Posts Tagged ‘storm cat’

The Paulick Report is pleased to once again offer the pedigree insights of Edwin Anthony in the weeks leading up to the Kentucky Derby. Ed has lifelong experience in the Thoroughbred industry, has practical experience planning matings for his family’s stable and formerly as a pedigree adviser to Three Chimneys Farm. His perspective is straightforward and refreshingly opinionated, and I advise anyone interested in Thoroughbred pedigrees to pick up a copy of his book, “The American Thoroughbred (Volume One)”—available for purchase here.

In this first of a series of articles, he looks at the pedigree of Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth winner Eskendereya. – Ray Paulick

ESKENDEREYA (Giant’s Causeway—Aldebaran Light, by Seattle Slew)
By Edwin Anthony
I wrote a series of eight pedigree profiles for horses on the “Triple Crown trail” starting about this time last year, and recent Fountain of Youth (G2) winner Eskendereya will serve as the first horse in our series this season. It’s interesting to look back at the horses we profiled last year (Friesan Fire, Quality Road, Pioneerof the Nile, Dunkirk, I Want Revenge, Papa Clem, Chocolate Candy, Rachel Alexandra) to see how they fared.

Quality Road is obviously a top horse (he missed the Triple Crown with quarter cracks), while Dunkirk and Pioneerof the Nile were each able to place in one classic race, and I wrote a token piece about Rachel Alexandra because she looked like a very special filly, even though she had not won anything more than a G2 race at that stage.  Only a fortune teller could have predicted Rachel Alexandra’s Horse of the Year campaign after changing hands or the rapid ascension of Birdstone (sire of longshot classic winners Mine That Bird and Summer Bird) as a major classic influence.

Even though I have studied Thoroughbred pedigrees for going on 25 years, no one can get around the folly of bad luck, injuries in training, or the fact that many horses look dominant going nine furlongs (a mile-and-an-eighth) but simply aren’t up to the demanding task of running classic distances at a competitive speed.

That’s the mystery of stamina and genetics that we’re constantly trying to figure out.  Of course, even a horse that is capable of competing at classic distances still needs to put out the effort, and sometimes horses have off-days just like people.

If nothing else, we strive to learn about the strengths and limitations of the stallions and ancestors under discussion and hope to come out smarter on the other side.  At the very least, we want to learn what strategies are working in pedigrees, even if some of them aren’t up to the classic standard.  Who are the soundest horses, where is the stamina coming from, and what ancestors are best to inbreed to?  These are the answers we’re looking for.

Pedigree analysts (like myself) try to identify patterns in graded stakes results as a way of predicting the future.  Given that the Storm Cat line has been a poor source of classic winners, then you probably wouldn’t want to lean heavily on Storm Cat’s sons (or stallions out of Storm Cat mares) in your stallion recommendations for breeders that want to breed for the classics.  The Storm Cat line hasn’t had a winner of a Triple Crown race since Tabasco Cat in 1994, although Bluegrass Cat was second in the Kentucky Derby, Belmont, and Travers in 2006.  You should note that Bluegrass Cat is out of a mare by classic influence A.P. Indy and his dam is heavily inbred to the foundation mare La Troienne, including being from the Numbered Account (champion 2YO filly by Buckpasser) branch of that important family.

So, while the Storm Cat line is dominant in 2-year-old racing and in races contested at distances of 9 furlongs or shorter, it does not appear capable of producing classic types, unless there is a LOT of help on the dam side of the equation.  Of course, when you start to speak in these kinds of absolutes, a special horse can come along and provide us with the exception to the rule.

Storm Cat’s son Giant’s Causeway was a tough campaigner in Europe out of a good racemare by Rahy, with a second dam by English Derby winner and classic influence Roberto.  He was undeniably consistent and high class, winning a series of Group 1 races at more than a mile. In his final start, he gave classic distance specialist Tiznow a real run for his money in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, that being his only start on dirt.  So, Giant’s Causeway was sound, very fast, and capable of competing with top horses at the American classic distance of 10 furlongs (a mile-and-a-quarter).  This makes him an exception among sons of Storm Cat, as most of his sons that have found any measure of success at stud were much better at a mile or less and have passed on this penchant for speed among their progeny.

Giant’s Causeway has already sired Grade 1 winners in America over 10 furlongs like Heatseeker (Santa Anita Handicap), Frost Giant (Suburban), and Red Giant (NWR, Clement L. Hirsch Memorial Turf Championship), so you can see that if there is a son of Storm Cat capable of siring an American classic winner, then Giant’s Causeway is probably the one.

