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2022 Leading First-Crop Sire Race: And the Winner Is…

By a total margin of more than $275,000, pending any late foreign money, Spendthrift Farm's Bolt d'Oro (Medaglia d'Oro) handily captured the title of 2022's leading first-year sire over an impressive list of promising freshman stallions that included 2017 juvenile champion Good Magic (Curlin), who stands at Hill 'n' Dale Farm, and Coolmore's Triple Crown winner and 2018 Horse of the Year Justify (Scat Daddy). The top three battled neck and neck down to the wire with Bolt d'Oro pulling away from Good Magic in the last few days of the year to claim the win, with Justify checking in third.

Developing a leading freshman sire was an especially sweet victory for the connections of two-time GI winner Bolt d'Oro, who was finally able to turn the tables on Justify after finishing behind him in their only two meetings on the track.

“It's really exciting obviously,” Spendthrift Farm general manager Ned Toffey said. “It's a really nice way to cap off the year. We have the perennial leading sire (Into Mischief) and to add the leading freshman sire is certainly a feather in our cap. It is a credit to the entire team at Spendthrift Farm and the ownership group, the breeders and the buyers at auction. As the year unfolded it was nice to see (Bolt d'Oro) gain momentum to not only have sprinters but also runners who could go two turns.”

Bolt d'Oro was bred to 214 mares in 2019 with 168 live foals reported, of which 80 started and 29 won. Overall, his first crop earned $2,810,095 in 2022 and he was represented by 15 stakes runners and six stakes winners, including GII winners Instant Coffee and Major Dude. He stood for $25,000 in his initial year at stud, dropped to $15,000 in 2020 and after a year at $20,000 will stand for a fee of $35,000 in 2023.

“This is a horse (the late Spendthrift owner B. Wayne Huges) was very excited about,” Toffey said. “Bolt d'Oro came to Spendthrift at about the time Medaglia d'Oro was at the top of his game and a big international sire, and Mr. Hughes was pretty positive about this horse. He was one who really captured his imagination and I think he'd be very proud right now. Like Mr. Hughes would say, 'It's genetic roulette,' and I think we got lucky here.”

Good Magic, who covered 164 mares for 134 live foals in his first crop, saw 22 of his 65 starters reach the winner's circle, his entire first crop banking $2,533,194. GI Champagne S. winner Blazing Sevens was his top performer, and he was also represented by GII winners Dubyunhell and Vegas Magic. He had six score in black-type company in 2022 overall, of which four earned graded honors. He stood for an initial fee of $35,000, which was boosted to $50,000 for 2023.

Justify, who stood for $150,000 in his first year at Ashford Stud, covered 252 mares in 2019 and was represented by 180 live foals in 2020. He saw 29 of his 71 starters reach the winner's circle for $2,478,038, with Irish G2 winner Statuette being his most successful runner. He was also represented by GIII winners Just Cindy and Champions Dream in the U.S. He is advertised for $100,000 in 2023.

Other notable sires to finish behind the top three were Army Mule (Friesan Fire), who stands at Hill 'n' Dale for a fee of $12,500 in 2023 and whose offspring earned $2,045,440; and Three Chimneys Farm's Sharp Azteca (Freud), who is advertised for a fee of $15,000 and whose first crop of runners earned $1,914,292.

Bolt d'Oro joins an impressive recent list of leading first-year sires that includes Gun Runner (Candy Ride {Arg}), Nyquist (Uncle Mo) and American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile).

Final Earnings Standings through Dec. 31, 2022 (pending last-minute foreign earnings):
1st—Bolt d'Oro, $2,810,0956
2nd—Good Magic, $2,533,194
3rd—Justify, $2,478,038

The TDN sire lists contain full-dollar earnings of Northern Hemisphere foals winning anywhere in the world. To view the current standings updated overnight, click here.

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Skippylongstocking Preps For Pegasus With Win In Harlan’s Holiday

As the 3-year-olds line up to duke it out for next season's older- horse honors, Skippylongstocking (Exaggerator) proved he's rounding back into form at just the right time when taking GII Harlan's Holiday S., the local prep for next year's GI Pegasus World Cup.

