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Keeneland ‘Firster’ Headline Report Gives Spendthrift’s Gormley Initial Winner

Spendthrift Farm freshman sire Gormley was represented by his first winner from his first starter on Friday when 2-year-old colt Headline Report won on debut in a $60,000 maiden special weight race at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky.

Owned by Breeze Easy and trained by Wesley Ward, the bay colt proved best in the 4 ½-furlong race after hitting the wire 2 ¼ lengths in front, stopping the clock in 51.75 seconds over a fast Keeneland main track.

Bred in Kentucky by Ledgelands LLC & Andrew Ritter, Headline Report is out of the Tale of the Cat mare Green Eyed Cat. He was purchased by Breeze Easy for $550,000 at last month's OBS March sale for 2-year-olds in training in Ocala after breezing a furlong in a bullet 9.4 seconds. The price marked the highest for a colt by a freshman sire at the sale. He earned $36,724 for his debut victory.

Gormley captured some of California's biggest races at two and three. The millionaire son of Malibu Moon won the FrontRunner Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita in his second start as a juvenile before going on to capture the $1 million Santa Anita Derby (G1) and Sham S. (G3) at Santa Anita as a 3-year-old. The multiple Grade 1 winner earned $1,026,000 before retiring to stud at Spendthrift.

Gormley is standing the 2021 breeding season for a fee of $5,000 S&N and is participating in the farm's “Safe Bet” program that insures breeders by guaranteeing at least one graded stakes-winning juvenile in 2021 from Gormley's first crop or no stud fee will be owed for resulting foals in 2022.

For more information about Gormley or the Safe Bet program, please visit SpendthriftFarm.com/SafeBet or SpendthriftFarm.com/Gormley, or contact Des, Mark, or Brian at 859-294-0030.

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Gormley Represented By First Winner at Keeneland

2nd-Keeneland, $59,524, Msw, 4-23, 2yo, 4 1/2f, :51.75, ft, 2 1/4 lengths.
HEADLINE REPORT (c, 2, Gormley–Green Eyed Cat, by Tale of the Cat) was pounded into debut odds of 30 cents on the dollar and did his best work through the wire to become the first winner for his freshman sire (by Malibu Moon) Friday at Keeneland. Off slowly beneath John Velazquez and immediately under the pump, the bay quickly made up for lost time and was on even terms with La Belleza Negra (Cairo Prince) as they hit the top of the stretch. He struck to the lead outside the eighth pole and kicked on nicely through the final sixteenth of a mile to stop the timer in solid time. Conagher (Jimmy Creed) completed a Spendthrift-sired exacta. A half-brother to SW Little Kansas (El Kingdom), Headline Report was purchased by Eddie Woods's Quarter Pole Enterprises for $160,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Select Yearling Sale last September. He was recently hammered down for $550,000 at the OBS March Sale after breezing a bullet eighth of a mile in :9 4/5. Headline Report's second dam was the dual Grade I winner Critical Eye (Dynaformer), who also serves as the granddam of MSW Critical Value (Bodemeister). The third dam includes Klaravich Stables' talented turf runner Takeover Target (Harlan's Holiday). Green Eyed Cat has a yearling filly by Mo Town and was most recently bred to Catalina Cruiser. Sales history: $160,000 Ylg '20 FTKSEL; $550,000 2yo '21 OBSMAR. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $36,724. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
O-Breeze Easy LLC; B-Ledgelands LLC & Andrew C Ritter (KY); T-Wesley A Ward.

