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Michael Baum Passes Away

Michael Baum passed away peacefully Tuesday at his farm in Lexington. Michael is survived by his beloved wife, Reiko Baum, and many close friends who loved him dearly.

Michael was born in New York City, New York on June 6, 1933. He graduated from the University of Georgia with a landscape architecture degree. He later attended an art school in New York City, where he met his cherished wife, Reiko, also an art student.

Michael used his architectural and landscaping skills to continuously create and enhance the beauty of his and Reiko's Man O' War Farm. In addition, the rooftop of his New York apartment was an amazing sanctuary for him and Reiko. He used his architectural skills to establish Framemasters, Inc., a company which provided framing services for large pieces of art, oftentimes for museums.

Michael, along with Reiko, were active participants in the Thoroughbred industry. Michael took great pride in his Thoroughbred horses and enjoyed their beauty and presence on Man O' War Farm. He developed a small but very high-quality broodmare band that resides at the farm.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Michael's name to the Man O' War Foundation at the Kentucky Horse Park, a donation to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, or a donation to your favorite charity.

The service for Michael will be private.

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Tapit Colt Takes it to the Bank in With Anticipation

Coinage (c, 2, Tapit–Bar of Gold, by Medaglia d'Oro) switched to grass in style with a wire-to-wire upset victory at 6-1 in Wednesday's GIII With Anticipation S. at Saratoga. The chestnut, drawn widest of all in post six, was sent to the front by Junior Alvarado. The New York-bred showed the way through fractions of :25.66 and :50.65, and had plenty left for the stretch to win going away by two lengths. Saratoga debut winner Portfolio Company (Kitten's Joy), a handful for Irad Ortiz, Jr. throughout the 1 1/16-miles journey, ran well to finish second after making a bold bid at the top of the stretch. Favored Limited Liability (Kitten's Joy) was third.

Coinage, a runaway second out maiden winner against state-breds going 5 1/2 furlongs downstate June 17, entered off a disappointing third-place finish as the favorite in the six-furlong Rick Violette S. at the Spa July 21.

“I told my wife Tina this morning, 'We'll see if they can catch him,'” winning trainer Mark Casse said. “I seldom say this, but I told Junior [Alvarado] to take no prisoners and go. He's a good horse. He has a high-cruising speed. We breezed him over the turf a couple of times as we like to do. Training horses is like putting a puzzle together. You have to keep trying the pieces until figuring out where they fit. We figured it out today.

He continued, “I thought he was an underachiever. I told Mr. [Chester] Broman and the Greens that this horse was something, and I said that four or five months ago. We got up here and he won, but never showed the same as what I thought I had seen before. I'll probably keep him around two turns. There's a lot of options. I have four or five pretty good horses for the Greens that are possible other turf horses. We'll see. I may send him to California, but we'll see what the owners want to do, too.”

Pedigree Notes:

Coinage becomes the 149th stakes winner/92nd graded winner for leading sire Tapit. This is the 41st stakes winner/15th graded winner for broodmare sire Medaglia d'Oro. Millionaire Broman homebred Bar of Gold famously upset the 2017 GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint at 66-1. She is also responsible for a Justify colt of 2020, who brought $825,000 from David Hudson (Travis Durr, agent) at this summer's Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale, and a Tapit colt of 2021. She was bred back to Quality Road.

Wednesday, Saratoga
WITH ANTICIPATION S.-GIII, $150,000, Saratoga, 9-1, 2yo,
1 1/16mT, 1:43.69, fm.
1–COINAGE, 120, c, 2, by Tapit
                1st Dam: Bar of Gold (GISW, $1,551,000), by Medaglia d'Oro
                2nd Dam: Khancord Kid, by Lemon Drop Kid
                3rd Dam: Confidently, by Storm Cat
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($450,000
Ylg '20 KEESEP). O-D. J. Stable LLC and Chester & Mary
Broman; B-Chester & Mary Broman (NY); T-Mark E. Casse;
J-Junior Alvarado. $82,500. Lifetime Record: 4-2-0-2,
$144,750. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*.
2–Portfolio Company, 122, c, 2, Kitten's Joy–Iteration, by Wild
Again. ($125,000 Ylg '20 FTKSEL). O-Klaravich Stables, Inc.;
B-Kenneth & Sarah Ramsey (KY); T-Chad C. Brown. $30,000.
3–Limited Liability, 122, c, 2, Kitten's Joy–Hold Harmless, by
Blame. O/B-Stuart S. Janney, III LLC (KY); T-Claude McGaughey.
$18,000.
Margins: 2, 3HF, 4. Odds: 6.90, 2.10, 0.85.
Also Ran: Gooch Go Bragh, Kavod, Silipo. Scratched: Ready to March. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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TCA Awards Annual Grants

Grants totaling over $788,000 were awarded this year, Thoroughbred Charities of America announced Wednesday.

