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Charlatan Could Meet Nashville in Potential Runhappy Malibu Showdown

The GI Runhappy Malibu S. on Santa Anita’s opening day program could potentially feature a clash between two of the more exciting sophomores in training.

The immensely talented duo of Charlatan and Nashville, both ‘TDN Rising Stars’ and by leading sire Speightstown, are currently being aimed at the prestigious Dec. 26 seven-furlong contest.

The Bob Baffert-trained Charlatan most recently crossed the wire a dominating six-length, wire-to-wire winner in the split-division GI Arkansas Derby May 2, but was subsequently stripped of the victory and demoted to ninth after testing positive for the Class 2 drug lidocaine. He missed an intended start in the GI Belmont S. due to a minor ankle injury.

The chestnut romped in his two prior trips to the post earlier this term at Santa Anita by a combined 16 lengths with Beyer Speed Figures of 105 and 106, respectively.

Bred in Kentucky by Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings, the $700,000 Keeneland September yearling is campaigned in partnership by the powerhouse line-up of SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Frederick Hertrich, III, John D. Fielding and Golconda Stables. Stonestreet also stayed in for a piece. It was announced in May that Hill ‘n’ Dale had purchased the breeding rights to the son of MGSW & MGISP Authenticity (Quiet American).

“Originally, Baffert was considering either the [GI] Cigar Mile or the Malibu, but he just wasn’t ready in time for this weekend,” Jack Wolf of Starlight Racing said. “He’s breezing well and aiming for the Malibu. There were some extenuating circumstances with the lidocaine positive–not to make an excuse–but I just want him to get back racing, stay sound and do what we thought he could do. And this will be a great test for him.”

Charlatan has posted six workouts since late October, most recently firing a six-furlong bullet in 1:13 (1/7) in Arcadia Dec. 2 (XBTV Video). After some filling appeared to his front ankle following a June 1 workout, an MRI revealed chips which required minor surgery.

“According to Baffert, it wasn’t anything serious,” Wolf said. “I don’t think it was a function of the injury, but it did take him a while to get back and being ready for a race. You know how horses are though, and Baffert knows him better than anybody else. I think he’s got him pointed for the right spot.”

The Malibu field could also include: GIII Nashua S. and Jerome S. hero Independence Hall (Constitution), a smart winner in his Del Mar comebacker Nov. 8; and GI Bing Crosby S. winner Collusion Illusion (Twirling Candy).

“Boy, I tell you,” Wolf added. “That Nashville–[Starlight advisor] Frankie Brothers and I were walking out of Keeneland Breeders’ Cup week and [Steve Asmussen assistant] Scott Blasi was schooling the horse in the paddock and we both stopped and asked who it was. That’s how good looking he is. We’ll have our hands full with him. But from a racing standpoint, it’s going to be a great contest.”

After bypassing the GI Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Keeneland, the undefeated Nashville instead put on a show on the undercard, setting a new track record for six furlongs in 1:07.89 while being geared down late en route to a jaw-dropping 3 1/2-length, front-running score in the Perryville S. Whitmore (Pleasantly Perfect), meanwhile, completed the same distance in 1:08.61 seven races later while upsetting the Breeders’ Cup Sprint.

The CHC Inc. and WinStar Farm colorbearer, a $460,000 Keeneland September acquisition, debuted with a double-digit length victory in the Saratoga slop Sept. 2, then posted a career-high 103 Beyer Speed Figure in an equally impressive Keeneland allowance score Oct. 10. Both wins were against older horses.

“Look, I don’t think it’s going to be any easier of a race than the Breeders’ Cup was,” WinStar’s Elliott Walden said. “I think the quality in the Malibu is going to be similar to what he would’ve faced in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint, but he will have the benefit of another start now. The way the whole thing shook out with him running faster than the Breeders’ Cup Sprint, maybe I should’ve run him in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint.”

Trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, Nashville has turned in two workouts since, led by a five-furlong warning shot in 1:00 (1/43) at Fair Grounds Dec. 1.

“The race is setting up as a fabulous race,” Walden said. “I think it’s going to be a really good one. We’re really excited about the race. Nashville is doing super and we want to test him against some quality.”

