tony lacy | Horse Racing Free Tips

Keeneland Names Lacy Vice President of Sales; Russell To Retire As Director Of Sales Operations

Keeneland today announced that internationally respected bloodstock adviser and consignor Tony Lacy will join the company as vice president of sales. Officials also announced that longtime director of sales operations Geoffrey Russell will retire from his full-time position after 25 years with Keeneland, but will remain in a consulting role through 2021.

“Tony possesses a well-rounded knowledge of the Thoroughbred industry, bolstered by valuable insight and a unique skill set gained from having worked on the ground in the U.S., Europe and the Middle East,” Keeneland president and CEO Shannon Arvin said. “He is an established presence globally and connects to a vast network of owners, trainers, consignors and buyers. We are excited to welcome Tony to Keeneland, and look forward to his leadership as we prepare for the future.”

Lacy brings a depth of racing and sales experience to his new position with Keeneland. In 2001, Lacy, along with Kerry Cauthen, helped establish Four Star Sales, eventually becoming a partner and developing the company into a leading North American consignor with a diverse client portfolio.

Since 2008, he has been the North American representative for the French Thoroughbred sales company Arqana. In that capacity, he has been involved in all aspects of the sales company, including the innovation of Arqana Online, and development of Arqana's brand in the U.S. via marketing strategies and promotions in various mediums and actions.

“I am extremely honored to be named vice president of sales for Keeneland,” Lacy said. “Keeneland is a pillar of the global horse industry, and I have a high level of respect for Shannon, the team she is building and her vision for the future. I believe my background as a consignor and bloodstock adviser will allow me to understand the needs of our sales participants, continue to build on the best of our traditions and pursue innovations that will keep the company dynamic in a changing environment. Keeneland is an iconic brand, and we remain committed to protecting and growing its premier operations for the future health of the industry as a whole.”

A fourth-generation horseman, Lacy began his career in his native Ireland as an assistant trainer to his father, T. F. “Tom” Lacy, a steeplechase jockey who came within a length of defeating the legendary Arkle in the 1964 Irish Grand National. Tony Lacy was a successful amateur jockey in Ireland for 11 years, competing on the flat and over the jumps against such riders as Aidan O'Brien and Willie Mullins.

Lacy further honed his racing expertise in Chantilly with trainers Emmanuel Chevalier Du Fau and Henri-Alex Pantall and was an assistant trainer for the Al Maktoum family with Erwan Charpy in Dubai. He gained valuable experience in U.S. sales and breeding through his work for the Greely family's Wintergreen Farm and while overseeing sales horses for noted 2-year-olds in training consignor Jerry Bailey in Ocala.

Throughout his career, Lacy has advised and managed a number of racing and breeding programs, purchasing such group stakes winners as Pista and Nasheej for clients at Keeneland. He most recently helped develop owner Scott Heider's boutique program into a dynamic stable in the U.S. and Europe. Heider bred recent Grade 3 Stonestreet Lexington winner King Fury and has campaigned such graded/group winners as Mia Mischief, Thoughtfully and Crossfirehurricane.

Reflecting his international background, Lacy has counseled and represented Emirates Racing and the Dubai World Cup in the U.S. He also advised the French Thoroughbred industry's marketing arm, the French Breeding and Racing Committee (FRBC), as well as France Galop (French Jockey Club).

Lacy is the incoming president of the Thoroughbred Club of America and will be the first foreign-born president in the organization's 89-year history. He also serves on the Board of New Vocations.

Geoffrey Russell Retires After 25 Years With Keeneland

Geoffrey Russell

Geoffrey Russell retires after 25 years with Keeneland sales, 20 seasons of which were as director of sales/director of sales operations – the longest of anyone in Keeneland history.

He will serve as a consultant to the Keeneland sales team through 2021.

“I have never met anyone more devoted to Keeneland or Thoroughbred racing than Geoffrey Russell,” Arvin said. “Keeneland sales achieved new heights globally under his watch, and he indelibly shaped the future of sales operations domestically and abroad through his years of leadership and service. I am grateful to Geoffrey for his integrity, his tireless work ethic and his dedication to Keeneland.”

