France A Good Fit For Foxwoods

The fledgling European breeding and racing program of the Roth family's LNJ Foxwoods came full circle last October when its homebred Golden Valentine (Fr) (Dalakhani {Ire}) became its first European starter–and winner–when taking a Chantilly maiden under the tutelage of trainer Freddy Head. Golden Valentine has gone on to win two of her three starts this year, including the July 14 Listed Prix de Thiberville, and she was second by a short-head in the G3 Prix du Lys Longines June 19.

To see LNJ Foxwoods have such immediate success in Europe wouldn't have come as a great surprise to anyone who has followed its program stateside. Since buying its first Thoroughbreds just four years ago, LNJ Foxwoods–the moniker of the father-mother-daughter team of Larry, Nanci and Jaime Roth–has campaigned the likes of GI Frizette S. winner Nickname (Scat Daddy), as well as Grade III-winning fillies Super Majesty (Super Saver) and Dreamologist (Tapit).

The LNJ Foxwoods program has been pioneered by agents Alex Solis and Jason Litt, who will make a return trip to Arqana's August Yearling sale next week to shop at the sales grounds where they mined Golden Valentine's dam, Goldikova (Ire) (Anabaa)'s half-sister Gold Round (Ire) (Caerleon), at Arqana's December sale in 2012; the now 19-year-old mare cost €520,000 carrying Golden Valentine.

Solis said Arqana is an obvious place to shop for horses to expand LNJ Foxwoods's European interests.

“It's a neat sale,” he said. “Deauville in general is a beautiful place–the racing is great. You get some really neat pedigrees out of the sale and they come up with a lot of runners out of the sale. It's something we've really enjoyed the last few years and it's perfect timing because it's right after Saratoga.”

LNJ Foxwoods's current European stable numbers just five, with three of those in France: Golden Valentine; her as-yet unraced year-younger Redoute's Choice (Aus) half-sister Golden Attitude; and Oasis Lady (Ire) (Oasis Dream {GB}), a €260,000 weanling buy from the Paulyn Dispersal at Goffs November in 2013 who was placed at second-asking at Chantilly May 20.

Solis explained that the object of developing a European program for the Roths has been to tap into the world's best families.

“When we started the whole deal over there with LNJ, we thought that internationally we wanted to have certain families for them from around the whole world, because we thought it was a good idea to diverse that way,” he said. “The grass families that are in Europe are so superior to the U.S. that we thought we'd try to get into some really influential families.”

Gold Round was exported to the States after producing Golden Valentine. She foaled Golden Attitude in Kentucky and came up barren to Tapit the following year. She produced a filly by Kitten's Joy this year and is back in foal to that champion sire, and Solis said the Kitten's Joys would likely be expatriated to France to be trained by Head, who trains all the LNJ Foxwoods French stock.

“Freddy knows that family so well it's hard to not keep going back,” Solis said of the man who trained Goldikova to 14 Group 1 wins, including three Breeders' Cup Miles. Of the relationship with Head, Solis added, “My dad has always been a big fan of Freddy, and it was just a natural fit. Freddy trained Goldikova and when we bought the half to her dad said 'you should give them all to Freddy, he was a great rider and is a great trainer.' It just was a natural fit and it's been a lot of fun. We'll end up keeping Golden Valentine and she'll be bred and I'm sure Freddy will get a lot of those babies.”

The team will get to see Golden Valentine in action while in Deauville over the weekend, with the filly expected to partake in Sunday's G3 Prix Minerve. She also holds an entry for Saturday's G2 Prix de Pomone against elders.

While LNJ Foxwoods's three-horse French stable has certainly set the standard, the owners' two other European racehorses, with trainer Jim Bolger in Ireland, have certainly indicated they are something to look forward to. Radio Silence (War Front), a $675,000 son of champion sprinting mare Maryfield (Elusive Quality), was tabbed a 'TDN Rising Star' when winning on debut at Leopardstown July 7 before finishing fourth in the G3 Anglesey S. nine days later.

“We ran him back in seven days and I think that was a little quick,” Solis said. “He still showed up but Jim said he wasn't sure how he handled the ground; it was soft that day. He came out of the race a little tired, so Jim said he was going to give him a few weeks and figure out where to go from there. We're still very excited and pretty high on him.”

The other Bolger inmate is the 3-year-old filly Landikusic (GB) (Dansili {GB}). Typical of the LNJ Foxwoods program, she is a full-sister last year's champion European first-season sire Zoffany (Ire). Landikusic, who has started twice this year, was bought for 700,000gns at Tattersalls October the year before her elder brother had his first runners.

Sticking to their program of getting the Roths into the best families in the world, Solis and Litt have also done some shopping in Australia for LNJ Foxwoods. They spent A$540,000 on Diamond Necklace (Unbridled's Song), a half-sister to Group 1 winner and leading sire Shamardal and also from the immediate family of Street Cry (Ire), at Inglis's breeding stock sale three years ago. Like Gold Round, Diamond Necklace was sent to America. She has a yearling filly by Kitten's Joy, a filly foal by War Front and was bred to Super Saver this year.

“Jason really wanted to make sure they were playing in every market,” Solis explained. “We always felt you need to do that. You have to be very diverse, because you never know what part of the market is going to be taking off when.”

As for what's next for LNJ Foxwoods, Solis said, “We'd love to race there [in Australia]. Two years ago we looked at some really nice colts but didn't get anything bought, and this year I had a baby so didn't go for the sales. Australia is definitely on the horizon. I'm sure we'll be down at the Easter sale again.”

Should the LNJ Foxwoods program continue the way it has started, one can expect to see the Roths' blue and yellow silks in many winner's enclosures around the world.