Friday Racing Insights: American Pharoah Half To Hoppertunity Debuts At Del Mar

[Wandering Eyes]

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8th-DMR, $80K, Msw, 3yo/up, 6 1/2f, 10:27 p.m.

   A $475,000 KEESEP yearling purchase by the Three Amigos, AMERICAN REFUGEE (American Pharoah) will be the 13th foal to race out of the GSP mare Refugee (Unaccounted For). This makes him a half-brother to MGISW & $4.7 million earner Hoppertunity (Any Given Saturday) and MGISW & 'TDN Rising Star' Executiveprivilege (First Samurai). This is also the family of champion 3-year-old filly & MGISW Davona Dale (Best Turn). Trained by Bob Baffert, who famously campaigned his sire and both of his half-siblings, and owned by the trio of Mike Pegram, Karl Watson, and Paul Weitman who also raced both half-siblings, American Refugee posted a near-bullet work July 23, going five furlongs in :59 1/5 (3/86) and followed that up with six furlongs in 1:12 4/5 (2/5) July 29. TJCIS PPs

4th-ELP, $80K, Msw, 2yo, f, 5f, 3:14 p.m.

   From the first crop of Triple Crown champion Justify, AUNT SHIRLEY debuts Friday for owner/breeder WinStar Farm LLC. The chestnut filly is out of a half-sister to MG1SW Decorated Knight (GB) (Gailieo {Ire}). Third dam Mariah's Storm (Rahy) is best known for producing the likes of European horse of the year and leading sire Giant's Causeway (Storm Cat) and New York-based sire Freud (Storm Cat). Second Dam Pearling's half-sister You'resothrilling (Storm Cat) has gone on to produce eight straight winners from as many to race including: G1 Tattersalls Irish Two Thousand Guineas winner Gleneagles (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), MG1SW Happily (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), G1 Prix de Diane Longines winner Joan of Arc (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), and G1 Etihad Airways Irish One Thousand Guineas victor Marvellous (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) amongst others. TJCIS PPs

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