Todd Quast | Horse Racing Free Tips

Cody’s Wish, Whitney Favorite From Outside Gate After Draw

Reigning GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile winner and MGISW Cody's Wish (Curlin) was installed as the 1-2 morning-line favorite and will exit from gate six after Wednesday's GI Whitney S. draw. The 96th running of the $1 million race is set for this Saturday, Aug. 5 and it offers a 'Win and You're In' berth to the GI Breeders' Cup Classic in November.

Cody's Wish Hall of Fame trainer, Bill Mott said after the draw, “Every time you bring a horse over like this, you stand the risk of getting beat. There's always somebody that's an up-and-coming horse and we certainly respect all the competition. This is a very good horse and hopefully for our sake, he can go on. There's a great story that goes with him with Cody Dorman, so the whole scenario turns out to be very special.”

When asked about the outside post, Mott said, “He hasn't been a great horse in the starting gate, so it's probably not a bad thing for him to be on the outside–he doesn't have to wait around in there long. He's gotten just a little anxious in there and he gets a little strong-headed sometimes in the gate. It's better to be out there, I think.

Since this will be the first time that his horse has stretched out beyond a mile in over a year, Mott said, “We're just guessing [he can do it]. He closed well at a mile last time and galloped out nicely. I think it was a good effort for him.

Whisper Hill Farm's Charge It (Tapit), winner of the July 8 GII Suburban S. in his latest start, was installed the 5-1 third betting choice on the morning line. He will exit post 2.

According to Mandy Pope, “He's been training awesome, racing great. Todd [Pletcher] is very happy with him and it's just awesome to be here. I bought his mom [I'll Take Charge] as a yearling [for $2.2 million] and then raced her and bred her. This is her second foal. I bred her to one of my favorite stallions, Tapit. Everything has just come together so nicely.”

The general manager of Whisper Hill Farm, Todd Quast, added, “He's a typical Tapit. He's had a few issues. He's had some things go on. Right now, he's bounced out of the Suburban great. I think two turns and backing up a little bit will suit him perfect. Cody's Wish is the best around, but we need to make him work for it.”

From the rail out, the complete field for the Whitney S. with morning-line odds:

1) Zandon (Upstart) (9-2)
2) Charge It (Tapit) (5-1)
3) Giant Game (Giant's Causeway) (20-1)
4) Last Samurai (Malibu Moon) (15-1)
5) White Abarrio (Race Day) (6-1)
6) Cody' Wish (Curlin) (1-2)

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Horse of the Year Havre de Grace Passes Away

Havre de Grace (Saint Liam–Easter Bunnette, by Carson City), the 2011 Horse of the Year and Eclipse Award-winning older mare who sold to Mandy Pope's Whisper Hill Farm for $10 million at the 2012 Fasig-Tipton November Sale, passed away in the early morning hours of Apr. 30. Wayne Sweezey, who boarded Havre de Grace at his Timber Town Farm, confirmed that the 16-year-old mare hemorrhaged multiple times and died after producing a colt by Into Mischief the afternoon of Apr. 28.

“She was just so smart, she fought all the way to the end, so full of grace, like her name says,” an emotional Pope said via phone Sunday afternoon. “She was stoic right to the end. I am so grateful that I was able to be here, it would have been a great deal more difficult if I hadn't made it up.”

Bred in Kentucky by Nancy S. Dillman, Havre de Grace was a $380,000 Keeneland September purchase by the late Rick Porter and raced in the colors of Fox Hill Farms, finishing out of the top three just once in her 16 career starts. A leading 3-year-old of her generation in 2010, Havre de Grace was second to Blind Luck in that year's GI Alabama S. before turning the tables in the GII Fitz Dixon Cotillion S. and finishing third in the GI Breeders' Cup Ladies Classic. She was an even better filly at four, taking the GI Apple Blossom H. that April ahead of a victory versus the boys in the GI Woodward S. at Saratoga. A romping winner of the GI Beldame Invitational S., the bay was fourth in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic and closed her career victoriously in the 2012 New Orleans Ladies Classic. She bankrolled $2,586,175.

Having been named Horse of the Year at the beginning of 2012, Havre de Grace was always going to be the pin-up horse at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale, and so it proved, as Pope went to eight figures for the then 5-year-old from the Taylor Made draft.

“I don't know what to say,” Pope commented at the time. “She's beautiful. You look at her and she's everything a racehorse should be, she did everything a racehorse could do and she has a wonderful attitude. She's the epitome of what we're all trying to breed. Hopefully she'll pass that on to her foals.”

Underbidders were reported to include Frank Stronach, Besilu Stables' Ben Leon and Coolmore.

Including the Into Mischief colt, Havre de Grace has produced eight foals and five winners from as many to the races. Pope's affinity for Tapit is well-known, and five of Havre de Grace's first six foals are by the Gainesway star. The best of them is her filly of 2016, Graceful Princess, who won the 2021 GIII Molly Pitcher S. and who is also represented by an Into Mischief colt for her first foal this season. Those of Havre de Grace's foals that have been offered at public auction have been well-received, as River Front (War Front) was bought back on a bid of $1.9 million at KEESEP in 2016, while Marvelous Guide (Tapit) was sold for $550,000 at the same auction two years later. The mare is also represented by a 2-year-old Justify colt in addition to her newest foal, who seems to be handling the events of recent days in stride.

