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Quality Road Sires Exacta In Listed King’s Cup, Saudi Cup Next

A little less than five months after Emblem Road caused a massive upset in the $20-million G1 Saudi Cup last February, agents for that horse's owner HRH Prince Saud bin Salman Abdulaziz went shopping for another son of Quality Road at the Fasig-Tipton July Horses of Racing Age Sale. They landed on Scotland Yard, placed three times in maiden company from four starts for WinStar Farm and Siena Farm and Steve Asmussen and offered through the WinStar Racing consignment.

Acquired for $255,000 with a race like the Saudi Cup the long-term objective, Scotland Yard remained undefeated in three starts at King Abdulaziz Racetrack with a comprehensive victory in Saturday's $399,600 Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup (King's Cup), accorded listed black-type status for the first time.

Drawn wide in a field of 17, Scotland Yard broke alertly and raced handy to the pace while traveling in about the six path down the long backstretch in Riyadh. Allowed to improve his position and guided down to race three deep around the turn, Scotland Yard wrested command from fellow Fasig-Tipton HORA grad Electability (Quality Road) under little encouragement with more than a quarter-mile to race and put on a show down the lane, scoring by 10 1/4 lengths (see below, SC 16)). Electability plugged on for second ahead of 9-year-old mare La Casa Tarifa (Ire) (Casamento {Ire}) in third. The final time for the mile and a quarter on a dry strip that rarely produces fast times was a crisp 2:04 flat. With the victory, Scotland Yard earns an automatic berth in the nine-furlong Saudi Cup Feb. 25.

Scotland Yard is a son of Leslie's Harmony (Curlin), a half-sister to four-time champion and 10-time Grade I winner Beholder (Henny Hughes), all-conquering sire Into Mischief (Harlan's Holiday) and GISW and promising young stallion Mendelssohn (Scat Daddy). Bridlewood Farm acquired Leslie's Harmony for $1.1 million out of the 2014 Keeneland September Sale and she is also the dam of the 3-year-old filly Union Harmony (Union Rags), a 2-year-old Tapit filly and a yearling filly by Uncle Mo. She is due to Not This Time for her 2023 foal. Scotland Road is the 67th stakes winner for his sire.

THE CUSTODIAN OF THE TWO HOLY MOSQUES CUP (King's Cup) (Saudi Cup Qualifier)-Listed, SAR1,500,000 ($399,600), King Abdulaziz, 1-28, 3yo/up, 2000mT, 2:04, ft.
1–SCOTLAND YARD, 127, c, 4, Quality Road–Leslie's Harmony,
by Curlin. ($300,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP; $255,000 HRA '22
FTKHRA). 1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. O-Prince Saud bin Salman
Abdulaziz; B-Bridlewood Farm (FL); T-M Almulawah; J-V
Gutierrez; SAR750,000. Lifetime Record: 7-3-2-1, $343,934.
2–Electability, 127, g, 4, Quality Road–Spindle, by Hard Spun.
($300,000 Wlg '19 KEENOV; $330,000 HRA '22 FTKHRA).
O-King Abdullah bin A/Aziz Sons; B-Purple H Bloodstock (KY);
T-A Albadah; J-C Ospina; SAR300,000.
3–La Casa Tarifa (GB), 126, m, 9, Casamento (Ire)–Cool Tarifa
(Ire), by One Cool Cat. (£10,000 Ylg '15 DNPAUG; 16,000gns
HRA '17 TATNOV). O-Prince A/Aziz bin Fahd bin A/Aziz; B-;
T-N A Almindeel; J-Ah Alrashed; SAR225,000.
Margins: 10 1/4, 2 1/4, 2 1/4.

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Justify Represented By First Australian Winner

Courtesy TDNAus/NZ

Coolmore Stud's Triple Crown hero and dual-hemisphere sire Justify (Scat Daddy) is off the mark in Australia and with a smart one. Learning To Fly (Aus) found plenty at her racecourse debut in Saturday's G3 Widden S. at Rosehill (video), having shown plenty of talent at the trials.

Bred by Katom and purchased by Kia Ora Stud for A$900,000 from the Coolmore Stud draft at the 2022 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, the Annabel Neasham-trained filly is her sire's seventh worldwide stakes winner and his first winner of any variety on Australian soil.

She is the second foal for the G3 Chairmans' S. winner Ennis Hill (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) whose dam is the G2 Reisling S. winner Hips Don't Lie (NZ) (Stravinsky)–also dam of the Listed winners Lake Geneva (Aus) and Acrobat (Aus), both also by Fastnet Rock.

Served last spring by Snitzel (Aus) after foaling an I Am Invincible (Aus) filly, Ennis Hill also has a Pierro (Aus) filly who is catalogued as lot 117 at this year's Inglis Easter sale.

Learning To Fly boasts a cross of the wonderful mare Crimson Saint (Crimson Satan) via her grandson Storm Cat and son Royal Academy.

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Good Magic’s Mage Opens His Account On Pegasus Undercard

2nd-Gulfstream, $70,000, Msw, 1-28, 3yo, 7f, 1:22.54, ft, 3 3/4 lengths.

MAGE (c, 3, Good Magic–Puca {SW & GSP, $299,406}, by Big Brown), dismissed by the betting public at 11-1 in his debut start despite selling for $290,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Sale, avoided trouble with a forward ride out of the gate, setting the early pace from just off the rail. Positioned inside of pressure from Perform (Good Magic) through the half-mile in :45.88, Mage hit his best stride past the quarter pole and drew off nicely down the lane, hitting the wire 3 3/4 lengths ahead of Bourbon Resolve (Hard Spun). A son of 'TDN Rising Star' and GSP Puca–herself a half-sister to GISW Finnegans Wake (Powerscourt {GB})–Mage is a half-brother to SP Gunning (Gun Runner). His 2-year-old full-sister brought $325,000 from Oracle Bloodstock at last year's Keeneland September Sale and Puca foaled a colt by McKinzie last year. Sales History: $235,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP; $290,000 2yo '22 EASMAY. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $42,000. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

O-OGMA Investments, LLC, Ramiro Restrepo, Sterling Racing LLC & CMNWLTH; B-Grandview Equine (KY); T-Gustavo Delgado.

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Keeneland Bid Spotter Pete McCormick Dies At 75

Pete McCormick, a longtime Keeneland bid spotter and U.S. Marine Corps veteran, passed away Thursday at the age of 75. A native of Ontario, California, Pete was just a boy when given his first job in the auction business from Tom Caldwell, the longtime head auctioneer at Keeneland, who took McCormick under his wing.

“The Keeneland family mourns the passing of Pete McCormick, who was an iconic presence in the Keeneland Sales Pavilion during his four decades as a bid spotter,” Keeneland said Friday in a statement. “Pete famously said, 'My life is the auction business,' and he was widely respected by colleagues and horsemen for his tireless work ethic, professionalism and devotion to his craft. He would arrive at the sale two to three hours before the auction began to walk the barns, talking to buyers and consignors and getting to know the horses. His extensive knowledge and his demeanor won him a legion of fans, many of them buyers at the highest level, who showed their confidence in Pete by sitting in his area of the ring to place their bids. He was their good-luck charm.”

“Keeneland extends its deepest condolences to Pete's family, especially his son, Ken. He will be greatly missed.”

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