This Side Up: Missing The Point

They used to say that all roads lead to Rome. Now they all seem to lead to Louisville, whether you're starting from the desert or up the road in Florence, Kentucky. Some of us, even so, still miss the forgotten turnpike long favored by horsemen of the old school. In fact, there are times when I fear that we might actually have found ourselves on the road that is notoriously paved with good intentions.

Saturday opens the third cycle of rehearsals offering starting points for the GI Kentucky Derby. The first offered some marginal reward for precocity, with no more than 20 points (10 to the winner) for the vast majority of juvenile and what might be termed “short juvenile” (Jerome/Sham-style) qualifiers. Conspicuously, even these preclude sprint speed. The next phase, offering between 40 and 100 points, virtually guarantees the bigger scorers a start on the first Saturday in May; and now we enter this closing series of trials, three of which immediately give even placed horses every prospect of prying open a gate with their share of a whopping 200 points.

Not everyone will agree that all three merit quite that kind of help, and cynics will doubtless perceive some political considerations at play. The Jeff Ruby is only a Grade III race, run on synthetics, but it is staged at a track owned by Churchill Downs. And then there's the UAE Derby, a Group 2 staged halfway round the world.

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It's not hard to see why a flying carpet should be provided direct from Meydan to Louisville, when the most lavish benefactor in the sport's history was for a long time so animated by the idea of winning the Kentucky Derby from his own homeland. For one reason or another, however, his stable lately seems to be leaving this particular path pretty clear.

Last year both the first two, respectively trained in Japan and locally, took their chips to the counter for a trip to Kentucky and actually had a decisive impact on the day, tearing off at such reckless speed that they set up something that has become extremely rare since the sprinters were banished from the Derby: a success from way off the pace.

Rich Strike (Keen Ice) himself, of course, had only made the bench because of 20 points banked when third in the Jeff Ruby, though what ultimately got him into the race was the solitary point he had previously earned for running fourth in the John Battaglia. That's another race on the synthetic at Turfway, by the way, and one this year upgraded to 40 points (from 17).

Rich Strike wins the 148th Kentucky Derby | Coady Photography

Yet I think it's only fair to acknowledge an inherent and evolving legitimacy to the kind of competition stimulated both by the UAE Derby, and the “back road” to Churchill along Interstate 71.

Rich Strike at least made it necessary to be open-minded about what sometimes happens when a horse transitions out of the synthetic trials-something to remember when it comes to the revelatory performance of Raise Cain (Violence) in the GIII Gotham S. That said, I still cling fiercely to the conviction that fewer horses than we tend to assume have that kind of emphatic specialism. Indeed, switching the race we now know as the Jeff Ruby to a synthetic surface very soon produced a couple of poster boys, in that respect, in Hard Spun and Animal Kingdom.

The Meydan race, meanwhile, has over the last decade been won by several elite talents. One was later beaten a nose in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic; another won two G1 Dubai World Cups; another ran second in the GI Travers that summer; while 2021 winner Rebel's Romance (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) returns to this card for the GI Longines Dubai Sheema Classic as a Breeders' Cup champion.

The international landscape continues to shift under our feet, so that even Dubai must now adapt to the intrusion of an even richer program in Riyadh-albeit hardly facing the kind of identity crisis its own emergence created for storied races like the GI Santa Anita Handicap. But one particular trend just continues to consolidate, with the Japanese in Riyadh having continued to hammer their flag into the top of the global pyramid.

They have got here, at least in part, by embracing aspects of the Thoroughbred that the American and European industries have disparaged as uncommercial. The Japanese have prized stamina and soundness, and they have resisted narrow, prescriptive thinking about what kind of blood works on what kind of surface.

Meydan Racecourse, Dubai | Horsephotos

Apart from anything else, that should discourage any resentment of the way the synthetic route to the Derby is being promoted at Turfway. Far more profoundly, however, the Japanese example should prompt Americans and Europeans alike to retrieve the faith their predecessors showed in the transferability of genetic prowess, when they sent likes of Nasrullah (Ire) and various sons of Northern Dancer on reverse journeys over the ocean.

As I've said before, the final straw came in 2021 when no European or American farm was prepared to match Japan's interest in Poetic Flare (Ire) (Dawn Approach {Ire}) after he contested Classics in three different countries in 22 days (won the first, and was beaten a short head on heavy ground in the third having run in France six days earlier) before taking his form to a new level in the G1 St. James's Palace S. the following month.

