Posts Tagged ‘jess jackson’

By Ray Paulick

The Paulick Report will be live blogging and/or providing frequent updates from Monday’s first session of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale from Lexington, Ky. The sale is scheduled to kick off at 10 a.m. EDT, but as most auction viewers know sessions do not begin on time.

First, a bit of news from John Ferguson, chief bloodstock adviser to Sheikh Mohammed, who is expected to again pace all buyers in expenditures. Ferguson told the Paulick Report that Dubai’s ruler is "here," meaning the United States, though he wasn’t sure when he was expected to arrive in Lexington or on the sale grounds.

Ferguson also said the purchase of Keeneland’s rival sale company, Fasig-Tipton, by an associate of Sheikh Mohammed would have "absolutely" no bearing on his spending decisions at Keeneland. He said he is excited about what Fasig-Tipton will be doing to promote horse racing internationally. "We want a lot of speed boats out there promoting the sport" — as opposed to cruise ships, said Ferguson, who alluded to the numerous slow-moving organizations that can’t seem to get things done. Looking ahead to future sales at Fasg-Tipton, that should be exciting news for breeders. But first, there is this little business of getting some horses sold at Keeneland.

11:30 update… First chuckle of the day when the initial result sheets come out with Morning Wood Farm listed as the buyer of Hip 5, a Ghostzapper filly consigned by Four Star Sales, agent, that brought $185,000. That’s the same "business entity" that purchased Silverbulletday for Mike Pegram for $155,000 at the 1998 Fasig-Tipton July Kentucky yearling sale. Bob Baffert picked out and trained Silverbulletday.

11:;45 update…John Ferguson makes his first purchase of the Keeneland sale, Hip 38, a Storm Cat colt out of Runway Model, by Petionville, sold by Taylor Made Sales Agency for $700,000. Among Runway Model’s racing wins was the Grade 2  Darley Alcibiades at Keeneland. This colt is her first foal.

Looks like the first seven-figure yearling is in the ring, Hip 56, an Unbridled’s Song filly. Hammer price is $1.7 million for the Taylor Made consigned filly on behalf of Aaron and Marie Jones. She is half to champion Speightstown.

 Judging by the size of the crowd in the back ring area, Sheikh Mohammed has arrived. Sure enough, he has, and he’s bought the half sister to Speightstown. Sheikh Mohammed assumed his customary bidding spot along the wall with his advisors nearby. The Coolmore outfit, including Demi O’Byrne, is situated less than 25 feet behind the sheikh.

2:20 update…Alaska had its chance for a "Bridge to Nowhere," and Keeneland looks like it just produced a $7.7-million "Bid to Nowhere." Hip 127, a chestnut colt by A.P. Indy out of Horse of the Year Azeri (by Jade Hunter) has a prolonged bidding battle that finally ends up with a $7.7 million hammer price. The auctioneer says the final bid came from bidspotter Pete’s area right in the front of the press box, but no live bidder can be found by the press horde that snakes down the aisle in search of a buyer. Turns out the buyer’s initials are "R.N.A.," or reserve not attained. Sheikh Mohammed’s camp was bidding on the horse but dropped out (see 3:05 update). There are instant rumors that the colt was purchased privately beforehand, but that’s the nature of the business. Rumors abound, and there is seldom any substantiation. The colt is consigned by Hill ‘n’ Dale Sales Agency, agent.

A $7.7-million buyback certainly figures to be a record, but we’ll let the trade reporters answer that question officially. 

2:45 update…(Bloodhorse reports it is indeed a record, besting by $200,000 the previous high RNA established in 1985 at the now-defunct Keeneland July yearling sale for Ajdal, who went on to become a champion sprinter in England.)

3:05 update…Turns out Sheikh Mohammed and John Ferguson were not bidding on the $7.7 million buy-back, Ferguson tells the Paulick Report. Demi O’Byrne of Coolmore also said he wasn’t involved. So the question is, was any live money on the A.P. Indy colt? Michael Paulson was in attendance, but one back-ring source said he left the area immediately after the colt went through the ring.

A short time later, Gainesway, agent for Jess Jackson’s Stonestreet, sells an A.P. Indy filly out of graded stakes winner Chimichurri for $3.1 million, with Ferguson signing the ticket for Sheikh Mohammed.

