Fourth on debut behind subsequently stakes-placed Silver Assault (Maclean's Music) and next-out 'TDN Rising Star' Chasing Aces (Flatter) first out at Santa Anita June 25, Klimt aired by 5 1/4 lengths in Arcadia July 10 to earn the publication's distinction himself. He was one of three promising 'Rising Stars' squaring off in this event, and proved best of the bunch as they ran 1-2-3.
The big bay came away well and stalked the pace of Big League through splits of :23.26 and :46.03. Those two locked horns at the top of the lane and engaged in a spirited stretch battle until just outside the sixteenth pole, when Klimt started to do the better work and pulled away convincingly. Kentucky shipper Thirstforlife came under an early ride, but did enough to round out the triple.
“This horse is strong,” offered winning pilot Rafael Bejarano. “He's been working so well. I've been on him in the mornings and he was working great. He relaxed for me today and finished well. The way he finished, going to 6 1/2 [furlongs] today, he'll definitely run on.”
Hall of Fame conditioner Bob Baffert, who had already won seven previous Best Pals–including four with future GI Del Mar Futurity winners–added, “I was disappointed [with his first start] and thought that maybe he's just a grass horse. But he came back, won his next one, and he's worked really well here. He's always shown that he's a horse that's going to go farther. It was a good race, they didn't go too fast. The kind of race you want to see. The Futurity [Sept. 5] is next. That's the plan.”
Saturday, Del Mar
BEST PAL S.-GII, $200,345, DMR, 8-13, 2yo, 6 1/2f, 1:16.11, ft.
1–#@KLIMT, 120, c, 2, by Quality Road
1st Dam: Inventive (MSP, $134,000), by Dixie Union
2nd Dam: Original, by Storm Cat
3rd Dam: Tennis Lady, by Broad Brush
'TDN Rising Star' ($140,000 Ylg '15 FTKJUL; $435,000 2yo '16
OBSMAR). O-Kaleem Shah, Inc.; B-Thor-Bred Stables, LLC (KY);
T-Bob Baffert; J-Rafael Bejarano. $120,000. Lifetime Record:
3-2-0-0, $156,960. *1/2 to West Coast Chick (Malibu Moon),
GSP, $163,184. Werk Nick Rating: A.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
[bullet ad=”gainesway-consigned-by”][bullet ad=”thorbred”][bullet ad=”lanni-hillndale-purchased”][bullet ad=”bradley-pinhook”][bullet ad=”kbif-g2g3″]2–Big League, 120, c, 2, Speightstown–Reunited, by Dixie
Union. ($155,000 Ylg '15 KEESEP; $100,000 2yo '16 OBSMAR;
$275,000 RNA 2yo '16 BARMAY). O-Rockingham Ranch; B-W.
S. Farish (KY); T-Peter Miller. $40,000.
'TDN Rising Star'
[bullet ad=”kingsequine-anothersalesgrad”][bullet ad=”lanes-end-bredraisedsold”]3–Thirstforlife, 118, c, 2, Stay Thirsty–Promenade Girl, by
Carson City. ($240,000 Wlg '14 KEENOV). O-Barber, G., St. Elias
Stables, LLC, Tabor, M., Magnier, M. and Smith, D.; B-Camas
Park Stud (KY); T-Mark E. Casse. $24,000.
'TDN Rising Star'
[bullet ad=”hunter-valley-farm-sold”][bullet ad=”crupi-trained”][bullet ad=”brocklebank-privatepurchaseby”]Margins: 2 3/4, 3 1/4, 4 1/4. Odds: 1.00, 2.30, 4.50.
Also Ran: Rinse and Repeat, Secret House, Drafted.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
Pedigree Notes…
Klimt continues an impressive streak for graduates of the 2016 class of bloodstock agent Pete Bradley's pinhook venture, following in the hooftsteps of fellow 'Rising Stars' and GIII Sanford S. one-two finishers Bitumen (Mineshaft) and Random Walk (Super Saver). A $140,000 Fasig-Tipton July yearling, he blossomed into a $435,000 OBS March 2-year-old after a :20 4/5 breeze. Twice stakes-placed in Maryland, Klimt's dam Inventive has passed through a sales ring three times since her racing career was over: she went for $120,000 at the 2010 Keeneland November sale in foal to Malibu Moon, $130,000 at Keeneland January two years later, and $80,000 in foal to Bernardini at KEENOV '14. Her resulting Bernardini filly sold for just $42,000 as a short yearling at this year's Keeneland January sale to Jaime Mejia's Thoroughbred Champions Training Center. Klimt's third dam is GSW Tennis Lady, a full-sister to GI Breeders' Cup Classic winner Concern. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