Russell's friendship with Arvin began while she was Keeneland's counsel with Stoll Keenon Ogden and they worked together on Conditions of Sales and legal issues.

“It has been a great honor and privilege to work at Keeneland,” Russell said. “I appreciate all the opportunities that Keeneland has given me over my 25 years here. I never thought I would work at Keeneland – and never as director of sales nor being the longest-tenured one.

“With Shannon at the helm – and I firmly believe she is the right person to lead Keeneland – I feel that this is a good time for a transition as Keeneland looks to the next 20 years,” he said. “Keeneland is putting the right people in place for the future, and the appointment of Tony as vice president of sales is an example of that foresight. Tony is a trusted and respected horseman, well-liked by his peers, who has conducted his racing and bloodstock career with quality and integrity. I am confident in Tony's leadership and look forward to the exciting future of Keeneland sales.”

Born in Dublin, Ireland, Russell was five when he first attended the races with his parents. While growing up, he often went to the races with his best friend, whose family owned racehorses and taught Russell about pedigrees and other facets of the industry. While attending a bloodstock sale in the 1970s, Russell was captivated when the legendary Sir Philip Payne-Gallway bought a full-sister to English Horse of the Year Shirley Heights for a then-record price in Ireland. The experience helped him decide his career path in Thoroughbred sales.

After obtaining a marketing degree from the College of Marketing and Design in Dublin, Russell gained early experience in the Thoroughbred industry in Ireland at Coolmore Stud and as a bid spotter at Goffs sales company. He came to the U.S. in 1982 on a summer internship at Fasig-Tipton Sales but never expected to stay. Following a stint at Elmendorf Farm, Russell returned to Fasig-Tipton as vice president of Fasig-Tipton appraisals and director of sales administration.

Russell joined Keeneland in 1996 as assistant director of sales to Rogers Beasley. In June 2001, he was promoted to director of sales when Beasley became Keeneland's director of racing. Russell was named to the newly created position of director of sales operations in September 2016.

“I think it chose me more than I chose it,” Russell said about his career in Thoroughbred sales. “I have a love of pedigrees, and I love horses. The atmosphere and the theatrics of an auction are captivating. Then you put your other hat on, and you see the sales are people's livelihoods and you realize how important your job is to do it right.”

During Russell's tenure as director of sales/director of sales operations, Keeneland sales experienced great heights, such as selling future Hall of Famer Ashado for $9 million as a broodmare prospect at the 2005 November Breeding Stock Sale. Russell helped navigate Keeneland through a number of external challenges caused by significant industry and world events such as 9/11, mare reproductive loss syndrome, an economic recession and the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I have admired Geoffrey from the first time I met him,” Lacy said. “He has always been very knowledgeable, decisive and fair in managing the sale process. He helped Keeneland navigate varying economic environments and his counsel will be heavily relied upon going forward. It is important to maintain the consistency Geoffrey has skillfully managed over the years to allow a smooth transition to the next director of sales operations, and I am very grateful he will assist in this process. He has set a very high standard and I congratulate him on an incredible career.”

Russell's service to the Thoroughbred sales industry includes two terms as chairman of the Society of International Thoroughbred Auctioneers (SITA), and he has been Keeneland's representative on the North American International Catalogue Standards Committee (ICSC). He also serves on the board of the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation.

For his accomplishments in the Thoroughbred industry, the Irish Thoroughbred Breeders' Association (ITBA) honored Russell with its 2016 Wild Geese Award. ITBA Chairman Stephen Collins said the award acknowledges “one of our own who has flown the Irish flag with pride on an international stage.”

The post Keeneland Names Lacy Vice President of Sales; Russell To Retire As Director Of Sales Operations appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Analysis: Kentucky November Mixed Sales Display A ‘Hold’ Market, And That’s Okay

On the surface, the numbers were down across the board at the 2020 November mixed sales in Kentucky after a lot of people bought high on mares and stud fees in previous years, and the world is still on the razor's edge until a COVID-19 vaccine reaches mass distribution. Looking at it from that scope, it can be hard to drum up optimism for the direction of the bloodstock market.

