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Impressive Allowance Winner Known Agenda May Target Florida Derby

St. Elias Stable's Know Agenda may have earned his way into the $750,000 Curlin Florida Derby (G1) presented by Hill 'n Dale at Xalapa field Friday after romping to a 11-length victory in the Gulfstream Park's featured Race 4, a 1 1/8-mile optional claiming allowance for 3-year-olds.

“We'll talk about it with Mr. Viola and Mrs. Viola and their team,” said trainer Todd Pletcher, who trains the son of Curlin for Vinny and Teresa Viola's St. Elias Stable. “We'll talk about it, but I think he ran well enough today that it's definitely in play.”

Known Agenda, who was sent to post as the 1-2 favorite in a field of six, rated off a solid early pace contested by Etched in Stone, Top Gun Tommy and Warrior in Chief during a half-mile in 47.89 seconds. Top Gun Tommy won the pace battle to take a clear lead into the stretch under Paco Lopez, but Known Agenda loomed large on the turn and quickly took charge at the top of the stretch and drew off under Irad Ortiz Jr.

The son of Curlin ran the Florida Derby distance of 1 1/8 miles in 1:50.47 while equipped with blinkers for the first time on the day before a field of 10 3-year-olds compete in the $300,000 Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth (G2), a key prep for the March 27 Florida Derby.

“Johnny [Velazquez] recommended blinkers last time. We just needed to get him a little more focused. We know he's got a lot of talent. He's shown it in the mornings and hints of it in the afternoon,” Pletcher said. “We're just trying to get him a little more consistent. It looks like today the blinkers helped. He got into the race a little bit more and won impressively in the end.”

The St. Elias Stable's homebred colt finished fifth in the Feb. 6 Sam F. Davis (G3) at Tampa Bay Downs after racing far back early. In his prior start, he finished a distant third in the Remsen (G2) at Aqueduct after getting bumped at the start.

Known Agenda's victory came two days after it was announced that Pletcher is among the 2021 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame nominees in his first year of eligibility.

“It's an honor to be nominated. I'm very thankful for all the opportunities we've had over the years,” Pletcher said. “We've been blessed to train a lot of great horses for a lot of great people and have a tremendous staff backing us up.”

Pletcher, who has saddled a record five Florida Derby winners, has saddled the winners of more than 5,000 races and $400 million in purses.

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Known Agenda Possible for Florida Derby

St. Elias Stable's Known Agenda (Curlin) may have earned his way into the GI Curlin Florida Derby field Friday after romping to a 11-length victory in the Gulfstream Park's fourth race, a 1 1/8-mile optional claiming allowance for 3-year-olds.

“We'll talk about it with Mr. and Mrs. Viola and their team,” said trainer Todd Pletcher. “We'll talk about it, but I think he ran well enough today that it's definitely in play.”

Known Agenda, who was sent to post as the 1-2 favorite in a field of six, rated off a solid early pace contested by Etched in Stone (Cairo Prince), Top Gun Tommy (Mineshaft) and Warrior in Chief (Kantharos) during a half-mile in :47.89. Top Gun Tommy won the pace battle to take a clear lead into the stretch under Paco Lopez, but Known Agenda loomed large on the turn and quickly took charge at the top of the stretch and drew off under Irad Ortiz Jr. The chestnut covered the Florida Derby distance of 1 1/8 miles in 1:50.47 while equipped with blinkers for the first time.

“Johnny [Velazquez] recommended blinkers last time,” said Pletcher. “We just needed to get him a little more focused. We know he's got a lot of talent. He's shown it in the mornings and hints of it in the afternoon. We're just trying to get him a little more consistent. It looks like today the blinkers helped. He got into the race a little bit more and won impressively in the end.”

The homebred finished fifth in the Feb. 6 GIII Sam F. Davis S. at Tampa Bay Downs following a distant third in the Dec. 5 GII Remsen S. at Aqueduct after getting bumped at the start.

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Saturday Insights: $725 Union Rags Colt Debuts at the Big A

3rd-AQU, $80K, 2yo, 8.5fT, 12:50 p.m. ET
Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, William Freeman and Michael Valdes’s AVIANO (Medaglia d’Oro) debuts for trainer Todd Pletcher, who recorded his 5,000th career victory last weekend and becomes eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2021. Out of graded stakes winner Bryan’s Jewel (Rockport Harbor), the April foal realized a $775,000 final bid from Eclipse at last year’s Fasig-Tipton Select Yearling sale in Saratoga. Bryan’s Jewel, a daughter of $650,000 Fasig-Tipton buy Saphiria (Touch Gold)–trained by Pletcher–is also responsible for a Bodemeister filly ultimately named Empress Sophia, who brought $400,000 at KEESEP in 2017. Stuart Janney III’s Proven Innocent (Blame) kicks off his career for Shug McGaughey. The hombred is out of the prolific Janney mare Meghan’s Joy (A.P. Indy), dam of MGSW and MGISP Ironicus (Distorted Humor), GSW Hunting (Coronado’s Quest), MGSW On Leave (War Front), in addition to graded winners Quiet Harbor (Silver Deputy) and Norumbega (Tiznow). This is the extended family of MGSW Wild Applause (Northern Dancer), dam of Grade I scorer Eastern Echo (Damascus) and graded winners Yell (A.P. Indy), Roar (Forty Niner) and Blare of Trumpets (Fit to Fight). TJCIS PPs

