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‘Beautiful Mover’ Bodenheimer Fulfills Expectations By Earning Slot In Breeders’ Cup

Trainer Valorie Lund recognized Bodenheimer as untapped talent the first time she saw him. On Oct. 4, the Washington-bred confirmed her confidence by winning the Indian Summer (L) Presented by Keeneland Select, a “Win and You're In” for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G1) here Nov. 6 while becoming her first Keeneland winner.

“Overall, he was a really good individual,” Lund said of that first encounter. “He favors the (broodmare sire) A.P. Indy line when I looked at his head, neck and shoulders. He was stout as a yearling but sleeker now as a racehorse.”

Another attraction for Lund was the colt's Grade 2-winning sire, Atta Boy Roy, a Washington-bred who Lund had trained and exercised throughout his career and raced in the 2010 Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) at Churchill Downs. Bodenheimer's dam is stakes winner and stakes producer Beautiful Daniele, an $800,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale graduate whose pedigree page includes champion Countess Diana.

Lund had the final bid on the yearling Bodenheimer for $27,000 at a Thoroughbred auction in Washington. She said he soon stood out from the crowd in his early training.

“You can pick out the good ones by their action,” she said. “He was a beautiful mover and when the 2-year-olds started doing their early breezes, he showed he was really fast. We thought so highly of him that we purchased his dam privately from Kentucky before he made his first start.”

Owned by Lund's mother, Marylou Holden, and sister, Kristin Boice, Bodenheimer is named for Boice's husband, Entz Bodenheimer Boice. Both are known as “Bo.”

On July 29, the equine Bo sailed to an 11¼-length victory on turf at Canterbury Park in his career debut. He then captured the Aug. 22 Prairie Gold Juvenile Stakes on dirt at Prairie Meadows. He checked in fifth in the Kentucky Downs Juvenile Sprint on Sept. 12 in his third career start.

Formerly based at Turf Paradise in Arizona each winter and racing in the summer at such tracks as Canterbury, Lund has relocated to Kentucky. She now trains Bodenheimer at Ashwood Training Center, 10 miles northeast of Lexington. She and the colt will commute to Keeneland for his turf workouts in advance of the Breeders' Cup.

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Spanish Loveaffair Tops Field Of 11 In Wednesday’s ‘Win And You’re In’ Jessamine Stakes

Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Michael Hernon and Gary Barber's Spanish Loveaffair leads Wednesday's JPMorgan Chase Jessamine (G2) for 2-year-old fillies on turf at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky., live on NBCSN at 4 p.m. ET. The winner of the JPMorgan Chase Jessamine, which drew 11 starters, will earn an automatic berth into the $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1) through the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series.

Wednesday's telecast, produced in association with TVG, marks the 11th and final program in this year's “Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In – presented by America's Best Racing” on NBC and NBCSN from some of North America's most iconic racetracks. The series leads to the 37th Breeders' Cup World Championships at Keeneland, scheduled for Nov. 6-7 and airing on NBC and NBCSN. The complete series TV schedule can be accessed here.

Reporting and commentary for the telecast will be provided from Keeneland by TVG's Todd Schrupp, Matt Bernier, Caton Bredar, Gabby Gaudet, Britney Eurton and Caleb Keller. Simon Bray will be providing commentary from home.

Spanish Loveaffair, a bay daughter of 2014 Breeders' Cup Mile (G1) winner Karakontie (JPN), has won both her starts at Gulfstream Park. Spanish Loveaffair is trained by Hall of Famer Mark Casse, who won this race in 2016 with La Coronel. After breaking her maiden at 1 mile by an eye-popping 11 lengths on July 23, Spanish Loveaffair returned on Aug. 29 to win the 1-mile Sharp Susan Stakes by 1 ¼ lengths as the 1-2 favorite. Tyler Gaffalione has the mount on Spanish Loveaffair and will break from post position 10.

Among the challengers to Spanish Loveaffair is the Brad Cox-trained Aunt Pearl (IRE). In her lone start on Sept. 1 at Churchill Downs, Aunt Pearl, a bay daughter of Lope de Vega (IRE), set the early pace in a 1-mile race and drew off by 5 lengths. Owned by Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables, Peter Deutsch, Michael Kisber and The Elkstone Group, Aunt Pearl will be ridden by Florent Geroux from post 7.

Another impressive debut winner is Don Alberto Stable's Ingrassia. Trained by Chad Brown, who has won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf three times, Ingrassia overcame a bumpy start in a 1 1/16-mile maiden special weight at Saratoga on Aug. 19 and steadily worked her way to the front to win by a nose. A daughter of Medaglia d'Oro, Ingrassia will be ridden by Javier Castellano from post 5.

Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen sends out Ben Rollins and Shelia Rollins' Beautiful Star, a daughter of two-time Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) winner Tiznow, who was fifth in the Kentucky Downs Juvenile Fillies on Sept. 7. Adam Beschizza has the mount and will break from post position 4. Asmussen also will send out Kentucky Downs debut maiden winner Arm Candy for the partnership of Bradley Thoroughbreds, Tim Cambron, Anna Cambron and Kurz Equine Investments. Ricardo Santana Jr. will ride from post position 6.

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Back-To-Back ‘Huge’ Races Propel Channel Maker Into Breeders’ Cup Turf

Wachtel Stable, Gary Barber, R.A. Hill Stable and Reeves Thoroughbred Racing's Channel Maker secured his fourth Grade 1 win with a stellar front-running performance in Saturday's Joe Hirsch Turf Classic.

The victory marked Channel Maker's second win from four Joe Hirsch starts, having previously won in 2018. His previous Joe Hirsch efforts included a sixth in 2017 and a second last year.

