Worked two-thirds of the yearlings today and, in a pleasant surprise, most were none too shabby. It's a bit early to say for sure, but this may very well be the most talented crop I have ever bred.
Highlighters include:
Be Okay (Perfect Night x Trusty Southpaw) smokes 3 furlongs on turf in 0:36.52.
Chiaki (Aesthetic x Viva La Estrella) works 5 furlongs on turf in 0:59.52.
Farfelkugel (Vonnegut x Pharfignewton) blitzes 3 furlongs on turf in 0:36.54.
Favor the Brave (Phoenix Rise x Fortesfortunajuvat) works 4 furlongs in 0:46.64.
Meteora (Warlike x How Ya Doin) breezes 5 furlongs on turf in 0:59.64.
Rainbow Chaser (Boise x Grey Eminence) impresses going 5 furlongs in 0:58.13.
Most of my best horses tend to be turfers, but I'm not complaining.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Monday, February 1, 2010
New Japan-bred program in the works
Five years ago Sun Tzu was born in California to fledgling owner Paul Heinrich. Sun Tzu was a homebred for Heinrich and bred to be an absolute star: Out of his unraced late A.P. Indy mare, Strategy, the horse is a half-brother to grade I winner Guile and Desert World Cup (UAE-I) hero Gun Hill. He was sired by Notorious, a venerable campaigner who excelled as an older horse when taking his own edition of the Desert World Cup in addition to the Baltimore Special (gr. I), Woodward Stakes (gr. I) and Oaklawn Park Handicap (gr. I). And in his first yearling work Sun Tzu sizzled five furlongs in :58.30.
As a racehorse Sun Tzu was precocious enough to sweep all three starts at two, including a determined win in the Louisiana Jackpot (gr. II) over the highly-touted Heed the Warning, earning a remarkable 88 speed figure. The following season the colt prepped for Triple Crown with a neck victory in the Kentucky Blue Stakes (gr. I), but finished third in the Louisville Derby (gr. I). He avenged that loss with a game head victory in the Long Island Classic (gr. I) going 1-1/2 miles before finishing the year with a fourth in the Midsummer Derby (gr. I) and a third behind Heed the Warning in the Steward's Cup Classic (gr. I).
Sun Tzu opened his four-year-old season with a pair of dull efforts in Dubai before rebounding with a ten-length romp over grade I winner My Boy Blue in the Seven Pillars of Wisdom Cup (SAU-II). He then shipped to Japan to close out his career with a win in the Sirius Stakes (JPN-III) and a hard-fought victory in the Japan Trophy Dirt (JPN-I) over multiple grade I winners Wow and Father's Day.
Last week Paul Heinrich expressed interest in getting a Japan-bred program started in that country for the young stallion, who currently commands a fee of $45,000. Heinrich, noting that while "...right now there are a lot of dirt races in Japan for two-year-olds, [there is] not a lot for them to do after that."
Thinking of my own dirt stallion Phoenix Rise, my interest was piqued. A move to Japan, where purses are lucrative, would add some extra incentive to breed to who the Steward said "would have been a world-class miler." Phoenix Rise, admittedly, is suffering a lull in his stud career; his oldest foals are just three and he is yet to get that big horse having largely been forgotten about.
But I digress. I contacted Paul, who was very receptive to the idea of Phoenix Rise in Japan to bolster the breeding and racing program. Though nothing is set in stone, we have discussed sponsoring a few listed and graded stakes for three-year-olds and up towards the end of the year; some routes for the Sun Tzu progeny and mile races for Phoenix Rise's. Stay tuned for further updates.
As a racehorse Sun Tzu was precocious enough to sweep all three starts at two, including a determined win in the Louisiana Jackpot (gr. II) over the highly-touted Heed the Warning, earning a remarkable 88 speed figure. The following season the colt prepped for Triple Crown with a neck victory in the Kentucky Blue Stakes (gr. I), but finished third in the Louisville Derby (gr. I). He avenged that loss with a game head victory in the Long Island Classic (gr. I) going 1-1/2 miles before finishing the year with a fourth in the Midsummer Derby (gr. I) and a third behind Heed the Warning in the Steward's Cup Classic (gr. I).
Sun Tzu opened his four-year-old season with a pair of dull efforts in Dubai before rebounding with a ten-length romp over grade I winner My Boy Blue in the Seven Pillars of Wisdom Cup (SAU-II). He then shipped to Japan to close out his career with a win in the Sirius Stakes (JPN-III) and a hard-fought victory in the Japan Trophy Dirt (JPN-I) over multiple grade I winners Wow and Father's Day.
Last week Paul Heinrich expressed interest in getting a Japan-bred program started in that country for the young stallion, who currently commands a fee of $45,000. Heinrich, noting that while "...right now there are a lot of dirt races in Japan for two-year-olds, [there is] not a lot for them to do after that."
Thinking of my own dirt stallion Phoenix Rise, my interest was piqued. A move to Japan, where purses are lucrative, would add some extra incentive to breed to who the Steward said "would have been a world-class miler." Phoenix Rise, admittedly, is suffering a lull in his stud career; his oldest foals are just three and he is yet to get that big horse having largely been forgotten about.
But I digress. I contacted Paul, who was very receptive to the idea of Phoenix Rise in Japan to bolster the breeding and racing program. Though nothing is set in stone, we have discussed sponsoring a few listed and graded stakes for three-year-olds and up towards the end of the year; some routes for the Sun Tzu progeny and mile races for Phoenix Rise's. Stay tuned for further updates.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Stallion Promotions
No, I'm not writing to harp about my own two stallions, Berlioz and Phoenix Rise.
With all the creative stallion advertising going around, I thought it would be keen to examine some of the stallions who are being promoted in a unique way.
First we will take a look at Nitroglycerin, a horse whose race record and pedigree on its own should garner a fair number of mares -- and indeed, at the time of this writing he already has 66 foals and yearlings on the ground. Nitroglycerin is owned by Skippy Bowen, and is a product of Eric Nalbone's storied Dare to Dream Stud. The racy-looking black horse is a son of eight-for-thirteen Nitro, who himself captured the Malibu Stakes (gr. I), Esteemed Stakes (gr. I) and Two Year Old Sprint Championship (gr. I). Nitroglycerin flashed tremendous ability from the start, winning his first three outings as a juvenile before closing out the year with promising placings in the Excited Stakes (gr. I) and Steward's Cup Juvenile Sprint (gr. I). He would not lose in six starts at three, taking two stakes in the States before shipping to South America where he took three consecutive grade III's before capping the year with a strong victory over older horses in the Los Campeones Dirt Sprint (ARG-I). Nitroglycerin was nearly as untouchable at four, winning five of six starts in between Puerto Rico and Argentina including scores in the Bolt (PR-I), Kinghaven Glory Years (PR-I) and a repeat victory in the Los Campeones Dirt Sprint over Terrorist, the only horse to beat him since his juvenile season. For his consistency Nitroglycerin retired with an obscene seven --yes, seven-- Simmy Awards including Islands and South American Horse of the Year. If that isn't enough incentive to breed to him at $45,000, owner Bowen is offering to pay for a headshot (a 30,000 game point value) for any offspring that wins a Steward's Cup race, a SIMperior subscription (15,000 game point value) for the owners of the first grade I winners of the horse's first two crops, and a one-week issue of SIMperior for the owner of his first juvenile winner.
Offshore Excursion is still in training and in fact is scheduled to start in the upcoming Grand Tower Stakes (ENG-I) for owner-breeder Ashley Gibson. The solidly-built son of champion Fleet Afoot and grade II winner Mexican Wedding currently owns a very respectable record of eight wins in twelve starts. Offshore Excursion swept all four of his starts as a juvenile while racing throughout North America, including the Steward's Cup Juvenile Turf (gr. IT) over South Pacific champion James Madison and eventual grade I winner Fleetest of Foot. Last season at three the colt won two of five starts while running in the world's most competitive turf mile contests; capturing the Palace of Saints Stakes (ENG-I) and placing in the Irish 2,000 Guineas (IRE-I), English 2,000 Guineas (ENG-I), Prix Benjamin Franklin (FR-I) and Steward's Cup Turf Mile (gr. IT) to seven-time group I winner Menacing, four-time group I winners Trick of the Eye, Star Signs, Won't Back Down, etc. Offshore Season is two-for-two this year, with victories in the Dubliner Mile (IRE-II) and Prix Fleet Admiral (FR-III). Additionally, his half-sister by Test Your Strength is already a group I winner at three. With the strong race record and pedigree, there should be a fairly decent number of mares lined up for Offshore Excursion upon retirement later this season. Breeding to him also makes you eligible for the $50,000 bonus Gibson is offering for the breeder of the colt's first graded stakes winner.
I promised I wouldn't toot my own horn (i.e. promote my own stallions), but I do get profile my Berlioz's own son Kind Poet, who will be retiring to stud at the end of the year. A member of his sire's first crop, Kind Poet was bred by the Steward and is out of her Giant's Causeway mare Humane. Humane's three-year-old daughter is already a graded stakes winner and the two-year-old is a stakes-placed winner at press time. Kind Poet, a small bay colt not much bigger than his sire, flashed talent from the beginning when drawing away by 4-1/2 lengths in a maiden special in Canada in his debut. He finished the year with a good second in a stakes and a fourth behind future four-time Simmy Award winner Silent Partner and eventual grade II winner Pursuit in the Stratocaster Stakes (gr. IIIT). Kind Poet then shipped to Europe for his sophomore season where he triumphed in three of four starts --including the Stonehenge Stakes (ENG-III) and the Scandinavian Dash (SWE-III); the latter over older horses-- before tailing off in his final two outings of the year. Shipped to Hong Kong for a respite, the time off seemed to do the colt good and he opened this year with facile victory in the Hong Kong Premier Sprint before landing the major Tulip Sprint (HK-I) three weeks later. In the latter Kind Poet ran the six furlongs in 1:10 flat for an 82 speed figure, and in the process defeated old rival Silent Partner and group I winner Saint Nicholas. In his lone subsequent start Kind Poet was second by 1-1/2 lengths to 15-for-19 group I winner Creative License in the Shissou Cup (JPN-IIIT). Owner Melissa Mae, who snagged the colt for $100,000 at auction when he was a yearling, is offering a $10,000 bonus to the breeder of the colt's first grade I winner. The bonus itself is dwarfed next to the promotions mentioned above, but there still are plenty of reasons to breed to Kind Poet: He will be cheaper than his sire, is out of a young but very productive Steward-owned mare, and is proven at the highest level of racing.
With all the creative stallion advertising going around, I thought it would be keen to examine some of the stallions who are being promoted in a unique way.
First we will take a look at Nitroglycerin, a horse whose race record and pedigree on its own should garner a fair number of mares -- and indeed, at the time of this writing he already has 66 foals and yearlings on the ground. Nitroglycerin is owned by Skippy Bowen, and is a product of Eric Nalbone's storied Dare to Dream Stud. The racy-looking black horse is a son of eight-for-thirteen Nitro, who himself captured the Malibu Stakes (gr. I), Esteemed Stakes (gr. I) and Two Year Old Sprint Championship (gr. I). Nitroglycerin flashed tremendous ability from the start, winning his first three outings as a juvenile before closing out the year with promising placings in the Excited Stakes (gr. I) and Steward's Cup Juvenile Sprint (gr. I). He would not lose in six starts at three, taking two stakes in the States before shipping to South America where he took three consecutive grade III's before capping the year with a strong victory over older horses in the Los Campeones Dirt Sprint (ARG-I). Nitroglycerin was nearly as untouchable at four, winning five of six starts in between Puerto Rico and Argentina including scores in the Bolt (PR-I), Kinghaven Glory Years (PR-I) and a repeat victory in the Los Campeones Dirt Sprint over Terrorist, the only horse to beat him since his juvenile season. For his consistency Nitroglycerin retired with an obscene seven --yes, seven-- Simmy Awards including Islands and South American Horse of the Year. If that isn't enough incentive to breed to him at $45,000, owner Bowen is offering to pay for a headshot (a 30,000 game point value) for any offspring that wins a Steward's Cup race, a SIMperior subscription (15,000 game point value) for the owners of the first grade I winners of the horse's first two crops, and a one-week issue of SIMperior for the owner of his first juvenile winner.
Offshore Excursion is still in training and in fact is scheduled to start in the upcoming Grand Tower Stakes (ENG-I) for owner-breeder Ashley Gibson. The solidly-built son of champion Fleet Afoot and grade II winner Mexican Wedding currently owns a very respectable record of eight wins in twelve starts. Offshore Excursion swept all four of his starts as a juvenile while racing throughout North America, including the Steward's Cup Juvenile Turf (gr. IT) over South Pacific champion James Madison and eventual grade I winner Fleetest of Foot. Last season at three the colt won two of five starts while running in the world's most competitive turf mile contests; capturing the Palace of Saints Stakes (ENG-I) and placing in the Irish 2,000 Guineas (IRE-I), English 2,000 Guineas (ENG-I), Prix Benjamin Franklin (FR-I) and Steward's Cup Turf Mile (gr. IT) to seven-time group I winner Menacing, four-time group I winners Trick of the Eye, Star Signs, Won't Back Down, etc. Offshore Season is two-for-two this year, with victories in the Dubliner Mile (IRE-II) and Prix Fleet Admiral (FR-III). Additionally, his half-sister by Test Your Strength is already a group I winner at three. With the strong race record and pedigree, there should be a fairly decent number of mares lined up for Offshore Excursion upon retirement later this season. Breeding to him also makes you eligible for the $50,000 bonus Gibson is offering for the breeder of the colt's first graded stakes winner.
