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NEW VIDEOS: Pre-Sale at Keeneland
Keeneland Interview with Meg Levy -CLICK HERE TO VIEW
Two interviews with Tom Law of the Thoroughbred Times CLICK HERE TO VIEW
Bluewater Grad, TABLE THREN TEN (El Prado filly) Remains
Unbeaten at Gulfstream
Courtesy of TDN
Table Three Ten (f, 3, El Prado {Ire}--Hopes and Dreams, by More Than Ready), purchased privately by Team Valor International after debuting in style for Cobra Farm Inc and trainer Michael Stidham at Fair Grounds Nov. 25, was hammered down to 3-5 to stay perfect here. The gray tugged her way to the front to press through an opening quarter in :22.75, enjoyed a narrow advantage into the stretch and edged clear late to score by 1 1/2 lengths over Miss Quisqueya (Successful Appeal). The final time for 6 1/2 furlongs was 1:17.24. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0. O-Team Valor International; B-Cobra Farm & Suzanne Biszantz (KY); T-Graham Motion.
Team Valor Acquires TABLE THREE TEN
Courtesy of TDN
Team Valor International has acquired Table Three Ten (El Prado {Ire}), an impressive winner of her debut at Fair Grounds Nov. 25, from Gary Biszantz’s Cobra Farm and the juvenile filly will be transferred to the barn of trainer Graham Motion.
Explaining how the deal came about, Team Valor CEO Barry Irwin said, “I was talking to Mike Levy, who is our insurance agent, about something last Saturday and during the conversation he told me how he had made an offer to buy half of this filly. He said that Gary Biszantz wasn’t interested in selling half, but he said if he got a substantial enough offer that he would sell all of the horse. So I went and  watched her race and talked to them some more and we struck a deal.”
Table Three Ten, bred by Cobra Farm and Suzanne Biszantz, was sent off at 9-2 in her six-furlong unveiling for trainer Mike Stidham. After chasing a hot pace, the grey took over inupper stretch and sailed home and eased-down 5 1/4-length winner in 1:10.41(video). _ Table Three Ten: Lou Hodges Jr
“When she changed leads, she kind of lugged in, so the guy had to straighten her out and throw a cross at her,” Irwin said. “He hit her twice and she just absolutely exploded, opened up by six or seven, it looked like. Halfway down the stretch, the jock turned around to see what was going on behind him. He realized he was way in front and he eased her the entire last sixteenth. She just gave me the impression that she is explosive and she’ll be able to run long. And that’s a combination everybody wants.”
While Table Three Ten, a daughter of stakes-placed Hopes and Dreams (More Than Ready), was sprinting in her debut, Irwin thinks she will be even more impressive as the distances get longer.
“She’s by El Prado and her dam, even though she is by More Than Ready, she routed 15 of her 16 races. So she is bred to go long. And she ran as fast as a fast sprinter would do in her debut, so we’re hoping that when we stretch her out she’ll be a super duper horse.”
As for what is next for Table Three Ten, Irwin added, “We’ll give Graham a chance to get used to her. Ideally we’d like to run her seven-eighths or a mile next time. I wouldn't want to sprint her again. We’re hoping that she is a GI Kentucky Oaks kind of horse.”
GRACE HALL at the Breeders' Cup
Courtesy of the Blood Horse
Grace Hall probably won’t be the favorite when they line up in the gate for the $1 million Grey Goose Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (gr. I) Nov. 4—that honor will likely go to My Miss Aurelia—but trainer Tony Dutrow would not change positions with anyone.
Undefeated in three starts, Grace Hall has done nothing wrong since Dutrow helped pick her out for owners Michael Dubb, Bethlehem Stables, and The Elkstone Group for $95,000 at the Keeneland September 2010 yearling sale. Based at Delaware Park with Dutrow, the daughter of Empire Maker—Season’s Greetings, by Ezzoud, completed her final preparations for the Juvenile Fillies Oct. 30 when breezing an easy four furlongs in :49 on a sloppy track.
“I don’t know what the other horses have--I respect them all--but I have to feel very good about the way she is coming into this race,” Dutrow said. “She’s in great shape, is well prepared, and she belongs in this there.”
Dutrow, who will be saddling his fourth Breeders’ Cup starter with Grace Hall, said the bay filly fit the profile of the kind of yearling he likes to buy. She was under the six-figure price tag that he allots himself, had a nice but not a regal pedigree, and was athletic looking.
He sent her to Brett Brinkman in Ocala, Fla., to be broken, and found out right away he had a promising runner.
