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The Next Generation with Corbin Blumberg

“It’s all I’ve thought about for forever,” said 25-year-old Corbin Blumberg.

And he’s not really exaggerating. The Potomac, Maryland native was just a toddler when one VHS tape sold him on horse racing for life. Blumberg learned to read by studying past performances, and has since traveled the world in pursuit of furthering his knowledge of the industry.

Less than a month before this year’s Kentucky Derby, the Godolphin Flying Start graduate signed on as the Racing Manager for Starlight Racing. It was an eventful start to the job when their talented Authentic (Into Mischief) sailed to victory in the GI Kentucky Derby and then ran a close runner-up effort in an epic edition of the Preakness S.

KR: How did you get started in racing?

CB: I fell in love with racing when I was two or three years old. My parents bought me a tape, The Best of the Breeders’ Cup from 1990 to 2000. I don’t know why they bought it for me, but that was it, I was obsessed. I went to my first Breeders’ Cup in 2000, which was Tiznow, and after that I was just hooked from there.

I was basically obsessed with racing from then on, and when I turned 16, I emailed Graham Motion. I went and lived with Graham and Anita during the summer. Animal Kingdom had just won the Derby so it was a great time to be there. They’re the best; I owe so much to Graham and Anita. I did four or five summers at Fair Hill with them, spent some time in Saratoga, and then went to the University of Kentucky for Equine Science and Management. Then I went and did a program in England called the British Horse Racing Graduate Development Programme, which was awesome. Then I did Godolphin Flying Start for the last two years.

KR: What drew you to the industry?

CB: I think mostly the excitement. I grew up doing Pony Club, foxhunting and eventing, so I was always involved with horses. But I think the excitement of racing and the competition really got me. From there I was hooked. It’s all I’ve thought about for forever.

KR: What was the most challenging part of being a total newcomer in the industry?

CB: I think for me it was when I got to Kentucky and I didn’t know anyone. That was definitely a little challenging. Being with Graham and Anita in Maryland was so great because I learned a ton, but Maryland is still a little removed from the epicenter of the industry, which is Lexington. But overall, the industry is so welcoming and inclusive and I got a lot of opportunities just from being lucky and being in the right place at the right time.

There’s definitely a barrier there in terms of knowledge at first, but I was so obsessed that I’ve been reading a Racing Form since I was five, so that helped.

KR: What’s your favorite part about the business?

CB: I think the transition from being a fan to actually working in it has been really great. I guess I’ve always worked in it, but it was always summers, programs and school. Now to be actually working full time, being involved in making decisions and seeing where horses go is really cool. I also love being able to follow some of the horses we worked with through Flying Start.

KR: Tell us about your job now as Racing Manager for Starlight Racing.

CB: Starlight is amazing. Jack and Laurie Wolf started it in 2002, and they’ve had Harlan’s Holiday (Harlan), Hall of Famer Ashado (Saint Ballado), Octave (Unbridled’s Song) and Shanghai Bobby (Harlan’s Holiday). There was a really amazing history of horses there, and since they’ve partnered up with SF Racing and Tom Ryan, and with Madaket, this whole partnership has been amazing with Eight Rings (Empire Maker), Charlatan (Speightstown) and obviously Authentic (Into Mischief).

It’s been amazing to meet all of our different partners and the people within Starlight, to get to know them and our horses. I really love it, and we’ll hopefully get StarLadies some big wins coming up too. I think we just had a really great [Keeneland September Yearling Sale], so hopefully there will be some really exciting horses for the future.

KR: Can you tell us your experience when Authentic won the Kentucky Derby?

CB: I was in Saratoga because we had a few horses running there that weekend. Jack Wolf was in Louisville, but Laurie, who is the managing partner of StarLadies, was actually in Saratoga. I get a bit funny about watching racing with other people, so I went and watched it alone and they were all two houses down. I went nuts when he crossed the finish line and sprinted down to their house. They were actually watching it on the internet so the race was still finishing. There were like 10 people there going nuts, so we went crazy and then had a pretty good night in Saratoga. I couldn’t believe it.

KR: If you could change one thing about the industry, what would it be?

CB: The racing side of the industry has always been my passion, so in terms of racing, I think probably the reliance on casino wagering makes me nervous going forward. I love our industry and I love racing, so I think trying to make it as self-sustainable going forward as possible would make me feel a lot more comfortable about the future.