I promised I wouldn't toot my own horn (i.e. promote my own stallions), but I do get profile my Berlioz's own son Kind Poet, who will be retiring to stud at the end of the year. A member of his sire's first crop, Kind Poet was bred by the Steward and is out of her Giant's Causeway mare Humane. Humane's three-year-old daughter is already a graded stakes winner and the two-year-old is a stakes-placed winner at press time. Kind Poet, a small bay colt not much bigger than his sire, flashed talent from the beginning when drawing away by 4-1/2 lengths in a maiden special in Canada in his debut. He finished the year with a good second in a stakes and a fourth behind future four-time Simmy Award winner Silent Partner and eventual grade II winner Pursuit in the Stratocaster Stakes (gr. IIIT). Kind Poet then shipped to Europe for his sophomore season where he triumphed in three of four starts --including the Stonehenge Stakes (ENG-III) and the Scandinavian Dash (SWE-III); the latter over older horses-- before tailing off in his final two outings of the year. Shipped to Hong Kong for a respite, the time off seemed to do the colt good and he opened this year with facile victory in the Hong Kong Premier Sprint before landing the major Tulip Sprint (HK-I) three weeks later. In the latter Kind Poet ran the six furlongs in 1:10 flat for an 82 speed figure, and in the process defeated old rival Silent Partner and group I winner Saint Nicholas. In his lone subsequent start Kind Poet was second by 1-1/2 lengths to 15-for-19 group I winner Creative License in the Shissou Cup (JPN-IIIT). Owner Melissa Mae, who snagged the colt for $100,000 at auction when he was a yearling, is offering a $10,000 bonus to the breeder of the colt's first grade I winner. The bonus itself is dwarfed next to the promotions mentioned above, but there still are plenty of reasons to breed to Kind Poet: He will be cheaper than his sire, is out of a young but very productive Steward-owned mare, and is proven at the highest level of racing.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Spotlight: Love As I Am
As we close out Week 4 the Steward has tentatively selected Bob Oliva's homebred Love As I Am. Here we will profile his breeding and accomplishments and examine why the Steward believes he is a star in the making.
A tall and stately dark bay colt, Love As I Am is quite an eyeful and turns heads on the racetrack, even when merely jogging in the mornings. He is a son of undefeated Triple Crown hero Awake As I Am, who won from distances ranging from seven furlongs to a mile and a half while running coast to coast. Already at six with his oldest progeny only three, he carries the robust statistic of over 10% stakes winners from runners. Somewhat surprisingly, Love As I Am isn't even in his sire's top six earnings-wise -- that list is headed by Talented As I Am, who himself will head to Louisville will plenty of supporters having annexed the Fountain of Gold (gr. II) and New York, New York Stakes (gr. I) in his last two outings.
Love As I Am is the fifth foal out of the Giacomo mare Ifyoulovesomeone, herself a mediocre racemare at best with just two wins out of twelve starts. She certainly seemed best going a route of ground, with those wins coming at 1-1/4 and 1-1/2 miles for her breeder Laura Ferguson. Aside from Love As I Am her record as a broodmare has been solid but certainly not extraordinary: From five foals to race she has produced four winners; two of those being stakes winners (Love As I Am and the retired mare Doyoubelieveingod). Love As I Am has an unraced full brother in training for Oliva, but his workouts have been significantly slower than his older sibling's.
Love As I Am flashed talent from the beginning, producing sizzling workouts of :58.21 before his debut at two. Going a flat mile over a muddy Futurity Park strip, Love As I Am broke sharply and never looked back when drawing away to win by 4-1/2 lengths. He earned a 78, a remarkable speed figure for a first-time starter. Love As I Am was wheeled back a fortnight later for the Graduation Year Stakes (gr. III) over the same track (again muddy) and came home victorious by 2-1/4 lengths, while showing a new dimension by rallying off the pace. Finishing second that day was the highly regarded Singed, a royally-bred Sun Raider from the formidable Eric Nalbone barn. Out of the late champion Spark, Singed is a half-brother to multiple grade I winner Anvil, grade II winner Stands With A Fist and leading sire and millionaire Boise. He too will start in the Louisville Derby off a fierce 4-1/2-length triumph in the Hot Springs Derby (gr. I).
Love As I Am would close out his juvenile season in the 1-1/16-mile Buckingham Stakes (gr. III), again over an off track at Futurity Park. In a gritty effort, the colt dueled all the way on the rail before settling for third, two lengths behind winner Thriller, a fellow Awake As I Am colt --also Louisville-bound-- who earned a monstrous 94 speed figure, and a head behind Cause to Burn (most recently second in the Sunshine Park Derby (gr. I)). Love As I Am was back in action early this year in the aforementioned Fountain of Gold in Week 2, in which Talented As I Am beat him by 1-3/4 lengths into third after a slow start by the former.
Love As I Am does head to Louisville off a win, accomplished in the 1-1/8-mile Albuquerque Derby (gr. III) in New Mexico. This time breaking quickly from the gate, he settled mid-pack before rallying to a facile 1-3/4-length triumph over the swiftly-working Noble Venture. Love As I Am earned a 76 speed figure in running the distance in 1:49.83.
Love As I Am is an intriguing selection by the Steward. While by a dynamic sire he comes from a relatively ordinary female family whose top offspring have done their best running at 1-1/8 miles. What he does have going for him is a crafty trainer who has chosen the past of least resistance to Louisville. Love As I Am enters the Triple Crown series extremely fresh and his speed figures are on the rise, signaling a big effort. Additionally, the versatile colt can settle off the pace and rally but has won wire-to-wire as well. Love As I Am is flying under the radar heading into Louisville --this may well change now with the Steward's endorsement-- but he is quite live and could very well be the best of his sire's freshman crop. Only time will tell.
A tall and stately dark bay colt, Love As I Am is quite an eyeful and turns heads on the racetrack, even when merely jogging in the mornings. He is a son of undefeated Triple Crown hero Awake As I Am, who won from distances ranging from seven furlongs to a mile and a half while running coast to coast. Already at six with his oldest progeny only three, he carries the robust statistic of over 10% stakes winners from runners. Somewhat surprisingly, Love As I Am isn't even in his sire's top six earnings-wise -- that list is headed by Talented As I Am, who himself will head to Louisville will plenty of supporters having annexed the Fountain of Gold (gr. II) and New York, New York Stakes (gr. I) in his last two outings.
Love As I Am is the fifth foal out of the Giacomo mare Ifyoulovesomeone, herself a mediocre racemare at best with just two wins out of twelve starts. She certainly seemed best going a route of ground, with those wins coming at 1-1/4 and 1-1/2 miles for her breeder Laura Ferguson. Aside from Love As I Am her record as a broodmare has been solid but certainly not extraordinary: From five foals to race she has produced four winners; two of those being stakes winners (Love As I Am and the retired mare Doyoubelieveingod). Love As I Am has an unraced full brother in training for Oliva, but his workouts have been significantly slower than his older sibling's.
Love As I Am flashed talent from the beginning, producing sizzling workouts of :58.21 before his debut at two. Going a flat mile over a muddy Futurity Park strip, Love As I Am broke sharply and never looked back when drawing away to win by 4-1/2 lengths. He earned a 78, a remarkable speed figure for a first-time starter. Love As I Am was wheeled back a fortnight later for the Graduation Year Stakes (gr. III) over the same track (again muddy) and came home victorious by 2-1/4 lengths, while showing a new dimension by rallying off the pace. Finishing second that day was the highly regarded Singed, a royally-bred Sun Raider from the formidable Eric Nalbone barn. Out of the late champion Spark, Singed is a half-brother to multiple grade I winner Anvil, grade II winner Stands With A Fist and leading sire and millionaire Boise. He too will start in the Louisville Derby off a fierce 4-1/2-length triumph in the Hot Springs Derby (gr. I).
Love As I Am would close out his juvenile season in the 1-1/16-mile Buckingham Stakes (gr. III), again over an off track at Futurity Park. In a gritty effort, the colt dueled all the way on the rail before settling for third, two lengths behind winner Thriller, a fellow Awake As I Am colt --also Louisville-bound-- who earned a monstrous 94 speed figure, and a head behind Cause to Burn (most recently second in the Sunshine Park Derby (gr. I)). Love As I Am was back in action early this year in the aforementioned Fountain of Gold in Week 2, in which Talented As I Am beat him by 1-3/4 lengths into third after a slow start by the former.
Love As I Am does head to Louisville off a win, accomplished in the 1-1/8-mile Albuquerque Derby (gr. III) in New Mexico. This time breaking quickly from the gate, he settled mid-pack before rallying to a facile 1-3/4-length triumph over the swiftly-working Noble Venture. Love As I Am earned a 76 speed figure in running the distance in 1:49.83.
Love As I Am is an intriguing selection by the Steward. While by a dynamic sire he comes from a relatively ordinary female family whose top offspring have done their best running at 1-1/8 miles. What he does have going for him is a crafty trainer who has chosen the past of least resistance to Louisville. Love As I Am enters the Triple Crown series extremely fresh and his speed figures are on the rise, signaling a big effort. Additionally, the versatile colt can settle off the pace and rally but has won wire-to-wire as well. Love As I Am is flying under the radar heading into Louisville --this may well change now with the Steward's endorsement-- but he is quite live and could very well be the best of his sire's freshman crop. Only time will tell.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Bargain Sires Part III
Thirteen-year-old Kentucky Trophy may be one of the best stallions on owner Jon Xett’s reputable stallion roster but he certainly isn’t priced like one. The son of Trophy out of a Priceless Forever mare never made it to the track but has made huge strides as a stallion, with over 18% stakes winners from starters. $66,333 in average progeny earnings is more than three times his paltry fee of $20,000, yet he has been bred to just 79 mares – a small amount considering the many years he has been standing. Kentucky Trophy gets good colts and fillies, including grade II winners Livelifewithasmile (an earner of over $700,000), Baby (dam of aforementioned hot stallion prospect East), and Kentucky Destiny (dam of grade II winner Kentucky Liberty). He has meshed well with a number of lines including mares by Blades Hill, Symbol, Conduit, Sea Hero, Playful Mood, Battle Cry and Fighting With Wit.
Standing in Canada for owner Laura Ferguson is twelve-year-old End Result. The son of Unheard Of, despite statistics of 70% winners from starters and nearly 13% stakes winners from starters, stands for just $35,000. End Result raced exclusively at two and won all five lifetime starts in a season that culminated with a victory in the Steward’s Cup Juvenile (gr. I) over a number of classy horses such as Tot Ziens, Edict, Righteous and Pillar of Strength. His juvenile campaign earned him Champion Two-Year-Old honors. Though End Result never ran again he went into the shed with high expectations; being undefeated and out of the champion race mare Fallen Goddess. Despite never having tried route distances End Result’s offspring have flourished at classic distances. He sired the world-class Horse of the Year End of the Line, who while racing captured an astounding ten grade I’s on both dirt and turf and has gone on to his own storied career at stud. Recently retired Then won five grade I’s himself including the Steward’s Cup Classic, a race also captured a few years earlier by End of the Line. There also four-time grade I-winning mare Trap, herself the dam of Louisville Oaks (gr. I) victress Brat. Puzzlingly often a forgotten stallion despite such results (no pun intended), End Result boasts a gaudy $157,337 in average progeny earnings. He enjoys the company of The Scarlet Nite and Symbol mares but is versatile enough to work with mares by Playful Mood, Blades Hill, Sunday Silence, Walkover and Loki Brilliance.
Eleven-year-old Gun Hill stands in Ohio for the relatively paltry fee of $25,000. A Steward-bred son of Battle Cry, the solidly built bay was graded stakes-placed at two but hinted he was something special early on when running off with the Arizona Derby by eleven lengths in his sophomore debut. A late developer, he would lose his next three starts before coming into his own with victories in the Canadian Derby (CAN-II) and rich Japan Cup Dirt (JPN-I). Gun Hill started his four-year-old season with three wins including a dramatic nose victory in the lucrative Dubai World Cup (UAE-I) over household names Pillar of Strength, Majesty and Coup d’Etat, before ending his career with a disappointing seventh behind Pillar of Strength in the Steward’s Cup Classic (gr. I). As a stallion, Gun Hill has been undervalued with just 155 foals on the ground but has made the most of his breeding opportunities. He has gotten 58% winners from starters and nearly 12% stakes winners from starters. Gun Hill’s average progeny earnings are a notable $65,178, well over two times his stud fee. His biggest runner to date is the venerable 14-for-28 gelding Artillery, an earner of nearly $3 million. Artillery was a grade II-winning juvenile before annexing the Sunshine Park Derby (gr. I), Midsummer Classic (gr. I) and Steward’s Cup Marathon (gr. I). Grade II winners Never Quit and Partnership are also among Gun Hill’s leading earners. Crossing to Giacomo and Conduit mares has resulted in large successes but like the other stallions profiled here a slew of bloodlines have also been productive and include Symbol, End Result and real-life stallions Easy Goer, Stop the Music and Unbridled.
At $20,000, Inspired Strike just might be the biggest steal of them all. The eleven-year-old son of Compelling has been just as consistent in the shed as he was on the racetrack. A stakes-winning juvenile in the States, he shipped to Puerto Rico as a sophomore and won three graded stakes over older horses. Inspired Strike traveled throughout his four-year-old season, which resulted in a grade I placing in Argentina and graded stakes wins in Texas, Puerto Rico, California and New York, while competing against divisional heavyweights Echo Iced, Southern Cross and Yamikishi. He retired after finishing a lackluster seventh in the Steward’s Cup Sprint (gr. I) but has since made amends as a stallion. Inspired Strike boasts over 75% winners from runners and a healthy 17% stakes winners from runners. He has sired graded stakes winners Flares and Spare and a plethora of ungraded stakes winners; with average progeny earnings sitting at about twice his stud fee. Inspired Strike clearly enjoys the company of mares by Lost Soldier and his son Lost in the Fog, but has also gotten stakes winners from mares by Satelite and more obscure stallions like Oasis Bilksem and Tarnished Gold.
Ten-year-old Esteemed is another diamond in the rough at $25,000 and like Inspired Strike is owned by Brianna McKenzie, a force as an owner and breeder in the sprint division. Esteemed won two of three starts at two but just one of four starts at three; something that can be excused considering he was butting heads with older horses like Lost, Southern Cross and Echo Iced. Unlike your typical sprinter, Esteemed hit his best stride at four and five. He won graded stakes in New York, California, Puerto Rico and Kentucky and ended his career with two six-length romps in Puerto Rico. As a stallion Esteemed has been very sharp with average progeny earnings of over $46,000, 71% winners from runners and nearly 15% stakes winners from runners. His best runners to date are Driving Rain, a millionaire whose biggest triumph came in the form of a four-length win in the Los Campeones Dirt Sprint (ARG-I) and the mare Look Elegant, winner of Era Stakes (gr. I) and Dancer Stakes (gr. I) in back-to-back starts. Another son, Reputable, was named Islands Champion 2-Year-Old Colt for his victory in the Puerto Rico Juvenile Championship (PR-I). As expected, Esteemed has begotten numerous stakes winners from mares by Satelite and his sons Comet, Pincay, Saturn and Villain. Em’s Always Busy –and his son Inspired Dream—have meshed well; and there have even been added money winners from the Inspired Fate and Anxious Gold lines as well.