A consistent presence on the Triple Crown trail earlier this year, Skippylongstocking was always right there in the year's biggest races–third to Mo Donegal (Uncle Mo) in both the GII Wood Memorial S. and the GI Belmont S. and fifth behind Early Voting (Gun Runner) in the GI Preakness S. A career-best 102 Beyer Speed Figure saw him take the win in the GIII West Virginia Derby Aug. 6 before he tossed in a clunker in his most recent start, checking in 15 1/2 lengths behind Taiba (Gun Runner) in the GI Pennsylvania Derby Sept. 24.

Racing amongst familiar rivals in Simplification (Not This Time) and fellow Triple Crown contender Pioneer of Medina (Pioneerof the Nile), Skippylongstocking came in just the 3-1 third choice as heralded stablemate and Chilean bred O'Connor (Chi) (Boboman) took the favorite honors. Pace-setting duty went to Pioneer of Medina who was happy to lead the field through fractions of :23.75 and :47.14 before losing the front to Skippylongstocking, who was never further back than second while racing in the clear on the outside. Simplification looked to go by Pioneer of Medina for the placing as Skippylongstocking was home free, but was denied and had to settle for third as O'Connor faded to fourth.

“It was a game effort by Skippy,” said winning trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr., also the trainer of O'Connor. “He's a horse that tries and he runs hard. O'Connor disappointed–he's better than that. He's much, much better than that. Seeing how the race unfolded and the speed kept going around, maybe that was it, but I can't really buy that. He made up ground and hit a flat spot. Hopefully, he comes out well, and we'd like to give him a chance in the [GI] Pegasus also.”

Pedigree Notes:

The third winner from as many to race for his dam, Skippylongstocking is the leading money earner for his sire. Twinkling produced a yearling filly by Take Charge Indy and a weanling filly by Maclean's music before visiting GI Kentucky Derby winner Authentic for 2023.

Saturday, Gulfstream
HARLAN'S HOLIDAY S.-GIII, $150,000, Gulfstream, 12-31, 3yo/up, 1 1/16m, 1:42.76, ft.
1–SKIPPYLONGSTOCKING, 123, c, 3, by Exaggerator
                1st Dam: Twinkling, by War Chant
                2nd Dam: Unhurried, by Out of Place
                3rd Dam: Laughing Erin, by Irish Castle
($15,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP; $37,000 2yo '21 OBSAPR). O-Daniel
Alonso; B-Brushy Hill, LLC (KY); T-Saffie A. Joseph, Jr.; J-Irad
Ortiz, Jr. $90,210. Lifetime Record: GISP, 14-4-1-3, $777,810.
*1/2 to Olivia Twist (Mshawish), SW, $100,149; Moonlite
Strike (Liam's Map), SW & GSP, $172,735. Werk Nick Rating:
A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for
the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Pioneer of Medina, 118, c, 3, Pioneerof the Nile–Lights of
Medina, by Eskendereya. ($485,000 RNA Ylg '20 KEESEP).
O-Sumaya U.S. Stable; B-International Equities Holding, Inc.
(KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher. $29,100.
3–Simplification, 120, c, 3, Not This Time–Simply Confection,
by Candy Ride (Arg). ($50,000 RNA Wlg '19 KEENOV). O-Tami
Bobo; B-France & Irwin J. Weiner (FL); T-Antonio Sano.
$14,550.
Margins: 2, NK, 2. Odds: 3.20, 12.20, 2.40.
Also Ran: O'Connor (Chi), South Bend, Strike Hard, Cooke Creek, Clapton.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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Beverly Park Closes Out Year with 15th Win

There are better, faster horses in the sport, but there's not another one like Beverly Park (Munnings). In an era where five or six starts a year is considered a normal campaign for a horse and many trainers look for seven or eight weeks between starts, the 5-year-old made of blood, flesh and iron continued to laugh at conventional wisdom. In his 30^th start of the year, he won Saturday's third race at the Fair Grounds by 3 3/4 lengths, paying $3.80. The race was a starter optional claimer and it was his 15^th win on the year.

