songbird | Horse Racing Free Tips

Fox Hill Farms’ Run Has Come To A Close

The red-and-white colors of Rick Porter's Fox Hill Farms will not be seen on the racetrack again. Eighteen months after Porter passed away after a long battle with cancer, the final horse still owned by Fox Hill, Royal Ship (Brz) (Midshipman), has been acquired by Porter's son, Scott, and will race under the name of Fox Hollow Farm. Siena Farm LLC has retained its minority interest in the horse.

“We could have kept him running in Fox Hill silks, but, accounting-wise, it made sense to put an end to that and keep things simple,” Scott Porter said. “He is a gelding, so it wasn't like we were going to sell him. I decided maybe I can race him and see where it leads.”

Royal Ship was the last horse owned by Fox Hill. Scott Porter has no immediate plans to expand his stable.

“It's not like I'm looking to start up a big racing stable,” he said. “At this point in my life, I'm not able to do that. Maybe someday that will change. I have the same love of racing my father had. I learned a lot from him and spent a lot of time with him. We were very close. I thought we might run this horse and see what happens. I am a builder. So I'm not making the kind of money my father did.”

Rick Porter passed away in June of 2021 at the age of 80. Fox Hill Farm campaigned 20 graded stakes horses and multiple champions led by Havre de Grace (Saint Liam), Songbird (Medaglia d'Oro), Hard Spun (Danzig), Omaha Beach (War Front) and Kodiak Kowboy (Posse). Three months after Porter's death it was announced that all of his horses but Royal Ship would be sold at the upcoming fall sales.

Trained by Richard Mandella, Royal Ship was imported from South America by Porter and finished third in the 2020 GII Del Mar Mile H. in his U.S. debut. Four starts later he upset Country Grammer in the GII Californian S. He beat Country Grammer again in the 2021 GII San Diego H. Royal Ship not started since finishing sixth in the GI Awesome Again S. in October.

“The horse has been on the farm for quite some time and he just had his first work back,” Scott Porter said “He has had a few ailments. It seems like he can put a couple of good races together and then he throws in a clunker. We'll give him as much time off as we can. If he's happy and wants to run again we will try to have some fun with him. It just made sense for me to take him over rather than trying to find a new home for him.”

According to Victoria Keith, who was Fox Hill's racing manager, Rick Porter owned about 15 horses at the time of his death. Fox Hill's last mare was sold in November, leaving only Royal Ship. She said Porter had stopped acquiring horses a few years before his death, aware that his health issues were a problem.

“Probably the hardest part was when we were selling the first horses,” she said. “Then after that we whittled the numbers down. It is certainly sad that we won't be seeing those red-and-white silks anymore. It was a really good run. I got to live vicariously through Fox Hill Farm when it was on top. Rick has a wonderful family. His wife and kids are very much like him.”

Scott Porter said that if Royal Ship has a successful 2023 he will look to reinvest some of the earnings into a new horse or two.

“We'll see,” he said. “That's the way my dad did it, starting small. But I don't have any false ambitions. I'm not trying to be Fox Hill Farms.”

The post Fox Hill Farms’ Run Has Come To A Close appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Equibase Analysis: Galt, Simplification Most Likely Upsetters In Holy Bull Field

This Saturday's Grade 3, $250,000 Holy Bull Stakes is the first of three significant stakes races for newly turned 3-year-olds in South Florida. Nine have signed on for this race and the best of them will likely run four weeks from now in the Fountain of Youth Stakes, hoping to go on to the Florida Derby in April and then onto the Kentucky Derby.

Leading the field in accomplishments is Mo Donegal, last seen two months ago when victorious in the G2 Remsen Stakes. Simplification is another stakes winner, having captured the Mucho Macho Man Stakes easily by four lengths on New Year's Day. Tiz the Bomb finished fast from 12th to get second when last seen in the G1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf and won his only previous dirt route by a whopping 14 lengths. Cajun's Magic returns from more than four months on the bench following a win in the FTBOA Florida Sire Dr. Fager Stakes then runner-up finishes in two other stakes races restricted to horses bred in Florida. Giant Game finished third in the G1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile on the same day Tiz the Bomb ran in the Juvenile Turf and appears to fit with these, as does G2 Kentucky Jockey Club third place finisher White Abarrio. Then there's a pair of recent impressive maiden winners in Spin Wheel and Galt, the former having rallied from last of 12 to win by a nose and the latter having drawn off easily by four lengths when last seen. Eloquist rounds out the field. He finished a well-beaten fifth in the Remsen and then last of six in an allowance race last month at Gulfstream Park.