Despite being a champion and classic winner, Empire is a stallion who is often passed over. This is a terrific shame since the eleven-year-old quietly goes about getting results like a whopping 77.5% winners from runners, average progeny earnings of more than double his $25,000 fee and 11.2% stakes winners from runners. Empire was always expected to be a good one, being by 11-for-13 multi-millionaire Chesapeake Bay and out of Hall of Famer and Broodmare of the Year Royalty. And he did not disappoint, winning his first five starts including the Wood Memorial (gr. I) to go off as the Louisville Derby (gr. I) favorite, though he would finish second by a length to Coup D’etat, a horse he edged in the Wood. Empire did take the Baltimore Crown (gr. I) next out over a star-studded field including the filly Wonder, Coup D’etat and California. He was even better at four and five when annexing the Woodward Stakes (gr. I) by six lengths over old rival Coup D’etat, the Whitney Handicap (gr. I) by 4-1/2 lengths and finishing second by a half-length in the Steward’s Cup Dirt Mile (gr. I). He also captured the Clasico Verset’s Jet (PR-I) in his final start, which earned him the title of Islands Champion Older Horse. As a stallion he has produced grade I-winning sons Be My Neighbor and Misfit and grade II victors Flawed Legacy and Laytheblameonlove. Empire makes a favorable impression as he is not picky with his mares, getting stakes winners from mares by everything from Wheelaway, Fightingwithfaith, Heir to the Throne, Fighting With Wit, Battle Cry and Saint Ballado.
Standing in Canada for owner Laura Ferguson is twelve-year-old End Result. The son of Unheard Of, despite statistics of 70% winners from starters and nearly 13% stakes winners from starters, stands for just $35,000. End Result raced exclusively at two and won all five lifetime starts in a season that culminated with a victory in the Steward’s Cup Juvenile (gr. I) over a number of classy horses such as Tot Ziens, Edict, Righteous and Pillar of Strength. His juvenile campaign earned him Champion Two-Year-Old honors. Though End Result never ran again he went into the shed with high expectations; being undefeated and out of the champion race mare Fallen Goddess. Despite never having tried route distances End Result’s offspring have flourished at classic distances. He sired the world-class Horse of the Year End of the Line, who while racing captured an astounding ten grade I’s on both dirt and turf and has gone on to his own storied career at stud. Recently retired Then won five grade I’s himself including the Steward’s Cup Classic, a race also captured a few years earlier by End of the Line. There also four-time grade I-winning mare Trap, herself the dam of Louisville Oaks (gr. I) victress Brat. Puzzlingly often a forgotten stallion despite such results (no pun intended), End Result boasts a gaudy $157,337 in average progeny earnings. He enjoys the company of The Scarlet Nite and Symbol mares but is versatile enough to work with mares by Playful Mood, Blades Hill, Sunday Silence, Walkover and Loki Brilliance.
Eleven-year-old Gun Hill stands in Ohio for the relatively paltry fee of $25,000. A Steward-bred son of Battle Cry, the solidly built bay was graded stakes-placed at two but hinted he was something special early on when running off with the Arizona Derby by eleven lengths in his sophomore debut. A late developer, he would lose his next three starts before coming into his own with victories in the Canadian Derby (CAN-II) and rich Japan Cup Dirt (JPN-I). Gun Hill started his four-year-old season with three wins including a dramatic nose victory in the lucrative Dubai World Cup (UAE-I) over household names Pillar of Strength, Majesty and Coup d’Etat, before ending his career with a disappointing seventh behind Pillar of Strength in the Steward’s Cup Classic (gr. I). As a stallion, Gun Hill has been undervalued with just 155 foals on the ground but has made the most of his breeding opportunities. He has gotten 58% winners from starters and nearly 12% stakes winners from starters. Gun Hill’s average progeny earnings are a notable $65,178, well over two times his stud fee. His biggest runner to date is the venerable 14-for-28 gelding Artillery, an earner of nearly $3 million. Artillery was a grade II-winning juvenile before annexing the Sunshine Park Derby (gr. I), Midsummer Classic (gr. I) and Steward’s Cup Marathon (gr. I). Grade II winners Never Quit and Partnership are also among Gun Hill’s leading earners. Crossing to Giacomo and Conduit mares has resulted in large successes but like the other stallions profiled here a slew of bloodlines have also been productive and include Symbol, End Result and real-life stallions Easy Goer, Stop the Music and Unbridled.
At $20,000, Inspired Strike just might be the biggest steal of them all. The eleven-year-old son of Compelling has been just as consistent in the shed as he was on the racetrack. A stakes-winning juvenile in the States, he shipped to Puerto Rico as a sophomore and won three graded stakes over older horses. Inspired Strike traveled throughout his four-year-old season, which resulted in a grade I placing in Argentina and graded stakes wins in Texas, Puerto Rico, California and New York, while competing against divisional heavyweights Echo Iced, Southern Cross and Yamikishi. He retired after finishing a lackluster seventh in the Steward’s Cup Sprint (gr. I) but has since made amends as a stallion. Inspired Strike boasts over 75% winners from runners and a healthy 17% stakes winners from runners. He has sired graded stakes winners Flares and Spare and a plethora of ungraded stakes winners; with average progeny earnings sitting at about twice his stud fee. Inspired Strike clearly enjoys the company of mares by Lost Soldier and his son Lost in the Fog, but has also gotten stakes winners from mares by Satelite and more obscure stallions like Oasis Bilksem and Tarnished Gold.
Ten-year-old Esteemed is another diamond in the rough at $25,000 and like Inspired Strike is owned by Brianna McKenzie, a force as an owner and breeder in the sprint division. Esteemed won two of three starts at two but just one of four starts at three; something that can be excused considering he was butting heads with older horses like Lost, Southern Cross and Echo Iced. Unlike your typical sprinter, Esteemed hit his best stride at four and five. He won graded stakes in New York, California, Puerto Rico and Kentucky and ended his career with two six-length romps in Puerto Rico. As a stallion Esteemed has been very sharp with average progeny earnings of over $46,000, 71% winners from runners and nearly 15% stakes winners from runners. His best runners to date are Driving Rain, a millionaire whose biggest triumph came in the form of a four-length win in the Los Campeones Dirt Sprint (ARG-I) and the mare Look Elegant, winner of Era Stakes (gr. I) and Dancer Stakes (gr. I) in back-to-back starts. Another son, Reputable, was named Islands Champion 2-Year-Old Colt for his victory in the Puerto Rico Juvenile Championship (PR-I). As expected, Esteemed has begotten numerous stakes winners from mares by Satelite and his sons Comet, Pincay, Saturn and Villain. Em’s Always Busy –and his son Inspired Dream—have meshed well; and there have even been added money winners from the Inspired Fate and Anxious Gold lines as well.
Despite being a champion and classic winner, Empire is a stallion who is often passed over. This is a terrific shame since the eleven-year-old quietly goes about getting results like a whopping 77.5% winners from runners, average progeny earnings of more than double his $25,000 fee and 11.2% stakes winners from runners. Empire was always expected to be a good one, being by 11-for-13 multi-millionaire Chesapeake Bay and out of Hall of Famer and Broodmare of the Year Royalty. And he did not disappoint, winning his first five starts including the Wood Memorial (gr. I) to go off as the Louisville Derby (gr. I) favorite, though he would finish second by a length to Coup D’etat, a horse he edged in the Wood. Empire did take the Baltimore Crown (gr. I) next out over a star-studded field including the filly Wonder, Coup D’etat and California. He was even better at four and five when annexing the Woodward Stakes (gr. I) by six lengths over old rival Coup D’etat, the Whitney Handicap (gr. I) by 4-1/2 lengths and finishing second by a half-length in the Steward’s Cup Dirt Mile (gr. I). He also captured the Clasico Verset’s Jet (PR-I) in his final start, which earned him the title of Islands Champion Older Horse. As a stallion he has produced grade I-winning sons Be My Neighbor and Misfit and grade II victors Flawed Legacy and Laytheblameonlove. Empire makes a favorable impression as he is not picky with his mares, getting stakes winners from mares by everything from Wheelaway, Fightingwithfaith, Heir to the Throne, Fighting With Wit, Battle Cry and Saint Ballado.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Bargain Sires Part II
Standing in California for $45,000 is eleven-year-old Tycoon. The bay son of Ready for Apremont won ten of seventeen starts while racing everywhere from the States to South America to Dubai while butting heads with other talented members of his crop like Sic Transit Gloria and Lost (also premier sires). Though he didn’t capture a grade I until his final start, the Los Campeones Dirt Sprint, he placed in several other top stakes including the Desert Golden Sprint (UAE-I) and Phoenix Breeders’ Cup Sprint (gr. I). But at stud Tycoon really hit his stride, and boasts 17.4% stakes winners from foals and 74.2% winners from runners. His best is the popular young stallion Look Marvel, who on the racecourse won the Two-Year-Old Sprint Championship (gr. I) and in his finale took Desert Golden Sprint by over seven lengths with a monstrous 97 speed figure. Other grade I-winning sons include three-year-olds Planet and Ad Infinitum. Tycoon has shown a strong affinity for Satelite-lined mares but has also begotten classy stakes winners from mares by Lost Soldier and his son Lost, Sic Transit Gloria and Ghostzapper.
Another sprint sire who has quietly held his own in the shed is the Mallory Claire homebred Villain. The twelve-year-old grey butted heads with some of the most famous names in sprinting including Saturn, Runtoapremont and Adjust the Lens in a career that saw him win seven of ten starts. A stakes winner at two, Villain blossomed during his sophomore year when he won four of five starts including the Steward’s Cup Sprint (gr. I) and Bing Crosby Handicap (gr. I) en route to Champion Sprinter honors. He retired to his owner’s stud in Texas and immediately got results with horses like Desert Golden Sprint victor and champion Snake –who not long ago had a remarkable number of winners in his own first crop— and grade II winners Steal It and Look Suspicious. Villain’s statistics (nearly 80% winners from starters; over 15% stakes winners from starters) speak for themselves, but despite these solid numbers his fee has dwindled to a tempting $35,000. Perhaps the sole knock against him is that he has a very common pedigree (by Satelite out of an Em’s Always Busy mare) that excludes much of the sprint population. However, Villain has done well with other sprinting lines such as Black Ice, Mr. Prospector, Lost in the Fog, Super Speed and others. He also has a distinct fondness for Symbol mares.
If you haven’t bred to Herkemayah yet I don’t know what you’re waiting for. At thirteen years of age he isn’t likely to be at stud much longer but is still priced moderately at $40,000. With an enviable record of 8-2-0 in ten starts, the dark bay son of Trophy won several of the nation’s biggest races including the Baltimore Crown (gr. I), Long Island Classic (gr. I) and Woodward Stakes (gr. I) –the latter a 14-3/4-length romp over older horses— on his way to Champion Three-Year-Old honors. In the shed Herkemayah may not have been a leading sire but his numbers remain respectable: Nearly 70% winners from starters, 12.4% stakes winners from starters and average earnings per runner of more than twice his stud fee. He can get you a big horse as evidenced by his young sire son Kamikaze, who on the track was named North American Champion Older Male and Three-Year-Old in back-to-back years after capturing such gems as the Steward’s Cup Classic (gr. I) and Long Island Gold Cup (gr. I). Herkemayah also sired a classy trio of fillies in Steward’s Cup Distaff (gr. I) heroine Premier, champion Moed and grade I winner Tendency, among others. He has struck gold with a bevy of sirelines including Walkover, Symbol, Mr. Prospector, Sunday Silence, Fighting With Wit, General Meeting, Event of the Year and Chesapeake Bay.
Right Hand Man, now eleven, stands at stud in New York for $50,000 a pop. Not just any horse can make a price tag like that seem like a bargain, but Laura Pony’s Australian-bred has far outdone himself. A globe-trotting son of prominent turf sprinting influence King’s Best, Right Hand Man earned nearly $3 million on the track the hard way with victories in some of the world’s biggest sprint races like the Steward’s Cup Turf Sprint (gr. IT), Centenary Turf Sprint (HK-I) and Cape Flying Championship (SAF-I); as well as capturing graded stakes in Japan and Brazil. Named both Asian and South African Champion Sprinter, Right Hand Man came out of the gate running at stud too: He has sired a remarkable 86% winners from starters and a rarely rivaled 27.8% stakes winners from starters. His best son is Just, an overwhelming four-time Simmy award winner who is proving to be very popular in the shed. Right Hand Man has also begotten group I winners Hold My Hand and The White Album and a copious number of other graded stakes winners. He has demonstrated a strong affinity for Storm Cat mares and particularly mares by his son A Bus and grandson Guitar. Symboli Kris S mares also seem to be matching up well and Right Hand Man has graded stakes winners out of entirely different lines like Grey Swallow, Yakima, Special Week and Tulloch.
Another sprint sire who has quietly held his own in the shed is the Mallory Claire homebred Villain. The twelve-year-old grey butted heads with some of the most famous names in sprinting including Saturn, Runtoapremont and Adjust the Lens in a career that saw him win seven of ten starts. A stakes winner at two, Villain blossomed during his sophomore year when he won four of five starts including the Steward’s Cup Sprint (gr. I) and Bing Crosby Handicap (gr. I) en route to Champion Sprinter honors. He retired to his owner’s stud in Texas and immediately got results with horses like Desert Golden Sprint victor and champion Snake –who not long ago had a remarkable number of winners in his own first crop— and grade II winners Steal It and Look Suspicious. Villain’s statistics (nearly 80% winners from starters; over 15% stakes winners from starters) speak for themselves, but despite these solid numbers his fee has dwindled to a tempting $35,000. Perhaps the sole knock against him is that he has a very common pedigree (by Satelite out of an Em’s Always Busy mare) that excludes much of the sprint population. However, Villain has done well with other sprinting lines such as Black Ice, Mr. Prospector, Lost in the Fog, Super Speed and others. He also has a distinct fondness for Symbol mares.
If you haven’t bred to Herkemayah yet I don’t know what you’re waiting for. At thirteen years of age he isn’t likely to be at stud much longer but is still priced moderately at $40,000. With an enviable record of 8-2-0 in ten starts, the dark bay son of Trophy won several of the nation’s biggest races including the Baltimore Crown (gr. I), Long Island Classic (gr. I) and Woodward Stakes (gr. I) –the latter a 14-3/4-length romp over older horses— on his way to Champion Three-Year-Old honors. In the shed Herkemayah may not have been a leading sire but his numbers remain respectable: Nearly 70% winners from starters, 12.4% stakes winners from starters and average earnings per runner of more than twice his stud fee. He can get you a big horse as evidenced by his young sire son Kamikaze, who on the track was named North American Champion Older Male and Three-Year-Old in back-to-back years after capturing such gems as the Steward’s Cup Classic (gr. I) and Long Island Gold Cup (gr. I). Herkemayah also sired a classy trio of fillies in Steward’s Cup Distaff (gr. I) heroine Premier, champion Moed and grade I winner Tendency, among others. He has struck gold with a bevy of sirelines including Walkover, Symbol, Mr. Prospector, Sunday Silence, Fighting With Wit, General Meeting, Event of the Year and Chesapeake Bay.
