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Tapit Son of Zaftig Charges to Rising Stardom

Wertheimer and Frere homebred ZATIP (Tapit), a son of Grade I winner Zaftig (Gone West), turned on the after burners late to become the second 'TDN Rising Star' of the day at Keeneland Thursday afternoon. Off slow in his turf sprint unveiling at Laurel Oct. 1, he rallied to be fifth and was given a 5-1 chance in this switch to the main track over a wet surface. Drawn in post 11 of 12, the chestnut was hustled away from the stalls this time by James Graham and went straight to the front, contesting the pace alongside Coffee With Alex (Quality Road) through a :22.98 opening quarter and :46.08 half-mile. The pair turned for home together and continued to battled down the lane, but Zatip kicked it into high gear in the final sixteenth, charging clear to win by 4 1/2 lengths. Jego (Uncle Mo) made a late run to take second from Coffee With Alex. Zatip is the 48th 'TDN Rising Star' by perennial leading sire Tapit.

Wertheimer and Frere purchased GI Acorn S. victress Zaftig for $1.4 million in foal to Candy Ride (Arg) at the 2011 Fasig-Tipton November Sale. She produced a full-brother to the winner named Rugbyman, who was also tabbed a 'TDN Rising Star' for these connections and finished second in the Easy Goer S. She is also the dam of SW & MGSP Spinoff (Hard Spun). The 16-year-old mare has not produced a foal since Zatip. Zaftig is a daughter of fellow Grade I winner Zoftig (Cozzene), who also produced GISW Zo Impressive (Hard Spun), dam of MGSW Souper Tapit (Tapit).

7th-Keeneland, $84,000, Msw, 10-28, 2yo, 7f, 1:28.44, wf,
4 1/2 lengths.
ZATIP, c, 2, Tapit
1st Dam: Zaftig (GISW, $408,700), by Gone West
2nd Dam: Zoftig, by Cozzene
3rd Dam: Mrs. Marcos, by Private Account
Lifetime Record: 2-1-0-0, $52,240. O/B-Wertheimer et Frere (KY); T-H. Graham Motion. *1/2 to Spinoff (Hard Spun), SW & MGSP, $451,600. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree, or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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2022 Maryland Dates to Include August Meet at Pimlico

The inclusion of an August race meet at Pimlico Race Course for the first time in 17 years was the only major change in the 2022 slate of racing dates approved Thursday by the Maryland Racing Commission.

Although not discussed at the Oct. 28 meeting, one obvious benefit to the mid-summer move from Laurel Park to Pimlico will be the ability to give Laurel's turf course a break during the hottest time of the year in Maryland.

Pimlico last ran in the late summer back in 2005, when its calendar also included dates in January, April through June, and August.

In 2006, Pimlico's schedule got cut to an April-through-June meet. Between 2007 and 2015 it raced just April and May. In 2016 Pimlico raced May and June, and from 2017 to 2019 the schedule was pared down to only 12 dates in May in conjunction with the GI Preakness S.

The schedule for the last two years at Pimlico got thrown into an aberrational flux.

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic wiped out spring racing in the state, so Pimlico raced just six dates over two weeks in September and October in conjunction with the repositioned Preakness.

In 2021, Pimlico had to pick up dates in April through August because of the emergency closure at Laurel to install a new main track.
After years of debate over what to do with the decaying Pimlico, its owner, The Stronach Group (TSG), has recently partnered with the city and the state for a an approximately $400-million redevelopment plan that will keep the Preakness in Baltimore while revitalizing the track's surrounding neighborhoods.

The Washington Post recently described the plan, which is just getting started, like this: “TSG will turn Pimlico over to the city. Its clubhouse and grandstand will be demolished and the racetrack rotated 30 degrees to free up parcels to sell for other development. A new clubhouse and event center will be erected, but horse training and stable operations will be consolidated at Laurel Park. All racing will move to Laurel, except for a short spring meet in Baltimore that will include the Preakness.”

Maryland's full 2022 Thoroughbred calendar follows:
• Laurel (147 dates over four meets): Jan. 1-Mar. 31, Apr. 1-May 8, June 1-July 31, Sept. 6-Dec. 31.
• Pimlico (21 dates over two meets): May 8-31, Aug 1-25 and Aug. 30.
• Timonium (7 dates): Aug. 25-Sept. 5.

