Grade I winners and 'TDN Rising Stars' Taiba (Gun Runner) and Arabian Lion (Justify) will join Zandon (Upstart) and stand at Spendthrift Farm for the 2024 breeding season. Spendthrift announced the news Saturday.
“We are really excited to be bringing in three new stallion prospects of the caliber of Taiba, Arabian Lion and Zandon for the 2024 breeding season,” said Spendthrift general manager Ned Toffey. “All three are superior physicals, and all three displayed immense talent in winning some of America's biggest 3-year-old races on dirt. Obviously, the Breeders' Cup is ahead and some of them will be looking to finish strong. These are the kind of stallion prospects we have looked to bring in and will continue to try to bring in at Spendthrift.”
Stud fees for all three horses will be announced at the end of their respective racing careers.
Some of the most highly anticipated races during the summer racing season are the 'baby' races during the boutique meetings at both Saratoga and Del Mar and at Ellis Park, which attract its fair share of high-priced offspring from a variety of top national outfits.
Summer Breezes highlights debuting 2-year-olds at those meetings that have been sourced at the breeze-up sales earlier in the year, with links to their under-tack previews. To follow are the entries for Thursday at Saratoga and Del Mar:
Thursday, August 24, 2023 Saratoga 2, $88k, 2yo, (S), 5 1/2fT, 1:44 p.m. ET Horse (Sire), Sale, Price ($), Breeze Rob the Bank (Central Banker), OBSJUN, 35,000, :10.2 Consignor: Ordonez Thoroughbreds, agent Buyer: Bruce Brown, agent for Our Sugar Bear Stable
Score the Rock (Kantharos), OBSMAR, 72,000, :10.1 Consignor: Omar Ramirez Bloodstock, agent Buyer: Three Diamonds Farm LLC
Saratoga 5, $88k, 2yo, f, 7f, 3:26 p.m. ET Buona Salute (Vino Rosso), FTMMAY, 25,000, :11 Consignor: Grassroots Training & Sales LLC, agent Buyer: Jon Taisey, agent for Big Dom Racing, Hibiscus & Big Toe
Del Mar 4, 2yo, 5fT, 6:34 p.m. ET Andreadytorumble (Street Boss), OBSAPR, 170,000, :10 Consignor: Randy Miles, agent Buyer: Mike Ryan, agent for Peter Redekop BC Ltd
Charge for Gold (Omaha Beach), OBSAPR, 60,000, :10.1 Consignor: Randy Miles, agent Buyer: John P Warren
Eight Clap (Audible), OBSMAR, 190,000, :10.1 Consignor: de Meric Sales, agent Buyer: Little Red Feather Racing, agent John Dowd
Pharoahs List (Tonalist), OBSJUN, 20,000, :21.4 Consignor: Niall Brennan Stables, agent Buyer: Travis Gordon
Wild Recruit (Nyquist), OBSAPR, 180,000, :10.1 Consignor: S G V Thoroughbreds (Steven Venosa), agent Buyer: Philip Lebherz, Rusty Brown, Rick Pitino (PS)
Del Mar 8, 2yo, 1mT, 8:35 p.m. ET Bear River (Flameaway), OBSJUN, 50,000, :10.2 Consignor: Randy Miles, agent Buyer: Charles Marquis
White Abarrio (c, 4, Race Day–Catching Diamonds, by Into Mischief), making his second start for conditioner Richard Dutrow Jr., dominated the field by open lengths in the GI Whitney S. at 10-1 odds, and has secured his spot in the gate for the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita. Zandon (Upstart) held on for second while Cody's Wish (Curlin) won the photo for third. The final time was 1:48.45.
Sales history: $7,500 Ylg '20 OBSWIN; $40,000 2yo '21 OBSMAR. O-C Two Racing Stable and Antonio Pagnano; B-Spendthrift Farm, LLC (KY); T-Richard Dutrow, Jr.
First Row Partners and Team Hanley's Prerequisite went wire-to-wire to take the rescheduled GII Wonder Again S. in just her third career start at Belmont Park Sunday. Sent off at 7-1, the bay filly rushed up to take the lead into the first turn and she was tracked by Spansive (Karakontie {Jpn}) through fractions of :23.67 and :47.94 in a strung-out field down the backstretch. She scampered away into the lane and was clear in upper stretch, but was all out to hold off the late-closing Be Your Best.
“I hustled her out of the gate to get a good position and I found myself on the lead,” said winning rider Flavien Prat. “She was traveling well from there. She got really brave. Every time a horse came to her, she would dig in. It's a good sign that more distance will be fine.”
Fifth behind Spansive going one mile on debut over the Gulfstream lawn Apr. 1, Prerequisite graduated over the Wonder Again's course and nine-furlong distance May 7.
“I was really impressed with her maiden win here,” said winning trainer Chad Brown. “She's turning into a really nice filly and I appreciate the partners' patience. She wasn't able to make it there at two, and they did the right thing by letting us take our time with her and she's turned into quite a nice horse.”
The top three finishers of the Wonder Again received an automatic invitation to the July 8 GI Fasig-Tipton Belmont Oaks Invitational. The 1 1/4-mile turf test is the opening leg in the Fasig-Tipton Fillies Turf Triple, a series which also includes the Aug. 4 GIII Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Oaks Invitational at Saratoga and the 11-furlong GIII Fasig-Tipton Jockey Club Oaks Invitational to be held during the Belmont at the Big A fall meet.
Pedigree Notes:
Prerequisite is the fourth graded winner for Upstart.
The unraced Etsu, a full-sister to multiple stakes-winner Homeland Security, has a 2-year-old colt by Summer Front who sold for $130,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton July sale. The mare produced a colt by Complexity last year and a colt by Upstart this year. Etsu's dam, Forever Beautiful is a half-sister to champion Farda Amiga (Broad Brush). She produced a colt by Runhappy last year and a filly by Street Boss this year.
Sunday, Belmont Park WONDER AGAIN S.-GII, $200,000, Belmont, 6-11, 3yo, f, 1 1/8mT, 1:47.20, fm.
1–PREREQUISITE, 118, f, 3, by Upstart 1st Dam: Etsu, by Smart Strike 2nd Dam: Forever Beautiful, by Giant's Causeway 3rd Dam: Fly North, by Pleasant Colony 1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($47,000 Ylg
'21 KEESEP; $350,000 2yo '22 EASMAY). O-First Row Partners
and Team Hanley; B-Brereton C. Jones (KY); T-Chad C. Brown;
J-Flavien Prat. $110,000. Lifetime Record: 3-2-0-0, $163,000. Werk Nick Rating: B. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Be Your Best (Ire), 122, f, 3, Muhaarar (GB)–Kamakura, by Medaglia d'Oro. 'TDN Rising Star'. O-Michael J. Ryan;
B-St. Croix Bloodstock (Ire); T-Horacio De Paz. $40,000.
3–Revalita (Fr), 118, f, 3, Recoletos (Fr)–Ebareva (Ire), by
Machiavellian. (€12,000 Ylg '21 ARQDOY). O-Wise Racing LLC;
B-Sarl Darpat France (Fr); T-Chad C. Brown. $24,000.
Margins: NK, 1, 1 1/4. Odds: 7.00, 13.80, 1.40.
Also Ran: Spansive, Allamericanbeauty, Thirty Thou Kelvin, Venencia (Fr). Scratched: Juniper's Moon. Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
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