Right Hand Man, now eleven, stands at stud in New York for $50,000 a pop. Not just any horse can make a price tag like that seem like a bargain, but Laura Pony’s Australian-bred has far outdone himself. A globe-trotting son of prominent turf sprinting influence King’s Best, Right Hand Man earned nearly $3 million on the track the hard way with victories in some of the world’s biggest sprint races like the Steward’s Cup Turf Sprint (gr. IT), Centenary Turf Sprint (HK-I) and Cape Flying Championship (SAF-I); as well as capturing graded stakes in Japan and Brazil. Named both Asian and South African Champion Sprinter, Right Hand Man came out of the gate running at stud too: He has sired a remarkable 86% winners from starters and a rarely rivaled 27.8% stakes winners from starters. His best son is Just, an overwhelming four-time Simmy award winner who is proving to be very popular in the shed. Right Hand Man has also begotten group I winners Hold My Hand and The White Album and a copious number of other graded stakes winners. He has demonstrated a strong affinity for Storm Cat mares and particularly mares by his son A Bus and grandson Guitar. Symboli Kris S mares also seem to be matching up well and Right Hand Man has graded stakes winners out of entirely different lines like Grey Swallow, Yakima, Special Week and Tulloch.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
More than meets the eye
Enough with negativity on stallions, you must be thinking, after my post chronicling some of the biggest disappointments in the history of SIM breeding.
Well, you’re in luck. I’m in a particularly good mood today so I have decided, by comparison, to take a look at stallions who I think are the biggest bargains in the SIM. There are a lot of ways to measure success: Total progeny earnings, percentage of stakes winners from foals, average earnings per runner. Those are all pertinent bits of information but what figures prominently in the designation ‘bargain’ is price. Bang for your buck, so to speak. Certain dollar increments may sound steep for a stallion but if he is siring an unreal percentage of stakes winners from foals that is the kind of statistic that makes him a worthy investment.
We’ll start with my favorite sire of the moment, Fighter Jet. A twelve-year-old son of Triple Crown hero Jet Ski, Fighter Jet did not make it to the races until age 3 but by season’s end he had managed to land the Pacific Classic (gr. I) over Chinese Bandit and Enforcer (both of whom would also go on to successful stallion careers). He was even better at four when he annexed the Strub Stakes, Arcadia Handicap and Iselin Handicap (all gr. I). Fighter Jet, now twelve (Hint: Breed to him before he is pensioned!), has also been productive in the shed with a very respectable percentage of 17.5% of stakes winners from runners. His progeny are led by hot young stallion prospects East and Desert Nomad, as well as numerous other grade I winners including Crime Fighter, More and Squadron Leader. Fighter Jet also boasts average progeny earnings of $131,134 – more than triple his fee of $40,000. I also fancy Fighter Jet because he has worked with a variety of bloodlines including Mr. Prospector, Sports Jersey, Sunday Silence, A.P. Indy, Loki Flame, Kentucky Trophy and others.
Super Light, standing at stud in England for $45,000, is one worth a second look. A son of Sadler’s Wells, he is often overlooked –particularly since the retirement of Arc de Triomphe (FR-I) hero Stealth Ninja— even though he sports solid numbers. Now eleven, Super Light began his career in the States before shipping to South Africa where he would plunder nearly every event on the calendar; from the one-mile Bloodstock South African Guineas (SAF-I) to the 1-1/2-mile South African Derby (SAF-I). In all he would claim four grade I’s in South Africa that year which earned him Horse of the Year and Champion Three-Year-Old honors. In the shed Super Light has continued his honest ways with 16.8% stakes winners from runners and a remarkable 72.9% winners from runners. His leading runners have been South African Champion Older Male Light Of The World, a four-time group I winner, and South African Stayer Stakes (SAF-I) victor Creator. Super Light is not picky with his mares; having begotten major stakes winners from lines ranging from Barbaro, Dance In the Dark and Astarabad to A Crown Awaits, Crystal Night and Action This Day.
Out of Kindness is a horse I had been wanting to breed for quite some time but with him standing at $100,000 (although not an outlandish fee for a horse of his quality) and so many other good sons of Ghostzapper at stud I kind of pushed him to the back of my mind. I won’t be doing that any longer. Yes, there are many respectable sons of Ghostzapper out there but, as the venerable and sagely Eric Nalbone once noted, Out of Kindness is exquisite: He is the one son of that stallion to carry that wicked speed a classic distance, demonstrated when he landed 1-1/4-mile Midsummer Classic (gr. I) over such foes as Notorious, Del Mar and Torero. Out of Kindness has been even better as a stallion getting an incredible 21.3% stakes winners from runners; 76.6% winners from runners. His best runner thus far is multiple grade I winner Gift Of The Moon, who defeated colts handily in the Inglewood Futurity (gr. I), though he has sired graded stakes winners in Fives and Tens, Pantala Naga Pampa, Kindly, etc. Out of Kindness has dropped all the way to a tempting $50,000, and like the other stallions mentioned has meshed well with a number of bloodlines including Mighty Big, Battle Cry, Loki Dynasty, Symbol, Saga and Mr. Prospector.
I may be jumping the gun a bit, but on the other end of the spectrum are horses like Patience. The handsome dark bay Steward-bred horse sold for $800,000 at auction, sporting a blue-blooded pedigree as a son of three-time champion and recently pensioned Fleet Afoot out of the mare Soothe – herself the dam of grade I winners Ease, Snuggle, Submissive and Reassure (the former two already off to productive stallion careers). Patience only found the winner’s circle five times in thirteen starts but was able to bag the South African Sprint Championship (SAF-I) and Hitch a Ride Sprint (SAF-I), enough to garner the title of South African Champion Sprinter. Currently standing for $5,000 in France, Patience has sired just over 3% stakes winners from runners with his second crop just hitting the track this season, but I am a big believer in him. He has been fecund –44% winners from runners—thus far despite being bred to very mediocre mares. Throw him a decent stakes-winning mare and he will get you a good horse, as evidenced by the yearling Wait for the Bus who has smoked three furlongs on the turf in an unheard of 0:36.29! Patience is an attractive outcross to most of the sprint population; he has done well with Storm Cat-lined mares (think A Bus, Boot Legger, etc.) but has also gotten winners from King’s Best, Gone West, and Petionville mares as well as the more obscure (try Include and Choisir).
Well, you’re in luck. I’m in a particularly good mood today so I have decided, by comparison, to take a look at stallions who I think are the biggest bargains in the SIM. There are a lot of ways to measure success: Total progeny earnings, percentage of stakes winners from foals, average earnings per runner. Those are all pertinent bits of information but what figures prominently in the designation ‘bargain’ is price. Bang for your buck, so to speak. Certain dollar increments may sound steep for a stallion but if he is siring an unreal percentage of stakes winners from foals that is the kind of statistic that makes him a worthy investment.
We’ll start with my favorite sire of the moment, Fighter Jet. A twelve-year-old son of Triple Crown hero Jet Ski, Fighter Jet did not make it to the races until age 3 but by season’s end he had managed to land the Pacific Classic (gr. I) over Chinese Bandit and Enforcer (both of whom would also go on to successful stallion careers). He was even better at four when he annexed the Strub Stakes, Arcadia Handicap and Iselin Handicap (all gr. I). Fighter Jet, now twelve (Hint: Breed to him before he is pensioned!), has also been productive in the shed with a very respectable percentage of 17.5% of stakes winners from runners. His progeny are led by hot young stallion prospects East and Desert Nomad, as well as numerous other grade I winners including Crime Fighter, More and Squadron Leader. Fighter Jet also boasts average progeny earnings of $131,134 – more than triple his fee of $40,000. I also fancy Fighter Jet because he has worked with a variety of bloodlines including Mr. Prospector, Sports Jersey, Sunday Silence, A.P. Indy, Loki Flame, Kentucky Trophy and others.
Super Light, standing at stud in England for $45,000, is one worth a second look. A son of Sadler’s Wells, he is often overlooked –particularly since the retirement of Arc de Triomphe (FR-I) hero Stealth Ninja— even though he sports solid numbers. Now eleven, Super Light began his career in the States before shipping to South Africa where he would plunder nearly every event on the calendar; from the one-mile Bloodstock South African Guineas (SAF-I) to the 1-1/2-mile South African Derby (SAF-I). In all he would claim four grade I’s in South Africa that year which earned him Horse of the Year and Champion Three-Year-Old honors. In the shed Super Light has continued his honest ways with 16.8% stakes winners from runners and a remarkable 72.9% winners from runners. His leading runners have been South African Champion Older Male Light Of The World, a four-time group I winner, and South African Stayer Stakes (SAF-I) victor Creator. Super Light is not picky with his mares; having begotten major stakes winners from lines ranging from Barbaro, Dance In the Dark and Astarabad to A Crown Awaits, Crystal Night and Action This Day.
Out of Kindness is a horse I had been wanting to breed for quite some time but with him standing at $100,000 (although not an outlandish fee for a horse of his quality) and so many other good sons of Ghostzapper at stud I kind of pushed him to the back of my mind. I won’t be doing that any longer. Yes, there are many respectable sons of Ghostzapper out there but, as the venerable and sagely Eric Nalbone once noted, Out of Kindness is exquisite: He is the one son of that stallion to carry that wicked speed a classic distance, demonstrated when he landed 1-1/4-mile Midsummer Classic (gr. I) over such foes as Notorious, Del Mar and Torero. Out of Kindness has been even better as a stallion getting an incredible 21.3% stakes winners from runners; 76.6% winners from runners. His best runner thus far is multiple grade I winner Gift Of The Moon, who defeated colts handily in the Inglewood Futurity (gr. I), though he has sired graded stakes winners in Fives and Tens, Pantala Naga Pampa, Kindly, etc. Out of Kindness has dropped all the way to a tempting $50,000, and like the other stallions mentioned has meshed well with a number of bloodlines including Mighty Big, Battle Cry, Loki Dynasty, Symbol, Saga and Mr. Prospector.
I may be jumping the gun a bit, but on the other end of the spectrum are horses like Patience. The handsome dark bay Steward-bred horse sold for $800,000 at auction, sporting a blue-blooded pedigree as a son of three-time champion and recently pensioned Fleet Afoot out of the mare Soothe – herself the dam of grade I winners Ease, Snuggle, Submissive and Reassure (the former two already off to productive stallion careers). Patience only found the winner’s circle five times in thirteen starts but was able to bag the South African Sprint Championship (SAF-I) and Hitch a Ride Sprint (SAF-I), enough to garner the title of South African Champion Sprinter. Currently standing for $5,000 in France, Patience has sired just over 3% stakes winners from runners with his second crop just hitting the track this season, but I am a big believer in him. He has been fecund –44% winners from runners—thus far despite being bred to very mediocre mares. Throw him a decent stakes-winning mare and he will get you a good horse, as evidenced by the yearling Wait for the Bus who has smoked three furlongs on the turf in an unheard of 0:36.29! Patience is an attractive outcross to most of the sprint population; he has done well with Storm Cat-lined mares (think A Bus, Boot Legger, etc.) but has also gotten winners from King’s Best, Gone West, and Petionville mares as well as the more obscure (try Include and Choisir).
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Less bang for your buck
The SIM has a number of outstanding stallions with unreal statistics; from turf router Black Condor to main track sprinter Pincay. But just like the real world, the SIM has also seen its share of disappointments at stud; stallions who failed to emulate their sterling race records and royal pedigrees.
Hemi Cuda: Originally standing on the reputable Dave Shields stallion roster for his breeder, Hemi Cuda is now owned by Mike Prevost. A son of Lost Soldier and a half-brother to three millionaires in Nitro, Chevelle and White Lightening, Hemi Cuda was bred to be a star and ran like it when winning ten of fourteen starts. His career was highlighted by his four-year-old season in which he went undefeated in five starts, landing races like the Desert Golden Sprint (UAE-I) and Steward’s Cup Sprint (gr. I) on his way to North American Champion Sprinter honors. He went to stud with high expectations but has thus far failed to deliver on his earlier promise. Hemi Cuda has a strike rate of 7.4% stakes winners from runners, but his highest earner tops out at a surprisingly low $186,000. In fact, just two of his 148 runners to date have surpassed the $100,000 mark, despite being sent above-average mares. Hemi Cuda stands for $40,000 at Who Dat Farm in Louisiana.
Prefamageps: Bred and owned by the influential Eric Nalbone, Prefamageps himself had much expected of him in the shed. A son of the remarkable stallion Fighting With Wit –the sire of leading sires Saga, Chinese Bandit, and Worth Fighting For—out of a Sunday Silence mare, Prefamageps was precocious enough to win the first four starts of his career. He captured the Wood Memorial (gr. I) and Travers Stakes (gr. I) at three and the following season took the Whitney Handicap (gr. I), Laurel Handicap Championship (gr. I), and Steward’s Cup Classic (gr. I) over a star field that included Accolade and Triple Crown hero Jet Ski. But at stud Prefamageps sired one horse of note, millionaire and grade I winner Prince, while his next highest earner topped out at $259,000. Before being pensioned at his owner’s Dare to Dream Stud in New York, he sired just four other stakes winners from his other 73 foals.
Supreme: Another beautifully bred horse, Supreme had the pedigree to be a star both on the track and in the shed. It is a shame, then, that he is not in either area. A $2.5 million purchase for owner Brianna McKenzie, Supreme is a son of the infamous Loki Dynasty, himself the sire of stars Awake As I Am, Notorious, Boise State Boy, Ramses II and High Flyer. He is out of the once-defeated champion Tiara, who herself landed seven grade I’s and has produced millionaires King and Majesty. Supreme won six times in eighteen starts with his biggest tally coming in the Cigar Mile (gr. I). He would appear then to be a bargain at $5,000, but look again – his strike rate of stakes winners from runners is a tragic 3.9%, with just over 45% winners. His leading earner has amassed over $700,000, though his next highest earner sits at $72,180. Supreme stands for $5,000 at his owner’s Vishtaspa Stables in Florida.
