Spendthrift Farm | Horse Racing Free Tips

By My Standards Exits Whitney In Good Order, May Target Gold Cup Next

Trainer Bret Calhoun said he experienced “the highs and lows of racing in a matter of ten minutes” after seeing Mr. Wireless capture a second graded stakes triumph in the Grade 3 West Virginia Derby at Mountaineer Racetrack in New Cumberland, W. Va., before saddling By My Standards to a fifth-place finish in the Grade 1 Whitney at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Second in last year's Whitney to Improbable, Allied Racing and Spendthrift Farm's By My Standards stumbled and lost a front left shoe a few strides leaving the gate. Unable to catch pacesetter and winner Knicks Go, By My Standards trailed throughout finishing 15 ½ lengths off the winner.

Calhoun said By My Standards, a 5-year-old son of Goldencents, emerged from the race in good order.

“For what he went through, he came back pretty well, better than expected,” Calhoun said. “He stumbled twice and wasn't going to do too well without a shoe. The foot is a little sore and we got lucky it didn't tear anything up. He's just a little bruised up is all.”

A four-time graded stakes-winning millionaire, By My Standards arrived at the Whitney off a runner-up effort despite a troubled trip in the Grade 1 Hill 'N' Dale Metropolitan Handicap on June 5 at Belmont Park.

Calhoun said By My Standards could target the $1 million Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup on September 4 at Saratoga.

“The Whitney was a race we had dialed in for quite some time,” Calhoun said. “Obviously, you don't know what to take from that race other than just drawing a line through it. We'll figure out where we go. I wouldn't think the Jockey Club is impossible. Knicks Go ran them off their feet, went fast early, and he kept on running. He just ran that race he ran in the Breeders' Cup.”

Mr. Wireless notched a second graded stakes triumph in the West Virginia Derby after winning the Grade 3 Indiana Derby on July 7 at Indiana Grand Race Course in Shelbyville, Ind.

Calhoun said the JIL Stable-owned son of Dialed In could return in the Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby on September 25 at Parx Racing in Bensalem, Pa.

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Sunday’s Insights: $1M Into Mischief Colt Debuts at Ellis

2nd-SAR, $100K, Msw, 2yo, f, 1 1/16mT, 1:41 p.m.
LOVE TO RUN (Connect) debuts for Breeze Easy LLC and trainer Mark Casse, who enjoyed is year-delayed induction into the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame Friday. Piloted by Tyler Gaffalione, who is striking at a 19% clip at the current meet, the half to MSP Thanks Mr. Edison realized a $640,000 final bid from agent Tom McGreevy following a 10 2/5 breeze at the OBSAPR Sale. The price represented the top price for a 2-year-old filly and the second-highest price for a juvenile this season. TJCIS PPs

3rd-ELP, $51K, Msw, 2yo, 6f, 2:46 p.m.
Frank Fletcher and Ten Strike Racing's PURE ROCKET (Lord Nelson) gets his start for Brad Cox. Representing his sire's first crop of foals, the colt brought $460,000 at Keeneland last September, making him the highest priced offering by the Spendthrift sire last season. Bred by Mulholland Springs, the colt is out of Reina Maria (Songandaprayer), the dam of of Grade II winner Maximus Mischief (Into Mischief), also standing at Spendthrift Farm. Cox is also represented by $625,000 KEESEP buy Guest Speaker (Into Mischief), representing Larry Best's OXO Equine. TJCIS PPs

5th-ELP, $51K, Msw, 2yo, 6f, 3:42 p.m.
OXO Equine LLC's GUNOE (Into Mischief) adds some sparkle to Ellis' Sunday card. Trained by Brad Cox, the son of GSP Curlina (Cuvee) realized $1 million at KEESEP last season. He is a half-brother to GSP Sine Wave (Big Brown). TJCIS PPs

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Friday’s Insights: Seven-Figure Yearling Set for American Unveiling