In stupefying contrast, the most accomplished horse in the GI Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby has been given two months to soak up his success in the GIII Lecomte S. So, while this race, historically, would seem a far more congenial environment for the distribution of 200 starting points than Meydan or Turfway, arguably the points system is facilitating a deplorable contrast to the way Jim Bolger promoted the genetic wares of Poetic Flare.

I can't presume to say whether it's the trainers themselves, or the breeders who provide their raw materials, that bear most responsibility for the idea that a Derby colt should be deliberately confined to one start in January and another in March. (To be clear, this is a general complaint-we're not singling out this particular horse's trainer here. The juvenile champion has been handled in very similar fashion.) At least the Fair Grounds trials have all been extended in distance, giving these horses a little more conditioning on the rare occasions we get to see them, with striking recent dividends. But having often lamented how the exclusion of sprinters has diluted the Kentucky Derby, as the ultimate showcase for the ability to carry speed, I now fear that it is watering down the breed in other respects, too.

If they're going to stick with the points system-and clearly they are-then maybe it's time to consider some kind of weighting in favor of those who make the road to the Derby a more diverse and interesting place; and the Derby itself a more instructive test. Bonus points or tiebreak advantage, perhaps, to the horse that shows merit over a spectrum of distances and/or surfaces, or even just for each start made.

Crazy ideas, no doubt, in a world where people are more interested in making a fast buck than breeding a fast horse. So crazy, in fact, that they might even be quite sensible.

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Earning Their Stripes: Jordan Blair

Last year, we conducted a popular Q and A series called 'Smaller But Still Super,' where we featured veteran trainers who have built a competitive racing stable with relatively small numbers (click here to view the archive). This year, we will highlight trainers who have already cut their teeth as novice trainers, but now have a few years of experience under their belt and are looking to make a name for themselves as they grow their stable. We'll talk about the challenges that come with hanging out your single, advice for trainers setting out on their own, how the incoming class of young trainers differs from previous generations and more.

A native of Lexington, Kentucky, Jordan Blair grew up immersed in the Thoroughbred industry of the Bluegrass, but he didn't find his way onto the racetrack until later on his career. He spent his high school and college days working for various farms and sales consignments, from Pin Oak Stud and Dromoland Farm to Taylor Made. After graduating from the University of Kentucky, he went on to earn a Master's Degree in Agribusiness Management. Soon after, he found his true passion on the racetrack and served as an assistant for eight years, learning from the likes of Kenny McPeek and Mike Maker, before taking out his trainer's license in 2013.

Based in Louisville, Blair has steadily built his operation since and now stables around 20 horses. Last year he reached 100 career wins and celebrated his best year yet in earnings.

Blair normally heads south for the winter, but decided to race out of Turfway this year. It proved to be a lucrative decision, as his stable already has six wins on the year and is winning at a 22% clip.

What was the biggest challenge in those first few years as you were getting started?

A big part of it is financial, just paying the bills and making sure your owners are paying the bills. It's about making sure you have good-quality horses and owners in your barn. I've found that a lot of people will try to take advantage of you early on, wanting to do deals. We went through those people very quickly because I learned those lessons the hard way.

When I was first starting I didn't care if a horse was bred in Kalamazoo, I was just trying to fill stalls. Honestly, we were running horses in spots that they didn't belong in because I didn't want to lose them. Now if I have a horse in the wrong spot, I can promise you that it's not my idea. Now we just want to win and I'm not worried if we lose a horse in the claim box.

Debut winner Midnight Rising runs in Saturday's Rushaway S. At Turfway Park | Coady

What do you think makes your stable or your training style unique?

Training is not rocket science. It's paying attention to details and focusing on the little things. When I was younger, I had to learn about work ethic. One of my old bosses from Pin Oak Stud Clifford Barry told me, as he was kicking my tail end every day, focus on the little things and the big things will take care of themselves. I've kind of lived by that as a trainer as I've grown my business.

As I've evolved as a trainer and rules have changed and the veterinary inspections have gotten more rigorous, I've made a focus on the soundness of the horse. Not that I didn't pay attention to that before, but it's more important now than it has ever been. We're constantly going over the horse and I'm hyper-focused on the details and the health of the horse.

This is your first winter at Turfway. What went into that decision to stay in Kentucky?

Tampa Bay Downs was the first place I went and I went there every winter. I knew it was a good surface, a great turf course and a circuit where I knew I could win races down there. Most owners are just looking at numbers, so I wanted to keep our numbers decent. But then I had a family and leaving them every year was awful.

I really hadn't had the opportunity to stay until this year. The first year that Turfway started to get better and purses went up a bit, my owners were not on board yet. Last year I really wanted to stay but I didn't get any stalls at Turfway. This year the facility we stay at all year, Trackside, stayed open. So it was an easy decision.