Left Behind: Like Supreme, Left Behind was bred by the Steward though unlike the former he sold for just $4,000 as a yearling. Despite his purchase price, the handsome bay did come from good stock: His sire, Loki Brilliance, was a champion who won ten of fifteen starts and sired another millionaire in Voyeur. The dam, Leaveminthedust, has also produced champion and grade I winner Alone in My Dreams. Left Behind was a classy racehorse, winning the Haskell Invitational (gr. I), Metropolitan Handicap (gr. I) and Steward’s Cup Dirt Mile (gr. I). He was a popular first choice as a miler stallion upon retirement, but at age nine has not much to show for it. Left Behind has less than 37% winners from runners, and average earnings of $7,967 per runner. To date, he has not sired a single stakes winner from 80 runners. Left Behind stands for $10,000 at Rivendell Acres in Kentucky.
Royal Moment: As far as disappointments at stud go, few have been bigger than Royal Moment, who is as royally bred as his name would suggest. Bred and owned by longstanding SIM trainer Susie Raisher, he is a son of Horse of the Year Silver Charm who sired nine other millionaires. Royal Moment is out of champion Flanders, who produced six stakes winners. Royal Moment was easily the best of them, winning all thirteen of his starts including the Prince of Peace Stakes (CAN-I), UAE Derby (UAE-I) and Inglewood Futurity (gr. I). As a stallion he left something to be desired, siring just one stakes winner from 62 starters. That lone stakes winner was the only horse to cross the $100,000 mark in earnings, while his second highest earner never even succeeded in breaking his maiden. Today Royal Moment is a pensioner at his owner’s Fox Lair Farm in New York.
Shield: The expectations for Shield, an $8 million yearling auction purchase, were always high. His sire Satelite was undefeated and his blood dominates the sprint breeding industry with several leading, fecund sons including Pincay, Saturn, Villain, Best and Comet. The dam of Shield, the late Brilliancenevafades, produced five other stakes winners. Her grey son by Satelite lived up to his bloodlines by winning seven of ten starts on the track including the Vernon O. Underwood Stakes (gr. I) and Pat O’Brien Handicap (gr. I). But off the track Shield struggled, getting three stakes winners from 58 runners with a winners from starters percentage of 34.5%. His highest earner sits at $140,600 in career earnings, with two others with earnings over $50,000. Now pensioned, Shield lives at owner Sara Kendall’s farm Haras Villa Del Sur in Columbia.
Konstantine: Here is another blue-blooded horse; this one bred by the reputable Robin Tan. Konstantine is a son of the undefeated legend Conduit, himself the sire of leading stallions Loki Dynasty, Feature Attraction, Atlas, Le Dauphin Noir, Tejano Tribute and Tot Ziens. His dam is a legend herself, a member of the Hall of the Fame and a Horse of the Year with five grade I’s to her credit, including a victory over the boys in the Baltimore Crown (gr. I). As a broodmare she produced six other millionaires, including successful stallion Heir to the Throne. Her son Konstantine was a force on the racetrack, winning nine of twelve starts including the Twin Spires Stakes (gr. I) at two and the Donn Handicap (gr. I) at four. But as a stallion he has been far less prominent, siring just five stakes winners from 220 runners. Those five horses are the only ones to breach the $100,000 mark in earnings, and such unimpressive numbers have led to Konstantine’s fee to dwindle to $3,500 at age twelve. Now owned by Bob Allensworth, he stands at Whispering Oaks in Kentucky.
Icon: This son of the once-beaten pair of Priceless Forever and the blue hen Mirror also possesses a storied pedigree. His sire produced twenty –yes, twenty—millionaires at stud and the dam has the remarkable notation of all eight foals becoming millionaires, including popular stallions and Louisville Derby (gr. I) heroes Saga and Braveheart. Icon himself was no slouch, capturing eight of ten outings while landing five grade I’s on both dirt and turf including the Metropolitan Handicap and Maker’s Mark Mile (gr. IT). However unlike his siblings he has failed to leave a mark on the breed. In fact, Icon was surprisingly non-potent, siring just two stakes winners from 103 starters with less than 37% winners. Even his leading earner, five-for-nine Pretty Baby of $336,640, has produced four runners with just one win between them to date. Icon has since been pensioned alongside fellow Dare to Dream Stud pensioner Prefamageps.
Viper: LaDonna King’s homebred colt was a gem of consistency, finishing first or second in ten of twelve lifetime starts. He counted among his victories the Midsummer Classic (gr. I), Arcadia Handicap (gr. I) and Lexington Stakes (gr. II), while running against such household names as Loki Dynasty, Prefamageps, Atlas and Saga. Like Prefamageps, Viper’s sire was the premier stallion Fighting With Wit, who sired a trio of leading sires in Saga, Worth Fighting For and Chinese Bandit. Viper’s dam is Really Excellent, a four-time grade I-winning Real Quiet mare who has produced five other millionaires in Marked Improvement, Vampire, Stealth, Lighting A Candle and Loki Angel. But despite such fertile bloodlines Viper himself has been a disappointment at stud, getting 32% winners from runners and two stakes winners from 50 runners, with one of those stakes wins coming at restricted Trial Park. He currently stands at his owner’s The Finish Line Farm in Kentucky for $1.
Hemi Cuda: Originally standing on the reputable Dave Shields stallion roster for his breeder, Hemi Cuda is now owned by Mike Prevost. A son of Lost Soldier and a half-brother to three millionaires in Nitro, Chevelle and White Lightening, Hemi Cuda was bred to be a star and ran like it when winning ten of fourteen starts. His career was highlighted by his four-year-old season in which he went undefeated in five starts, landing races like the Desert Golden Sprint (UAE-I) and Steward’s Cup Sprint (gr. I) on his way to North American Champion Sprinter honors. He went to stud with high expectations but has thus far failed to deliver on his earlier promise. Hemi Cuda has a strike rate of 7.4% stakes winners from runners, but his highest earner tops out at a surprisingly low $186,000. In fact, just two of his 148 runners to date have surpassed the $100,000 mark, despite being sent above-average mares. Hemi Cuda stands for $40,000 at Who Dat Farm in Louisiana.
Prefamageps: Bred and owned by the influential Eric Nalbone, Prefamageps himself had much expected of him in the shed. A son of the remarkable stallion Fighting With Wit –the sire of leading sires Saga, Chinese Bandit, and Worth Fighting For—out of a Sunday Silence mare, Prefamageps was precocious enough to win the first four starts of his career. He captured the Wood Memorial (gr. I) and Travers Stakes (gr. I) at three and the following season took the Whitney Handicap (gr. I), Laurel Handicap Championship (gr. I), and Steward’s Cup Classic (gr. I) over a star field that included Accolade and Triple Crown hero Jet Ski. But at stud Prefamageps sired one horse of note, millionaire and grade I winner Prince, while his next highest earner topped out at $259,000. Before being pensioned at his owner’s Dare to Dream Stud in New York, he sired just four other stakes winners from his other 73 foals.
Supreme: Another beautifully bred horse, Supreme had the pedigree to be a star both on the track and in the shed. It is a shame, then, that he is not in either area. A $2.5 million purchase for owner Brianna McKenzie, Supreme is a son of the infamous Loki Dynasty, himself the sire of stars Awake As I Am, Notorious, Boise State Boy, Ramses II and High Flyer. He is out of the once-defeated champion Tiara, who herself landed seven grade I’s and has produced millionaires King and Majesty. Supreme won six times in eighteen starts with his biggest tally coming in the Cigar Mile (gr. I). He would appear then to be a bargain at $5,000, but look again – his strike rate of stakes winners from runners is a tragic 3.9%, with just over 45% winners. His leading earner has amassed over $700,000, though his next highest earner sits at $72,180. Supreme stands for $5,000 at his owner’s Vishtaspa Stables in Florida.
Left Behind: Like Supreme, Left Behind was bred by the Steward though unlike the former he sold for just $4,000 as a yearling. Despite his purchase price, the handsome bay did come from good stock: His sire, Loki Brilliance, was a champion who won ten of fifteen starts and sired another millionaire in Voyeur. The dam, Leaveminthedust, has also produced champion and grade I winner Alone in My Dreams. Left Behind was a classy racehorse, winning the Haskell Invitational (gr. I), Metropolitan Handicap (gr. I) and Steward’s Cup Dirt Mile (gr. I). He was a popular first choice as a miler stallion upon retirement, but at age nine has not much to show for it. Left Behind has less than 37% winners from runners, and average earnings of $7,967 per runner. To date, he has not sired a single stakes winner from 80 runners. Left Behind stands for $10,000 at Rivendell Acres in Kentucky.
Royal Moment: As far as disappointments at stud go, few have been bigger than Royal Moment, who is as royally bred as his name would suggest. Bred and owned by longstanding SIM trainer Susie Raisher, he is a son of Horse of the Year Silver Charm who sired nine other millionaires. Royal Moment is out of champion Flanders, who produced six stakes winners. Royal Moment was easily the best of them, winning all thirteen of his starts including the Prince of Peace Stakes (CAN-I), UAE Derby (UAE-I) and Inglewood Futurity (gr. I). As a stallion he left something to be desired, siring just one stakes winner from 62 starters. That lone stakes winner was the only horse to cross the $100,000 mark in earnings, while his second highest earner never even succeeded in breaking his maiden. Today Royal Moment is a pensioner at his owner’s Fox Lair Farm in New York.
Shield: The expectations for Shield, an $8 million yearling auction purchase, were always high. His sire Satelite was undefeated and his blood dominates the sprint breeding industry with several leading, fecund sons including Pincay, Saturn, Villain, Best and Comet. The dam of Shield, the late Brilliancenevafades, produced five other stakes winners. Her grey son by Satelite lived up to his bloodlines by winning seven of ten starts on the track including the Vernon O. Underwood Stakes (gr. I) and Pat O’Brien Handicap (gr. I). But off the track Shield struggled, getting three stakes winners from 58 runners with a winners from starters percentage of 34.5%. His highest earner sits at $140,600 in career earnings, with two others with earnings over $50,000. Now pensioned, Shield lives at owner Sara Kendall’s farm Haras Villa Del Sur in Columbia.
Konstantine: Here is another blue-blooded horse; this one bred by the reputable Robin Tan. Konstantine is a son of the undefeated legend Conduit, himself the sire of leading stallions Loki Dynasty, Feature Attraction, Atlas, Le Dauphin Noir, Tejano Tribute and Tot Ziens. His dam is a legend herself, a member of the Hall of the Fame and a Horse of the Year with five grade I’s to her credit, including a victory over the boys in the Baltimore Crown (gr. I). As a broodmare she produced six other millionaires, including successful stallion Heir to the Throne. Her son Konstantine was a force on the racetrack, winning nine of twelve starts including the Twin Spires Stakes (gr. I) at two and the Donn Handicap (gr. I) at four. But as a stallion he has been far less prominent, siring just five stakes winners from 220 runners. Those five horses are the only ones to breach the $100,000 mark in earnings, and such unimpressive numbers have led to Konstantine’s fee to dwindle to $3,500 at age twelve. Now owned by Bob Allensworth, he stands at Whispering Oaks in Kentucky.
Icon: This son of the once-beaten pair of Priceless Forever and the blue hen Mirror also possesses a storied pedigree. His sire produced twenty –yes, twenty—millionaires at stud and the dam has the remarkable notation of all eight foals becoming millionaires, including popular stallions and Louisville Derby (gr. I) heroes Saga and Braveheart. Icon himself was no slouch, capturing eight of ten outings while landing five grade I’s on both dirt and turf including the Metropolitan Handicap and Maker’s Mark Mile (gr. IT). However unlike his siblings he has failed to leave a mark on the breed. In fact, Icon was surprisingly non-potent, siring just two stakes winners from 103 starters with less than 37% winners. Even his leading earner, five-for-nine Pretty Baby of $336,640, has produced four runners with just one win between them to date. Icon has since been pensioned alongside fellow Dare to Dream Stud pensioner Prefamageps.
Viper: LaDonna King’s homebred colt was a gem of consistency, finishing first or second in ten of twelve lifetime starts. He counted among his victories the Midsummer Classic (gr. I), Arcadia Handicap (gr. I) and Lexington Stakes (gr. II), while running against such household names as Loki Dynasty, Prefamageps, Atlas and Saga. Like Prefamageps, Viper’s sire was the premier stallion Fighting With Wit, who sired a trio of leading sires in Saga, Worth Fighting For and Chinese Bandit. Viper’s dam is Really Excellent, a four-time grade I-winning Real Quiet mare who has produced five other millionaires in Marked Improvement, Vampire, Stealth, Lighting A Candle and Loki Angel. But despite such fertile bloodlines Viper himself has been a disappointment at stud, getting 32% winners from runners and two stakes winners from 50 runners, with one of those stakes wins coming at restricted Trial Park. He currently stands at his owner’s The Finish Line Farm in Kentucky for $1.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
A slew of disappointments; a few glimmers of hope
I worked all 87 yearlings today for the first time. Most, as expected, were mediocre. A few worked terribly and a few worked promisingly. What never does cease to amaze me is how wrong I've been when I pegged them as foals. Some I think could set the track afire turn out to be not much faster than a fat man, and some I have very modest expectations for work very quickly. (The former, in case you were wondering, occurs far more frequently.)
Despite my best efforts to branch out from turf sprinters my best workers and runners seem to always fall into that subtype. Don't get me wrong; I will take a good horse of any kind, but it would be nice for a change of pace to have a nice productive dirt or turf router. Perhaps with the retirement of Phoenix Rise --whose oldest crop, now two-year-olds, includes some quick workers who are still waiting for the racing secretaries to card those juvenile mile races-- I can develop some good dirt horses. But I digress.
Top workers from this morning are:
Balalaika (F) (Chernobyl -- Dance Biscuit, Blaze The Green); 3F(T) in 0:36.75
Riedell (Automobile -- Frost, Dubawi); 3F(T) in 0:36.75
Eminence Rouge (F) (Throne -- Grey Eminence, Fighter Jet); 5F in 0:58.47*
Pharfignewton (F) (Adjust the Lens -- Birdie Num Num, Snuggle) 3F(T) in 0:36.70
Picatso (Automobile -- Green Whiskers, Sakura Bakushin O); 3F(T) in 0:36.65
Scent of Freesia (F) (Del Mar, Bandiagara, Bernardini); 5F in 0:58.85
*Particularly excited am I about Eminence Rouge. A daughter of Throne --whose stud fee was recently hiked from $100,000 to $150,000-- and out of a graded stakes-winning homebred, she could very well be the best horse I have bred since Phoenix Rise. I'm hesitant to write that off of just one work, but my broodmare band is sorely lacking and as a result I really only get a handful of decent horses with stakes potential. The dam, Grey Eminence, has not been bred yet this year though at the moment I am looking heavily at Indian (Chinese Bandit).