5:35 update….The first session is about to wrap up and it will be interesting to see the final numbers from the day. Anecdotally, it seemed to lack any buzz, and several consignors described the action as "spotty" or "uneven."  Going into the day, several leading buyers shared the observation that the 2008 yearling crop wasn’t vintage, at least at the top of the market. Combine that with the worldwide economic slump and the negative publicity that has surrounded horse racing in the United States this year, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see a fairly steep decline in the average.

"This is an emotional business," one consignor said. "You can’t really put a tangible value on an unraced yearling, so we are depending on emotions to drive prices. The emotions surrounding the sport right now are not very good."

One final note. John Sikura, whose Hill ‘n’ Dale Sales Agency consigned the A.P. Indy-Azeri colt Michael Paulson bought back for $7.7 million, spoke briefly about the deal. It seemed clear he wasn’t thrilled being the consignor of a record-priced buyback and insisted there was live money on the colt up the end. "I still don’t know who it was," he said. "We came very close to having the horse sold." Bloodhorse got ahold of Michael Paulson, who said he wants to find a partner and keep a piece of the horse.

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By Ray Paulick

Reigning Horse of the Year Curlin edged past a stubborn pacesetter, Past the Point, to win the Grade 1 Woodward by a length and a quarter at Saratoga Saturday and move closer to Cigar’s earnings record of $9,999,815 for a North America-based Thoroughbred.

(VIDEO, Equibase charts for Saratoga)

Under regular rider Robby Albarado, Curlin broke well, but was jostled and carried out a bit wide into the first turn of the nine-furlong Woodward, then settled into fourth position as Edgar Prado guided Past the Point through quick early fractions of :22.89, :46.20 and 1:09.61. Wanderin Boy prompted the early pace.

Albarado asked Curlin for more run approaching the far turn, passed Wanderin Boy at the head of the stretch and set his sights on Past the Point, who came into the Woodward with just one graded stakes appearance (a third in last year’s Grade 2 Super Derby at Louisiana Downs) in nine starts. But the Eoin Harty-trained son of Indian Charlie racing for Darley Stable made Curlin work for the win. Albarado went to the whip a half-dozen times, getting up in the final furlong to grind out a hard-earned victory. Past the Point was second, with Wanderin Boy third. Final time of the race on a fast track was 1:49.34 after a mile split of 1:35.33. All starters carried 126 pounds.

It was Curlin’s first race at Saratoga and his 10th win in 14 lifetime starts. The 4-year-old son of Smart Strike races for Jess Jackson’s Stonestreet Stables and is trained by Steve Asmussen. The win in the $500,000 Woodward moved his career earnings to $9,796,800, putting him just over $200,000 shy of Cigar’s record. 

The Woodward was Curlin’s fourth win in five starts this year, his only defeat coming last time out in the Grade 1 Man o’ War at Belmont Park when Jackson wanted to try the horse on grass before a possible trip to France for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. That idea was scrapped when Curlin finished second to Red Rocks and now Jackson is thought to be considering the Japan Cup Dirt the first week of December. He has indicated that Curlin will not defend his title in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, won last year on a very sloppy track at Monmouth Park but scheduled on Santa Anita Park’s untested Pro-Ride synthetic track this year.

Curlin paid $2.70 as the heavy betting favorite.

FIRST DEFENCE went wire to wire to win the Grade 1 Forego after heavy favorite Lucky Island stumbled badly and was pinched back at the start. Under jockey Channing HIll, the 4-year-old son of Unbridled’s Song fought off an early duel with Eternal Star, setting fractions of :22.53, :44.61, and 1:08.49, then drawing off to win by 6 3/4 lengths, completing seven furlongs on a fast track in 1:21.55. Greeley’s Conquest finished second, with Ferocious Fires third. Lucky Island, who came into the Forego off four straight victories, moved into contention at the top of the stretch after falling back to last, but was unable to sustain his rally and wound up sixth.

The Forego winner runs for his breeder, Prince Khalid Abdullah’s Juddmonte Farms, and is trained by Robert Frankel. He was winning for the sixth time in 12 starts, but his only previous graded stakes victory came in the Grade 3 Jaipur. First Defence paid $17.60.

Copyright © 2008, The Paulick Report

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Jess Jackson seemed to dismiss a repeat attempt by Curlin in the Breeders’ Cup Classic as if he was flicking a piece of lint off the lapel of his tweed jacket.

