Tag: WinStar StableMates

Paris Lights Closes KEENOV Opener With a Bang

Bidding on behalf of Spendthrift Farm, Ned Toffey went to a session-topping $3.1 million to acquire Paris Lights (Curlin–Paris Bikini, by Bernardini) as the third-last horse through the ring as part of the supplemental catalog on the opening day of the Keeneland November Sale in Lexington. The 4-year-old filly, who was consigned to the sale by ELiTE, agent, went three-for-four as during her sophomore season, capping the campaign with a hard-fought head defeat of fellow WinStar Stablemates Racing colorbearer Crystal Ball (Malibu Moon) in the GI Coaching Club American Oaks at Saratoga. The bay, a $200,000 RNA at Keeneland September in 2018, added a victory in this year's GIII Distaff S. and additional placings in the Shawnee S. at Churchill in May and in the Love Sign S. at Colonial this past August. Bred on the potent cross of Curlin over A.P. Indy-line dams, Paris Lights is out of a daughter of SP Lacadena (Fasliyev), the dam of GSW & MGISP America (A.P. Indy). The latter is responsible for 'TDN Rising Star' First Captain (Curlin), winner of this year's GIII Dwyer S. at Belmont Park.

 

 

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Thoroughbred Owner Conference Session Focuses On Benefits Of Racing Clubs

Representatives from three successful racing clubs joined the seventh session of the Thoroughbred Owner Conference series on Tuesday, Sept. 7, to talk about the perks of participating in Thoroughbred ownership through racing clubs and through microshares. The panelists were Michael Behrens, MyRacehorse; Mary Cage, WinStar Stablemates; and Gary Palmisano, Churchill Downs Racing Club.

Tuesday's session was sponsored by MyRacehorse, the Daily Racing Form, and Mersant International Ltd. and moderated by TVG's Simon Bray. The conference series is hosted by The Jockey Club and the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association and presented by Bessemer Trust, Dean Dorton Equine, Stoll Keenon Ogden, and Stonestreet Farm.

The panelists talked about the origins and structures of their groups, which range from enabling individuals to buy microshares in one horse at a time (MyRacehorse) to being able to pay for leasing rights to the club's entire roster of horses (Stablemates). They also all shared success stories of shareholders who entered Thoroughbred ownership through their respective racing clubs and then went on to expand their involvement in racing and breeding.

“Our goal from the get-go is to create new owners, even when Stablemates first started and was just a fan initiative, to educate these people on the industry and everything behind the scenes, that has been the goal, to prepare them for things like this,” Cage said. “Stablemates has given them that opportunity to explore racehorse ownership, and we have had several go out on their own.”

Palmisano pointed out that more than 100 Churchill Downs Racing Club members have progressed into other forms of ownership. Last year, MyRacehorse launched Edge Racing, which is a more traditional syndicate model and is designed for those who want to take ownership a step beyond MyRacehorse's microshare structure.

“I have no doubt that [racing clubs] are becoming the breeding ground for the next generation of ownership,” said Behrens.

The racing clubs represented in the session all have plans in place for when their horses retire from the racetrack. While the WinStar fillies go on to breeding careers, MyRacehorse and the Churchill Downs Racing Club have relationships with aftercare organizations to place horses and raise money in support of those organizations.

“At the end of the day, these horses need to have a great home. Whenever you buy a horse, you need to have a plan,” Palmisano said. “The ending has to be written too, well in advance.”

All three panelists agreed that anyone joining a racing club or microshare membership should do so for enjoyment, entertainment, and to gain experience before moving into other forms of ownership.

The next session of the series, “Biomechanics in Racehorses,” will be held on Tuesday, October 5, at 2 p.m. ET. It is sponsored by Sackatoga Stable, Silver Springs Stud, and WinStar.

All sessions will be recorded and made available to registered guests. There is no registration fee for the live or recorded virtual conference series, but registration is required.