It has gone really well. We've won our share of races, purses are significantly better, and I've been able to see my kids every day. We had a relatively mild winter with only a few days of jogging in the shedrow, but overall it's been a delight and we've saved a ton of money not having to ship a stable south.

Is a trainer's success defined more by the quality of the horses they receive or their abilities as a trainer?

If you're a college basketball coach, you can be Rick Pitino and be one of the best coaches in history, but you can't win a national championship at Iona. If you're talking about the top of the game, you need the right type of quality of horses to get you there. You can't make a horse faster than their potential unless you're doing something illegal. You can't get to the top without the right horse.

Who is your favorite horse that you've trained?

I have one in the barn now that could be something for Surfside Stables. Midnight Rising (Mendelssohn) broke his maiden at Turfway impressively. He runs in a stake at Turfway this weekend. His last breeze was just amazing. He acts like he's very special.

One of my first horses was a Donegal horse named Oatfield (Candy Ride {Arg}). I thought he was awesome, but he bowed a tenon at the beginning of his 4-year-old year. At the time he was the best horse I had ever had.

Oceanic gets his first stakes win in the 2022 Woodford Reserve Da Hoss S. | Coady

Do you have a horse that you had to overcome obstacles with that you are most proud of getting to the starting gate?

Oceanic (Constitution) is my first and only stakes winner and he is pretty special. He has been in our care since he was two, but he didn't win a stake until he was five. He had immense potential early on, but he was a thumper. Thumping is an electrolyte imbalance that causes a flutter in their diaphragm when they run. It's almost like a hiccup, so it makes running as fast as you can impossible. Figuring that out was a long process and it was frustrating, but his owners and I were patient and kept on with it. He's that horse that overcame obstacles and we had the patience and wherewithal to figure it out with the help of a lot of people along the way.

If one change was made to racing that would make your life as a trainer easier, what would it be?

I'm not a big fan of HISA, and it's not because it's a governing body. I don't think what they're doing is improving the game because it's putting unnecessary pressure on people who follow the rules. If they really wanted to clean it up, all this money should be put into investigations like those that were done with the Navarro and Servis case. That's what's going to clean up the game. It's not catching guys with a small overage on bute or something like that, it's getting rid of this off-market clenbuterol and all this other crap that people are using to cheat and win. We know who they are now and we knew who they were before they proved it with Servis and Navarro. If I was a governing body of horseracing, I would put my resources into these investigations.

I thought HISA was supposed to make uniform rules across the board, but it does not. Tracks or states can make their own rules as long as they are more stringent than HISA. I thought HISA would make all that the same and it hasn't, which is really frustrating.

If you could spend one afternoon at the track enjoying the day (i.e. not working), which track would you be at and where would we find you hanging out?

It's gotta be Keeneland. It's close between Keeneland and Saratoga. Back in college, we were in row 20 tailgating. They didn't have tailgating on the Hill back then. We would be there at nine in the morning and tailgate until the second or third race. Now I don't think I have a spot because I don't really go unless I'm running.

If you aren't at the racetrack, what can you be found doing?

I would be either with my family or working out. My kids are into sports, gymnastics and horseback riding. My hobby is exercise, so I'd be at the gym or the gym in my garage.

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Making Waves: Ain’t No Mountain High Enough

Our series featuring notable success for European sires in North America, with this week's highlight being the victory of Grade I winner Shantisara (Ire) (Coulsty {Ire}) in the GII Hillsborough S. at Tampa Bay Downs.

Madaket Stables, Michael Dubb and Robert LaPenta's Shantisara is no stranger to the winner's circle, and the 2021 GI Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup S. heroine secured her first victory since 2021 with a 1 1/4-length triumph in the Hillsborough S. on Saturday (video).

Now a 5-year-old, the mare was bred by Oliver Donlon, and sold for 10,000gns as a Tattersalls Guineas Breeze-Up graduate in 2020. Sent to the yard of Daniele Zarroli, she made her first two starts for Ladritta SRL, winning her second, a Chantilly maiden claimer by five lengths in November of 2020. After taking a 2000-metre conditions race in December for Frederic Rossi in the colours of Patrick Dreux, she was runner-up in another conditions race, and Sol Kumin bought her before racing her once in his silks with Rossi to an eighth-place finish in the Listed Prix de la Californie on Valentine's Day in 2021.