The other worker who caught my eye is Picatso, who is out of the Steward-bred Green Whiskers. The dam, though a $200,000 purchase as an unraced four-year-old, appears to have been money well-spent. She was a grade III winner (grade II-placed versus males) for me and has been quite fecund in the shed thus far with two winners from starters, including a debut winner this season by Stratocaster. By Sakura Bakushin O and out of a Green Dash mare she really has a fantastic outcross going to just about every turf sprinter stallion out there. I'd really like to see what she'd produce when bred to more uncommon sprint lines like superstar Silent Partner (Courageous Witness), Auto Brake (Testa Rossa), Irish Heights (Dalakhani) or Chernobyl (Fastnet Rock). My stallion Berlioz has had a very warm reception at stud largely due to his unusual breeding (as well as his race record), and getting a good colt by any of the above stallions out of a mare like Green Whiskers would be invaluable to my stallion roster.
On the racing end of things, it's been a dry year for the stable thus far. A very dry year. Only a handful of wins; about half of them from maiden specials. A lot of my stakes winners from last year just have seemed to not "trained on." Things could improve with the debut of some two-year-olds a few weeks down the road but already by week four it appears it will be a very long season.
Despite my best efforts to branch out from turf sprinters my best workers and runners seem to always fall into that subtype. Don't get me wrong; I will take a good horse of any kind, but it would be nice for a change of pace to have a nice productive dirt or turf router. Perhaps with the retirement of Phoenix Rise --whose oldest crop, now two-year-olds, includes some quick workers who are still waiting for the racing secretaries to card those juvenile mile races-- I can develop some good dirt horses. But I digress.
Top workers from this morning are:
Balalaika (F) (Chernobyl -- Dance Biscuit, Blaze The Green); 3F(T) in 0:36.75
Riedell (Automobile -- Frost, Dubawi); 3F(T) in 0:36.75
Eminence Rouge (F) (Throne -- Grey Eminence, Fighter Jet); 5F in 0:58.47*
Pharfignewton (F) (Adjust the Lens -- Birdie Num Num, Snuggle) 3F(T) in 0:36.70
Picatso (Automobile -- Green Whiskers, Sakura Bakushin O); 3F(T) in 0:36.65
Scent of Freesia (F) (Del Mar, Bandiagara, Bernardini); 5F in 0:58.85
*Particularly excited am I about Eminence Rouge. A daughter of Throne --whose stud fee was recently hiked from $100,000 to $150,000-- and out of a graded stakes-winning homebred, she could very well be the best horse I have bred since Phoenix Rise. I'm hesitant to write that off of just one work, but my broodmare band is sorely lacking and as a result I really only get a handful of decent horses with stakes potential. The dam, Grey Eminence, has not been bred yet this year though at the moment I am looking heavily at Indian (Chinese Bandit).
The other worker who caught my eye is Picatso, who is out of the Steward-bred Green Whiskers. The dam, though a $200,000 purchase as an unraced four-year-old, appears to have been money well-spent. She was a grade III winner (grade II-placed versus males) for me and has been quite fecund in the shed thus far with two winners from starters, including a debut winner this season by Stratocaster. By Sakura Bakushin O and out of a Green Dash mare she really has a fantastic outcross going to just about every turf sprinter stallion out there. I'd really like to see what she'd produce when bred to more uncommon sprint lines like superstar Silent Partner (Courageous Witness), Auto Brake (Testa Rossa), Irish Heights (Dalakhani) or Chernobyl (Fastnet Rock). My stallion Berlioz has had a very warm reception at stud largely due to his unusual breeding (as well as his race record), and getting a good colt by any of the above stallions out of a mare like Green Whiskers would be invaluable to my stallion roster.
On the racing end of things, it's been a dry year for the stable thus far. A very dry year. Only a handful of wins; about half of them from maiden specials. A lot of my stakes winners from last year just have seemed to not "trained on." Things could improve with the debut of some two-year-olds a few weeks down the road but already by week four it appears it will be a very long season.
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Crybaby dutrow
Trainer Richard Dutrow Jr. talked the talk all week before the Belmont and continued to boast about how Big Brown was continuing to flourish. He even was so bold as to tell reporters the Belmont was "a foregone conclusion."
The Belmont should be a lesson in humility for Dutrow, who continues be a poor ambassador for the sport with his brash conceitedness, frequent doping-related offenses, irresponsible remarks about the medications his horses run on ("You'd have to ask the vet what the purpose of that is," he told a reporter about the drug Winstrol. "I don't know what it does. I just like using it."), and his poor sportsmanship.
Dutrow also questioned the training regimen John Servis put his Smarty Jones through en route to the Belmont saying, "I think that the connections of Smarty Jones just were not smart in order to get their job done for the Belmont. They should have played it a lot safer, a lot better." How interesting it is to note than Smarty Jones lost the Belmont by only a length, while Big Brown finished dead last in his edition, beaten double-digit lengths by the victorious Da'Tara.
He had plenty of bravado earlier in the week but when his horse ran up the track on the big day Dutrow sulked and refused to speak with reporters, which makes the Patriots' Bill Belichick look like a true sportsman by comparison (after the latter's walk-off in February when he refused to watch his team go down at the hands of the Giants).
Well, the racing gods have spoken and they don't seem like cheaters, especially arrogant ones with 33-page rap sheets.
The Belmont should be a lesson in humility for Dutrow, who continues be a poor ambassador for the sport with his brash conceitedness, frequent doping-related offenses, irresponsible remarks about the medications his horses run on ("You'd have to ask the vet what the purpose of that is," he told a reporter about the drug Winstrol. "I don't know what it does. I just like using it."), and his poor sportsmanship.
Dutrow also questioned the training regimen John Servis put his Smarty Jones through en route to the Belmont saying, "I think that the connections of Smarty Jones just were not smart in order to get their job done for the Belmont. They should have played it a lot safer, a lot better." How interesting it is to note than Smarty Jones lost the Belmont by only a length, while Big Brown finished dead last in his edition, beaten double-digit lengths by the victorious Da'Tara.
He had plenty of bravado earlier in the week but when his horse ran up the track on the big day Dutrow sulked and refused to speak with reporters, which makes the Patriots' Bill Belichick look like a true sportsman by comparison (after the latter's walk-off in February when he refused to watch his team go down at the hands of the Giants).
Well, the racing gods have spoken and they don't seem like cheaters, especially arrogant ones with 33-page rap sheets.
Friday, May 2, 2008
Tenacious emblem
Two of the eighteen starters this year’s Oka Sho (JPN-IT; Japanese 1,000 Guineas) were sired by Kentucky Derby (gr. I) winner War Emblem. It’s an impressive feat for any stallion, but can only be considered particularly remarkable when one learns that War Emblem sired just fifteen fillies in 2005.
War Emblem, a nine-year-old son of Our Emblem, has been at stud in Japan at the renowned Shadai Stallion Station since he retired back in the fall of 2002. Though he closed out his career with a disappointing sixth in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (gr. I), he was still named Champion Three-Year-Old Colt by virtue of his earlier victories in the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes (gr. I), Haskell Invitational (gr. I), and Illinois Derby (gr. II).
It is no coincidence that War Emblem arrived in Japan only months after the death of Sunday Silence, the 1989 Kentucky Derby winner who clinched Horse of the Year and Champion Three-Year-Old Colt honors following a stirring victory in the Breeders’ Cup Classic that same year.
Despite his lofty race record, American breeders showed little interest in Sunday Silence, who was eventually bought by Shadai Stallion Station owner Zenya Yoshida. The colt went on to legendary status as a sire in Japan, leading the sire list yearly from 1995 to 2007. The horse even had his own magazine, and pundits estimate that the winnings of his descendants at the exorbitant sum of $500,000,000.
The similarities between Sunday Silence and War Emblem are striking – both were slight-bodied, near-black colts who annexed both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness before stumbling the final block in the Belmont. They were both willful creatures with little appeal to American breeders despite their race records.
If it weren’t for War Emblem’s reputation as a shy breeder, he might be dominating the sire lists much like his predecessor had.
War Emblem produced just four foals in his first crop, all of whom are winners. From that small crop are Clan Emblem and Admire Million, both allowance winners who have scored victories on dirt and turf.
War Emblem’s second crop was a slight improvement at 33 foals, and while the start of their careers were promising it has been only recently that they have begun to set the Japanese racing scene on fire. The jet-black colt King’s Emblem, a flashy debut winner on the turf last fall, recently captured his first stakes when taking the Surmire Stakes, also on the grass, though a start on the main track is likely in his future – King’s Emblem is a half-brother to Vermilion, a horse who won four consecutive grade I’s on dirt including the Japan Cup Dirt (JPN-I).
War Emblem’s two Oka Sho entrants, Air Pascale and Black Emblem, both of whom are expected to go off at odds of around 9-1, are also members of that 2005 crop. Air Pascale earned a birth in the Oka Sho by virtue of her victory in last month’s Tulip Sho (JPN-IIIT), a one-mile turf race and major prep for three-year-old fillies. Less than two weeks later, Black Emblem drew comparisons to her sire when wiring the Flower Cup (JPN-IIIT), the last major prep for the Oka Sho.
But the headliner of this talented bunch is surely Shonan Alba, who became his sire’s first graded stakes winner when capturing the Kyodo News Service Hai (JPN-IIIT) going about nine furlongs on the grass in February. Shonan Alba is a colt known for his virulent personality as much as his distinctive 5 x 3 inbreeding to the venerable Brigadier Gerard. In the Service Hai, he determinedly held off all challengers despite having fought jockey Masayoshi Ebina through much of the early going.
“His fiery temper goes along on the right track so far in the races. But it is evident that we will have to find some effective measures to make him relax,” said the colt’s conditioner Yoshitaka Ninomiya. “He chooses his rider. I have never seen a horse like him [with such a great deal of personality].”
War Emblem’s progeny are not the prettiest sort, but they are racy-looking and appealing in their own way and have proven popular with Japanese buyers. Air Pascale’s trainer, Yatsutoshi Ikee, had this to say of the stallion’s offspring:
“I think that War Emblem is a stallion whose [influence] runs strongly in his descendents. His sons and daughters inherit their sire's character and body a lot…If the horse can [be taught to] go comfortably on the bit, he/she can draw away as War Emblem did in the Kentucky Derby.”
Despite his having just twenty-one starters so far this year, War Emblem reached another milestone last month when he made the Top 20 in the Japan Racing Association’s sire rankings, which are based on the number of starters per stallion and average earnings per starter. War Emblem’s Earning Index is listed at an unheard of 3.74 – and it is worth noting that his closest pursuer on the list is the late El Condor Pasa at 2.71, and the sire with the third-highest earnings index is none other than the late Sunday Silence with an index of 2.06. No other stallions ranked in the top twenty with War Emblem breached the 2.00 mark.
Trainers and breeders aren’t the only ones taking note of War Emblem’s success. In late March the stallion was featured in GALLOP, Japan’s premier horse racing publication in Japan under the heading, “Miracle Blood” in Full Bloom.
For a stallion whose stud career was once labeled as a failure, War Emblem is proving that the flower that blooms despite vicissitude is perhaps the most valuable of all.
War Emblem, a nine-year-old son of Our Emblem, has been at stud in Japan at the renowned Shadai Stallion Station since he retired back in the fall of 2002. Though he closed out his career with a disappointing sixth in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (gr. I), he was still named Champion Three-Year-Old Colt by virtue of his earlier victories in the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes (gr. I), Haskell Invitational (gr. I), and Illinois Derby (gr. II).
It is no coincidence that War Emblem arrived in Japan only months after the death of Sunday Silence, the 1989 Kentucky Derby winner who clinched Horse of the Year and Champion Three-Year-Old Colt honors following a stirring victory in the Breeders’ Cup Classic that same year.
Despite his lofty race record, American breeders showed little interest in Sunday Silence, who was eventually bought by Shadai Stallion Station owner Zenya Yoshida. The colt went on to legendary status as a sire in Japan, leading the sire list yearly from 1995 to 2007. The horse even had his own magazine, and pundits estimate that the winnings of his descendants at the exorbitant sum of $500,000,000.
The similarities between Sunday Silence and War Emblem are striking – both were slight-bodied, near-black colts who annexed both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness before stumbling the final block in the Belmont. They were both willful creatures with little appeal to American breeders despite their race records.
If it weren’t for War Emblem’s reputation as a shy breeder, he might be dominating the sire lists much like his predecessor had.
War Emblem produced just four foals in his first crop, all of whom are winners. From that small crop are Clan Emblem and Admire Million, both allowance winners who have scored victories on dirt and turf.
War Emblem’s second crop was a slight improvement at 33 foals, and while the start of their careers were promising it has been only recently that they have begun to set the Japanese racing scene on fire. The jet-black colt King’s Emblem, a flashy debut winner on the turf last fall, recently captured his first stakes when taking the Surmire Stakes, also on the grass, though a start on the main track is likely in his future – King’s Emblem is a half-brother to Vermilion, a horse who won four consecutive grade I’s on dirt including the Japan Cup Dirt (JPN-I).
War Emblem’s two Oka Sho entrants, Air Pascale and Black Emblem, both of whom are expected to go off at odds of around 9-1, are also members of that 2005 crop. Air Pascale earned a birth in the Oka Sho by virtue of her victory in last month’s Tulip Sho (JPN-IIIT), a one-mile turf race and major prep for three-year-old fillies. Less than two weeks later, Black Emblem drew comparisons to her sire when wiring the Flower Cup (JPN-IIIT), the last major prep for the Oka Sho.
But the headliner of this talented bunch is surely Shonan Alba, who became his sire’s first graded stakes winner when capturing the Kyodo News Service Hai (JPN-IIIT) going about nine furlongs on the grass in February. Shonan Alba is a colt known for his virulent personality as much as his distinctive 5 x 3 inbreeding to the venerable Brigadier Gerard. In the Service Hai, he determinedly held off all challengers despite having fought jockey Masayoshi Ebina through much of the early going.
“His fiery temper goes along on the right track so far in the races. But it is evident that we will have to find some effective measures to make him relax,” said the colt’s conditioner Yoshitaka Ninomiya. “He chooses his rider. I have never seen a horse like him [with such a great deal of personality].”