The runaway win by Eskendereya (by Giant’s Causeway) in the Fountain of Youth (G2) was more than visually impressive.  You could see that the horse really relished the opportunity to go two turns, and he is now 3 for 3 on the dirt, his only losses coming in his first start (a maiden event on turf at Saratoga) and a poor effort in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1), contested over the synthetic surface at Santa Anita.  He was reported to have a troubled trip in that race as well.

I have often thought that a true classic type horse is able to simply get into a steady gallop and carve out “12’s,” which is to say that he can consistently complete each furlong of a race in 12 seconds.  It becomes increasingly difficult to do with each furlong, as the muscles begin to tire, and Secretariat’s world record time of 2:24 in the 1973 Belmont (over 12 furlongs) is the best example of a horse being able to accomplish this feat over such a distance.  It’s not about an explosive move or “turn of foot” with classic horses; it’s steady horsepower over a distance.  Classic horses “stay” (as the Europeans like to say), while horses more suited to shorter distances simply run out of gas, unable to maintain a steady stream of “12’s” on the toteboard teletimer.

This is exactly what Eskendereya did to the field in the Fountain of Youth (G2)—he galloped them into submission.  After taking over after a half-mile in a soft 47.92, he completed six furlongs in 1:12.41, a mile in 1:36.54, with a final time for nine furlongs of 1:48.87, echoing the many 12-second furlongs before the last one.  So, like several other sons of Giant’s Causeway, Eskendereya looks capable of running a distance of ground as far as 10 furlongs at a competitive rate of speed.  Let’s look at the bottom side of his pedigree to check for more stamina.

Eskendereya’s damsire, Seattle Slew, won the Triple Crown and has been a very successful classic influence, with descendants like A.P. Indy (Belmont, Breeders’ Cup Classic), Bernardini (Preakness, Travers), Cigar (Breeders’ Cup Classic, Dubai World Cup), Lemon Drop Kid (Belmont, Travers), Mineshaft (Jockey Club Gold Cup, Suburban), and Slew o’ Gold (Jockey Club Gold Cup twice) serving as notable examples.

Alydar (second in all 3 Triple Crown races to Affirmed) is the sire of Eskendereya’s second dam, and beyond the fact that he sired two Kentucky Derby winners (Alysheba and Strike the Gold) and a Belmont winner (Easy Goer), Horse of the Year Point Given (Preakness, Belmont, Travers) was produced by a mare by champion Turkoman, he being a son of Alydar.

We know that inbreeding to the family of Almahmoud (second dam of both Halo and Northern Dancer) has been quite successful, and Giant’s Causeway is a very good example of this, as Storm Cat is a grandson of Northern Dancer and Rahy (his damsire) is out of a mare by Halo.  The pedigree of Eskendereya shows why a six-generation computer program is a good investment, as his third dam carries intensive inbreeding to the Almahmoud family as well.  His third dam is by Northern Dancer himself (giving Eskendereya “balanced” inbreeding to Northern Dancer—through a son and a daughter), and while his fourth dam was sired by the stout stamina influence Ribot (winner of the 12-furlong “Arc” twice) his fifth dam is actually the mare Cosmah, she being the dam of Halo and a daughter of Almahmoud. Thus, Eskendereya is not only inbred to Northern Dancer through  a son and a daughter, he is inbred to Halo’s dam, Cosmah, 6 x 5 and carries four total crosses of Almahmoud.

As the ancestors Northern Dancer, Halo, and their granddam Almahmoud get further back in pedigrees, this reinforcement strategy of crossing horses inbred to Almahmoud should continue to find success and revive their influence in classic pedigrees.  My parents bred and raced Preakness winner Pine Bluff (inbred 4 x 4 to Almahmoud), and I have noticed him working well with reinforcement of Almahmoud’s genes, crossing successfully with stallions like More Than Ready (by Southern Halo—closely inbred to Almahmoud), Menifee (by Harlan—closely inbred to Almahmoud), and Jules (from the Northern Dancer family and carrying Halo in his pedigree).  So, it seems to be a strategy that is paying dividends with stallions and mares already carrying inbreeding to Almahmoud.

Given the fact that Giant’s Causeway has already proven capable of siring runners that excel at classic distances, and the fact that Eskendereya carries a number of other classic influences in his pedigree (Seattle Slew, Alydar, Ribot, and intensive inbreeding to the influential Almahmoud family), I’d say that his classic prospects look very bright indeed.  His clear preference for dirt racing and ability to string together one 12 second furlong after another only boosts his stock, in my opinion.  If Eskenereya can arrive in Louisville with a solid Florida Derby (G1) effort under his belt, he should be a very strong contender.
 