“She came to me in May and I asked Brett where I should start her,” Dutrow said. “I like to keep my better ones at Delaware with me, and he said, ‘Start her at Delaware.’ They didn’t say she was special, but definitely a nice one. It didn’t take her long to prove that.”
In her first start on July 30 at Delaware Park, Grace Hall went wire-to-wire to break her maiden by three lengths at six furlongs. It was a good enough effort for Dutrow to take her to Saratoga for the Sept. 4 Spinaway Stakes (gr. I).
Not only did she win that race by 1 3/4 lengths, but she did it professionally while proving that she was not a need-the-lead type horse. She sat fourth in the early going under Ramon Dominguez before rallying in the stretch to beat a nice group of fillies.
“She trained really good up to that race but I didn’t know what to expect,” Dutrow said. “I was happy to see her sit off the pace and pull away nicely.”
Dutrow said after the Spinaway they started thinking Breeders’ Cup, but picking the right spot for her prep took a lot of thought. They thought about the Frizette Stakes (gr. I) at Belmont Park, which is the usual stepping stone for Spinaway winners, but Dutrow did not like the fact that it was only one turn.
They also considered the Darley Alcibiades Stakes (gr. I) at Keeneland, which is two turns, but Dutrow wasn’t crazy about running her on Polytrack. So they settled on the Oct. 1 Blue Hen Stakes at Delaware Park, a two-turn, one-mile-and-70-yard race she wound up dominating by 5 3/4 lengths.
Dutrow knows the Blue Hen field wasn’t exactly stacked and is not a traditional Breeders’ Cup prep, but he liked its location and the way it fit Grace Hall’s schedule.
“She got to walk right out of her stall and run a two-turn race on dirt,” he said. “I think she appreciated it and the timing of the race was right. It was perfect for what we wanted.”
Since the Blue Hen, Grace Hall has had three nice works at Delaware—all four furlongs—and in the 1 1/16-mile Juvenile Fillies will be reunited with top rider Dominguez. All signs are pointing to her running a big race at Churchill Downs.
“It would be nice to win my first Breeders’ Cup race but it’s not about me, it’s about helping Grace Hall be all she can be,” said Dutrow, who sent out Joyful Victory to finish fourth in this race last year. “No matter what happens, I think she’s going to be a very good 3-year-old. It would be nice to win for the owners, who are a great bunch of guys.”
Grace Hall was expected to ship to Kentucky Oct. 31.
GEMOLOGIST
Courtesy of the TDN
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3rd at CDX |
[1 1/16m] |
Winner: Gemologist, c, 2 by Tiznow |
3rd-CDX, $47,591, Alw, Opt. Clm. ($75,000), NW1X, 2yo, 1 1/16m, 1:45 1/5, ft.
GEMOLOGIST (c, 2, Tiznow--Crystal Shard, by Mr. Prospector), a $310,000 KEENOV weanling, was a front-running five-length winner of his debut at Turfway Park Sept. 24. The even-money favorite cut out fractions of :24.65 and :49.44. He turned back a challenge on the turn and reported home a two-length victor. Timely Tally (Mr. Greeley) was second. The winner is a half-brother to Clear Destiny (Deputy Minister, SW, $193,667); and to Perfect Cut (A.P. Indy, SP, $164,265). Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $42,000.
SMART STRIKE at Fasig-Tipton October
Courtesy of the Blood Horse
The Fasig-Tipton Kentucky fall yearling sale is saving the best for last. During the lunch hour of the auction’s third and final session, a Smart Strike colt became the highest-priced horse sold so far when he commanded $270,000 Oct. 26. The previous high price was the $260,000 brought by an Arch –Royal Sanction filly during the second session Oct. 25.
Canadian-based trainer Mark Casse purchased the Smart Strike colt. He declined to reveal the bay yearling’s new owner. John and Debby Oxley have been among Casse’s his high profile clients lately, but, Casse said, “I do buy horses for other people.”
The colt is the second foal out of the winning Green Dancer mare Yaqeen. She is a half sister to Grand Courturier (by Grand Lodge), who captured the 2007 and 2008 editions of the Sword Dancer Invitational Stakes (gr. IT), the 2008 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational Stakes (gr. IT), the 2009 Bowling Green Handicap (gr. IIT), and the 2006 Prix Derby du Midi in France. Yaqeen also is a half sister to Alainmaar (by Johar), who scored in this year’s John Doyle Buckhounds Stakes in England.
“How can you not like a Smart Strike?” Casse said. “I thought this was a really pretty colt. He met all my criteria. I thought he had a great neck and shoulder and a strong back.”
Smart Strike, who stands at Will Farish's Lane's End Farm near Versailles, Ky., was North America’s leading sire by progeny earnings in 2007 and 2008.