So, why are so many buyers and sellers exiting the November sales feeling decent-to-good about where they stand? It's about the horses that didn't sell.

The bloodstock market has shown signs of wobbling toward a downturn for a few years as the whims of buyers get increasingly polarized, and the target to make serious money at the yearling and 2-year-old sales gets smaller.

Pair that with all of the sudden obstacles and uncertainties that COVID-19 brought about, and it would have been understandable if the November sales saw broodmare owners abandoning ship before the bottom fully falls out. Anyone that survived the crash of the late 2000s and early 2010s would rightfully be hesitant to hang on to stock that could produce foals worth a fraction of what they'd make in a stronger market.

Instead, the marathon Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale shrunk by two days and about 750 horses. The overall buyback rate went down, but not as steeply in the upper markets, suggesting sellers weren't going to let their better stock go if the price wasn't right.

A horse only gets one shot at a yearling or 2-year-old sale season, so they go through the ring with a sense of urgency. Broodmares will always be broodmares, and weanlings have plenty more chances to sell before they reach racing age. Patience in that segment of the market is one of the true canaries in the Thoroughbred industry coal mine.

When they had every reason to stuff the November catalogs and panic-sell, the long-term oracles of the bloodstock market have elected to “hold.” That's not necessarily a sign that an upswing is magically on the horizon, but it does suggest the market is viable enough for breeders to stick around for the next year or two and see what happens. In these uncertain times, that's about as ringing an endorsement as you're going to get.

“When we were looking at our entries for the November sales, we certainly found a tentative attitude from breeders and owners in general who said, 'Look, I don't want to sell into a down market,'” said Tony Lacy of consignor Four Star Sales. “I found this to be a strength. If people are willing to hold on to their stock, and not be in a position where they have to sell, that's actually okay. In the last downturn, people had to sell, so we had an abundance of product with a lack of demand. That exacerbated the weak position our industry found itself in for those three or four years.

“In the last downturn, it was unnerving because not only was there an economic downturn, there was a lack of confidence, and it was globally,” he continued. “There was also just a pure lack of money. This time, it's not a lack of money, I think it's confidence, and I think we're so far into the pandemic, we've learned this is just the way we have to operate now. From that standpoint, I think people sort of got into a rhythm.”

Of course, this is far from an “everything's fine” report to focus on the silver linings of a market that saw a drop of about eight percent in average and median sale prices during the Keeneland November sale. The auction market will still enter 2021 with a lot of the same questions and potential rough spots it had in 2020, and a deeper market correction certainly wouldn't be outside the realm of possibility. What's fortunate is the market largely exited the November sales without adding any new questions.

A common note among buyers and sellers exiting the November sales was a general scarcity for weanlings, and in turn, quality weanlings. Geoffrey Russell, Keeneland's director of sales operations, confirmed that fewer weanlings went through the ring this year, with some owners deciding to wait for the yearling season, which made for a smaller margin for defeat when it came to bidding.

Conrad Bandoroff of consignor Denali Stud said the weanling market still had a few of the trappings of the yearling sales in terms of what buyers were looking for.

Much like how a rocky 2-year-old auction season this spring and summer had a bearing on the ensuing yearling season when pinhookers came back to re-stock, Bandoroff said he noticed some trepidation in the weanling-to-yearling pinhook market after their calendar saw some major shuffling due to COVID-19 and results were mixed during the yearling sales.

“I thought the weanling market could be described as a little tough, but coming off the heels of what was a difficult yearling sale season, you'd expect the weanling pinhookers were going to be careful,” Bandoroff said. “They were just very selective, and it was kind of just feast or famine.”

Adrian Regan, who bought as agent and sold under his Hunter Valley Farm, also noticed the pinhooking presence seemed a little light this year, but the ones that hit the marks brought serious money.

“We thought there were a few faces missing in the pinhooking market this year,” Regan said. “The pinhookers were more cautious about what they were spending on foals, but it seemed maybe a little more polarized than in other years, much the same as the yearling market. Everybody seemed to be falling on the same ones, but in saying that, it was a pretty good market overall.”