Beverly Park's 15 wins easily led the sport in 2022. Nine other horses are tied for second with eight victories. His 30 starts also led all horses. Pretty Loud (Boisterous) was next with 28. The Fair Grounds was the 14^th track Beverly Park has competed at this year.

“He is definitely an iron horse,” said owner-trainer Lynn Cash. “He's probably the horse of a lifetime. He travels well. He's been a fun horse. I just happened to grab onto his coattails while he was going by and he pulled me up. He's as sound a horse as has ever been. I've never had to do any work on him whatsoever.”

The story of Lynn Cash and Beverly Park began on Aug. 15, 2021 when he claimed the horse from trainer Dane Kobiskie for $12,500 out of a race at Belterra Park. Cash brought him back 13 days later and he won for his new barn. During 2021, he won seven of eight starts for Cash. His overall record for Cash's Build Wright Stables is 22-for-38.

Much of his 2022 campaign was spent in a starter allowances. Throughout the year, he was eligible for races where a horse had started for $5,000 or less in 2021 or 2022. Cash would take him around the country, shipping to wherever he could find a race at that level, traveling countless miles.

“I just love this horse,” he said. “Me and him, from the beginning, we have been the ones together on the road.”

What Cash learned early on was that while Beverly Park may not be a top-level horse when it came to talent, but he more than made up for that with his competitive spirit.

“He's just a competitor,” he said. “He's at the track, slow galloping or jogging and when a horse comes by that is working he wants to take off and go get them. He has so much heart. Every time, he leaves it out there.”

With a new year here, Cash will have a harder time finding races for Beverly Park as he will no longer be eligible for the starter allowance races at some tracks. He said if he can't find enough starter races he will try Beverly Park in allowance races. He also said it's not out of the question that he ventures into stakes company.

“At some point, I may give him his shot in stakes,” he said. “Maybe a Grade III in New York or something like that. They have a lot of small fields in stakes there. I think he deserves that chance.”

He said one goal for 2023 would be to again lead the nation in wins and added that he thought 11 or 12 victories next year was reasonable.

Cash wasn't sure where Beverly Park would run next but said a Jan. 11 race at Parx is a possibility. If not there, a return to the Fair Grounds for a Jan. 19 race could be in the offing. He could, of course, always run in both.

For now, there will be a few days rest and a chance to savor another big win.

“This one was really sweet,” Cash said. “They were very nice to us here at the Fair Grounds. A lot of people came up to us after the race. He's become a fan favorite. Just a special, special horse.”

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City Man Punches Pegasus Turf Ticket in Ft. Lauderdale

Reeves Thoroughbred Racing and Peter and Patty Searles' City Man (Mucho Macho Man) was the recipient of a cool-headed ride from Joel Rosario and kicked smartly at the fence to take out Saturday's GII Fort Lauderdale S., earning a spot in the field for the GI Pegasus World Cup Turf in a month's time.

And he's done it the old-fashioned way–he's earned it.

The second betting favorite as the public went head over heels for the comebacking two-time Pegasus hero Colonel Liam (Liam's Map), City Man bounced well from gate six and was asked for a bit of speed to get a foothold at the fence in third, as longshots Winfromwithin (Into Mischief) and Decorated Invader (Declaration of War) showed the most early interest. Colonel Liam, marooned in the 11 hole and having his first run since finishing down the field in the G1 Dubai Turf last March, got all the way down into the two path to be a forward factor as well.

