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Unified Colt Takes Grand Champion Honors At Virginia Yearling Futurity

Knockgriffin Farm's Virginia-Certified 2019 colt out of Causin Commotion took Grand Champion honors in the annual Virginia Breeders Fund 2020 Yearling Futurity, which was held September 9 at the Warrenton Horse Show Grounds in Warrenton, Va.

The champion is owned/bred by Jim & Katie Fitzgerald at their Marshall, Va., farm. The dark bay or brown colt is by Unified.

Morgan's Ford Farm's 2019 bay out of Smart Believer, who took top honors in the Virginia-Bred/Sired Fillies division, was named 2020 Reserve Champion. She is a daughter of Animal Kingdom. A total of $22,500 in prize money was distributed between the three divisions. The top two winners from each advanced to the Grand Championship final round.

In the Virginia-Bred/Sired Colt and Gelding class, Althea Richards' 2019 colt out of Darting won top honors. Also named “Best Turned Out”, the dark bay is by Divining Rod.

Susan Cooney's Celtic Sea, a chestnut colt by English Channel out of Embarr by Royal Academy, took second. Rounding out the class in order was Knockgriffin Farms' 2019 colt out of Trishas Even by Street Sense, Becky and Andy Lavin's 2019 chestnut colt out of Falsehood by Madefromlucky, Knockgriffin's 2019 colt out of Looking Great by American Freedom, Daniel Wukich and Quest Realty's E.P Milton by Jack Milton, Darlene Bowlin's 2019 gelding out of Cape Cod Bay by Great Notion and Frazer Hendrick's colt, Maximum Momentum by Koda Chrome.

In the Virginia-Bred/Sired Fillies category, Daybreak Stables' 2019 bay out of Callipepla was runner-up behind the Smart Believer filly. The daughter of Cupid was also named “Best Turned Out” in her class.

The rest of the field in order was Corner Farm and John Behrendt's 2019 bay out of Senate Caucus by Maclean's Music, Morgan's Ford Farms' 2019 Pearls by Super Saver, Doug Daniels' Dulini by Madefromlucky, Daniel Wukich and Quest Realty's Music Queen by Maclean's Music, Eagle Point Farms' Chickahominy by Great Notion and Susan Cooney's Speak Your Mind by Mr Speaker.

In the large Certified class, which saw colts and filles combined, Lorraine and Dennis Johnson's colt out of Bigshot On Nothing and by Mineshaft, finished second and was named “Best Turned Out” horse.

Joanne Krishack's filly New Age Bad Girl by Fiber Sonde was next followed by Ron Sapp's colt Rebel Empire by Sky Kingdom, Kathleen Hamlin's gelding Man of the Cloth by Fiber Sonde, DMG Racing Stables' gelding Freegftwthpurchase by Freedom Child, Daniel Wukich & Quest Realty's filly Lunar Motion by Great Notion and Michael Dalton's colt Quincannon by Buffum.

The judge for this year's Futurity was Rick Abbott, a former longtime Pennsylvania bloodstock agent who along with his wife Dixie, had a successful sales consignment business.

The post Unified Colt Takes Grand Champion Honors At Virginia Yearling Futurity appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Guillaume Breaks His Maiden In Hansel Stakes; McCarthy Wins Four On Colonial’s Opening Night

Guillaume rallied on the outside and overtook Merchant of Hope in the final strides of the $40,000 Hansel Stakes for Virginia Certified 2-year-olds on the Tuesday night opening night card at Colonial Downs. The son of Hard Spun is owned by DARRS Inc., trained by Mike Stidham and was ridden by Trevor McCarthy, the same owner-trainer-jockey combination who were leaders at the 2019 Colonial meeting.

The victory was third of four on the night for McCarthy and second for Stidham. “When we saw that his race was for Virginia-certified horses, it got on our radar,” said Stidham. “He was impressive at this distance but we'll be looking to go longer in his next start.”

Named after a famous Canadian ballet dancer, Guillaume's performance impressed owner David Ross: “Mike did a great job getting the horse ready and Trevor did a phenomenal job getting out in the lane and just getting him to the wire in time. The horse was moving forwardly at the finish. He's an exciting horse to watch.”

Guillaume was making his career debut in the Hansel and banked $24,000 for the half-length victory. He covered the 5 ½ furlongs over a fast track in 1:04.38 and paid $6.40, $3.40 and $2.10. The winner was started at the Middleburg Training Center by Ballyerin Racing's Madison Meyers and Kieran Norris. The Center recently underwent a multi-million-dollar upgrade.

Merchant of Hope set the pace in the five-horse field through fractions of 22.85 seconds for the opening quarter, 46.11 seconds for a half-mile and a five-furlong split of 58.06 seconds. The son of Bayern paid $4.00 and $2.40.

It was another 1 ¾ lengths back to third-place finisher and post-time favorite Sky's Not Falling who returned $2.10 to show. Natural Attraction and Dare to Promise completed the order of finish.