In addition to the virtual series, OwnerView will be hosting an in-person Thoroughbred Owner Conference in Del Mar, California, on November 3, to coincide with the Breeders' Cup World Championships. Registration information is available on the OwnerView website. Registration information and schedules for both the in-person and virtual conference are available at ownerview.com/event/conference or by contacting Gary Falter at gfalter@jockeyclub.com.

OwnerView is a joint effort spearheaded by The Jockey Club and the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association to encourage ownership of Thoroughbreds and provide accurate information on aspects of ownership such as trainers, public racing syndicates, the process of purchasing and owning a Thoroughbred, racehorse retirement, and owner licensing.

The need for a central resource to encourage Thoroughbred ownership was identified in the comprehensive economic study of the sport that was commissioned by The Jockey Club and conducted by McKinsey & Company in 2011. The OwnerView site was launched in May 2012.

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Three-For-Three In 2021, Crystal Ball Will Try To Stay Perfect In Sunday’s Shuvee

WinStar Stablemates Racing's Crystal Ball, perfect through three starts as a 4-year-old, will put that mark on the line when facing five graded stakes winners in Sunday's 45th running of the Grade 3, $200,000 Shuvee for older fillies and mares going at Saratoga Race Course.

The nine-furlong test honors the multiple stakes-winning Hall of Fame distaffer whose accolades include victories in the Alabama, Mother Goose, Acorn, Coaching Club American Oaks and Beldame. The daughter of Nashua's biggest claim to fame was defeating males in back-to-back years in the Jockey Club Gold Cup [1970-71]. Shuvee earned Champion 3-Year-Old Filly honors in 1969 before being named Champion Older Female the following two years. She was owned by Anne Minor Stone and trained by Willard Freeman.

Trained by Rodolphe Brisset, Crystal Ball has won all three of her 2021 starts over different racetracks with different jockeys. The daughter of Malibu Moon commenced her campaign with an allowance optional claiming score on April 2 at Santa Anita where Flavien Prat piloted her to a career-best 93 Beyer Speed Figure. After shipping to Churchill Downs to win for the next condition going 1 1/16 miles on May 8 under Florent Geroux, she transferred to Brisset's barn and won the nine-furlong Lady Jacqueline on June 26 at Thistledown with Luis Saez up.

“When she got switched to us our main goal was to win a stakes with her and we accomplished that last time,” Brisset said. “The mare is 3-for-3 this year. She's training well, she likes this track. I think it's the next logical spot for her to try and win a graded stakes with her now. She's a gorgeous mare physically. She's obviously going to be in the WinStar broodmare band. It would be nice for her to win that.”

Winless in two starts at the Spa, Crystal Ball made a good showing in her first start at Saratoga in last year's Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks, where she set the pace and battled gamely with fellow WinStar Stablemates color bearer Paris Lights, finishing just a head shy of victory.

“We were able to get her back to Keeneland right after the race in Ohio. We gave her two weeks galloping and she had two nice breezes there. She shipped well here,” Brisset said. “She trained very well Thursday morning. We'll school her at the gate, and we'll just do our normal routine, take her over there on Sunday and see what happens.”

Crystal Ball will be piloted by Saez from post 6.

Trainer Chad Brown brings a trio of graded stakes winners to the Shuvee in Gold Spirit [post 2, Javier Castellano], Dunbar Road [post 4, Irad Ortiz, Jr.] and Royal Flag [post 7, Joel Rosario].

Making her first start in North America, Gold Spirit was a Group 1 winner in her native Chile, capturing the Alberto Solari Magnasco at 1 ¼ miles in November. A victory from Gold Spirit would give owner Sumaya U.S. Stable their second Shuvee victory after winning in 2003 with Wild Spirit, who also made her United States debut in the Shuvee.

