Curlin
As has been said many times about the Thoroughbred industry: it is a business with highs and lows; more lows than highs; the highs are very high and the lows are very low. It was an emotional weekend of racing for me. The highs have been the results of two races. The lows, the thoughts of those not here to celebrate with me. First, Dazzling Blue ran her record to three-for-three Friday with a, well, dazzling performance at Churchill Downs. Then, Sunday, Weehawken broke her maiden by three lengths at...
8th-Pimlico, $62,700, Alw (NW1X)/Opt. Clm ($50,000-$62,500), 5-19, 3yo, 6f, 1:09.94, ft, 1 3/4 lengths. FORT WARREN (c, 3, Curlin--La Appassionata {SW & GSP, $162,920}, by Bernardini) became a 'TDN Rising Star' when debuted in gate-to-wire fashion for then-trainer Bob Baffert at Santa Anita Oct. 30. A far-beaten third next time out in the GII San Vincente S. Jan. 29, he went to the sidelines for much of the spring, changing barns to return on the east coast for Brittany Russell. Bet down to even money and with Lasix in his...
Some kind of wand has been waved here. Of eight starters in the GI Preakness S., three represent the first crop of Good Magic--including GI Kentucky Derby winner Mage. Just weeks after their program received what felt like the ultimate accolade, in Broodmare of the Year honors for Dreaming Of Julia (A.P. Indy), Barbara Banke and her Stonestreet team duly have still further cause for gratification. Because just like Dreaming Of Julia, Good Magic is out of a daughter of one of the foundation mares bought by Banke's late husband,...
2nd-Horseshoe Indianapolis, $34,000, Msw, 5-15, 2yo, 4 1/2f, :52.90, ft, 2 lengths. LAUGH NOW (c, 2, Vino Rosso--Little Pao, by Tiznow) had the last laugh here, and broke his maiden as well as tallied the first victory as a sire for Vino Rosso (by Curlin). The stallion also had the third place finisher Zaino in the Royal Palm Juvenile S., a qualifier for Royal Ascot. Eighth last out at Keeneland Apr. 27 after breaking inward and tiring on that unveiling, conditioner John Ennis armed his colt with a pair of...
With barely a dozen race days to be eked out of its remaining two years, the Steve Pini Memorial S. of September 2017 formed part of a pretty low-key bookend to the history of Suffolk Downs. The Boston track's opening era, after all, had been propped up by Seabiscuit himself. But it turns out that this race, honoring the late track superintendent, deserves a rather lengthier footnote than anyone might have imagined at the time. Over an extended mile of turf, a 5-year-old daughter of Big Brown overtook Queen Caroline...
Making his first start since taking out last year's GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, Cody's Wish (Curlin) became the third Grade I winner of the weekend for Godolphin--each for a different trainer--with a worst-to-first victory in Saturday's GI Churchill Downs S. He completed a sweep of the day's seven-furlong events after Matareya (Pioneerof the Nile) caused a minor upset in the Derby City Distaff and was adding to the wide-trip success of 'TDN Rising Star' Pretty Mischievous (Into Mischief) in Friday's GI Longines Kentucky Oaks. Back markers had been facing...
A total of 121 horses, including seven horses in the latest round of supplements, have been cataloged to Keeneland's April Selected Horses of Racing Age Sale. "We've been able to recruit some recent winners to the April Sale, and several horses have won during the Keeneland Spring Meet," Keeneland Vice President of Sales Tony Lacy said. "There's a lot of quality through the catalog, so it's a very dynamic sale that has evolved nicely over the last couple of years." The latest group of seven supplements to the April Sale...
4th-Santa Anita, Mcl, 2-17, 3yo, 1m. TIZ TOK (r, 3, Tiznow--Weekend Prospect, by A.P. Indy). Lifetime Record: 4-1-0-0, $26,568. O-Hronis Racing. B-Calumet Farm (KY); T-John W. Sadler. As a play on words under the times we live in, naming a horse by Tiznow Tiz Tok simply is masterly, no doubt about it. BEHOLDER MILE S.-GI, $501,500, Santa Anita, 3-11, 4yo/up, f/m, 1m. A MO REAY, 122, f, 4, Uncle Mo-Margaret Reay, by Pioneerof the Nile). Lifetime Record: 12-5-1-3, $692,650. O-Hunter Valley Farm; B-T & G Farm of Kentucky LLC (KY);...
1st-GP, $50K, Msw, 3yo, 5fT, 12:40 p.m. A Triple Crown-nominated colt for the connections of Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, Westerberg, Jonathon Poulin and St. Elias Stable, SOUTH SIDE (Curlin) was a $500,000 yearling purchase out of the Fasig-Tipton New York Saratoga Select Sale. His dam, while unplaced herself, is out of the graded stakes winning mare Mariah's Storm (Rahy), who readers will recognize as the dam of none other than the full-brothers by Storm Cat, Giant's Causeway and Freud. In addition, this is the family of several...
Stonestreet homebred American Rascal (c, 2, Curlin--Lady Aurelia, by Scat Daddy), the first foal out of international superstar and two-time Royal Ascot winner Lady Aurelia, romped on debut in a jaw-dropping 'TDN Rising Star' performance for Wesley Ward over the Keeneland main track Thursday afternoon. A trip to Royal Ascot could be in the cards for the mighty Curlin's 24th 'Rising Star.' "He's a super fast horse," Ward said in the winner's circle on FanDuel TV. "The good thing about running at Ascot is that they go in and out...
Secret Oath (Arrogate) looked home free after inhaling the longtime runaway pacesetter and striding confidently clear into the Oaklawn stretch, but Clairiere (Curlin) was unleashing a powerful stretch run of her own that saw the Stonestreet homebred just get her nose in front on the wire in a dramatic finish to the GI Apple Blossom H. Saturday in Hot Springs. Hot and Sultry (Speighster) caught a flyer out of the gate and was some seven lengths in front down the backstretch as she cut out fractions of :24.01 and :47.88...
In Thursday's TDN, we talked to four top judges of equine talent who had a divergence of opinion on who this year's leading first-crop sire would be. Who comes out on top in this edition? EDDIE ROSEN Top Pick: Vino Rosso (Curlin--Mythical Bride, by Street Cry {Ire}). Spendthrift Farm, 2023 fee: $15,000. Full disclosure, as a member of Team Repole that selected and raced Vino Rosso, I am obviously biased. However, I sincerely believe he will be the leading freshman sire. While he, as a Curlin, was slow-maturing and peaked...