Earlier in the card, Wesley Ward's Amsden went gate-to-wire in a $40,000 five-furlong maiden turf race for two-year-olds. The American Pharoah colt won by three lengths. Last year, Ward connected in a Colonial turf sprint with another two-year-old, Four Wheel Drive, who captured the Rosie's Stakes and went on to win the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint.

Colonial Downs' summer meeting continues racing through September 2 on a Monday through Wednesday basis with a first post of 5:30 EDT. A special Sunday program has been added August 2 to make up for the cancellation of Monday's scheduled card.

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Opening Weekend At Colonial Downs To Feature Six Virginia-Restricted Stakes Races

Virginia-bred, -sired and/or -certified horses will be spotlighted in the first three evenings of racing at Colonial Downs – Monday, July 27 through Wednesday, July 29 – with six stakes races. Three of the events are for registered Virginia bred/sired runners and three for Virginia-certified Thoroughbreds.

The opening night's program will be highlighted by the $40,000 Van Clief Handicap for fillies and mares at one mile over Colonial's renowned Secretariat turf course. Most prominent among the 30 nominees for the Van Clief is Dare To Dream Stable's Embolden, winner of the Jamestown Stakes here last September. The Mike Stidham-trained son of The Factor has not raced since a third-place run in the $400,000 Springboard Mile at Remington Park last December. The career earner of $181,000 is cross-nominated to the July 29 Edward P. Evans Stakes.

Other noms of note include the 1-2-3 finishers in the 2019 Bert Allen Stakes – Alex Kazdan's K D's Cat Bird, Sarah Nagle's Black Prong and Lady Olivia at Northcliff's Accountable; Eagle Point Farm's Braxton, runner-up in last August's Meadow Stable Stakes; and Morgan's Ford Farm's River Deep, the winner of last summer's Evans.

Juvenile runners headline the Tuesday, July 28 card with a pair of $40,000 dashes – one open and one for the fillies. The 5 1/2-furlong White Oak Farm Stakes attracted 20 nominations most of whom are making their career debuts. One exception is Kingdom Bloodstock's Merchant of Hope. The daughter of Bayern broke her maiden at Charles Town at first asking for trainer Phil Schoenthal and is cross-nominated to the open race.

The open division honors 1991 Preakness and Belmont Stakes champion Hansel and will also be contested at 5½ furlongs. In addition to aforementioned Merchant of Hope, other winners listed among the 30 nominees are O'Sullivan Farms and Huntertown Farm's Natural Attraction and R. Larry Johnson's and RDM Stable's Sky's Not Falling.

A trio of Virginia-bred/sired stakes – each with a $60,000 purse – will highlight the Wednesday, July 29 card. Fifteen horses have each been nominated to the Nellie Mae Cox and Camptown Stakes while 19 were nominated to the Edward P. Evans.

Tasting The Stars and Bella Aurora headline horses for the Nellie Mae Cox, a one-mile filly and mare turf stakes. The former is a Michael Stidham trainee who won the 2019 Just Jenda Stakes at Monmouth and was sixth in last year's Virginia Oaks. A 4-year-old Bodemeister filly bred by Audley Farm, Tasting The Stars is three for four with $96,600 in earnings. The latter, trained by Michael Trombetta, won the 2019 Gin Talking Stakes and was runner-up in Colonial's Jamestown Stakes. Bred by Morgan's Ford Farm, the 3-year-old Carpe Diem filly has bankrolled $154,140 from eight starts. Also nominated is the Ian Wilkes-trained Urban Fairytale who is fresh off a maiden special weight victory at Gulfstream March 29.

The top two finishers from last year's M. Tyson Gilpin Stakes were nominated to the Camptown. What The Beep, trained and bred by Karen Godsey at her Ashland, Virginia, Eagle Point Farm, prevailed by one length in the Gilpin and was a runner-up in the 2018 Camptown. English Heiress, a Patrick Neusch trainee, finished second behind What the Beep. Also nominated is Tan and Tight, a 4-year-old Uncle Mo filly conditioned by Michael Stidham. She has earned $100,000 from seven starts including a dominating maiden special weight win at Aqueduct in January. Bella Aurora, nominated to the Nellie Mae Cox in addition to the Camptown.

Embolden and K D's Cat Bird – both six figure earners – are among the Edward P. Evans nominees. Both are also nominated to the July 27 Van Clief.

The Colonial Downs season begins Monday, July 27, with racing conducted three days a week – Monday through Wednesday – with a first post of 5:30 p.m. EDT with provisions for a limited number of spectators in attendance for the 18-day schedule.

Under conditions established in Virginia's Phase 3 reopening plan, which allows for outdoor venues to cap attendance at 1,000 spectators, Colonial Downs will plan the following protocols for the nightly meeting:

· Up to 1,000 spectators will be admitted to the outdoor areas of the grandstand and the track apron.

· All guests will receive temperature checks upon arrival at the facility and a 6-foot physical distancing policy will be enforced.

· Guests are required to wear masks indoors and encouraged outdoors.

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