Edwin Anthony was the staff pedigree consultant at Three Chimneys Farm for six years and has penned dozens of articles on pedigree research.  He also published The American Thoroughbred (Volume I) in 2008, which can be ordered via the banner ad link on this web page or on his web site at www.thoroughbredadvisor.com.

By Ray Paulick
Todd Pletcher isn’t the only who had a big weekend last week, winning three American Graded Stakes races for 3-year-olds on Feb. 20: the Grade 2 Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream Park with Eskendereya, the Grade 2 Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds with Discreetly Mine, and the Grade 3 El Camino Real Derby at Golden Gate Fields with Connemara.

Coolmore Ashford’s Giant’s Causeway sired two of the Pletcher-trained AGS winners, Eskendereya and Connemara, giving the 13-year-old Storm Cat stallion a total of three AGS winners thus far in 2010 (San Pasqual Handicap winner Neko Bay is the other one). For good measure, another top 3-year-old prospect by Giant’s Causeway, Northern Giant, finished a solid third for Pletcher’s mentor, Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas, in the Risen Star. Only 16 days earlier, Northern Giant turned in a huge effort winning an Oaklawn Park maiden race by 11 1/4 lengths. He’s obviously a slow developing colt, the win coming in his sixth start.

On the strength of those AGS winners, Giant’s Causeway is atop the general sire list thus far in 2010 after being leading North American sire in 2009 for the first time since his first crop reached the racetrack in 2004. He was a truly outstanding racehorse and it’s no surprise that he’s developed into an elite sire. Giant’s Causeway has yet to sire his first American classic winner, but Eskendereya, who moved to the top of many Kentucky Derby lists with his Fountain of Youth victory, could easily change that.

With his weekend victories, trainer Pletcher now has won eight AGS races of 2010 with seven different horses. That’s 16% of the 50 AGS races run so far this year. Pletcher is on a brief “vacation” now, the result of a suspension stemming from a positive test at the 2008 Breeders’ Cup. His stable is deep in talent, is coming off a very strong 2009, and is ranked as the leading trainer by money won so far in 2010 (with reigning Eclipse Award winner Steven Asmussen in hot pursuit) while winning at a 27% clip. With Quality Road leading the way in the older male division, an incredibly deep roster of 3-year-old talent, and undoubtedly a talented group of 2-year-olds now going through early training, this could be a year to remember for Pletcher.

By Ray Paulick
Of the 233 horses that have won an American Graded Stakes (AGS) race this year, 122 of them (52.4%) have sold at public auction in North America or abroad, either as foals or weanlings, yearlings or at 2-year-olds in training or sales of older horses.

Yearling sales dominate the roster of 2009 AGS winners. There are 107 AGS winners this year sold as yearlings (that’s 45.9% of 2009 AGS winners and 87.7% of the 122 sold at any type of sale). Keep in mind, these numbers only reflect American Graded Stakes and do not include horses offered at a sale and either withdrawn or bought back by their consignors. Some horses sold as yearlings were previously bought as foals or weanlings or were later sold as 2-year-olds in training by pinhookers.

Drilling down a little deeper on the yearling statistics, the Paulick Report’s weekly American Graded Stakes Standings brought to you by Keeneland shows that Taylor Made Sales Agency is responsible for selling 18 of those 107 yearlings that subsequently became AGS winners. That means 16.8% of this year’s AGS winners sold at public auction as yearlings passed through the Nicholasville, Ky., operation run by brothers Duncan, Frank, Ben and Mark Taylor and Pat Payne.

Of course, we all know that Taylor Made is the industry’s largest volume of seller of yearlings, so how does that 16.8% compare with the overall percentage of yearlings sold by Taylor Made? Since the AGS winners came from different foal crops and yearling sale years, we’ll arbitrarily select one auction year as an estimated benchmark. Using statistics from the 2007 Thoroughbred Times Auction Review (3-year-olds of 2009), Taylor Made sold 536 yearlings, or 5.3% of the 10,215 yearlings sold that year. In other words, Taylor Made sold about one in 20 of all the yearlings auctioned off in a given year, but sold one in six of the yearling sale graduates that won a 2009 AGS race. If 2007 was an average year for Taylor Made in terms of the number of yearlings sold, then its 18 AGS winners of 2009 equates to a success rate of 3.4% AGS winners from yearlings sold.

The prices of Taylor Made graduates reflect that quality. While the overall average of the 10,215 yearlings sold in North America in 2007 was $55,020 and the median was $15,000, Taylor Made’s 2007 average price was $137,500. Buyers of Taylor Made consigned yearlings that went on to success in 2009 AGS races spent, on average, $346,111 for each yearling that became an AGS winner (the median price of a 2009 AGS winner sold by Taylor Made was $342,500).