Produced by the unraced Mizzen Mast mare Veronique, Nashville hails from the extended female family of GI Kentucky Derby winner Giacomo (Holy Bull) and MGISW Tiago (Pleasant Tap). He was bred in Kentucky by Breffni Farm.

“We’ve been blessed with a lot of good horses through the 20- year history of WinStar Farm,” Walden concluded. “I’m not sure if he’s not the second-best horse we’ve ever had behind [Triple Crown winner] Justify. Time will tell. He does things that are incredible. Just watching him run gives you chills and very few horses come along like that.”

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Stanley Hough, 72, Retires From Training Career For The Second Time

Longtime Thoroughbred trainer Stanley Hough first retired in 2012, but he was coaxed back into the shed row in 2018 by mentee Hunter Rankin on behalf of Kevin Plank's Sagamore Farm. Hough and Rankin, racing manager and president, respectively, had been rebuilding the Sagamore program since 2015, and there were a couple special 2-year-olds Hough wanted to keep a closer eye on.

One of those was Global Campaign, a half-brother to G1 winner Bolt d'Oro. The colt's career got off to a good start in 2019 with wins in the G3 Peter Pan and the G3 Monmouth Cup, but he really blossomed in 2020 with a victory in the Grade 1 Woodward and a third-place finish in the G1 Breeders' Cup Classic. Global Campaign earned a total of $1,321,080 on the track with six wins from 10 starts.

The 4-year-old son of Curlin has since been retired to co-owner WinStar Farm to prepare for a career at stud, however, and Sagamore Farm announced the termination of its horse racing involvement in early November.

Now 72 years old, Hough made the decision to head back into retirement.

“When WinStar decided it was better for the horse to go to stud—because he is being very well received—for me, it was a bittersweet thing, but it helped me make the decision,” Hough told bloodhorse.com. “I still have some horses I own part of and that will go on for a while, but in terms of training, I'm going to let someone else do it. COVID-19 has been hard for everybody, and I've been away from home a lot. I'm not getting any younger, which is obvious, but I decided I would pack it in for good this time.”

Hough's resume at his retirement stands at 2,212 wins from 12,921 starters with total earnings of $47,892,444.

Baffert Pointing Life Is Good to Sham

Two-year-old sensation and ‘TDN Rising Star’ Life Is Good (Into Mischief) will likely make his next start in the GIII Sham S. on Jan. 2 at Santa Anita, reports trainer Bob Baffert. The one-mile event carries a purse of $100,000.

“If all is going well, it looks like the Sham will be his next race,” Baffert said. “It will give me a chance to stretch him out. Then I will decide on what’s next and look at races like the Rebel at Oaklawn.”

Owned by WinStar Farm and the China Horse Club, Life Is Good was purchased for $525,000 at the 2019 Keeneland September Sale. He made his debut Nov. 22 at Del Mar and instantly stamped himself as a contender for the 2021 Triple Crown with a 9 1/2-length win in which jockey Mike Smith never appeared to ask the horse for his best. His final time for the 6 1/2 furlongs was 1:15.50 and he earned a 90 Beyer figure.

In the first round of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager, Life Is Good was the top choice after the “all others” option. He closed at 5-1, putting him ahead of Essential Quality (Tapit). The winner of the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and the likely 2020 champion 2-year-old male, Essential Quality closed at 8-1.

Baffert noted that his 2020 GI Kentucky Derby winner Authentic (Into Mischief) also won at first asking during the Bing Crosby meet at Del Mar before winning the Sham in his second career start.

“You can’t get an allowance race for these horses to fill around here,” Baffert said. “I ran Authentic in the Sham last year after he broke his maiden at Del Mar. The Sham looks like a logical spot.”

Baffert said he is looking forward to finding out more about Life Is Good.

“He’s got a great sire and they way he ran was impressive,” he said. “He’s got raw talent like American Pharoah and Justify. I think Authentic had that raw talent, too. But he was just immature at the time. This horse gives us something to get excited about, but they’ve got to go two turns first. I didn’t know how good American Pharoah was until he did it.”