Shadwell Farm, which is owned by Sheikh Hamdan of Dubai, bred the $270,000 yearling in Kentucky. Bluewater Sales, agent, consigned him to the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky fall auction. Earlier this year, Bluewater was scheduled to offer the colt at the Keeneland September yearling sale, but he was scratched.
Courtesy of the TDN
Hip 43, a Bernardini colt out of Brandy Rose (Distinctive Pro), got the ball rolling at KEESEP Sunday night by attracting a winning bid of $875,000 from Demi O'Byrne. The dark bay's dam, a half to champion Holy Bull, boasts GI Alabama S. heroine Sweet Symphony (A.P. Indy) among her produce. Bluewater Sales LLC, Agent XXIV consigned the colt, who was bred by Southern Equine Stables.
The transaction was yet another big score at the sales for Meg Levy's Bluewater Sales and the colt's breeder, Mike Moreno's Southern Equine. Last July, they teamed to sell the topper at Fasig-Tipton, a Medaglia d'Oro--Beright colt for $450,000, and followed up by selling the topper at Fasig-Tipton Saratoga, too, a colt by A.P. Indy--Maryfield who went for $1.2 million. (An Unbridled's Song half-brother to the latter sells today as hip 192.) Levy said the colt lived up to expectations. "I think in this market, we were cautiously optimistic, but I think that's what he's worth," she said. "But a horse is only worth what anybody's willing to pay for him."
Asked about selling a Darley-sired horse to Coolmore, Levy commented, "I'm always glad to see people buying nice horses. I haven't actually been in the position to have worried about that too much. But it looks like Coolmore is really back in the market looking for good horses, and I don't think it matters whose camp it's by. Bernardini is a top stallion, and this was a great individual." Levy added, "I was giggling as we led him up here because he looks like the black stallion. And he really showed his presence in the ring. He's been all class this entire sale. He's forward and happy, and everybody really loved him. We're really happy for Mike Moreno from Southern Equine."
Moreno, who has crafted a world-class broodmare band in recent years that includes 15 Grade I mares, he reports, wasn't on hand to watch the colt sell, but talked with the TDN by phone afterwards. "We want to let everyone know that we're a breeding operation that also races, but we don't want to get the reputation that we only send our bad horses to the sales," Moreno said. "We hope buyers get comfortable knowing that when Southern Equine puts a horse in a sale, that they're there to sell for the right price."
In general, Southern Equine offers its best colts at auction while retaining the better fillies, said Moreno. "We try to sell our best one or two colts from each crop," he said. The Louisiana-based businessman said he considered the colt well-sold, as the reserve was $600,000. "We'll sell a horse for a fair price, but we're not going to give away horses, either," he said. "In general, we do our own analysis and say, If we were looking to buy this horse, what would we be willing to spend on him?' And that's how we set the reserves. For this horse, we thought the low end for him would be $600,000 and the high end $800,000, so he brought what we expected on the high end. But two or three years ago, this horse brings $2.5 million. It's just a sign of the times. But I want to thank Mr. [John] Magnier [Coolmore principal] and Demi O'Byrne, and I'm happy for them. I hope the horse goes on to do big things for them." |
Keeneland Barn Notes Pre-sale interview with Meg Levy
Tom Law of the Thoroughbred Times talks with Meg Levy (Part I)
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Tom Law of the Thoroughbred Times talks with Meg Levy (Part 2)
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September 2011 - 3 Recent G1 stakes winners for Bluewater Grads:
DRILL (Del Mar Futurity G1)
GRACE HALL (Spinaway Stakes G1)
DREAM AHEAD (winning his fourth G1 in the Betfred Sprint Cup (Eng-GI)
Additionally RUMOR won the C.E.R.F. S, at Del Mar (Her half brother sells as HIP 91 at Keeneland September
Drill Prevails in Wild Del Mar Futurity
Courtesy of the Blood-Horse
Drill takes the Del Mar Futurity on closing day at Del Mar.
Drill won a contentious Del Mar Futurity (gr. I) Sept. 7 that saw Majestic City disqualified from second to third after he came in sharply on odds-on favorite Creative Cause in the final strides. The Bob Baffert-trained Drill, sent off as the third choice in Del Mar's closing-day feature, completed the seven furlongs in 1:22.16 on Polytrack.
Drill's victory gave Baffert his 10th score in the Futurity since 1996. It also marked the second victory in three years for the ownership group of Mike Pegram, Karl Watson, and Paul Weitman, whose Lookin at Lucky won the 2009 renewal en route to the 2-year-old championship.