Bred in Ontario by the Tall Oaks Farm of Ivan Dalos, the 7-year-old was purchased privately early in his sophomore season and transferred to the care of Mott.

Channel Maker scored his first win for Mott in his fifth attempt by taking the 12-furlong Breeders' Stakes, third leg of the Canadian Triple Crown, by a nose when traveling his preferred 12 furlongs on Woodbine's E.P. Taylor turf course.

The veteran English Channel gelding now boasts a record of 36-7-5-4 with purse earnings in excess of $2.63-million with his other Grade 1 scores coming in the 2019 Man o' War at Belmont and the Sword Dancer in August at Saratoga, which offered a “Win and You're In” berth to the Breeders' Cup Turf.

“We got him as a 3-year-old and it took us a little while to get through the 'one-other-than' condition,” said Mott. “It's interesting how you go from that and he has now developed into winning four Grade 1s. He was a nice horse and we purchased him because he looked like he had potential, but he didn't really get going until he won the Breeders'.”

Channel Maker paired up back-to-back 108 Beyers for his last two winning efforts.

“I love the horse. He's run two huge, huge races,” said Mott.

Channel Maker is out of the late Horse Chestnut mare In Return, who also produced multiple Grade 1-winner Johnny Bear, also by English Channel, and a stakes-winning half-sister by Court Vision, the Ontario-bred Court Return, who ran third in the Grade 2 Canadian in September at Woodbine.

Mott said he is cautiously optimistic about Channel Maker's chances as he makes a third attempt at the 12-furlong Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Turf.

“You don't know what's going to show up [in the Breeders' Cup.], but it seems like he came back good,” said Mott. “He's run two spectacular races, has he got three in a row in him – we don't know. It's not going to cost us anything to find out.

“I would think in the fall you could get soft ground there,” added Mott. “That would be in his favor.”

Juddmonte Farms' regally bred Tacitus worked a bullet half-mile in 47.20 seconds Sunday morning on Big Sandy working in company with Will Sing for Wine, who applied pressure to the pacesetter.

“The track was pretty quick. His work looked good,” said Mott. “He went out with his ears up. [Will Sing for Wine] was just a length off to have somebody push him along a little bit.”

Tacitus will target Saturday's Grade 1, $250,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup, a 10-furlong test on Big Sandy for 3-year-olds and upward with a “Win and You're In” berth to the Breeders' Cup Classic on the line.

Jose Ortiz will have the call on Tacitus, a 4-year-old Tapit grey who boasts a record of 13-4-4-2 with more than $2.9 million in earnings. Out of the champion mare Close Hatches, Tacitus captured the Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby and Grade 2 Wood Memorial last year and added the Grade 2 Suburban to his ledger in July at Belmont.

The probable Jockey Club Gold Cup field includes Danny California (Orlando Noda), Happy Saver (Todd Pletcher), Mystic Guide (Michael Stidham), Plus Que Parfait (Brendan Walsh), and Prioritize (H. James Bond).

A busy Saturday of racing at Belmont for Mott also included off-the-board efforts from Moon Over Miami [sixth], who captured the Dueling Grounds Derby at Kentucky Downs in September, and South Bend [seventh] in the Grade 1 Belmont Derby.

“I guess there was a difference in the competition from the Dueling Grounds Derby to what he faced here,” said Mott. “I don't know that he ran quite as good a race as he did down there but I suppose the first two or three horses in here were better.”

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Versatile Diamond Oops Runs Down Longshot Empire Of Gold In Phoenix

Last-out winner of the G2 Turf Sprint at Churchill Downs, the versatile 3-1 favorite Diamond Oops made the switch back to the dirt on Friday when he won the G3 Phoenix Stakes at Keeneland. The 5-year-old son of Lookin at Lucky ran six furlongs over the fast dirt in 1:09.24, besting 51-1 longshot Empire of Gold by three-quarters of a length on the wire. Trained by Pat Biancone and ridden by Florent Geroux, Diamond Oops is campaigned by the Diamond 100 Racing Club, Amy Dunne, D P Racing and Patrick L. Biancone Racing.

The victory earned Diamond Oops an expenses-paid berth to the Breeders' Cup Sprint next month, also at Keeneland.

Grade 1 winner No Parole sped out of the starting gate to grab the early lead, while Remington Park invader Empire of Gold moved up to add pressure through early fractions of :22.24 and :44.73. Echo Town and Diamond Oops were just behind the frontrunners early, while veteran Whitmore and Ohio-bred millionaire Mo Don't No tracked in mid-pack.

Rounding the far turn, Empire of Gold grabbed the lead away from No Parole and opened up by several lengths. Diamond Oops took up the chase, but looked to have too much to do with three-sixteenths of a mile to run.

Instead, when Geroux gave the gelding his cue, Diamond Oops dug in gamely and drew even with his rival. Empire of Gold switched to the wrong lead late, trying to find more, but Diamond Oops pushed past to hit the wire three-quarters of a length in front. Empire of Gold had to settle for second, while Echo Town was game late to deny Whitmore for third. Absolutely Aiden was fifth.

Bred in Kentucky by Kin Hui Racing Stables, Diamond Oops is out of the stakes-winning Whywhywhy mare Patriotic Viva. He started showing up in a big way last year, winning the G3 Smile Sprint on dirt before running second in both the G1 Vanderbilt (dirt) and the G1 Shadwell Turf Mile. He was eighth in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile before rebounding to win the G3 Mr. Prospector.

This year, Diamond Oops has not finished worse than fourth in four starts, and his overall record stands at 7-3-1 from 16 starts for earnings of over $1 million.

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