“The Into Mischief colt is a big horse and looks like he inherited her smarts,” she said. “He knew she was in trouble. After looking at her for a couple of hours, he wanted to lay down so we made him a bed of straw right out where she could see him.

“She was such a pleasure to be around, she was kind and friendly, but she didn't want people doting all over her,” Pope continued. “I remember watching her one day, there was a plane overhead and she just cocked her head and kind of took everything in, never turned a hair.”

There is plenty of Havre de Grace in her offspring, Pope said.

“I think she passed on her personality to her offspring and they are all smart like she is. Hopefully she'll be in the Hall of Fame one day.”

Havre de Grace was among the finalists for induction this August.

“Thanks to everyone at Timber Town and the three vets that did everything that they could to save her. I want to give special thanks to Dr. Charlie Scroggins and Dr. Laurie Metcalf.”

Sweezey said that they have already accessed a nurse mare and that the Into Mischief colt has accepted her.

Pope confirmed that Havre de Grace would be cremated, with some of her ashes to be spread across Timber Town joining America's Joy (American Pharoah), the half-sister to Into Mischief, Beholder and Mendelssohn who sadly died in the summer of 2021.

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APB: Charge It ‘Ready for a Big 4yo Campaign’

In this continuing series, TDN's Senior Racing Editor Steve Sherack tracks down top horses on the sidelines.

Whisper Hill Farm homebred and 'TDN Rising Star' Charge It (c, 3, Tapit–I'll Take Charge, by Indian Charlie), off since posting a jaw-dropping, 23-length victory in the GIII Dwyer S. at Belmont Park July 2, is gearing up for a 4-year-old campaign.

Forced to miss intended second-half targets in the GI Runhappy Travers S. and GI Pennsylvania Derby with a foot issue, Charge It has since posted a trio of breezes this winter at Whisper Hill's training center in Ocala, Florida. The gray rejoined trainer Todd Pletcher's Palm Beach Downs string Dec. 20.

“With the time, he's filled out so much,” said Todd Quast, advisor to Mandy Pope's Whisper Hill Farm. “He was always a big, beautiful horse, but he just blossomed with a little break and a little time in the sun down here. I think we're ready for a really big 4-year-old campaign.”

Quast continued, “We're not trying to pick a race or have it mapped out yet. We'll let him tell us. Originally, we had hoped to get to a race in late December, so I don't think we'd be ready for the [GI] Pegasus [World Cup Jan. 28]. He's an exceptional horse, he's shown that already. Todd is gonna start breezing him and make sure that he sees the same thing that I'm seeing because he's just awesome right now.”

A no-brainer 'Rising Star' at second asking at Gulfstream Feb. 12, Charge It was a green but very good second while making his two-turn debut in the GI Curlin Florida Derby Apr. 2. He put behind a troubled 17th in the GI Kentucky Derby with his aforementioned romp in the Dwyer, good for a 111 Beyer Speed Figure.

Only Epicenter (Not This Time) and Modern Games (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) scored higher on the Beyer scale among sophomores in 2022, co-topping the 3-year-old leaderboard with 112 ratings in the Travers and GI Ricoh Woodbine Mile S., respectively.

“To win that race by 23 lengths and to be even thinking about the Secretariat pole–that was a crazy race,” Quast said. “We were very excited as was everybody else. It was just a little foot thing that kept us from going on. Kudos to Todd and his team for not pushing him. We did right by him and I think he's ready to have a really good year. We're super happy with him.”

Charge It was produced by the winning mare I'll Take Charge, a $2.2-million KEESEP yearling purchase by Pope's operation. The 10-year-old is a daughter of bluehen mare Take Charge Lady (Dehere), who is responsible for champion Will Take Charge (Unbridled's Song), GISW Take Charge Indy (A.P. Indy), GISW As Time Goes By (American Pharoah) and Charming (Seeking the Gold), the dam of champion Take Charge Brandi (Giant's Causeway) and MGISW Omaha Beach (War Front).

Charge It is one of 50 'Rising Stars' by perennial leading sire Tapit. The Tapit over Indian Charlie cross is also responsible for 2022 slam dunk Horse of the Year Flightline.

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Pope Strikes for Tapit Filly at KEESEP

Mandy Pope outlasted Chad Brown, who was bidding on behalf of Peter Brant, to take home a Tapit filly out of MSW & GSP Danzatrice (Dunkirk) (Hip 603) for $1.1 million during the Book 2 opener at Keeneland Wednesday. The chestnut was bred and sold by Gainesway. Her dam is a half-sister to champion Jaywalk (Cross Traffic). Pope purchased the filly's full-brother for at the auction last year for $1.3 million with Gainesway staying in for a piece. He is now named Tapit Trice and is in training with Todd Pletcher.

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