Todd Pletcher | Horse Racing Free Tips

Grade 1 Winner Known Agenda Retired To Spendthrift Farm For 2022 Season

Known Agenda, the dominant winner of this year's Grade 1 Florida Derby, has been retired from racing and will take up stud duty at Spendthrift Farm in 2022.

The son of leading sire Curlin will stand for an introductory fee of $10,000 S&N and will be offered through the farm's renowned “Share The Upside” program on a limited basis. He is available for inspection by appointment.

“Any time you can add a Florida Derby winner by Curlin with his looks and pedigree, you jump at the opportunity. Known Agenda ticks an awful lot of boxes, and the Florida Derby has produced a lot of very good sires, especially in recent history,” said Ned Toffey, Spendthrift general manager. “We are delighted to partner again with Vinnie Viola, who bred and raced this colt out of his Grade 1-winning mare. Known Agenda is one of those rare classic-type Grade 1 winners that is by a Grade 1 winner and out of a Grade 1 winner. He reminded us quite a bit of Vino Rosso, another son of Curlin that we stand that Vinnie co-owned and campaigned with Todd Pletcher. If Known Agenda's foals look anything like what we have seen from Vino Rosso, then the sky's the limit.”

A homebred for Vinnie Viola's St. Elias Stables, Known Agenda broke his maiden as a 2-year-old last fall at Aqueduct, defeating eventual G2 Fountain of Youth Stakes winner Greatest Honour. At three, he won a Gulfstream allowance race by 11 lengths before capturing the prestigious $750,000 Florida Derby going away by 2 3/4 lengths, stamping himself as a leading sophomore.

“We are excited to be standing Known Agenda, our first homebred to go to stud, at Spendthrift Farm,” said Viola. “This colt showed early promise at two and continued to move forward at three with a dominant victory in the Florida Derby. We are looking for him to continue the great tradition of Florida Derby winners going on to successful stud careers, and we plan on supporting him heavily in that mission.”

Known Agenda joined champion Essential Quality and Medina Spirit as the only Kentucky Derby contenders to run a 6 on the Ragozin Sheets heading into the Run for the Roses, where he would encounter a troubled trip breaking from the vaunted post No. 1.

An earner of $641,700, Known Agenda became the first Florida Derby winner for his sire Curlin. He is also a Grade 1 winner by a Grade 1 winner and out of a Grade 1 winner, as his dam Byrama captured the 2013 Vanity S. (G1) on the main track at Hollywood Park.

“Known Agenda reminded me a great deal of Vino Rosso. He possessed the qualities of some of the better Curlins we've had. He's a good-sized, athletic, very well-balanced horse,” said trainer Todd Pletcher. “His Florida Derby win was ultra-impressive, and, obviously, that's been a great race for us when you think of the colts that have gone on to become top sires like Scat Daddy and Constitution.”

The post Grade 1 Winner Known Agenda Retired To Spendthrift Farm For 2022 Season appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Malathaat Likely to Train Up To Breeders’ Cup

Shadwell Stable's Malathaat (Curlin), winner of Saturday's GI Alabama S., will likely train up to the Nov. 6 GI Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff, trainer Todd Pletcher confirmed Sunday morning.

“Right now, we're focused on the Distaff, so we'll zero in on that and take things from there. That's the most likely scenario,” Pletcher said. “Nothing's etched in stone, but that's sort of the plan that we discussed with Rick Nichols [of Shadwell] a while ago.”

Malathaat won the GI Ashland S. and GI Kentucky Oaks before suffering her first career defeat when second in the July 24 GI Coaching Club American Oaks. She rebounded to take the Alabama Saturday despite stumbling at the break.

“It was good to get back and get a reasonably good trip despite stumbling at the start,” Pletcher said. “It was a very, very strong performance. She looks good this morning.”

In addition to his Alabama victory, Pletcher also saddled a pair of impressive first-out juvenile winners on the Saratoga card Saturday. My Prankster (Into Mischief) was tabbed a 'TDN Rising Star' following his 10-length debut victory in the seventh race and Major General (Constitution) graduated by a neck in the day's first race.

“He was very impressive, I thought he kicked on well down the lane and had something left in the tank, so it was very encouraging,” Pletcher said of My Prankster.

Of Major General, Pletcher added, “Major General was a little bit green yesterday. When that horse came to him, he looked him in the eye and found some horse, so we're happy to see that.”

Pletcher is taking a wait-and-see approach for next starts for both 2-year-olds.

“We'll let the dust settle and see how it goes,” he said.

The post Malathaat Likely to Train Up To Breeders’ Cup appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Malathaat Gets 95 Beyer Speed Figure For Alabama Win, Will Train Up To BC Distaff

Shadwell Stable's Malathaat reasserted her dominance in the 3-year-old filly division with a powerful score in Saturday's $600,000 Grade 1 Alabama at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher.