Holding his spot at the fence turning up the backstretch, City Man was in the box seat from third, while Colonel Liam was taken out three wide, with a clear shot at the leaders as they reached the midpoint of the second turn. Ridden with the whip three wide at the three-sixteenths, Colonel Liam got to within a length of the now-scrimmaging pacesetters, but had run his race soon after. Ridden for a bit of luck by Rosario, City Man was shifted down to the rail to take advantage of the opening left by a drifting Winfromwithin, felt a right-handed crack of the crop when striking to the lead about a furlong down and kept on gamely for the victory. Street Ready (More Than Ready) won a photo for third ahead of the dead-heating Winfromwithin and 65-1 Good Governance (GB) (Kingman {GB}), who ran a sneaky race while covering stacks of extra ground. Colonel Liam tired to sixth.

“The idea was to be forward with him,” winning trainer Christophe Clement confirmed. “I told [jockey Joel Rosario] not to fight him and be comfortable, and he won well. It's a nice race, a prep for the Pegasus. That would be the plan. He's a New York-bred, so I gave him a break [in the winter] in the past. But this year, I just thought we had never run in the Pegasus and I told Mr. Reeves, 'Why don't you try to run in the Pegasus?' It's a beautiful turf course, well done by Gulfstream. They got it right. All the jockeys have been very positive about it, and I'm delighted.”

Trainer Todd Pletcher indicated that the Pegasus remains in the plans for the beaten favorite.

“I thought he worked out a pretty good trip from the wide post,” the conditioner said. “He got to the position we wanted. They were really running along quickly. [Jockey] Irad [Ortiz Jr.] said he flattened out on him a little in the middle of the far turn. It's been a while since he's run and hopefully, he needed the race. He seemed to jog back great and looked great. We'll train as though he'll run in the Pegasus Turf unless he tells me not to.”

Better than ever at the age of five, City Man caused a 12-1 upset in Saratoga's GIII Forbidden Apple S. in July, his first at the graded level and was a good second in the GIII Bernard Baruch H. in September. Much to the chagrin of his competition, the 5-year-old returned to state-bred restricted company for his two most recent appearances at Aqueduct, resulting in wins in the Sept. 24 Ashley T. Cole S. and the Mohawk S. Oct. 30.

Pedigree Notes:

City Man is one of three graded winners for Mucho Macho Man, whose two Grade I winners include 2020 GI Pegasus World Cup romper Mucho Gusto. City Scamper, a winning half-sister to New York-bred stakes winner Alwaysinstilletos (Bandini), produced a colt by Hoppertunity in 2020, a full-sister to City Man in 2021 already named Miss City Girl and a Vino Rosso filly in 2022.

Saturday, Gulfstream
FT. LAUDERDALE S.-GII, $200,000, Gulfstream, 12-31, 3yo/up, 1 1/8mT, 1:46.10, fm.
1–CITY MAN, 126, h, 5, by Mucho Macho Man
                1st Dam: City Scamper, by City Zip
                2nd Dam: Always Belong, by Belong to Me
                3rd Dam: Morgans Raider, by Giboulee
($20,000 Wlg '17 FTNMIX; $185,000 2yo '19 OBSAPR).
O-Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, Peter & Patty Searles;
B-Moonstar Farm (NY); T-Christophe Clement; J-Joel Rosario.
$115,320. Lifetime Record: 26-9-5-3, $987,120. Werk Nick
Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Decorated Invader, 121, h, 5, Declaration of War–Gamely
Girl, by Arch. ($200,000 Ylg '18 KEESEP). O-West Point
Thoroughbreds, William T. Freeman, William Sandbrook &
Cheryl Manning; B-Redmon Farm, LLC (KY); T-Christophe
Clement. $37,200.
3–Street Ready, 121, g, 5, More Than Ready–Sense to
Compete, by Street Sense. ($240,000 Ylg '18 KEESEP). O-Lucky
Seven Stable (Mackin); B-Earle I. Mack LLC (KY); T-Ian R.
Wilkes. $18,600.
Margins: 1HF, NK, HD. Odds: 3.10, 21.90, 8.10.
Also Ran: (DH)-Good Governance (GB), (DH)-Winfromwithin, Colonel Liam, Pao Alto (Fr), Tango Tango Tango, King Cause, Shadow Sphinx, Kentucky Ghost, Carpenters Call. Scratched: Marwad (GB). Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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