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By Wandering Eyes · Posted
Rome was not built in a day. So at a time when Derby dreams can only be maintained by one horse dashing those of several others, let's celebrate a revival that should give hope to any now finding themselves obliged to retreat and regroup. This time last year Built (Hard Spun) was slithering down the sophomore pyramid. He had started out thrashing a smart horse in the Gun Runner Stakes, but each of the three subsequent Fair Grounds trials went worse. He did make Churchill on the first Saturday in May, but only to finished tailed off in the GII Pat Day Mile. Built then disappeared until nearly Christmas, when he landed running in an allowance back in New Orleans. Resuming in a sprint might just have been a nice, old-school move, but it has turned out to be rather more than that. After a failed experiment on turf, last weekend he broke 1:08 and a 24-year-old track record. Built presumably had other issues last year, too. With hindsight, however, being able to control a :49.23 half-mile in the Gun Runner, his first excursion through a second turn, perhaps made him the latest of many to be seduced from his true vocation by Derby fever. On Saturday, he covered the same distance in :43.97! To be fair, pedigree gave Built every right to be a Classic horse: he's by one of the bravest of all Derby seconds out of a mare by Curlin (third, of course, in the same Derby). But we know that Hard Spun can get you anything and, albeit from somewhat limited evidence, you could argue the forte of Built's maternal family to be speed. His dam Sea Garden (Curlin) actually started her own career duelling over six, but dropped out to finish last and showed only a little more in just two subsequent starts around a mile. And there's even less evidence about the aptitudes of her dam Navy Gardens (Storm Cat): she never made the starting gate and evidently passed on some fragility to six of her seven named foals, who mustered 14 starts between them. Hats off, then, to Street Cry (Ire) for giving her a remarkable exception in Glenville Gardens. His 15 wins across 36 included the GII Play the King Stakes, over 7f on turf, and three other stakes round Woodbine. The only other black type under Navy Gardens is pretty specious: her daughter by Congrats is dam of a horse once promoted to third in a thin GII Best Pal Stakes, but meanwhile toiling under a $4,000 tag. It is only Built's third dam, then, that gives us a real hook on which to hang his hat. Funnily enough, GI Test Stakes winner Marley Vale (Forty Niner) was herself tempted into stretching out for the GI Kentucky Oaks, having held on for a remote second after trying to open up on Silverbulletday (Silver Deputy) in the GI Ashland. After again blazing the trail at Churchill, she faded into fifth of seven. Marley Vale's best foal, Indian Vale, inherited enough stamina from A.P. Indy to win four graded stakes round a second turn, including a romp against her elders in the GII Falls City Handicap. But it's worth noting that Marley Vale herself was out of a Listed winner over six furlongs, making her one of the more accomplished foals by Hagley–remembered (if at all) as sire of Committed, a classy European sprinter in the 1980s. In short, then, Built's maternal genes certainly entitle him to–well, go short. After all, his damsire has lately confirmed his own range with Elite Power and Cody's Wish. And if Hard Spun's 15 elite scorers have come in many disciplines, they do include a GI Breeders' Cup Sprint winner; while Built belongs to the same crop as Pondering (Street Sense), a stakes scorer at 5.5f. Remember Hard Spun won the GI King's Bishop the same summer he burned off all bar Street Sense in the Derby. He is, of course, our last precious short cut (bar War Front, now private) to the breed-shaping Danzig. At 22, true, he will suffer from the self-fulfilling prejudice against ageing stallions yet remains four years younger than was Danzig when himself conceived. With age, of course, Hard Spun has made an increasing impression as a broodmare sire, not least having combined with Built's damsire to come up with Good Magic. Hard Spun is hardly going to become a market swan at this stage, but $20,000 for a stallion with four sons at stud in Kentucky must be the best value in the land to prove a mare. For a stallion to have achieved so much, while only once standing for as much as he did in his debut season, is a withering comment on our times. And they say that