The regally bred daughter of Curlin earned a 95 Beyer Speed Figure for her third Grade 1 win, where she made a quick recovery after stumbling at the start, to settle three lengths off the pace in fifth down the backstretch. Malathaat made a sweeping four-wide move in upper stretch to win by 1 ½ lengths under Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez.

Malathaat arrived at the Alabama after suffering her first defeat in the Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks on July 24, where she set the pace in a compact field and was ultimately collared by Maracuja, who finished last of seven in the Alabama.

“It was good to get back and get a reasonably good trip despite stumbling at the start,” Pletcher said. “It was a very, very strong performance. She looks good this morning.”

Malathaat won the Grade 2 Demoiselle on December 5 over a sloppy and sealed track at Aqueduct, making up considerable ground with little effort to win by three-quarters of a length.

Following a four-month layoff, Malathaat returned to capture the Grade 1 Ashland Stakes on April 3 at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky., en route to a Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks score four weeks later at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.

“She looked like she was hopelessly beaten and then ends up winning by daylight,” Pletcher recalled of the Demoiselle. “We were excited about stretching her out to a mile and a quarter and she handled it as well as we hoped that she would.”

With a trio of Grade 1 wins under her belt during a prosperous 2021 campaign, Malathaat is the current frontrunner for Eclipse Award honors for Champion 3-Year-Old Filly.

Recent Alabama winners to secure Champion 3-Year-Old Filly honors include Blind Luck [2010], Royal Delta [2011], Questing [2012], Songbird [2016], and Swiss Skydiver [2020].

Pletcher said Malathaat will likely train up to the $2 million Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Distaff on November 6 at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif.

Pletcher previously secured Alabama triumphs with Princess of Sylmar [2013] and Stopchargingmaria [2014], the latter of whom captured the following year's Breeders' Cup Distaff.

Bred in Kentucky by Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings, Malathaat is the second progeny out of the Grade 1-winning A.P. Indy mare Dreaming of Julia. She was bought for $1.05 million at the 2020 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

[Story Continues Below]

Pletcher has found recent success with first-time starting juveniles, saddling WinStar Farm and Siena Farm's Major General and Robert and Lawanna Low's My Prankster to impressive maiden scores on Saturday at the Spa.

Major General, a son of third-crop sire Constitution, led at every point of call in the 6 ½-furlong maiden tilt, and shook off a stretch confrontation from third-time starter Bourbon Heist to win by a neck under leading rider Luis Saez. Major General registered a 77 Beyer for the debut win.

“Major General was a little bit green yesterday,” Pletcher said. When that horse came to him, he looked him in the eye and found some horse, so we're happy to see that.”

Six races later, My Prankster displayed stalking tactics down the backstretch along the rail before taking command from the outside around the far turn and romped home a 10-length winner under Saez. The son of leading sire Into Mischief garnered a 92 Beyer.

“He was very impressive, I thought he kicked on well down the lane and had something left in the tank, so it was very encouraging,” Pletcher said.

Pletcher did not have any plans for a next start for either horse.

“We'll let the dust settle and see how it goes,” Pletcher said.

Bred in Kentucky by Circular Road Breeders, Major General is the first offspring out of the unraced Uncle Mo mare No Mo Lemons. He was bought for $420,000 from the Woods Edge Farm consignment at the 2020 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

My Prankster, bred in Kentucky by Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings, was a $600,000 acquisition at the Fasig-Tipton Select Yearling Sale, where he was consigned by Summerfield. His is out of the Flower Alley mare My Wandy's Girl who was a Group 1 winner in South America before scoring graded stakes black type in the United States.

The post Malathaat Gets 95 Beyer Speed Figure For Alabama Win, Will Train Up To BC Distaff appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Mineshaft Half to Mind Control Up in Time in Spa Opener

1st-Saratoga, $100,000, Msw, 8-22, 2yo, f, 6 1/2f, 1:18.65, ft, neck.
GODDESS OF FIRE (f, 2, Mineshaft–Feel That Fire {SW, $147,280}, by Lightnin N Thunder), who had worked in company with Saturday's impressive 'TDN Rising Star' My Prankester (Into Mischief), was given a 2-1 chance to keep trainer Todd Pletcher's good recent run with juvenile firsters going. The bay tracked out wide as second timer Everyoneloveslinda (Secret Circle) showed the way through splits of :22.17 and :46.07. The frontrunner seemed long gone entering the stretch, and Goddess of Fire was under a busy ride, but the latter found another gear in the final furlong to close a three or four-length gap and notch a narrow decision. The winner is half to her stablemate Mind Control (Stay Thirsty), MGISW, $1,259,229 and a yearling filly by Candy Ride (Arg). Feel That Fire was bred to Uncle Mo for 2022. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $55,000. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
O/ B-Red Oak Stable (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher.

The post Mineshaft Half to Mind Control Up in Time in Spa Opener appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post