Russell noted that the buyer's bench for weanlings has shifted in recent years, which also might have had an effect on how pinhook buyers approached the November sales.

“With several major end-users now participating in the foal market, it pushed pinhookers back, and they probably haven't fulfilled their needs, so hopefully they'll came back in January and fill their requirements,” he said.

In comparing the September and November sales, Bandoroff said the November sales did a better job maintaining their momentum throughout the duration of the auction. In comparison, the upper-middle market of the yearling auctions was tough sledding until it reached the portion of the catalog supported by buyers who needed to purchase horses to make a living – namely, pinhookers and trainers – at which point, the market solidified again.

There was still some of that during the 2020 November sales, but Lacy said the clientele for the mixed sales, particularly the broodmare market, tends to be a more reliable buyer because it's the one staring in the mirror.

“As we got into the middle markets, I felt there was a lot more stability,” Lacy said. “You could value a horse more accurately, and I thought there was more confidence in the middle markets. In all essence, it's trade. We're trading amongst ourselves, and I felt like the confidence internally in the industry was probably more buoyant than we all expected.

“I think we've got to look at ourselves as farmers, because that's essentially what we are, and in any form of farming, in any year, no matter if the crop is a massive success, or if it's a disappointment, the farmer still has to put the plow in the ground, and I saw a lot of that,” he continued. “People were trying to upgrade some of the stock, what they felt might be perceived as value, when in actual fact, I thought a lot of the breeding stock was selling better than it was last year.”

Bloodstock agent Hanzly Albina, who made 14 purchases under the Sallusto & Albina Bloodstock banner, said he found a sense of optimism in the results and the activity on the grounds at a level he did not expect going into the season.

That was a common refrain among many on the sales grounds – uncertainty and concern followed by expectations being exceeded. Most, including Albina, said it could have been worse, and the fact that it wasn't is a victory in and of itself.

“Competition was pretty strong,” he said. “Obviously at the very top end, with a few of the larger groups spending more money than they previously had, that definitely pushed other buyers further down the catalog. I think that really helped everyone. It was tough to buy really nice mares. The prices were pretty consistent on the cheaper side. I did not feel like I was getting a 50 percent discount on the cheaper stock, and if I did, it would be an indicator of buyers' apprehension, so that was encouraging.”

The major Kentucky auction calendar is through for 2020, but the mixed season itself will have a couple more stops in the Bluegrass in January at Keeneland and February at Fasig-Tipton. Neither auction will have the depth or seven-figure magnitude of its November predecessors, but the world can change so drastically in two months' time that it will still be a necessary temperature check of market confidence.

Judging by the size of the Keeneland January catalog, sellers will remain in the “hold” position. Russell said the auction will be a four-day affair when it spanned five days in 2020, and the catalog will slim down from about 1,800 entries to about 1,600.

The market crash wasn't that long ago. We all remember what a fire sale looks like, and breeders know when it's time to start selling off major branches of the factory to stay in business, or in the debt collector's good graces. Right now, we're not seeing that. A lot can change, but the fact that the alarm hasn't been sounded should provide a bit of hope that whenever things go back to something approaching normal, the climb back up the hill won't be as long.

The post Analysis: Kentucky November Mixed Sales Display A ‘Hold’ Market, And That’s Okay appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Keeneland Marches Into Book 3

LEXINGTON, KY – The Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale continued to generate steady trade as its two-session Book 3 opened Thursday in Lexington. A pair of mares from the Bluewater Sales consignment brought the day’s co-highest price of $300,000 and were joined at that price by a weanling colt from the first crop of Mendelssohn who was purchased by Larry Best from the Four Star Sales consignment.

During Thursday’s session, 227 head grossed $13,153,000. The session average of $57,943 ticked up 2.29% from last year’s corresponding session and the median dipped 6.67% to $42,000. The session’s buy-back rate was 24.33%. Eleven horses sold for $200,000 or over during the session, compared to three reaching that threshold in 2019.