5th-AQU, $80K, Msw, 2yo, 7f, 1:45 p.m. ET
DYNAMIC ONE (Union Rags) gets his start for the partnership of Repole, Phipps and St. Elias Stables while under the guidance of Todd Pletcher. A $725,000 KEESEP yearling purchase, the colt was the third highest-priced colt by his sire in 2019. He hails from the family of undefeated Hall of Famer Personal Ensign (Private Account) through her daughter MGISW My Flag (Easy Goer). The Phipps family-bred is a grandson of My Flag’s champion daughter Storm Flag Flying (Storm Cat), a half-sister to Miner’s Mark (Mr. Prospector) and Traditionally (Mr. Prospector). TJCIS PPs

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Sparked by Winning Vino Rosso Pledge, Bar Now Higher For New Vocations BC Pledge Drive

The bar is set high for the 11th annual New Vocations Breeders’ Cup pledge drive. Last year’s fundraiser for the nation’s largest retired racehorse rehabilitation and placement program netted $130,000 from owners and trainers of Breeders’ Cup entrants. The exclamation point on that record amount was provided by Vino Rosso (Curlin) winning the GI Classic, because the colt’s two ownership partners–St. Elias Stable and Repole Stable–plus trainer Todd Pletcher, all pledged their support.

Over the last decade New Vocations has raised $650,000 with its annual Breeders’ Cup funding drive, which asks the connections of entrants to voluntarily pledge from one-half of 1% to 10% of purse earnings over the two-day championships. This model is unique because it has zero overhead costs, so 100% of the money raised goes straight to aftercare efforts.

But the industry’s need for New Vocations’ non-profit services grows each year, and re-homing equine athletes got quite a bit more challenging in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. A click right here will take you straight to the online pledging page.

St. Elias Stable is the racing operation of Vincent Viola, the founder and executive chairman of the electronic trading firm Virtu Financial and former chairman of the New York Mercantile Exchange. He graduated from West Point Academy and served in the U.S. Army Reserves. Viola also owns the NHL’s Florida Panthers.

“After meeting the principals at New Vocations, we just felt very, very comfortable that they put the horse before themselves, quite frankly,” Viola told TDN. “They’ll find the right second career for a horse [according to its] disposition. They go the extra mile, and we’ve been trying to support them consistently ever since. That pledge is one of the things you can do in our great sport where you know you are providing a substantial return on investment.”

Repole Stable is owned by Mike Repole, who parlayed a zeal for playing the ponies at Aqueduct as a teenager into becoming a high-profile Thoroughbred owner after selling his company Glaceau, maker of Vitaminwater and Smartwater, to Coca-Cola for $4.1 billion in May 2007.

“Usually I’m not vocal about my charity giving. I like to give behind the scenes,” Repole said. “But I think being an owner, and probably one of the biggest-spending owners in the country, I want to make sure that people know that people like Vinnie Viola and people like Mike Repole are firm believers in making sure our horses get great homes post-racing. So I do think that owners need to take more responsibility.

“Sometimes it just surprises me how owners are willing to pay $500,000 for a horse but are not willing to make a $10,000 donation to an agency that makes sure their horses eventually get a proper home and the proper care that they truly deserve,” Repole continued. “I get disappointed when I hear that owners haven’t stepped up.”

Pletcher’s support for New Vocations as a trainer also goes far back.

“First and foremost, it’s paramount that we take care of horses not only during their racing careers, but, just as importantly, after their racing careers are over,” Pletcher said. “The Repoles and the Violas understand how important aftercare is. [With Vino Rosso] those are the situations you love to be in. When you get to win a race of the magnitude of the Breeders’ Cup Classic, you’re more than happy to make those contributions.”

Although the concept of aftercare has progressed markedly since the first New Vocations Breeders’ Cup pledge drive in 2009, Viola underscored there is still more that needs to be done to help Thoroughbreds on a longer-term arc.

“We have come a good way in a short amount of time with aftercare,” Viola said. “But we have to be much, much better than we are. For the sportsmen and women who participate, I consider it a fundamental responsibility to make sure those equine athletes live out a natural life. I won’t be satisfied until we’re monitoring and watching the natural lifespans of the entire foal crop every year.”

Repole is not only a New Vocations donor. He’s watched some of his own horses go through and benefit from the program, and he added that the payback in terms of good karma endures long after those Thoroughbreds left his stable.

“It’s great to get the updates and photos of where my horses have been,” Repole said. “It makes me feel really, really good to know that my horse that won at both Belmont and Gulfstream is now a jumping horse in Pennsylvania for some smiling 13-year-old girl.

“It feels like a win when you get a report like that,” Repole continued. “Maybe not like a Breeders’ Cup Classic win with Vino Rosso. But a definite, good win that makes you feel really happy–and it didn’t come with any anxiety or stress of a big race.”

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