For comparison’s sake, of all 107 yearlings sold that went on to win a 2009 AGS, the average hammer price was $211,134 and the median was $120,000.

Eaton Sales is typically second in volume (number of yearlings sold) and is also second behind Taylor Made in producing the highest number of 2009 AGS winners, with 10 (two of which were sold by Eaton as weanlings and eight as yearlings).

Using overall 2007 auction numbers, the eight yearlings sold by Eaton that won a 2009 AGS equates to 2.2% of all the yearlings Eaton sold in 2007. The average sale price of Eaton’s 2009 AGS winners is $131,500, almost identical to Eaton’s 2007 yearling average of $130,970.

Paramount Sales is represented by six AGS winners of 2009, all sold as yearlings for an average price of $92,000, and the six AGS successes represents 2.4% of the total number sold by Paramount in 2007 (again, please remember, we are choosing 2007 arbitrarily, since this year’s AGS winners come from multiple foal crops and sale years). Paramount’s overall yearling average in 2007 was $67,803.

Lane’s End has six 2009 AGS winners, one sold as a weanling; the five sold as yearlings had an average price of $1,021,000, a number spiked by the $3.9 million Storm Cat colt Mr. Sidney. The five AGS winners represent 2.7% of the 184 yearlings Lane’s End sold in 2007. Lane’s End had an overall yearling average of $236,506 in 2007, by far the highest of this group of consignors ranked among the leading sellers of AGS winners. (Another reminder, the statistics do not include overseas graded/group race results.)

Hill ‘n’ Dale sold six 2009 AGS winners, four of them as yearlings for an average price of $148,800. The number sold represents 2.1% of all Hill ‘n’ Dale yearlings sold in 2007. Those yearlings averaged $92,982.

Conclusions? Obviously, Taylor Made is enjoying an outstanding year as the leading seller of 2009 AGS winners, and it’s not only because of the higher volume of horses sold. Using those 2007 auction figures as a benchmark, Taylor Made’s rate of 3.4% AGS winners from yearlings sold is higher than all the other leading consignors shown in the table below demonstrating that quantity in a consignment does not by any means exclude quality.

The following press was distributed by Keeneland Association regarding the dispersal later this year of the breeding stock and a majority of the racing stock of Overbrook Farm, the Lexington Thoroughbred operation founded by the late William T. Young.

            Lexington, Ky. (June 9, 2009)—Overbrook Farm, founded and developed by the late William T. Young into one of North America’s most successful breeding establishments, announced today that it will completely disperse its Thoroughbred yearlings, breeding stock and the majority of its horses in training, beginning at Keeneland’s September Yearling Sale.

            “Over a period of more than 30 years my father developed Overbrook Farm into one of the most successful and respected breeding operations in the world,” said Bill Young Jr.  “The decision to disperse is a personal one that came after a great deal of thought. I simply don’t have the same passion for the Thoroughbred sport that my father did, despite my respect for the business.”

            Overbrook Farm, which is located outside of Lexington, bred, raced and has been the home of perennially leading sire Storm Cat, who was pensioned last year.

            “The retirement of Storm Cat ended a phenomenal era at Overbrook,” continued Young.  “The dispersal will give buyers a unique opportunity to purchase families that previously have not been available commercially.”

            Overbrook has bred and raced a long list of champions, classic and Breeders’ Cup winners including 1996 Kentucky Derby victor Grindstone and 1999 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Cat Thief along with champions Boston Harbor, Flanders, Golden Attraction and Surfside.  Overbrook also bred and raced dual classic winner Tabasco Cat, in addition to racing champion Preakness winner Timber Country and Belmont winner Editor’s Note.

            Overbrook received an Eclipse Award in 1994 as outstanding breeder.  The farm has bred 113 stakes winners including 62 group/graded stakes winners–21 group/grade 1.

            Approximately 200 horses will comprise the dispersal.  It will include approximately 75 broodmares, 50 weanlings, 50 yearlings and 20 to 30 horses of racing age.  Bill Young said Overbrook will continue to campaign a small racing stable under the direction of his son, Chris.

            “Our goal is to lease the farm as a Thoroughbred operation,” continued Bill Young.

            The dispersal, with Eaton Sales as agent, will begin with the sale of yearlings at Keeneland’s annual September Sale, which will start September 14.  Weanlings, broodmares and horses of racing age will be sold during the November Breeding Stock Sale.  The dispersal will continue during the January Horses of All Ages Sale.