“I think it’s been fair,” Four Star’s Tony Lacy said of the market. “When you peel back the layers, I think this has been fair on both sides. Good horses are bringing good money. I think that horses that are perceived to have lesser value are a tougher sell. And I’m not saying that they are not good horses, but it’s just that there is a polarization for some better horses. But we are selling most of them, which is encouraging. I think, all in all, I have to say we are very pleased with how it’s turning out.”

Duncan Taylor of Taylor Made Sales Agency agreed that, given all the economic and pandemic uncertainties swirling around the auction, the November market was holding up well as it entered its Book 3 section.

“I think it was steady,” Taylor said as Thursday’s session was winding down. “I don’t think you got a lot of extra money at any point, but I think things were bringing about where we had them valued. There were still plenty of people wanting to buy. So I think it’s positive. I think the market is good. I’m not saying it’s great. There are a lot of people who selling horses who aren’t making any money, but things are moving and there is trade going on. We didn’t have many RNA’s today, so that’s always a good sign.”

The Keeneland November sale continues through next Wednesday with sessions beginning daily at 10 a.m.

Sex Symbol Sells at Keeneland

Patrick Masson signed the ticket at $300,000 to acquire Sex Symbol (Uncle Mo) (hip 1183) for his family’s Green Lantern Stables. The 3-year-old mare, who sold in foal to City of Light, is a daughter of Grade I winner Icon Project (Empire Maker) and is a half-sister to graded winner Fashion Business (GB) (Frankel {GB}). She was consigned by Meg Levy’s Bluewater Sales.

“Physically, she checked all of the boxes,” Masson said. “I like the cross of Uncle Mo over Empire Maker. The mother has the same breeding as Pioneerof the Nile and the pedigree goes back to the foundation mare La Troienne–and that was all very attractive to us. The mare was a dirt mare, even though she was able to run on turf in England. She has produced a turf horse, but it’s mostly a dirt pedigree and that’s what we are gearing towards now.”

At last year’s November sale, Masson purchased Ultimate Cause (Giant’s Causeway) (hip 1301)–also from the Bluewater Sales consignment and also in foal to City of Light–for $310,000.

“I bought a mare from Meg last year in foal to City of Light and we really like the baby that we got this year,” Masson said. “So that was also a factor.”

Of the mare’s final price, Masson added, “In this book, I didn’t think there would be many horses over $250,000, but I wasn’t surprised by that price for this mare in particular. That was my top price. I thought I would pay $200-250,000, but at $300,000 there were obviously multiple people involved in the bidding. We were happy to get her.”

A few hips earlier, Bluewater Sales sold another filly for $300,000. John Moynihan signed the ticket as Springbord Farm to acquire the racing or broodmare prospect Quality Heat (Quality Road) (hip 1149). Racing for Gary Barber and trainer Mark Casse, the 3-year-old filly was third in last year’s Chelsey Flower S. and Tepin S. at Aqueduct and in the Woodbine Cares S. In her lone start this year, the dark bay was third in an Aqueduct optional claimer in January. She was working regularly through September at Casse’s training center.

Best Strikes for Mendelssohn Colt

Larry Best continued his buying spree at Keeneland November, going to $300,000 to acquire a colt from the first crop of Grade I winner Mendelssohn. The bay weanling (hip 1269) was consigned by Four Star Sales and was bred by Malia Hopkins. He is out of the unraced Abuntia (Olmodavor), a half-sister to multiple graded stakes winner St. Joe Bay (Saint Anddan).

“That was incredible,” said Four Stars’ Tony Lacy. “We knew we had a nice colt at the barn. Quality has been selling very well and we were optimistic, but again you never know where that level is as far as what a horse like that can bring. Obviously, he is a great advertisement for the stallion. Mendelssohn has been an exciting stallion. A lot of people have really been trying to find the better specimens by him. And there are a lot to choose from. So that was exciting. I did not see that coming necessarily, but it was a pleasant surprise.”