commercial breeders want nothing more than speed! A Bolt From The Bluebloods Of course, some horses manage to reassemble a broken dream in time for the Derby–like Incredibolt (Bolt d'Oro), who bounced back from his sophomore debut to bank the 50 gate points for Churchill generously bestowed by the owners of both tracks in the Virginia Derby. Click here to visit pedigrees360.com We explored Incredibolt's remarkable pedigree after the GIII Street Sense Stakes last fall. To recap, his second dam Sapphiresndiamonds (Mineshaft) condenses one of the modern breed's most potent brands: Mineshaft's sire A.P. Indy was of course by Seattle Slew out of Weekend Surprise, herself by Secretariat out of Lassie Dear (Buckpasser); while the granddam of Sapphiresndiamonds was Lassie Dear's daughter by Seattle Slew. The choice of Bolt d'Oro to cover a daughter of Sapphiresdiamonds, Sapphire Spitfire (Awesome Again), reinforced the medicine as he's out of an A.P. Indy mare. (An inadequate description, clearly, for the tragic Globe Trot–who produced another millionaire, Global Campaign, and a dual stakes winner from just three named foals.) Back-to-back weekend headlines for Bolt d'Oro, then, following the GII Hillsborough Stakes success of Destino d'Oro. Incredibolt belongs to the bubble crop of Bolt d'Oro, sired at $20,000 as his first runners approached the gate; whereas the upcoming yearlings were conceived at $60,000. Pending the dividends of that upgrade, however, Bolt d'Oro reverted to $25,000 this spring. Fluctuations of this kind go with the territory, with these high-volume commercial start-ups. If the model works, ideally you end up like Bolt d'Oro in 2022: with a freshman title. But it must be said he belongs to a strong intake overall. His 21 stakes winners come from 371 starters, and represent 4.1 percent of named foals. Among his rivals with an adequate sample, Justify, Oscar Performance, Collected, Army Mule, Girvin, Good Magic and City of Light (in that order) can all beat that percentage. Obviously some have majored in different disciplines; but several, equally, started with small fees and books. These will only now be cycling through their rewards for a good start, but at least that's also a category in which we can include Bolt d'Oro. Joke Has A Serious Pipeline We're all loving Tejano Twist's Whitmore tribute act, with his record in the Grade III sprint named for that other indefatigable dasher now standing at 1231. The 7-year-old has meanwhile become a real flagship for Practical Joke, as a graduate of his very first crop. Tejano Twist's dam had some modest black type to her credit, and her half-sister Maddalena (Good and Tough) was runner-up in the GI Prioress Stakes. But the granddam was by an unraced son of Storm Bird who stood in Maryland and Ohio, while the fourth dam Winged T. apparently ended up siring hunters. (He means zilch to me, but I'd gladly learn more.) Practical Joke must have covered a lot of ordinary mares on his way to five domestic Grade I winners, but he's now entering a fascinating stage of his career. He covered 255 mares in 2023, to produce his imminent juveniles; 283 at $50,000 in 2024; and 263 at $100,000 last year. So the pipeline is absolutely rammed. But he has also been prolific in Chile and is going to become an instructive test case for those who believe that sheer output will eventually catch up with stallions. Obviously his own sire just plows on regardless. That's an attribute Practical Joke very much needs to have inherited. If he has, however, he may well have the last laugh. The post Breeding Digest: Built For Speed appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article -
Why, when NZ racing decided to give up what they were earning from those of us betting with overseas providers? -
By Wandering Eyes · Posted
The Hong Kong Jockey Club formalised a partnership with the Guangzhou government on Tuesday to develop horse-themed tourism in the Greater Bay Area, covering policy support, publicity, tourism products and industry development. A memorandum of understanding was signed at the Hong Kong Science Park by the club and the Guangzhou Municipal Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism Bureau. Under the agreement, the Guangzhou government will support incorporating racing tourism into cross-border...View the full article -
By Wandering Eyes · Posted