By Ray Paulick

Jess Jackson, majority owner of Horse of the Year Curlin, said the Smart Strike colt will race next in the Woodward at Saratoga Aug. 30 at 1 1/8 miles on dirt.

The California winemaker said other races he and trainer Steve Asmussen had under consideration for Curlin were the Pacific Classic on Polytrack at Del Mar Aug. 24 and the Arlington Million on turf this weekend at Arlington Park in Chicago.

"The Woodward has the least purse," Jackson said, "but we thought it would be best to stay at this venue (where Curlin is currently training), both for him and for racing." Also, Jackson spoke of the historic nature of Saratoga and the many great horses who have raced there. "(Curlin’s) legacy is one of the reasons I want to run at Saratoga."

The purse for the Woodward is $500,000, half that of the Million and Pacific Classic. The race originated at Aqueduct, but had its longest run at Belmont Park. It was moved to Saratoga in 2006.

Its roster of winners reads like a who’s who of racing over the last 50 years: Forego is a four-time Woodward winner; Kelso won three times; Cigar twice; and Buckpasser, Damascus, Seattle Slew Affirmed, Spectacular Bid, Alysheba, Mineshaft, Ghostzapper, and Saint Liam also won the Woodward. Last year’s winner was Lawyer Ron.

The Woodward is not scheduled to be televised on network or cable television, other than on the two racing channels, TVG and HRTV.

Jackson said he was making decisions on a "one race at a time" basis, but that several scenarios are under consideration for  one or two more races after the Woodward, including the Breeders’ Cup Classic, the Japan Cup or Japan Cup Dirt, or the Hong Kong International Races. He mentioned several other races as having been under consideration, including the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont, the Massachusetts Handicap at Suffolk Downs, and the Goodwood Handicap at Oak Tree’s Santa Anita meeting.

"We’re going to keep all those options open, but right now we’re going to focus on the Woodward," he said. "Curlin is a happy horse here. He loves the Oklahoma training track.

"We’d like to go (to the Breeders’ Cup Classic), but it’s an untested surface," Jackson said, in reference to the Pro-Ride synthetic track currently being installed at Santa Anita Park, which will host the Breeders’ Cup both this year and in 2009. Besides, Jackson said in reference to the Classic, which Curlin won last year to seal his Horse of the Year title, "Been there, done that."

Jackson said the Arc de Triomphe is out "for this year," and added that he might have actually preferred sending Curlin to the Sept. 6 Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown instead, because of the configuration of the racetrack and the smaller field that is expected. "The Arc is more of a cavalry charge," he said.

He also said he has not completely ruled out running Curlin in 2009 as a 5-year-old. "The chances of racing him next year are pretty slim," said Jackson, who added that Curlin’s addition to the stallion gene pool would be a great asset to the industry.

Jackson said he hopes Curlin and Kentucky Derby-Preakness winner Big Brown meet and encouraged the owners of Big Brown to race the colt as a 4-year-old, as he’s done with Curlin. He downplayed comments by Big Brown’s trainer, Rick Dutrow, made in the wake of last Sunday’s Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park, that Big Brown is a better horse than Curlin. "I think it’s bad for racing to have trash talk. I think it’s unethical in the football arena and other sports. What you have is an attempt to show the animals at their best. And to run down another guy’s horse…isn’t the right thing to do. Yes, I’d love to meet (Big Brown). it would be great for the industry and the fans. May the best horse win."

Curlin’s owner made the announcement during a teleconference hosted by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association. Jackson used the teleconference to sound off on other issues, including what he called an inequitable split on simulcasting and account wagering revenue, where the least amount of money goes to the track where the live race is being run. Jackson also called for a "league" or series of races for older horses that he said, if accomplished by 2009, could convince him to keep Curlin in training and forego his stud career for another year. "That’s a concept that’s attractive," he said, "but the devil is in the details. It’s very preliminary."

Jackson also commented about the uncertainty of artificial surfaces, such as the Pro-Ride track at Santa Anita Park, which have been mandated by the California Horse Racing Board. He said he encouraged Frank Stronach to replace the Cushion Track synthetic surface at Santa Anita with a conventional dirt track, but understood that the CHRB ruled prohibited that. "Until we as an industry get our hands around artificial surfaces and get more consistency, we have a great deal of fear about injury," he said. "And most handicappers feel it is an unreliable true surface with respect to early speed and closing speed. Owners don’t want to risk a great horse being beaten because or the surface."