The Futurity's outcome looked to go any way as a quartet of juveniles took aim on the wire in virtual lockstep. Then the previously unbeaten Majestic City veered to the right under left-handed urging from David Flores, shutting off Creative Cause and sending Drill momentarily sideways. During the dust-up, Drill's jockey, Martin Garcia, lost his whip yet managed to right his colt and urge him onward with a wave of the reins.
The inquiry sign went up immediately, and after reviewing the head-on replay the stewards demoted Majestic City and elevated Creative Cause, who also came into the race unbeaten. Gun Boat finished fourth.
Garcia said despite the bumping and the loss of his whip, Drill responded well. "We were looking for a big race from him today. Bob said: ‘Don’t rush him today. Give him a good experience. Let him learn from this race.’
"He broke real sharp, but I took him back and put him in behind horses. Then when the time came, he was running. He finished strong. I got banged right at the end, but he was still strong. He’s a nice colt. How nice, we’re going to see."
Baffert concurred, saying Garcia had ridden Drill just as he had instructed: “This horse is just learning. He’s been working well here, but I really don’t think he like the Poly that much. I think he’ll prefer the dirt. I got a little nervous the last part when he got bumped, but I’m glad he came through."
Flores blamed fatigue for Majestic City's erratic stretch run.
Eight juveniles contested the $250,000 Futurity. Drill, a Kentucky-bred son of Lawyer Ron, broke well and settled in fifth early as stablemate Gun Boat outdueled Majestic City and Basmati down the backstretch in an opening quarter in :23.04. Drill and Creative Cause began their bids coming out of the turn, with the eventual winner widest of all.
Bred by Stonewall Farm Stallions and a $300,000 Keeneland September yearling sale buy, Drill finished eighth in his July 30 debut as the even-money choice, then won by a neck as the favorite in his second start Aug. 13 at Del Mar. Drill's Futurity victory boosts his earnings to $188,150.
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Grace Hall Takes Spinaway G1
Grace Hall acted like a true professional stalking the leaders into the stretch and sweeping past favored Judy the Beauty to handily win the $250,000 event at Saratoga.
Trained by Tony Dutrow, Grace Hall raced as part of an entry for owners Michael Dubb, Bethlehem Stables, and Stuart Grant. The daughter of Empire Maker made her $95,000 purchase price at last September's Keeneland yearling sale look like a bargain. In defeating seven 2-year-old filly rivals, she completed the seven-furlong Spinaway distance in 1:23.74 on a fast track. The official winning margin was 1 3/4 lengths.
Darley bred Grace Hall. She is out of the Irish mare Season's Greetings (by Ezzoud) in Kentucky. Now two-for-two in her career, Grace Hall won her debut at Delaware Park by three lengths July 30. She was working smartly at Saratoga for the past month and came into the race off a five-furlong bullet move in 1:00 2/5 Aug. 30.
“I’m overwhelmed," a happy Dutrow said. "We don’t get to do that much. I am so happy. Everybody in horse racing should live through what our team just lived through. We knew there was a lot of risk here. It was deep water.
"Being around her gave me the confidence to try her here today. When I’m watching the race, I’m saying ‘OK, we have a chance.’ For the second race of her life, she answered a lot of questions. There’s a great deal of credit that belongs to her.”
Ramon Dominguez guided the bay filly to victory. Judy the Beauty finished second, well clear of show horse And Why Not.
After breaking alertly, Grace Hall settled on the outside at mid-pack as Born Bullish and Georgie's Angel vied for the lead with Judy the Beauty right behind them on the outside. Grace Hall continued to track the leaders through quarter-mile splits of :22.71 and :45.96.
Judy the Beauty took over at the top of the stretch, gradually putting away her pace rivals. But after drifting out approaching the furlong mark, she lost the lead to the fast-closing Grace Hall, who rallied four wide on the turn before edging away in the final stages under urging from Dominguez.
"Tony expressed to me how much he liked her, and coming from him I knew she had to be special," Dominguez said. "Sure enough, today she showed how good she is; very professional.
“At the three-eighths I kind of tested her. She jumped on the bridle so well and I realized there was nobody on my outside. I chose to stay behind them a little longer so I wouldn’t move out so early. I realized (Judy the Beauty) was still running, but I felt pretty confident I’d be able to run her down.”
Ridden by Jeffrey Sanchez, Judy the Beauty finished nine lengths ahead of And Wny Not and Julien Leparoux.
The winning pot of $150,000 boosted Grace Hall's career earnings to $174,000.
Judy the Beauty, owned and trained by Wesley Ward, was undefeated in three starts and making her dirt debut. The daughter of Ghostzapper had previously won over Polytrack at Keeneland and Woodbine and on the grass at Chantilly in France. She returned $3.80 and $3, and capped a $31.60 exacta.
