Ascot Possible For Newspaperofrecord

[Wandering Eyes]

With the official start of the flat season right around the corner, and the Classics following closely after that, thoughts will soon be fully turned to the latest 3-year-old crop, and who will feature in this summer’s key races.

In a deviation from the norm, a filly who is likely one of the most anticipated turf 3-year-olds this year is tucked away not in a European yard, but is rather gearing up beneath the winter sun across the Atlantic in Florida.

Newspaperofrecord (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) was a 200,000gns purchase from Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale in 2017 by Seth Klarman of Klaravich Stables, who had trainer Chad Brown and bloodstock agent Mike Ryan on the grounds in Newmarket. The bay filly went unbeaten in three starts last year, beginning with a 6 3/4-length maiden-breaking performance at Saratoga that saw her crowned a ‘TDN Rising Star‘. Newspaperofrecord would justify that tag with a 6 1/2-length romp in the GII Miss Grillo S. on the grass at Belmont Park five weeks later, and wrapped up the season with one of the most impressive performances on Churchill Downs’s two-day Breeders’ Cup card, winning the GI Juvenile Fillies’ Turf by 6 3/4 lengths.

Newspaperofrecord is wintering at Palm Meadows Training Center in Boynton Beach, Florida, and Brown said the filly has recently begun to step up her work in anticipation of a seasonal return in the GIII Edgewood S. going 1 1/16 miles on the turf at Churchill Downs-the same track over which she won at the Breeders’ Cup–on Kentucky Derby weekend.

“Newspaperofrecord has done well over the winter,” he said. “We gave her a little break after the Breeders’ Cup, and she just got back to the work tab this past week. She’s doing well.

“Like most of the horses going from two to three, she’s gotten a little bit bigger, a little stronger. She’s put on a little bit more weight. I’m happy with her development.”

Newspaperofrecord’s 2018 performances suggested she should be able to hold her own against any of her generation trained in Europe, and Brown said a trip to Royal Ascot is “under consideration.”

“We haven’t made any decision at all regarding that,” Brown said. “I figure we’ll just get her back to the races at Churchill and see how she does, and it’s something that we’ll consider, but I definitely haven’t decided on it.”

Last month, the New York Racing Association announced that it would this summer launch a $5.25-million series of six turf races-three each for 3-year-old males and fillies-that will be branded as a Triple Crown and Triple Tiara on the turf. Brown said the Turf Triple Series will “definitely” factor into his considerations for Newspaperofrecord.

“It’s definitely under consideration,” he said. “I think it’s a wonderful idea, and we certainly want to participate in it, particularly with this filly–it’s very attractive, and it’s something I’ll be discussing with her owner, Seth Klarman.”

Newspaperofrecord was one of six yearlings purchased by Klarman’s Klaravich Stables at Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale in 2017. Klarman returned to purchase 10 more last year.

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