KR: Who is your favorite horse of all time?

CB: So I have two. First is Cigar because that’s probably the horse that got me into racing, and then Animal Kingdom, because he was right there when I started at Graham’s and was pretty influential. When I started with Graham, there were probably 125 horses, and then the next summer there were 200. Then more recently, Authentic is on top of the list because that was a pretty good start to working at Starlight.

KR: What are your career goals going forward?

CB: Right now, I have the dream job off of Flying Start. I’m so happy, so I’m just trying to make Starlight operate on a day-to-day basis as well as it possibly can-working with Jack and Laurie to make that happen, and with our partners.

Then in the long term, I think for now I just want to stay with Starlight and try and work with Jack there, but definitely being involved with the horses and probably buying some at some point is at the top of the list.

The TDN has partnered with Amplify Horse Racing to present “The Next Generation,” an ongoing video series featuring young people who were not born into the Thoroughbred business, but are now excelling within the industry

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Preakness Favorite Authentic, A Book 3 Yearling, Was Worth The Wait

A connection formed with 2018 Triple Crown champion Justify has yielded 2020 Kentucky Derby (G1) winner and Preakness (G1) morning-line favorite Authentic.

Starlight Racing bought into partnerships that were racing Justify, Grade 1 winner Audible and this year's top older horse Improbable before subsequently purchasing yearlings with another partner, SF Bloodstock. During the first year together buying young horses, SF and Starlight picked up Authentic for $350,000 at the Keeneland 2018 September sale.

The patience that was involved with the purchase of Authentic has been rewarded. The colt, now racing for Spendthrift Farm, MyRaceHorse Stable, Starlight and Madaket Stables, has won five of six starts, earned over $2.8 million and tops the field of 11 entered in the Saturday's 145th Preakness (G1) at Pimlico Race Course. Authentic and Thousand Words, both trained by Bob Baffert, are part of a group of Preakness runners that shipped from Kentucky to Baltimore late Tuesday afternoon.

Given the name Authentic by his breeder, Peter Blum, the son of top sire Into Mischief, was not viewed as one of the potential stars of the Keeneland sale, which front-loads talent in its massive catalogue. Jack Wolf, who manages Starlight with his wife, Laurie, recalled that the bloodstock advisors during the initial year of the buying partnership spotted Authentic and were willing to wait for him to reach the ring.

“We didn't buy him until Book 3,” Wolf said. “At the time, the first group of yearlings that we bought we had Donato Lanni, Frankie Brothers, Henry Field doing the short-list work. All three of them liked the horse, especially Frankie and Donato.”

Audible was the last of the 19 colts purchased by SF/Starlight for a total of $9,315,000. Thirteen of the others cost more than Authentic. The partnership purchased its 18th yearling, Ragtime Blues, in the fifth session of the sale and had to wait three days until Authentic, Hip No. 2,616, came to the ring.

“He is typical of the type of horse that those guys look at and buy,” Wolf said. “It's the conformation, the balance. Secondly, would be the pedigree, although this horse has a wonderful pedigree. They look for athletes. Of course, all the horses go to Bob Baffert and Donato has been working with him for years. I don't think Bob was around for Book 3, but Donato knows what Bob likes.”

SF and Starlight are listed as the buyers, but Madaket, managed by Sol Kumin; Fred Hertrich; John Fielding and Golconda Stables, were aboard when Authentic broke his maiden in his debut at Del Mar last November. After he rolled to two stakes wins during the winter in California, Spendthrift Farm stepped up to buy a controlling interest in the colt. Madaket and Starlight stayed in as racing partners. Spendthrift, which owns the breeding rights, sold a piece of its stake to Myracehorse.com, the company that markets in micro shares of horses.

Authentic ended up second to Honor A.P. in the Santa Anita Derby (G1) in his first start for the Spendthrift-led partnership, then won the Haskell (G1) in July and handled Belmont Stakes (G1) winner and heavy favorite Tiz the Law in the Kentucky Derby.

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American Pharoah Colt Tops Final Session Of Fasig-Tipton Selected Yearling Showcase

The Fasig-Tipton Selected Yearlings Showcase concluded its two-day run in Lexington, Ky. on Thursday with another solid session of sales, led by a seven-figure colt from the third crop of last year's champion first-crop sire American Pharoah.