War Emblem’s progeny are not the prettiest sort, but they are racy-looking and appealing in their own way and have proven popular with Japanese buyers. Air Pascale’s trainer, Yatsutoshi Ikee, had this to say of the stallion’s offspring:
“I think that War Emblem is a stallion whose [influence] runs strongly in his descendents. His sons and daughters inherit their sire's character and body a lot…If the horse can [be taught to] go comfortably on the bit, he/she can draw away as War Emblem did in the Kentucky Derby.”
Despite his having just twenty-one starters so far this year, War Emblem reached another milestone last month when he made the Top 20 in the Japan Racing Association’s sire rankings, which are based on the number of starters per stallion and average earnings per starter. War Emblem’s Earning Index is listed at an unheard of 3.74 – and it is worth noting that his closest pursuer on the list is the late El Condor Pasa at 2.71, and the sire with the third-highest earnings index is none other than the late Sunday Silence with an index of 2.06. No other stallions ranked in the top twenty with War Emblem breached the 2.00 mark.
Trainers and breeders aren’t the only ones taking note of War Emblem’s success. In late March the stallion was featured in GALLOP, Japan’s premier horse racing publication in Japan under the heading, “Miracle Blood” in Full Bloom.
For a stallion whose stud career was once labeled as a failure, War Emblem is proving that the flower that blooms despite vicissitude is perhaps the most valuable of all.
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Looking for love in all the wrong places
This is Raneem.
Raneem is a blue-blooded product of Darley Stud, a son of successful stallion Gone West out of a mare by The Minstrel, who won both the Epsom and Irish Derbies. He had started out racing at the most premier tracks and with the best of care before slipping down the claiming ranks like so many other Thoroughbreds and disappearing into obscurity. At one point he ended up at the ill-reputed New Holland Sales Stables in Pennsylvania, which has been convicted on numerous animal cruelty charges and remains a magnet for the so called 'kill-buyers' who purchase unwanted horses to send to slaughter.
At New Holland Raneem was purchased by some men from Philadelphia and returned to the races at Fonner Park in Nebraska. After twenty-seven starts with five victories and earnings of just under $100,000, Raneem could run no more. He was promptly retired and shipped back east to New Holland where his fate seemed sealed when he was picked up by a kill-buyer for a nominal sum.
But fate smiled on Raneem that day, as MidAtlantic Horse Rescue workers were also present and quickly stepped in to intervene on his behalf. They negotiated a price for the gelding, and soon Raneem was in Maryland where he put on needed weight and began to learn how to be a riding horse.
He took to this new career readily and it wasn't long before the gelding, described as "handsome and sweet," found a home with a nice woman from New Jersey. But just as quickly, it seemed, his past caught up with him.
Raneem's ankles became swollen and sore with even light riding, and eventually he was retired from riding for good. He was taken back in by the MidAtlantic Horse Rescue where he remains to this day, waiting to be adopted into a loving 'forever' home.
I could write a lot of negative things about Darley (and I probably will someday). I could criticize them for ruining the sport of horse racing by buying accomplished, notables horses and retiring them before their prime -- heck, last year alone they bought and retired Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense, Haskell winner Any Given Saturday, and Kentucky Derby and Breeders' Cup Classic runner-up Hard Spun. (One forum poster summed it quite nicely: "See it. Buy it. Retire it. It's the Darley way.")
Less than two weeks ago Darley also bought out Woodland Stud, Australia's largest and most successful owner-breeder operation for a price tag estimated somewhere between $400,000,000-500,000,000. Now you would think, with all those millions to throw around, the people at Darley could at least take back an unsound horse they were directly responsible for bringing into the world and let him live out his days grazing in a field on one of Darley's many equine properties or at least assist in finding him a permanent home. Large, prominent racing and breeding operations like Adena Springs and Padua have already have had successful retirement programs in place for several years now where horses bred and raced by their establishments are retrained and matched with owners who will provide a dedicated and lifelong home.
It seems like something any decent breeder would do. If you think so too, write to Darley and tell them so.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Making things right
We moved five more times in the following eight years, sampling various states in the Midwestern and Heartland regions; for two years I even lived by the marshy coasts of Georgia. Curiously each time we landed in a locale that was distant from any racetrack so my enthusiasm for the sport had to be sustained by weekly publications and the budding world of the Internet.
As a teenager of the ‘90s, the era of racing’s elite heroes –the weight-bearers, the heavy campaigners, the frequent shippers—ended long before it could be appreciated by my generation of fans. Gone are the Kelsos, the Foregos, the Tom Fools, and Spectacular Bids of yesteryear. I was just over three months old when dual-surface wonder John Henry retired as the world’s richest racehorse in July of 1985.
Things looked up towards the end of the decade when Pennsylvania-bred Smarty Jones burst onto the racing scene in 2004 as an undefeated three-year-old. Triple Crown hopes were high after the colt annexed the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, but his bid to become the first Triple Crown winner since 1978 fell short by a length when Birdstone pulled a sizeable upset in the Belmont. Smarty Jones came out of the race with bruising to his fetlocks joints but owner Roy Chapman remained adamant that fans would see the chestnut colt race again, citing races like the Dubai World Cup as goals.
"We don't want him to go out that way. We want him to go out the hero that he is. And if it takes racing when he's a four-year-old, I hope he will be able to do it,” Chapman declared just days after the race.
But less than two months later came the news that Smarty Jones had been retired, syndicated weeks earlier as a stallion for nearly $40 million.
“I don't see anyway he can earn on the racetrack in a year what he can earn next spring in the breeding shed,” added trainer John Servis. “If it were any other horse, you'd turn him out and bring him back to the track in late October and start building back up his conditioning but…you have the emotional trauma if anything should happen to him.”
But noted and highly esteemed equine veterinarian Larry Bramlage, who examined the cold firsthand had this to say:
“The risks are minor…we bring horses back from this type of injury [to race again] all the time. The prognosis for full recovery is excellent. There's really nothing to worry about.”
Apparently hypocrisy also runs deep in the sport as well – take for example Cash Is King Stable, who a year later ran Afleet Alex to pulsating victories in the Preakness and Belmont Stakes before the colt was stricken with a career-ending injury. Regarding the colt’s fans, Cash Is King managing partner Chuck Zacney said matter of factly, “I don’t want it to be like Smarty Jones,” before promptly selling the recently retired colt a few days later to Gainesway Farm, a notoriously un-fan-friendly operation that does not allow visitors.
The sales industry wields some influential power over racing, as it far more lucrative for owners to sell a hot young three-year-old to a stud farm than race him as an older horse. But do you breed to breed or breed to race? The sport of kings died long ago, now replaced with the sport of greed.
Is it possible to have too much emphasis placed on the Triple Crown? Successful sires Storm Cat, Broad Brush, Gone West, Kingmambo, and Elusive Quality, to name a few, did not win or even place in any of the three-year-old spring classics. The numbers would indicate that the series itself is not the most precise gauge of sire ability.
Prominent owner Barry Irwin, also stricken with this folie a deux, stated that, “To many people, and I happen to be one of them, the point of racing is to prove which one is best so that he can go to stud and attempt to better the breed. Once they have proven who is best, there is no further point to racing a horse. It is more important to the breed to get them to stud.”
Irwin, who heads the Team Valor syndicate racing, attracts newcomers to racing by offering shares in racehorses purchased from various owners and breeders or from auction. Yet one has to wonder how many clients he has lured into the sport with his “race to breed” angle.
Those who stand by Irwin’s viewpoint only see the financial gain. Forget accolades and prestige; the greater glory is retiring good horses early. And who really gets shut out? The fans, and the entire industry suffers for it. I wonder if Irwin was singing the same praises of premature retirements when his beloved Swaps was pillaging California stakes during the summer of 1956, more than –get this!—a year after his victory in racing's most coveted jewel, the Kentucky Derby.
No other sport quite looks down on its fans like racing does. Because they are not employed by the industry, many involved in racing feel they have no right to voice their opinions. Instead, racing shoots itself in the foot by chastising and ultimately driving away its few remaining fans. There is a generation of young people who enthusiastically follow the sport, many of whom wager regularly, and they should be welcomed into the industry – all, they are the future of racing, a fact that most of the crotchety old fogies running the sport today seem oblivious to.
As a teenager of the ‘90s, the era of racing’s elite heroes –the weight-bearers, the heavy campaigners, the frequent shippers—ended long before it could be appreciated by my generation of fans. Gone are the Kelsos, the Foregos, the Tom Fools, and Spectacular Bids of yesteryear. I was just over three months old when dual-surface wonder John Henry retired as the world’s richest racehorse in July of 1985.
Things looked up towards the end of the decade when Pennsylvania-bred Smarty Jones burst onto the racing scene in 2004 as an undefeated three-year-old. Triple Crown hopes were high after the colt annexed the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, but his bid to become the first Triple Crown winner since 1978 fell short by a length when Birdstone pulled a sizeable upset in the Belmont. Smarty Jones came out of the race with bruising to his fetlocks joints but owner Roy Chapman remained adamant that fans would see the chestnut colt race again, citing races like the Dubai World Cup as goals.
"We don't want him to go out that way. We want him to go out the hero that he is. And if it takes racing when he's a four-year-old, I hope he will be able to do it,” Chapman declared just days after the race.
But less than two months later came the news that Smarty Jones had been retired, syndicated weeks earlier as a stallion for nearly $40 million.
“I don't see anyway he can earn on the racetrack in a year what he can earn next spring in the breeding shed,” added trainer John Servis. “If it were any other horse, you'd turn him out and bring him back to the track in late October and start building back up his conditioning but…you have the emotional trauma if anything should happen to him.”
But noted and highly esteemed equine veterinarian Larry Bramlage, who examined the cold firsthand had this to say:
“The risks are minor…we bring horses back from this type of injury [to race again] all the time. The prognosis for full recovery is excellent. There's really nothing to worry about.”
Apparently hypocrisy also runs deep in the sport as well – take for example Cash Is King Stable, who a year later ran Afleet Alex to pulsating victories in the Preakness and Belmont Stakes before the colt was stricken with a career-ending injury. Regarding the colt’s fans, Cash Is King managing partner Chuck Zacney said matter of factly, “I don’t want it to be like Smarty Jones,” before promptly selling the recently retired colt a few days later to Gainesway Farm, a notoriously un-fan-friendly operation that does not allow visitors.
The sales industry wields some influential power over racing, as it far more lucrative for owners to sell a hot young three-year-old to a stud farm than race him as an older horse. But do you breed to breed or breed to race? The sport of kings died long ago, now replaced with the sport of greed.
Is it possible to have too much emphasis placed on the Triple Crown? Successful sires Storm Cat, Broad Brush, Gone West, Kingmambo, and Elusive Quality, to name a few, did not win or even place in any of the three-year-old spring classics. The numbers would indicate that the series itself is not the most precise gauge of sire ability.
Prominent owner Barry Irwin, also stricken with this folie a deux, stated that, “To many people, and I happen to be one of them, the point of racing is to prove which one is best so that he can go to stud and attempt to better the breed. Once they have proven who is best, there is no further point to racing a horse. It is more important to the breed to get them to stud.”
Irwin, who heads the Team Valor syndicate racing, attracts newcomers to racing by offering shares in racehorses purchased from various owners and breeders or from auction. Yet one has to wonder how many clients he has lured into the sport with his “race to breed” angle.
Those who stand by Irwin’s viewpoint only see the financial gain. Forget accolades and prestige; the greater glory is retiring good horses early. And who really gets shut out? The fans, and the entire industry suffers for it. I wonder if Irwin was singing the same praises of premature retirements when his beloved Swaps was pillaging California stakes during the summer of 1956, more than –get this!—a year after his victory in racing's most coveted jewel, the Kentucky Derby.
No other sport quite looks down on its fans like racing does. Because they are not employed by the industry, many involved in racing feel they have no right to voice their opinions. Instead, racing shoots itself in the foot by chastising and ultimately driving away its few remaining fans. There is a generation of young people who enthusiastically follow the sport, many of whom wager regularly, and they should be welcomed into the industry – all, they are the future of racing, a fact that most of the crotchety old fogies running the sport today seem oblivious to.
Monday, March 31, 2008
The prince and the king
It's a great time to be a racing fan. For the first time in five years, the leading three-year-old was not retired to the breeding shed at the end of the season -- last year's Champion Three-Year-Old Male, Curlin, has remained in training for 2008.
Curlin had an unorthodox but impressive prep race for the Dubai World Cup (gr. I) last month in the Jaguar Trophy Handicap in Dubai, which he won under a hand ride while shouldering 132 pounds, clocking the 1-1/4 miles in a laudable time of 2:00.6. But the colt still had his work cut out for him Saturday. He would meet rivals from all over the globe, including Japan's Vermilion (a winner of four consecutive grade I's), Godolphin's up-and-coming Jalil who had strung together three straight victories since coming to Dubai, former American grade I winner and last year's World Cup runner-up Premium Tap, and horse-for-course Asiatic Boy who had won the UAE Derby (UAE-II) over the same oval.
But Curlin made mincemeat of his World Cup rivals, attending an active pace while three-wide before drawing off down the stretch to score by a record 7-3/4 lengths. Winning with his ears pricked, he sped the distance in 2:00.15, the third-fastest running of the race.
"What a horse," said his jubilant rider Robby Albarado. "Curlin is like a limousine, and I am just along for the ride."
And yet, the effort that should have had people talking for weeks played second fiddle when, some four hours later, three-year-old Big Brown remained undefeated in taking the Florida Derby (gr. I) in just his third lifetime start. Big Brown had first made headlines last summer at Saratoga, when he won a maiden special on the turf by 11-3/4 lengths. Setbacks caused the colt to miss the rest of the season, but he turned heads in his sophomore debut earlier this month when he cruised in an off-the-turf allowance contest by more than a dozen lengths, getting the mile distance in an eye-catching 1:35 3/5 despite having only a two-work foundation going in.
Then came last Saturday's Florida Derby, which turned skeptics into believers (myself included). Breaking from the twelve-hole --and becoming the first horse to win doing so since Gulfstream's inane reconfiguration four years ago-- Big Brown set daring fractions of 22 and 45 and change for the opening quarter and half-mile. Despite the quick pace, Big Brown left his rivals reeling and drew off down the stretch to win by five lengths while getting the 1-1/8 miles in a snappy 1:48 1/5.
"He's a major talent, possibly the best horse I've ever ridden," enthused winning rider Kent Desormeaux, who rode both Fusaichi Pegasus and Real Quiet to victories in the Kentucky Derby. Desormeaux has also won grade I's on a variety of mounts, including Desert Stormer (a dirt sprinter), Kotashaan (a turf router), and Corinthian (a dirt miler).