Peter Brant's Dunbar Road seeks to recapture her winning form from last season, where she won the Shawnee at Churchill Downs and Grade 2 Delaware Handicap at Delaware Park in her first two starts. The three-time graded stakes winning daughter of Quality Road conquered her lone start at the Spa with a 2 ¾-length victory in the 2019 Grade 1 Alabama.

Dunbar Road boasts the highest lifetime earnings as the field's lone millionaire, banking $1,210,740 through a 12-6-1-3 record.

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W.S. Farish's Royal Flag, second in last year's Shuvee to subsequent Grade 1 winner Letruska, has never missed the board in nine starts bragging a 4-3-2 record.

The 5-year-old daughter of Candy Ride won the Grade 3 Turnback the Alarm on November 7 at Aqueduct going nine furlongs in her only graded stakes victory and returned five months later to finish a narrow second in the Grade 3 Doubledogdare on April 16 at Keeneland.

A Kentucky homebred, Royal Flag is out of the Mineshaft mare Sea Gull, making her a full-sister to graded stakes winner Eagle and multiple graded stakes-winner Catalina Cruiser.

“All three horses are doing well. They're coming off layoffs of some sort, so it's a bit of an obstacle to overcome, but they're all training well,” Brown said. “I've gotten to know Gold Spirit pretty well over the past couple of months and she seems like a quality horse. Dunbar Road ended up having a throat infection that we've been working on and it's good now. I've been very pleased with her last few works.”

Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott will saddle two graded stakes winners seeking his second Shuvee victory.

Godolphin's versatile Antoinette, a stakes winner on both dirt and turf, arrives off a runner-up effort in the Grade 2 Fleur de Lis on June 26 at Churchill Downs, where she maintained second position throughout and held off a late run from Envoutante.

Following a successful 4-year-old debut on turf, going gate-to-wire in the Grade 3 The Very One on February 27 at Gulfstream Park, she stretched out to 1 3/8 miles for the Grade 2 Sheepshead Bay on May 1 at Belmont Park, where she set the pace once more and faded to fifth.

A win would make the bay daughter of Hard Spun a stakes-winner on both surfaces at the Spa having captured last year's Saratoga Oaks Invitational in frontrunning fashion.

“For the time being, she's on dirt,” said Mott, who saddled 2019 Shuvee winner Golden Award. “She's run a couple of good races this year. The Sheepshead Bay may have been a little far. She's shown the natural progression that horses from three to four show. They typically run faster. You like to see them do that.”

Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez will ride Antoinette from post 5.

Horologist seeks a fourth graded stakes victory when breaking from post 1 under Junior Alvarado.

The 2020 New Jersey-Bred Horse of the Year, owned by There's A Chance Stable, Medallion Racing, Abbondanza Racing, Parkland Thoroughbreds, Paradise Farms Corporation and David Staudacher, won last year's Grade 3 Molly Pitcher at Monmouth Park and the Grade 2 Beldame Invitational at Belmont Park.

The daughter of Gemologist captured her 5-year-old debut in the Top Flight Invitational at Aqueduct and was a disappointing fifth last out as the favorite in the Lady Jacqueline. Through a record of 23-8-2-4, Horologist brags the most lifetime victories.

Completing the field is Christine Hatfield and Phil Hatfield's Liberty M D, who makes her first start going two turns and at stakes caliber for trainer Ian Wilkes.

The 4-year-old bay daughter of third crop sire Constitution won her career debut on May 14 at Churchill Downs going seven furlongs before defeating winners at a one-turn mile by a half-length on June 3.

Jockey Brian Hernandez, Jr. will ride from post 3.

The Shuvee is slated as Race 9 on Sunday's 10-race card. First post is 1:05 p.m. Eastern. Saratoga Live will present daily television coverage of the 40-day summer meet on FOX Sports. For the complete Saratoga Live broadcast schedule, and additional programming information, visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule.

