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Spendthrift Acquires interest in Keepmeinmind

B. Wayne Hughes's Spendthrift Farm has acquired a 50% ownership interest in graded stakes winner Keepmeinmind (Laoban). The 3-year-old colt was second behind Essential Quality (Tapit) in the GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity and third behind that subsequent champion in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile before concluding his 2-year-old campaign with a win in the GII Kentucky Jockey Club S. He currently sits second on the GI Kentucky Derby leaderboard with 18 points.

“We are delighted to be a part of such an exciting young racehorse as Keepmeinmind, and thankful to Cypress Creek and Arnold Bennewith for the opportunity to join the team,” said Ned Toffey, Spendthrift general manager. “We believe Keepmeinmind is poised for a big 3-year-old year. He demonstrated tremendous talent as a 2-year-old, placing twice in Grade Is, including the Breeders' Cup Juvenile and finishing up the year in style with a convincing win in the Kentucky Jockey Club S. at Churchill.”

Campaigned by Cypress Creek LLC and Arnold Bennewith, Keepmeinmind is entered in next Saturday's GII Risen Star S. at Fair Grounds and will make his seasonal debut either there or in the Feb. 15 GIII Southwest S. at Oaklawn Park.

Trained by Robertino Diodoro, the bay colt is expected to work at Oaklawn Monday morning before a decision is made on his next start.

“There's a couple of variables,” Diodoro told the Oaklawn communications department on a decision between the two races. “I think we're going to wait and see the next 72 hours. The short field here is a little bit of a concern with his running style. If you've got a speed horse, like a couple of guys do in the race, perfect having five, six horses. But when you have a come from behinder, that's not the most ideal thing.”

Keepmeinmind recently breezed a bullet five furlongs in :59 flat (1/17) Feb. 2 at Oaklawn.

Autrey Bloodstock brokered the deal for Spendthrift to join the current ownership group.

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Quality Road Filly Best in Salty Gulfstream Maiden

6th-Gulfstream, $40,000, Msw, 2-7, 3yo, f, 6f, 1:11.68, ft, 3 lengths.
BOSTON POST ROAD (f, 3, Quality Road–Lemon Bay, by Bernardini), whose one breeze available to view on XBTV was enough to conclude that she possessed some ability (4f, :50.60, 13/18, Video), was given a 3-1 chance facing a particularly well bred group of sophomore fillies Sunday. Away on top, the dark bay allowed a foe to take command but she kept that one honest through an opening quarter of :22.68 before poking a head in front into a :46.72 half. Pilot Paco Lopez gave several of his patented peeks back heading into the lane, and Boston Post Road responded willingly to his encouragement to hold off Mischiefful (Into Mischief) by three lengths. Bred just like these connections' GISW Dunbar Road (Quality Road), a Gulfstream debut romper herself, Boston Post Road is a full to Top Quality, SW & GSP-Can, MSW-USA, $139,704. She has a 2-year-old half-brother by Tiznow and dam Lemon Bay was bred back to Quality Road last term. The winner's second dam is GSW Sweet Fervor (Seeking the Gold), a half to MGSW Concerto (Chief's Crown), et al. Sales history: $525,000 Ylg '19 FTSAUG. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $24,000. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
O-Peter M. Brant; B-Newtownanner Stud (KY); T-Chad C. Brown.

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Former NYRA Announcer Marshall Cassidy Passes Away at 75

Marshall Cassidy, the announcer at the New York tracks from 1979 through 1990, passed away Sunday at his home in Saratoga Springs, NY. He was 75.

According to friends of Cassidy, he died in his sleep. The cause of death was not immediately known.

Cassidy began his announcing career as the backup caller to Dave Johnson and then Chic Anderson. After Anderson passed away in 1979, Cassidy was promoted to the job of head announcer. In 1990, after the Saratoga meet concluded, he was replaced by Tom Durkin.

Over his years at NYRA, his calls could also be heard on WCBS radio, ABC, NBC, CBS and ESPN.

“He was my assistant for about five years,” Johnson said. “It was a real pressure cooker job because we were also doing the TV show on WOR at the time. In all that time, there was never a cross word between us. He was such a pro and such a good man.”

After leaving the announcers job, Cassidy worked on and off for NYRA as a racing official during the Saratoga meets. On Sept. 1, 2008, he ventured back into the booth and called a race at Saratoga.

Cassidy was known for his accuracy as a caller and for how he enunciated the names of certain horses. In a staccato fashion, there was often a brief pause between syllables and Cassidy liked to draw out the names. The name of the top filly Lucky Lucky Lucky became “Luck-Keeey, Luck-Keeey, Luck-Keeey.”

Cassidy's calls were usually straightforward, but when it came to Easy Goer, he showed some provincial pride. He was not “Easy Goer” but “New York's Easy Goer.” He wound down his call of the 1989 GI Belmont S., with the following words: “It's New York's Easy Goer in front.”

“I grew up listening to Marshall's calls and was always a big fan,” said Larry Collmus, who took the NYRA announcing job after Durkin left. “He had a classic and classy delivery that was so pleasant to the ear. When I became the NYRA announcer, Marshall and I developed a friendship that I'm so glad we had. He would visit me in the booth at Saratoga and would share so many great stories. Every summer Marshall and I would have dinner with Sonny Taylor [longtime NYRA racing official] and hearing their tales of the past was something special. I will miss Marshall and am so grateful to have had him as both an idol and a friend.”

“This is very sad news,” said Fair Grounds announcer John Dooley, who was an up-and-coming backup announcer at NYRA in the late eighties. “When I worked for the New York Racing Association, he really took me under his wing when I was starting off as a race caller. He was such a kind man, a great person. He took the time to help me, a wannabee announcer. It was because of him that I was eventually able to call races in New York. I owe him a real debt of gratitude.”

Cassidy came from one of the most prominent families in New York racing. His grandfather, Marshall Whiting Cassidy, worked as a head starter, a steward and as the executive secretary of The Jockey Club. He is credited with inventing the modern starting gate. Cassidy's great-grandfather, Mars Cassidy, was also a longtime starter at the NYRA tracks, as was Cassidy's great uncle, George Cassidy.

“I'm immediately stereotyped as a bright boy with a silver spoon in his mouth,” Cassidy said in 1974. “I have to overcome this image by proving myself with hard work. As many people loved my grandfather as many hated him. I don't want people to judge me off my grandfather, but for myself.”

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Panici Sidelined

Jockey Luca Panici suffered three fractured vertebrae when he was unseated during the 10th race at Gulfstream Park Saturday and is expected to miss several weeks of riding.

“They say there's no surgery. He just needs time to heal,” said the jockey's agent Kevin Meyocks.

Panici has won 724 races since coming to the U.S. from Italy, where he rode more than 500 winners. In 2020 Panici came back from two injuries, a fracture collarbone in February and two broken ribs in April.

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