"He's a freak," says Hall of Fame trainer John Nerud simply.
Despite the one-year age difference, the similarities are startling: It was at this time last year the then-undefeated Curlin was a favorite for the Kentucky Derby, having gone from a dazzling maiden winner to the commanding ten-length victor of the Arkansas Derby (gr. II) in the span of two months. He even had similar superlatives thrown at him last year after going from maiden winner to Breeders' Cup Classic (gr. I) hero in the span of a season. But even the eventual Horse of the Year was unable to win the Derby off of three lifetime starts, though he did finish an admirable third behind Street Sense and Hard Spun after encountering traffic trouble down the lane.
Big Brown will now likely go off favored in the Run for the Roses, having outdazzled fellow three-year-old and Louisiana Derby (gr. II) and Risen Star (gr. III) winner Pyro from the top spot of Derby contenders. Curlin, meanwhile, will remain in light training in Kentucky until a future start can be determined, his hold on the title Horse of the World secure. The two will follow different paths, but it is never too early to start dreaming of the collision course that may come to fruition this fall.
Curlin had an unorthodox but impressive prep race for the Dubai World Cup (gr. I) last month in the Jaguar Trophy Handicap in Dubai, which he won under a hand ride while shouldering 132 pounds, clocking the 1-1/4 miles in a laudable time of 2:00.6. But the colt still had his work cut out for him Saturday. He would meet rivals from all over the globe, including Japan's Vermilion (a winner of four consecutive grade I's), Godolphin's up-and-coming Jalil who had strung together three straight victories since coming to Dubai, former American grade I winner and last year's World Cup runner-up Premium Tap, and horse-for-course Asiatic Boy who had won the UAE Derby (UAE-II) over the same oval.
But Curlin made mincemeat of his World Cup rivals, attending an active pace while three-wide before drawing off down the stretch to score by a record 7-3/4 lengths. Winning with his ears pricked, he sped the distance in 2:00.15, the third-fastest running of the race.
"What a horse," said his jubilant rider Robby Albarado. "Curlin is like a limousine, and I am just along for the ride."
And yet, the effort that should have had people talking for weeks played second fiddle when, some four hours later, three-year-old Big Brown remained undefeated in taking the Florida Derby (gr. I) in just his third lifetime start. Big Brown had first made headlines last summer at Saratoga, when he won a maiden special on the turf by 11-3/4 lengths. Setbacks caused the colt to miss the rest of the season, but he turned heads in his sophomore debut earlier this month when he cruised in an off-the-turf allowance contest by more than a dozen lengths, getting the mile distance in an eye-catching 1:35 3/5 despite having only a two-work foundation going in.
Then came last Saturday's Florida Derby, which turned skeptics into believers (myself included). Breaking from the twelve-hole --and becoming the first horse to win doing so since Gulfstream's inane reconfiguration four years ago-- Big Brown set daring fractions of 22 and 45 and change for the opening quarter and half-mile. Despite the quick pace, Big Brown left his rivals reeling and drew off down the stretch to win by five lengths while getting the 1-1/8 miles in a snappy 1:48 1/5.
"He's a major talent, possibly the best horse I've ever ridden," enthused winning rider Kent Desormeaux, who rode both Fusaichi Pegasus and Real Quiet to victories in the Kentucky Derby. Desormeaux has also won grade I's on a variety of mounts, including Desert Stormer (a dirt sprinter), Kotashaan (a turf router), and Corinthian (a dirt miler).
"He's a freak," says Hall of Fame trainer John Nerud simply.
Despite the one-year age difference, the similarities are startling: It was at this time last year the then-undefeated Curlin was a favorite for the Kentucky Derby, having gone from a dazzling maiden winner to the commanding ten-length victor of the Arkansas Derby (gr. II) in the span of two months. He even had similar superlatives thrown at him last year after going from maiden winner to Breeders' Cup Classic (gr. I) hero in the span of a season. But even the eventual Horse of the Year was unable to win the Derby off of three lifetime starts, though he did finish an admirable third behind Street Sense and Hard Spun after encountering traffic trouble down the lane.
Big Brown will now likely go off favored in the Run for the Roses, having outdazzled fellow three-year-old and Louisiana Derby (gr. II) and Risen Star (gr. III) winner Pyro from the top spot of Derby contenders. Curlin, meanwhile, will remain in light training in Kentucky until a future start can be determined, his hold on the title Horse of the World secure. The two will follow different paths, but it is never too early to start dreaming of the collision course that may come to fruition this fall.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
A vacant throne
The distaff division took a huge blow in the form the recent retirement of Belmont Stakes heroine Rags to Riches, who re-aggravated an old injury while working for a return to the races. However, even without her presence the division is set for an all-star cast this year of some very exciting and talented fillies and mares.
Who: Ginger Punch
Why She’s Noteworthy: The Champion Older Mare and Breeders’ Cup Distaff (gr. I) winner of 2007 fired a bullet recently while working in company with Bobby Frankel's sophomore star Country Star. Her only outing this year was an unchallenged, one-sided victory in the restricted Sunshine Millions Distaff.
Where to See Her Next: In the April 5th Apple Blossom (gr. I) at Oaklawn Park.
Who: Magnificience
Why She’s Noteworthy: The comebacker made two lifetime starts last spring caused a sensation, has been working up a freak storm at Santa Anita in recent weeks. After blitzing a bullet five furlongs in 0:58 flat on the 17th, she came back yesterday morning to run another near-bullet, clocking the same distance in 0:58.60.
Where to See Her Next: Likely to return in a stakes at Hollywood Park.
Who: Zenyatta
Why She’s Noteworthy: The undefeated filly has vanquished her foes convincingly in all three of her starts, including an easy score in the El Encino (gr. II). An unspecified injury caused her to miss a date in the Santa Margarita (gr. I) with Nashoba's Key but she is presently back on the worktab.
Where to See Her Next: Hollywood Park meeting
Who: Nashoba's Key
Why She’s Noteworthy: A formidable competitor in her own right, the recent Santa Margarita (gr. I) winner has won five graded stakes on both turf and synthetic surfaces. The Santa Margarita was her first start with Garrett Gomez back aboard following a questionable ride by former pilot Joe Talamo on Sunshine Millions Day.
Where to See Her Next: Currently resting, she is likely to resurface at the Del Mar meet.
Who: Eight Belles
Why She’s Noteworthy: She’s easily routed her members of her own sex in two races at Oaklawn, including her last in which she ran 1-1/16 miles just as quickly as the colt Sierra Sunset who won the Southwest Stakes (gr. III) at that distance later in the day.
Where to See Her Next: Eight Belles is likely to run next in the Fantasy (gr. II) versus fillies, though she has been nominated to the Arkansas Derby (gr. II).
Who: Country Star
Why She’s Noteworthy: Her two tallies last fall in the Alcibiades and Hollywood Starlet (both gr. I) had some folks talking Kentucky Derby. Jockey Robby Albarado recently gave up the mount on Derby hopeful Denis of Cork to maintain the ride on the blue-blooded filly, and she just fired a bullet working in company with the aforementioned Ginger Punch.
Where to See Her Next: In the Ashland (gr. I) at Keeneland on April 5th.
Who: Hystericalady
Why She’s Noteworthy: Hard-knocking California-based mare gave Ginger Punch a run for her money in last fall’s Distaff. Still had a very productive last season despite running over synthetic surfaces she is not crazy about; look for her to improve this year if she makes most of her starts on conventional dirt tracks.
Where to See Her Next: Hystericalady will try to turn the tables on Ginger Punch in the Apple Blossom on April 5th.
Who: Ginger Punch
Why She’s Noteworthy: The Champion Older Mare and Breeders’ Cup Distaff (gr. I) winner of 2007 fired a bullet recently while working in company with Bobby Frankel's sophomore star Country Star. Her only outing this year was an unchallenged, one-sided victory in the restricted Sunshine Millions Distaff.
Where to See Her Next: In the April 5th Apple Blossom (gr. I) at Oaklawn Park.
Who: Magnificience
Why She’s Noteworthy: The comebacker made two lifetime starts last spring caused a sensation, has been working up a freak storm at Santa Anita in recent weeks. After blitzing a bullet five furlongs in 0:58 flat on the 17th, she came back yesterday morning to run another near-bullet, clocking the same distance in 0:58.60.
Where to See Her Next: Likely to return in a stakes at Hollywood Park.
Who: Zenyatta
Why She’s Noteworthy: The undefeated filly has vanquished her foes convincingly in all three of her starts, including an easy score in the El Encino (gr. II). An unspecified injury caused her to miss a date in the Santa Margarita (gr. I) with Nashoba's Key but she is presently back on the worktab.
Where to See Her Next: Hollywood Park meeting
Who: Nashoba's Key
Why She’s Noteworthy: A formidable competitor in her own right, the recent Santa Margarita (gr. I) winner has won five graded stakes on both turf and synthetic surfaces. The Santa Margarita was her first start with Garrett Gomez back aboard following a questionable ride by former pilot Joe Talamo on Sunshine Millions Day.
Where to See Her Next: Currently resting, she is likely to resurface at the Del Mar meet.
Who: Eight Belles
Why She’s Noteworthy: She’s easily routed her members of her own sex in two races at Oaklawn, including her last in which she ran 1-1/16 miles just as quickly as the colt Sierra Sunset who won the Southwest Stakes (gr. III) at that distance later in the day.
Where to See Her Next: Eight Belles is likely to run next in the Fantasy (gr. II) versus fillies, though she has been nominated to the Arkansas Derby (gr. II).
Who: Country Star
Why She’s Noteworthy: Her two tallies last fall in the Alcibiades and Hollywood Starlet (both gr. I) had some folks talking Kentucky Derby. Jockey Robby Albarado recently gave up the mount on Derby hopeful Denis of Cork to maintain the ride on the blue-blooded filly, and she just fired a bullet working in company with the aforementioned Ginger Punch.
Where to See Her Next: In the Ashland (gr. I) at Keeneland on April 5th.
Who: Hystericalady
Why She’s Noteworthy: Hard-knocking California-based mare gave Ginger Punch a run for her money in last fall’s Distaff. Still had a very productive last season despite running over synthetic surfaces she is not crazy about; look for her to improve this year if she makes most of her starts on conventional dirt tracks.
Where to See Her Next: Hystericalady will try to turn the tables on Ginger Punch in the Apple Blossom on April 5th.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Thrown away
On Friday, May 18th, 2007, almost everyone in the racing industry was fixated on Baltimore’s Pimlico Racecourse, where 133rd Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense was favored to capture the second coveted jewel in the Triple Crown the following day. Few if any were aware that some 2800 miles away at Golden Gate Fields in Berkeley, California, former graded stakeswinner Inesperado suffered a catastrophic breakdown and had to be euthanized.
French export Inesperado made his American debut a winning one in the summer of 2003, surging through a hole at the rail to win the Cinema (G3) at Hollywood by a nose. After winning four of nine starts in France for his original owners, it would be his most lucrative season for new owner 2 Plus U Stable and new trainer Bobby Frankel. In addition to the Cinema, Inesperado also added wins in the La Jolla Handicap (G3), Sir Beaufort Stakes, and Del Mar Derby (G2) to his name, the latter over eventual Breeders’ Cup Turf victor Johar, now a stud in Kentucky.
Two years later and twelve races later, Inesperado was dropped in for a claiming tag and was taken by Round Table Stable. From there he continued to descend down the claiming latter, dropping from $80,000 to $35,000, to $22,500, to $7,000, and finally, in April of '07, to $4,000. By this time Inesperado was eight years old and a world away from the limelight which had shone so brightly on him during his three-year-old season. What is even more disheartening than the horse’s fall in stature was the arcane persistence in which he was raced.
At the time of his death, Inesperado had finished out of the money in ten of his previous eleven starts and had not won in over three years. If money were the object of desire, surely a stud career would have been a more enticing option for a multiple graded stakeswinner who was still entire in his sixth season of racing.
And while most of the blame falls on the horse’s last connections for running him despite the animal’s clear lack of competitiveness even at racing’s lowest level, one who has to wonder where were 2 Plus U Stable and Bobby Frankel during all of this time. Retiring a past-his-prime horse who earned well over half a million dollars in a single season of racing for his owner and trainer (Inesperado’s career earnings neared $700,000) seems like something any decent person would do.
It is time racing stops mishandling the very animals on which the sport itself exists. The fact that such a prominent stakeswinner of yesteryear faded into obscurity without so much as a peep from the racing community is deplorable. The horse had more than earned a retirement –even a stallion career, perhaps—but it is apparent now more than ever that racing is indeed a business and no longer a sport.
Inesperado deserved better.
French export Inesperado made his American debut a winning one in the summer of 2003, surging through a hole at the rail to win the Cinema (G3) at Hollywood by a nose. After winning four of nine starts in France for his original owners, it would be his most lucrative season for new owner 2 Plus U Stable and new trainer Bobby Frankel. In addition to the Cinema, Inesperado also added wins in the La Jolla Handicap (G3), Sir Beaufort Stakes, and Del Mar Derby (G2) to his name, the latter over eventual Breeders’ Cup Turf victor Johar, now a stud in Kentucky.
Two years later and twelve races later, Inesperado was dropped in for a claiming tag and was taken by Round Table Stable. From there he continued to descend down the claiming latter, dropping from $80,000 to $35,000, to $22,500, to $7,000, and finally, in April of '07, to $4,000. By this time Inesperado was eight years old and a world away from the limelight which had shone so brightly on him during his three-year-old season. What is even more disheartening than the horse’s fall in stature was the arcane persistence in which he was raced.
At the time of his death, Inesperado had finished out of the money in ten of his previous eleven starts and had not won in over three years. If money were the object of desire, surely a stud career would have been a more enticing option for a multiple graded stakeswinner who was still entire in his sixth season of racing.
And while most of the blame falls on the horse’s last connections for running him despite the animal’s clear lack of competitiveness even at racing’s lowest level, one who has to wonder where were 2 Plus U Stable and Bobby Frankel during all of this time. Retiring a past-his-prime horse who earned well over half a million dollars in a single season of racing for his owner and trainer (Inesperado’s career earnings neared $700,000) seems like something any decent person would do.
It is time racing stops mishandling the very animals on which the sport itself exists. The fact that such a prominent stakeswinner of yesteryear faded into obscurity without so much as a peep from the racing community is deplorable. The horse had more than earned a retirement –even a stallion career, perhaps—but it is apparent now more than ever that racing is indeed a business and no longer a sport.
Inesperado deserved better.
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