With LaPenta and Michael Dubb added as owners, Shantisara triumphed in the GIII Pucker Up S. for Chad Brown at Arlington Park that August, before taking the Jockey Club Oaks Invitational S. in New York and her Keeneland Grade I later that autumn. Defeated by subsequent Eclipse champion Regal Glory (Animal Kingdom) in the GI Jenny Wiley S. at Keeneland in April, she returned with a fifth in the Fall Harvest S. there. Shantisara was second in the GIII Pegasus Wold Cup Filly & Mare Turf Invitational on Jan. 28 prior to the Hillsborough.

The only foal to make it to the races for Kharana (Ire) (Dalakhani {Ire}), who died in 2020, Shantisara is a granddaughter of the stakes-winning Khanata (Riverman), who was third in the G2 Pretty Polly S., while this is also the female family of champion and notable sire High Chaparral (Ire) (Sadler's Wells).

The Hillsborough heroine is one of three winners from three to race Stateside for Rathasker Stud stallion Coulsty. Of the other two, Coulthard (Ire) placed third in the GIII Green Flash H. at Del Mar.

The Doctor Is In

'TDN Rising Star' Dr Zempf (GB) (Dark Angel {Ire}) made his American bow a winning one in an allowance optional claimer at Gulfstream Park on Friday (video). The Peter Brant colourbearer stamped his sigil on the 7 1/2-furlong turf contest by 2 1/2 lengths. It was the 4-year-old gelding's fourth win in 10 starts.

Consigned by breeder Chris Wright's Stratford Place Stud to the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale Book 1, the grey caught the eye of Demi O'Byrne, who signed on behalf of Brant's White Birch Farm to the tune of 420,000gns. Ger Lyons saddled Dr Zempf to a 2 1/4-length 'Rising Star'-worthy tally over yielding going at the Curragh in June of 2021, and he was not disgraced when fourth in the G2 Railway S. there later in the month. Less than a length off of Ebro River (Ire) (Galileo Gold {GB}) in the G1 Phoenix S., Dr Zempf was unplaced behind Perfect Power (Ire) (Ardad {Ire}) in the G1 Middle Park S. at Newmarket.

Back to winning ways at listed level at Leopardstown last April, he earned his first Group 3 badge with a two-length score in the Ballycorus S. two starts later on June 9. Third to 2020 GI Breeders' Cup Mile winner Order Of Australia (Ire) (Australia {GB}) in the G2 Minstrel S. in July, Dr Zempf lost all chance in his final European appearance when rearing at the beginning of the G2 City Of York S. and trailed in eighth behind subsequent 2022 Breeders' Cup Mile third Kinross (GB) (Kingman {GB}). Gelded over the winter and switched to the Chad Brown barn, Friday was his first start in over 180 days.

Out of G3 Prix Eclipse heroine Souvenir Delondres (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}), Dr Zempf is followed by the 3-year-old filly Visiting Hours (GB) (Kingman {GB}) and a juvenile colt named Phoenix Passion (Ire) (Too Darn Hot {GB}). From the same clan as G1 Sussex S. winner and sire Noalcoholic (Fr) (Nonoalco), Phoenix Passion was picked up by George Gill's Opulence Thoroughbreds for 125,000gns out of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale Book 2.

Yeomanstown Stud's kingpin Dark Angel sports a record of 23 winners from 41 to race (56%) in the U.S., and 12 stakes horses (29%). Five of his progeny have won stakes Stateside (12% of 41 runners), led by three-time Grade I winner and Gainesway sire Raging Bull (Fr), dual Grade I winner Althiqa (GB), and GI Shoemaker Mile S. hero Hunt (Ire).

Zoffany Colt Game Over KY All-Weather

The much-missed Zoffany (Ire)'s Dark Side (Ire) found a 1 1/16th all-weather contest to his liking at Turfway Park on Friday (video), eking out a slim neck victory in the Qatar Racing colours. It was the first start in America for the Brendan Walsh trainee.

A product of Ann Marshall and Frank Dunne's Hamwood Stud Unlimited Company in Ireland, Dark Side hammered for 125,000gns to David Redvers, the racing manager for Qatar Racing, as part of Book 2 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale in 2021. Consigned by Bill Dwan and Andrew Mead's The Castlebridge Consignment, he was the third most expensive Zoffany yearling to be offered at that year's Tattersalls October Sale.

Put into training with Joseph O'Brien, the Feb. 28 foal was second on debut at Cork in September, and was later sixth in a hot Curragh maiden on Sept. 25 behind future G1 Criterium International second Espionage (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and runner-up Sierra Blanca (Ire) (No Nay Never), who was subsequently second to Cairo (Ire) (Quality Road) in the G3 Killavullan S. a month later. In his final Irish start, Dark Side was second again over 8 1/2 furlongs back at Gowran Park on Oct. 18.

