Team Valor | Horse Racing Free Tips

Noble Mission’s Spanish Mission Takes the Yorkshire Cup

Providing a boost to Subjectivist (GB) (Teofilo {Ire}) who had beaten him so readily in the Mar. 27 G2 Dubai Gold Cup, Team Valor and Gary Barber's Spanish Mission (Noble Mission {GB}) was at the fore with a smooth success in Friday's G2 Yorkshire Cup. Held up in last early by William Buick, last year's G2 Doncaster Cup winner who was making his European return having been fifth at Meydan was moved closer travelling notably strongly as Sir Ron Priestley (GB) (Australia {GB}) attacked approaching three out. Getting the better of that 6-5 favourite a furlong from home, the 11-2 shot was firmly in command from there and had 2 3/4 lengths to spare over Santiago (Ire) (Authorized {Ire}) at the line, with Sir Ron Priestley surprisingly backing out of the fight late to be a further length away in third. “It was a great performance. He won the Doncaster Cup last year in great style and it was similar conditions today,” Buick said of the June 17 G1 Ascot Gold Cup-bound winner. “He doesn't have many blips in his career and they've only been when the ground has been bad or he's been unfortunate. He travelled smoothly today and over this trip he has that turn of foot, that tactical pace which is great to have in a stayer.”

Having proven himself a genuine pattern-race performer when beating Nayef Road (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) by four lengths in Newmarket's 13-furlong G3 Bahrain Trophy in July 2019, Spanish Mission also garnered the Jockey Club Derby Invitational at Belmont that season before trying staying trips. Second in Sandown's G3 Henry II S. over two miles in early July, the bay was sixth in the G1 Goodwood Cup later that month before leaving David Simcock and marking his debut for this stable with a comprehensive win in the Listed Chester S. in August. Proving that the near two-and-a-quarter-mile trip of the Doncaster Cup held no fears when following up at the St Leger meeting, he was seventh in the G2 Qipco British Champions Long Distance Cup on testing ground at Ascot in October. Runner-up in the 15-furlong Red Sea Turf H. at Riyadh Feb. 20 before his Dubai Gold Cup effort.

Underlining just what a stamina influence Noble Mission has been in this instance, the first foal out of the listed-winning dam Limonar (Ire) (Street Cry {Ire}) was the Listed Rose Bowl S.-winning sprinter Mokarris (More Than Ready) who was also runner-up in the G2 Gimcrack S. Limonar is a half-sister to the GI Shoemaker Mile winner Talco (Fr) (Pivotal {GB}) and to the dam of the recent G3 Prix de la Grotte third Silvestri (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) who lines up in Sunday's G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches. This is also the family of the G1 Irish 2000 Guineas hero Bachelor Duke (Miswaki) and the G1 National S.-winning sire Fatherland (Ire) which includes Sonnyboyliston (Ire) (Power {GB}) who was third in this month's G3 Ormonde S. Her 2-year-old colt is by Mastery, while she also has a yearling son of Uncle Mo.

Friday, York, Britain
MATCHBOOK YORKSHIRE CUP-G2, £120,000, York, 5-14, 4yo/up, 13f 188yT, 2:59.56, gd.
1–SPANISH MISSION, 130, h, 5, by Noble Mission (GB)
1st Dam: Limonar (Ire) (SW-Fr, $124,447), by Street Cry (Ire)
2nd Dam: Trylko, by Diesis (GB)
3rd Dam: Gossamer, by Seattle Slew
($125,000 Ylg '17 KEESEP; 60,000gns RNA 2yo '18 TATBRE). O-Team Valor LLC & Gary Barber; B-St. Elias Stables, LLC (KY); T-Andrew Balding; J-William Buick. £68,052. Lifetime Record: SW-US, 16-6-3-2, $1,432,645. *1/2 to Mokarris (More Than Ready), SW & GSP-Eng. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Santiago (Ire), 127, c, 4, Authorized (Ire)–Wadyhatta (GB), by Cape Cross (Ire). O-Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith & Susan Magnier; B-Lynch Bages Ltd (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. £25,800.
3–Sir Ron Priestley (GB), 130, h, 5, Australia (GB)–Reckoning (Ire), by Danehill Dancer (Ire). (70,000gns Ylg '17 TAOCT). O-Paul Dean; B-Mascalls Stud (GB); T-Mark Johnston. £12,912.
Margins: 2 3/4, 1, 9HF. Odds: 5.5, 2.25, 1.20.
Also Ran: Wells Farhh Go (Ire), Nayef Road (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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‘So Many Stars Have To Align’: Graham Motion Looks Back At Animal Kingdom’s Kentucky Derby

Trainer Graham Motion has two vivid memories from watching his star pupil Animal Kingdom win the 2011 Kentucky Derby.

“I had run horses in the Derby before and I always said, 'Right around the 3/8ths pole you start sorting out the men from the boys.' My other horses had always started backing out at the 3/8ths pole, whereas Animal Kingdom seemed like he was really getting rolling,” Motion said.

“At the 16th pole, my feelings switched to, 'This would be really cruel if they took this away from me now.' It looked like he was home free… I've had it happen to me so often, but never in a race of that scale. I just was thinking, 'This would be so cruel.' I think that's the way trainers look at things.”

Motion said what made Animal Kingdom a champion was the horse's generosity.