Eighty two grant applications were received earlier this year during the organization's annual grant cycle. Ultimately, 69 organizations were approved for a grant, including 46 aftercare organizations, 14 backstretch and farm worker programs, five equine-assisted therapy organizations, three Thoroughbred incentive programs, and one research organization.

Included in the granting total is over $12,000 expended from the Horses First Fund, an emergency fund, administered by TCA and established LNJ Foxwoods, that assists Thoroughbreds and their caretakers in need of emergency aid due to large scale neglect, natural disaster, or other catastrophe. The Horses First Fund aided in a food-assistance program at Woodbine Racetrack earlier this year for backstretch workers left without an income when COVID-19 halted racing at the track. The Horses First Fund also assisted Equine Rescue of Aiken with an emergency grant for a catastrophic barn fire earlier this year.

TCA's 2021 grants to organizations that provide health and human services for backstretch and farm workers were bolstered by support from Fasig-Tipton and buyers at Keeneland's September Yearling and November Breeding Stock Sales as well as the January Horses of All Ages Sale. Over $100,000 was raised and awarded to approved organizations.

“Fundraising has been a challenge over the last year and a half for many nonprofits,” said Erin Crady executive director of TCA. “We are happy to be able to assist nearly 70 organizations with a grant to help them carry on their vital work with Thoroughbreds and backstretch and farm workers. Our grants are only possible thanks to our generous donors.”

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Ron Winchell Talks Ky Downs, Gun Runner on Writer’s Room

One of the great success stories in American racing over the last decade or so has been the emergence of Kentucky Downs, which opens its 2021 six-day meet on Sunday. Much of that has to do with the stewardship on Ron Winchell, who, along with partner Marc Falcone, purchased the track in 2019.

Thanks in large part to Historical Horse Racing machines, Kentucky Downs was already making plenty of money when Winchell and Falcone took over, but they never grew complacent. Rather, they have continually looked to make Kentucky Downs an even greater success. Part of that has included an expansion of the gaming, entertainment and dining areas, but it has also meant growing the race meet.

During his interview on the TDN Writers' Room presented by Keeneland, Winchell explained why his team has never stopped trying to grow the race meet, which now includes 16 stakes worth $10 million and three $1 million races. With many tracks affiliated with gaming, racing is an afterthought.

“Obviously, I am heavily involved in horse racing,” said Winchell, the Green Group Guest of the Week. “You don't have an ownership here that is segregated from horse racing, which sometimes happens, especially in other states. Our meet is so unique, with six days and the purse levels, with 16 stakes races and three $1 million races. Really, it has turned into this cool, boutique meet, which is fun and we do well. We don't lose money, where with many locations it's not the same and they lose money and they don't have that tie to horse racing. They really try to make the racing as minimal as they can. We're the opposite. We are willing to spend money every year to grow this into something bigger and better all the time. That's the focus we have when it comes to racing.”

A short meet clearly works for Kentucky Downs, but Winchell said he'd like to see it grow to beyond six days. He said Kentucky Downs will apply for seven racing dates in 2022 and added that management is also interested in possibly running some days in May in the future.

“At some point, we might want to do a few days in May,” he said. “We'd like to do something that would, hopefully, attract some European horses. So, there is some potential to grow more going forward. But we don't want too many days. The short boutique-style meet is what makes it special. It's never just another day at Kentucky Downs.”

Winchell is also a prominent horse owner and he and his family have campaigned a number of stars, including super sire Tapit (Pulpit) and Gun Runner (Candy Ride {Arg}), who has gotten off to a fast start at stud.

“The Gun Runners are capable of winning races at six furlongs or shorter, and that's what we are seeing,” Winchell said. “But I think they all really want to go longer. We've shown everybody that these guys can really run, but I can't be more excited to see what the next phase will bring. He's going to have runners in the Hopeful, the Spinaway, the Sapling and I believe there are two that are going to run in the Del Mar Futurity. This weekend will be a pretty defining moment for him, to see if he can take the next step. I'm pretty excited. Gun Runner is my favorite subject right now.”

Elsewhere on the show, which is also sponsored by West Point Thoroughbreds, Spendthrift Farm, Legacy Bloodstock, the writers reviewed the GI Runhappy Travers day card at Saratoga, generally giving glowing reviews to a day of racing that was among the best offered anywhere and at any time this year.

Click here to watch the podcast; click here for the audio-only version or find it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

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