Speedway Stables purchased the session-topper for $1.25 million from the consignment of Denali Stud, agent.

Offered as Hip 400, the American Pharoah colt is out of the stakes winning Victory Gallop mare Swingit, whose first five starters are all winners, including multiple Grade 1-placed millionaire Neolithic (Harlan's Holiday). This colt is also a half-sibling to Travel Column (Frosted), who broke her maiden impressively on debut at Churchill Downs on Kentucky Oaks day. The session-topper hails from the immediate family of champions Housemaster and Carnuaba.

Hip 400 was bred in Kentucky by Mr. & Mrs. Bayne Welker Jr.

The second-highest price on the day was $800,000 paid for Hip 501, a colt by Into Mischief, last year's champion sire, current leading sire, and sire of Kentucky Derby winner Authentic.

That colt was purchased by Donato Lanni, agent for SF/Starlight/Madaket from the consignment of Indian Creek, agent. Hip 501 is the first foal out of Blind Copy, a full-sister to juvenile stakes winner Lucky Folie, from the immediate family of Grade 1 winners Golden Pheasant and Henley's Joy. Hip 501 was bred in Kentucky by Fifth Avenue Bloodstock.

The sale's overall most expensive offering came during the first session, when Hip 232, a filly by Quality Road out of Irish One Thousand Guineas winner Marvellous sold to Robbie Medina, agent for Joseph Allen, for $1,500,000.

Marvellous, a daughter of Galileo who has already produced a stakes winner in Fort Myers, is out of Group 2 winner You'resothrilling, a full-sister to European Horse of the Year and successful sire Giant's Causeway. Marvellous is a full-sister to Group 1 winners Gleneagles and Happily, as well as to group stakes winners Taj Mahal and Coolmore. The session-topper was bred in Kentucky by Orpendale, Chelston and Wynatt.

The top filly was consigned by Hill 'n' Dale Sales Agency, agent.

“One of the greatest compliments you can have is when someone entrusts you with something of value,” said Fasig-Tipton president Boyd Browning on the success of the sale despite the uncertainty brought to the industry by the COVID-19 pandemic. Our commitment to those men and women was that we were going to do everything we possibly could to create the most viable marketplace under the circumstances… I think we did that.

Overall, 348 yearlings changed hands for $61,765,000. The average was $177,486 and the median was $120,000.

“The 'death' of the marketplace has been greatly exaggerated,” Browning said. “There is activity, there is a viable market. It's selective, and it continues to be selective, but there is viability and there is hope.”

In what has been a volatile auction season due to the cancellations and rescheduled sales tied to COVID-19, not to mention the death of senior account executive Dennis Lynch in May, Browning saluted his team for keeping steady in uncharted waters.

“If anybody could have imagined six months ago; no Gulfstream sale, no July yearling sale, no Saratoga sale, no New York-bred sale, that we'd be sitting here having sold over $60 million in horses over the last two days, I think most people would have called B.S. on us,” he said. “They stayed in the buggy with us. There were a lot of days where people would say, 'What are we gonna do?' Hell, I don't know. We're going to continue to try to find the answers and we're going to continue to do the right thing every day. We'll make a decision, we'll try to put our heart and soul in it, and we'll continue to try to do the best that we can. I think, across the board, our team did that.”

Results are available online.

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Preakness Next Stop For Authentic: ‘We Want To Give Him Every Opportunity’

Spendthrift Farm, MyRaceHorse Stable, Madaket Stables and Starlight Racing's Authentic, upset winner of Saturday's Kentucky Derby (G1), and beaten favorite Tiz the Law could be headed for a rematch in the 145th Preakness Stakes (G1) Saturday, Oct. 3 at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md.

Trainer Bob Baffert said Sunday morning that Authentic emerged from his front-running 1 1/4-length triumph in good shape and would remain in Kentucky with fellow Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas to prepare for the Preakness, presented this year as the final jewel in a refashioned Triple Crown.

Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, all three Triple Crown races were rescheduled and the order adjusted starting with the Belmont (G1), typically the final leg, from June 6 to June 20. The original dates for the Derby and Preakness were May 2 and May 16, respectively.