Stormy Atlantic (Storm Cat–Hail Atlantis, by Seattle Slew) has passed away from the infirmities of old age at 32. Retired from the track with 15 starts, six wins and earnings of over $148,000, Stormy Atlantic initially stood stud in Florida at Bridlewood Farm in 1999 where he would become Florida's champion freshman sire. His success in Florida ultimately gave him a chance in Kentucky and Stormy Atlantic joined the roster at John Sikura's Hill 'n' Dale in 2003 where he stood until pensioned at the age of 27 in 2021. All told, he sired 112 stakes winners and 48 individual graded stakes winners led by the likes of MGISW Get Stormy and 2018 Eclipse Champion Turf Male Stormy Liberal, one of seven champions Stormy Atlantic sired across the globe. “It is with sadness that we report that Stormy Atlantic passed away peacefully ironically on a stormy afternoon Monday due to the infirmities of the old age of 32,” said Bridlewood Farm's George Isaacs. “When I became General Manager of Bridlewood in 1996, Stormy Atlantic was a 2-year-old and I remember looking at his pedigree and telling myself if we can get lucky, this guy will leave his mark on the breed. With him being champion freshmen sire, over 100 stakes winners, and a successful broodmare sire, suffice to say he did. I set a goal that he would hopefully be leading freshmen sire here in Florida, and that would give me the momentum to hopefully move him to Kentucky to give him the opportunity that he deserved. Thankfully, John Sikura shared my vision and through his super management, Stormy elevated both of our operations and solidified an enduring friendship and respect for one another. I will be forever grateful to Stormy Atlantic for the important impact he made on the success of our operation for many years. As horsemen we all know, it's these special horses that take us to the heights we are shooting for! Stormy Atlantic has already been laid to rest in the Bridlewood Farm cemetery.” The post Pensioned Hill ‘n’ Dale Stallion Stormy Atlantic Dies At 32 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article -
By Wandering Eyes · Posted
Group winner Luxor Café (American Pharoah) and two compatriots landed at Japan's Kansai International Airport on St Patrick's Day, Tospo Keiba reported on Tuesday. Originally slated to run in the G1 Dubai World Cup at Meydan on March 28, the full-brother to dual G1 February Stakes hero Café Pharoah will instead look to targets closer to home, as the Iranian conflict continues. One of three horses to return to the Land of the Rising Sun on Tuesday morning, he was joined by Shin Forever (Complexity) and G2 UAE Derby hope Keiai Agito (Espoir City) on the Japan-bound flight. The multiple group-placed Shin Forever had been due to contest the G2 Godolphin Mile. The trio have entered re-entry quarantine just after midday at Miki Horseland Park. A fourth horse, G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen starter T O Elvis (Volatile) will not travel to Dubai trainer Daisuke Takayanagi told Net Keiba. He has re-routed to the Listed Tokyo Sprint (NAR-G3) at Oi on April 15. Japanese Foursome Leave For Dubai On Wednesday Dual G1 Saudi Cup hero Forever Young (Real Steel) will not be defending Japan's honour solo in less than two weeks. Despite the travel risk level set at Level 3 earlier this month by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, four horses will lift off for Dubai on Wednesday morning. G1 Dubai Turf entrant Gaia Force (Kitasan Black) worked uphill at the Ritto Training Centre covering four furlongs in :55.40 as of Tuesday. A dual Group 2 winner, he has placed in a trio of Group 1s in Japan, the most recent the Mile Championship behind Jantar Mantar (Palace Malice). G1 Sprinters Stakes hero Lugal (Duramente), preparing for the G1 Al Quoz Sprint, covered the same distance. The latter's trainer Harushi Sugiyama told Tospo Keiba, “In :55-:56 seconds. The clock will come out as usual.” Another horse set for Japan is listed winner Pyromancer (Pyro), who ran his four furlongs in :54.30 ahead of a start in the G2 UAE Derby. James Doyle will ride. Said trainer Keiji Yoshimura, “As planned. Even after entering the quarantine stable, he does not change and he responds to changes in the environment.” Blitzing four furlongs in :51.0 was Nettaiya Rai (Contrail). He is also due to run in the UAE Derby and was ridden by Ryusei Sakai for Yoshito Yahagi. Yahagi won the UAE Derby with Forever Young back in 2024. The post Japan’s Dubai Team Evolving, As Luxor Cafe Withdrawn From Dubai World Cup appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article
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