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency

1st-DMR, $70K, Msw, 3yo/up, 5 1/2fT, post time: 7:00 p.m. ET
Bred in Australia by the renowned Arrowfield Stud, KAZUHIKO (AUS) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) was purchased for a joint third-highest price of A$1.7 million (US$1,211,760) at the 2019 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale by a partnership including Spendthrift Farm, Kennewell Racing and Group 1 Bloodstock. Trained by Lloyd Kennewell, the Sept. 1 foal was the subject of major betting support ahead of his debut in the G3 National S. at Adelaide's Morphettville Racetrack in South Australa last May, but he could do no better than a green second as the 3-1 favorite (video). Runner-up in a Geelong (Victoria) maiden Sept. 6, he makes his first start since a sixth in soft ground at Ballarat (Victoria) two weeks later. Kazuhiko becomes the fifth of his late sire's progeny to start in the U.S. and is out of a Redoute's Choice (Aus) half-sister to Yell (Aus) (Anabaa), a three-time Group 1 winner and champion sprinter in Australia; and to SW Sung (Aus) (Anabaa), dam of 2019 champion 2-year-old colt Microphone (Aus) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}). Jessica Pyfer claims five pounds from the rail for Richard Mandella and Lasix goes on. TJCIS PPs

Well-Related American Pharoah Colt Gets Going…
5th-ELP, $51K, Msw, 2yo, 5 1/2fT, post time: 3:42 p.m. ET
The cleverly named FAITHFUL RULER (American Pharoah) was bought back on a bid of $55K at last year's Keeneland September sale, but blossomed into a $230K Fasig-Tipton Midlantic juvenile after breezing a furlong in :10 2/5. The Apr. 3 foal is a son of Adeste Fideles (Giant's Causeway), whose G1 Irish 1000 Guineas-winning dam is also responsible for French G1SWs Van Gogh (American Pharoah) and Horatio Nelson (Ire) (Danehill); GSW & MG1SP Viscount Nelson (Giant's Causeway); US GSW Point Piper (Giant's Causeway); and GSW Kitty Matcham (Ire) (Rock of Gibraltar {Ire}). Third dam Doff the Derby (Master Derby) produced champion MG1SW Generous (Ire) (Caerleon). TJCIS PPs

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NYRA, FOX Sports TV Analyst Acacia Courtney Joins Writers’ Room

One of the stars of the successful New York Racing Association and Fox Sports daily broadcast from Saratoga, Acacia Courtney joined the TDN Writers' Room podcast presented by Keeneland Wednesday morning. Calling in via Zoom as the Green Group Guest of the Week, Courtney gave her impressions on the early part of the Saratoga meet and talked strategy when it comes to analyzing the 2-year-old races that are so integral to the programs at the Spa.

Asked about the different feeling in the air at tracks this year with fans back in attendance, Courtney said, “One of the greatest things about horse racing is the swell of the crowd and people cheering. If there's a photo finish, you hear the groan one way or the other. I think that throughout the past year, we almost kind of got used to it being quiet. So opening day just felt so great. Everybody seemed happy, everybody was enjoying themselves, even if their tickets were losing, and getting a chance to see some of the fans, people coming over and saying that they had watched our show during quarantine and how much they appreciated what we had been doing really meant a lot because–and I always say you don't want to sound spoiled because I was one of the few people that got to be at Saratoga last summer. But you were drained at the end of the day because there was no crowd. There wasn't the same level of excitement as there is this year.”

Elsewhere in the show, which is also sponsored by West Point Thoroughbreds, Spendthrift Farm, Legacy Bloodstock, Woodford Thoroughbreds and the Minnesota Thoroughbred Association's 2021 Yearling Sale, the writers talked about what the latest developments in the FBI indictments case mean, remembered the great Bernardini and looked forward to a monster weekend of racing. Click here to watch the podcast; click here for the audio-only version or find it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

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