Main Win Contenders:

Although Galt just earned his first win in his most recent start, the third of his career, he will be my top pick, and a strong one at that, in this year's Holy Bull Stakes. There are many reasons to think this son of Medaglia d'Oro can win, the first of which is that he is trained by Bill Mott, who has an uncanny ability to know when his recently turned 3-year-olds are the right caliber to compete in Road to the Derby stakes races. When taking blinkers off and running in a dirt route for the first time on Dec. 26, Galt ran tremendously better than he had in his two prior starts. Drawing the same rail position he gets for the Holy Bull, Galt saved ground then came around a pair of runners to rally into a very slow pace in the stretch before drawing off decisively.

Admittedly, the 84 Equibase® Speed Figure isn't nearly as fast as the 93 figure likely favorite Mo Donegal earned last December winning the Remsen Stakes, but it was a big improvement off his previous two races. As he's making his second start following 2 1/2 months off, Galt is going to move up considerably off the effort. Back to Mott's record 3-year-olds early in the year coming off maiden wins and running in stakes races, the Hall-of-Fame trainer saddled Tacitus to win the 2019 Tampa Bay Derby off a maiden win, saddled Modernist to win the 2020 Risen Star Stakes off a maiden win, saddled Candy Man Rocket to win the 2021 Sam F. Davis Stakes off a maiden win, and saddled Hofburg to a runner-up finish in the 2018 Florida Derby.

Another reason I expect Galt to run very well in a graded stakes race is he is a full brother to two-time Champion Songbird, winner of $4.6 million and nine consecutive graded stakes around two turns in her three year old campaign. As the reason for the big turnaround in form on Dec. 26 is easily identifiable (blinkers off) and as he won without Lasix so racing without the medication is not an issue here, I expect Galt to post the mild upset and throw his name in the ring as a strong contender on the Road to the Derby, staring in the Holy Bull Stakes.

However, in order to win, Galt is going to have to run down Simplification, who enters the race off a wire-to-wire win in the Mucho Macho Man Stakes on New Year's Day with a field high 98 figure. Two races before that, Simplification won a six furlong sprint by a whopping 16 and three-quarter lengths with a 99 figure. Javier Castellano rode the colt to his last win and will be in the saddle again in the Holy Bull. I have no concern about the fact that Simplification is trying two-turns for the first time as (per Race Lens) relatively new sire Not This Time has had six of 18 of his sons or daughters win two-turn races to date, including recent Lecomte Stakes runner-up Epicenter, who had won the Gun Runner Stakes prior to that. As such, Simplification has a big chance to get out on an easy lead and get very brave just as he did last month in the Mucho Macho Man Stakes, and no matter how successful Galt might be in closing into a slow pace as he was in his victory at the end of December, it may be too tall of an order in this situation.

Although most of the others have credentials to be competitive, with the exception of Eloquist, who is overmatched, they are all giving away some physical edge to Galt and Simplification. For example, Mo Donegal has been away from the races since Dec. 4, and a Race Lens query reveals trainer Todd Pletcher possesses a four for 30 record with 3-year-olds in dirt route stakes over the last five years coming back from such a layoff. The same can be said for Tiz the Bomb, who needed a sprint prep race last spring before winning a route.

The rest of the field, all who have the ability to compete effectively in this race, with their best Equibase Speed Figures, is Cajun's Magic (94), Giant Game (90), Eloquist (74), Mo Donegal (93), Spin Wheel (86), Tiz the Bomb (109 on turf) and White Abarrio (94).

Win Contenders, with an equal probability to win at about 33 percent (2 to 1)
Galt
Simplification

Holy Bull Stakes – Grade 3
Race 11 at Gulfstream Park
Saturday, February 5 – Post Time 5:10 PM E.T.
One and One Sixteenth Miles
Three Year Olds
Purse: $250,000

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After The Finish Line’s Charity Auction Of Breeders’ Cup Hats To Benefit RRP & Others

After the Finish Line's 6th Annual Charity Auction of Breeders' Cup Hats starts this Sunday, Dec. 5. The auction, which runs for one week, is one of After the Finish Line's fundraisers that benefits its grant making activity. The Retired Racehorse Project has partnered with After the Finish Line, and will receive a portion of proceeds.

Up for bid are over 50 iconic purple Breeders' Cup hats from the 2021 World Championships at Del Mar. They are typically only available for the connections of Breeders' Cup entrants. Several hats of past fan favorites will also be in the mix, including Zenyatta, Medaglia d'Oro, Songbird, Ghostzapper, and more. Hats for this year's auction were generously donated by the horses' connections.

“This auction brings aftercare and horse racing fans together in a unique way,” said Dawn Mellen, president and founder of After the Finish Line. “Fans can bid on the hats of their favorite racehorses to benefit the Thoroughbreds after racing. This helps raise awareness about the importance of aftercare for racing fans. We are excited to help build the bridge between racing and aftercare with this annual auction.”

A selection of hats is directly pledged to individual aftercare organizations who will receive the proceeds raised from their chosen hat. Participating aftercare organizations include Beyond the Roses Equine Rescue and Retirement, CARMA, Florida TRAC, Old Friends, Racing For Home, Second Call Thoroughbred Adoption & Retirement, Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation, and Turning for Home.

