten 24 lengths in the local GIII Santa Ysabel S. Mar. 6. Returning to turf here Apr. 9, she went to the lead for the first time and responded with a dominant 4 1/2-length conquest of the GIII Providencia S. A repeat of the 90 Beyer she earned in that effort would make the Bob Hess Jr. trainee tough in here.

Her main competition is rail-drawn Island of Love (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}). Two-for-two by a combined 9 1/2 lengths over the span of just 10 days to open her career for Alessandro Botti last September in Italy, the bay was runner-up at 4-5 in the Lady Shamrock S. making her North American debut here Jan. 30 before checking in fourth in the China Doll S. as the favorite Mar. 6. The Phil D'Amato pupil then broke through in America with a 2 1/4-length triumph in the GIII Senorita S. going a mile on this course May 7.

The Coolmore connections' Ballet Dancing (Medaglia d'Oro) looks to have some upside for trainer Simon Callaghan. Bought for $800,000 as a Keeneland September yearling, the bay was third with a slow break and wide trip debuting over a turfy mile here Oct. 15 and rallied from ninth with a quarter-mile to go to break her maiden over the same course and distance May 7.

The post ‘Memories’ Meets ‘Love’ in Honeymoon appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Verified by MonsterInsights