More than 15,000 fans voted in a poll at Jackson’s Stonestreet Farms Web site on wear he should run Curlin next. Fifty-one percent voted for a turf campaign, 33% for dirt, and only 10% for synthetics, with 6% advising Jackson to retire Curlin."

"We did it for the fun of it," Jackson said. "Steve Asmussen and I are fully confident to make a decision, but I was having fun with that because I wanted to engage the fans. I was looking at the turf heavily and I hope I don’t disappoint them because I’m going to the dirt. The results reflected a lot of passion for the horse."

Copyright © 2008, The Paulick Report

By Ray Paulick

Somewhere down the road we hope Ginger Punch and Zenyatta meet. It truly will be a championship bout.

On Saturday, one week after reigning female champion Ginger Punch fought through an opening to win the Go for Wand at Saratoga, Zenyatta floated like a butterfly and then stung like a bee to score a most impressive victory in the Clement L. Hirsch Handicap to remain unbeaten in seven career starts. Zenyatta’s win came around 9:20 p.m. Saturday night on the East Coast, when most folks had retired from the dinner table and many turf writers were ordering another round at the bar. Just as West Coast college teams are often overlooked by the Eastern media because of the late hour of their games, Zenyatta might not be getting all the respect she deserves because of when her races are run.

If you haven’t had a chance to see the replay of the Hirsch, you can do so here. It’s must-see TV.

If Ginger Punch and Zenyatta continue their path and go head-to-head in the renamed Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic, they will command all the headlines on the new female Friday program Oct. 24.

(Note: Commenter Tiznowbaby correctly pointed out that Zenyatta defeated Ginger Punch earlier this year by eight lengths earlier this year in the Apple Blossom at Oaklawn Park.)

THE WEEK BEGAN WITH AN EXCLUSIVE FROM THE PAULICK REPORT showing that National Thoroughbred Racing Association CEO Alex Waldrop is taking federal intervention very seriously http://www.paulickreport.com/blog/exclusive-ntra-confidential/. Some may question the secrecy of the meeting that was called at Keeneland to discuss industry reforms and whether or not the same three or four decision-makers were calling the shots, but Waldrop should be encouraged and applauded for pushing an agenda of change. Three days after we published his memorandum and discussion document page 1,  page 2, page 3  page 4  to the NTRA board, an NTRA committee met in Saratoga to further discuss the issue and hear some very frank and tough results of public opinion surveys about drugs and welfare issues facing the sport.

IT’S BEEN NO SECRET THAT RACING CHANNEL TVG would be put on the auction block by new owner Macrovision, which acquired TVG’s parent company, Gemstar/TV Guide earlier this year. But the Paulick Report broke the news that Swiss-based financial services company UBS is shopping the company around to potential buyers and that it’s likely a group or individual from within the racing community will end up buying TVG. We added that we hope logic prevails and that some industry group will have the vision to merge TVG and HRTV, and then consolidate the numerous wagering platforms to make it less confusing to horseplayers, many of whom have to keep more than one account to wager on their preferred tracks.

One rumored potential TVG buyer outside of the racing industry is cable TV pioneer Marc Nathanson, who in 1975 founded Falcon Cable, which became one of the largest cable operators in the country, and is currently on the board of directors of Charter Communications, which purchased Falcon. Nathanson is the father of TVG senior vice president David Nathanson, who runs the network. Marc Nathanson understands cable, has enormous clout to gain distribution, and has the resources to purchase TVG, which a stock analyst contacted by cable trade publication Multichannel News valued at $112 million. Industry insiders say it may be worth more.

We sounded off this week on the saga of Hialeah Park, beginning with a Dear John letter to current Hialeah Park owner John J. Brunetti and continuing with a profile of Halsey Minor, the Internet whiz who wants to revive the grande dame of South Florida racing. Based on the numerous comments to the profile, Minor has widespread support from people in the industry anxious to have someone bring a new business philosophy to the racetrack experience. 

The week ahead: On Tuesday, Jess Jackson announces where Curlin will race next. Monday and Tuesday night’s boutique yearling sale at Fasig-Tipton Saratoga will either heighten or soothe the nerves of consignors looking ahead to the massive Keeneland September yearling sale. A spike in buybacks at FT Kentucky July and a dearth of new money players have many breeders on edge. 

Copyright © 2008, The Paulick Report