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Latest Foal Out of Leslie’s Lady Earns ‘Rising Star’ Tag

Clarkland Farm homebred MARR TIME (Not This Time), the penultimate foal out of outstanding blue hen Leslie's Lady (Tricky Creek), made her debut a winning one at Keeneland and earned the 'TDN Rising Star' tag in the process. Showing good early speed, the 3-5 chalk sparred with 20-1 longshot Roll Baby (Runhappy) through a :22.84 opening quarter. Shaking off that foe on the backstretch, the bay jumped clear in the lane to win going away by 2 3/4 lengths. Dame Joviale (Into Mischief) was the runner-up. Marr Time is the second 'TDN Rising Star' for her young sire Not This Time, joining GISW Princess Noor.

Fred & Nancy Mitchell's Clarkland Farm purchased the golden goose that is Leslie's Lady for just $100,000 in foal to Orientate at the 2006 Keeneland November Sale and it would prove to be the bargain of a lifetime. Her 2005 foal Into Mischief (Harlan's Holiday) won the GI Cashcall Futurity S. for Spendthrift 13 months after that purchase. He went on to become one of the most prolific stallions of his generation and seems to just get better each year. Her fourth foal for the Clarkland team was none other than future Hall of Famer Beholder (Henny Hughes), a $180,000 KEESEP purchase by Spendthrift. The bay mare won four Eclipse awards, three Breeders' Cup races and seven other Grade I events, earning over $6.1 million before retiring to the breeding shed.

Leslie's Lady's 2013 foal, a Curlin filly named Leslie's Harmony, summoned $1.1 million from Bridlewood Farm at Keeneland September, but she did not reproduce her sibling's racetrack prowess. However, Leslie's Lady's 2015 foal outdid that filly in the sales ring and on the track. Mendelssohn (Scat Daddy) topped the 2016 KEESEP sale on a final bid of $3 million from Coolmore and captured the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf and G2 UAE Derby. The GI Travers S. runner-up currently stands at Ashford Stud and his oldest foals are yearlings, who have been well received in the sales ring. Leslie's Lady's last foal to be offered at auction, an American Pharoah filly named America's Joy, set a new record when summoning a whopping $8.2 million from Mandy Pope's Whisper Hill Farm at Keeneland September. Sadly, the 3-year-old filly was euthanized over the summer after suffering a career-ending injury in a workout. The 25-year-old mare's final foal is the now-yearling filly Love You Irene (Kantharos), who, like Marr Time, was retained by her breeder.

5th-Keeneland, $83,934, Msw, 10-28, 2yo, f, 6f, 1:11.96, ft,
2 3/4 lengths.
MARR TIME, f, 2, Not This Time
1st Dam: Leslie's Lady (Broodmare Of The Year, SW, $187,014), by Tricky Creek)
2nd Dam: Crystal Lady, by Stop the Music
3rd Dam: One Last Bird, One For All
Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $50,400. O/B-Clarkland Farm LLC (KY); T-Brad H. Cox. *1/2 to Mendelssohn (Scat Daddy), Hwt. at 3-UAE- at 9 1/2 – 11 f., GISW-USA, GSW-UAE, SW-Ire, G1SP-Eng, $2,542,137; Into Mischief (Harlan's Holiday), Among The Leading Sires, Leading Sire, Leading Sire, GISW, $597,080; and Beholder (Henny Hughes), Ch. 3-year-old Filly, Ch. Older Mare, Ch. 2-year-old Filly, Ch. Older Mare, MGISW, $6,156,600. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree, or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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Japanese Runners Confirmed for Dirt Mile

The connections of Jasper Prince (Violence) and Pingxiang (Speightstown) confirmed Thursday morning that the runners will compete in the GI Big Ass Fans Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile Nov. 6 instead of the G1 Qatar Racing Breeders' Cup Sprint.

Both Jasper Prince, owned by Kazuo Kato, and Pingxiang, owned by Naoya Fuji, are trained by Hideyuki Mori. The Dirt Mile was the first preference of both at pre-entry.

It was also announced Thursday that four horses are not traveling to Del Mar for next weekend's World Championships.

La Joconde (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), owned by Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, Mrs. John Magnier and Westerberg is not traveling for the GI Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf. That moves the first also-eligible, Juddmonte's Acanella (GB) (Dansili {GB}) into the race. Bonne Chance Farm and Stud R D I's Imperador (Arg) (Treasure Beach {GB}) is not coming for the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Turf. That moves the first also-eligible, Masaaki Matsushima, Derrick Smith, Mrs. John Magnier and Michael Tabor's Japan (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) into the race. Peter Stokes and Scott Krase's Crazyland (GB) (Kodiac {GB}) is not shipping for the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf and Kazuo Kato's Jasper Krone (Frosted) will not ship from Japan. He was pre-entered in both the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf, his first preference, and the GI TVG Breeders' Cup Juvenile.

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