Best’s OXO Equine has purchased 16 head for $7,815,000. He acquired a pair of seven-figure mares, purchasing Concrete Rose (Twirling Candy) for $1.95 million and Indian Miss (Indian Charlie) for $1.9 million. Best’s weanling purchases were led by a $450,000 son of Mastery (hip 266).

Flatter Colt Destined for Resale

Peter Pugh, as agent for Cherry Knoll Farm, purchased a colt by Flatter for $205,000 to lead early weanling returns Thursday at Keeneland. The bay colt, consigned by Claiborne Farm and bred by Bradley Purcell, is out of Speedy War (War Front) and is a full-brother to stakes winner Stifling.

“Right now he’ll be a resale, he’s a pinhook,” Pugh said. “He is a big scopey, live-family, Flatter. That’s about all you need.”

Asked how he has found the weanling market this week in Lexington, Pugh said, “It’s been extremely difficult.”

Pugh initially said he wasn’t surprised by the competitive marketplace, but qualified his response, “Actually, I’m a little surprised because of everything that’s going on. But once you get to that upper end–you’ve heard it over and over again–it gets hard.”

Of spending over $200,000 for a pinhook prospect, Pugh said, “To get the horses you need, you’re always spending 20% too much. That’s just the way it goes. Hopefully it will follow through for next year.”

Pinchbeck to Join Elm Tree Band

The 6-year-old Pinchbeck (Mineshaft) (hip 1139), in foal to Mastery, will be joining the Elm Tree Farm broodmare band after Jody Huckabay purchased the 6-year-old for $200,000 Thursday at Keeneland. The bay mare was consigned by Everett Dobson’s Candy Meadows, which purchased her for $30,000 as part of the Sarah Leigh dispersal at the 2016 Keeneland January sale. Her dam Seeking Atlantis (Seeking the Gold) sold at that same auction for $300,000.

“We tried to buy her mother several years ago and underbid her,” Huckabay said. “It’s a Ned Evans family–they know what they are doing, it’s just a great family. I’ve been waiting and waiting on her and my daughter Caroline found her. It’s a family operation and when we all agree on one, we try to buy them.”

Pinchbeck, who won twice in 15 starts for Dobson’s Cheyenne Stables, is a half-sister to graded placed Seeking Her Glory (Giant’s Causeway). Her second dam is multiple graded stakes winner Atlantic Ocean (Stormy Atlantic).

The mare is carrying her first foal and Huckabay said her covering sire Mastery was another selling point.

“We own a share in Mastery and we support him and we’re big fans of Claiborne,” Huckabay said. “Obviously they sold very well this week and we had a very nice yearling by him in September. So we think he’s cut out to be a really good stallion and we just think it’s a really good cross.”

Huckabay said he was doing plenty of shopping at the November sale, but had not bid on many mares.

“We’ve done a lot of looking,” he said. “This is the third mare we’ve bid on. It’s tough to find young mares. You just have to siphon through all these mares and figure out what works for you. Everybody has different criteria.”

The post Keeneland Marches Into Book 3 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Bloodlines Presented By Gary Contessa’s Integrity Bloodstock: Galileo’s Grandkids Now Make Their Mark

This is not another article exclaiming that racers by the legendary Galileo (by Sadler's Wells) won all the Group 1 stakes over the weekend. Indeed, from 10 G1s on Saturday and Sunday, they won “only” four of those: marvelous Magical (Irish Champion), Search for a Song (Irish St. Leger), Mogul (Grand Prix de Paris), and Shale (Moyglare Stud Stakes).

Instead, this is an article about how the Galileo daughters and a particular son of the old boy are doing.

The son is English Derby winner Australia (out of Oaks winner Ouija Board), who sired his first Group 1 winner in Galileo Chrome, the winner of the Group 1 St. Leger at Doncaster. The oddly-named Galileo Chrome – who's a plain bay – galloped comfortably to the outside of the well-regarded Pyledriver for most of the mile and three-quarters and 115 yards, then maneuvered through traffic, and finished fastest to win the longest classic.

A winner in his three prior starts, including the Yeats Stakes at Navan on his last outing, Galileo Chrome is a progressive colt who appears to have a lot of scope and can only improve for greater maturity and strength.