“He was very generous,” the trainer said. “I don't think he ever ran a bad race for me that was his fault. He, basically, did everything we asked him to do and he was just an extremely talented and generous horse.

“There's plenty of horses out there that have the ability, but you've got to be prepared to give that ability… That's not something that every person or every animal can do.”

Ten years on, Motion has deep memories of the day he won his first and, so far, only Kentucky Derby.

There was the security guard that initially blocked him from entering the paddock before the race — “the poor gentleman that stopped me has never forgiven himself and he always apologizes profusely whenever I see him” — the fact Motion and his family needed fellow trainer Dale Romans' help to find the winner's circle and the “remarkable” trophy reception afterward in the Kentucky Derby Museum.

“We have plenty of pictures. We have half of the garland of roses that we put away in a frame. and (Animal Kingdom's owner) Team Valor have the other half. Obviously, the trophy is extraordinary. It's just something I never anticipated that I would have,” Motion said.

Yet, it's something no one can ever take away.

“People probably don't appreciate quite how hard it is to get there and what it takes to get there,” Motion said. “So many stars have to align in order to win that race on that given day because you only get one shot with each individual horse.

“It took a really special horse to do it the likes of which I'm unlikely to have again. He was an extraordinary animal.”

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At 24, The Deputy Pulled From Bail Pen By Racetrack Connections

Irish-bred The Deputy, trained by Jenine Sahadi for Team Valor and Gary Barber to win the $1-million Santa Anita Derby in 2000 and second choice in the Kentucky Derby, is now safely ensconced in Texas after some maneuvering to rescue him from a “kill pen” on a feedlot about an hour north of Dallas week before last.

When intrepid horse lovers used their Internet monitoring skills to learn that the now 24-year-old stallion had been bought cheaply at a sale in Iowa and transported to the feedlot in Texas, word spread fast and Team Valor CEO Barry Irwin quickly managed to buy him on behalf of his longtime partner Barber and ex-trainer Sahadi.

Utilizing networking through the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance, the old connections contacted TAA activist Donna Keen, who was able to rapidly pick up and move The Deputy to her TAA-approved Remember Me Rescue.

“When the tests all came back negative today and the vet- check proved unremarkable, we decided it was time to tell the story, not to portray ourselves as heroes, but to put an end to the salacious, untrue and unfounded tales that had been circulating online. We want to thank those horse lovers who helped us in our endeavors.”

Donna Keen (left) said “We are thrilled to have been able to help the original connections and to be able to take care of the horse and share him with visitors to our rescue. He is, as could be expected, a bit underweight at this time, but when he fills back up and once again looks the part we look forward to showing him off here in Texas. We are very honored and proud to have been selected as his forever home.”

The Deputy, bought by Team Valor and Barber after he won a maiden race in England at two, enjoyed a brief but meteoric rise to stardom in the winter of his 3-year-old season at Santa Anita, where the dark-coated colt rattled off victories in the listed Hill Rise Stakes, Grade 2 Santa Catalina Stakes (defeating subsequent Breeders' Cup Turf Mile hero War Chant) and the G1 Santa Anita Derby, while running second in the Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes to the Kentucky Derby winner Fusaichi Pegasus.

As the first starter for a female trainer in the 2000 Kentucky Derby, he was second choice, but bowed a tendon in the race and never ran again.

Barber, who won the Preakness with War of Will, said “I have always had a soft spot in my heart for The Deputy. He was my first Grade 1 winner.”

“He was the easiest horse to be around. All class. He meant a lot to me and my barn,” said Sahadi.

The son of Petardia was originally syndicated to stand at Margaux Farm in Midway, Ky., after which he did stints at farms in Michigan and Iowa.

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The Deputy Rescued from TX Kill Pen

The Deputy (Ire) (Petardia {GB}), winner of the 2000 GI Santa Anita Derby and second choice in that year's GI Kentucky Derby, was rescued from a kill pen in Texas earlier this month by his old connections, Barry Irwin's Team Valor, Gary Barber and trainer Jenine Sahadi. The 24-year-old, who had stood stud in several states, was reportedly bought cheaply in Iowa and sent to a feedlot north of Dallas, at which point word quickly spread on the internet and made its way to The Deputy's past connections. By utilizing the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance network, Irwin, Barber and Sahadi enlisted Donna Keen to pick up and transfer The Deputy to her TAA-approved Remember Me Rescue in Burleson, TX, where he will live out his days.

“We decided to have Donna quarantine The Deputy for a while, do some diagnostic work including bloods and a fecal and not reveal anything about the rescue until we were certain that he was healthy, as Donna warned us that horses from feedlots can contract diseases quite readily,” Irwin said. “When the tests all came back negative [Wednesday] and the vet-check proved unremarkable, we decided it was time to tell the story, not to portray ourselves as heroes, but to put an end to the salacious, untrue and unfounded tales that had been circulating online. We want to thank those horse lovers who helped us in our endeavors.”

“We are thrilled to have been able to help the original connections and to be able to take care of the horse and share him with visitors to our rescue,” Keen said, “He is, as could be expected, a bit underweight at this time, but when he fills back up and once again looks the part we look forward to showing him off here in Texas. We are very honored and proud to have been selected as his forever home.”

Barber said, “I have always had a soft spot in my heart for The Deputy. He was my first Grade I winner.”

Sahadi added, “He was the easiest horse to be around. All class. He meant a lot to me and my barn.”

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