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Stonestreet, Ward Strike Again at Keeneland

1st-Keeneland, $43,340, Msw, 4-23, 2yo, 5 1/2fT, 1:04.17, gd, 1 1/2 lengths.
NAPA SPIRIT (IRE) (c, 2, Invincible Spirit {Ire}–Aimhirgin Lass {Ire}, by Pivotal {GB}) validated 2-5 favoritism in the closing-day opener at Keeneland, giving Stonestreet and trainer Wesley Ward a maiden winner on the grass acquired overseas for the second consecutive afternoon. Not the fastest away, the bay raced in and among rivals early on as stablemate Magniloquent (American Pharoah) showed the way through an opening quarter in :21.78. Three wide and traveling well in hand on the turn, Napa Spirit came after Magniloquent with about a furlong and a half to race and idled some in the final 100 yards, but proved 1 1/2 lengths too strong for the rallying Jack Blacked (Jack Milton). Like 'TDN Rising Star' Ruthin (GB) (Ribchester {Ire}) Thursday afternoon, Napa Spirit was acquired on behalf of Barbara Banke's operation by agent Ben McElroy, who gave £420,000 for the Irish National Stud-bred colt at last year's Goffs Orby Sale. Napa Spirit is out of a half-sister to multiple Group 3 winner Yellow Rosebud (Ire) (Jeremy) and a full-sister to SW & GSP Seeharn (Ire). The deeper female family includes Malhub (Kingmambo), winner of the G1 Golden Jubilee S. at Royal Ascot. Aimhirgin Lass is the dam of a yearling full-sister to Napa Spirit. TDN's Bill Finley reports that Napa Spirit will be pointed towards the six-furlong G2 Coventry S. at the Royal Meeting, while Ruthin will go for the G2 Queen Mary S., won in 2020 by the Ward-trained Campanelle (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}). Sales history: £420,000 Ylg '20 GOFOR. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $21,720. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
O-Stonestreet Stables LLC; B-Irish National Stud (IRE); T-Wesley A Ward.

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Friday’s Insights: Promising Wesley Ward Juveniles on Display at Keeneland

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency

1st-KEE, $60K, Msw, 2yo, 5 1/2fT, post time: 1:05 p.m. ET

NAPA SPIRIT (IRE) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) sports a flashy worktab for trainer Wesley Ward, including a trio of bullets over the Palm Meadows turf, for this debut run. Agent Ben McElroy paid £420,000 on behalf of Stonestreet Stables for the bay at last year's GOFSEP Yearling sale. Joel Rosario has the call on the even-money morning-line favorite, who hails from the extended female family of G1 Golden Jubilee S. winner Malhub (Kingmambo). Ward and Stonestreet were represented by fellow European import and 'TDN Rising Star' Ruthin (GB) (Ribchester {Ire}) on Thursday's program. TJCIS PPs

2nd-KEE, $60K, Msw, 2yo, 4 1/2f, post time: 1:39 p.m. ET

HEADLINE REPORT (Gormley), a $550,000 OBS March bullet breezer (:9 4/5), debuts for Breeze Easy LLC and Wesley Ward. The $160,000 Fasig-Tipton Select yearling pinhook by Eddie Woods's Quarter Pole Enterprises is out of the Tale of the Cat mare Green Eyed Cat and is a grandson of two-time Grade I winner Critical Eye (Dynaformer). Freshman sire Gormley's first yearlings in 2020, led by a $270,000 colt, averaged $37,544 (59 sold), according to TDN Sales Results by Stallion. “He had a fabulous breeze,” Woods said of the half-brother to SW Little Kansas (El Kingdom). “He's a magnificent-looking horse. It's good money for a first-season stallion. He did everything right and was real easy on the eyes, hence everyone liked him.” TJCIS PPs

8th-KEE, $79K, Msw, 3yo, 6 1/2f, post time: 4:57 p.m.

A deep-looking group of 3-year-olds line up here, including SUPPRESSOR (Munnings), a full-brother to MGISW I'm a Chatterbox. The chestnut is owned by Fletcher and Carolyn Gray and William Harrigan and trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen. He RNA'd for $125,000 as KEESEP yearling.

Godolphin homebred Casual Affair (Into Mischief), a son of champion Ashado trained by Brendan Walsh; and $475,000 KEESEP yearling Never Explain (Street Sense), owned by Courtlandt Farms and trained by Shug McGaughey, also make their debuts. TJCIS PPs

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