In addition to the winner of the St. Leger, Australia sired Cayenne Pepper, who won the G2 Blandford Stakes at the Curragh from Galileo's daughter Amma Grace. Also this weekend, Australia had the third-place racer behind Shale in the Group 1 race mentioned above.

Shale and other daughters of Galileo are broodmare prospects of a high order, and they tend to go to some of the better sires around the world. Over the past weekend, one daughter of Galileo was the dam of the winner of the G1 Grosser Preis von Baden, Barney Roy, and another daughter produced Ghaiyyath, who was second to Magical in the Irish Champion.

Barney Roy's dam, Alina, was unplaced in a pair of starts, whereas the dam of Ghaiyyath is Nightime, winner of the 2006 Irish 1,000 Guineas. The simple statistics of racing success, with about 3 percent stakes winners to foals, mean that far more of any stallion's racers will fail than will succeed at a high level. Therefore, some nice prospects and subsequent producers will show little on the racetrack.

Another of the great sire's non-winning daughters produced Pista, this year's winner of the Park Hill Stakes, which is the filly equivalent to the St. Leger.

In her third victory from four starts, Pista has risen rapidly since winning a maiden at Galway in early August to become a listed stakes winner and now a group winner.

Bred in Kentucky by Lynch Bages Ltd. and a $675,000 yearling at the 2018 Keeneland September sale, Pista is out of Mohini, a daughter of the Storm Cat mare Denebola, who was the highweight 2-year-old filly in France in 2003 after victory in the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac.

That proved the high point of Denebola's racing, but she has three stakes-producing daughters, including Beta Leo (A.P. Indy), who is the dam of Senga (Blame), winner of the G1 Prix de Diane.

And the sire of Pista?

American Pharoah.

Four Star Sales's Tony Lacy acted as agent for the Heider family in the purchase and recalled the process that led to the acquisition of Pista. He said, “We'd been looking at the first-crop yearlings by American Pharoah and had been very impressed. They were largely big, athletic prospects with scope and great minds. With their bone and toughness, I thought they might be very effective on turf.

“And this prolific family, that had been developed in the Niarchos family stud for generations, had a lot of turf excellence that I'd seen first-hand during my time working in France. This is the family of the highweight filly Coup de Folie, her full brother Machiavellian” (both by Mr. Prospector), who was a highweight on the European handicaps and then a leading sire, “and it goes right on back to a half-sister to Northern Dancer.”

Yeah, nice family.

As an individual, Lacy noted, “This filly was a big yearling who turned into a growthy 2-year-old, and we decided not to race her at 2 because she wasn't ready. Even early at three, she didn't show much promise until the late spring and early summer, and then she began to come on so strongly that Joseph O'Brien (who trains the filly) became optimistic about her debut. Pista, however, walked out of the gate and raced greenly.

“Joseph said the penny dropped after the first race, and in her second start, Pista jumped off nicely, laid up with the pace, and powered away to win her maiden” by 6 1/2 lengths at Galway. “Then we stepped her up to a listed race against colts,” Lacy continued, “in the Vinnie Roe Stakes at Leopardstown.”

The elegant filly won again, this time while competing at a mile and three-quarters and winning from Sunchart (Teofilo) and Dawn Patrol (Galileo), who ran eighth and sixth respectively in the St. Leger. So that is positive form suggesting that Pista could have beaten at least half the field in the classic.

Another reason that the connections, including the trainer, were quite pleased with the effort at Leopardstown is that Pista “is so laid back on the gallops that she doesn't show what she's capable of till she's put in a race,” Lacy said. “So we said, 'let's try the Park Hill,' and that result was a resounding 'yes.' The plan now is to go for the Group 1 Prix de Royallieu on the Arc weekend.”

That will be a further step up in a race that typically draws a set of experienced Group 1 fillies, three and up, but with the mental and physical toughness of the American Pharoah and Galileo stock, don't discount her chances.

The post Bloodlines Presented By Gary Contessa’s Integrity Bloodstock: Galileo’s Grandkids Now Make Their Mark appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post