Dark Side is one of four winners for his dam Shreyas (Ire) (Dalakhani {Ire}), who won a Group 3 in Ireland as a 3-year-old, and would later add a pair of listed victories and two more group placings at four. Her 2-year-old filly Porters Place (Ire) (Make Believe {GB}) most recently sold for 70,000gns to Paddy Twomey as a Tattersalls October Book 2 yearling, and her latest offspring is a full-sister to Porters Place. He is kin to Group 1 winners and sires Youmzain (Ire), Creachadoir (Ire), and Pilsudski (Ire).

Zoffany's American strike rate stands at 25 winners from 51 runners (49%). There are also four stakes winners from those 51 (8%) for the late Coolmore sire, led by GII Hollywood Turf Cup hero Oscar Dominguez (Ire), GIII Marshua's River S. heroine Zofelle (Ire), and Zoffarelli (Ire), who won the GIII La Jolla H.

Shades Of Violet In Florida

Juddmonte stallion and GI Breeders' Cup Mile hero Expert Eye (GB) gained his third American winner with Violet Gibson (Ire) in her very first start at Gulfstream Park on Saturday (video). Trained by Saffie Joseph, Jr., the Mike Ryan homebred came calling late to win the 7 1/2-furlong affair over the firm turf by a head.

Bred in Ireland by Ryan's St. Croix Bloodstock, Violet Gibson is out of the unplaced Soul Of Houdini (Perfect Soul {Ire}), responsible for five winners from five to race, counting Saturday's scorer. Tracing to bluehen Coup De Folie (Halo) (Coup De Genie, Machiavellian, Exit To Nowhere, Hydro Calido, etc.), Soul Of Houdini's latest is a yearling filly also by a Juddmonte stallion in Bated Breath (GB).

Through Monday, Expert Eye, who has his first 3-year-olds this term, has 29 winners from 70 runners worldwide (41%) with the Flat season just around the corner. Joining Violet Gibson and Saturday's winning listed stakes second Beautifulnavigator (Ire) as his third winner of three runners Stateside (100%) is Isabel Alexandra (Ire), who landed a maiden special weight in Indiana last autumn.

Tampa Bay Royalty

Seth Klarman's Klaravich Stables celebrated a winner at Tampa Bay Downs in the form of Royalty Interest (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}) (video). The daughter of listed winner Dusky Queen (Ire) (Shamardal) was making her racetrack debut in Saturday's finale–a one-mile turf race, where she exploded away in the stretch to win by 3 1/4 lengths for Klarman's go-to trainer Chad Brown.

Bred by China Horse Club International in France and consigned by Henri Bozo's Ecurie des Monceaux, the bay was picked up for €50,000 out of the 2021 Arqana Deauville October Yearling Sale. She is the third winner from three to race for Dusky Queen, herself a half-sister to two stakes horses, including the three-time grade/group-placed Achnaha (Ire) (Haatef). Royalty Interest's juvenile full-brother brought €10,000 out of the same sale last year from the buying entity the Six of Us, and she also has a Siyouni (Fr) yearling half-brother.

The late Le Havre, who stood at Sumbe's Haras de Montfort et Preaux before passing away last March, has a strong record Stateside. Eight of his 18 runners have won (44%), and another three have gained black-type laurels (16% of runners) in America. All three have ticked the graded stakes box, led by Suedois (Fr) in the GI Turf Mile S. at Keeneland, four-time graded heroine Rymska (Fr), and GIII Red Carpet H. victress Orglandes (Fr). The latter pair were also trained by Brown.

Honourable Mention

The breeze-up sales are nearly here, and lot 44 in the Tattersalls Craven Sale received an update last week, when his older half-brother, The Right Stuff (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), posted a 3 3/4-length victory for Holly and David Wilson in an allowance optional claimer at Turf Paradise.

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Turfway Park to Remain Open for Year-Round Training

Following the close of the Winter/Spring Meet at Turfway Park Apr. 1, the barn area and racetrack will remain open for year-round training and stabling, it was announced Tuesday.

 Trainers wishing to fill out a stall application can visit www.TurfwayPark.com or contact Peggy Pate at Peggy.Pate@turfwaypark.com. Stall applications are due by Mar. 24.

This year, Turfway Park finished construction on a new dormitory for backstretch workers and five new barns. The track can stable approximately 1,000 horses.     

Local trainers expected to remain stabled at Turfway Park and race on the Kentucky circuit include Jeff GreenhillWill Walden and Ethan West. They'll join Kentucky mainstays Steve AsmussenBrad Cox and Mike Maker who are all expected to keep a string of horses stabled in Northern Kentucky.

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