Bidding in the eBay auction will open this Sunday, Dec. 5 at 7:00 PM ET/4:00 PM PT at ebay.com/str/afterthefinishline.

About After the Finish Line: After the Finish Line is a 501(c)3 charitable organization that awards Monthly Grants to aftercare organizations across the United States that care for, rehab, retrain, rehome and/or retire Off Track Thoroughbreds, Thoroughbreds in training that never raced, and Thoroughbred broodmares, stallions, and foals. Grants are awarded for surgery, veterinarian, chiropractor, medication, supplements, farrier, dental, vaccines, hay, feed, training, boarding, transportation and/or auction rescue. Since 2007, ATFL has awarded nearly 750 grants helping approximately 4,700 Off Track Thoroughbreds. Visit, afterthefinishline.org.

The Retired Racehorse Project (RRP) is a 501c3 charitable organization working to increase demand for off-track Thoroughbreds in the equestrian world. In addition to producing the Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium, the organization also publishes Off-Track Thoroughbred Magazine, hosts off-track Thoroughbred retraining clinics, offers programing at major horse expos and events around the country, and maintains the online Thoroughbred Sport Tracker (the internet's only user-driven database tracking second career talent and accomplishments of registered Thoroughbreds. Visit the RRP online at TheRRP.org.

The post After The Finish Line’s Charity Auction Of Breeders’ Cup Hats To Benefit RRP & Others appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Full Brother To Songbird Will Debut Saturday At Saratoga

OXO Equine's Galt, a full-brother to two-time champion Songbird, will make his career debut in a seven-furlong maiden special weight on Saturday [Race 7, 3:53 p.m.] at Saratoga.

Trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, the son of Medaglia d'Oro, out of the graded stakes-winning West Acre mare Ivanavinalot, was purchased for $400,000 as a weanling from the 2019 Keeneland November Sale, where he was consigned by Eaton Sales.

Galt has breezed consistently over the Oklahoma training track since late June and most recently went a half-mile in 48.15 seconds on Aug. 29.

Mott said Galt has developed well in his time at Saratoga.

“He's made a lot of progress,” Mott said. “He was very backwards when he came in, and he's progressed probably as rapidly as you could possibly expect. He still is a big, gangly colt, but we have enough work into him and he's improved enough that we think we can get a start in him. He's a big, handsome leggy colt that's come around well enough that makes us think we can get him started.”

Jockey Joel Rosario has the mount from post 8.

Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher will saddle Misbehaved for owners Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Robert V. LaPenta.

The bay son of leading sire Into Mischief was bought for $875,000 from the OBS April Sale from DeMeric Sales. He is out of the Medaglia d'Oro mare Loveofalifetime, making him a full brother to Into Mystic – a multiple turf sprint stakes winner.

Misbehaved worked a half-mile from the gate over the Oklahoma training track in 49.21 on August 21 before drilling through a half-mile over the main track in 47.66 on August 29.

“He's trained like a horse that will run well in his debut,” Pletcher said. “His last gate work was particularly good, so hopefully he gets away cleanly and runs the way he's been training.”

Leading rider Luis Saez will ride from post 4.

Olympian, owned by Gatsas Stables, R. A. Hill Stable and Swick Stable, makes his debut for trainer George Weaver.

The gray or roan son of American Pharoah worked a half-mile in 48 seconds flat from the gate on August 29 over the Saratoga main track.

Olympian is out of the Unbridled's Song mare Alpha Mama, who produced turf graded stakes-winner Alpha Kitten.

Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano will ride from post 5.

One race prior, juveniles will contest 1 1/16 miles on the inner turf course featuring Bass Racing's regally-bred Annapolis for Pletcher.

The homebred son of War Front is out of graded stakes winner My Miss Sophia, who also was Grade 1-placed on turf.

Annapolis has several turf works under his belt, including a seven-furlong move on August 15, where he went the distance in 1:28 flat. He last went five furlongs in 1:02.77 over the Oklahoma training turf on August 29.

“He's been training well. He seemed to take to the turf course when we breezed him,” Pletcher said. We're looking forward to getting him going. He's a big, strong colt. There could be dirt in his future but right now, it looks like he's a little better on the turf.”

Jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. will ride from post 6.

Mott will send out Juddmonte homebred Calloway Peak. A son of Arrogate, who won the 2016 Grade 1 Travers in record time, Calloway Peak is out of the Mizzen Mast mare Filimbi, who was a graded stakes winner at one mile over the grass. Her grand dam is 2001 Kentucky Oaks winner Flute.

“He's worked well,” Mott said “He's still a very immature colt. He's green, but we feel like we'll benefit from getting him started.”

Breaking from post 3, Calloway Peak will be piloted by Joel Rosario.

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