Should Life Is Good make it to the Kentucky Derby, he will be in position to give Baffert his third win in the race over the last four years and his fourth since 2015. With six Derby wins, he is tied with Ben Jones for most by a trainer.

“I train for all the big guys, like WinStar,” he said. “I’ve made it to point where these people send me good horses and that makes my job easier. And we’ve figured out what to do with them when we do get a good one.”

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Forza Di Oro Gives Speightstown Back-To-Back Winners of the Discovery

Forza Di Oro (Speightstown) took full advantage of an ideal run through the race and sprinted home fastest of all to give his sire a second consecutive victory in the GIII Discovery S., following on the success of Phipps Stable’s Performer 12 months ago.

Very alertly into stride for Junior Alvarado, the Don Alberto homebred fell into the perfect spot, as Monday Morning Qb (Imagining) set a strong pace from longshot Ralston (Tapiture) to his outside. Attachment Rate (Hard Spun) did it toughest three wide punching the breeze, while Shared Sense (Street Sense) was content to monitor things from last. Shuffled back a spot racing into the final three furlongs, though still traveling very much like a winner, Forza Di Oro went on the attack when Ralston drifted out a path in upper stretch and, despite racing on his incorrect lead into the final eighth of a mile, came away to a convincing victory. Monday Morning Qb was not disgraced in second, while Shared Sense was forced to cover a bit of ground on the turn and came home a one-paced third.

A maiden winner at second asking going Belmont’s one-turn 8 1/2-furlong trip last Oct. 26, Forza Di Oro beat just one home as an 11-2 chance in the GII Remsen S. Dec. 7 and went missing. He belied odds of 10-1 to score by a neck in his Oct. 9 allowance comebacker in Elmont and though he had his fair share of backers Saturday, was the fourth choice in the field of five.

Pedigree Notes:

Don Alberto Corporation acquired Forza Di Oro’s SW & GSP dam for $410,000 in foal to Tapit at Keeneland November in 2013, and the colt she was carrying at the time became Silver Dust, a three-time graded winner of over $885,000. Filare l’Oro is a half-sister to multiple Korean champion Cheongdam Dokki (To Honor and Server) as well as MGSW Gouldings Green (Charismatic), and the further female family includes MGISW Stop Traffic (Cure the Blues), the dam of GISW and ‘TDN Rising Star’ Cross Traffic (Unbridled’s Song) and MSW Thirteen Arrows (Indian Charlie). Filare l’Oro is the dam of a 2-year-old colt by the late Empire Maker and most recently returned to Speightstown, who is now the sire of 119 worldwide black-type winners and 58 graded/group winners. Forza Di Oro is the 21st SW and 9th GSW produced by a daughter of Hard Spun.

Saturday, Aqueduct
DISCOVERY S.-GIII, $97,000, Aqueduct, 11-28, 3yo, 1 1/8m, 1:50.03, ft.
1–FORZA DI ORO, 118, c, 3, by Speightstown
1st Dam: Filare l’Oro (SW & GSP, $185,100), by Hard Spun
2nd Dam: Elusive Gold, by Strike the Gold
3rd Dam: Save My Soul, by I’ma Hell Raiser
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($325,000
RNA Ylg ’18 FTSAUG). O-Don Alberto Stable; B-Don Alberto
Corporation (KY); T-William I. Mott; J-Junior Alvarado. $55,000.
Lifetime Record: 5-3-1-0, $148,875. *1/2 to Silver Dust (Tapit),
MGSW, $885,677. Werk Nick Rating: C+. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Monday Morning Qb, 120, c, 3, Imagining–How My Heart
Works, by Not For Love. ($25,000 Ylg ’18 EASOCT). O-Cash is
King LLC & LC Racing LLC; B-Bowman & Higgins Stable & Cary
Frommer (MD); T-Robert E. Reid, Jr. $20,000.
3–Shared Sense, 124, c, 3, Street Sense–Collective, by
Bernardini. O/B-Godolphin (KY); T-Brad H. Cox. $12,000.
Margins: 3 3/4, 1HF, 1 3/4. Odds: 3.15, 1.85, 2.55.
Also Ran: Attachment Rate, Ralston.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

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