Ward was happy with Judy the Beauty's performance as the 2-1 choice.
“She ran really well. She tried. We kind of forced the pace a little bit, trying to be right there with who we thought was going to be tough," he said. "Hindsight is always 20/20. I'm really proud of her. This is the toughest race, historically in the country, to win for 2-year-old fillies. I’m disappointed, but happy at the same time.”
And Why Not, a first-out maiden winner at Saratoga Aug. 7 for trainer Michael Matz, paid $4 to show.
Georgie's Angel was a half-length back in fourth, followed by Grace Hall's entry mate, True Feelings. Then came Baffle Me, Born Bullish, and Lady Pecan. Vukovar scratched.
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Dream Ahead Hangs On in Thrilling Sprint Cup
Courtesy of the Blood-Horse
Dream Ahead edged out Bated Breath and Hoof It in a thrilling three-way photo finish to capture the $368,000 Betfred Sprint Cup (Eng-I) at Haydock Park Sept. 3.
It was the fourth career group I win for the 3-year-old son of Diktat, who captured the Darley July Cup (Eng-I) earlier this season.
The David Simcock trainee, who was named co-champion juvenile colt in England last year, entered the Sprint Cup off of a seventh-place finish in the Prix Maurice de Gheest-Goldikova (Fr-I) in his previous start. Regardless of that subpar effort, Dream Ahead was sent off as the 4-1 favorite to reverse that form against 15 rivals at Haydock.
One of the main challengers to Dream Ahead appeared to be the Roger Charlton-trained Bated Breath, a 4-year-old colt by Dansili who finished second by a half-length to Dream Ahead in the July Cup. The Juddmonte Farm colorbearer was hoping to rebound from a poor effort in the Coolmore Nunthorpe Stakes (Eng-I) Aug. 19, in which he finished ninth.
The other prime contender in the race was Hoof It, a hard-knocking 4-year-old gelding who was making his second start in group I company. In his last start, Hoof It was beaten just two lengths when finishing sixth in the Nunthorpe.
It was an even start for all as Masamah and Wootton Bassett went to the front to take a short lead. Several horses disputed the lead as the field fanned wide across the track.
With just over a furlong to go, Dream Ahead shot to the front and edged to a slight lead. He was quickly joined by Bated Breath, with Hoof It in hot pursuit. The three runners dueled throughout the final furlong, with William Buick fighting to keep Dream Ahead in front and on a straight path.
Dream Ahead, who was in between his two challengers, began to lug to his left, hampering Hoof It and Graham Gibbons. The colt then began to drift to his right, carrying out Bated Breath in the process.
The three runners hit the wire together, with Dream Ahead finishing a nose in front of Bated Breath. Hoof It was just a head further back in third. After a lengthy stewards’ inquiry, the order of the finish was upheld, and Dream Ahead was declared the winner.
The final time for the six furlongs was 1:10.36 over the good-to-firm going.
After the race, Buick said, “He is a very hard horse to judge. He was running around and if he had got beat I would have said to him ‘you threw it away’ but he held on. He has got a big head and that helps in a photo-finish.”
A disappointed Gibbons stated, “I definitely suffered interference and it cost me the race.”
Simcock, who trains Dream Ahead for owner Khalifa Dasmal, is keeping his options open for his colt, telling reporters, “We could either go to France for the Prix de la Foret (Fr-I), or run at Ascot on Champions Day.”
Dream Ahead was bred in Kentucky by Darley, and is out of the Cadeaux Genereux mare, Land of Dreams. The bay colt was consigned by Bluewater Sales, agent, to the 2009 Keeneland September yearling sale, where he sold for $11,000 to Federico Barberini, agent.
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HEILIGBRODT Dispersal begins at Fasig-Tipton July
June 16, 2011.... Bluewater Sales will be selling the first group of the Heiligbrodt dispersal at FT July. Eighty horses of all ages will be sold on the evening of July 12th. Read more about the dispersal at the TDN.
HOLDIN BULLETS wins MSW at Keeneland
April 21, 2011.... Bluewater grad, Holdin Bullets(Ghostzapper/ Holy Bubbette),  broke his maiden at first asking for Wesley Ward on Thursday at Keeneland. The two-year old gelding broke quickly from his outside post and distanced himself from the maiden special weight field as jockey Jeffrey Sanchez looked under his shoulder for challengers. Going wire to wire the $60,000 Keeneland September purchase justified his even money odds on the tote board and gave Ward yet another two-year old winner at the meet.
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