“I couldn't believe it. I thought he'd be a little tired, but the track was in really good shape and it was fast and he got over it really well,” Baffert said. “They were planning on leaving tomorrow for California but being that the Preakness is a few weeks away, I thought it might be a little too hard for him to go back.

“We'll just run him out of here,” he added. “If he's working well and all is going well, then he'll go to the Preakness. We want to give him every opportunity.”

Baffert said that 2020 Robert B. Lewis (G3) and 2019 Los Alamitos Futurity (G2) winner Thousand Words is also being pointed to the Preakness. Albaugh Family Stables and Spendthrift's Thousand Words flipped in the paddock after being saddled for the Derby and was scratched.

“We're planning on sending both if they're doing well,” Baffert said. “He didn't even have a scratch on him. He fell on his side, so we were fortunate.”

Authentic won the Sham (G3), San Felipe (G2) and Haskell (G1) and was second in the Santa Anita Derby (G1) this year. The Kentucky Derby was the first time in six career starts that the bay Into Mischief colt didn't go off as the favorite.

That role was filled by Sackatoga Stable's Tiz the Law, who had been unbeaten during his 3-year-old season with wins in the Holy Bull (G2) and Florida Derby (G1) at Gulfstream Park over the winter, the Belmont and most recently the 1 1/4-mile Travers (G1) Aug. 8 at Saratoga.

Trained by Barclay Tagg, Tiz the Law got within a head of Authentic with a quarter-mile to run but was never able to get by. Tiz the Law's only two losses in eight starts have come at Churchill; he was third by less than a length over a sloppy track in the Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) last fall.

“I haven't seen a speed figure but it sounds like he bounced a little bit off the big Travers effort, and Barclay has a question that maybe he just really doesn't like the racetrack,” Sackatoga managing partner Jack Knowlton said Sunday. “Watching him finish, he said he was kind of swimming a little bit maybe coming down the stretch. But, he ran the race that we were looking for. He got the trip. [Jockey] Manny [Franco] gave him a great ride and he just didn't beat one horse. There's no shame in running second in the Kentucky Derby.”

Knowlton said Tiz the Law is scheduled to fly back to Belmont Park on Tuesday. While he is leaning toward going on to the Preakness, the final decision will come after talking to Tagg and ultimately will rest with the horse.

“He ran good and came out of it great. I was over at the barn this morning and all is well,” Knowlton said. “I'll have that discussion with Barclay and we'll take a little time to see. My thinking is that we will, but we'll have the horse dictate what's going to happen. Certainly that would be my preference but we've just go to see how he comes out and see how he works when we have the next work in a couple weeks. We'll have time for a couple works.”

Trainer Bret Calhoun said following the Derby that Mr. Big News, who ran third at odds of 46-1, was likely headed to Baltimore. Mr. Big News earned an automatic berth in the Preakness by virtue of his victory in the April 11 Oaklawn Stakes at Oaklawn Park.

Three horses that were scratched from the Derby the week of the race are also being pointed to the Preakness – Tampa Bay Derby (G2) winner King Guillermo, Blue Grass (G2) and Ellis Park Derby winner Art Collector, and Finnick the Fierce, third in the Arkansas Derby (G1) who beat Tiz the Law by a head when second in the Kentucky Jockey Club.

Among other potential Preakness horses are Mystic Guide and Dr. Post, respectively first and fourth in Saturday's Jim Dandy (G2) at Saratoga; Manitoba Derby winner Mongolian Wind, entered in Monday's Gold Cup Stakes at Assiniboia Downs in Winnipeg; Lebda, winner of the Miracle Wood and Private Terms at Laurel Park over the winter and most recently third in the Robert Hilton Memorial Stakes Aug. 28 at Charles Town; Pneumatic, last out winner of the Pegasus Stakes Aug. 15 at Monmouth Park and fourth in the Belmont for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen; and the Baffert-trained Azul Coast, winner of the El Camino Real Derby Feb. 15 at Golden Gate and second to Authentic in the Sham.

The $100,000 Federico Tesio Monday at Laurel Park is a 'Win and In' qualifier for Triple Crown-nominated horses to the Preakness. Happy Saver, undefeated in two career starts for trainer Todd Pletcher, is the 1-2 program favorite for the 1 1/8-mile Preakness prep.

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