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Paris Lights Takes Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks In Stakes Debut

Saturday's 104th running of the Grade 1, $350,000 Coaching Club American Oaks saw a dramatic stretch battle between WinStar Stablemates color-bearers Paris Lights and Crystal Ball, with the former getting her head on the wire at the right time in the 1 1/8-mile event for 3-year-old fillies at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Paris Lights broke sharply from the outside post under jockey Tyler Gaffalione and was in the clear heading into the first turn before Crystal Ball assumed command to lead the five-horse field through an opening quarter-mile in 24.43 seconds. Paris Lights kept close company just to her outside with Tonalist's Shape, who checked going into the turn, moving over to the three-path while under a tight hold from jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr.

Approaching the far turn, Crystal Ball was put under a drive from Hall of Fame rider Javier Castellano, while Gaffalione remain cool, calm and collected aboard his filly and did not begin asking her until they reached the quarter pole.

At the top of the Saratoga stretch, Paris Lights put a head in front, but a stubborn Crystal Ball was resilient and fought gamely to her inside. The two fillies duked it out and remained nip and tuck throughout the remaining furlong and a half, but Paris Lights came out on the winning end, completing the journey in a final time of 1:50.81 on the fast main track.

Crystal Ball finished 4 3/4 lengths ahead of Antoinette who rounded out the trifecta.

Tonalist's Shape and Velvet Crush, who walked out of the gate and was never a factor, completed the order of finish. Altaf was scratched.

Paris Lights made her stakes debut in the CCA Oaks, arriving at the event off a pair of victories going 1 1/16 miles at Churchill Downs. She now boasts a record of 4-3-0-1 and earnings of $287,912.

The bay daughter of Curlin earned 100 qualifying points towards the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks on September 4 at Churchill Downs.

The win was a redeeming one for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, who turned the tables on Crystal Ball's Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert three years after coming out on the losing end of a memorable stretch battle in the 2017 CCA Oaks when Elate finished a head behind the Baffert-trained Abel Tasman.

“I think the fact we had another allowance race in her at Churchill [helped],” said Mott, who saddled Ajina to victory in the 1997 CCA Oaks. “She broke her maiden and we were able to get another allowance race in her for experience and build on that experience a bit and on her confidence level. It paid off today.”

The Grade 1, $500,000 Alabama on August 15, which also is a Kentucky Oaks qualifier, is in play for Paris Lights, Mott said.

“I don't see any reason we wouldn't make that her potential goal. We've been lucky enough to win it a couple of times and naturally, I'd like to try it again,” said Mott – a three-time winner of the Alabama.

The victory marked the first Grade 1 win at Saratoga for Gaffalione, who has been aboard Paris Lights in all four of her starts.

“My filly just kept digging in. The other filly [Crystal Ball, No. 5] was a little stubborn to get by, but my filly is all class,” said Gaffalione. “All credit to Mr. Mott and his team. As usual, they do such a fabulous job and I'm just thankful I got the opportunity to ride her.”

Gaffalione took advantage of a clean trip, which he said was key to securing the win.

“My filly jumped out really well. I looked over and saw the Baffert horse [Crystal Ball] go to the lead and I figured she was the speed on form,” Gaffalione said. “I thought maybe [Velvet Crush, No. 4] would go with her, but she didn't get away that clean. So, I took advantage of it, and my filly was there for me the whole way.”

Castellano, aboard Crystal Ball, said he was far from disappointed in his filly's effort.

“She's a young horse and it was just the third start of her career,” Castellano said. “The way it developed, with better horses in this race, she hooked up and battled with one of the best horses. I'm not disappointed. I'm happy the way she did it. We just got beat on the [head] bob.”

Bred in Kentucky by WinStar Farm, Paris Lights is out of the Bernardini broodmare Paris Bikini, who is a half-sister to graded stakes winner America and is a direct descendant of prolific broodmare Best In Show.

Live racing returns on Sunday with a 10-race card which features the Grade 2, $150,000 Lake Placid for 3-year-old fillies over the inner turf. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern.

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