            “The late W. T. Young established a tradition of excellence at Overbrook,” said Keeneland President Nick Nicholson. “ Keeneland had the privilege of selling many sons and daughters of the great Storm Cat.  Now we have the opportunity to offer our buyers horses from the outstanding Overbrook families.”

Ray Paulick will be live blogging Friday afternoon’s Breeders’ Cup World Championships card from Santa Anita beginning around 3:15 p.m. Eastern. To get the latest news on the "Filly Friday" program, including bettings odds and results, along with Ray’s observations and analysis of the ESPN2 telecast (and a scorecard on his own selections), check back frequently throughout the day.

3:15 p.m. … The first "wise guys" horse of the day is Ventura, the Robert Frankel-trained filly who was 5-1 on the morning line but has been bet down to 2-1 in the Filly and Mare Sprint on the synthetic Pro-Ride track. She is the co-favorite with the morning line choice Indian Blessing. Zaftig is another early bet-down, currently at 9-2 from her 8-1 morning line for trainer Jimmy Jerkens. Ventura comes off a strong runner-up effort in the Woodbine Mile on turf. The daughter of Chester House has three synthetic track races, with two wins, one in England and one at Keeneland this spring in an allowance race that served as her U.S. debut.

3:20 p.m. … While we wait for the action to begin, there’s some good news about one of tomorrow’s contenders in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. WinStar Farm’s Colonel John, the winner of the Santa Anita Derby and Travers Stakes, will race as a 4-year-old next year, according to WinStar’s co-owners Bill and Susan Casner. That news came from the notes team collecting information daily on each Breeders’ Cup starter. Click here to read about Colonel John and all the other Classic entrants in Friday morning’s notes. Click here to read today’s "flash notes," a quick daily activity report on every horse entered in the Cup.

3:26 p.m. … Post parade for the Filly and Mare Sprint has begun. ESPN2 telecast doesn’t begin for a few more minutes, so there won’t be much time to set up what the Breeders’ Cup World Championships is all about. "We’re on the air, and let’s go to Trevor Denman for the call of the first race."

3:30 p.m. … ESPN2 is on the air, trying to set things up as best they can. in the few minutes before the first Breeders’ Cup race.  There’s a quick money comparison between the Breeders’ Cup purses and other championship events, from the Daytona 500 to Wimbledon. And there are people at Santa Anita! There is a buzz in the crowd. Oh, happy day.

3:35 p.m. … The very capable Joe Tessitore is hosting the telecast, with assistance from Randy Moss and Jerry Bailey. Reporters include Jeannine Edwards, Jay Privman and Caton Bredar. No sign of Hank Goldberg and his piggy bank yet.

3:38 p.m. … What kind of camera angle is that? Where are they….what a great time to use obscure camera angles, at the most important races of the year. "Why is this so hard to follow?" someone said as we tried to figure these bizarre camera angles.

3:40 p.m. … The wise guys were right. Ventura romped, beating Indian Blessing by daylight, with Zaftig third. My pick in the race, Dearest Trickski, set the face pace and then folded like the $10,000 claimer she used to be. Trainer Bobby Frankel’s got that cheshire cat grin working in the post-race interview. Owner and breeder Khalid Abdullah makes a rare appearance in the winner’s circle with one of his horses, even though he’s been one of the most successful owners of Breeders’ Cup horses. He rarely travels to the U.S. for the races. Ventura pays $7.60 to win and the $1 exacta with Indian Blessing pays $12.70. $1 trifecta  is $48.70 and the $1 superfecta with Miraculous Miss pays $733.30. Final time is a scorching 1:19.90. Chart.

3:45 p.m. … Tessitore hands it over to someone with an English accent and a made-up name of Nick Luck. I assume that’s just his racetrack name. Nick is the foreign horse expert. Where’s John McCririck? Oops…first bad technical flub. Tessitore is talking about something and some loud music crashes over him.

3:50 p.m. … Privman grabs Dodgers manager Joe Torre for a quick post-race interview. Turns out he and Bobby Frankel are best buddies.

3:53 p.m. … Hank and his bank make their first appearance. "I’m a little bit educated," Hank insists. Kenny Mayne says Hank would bet on giraffes if he had to, introducing a cute feature about Hank, playing himself and a mutuel clerk. This is a nightmare,…two Hank Goldbergs on one telecast?

4:00 p.m. … The wise guys are out again, this time slamming the odds on the horse I picked in the Juvenile Fillies Turf, Consequence. She was 8-1 on the morning and is now 5-2. Former Sports Illustrated senior writer Bill Nack is introduced as the essayist on the weekend telecasts. Good move by ESPN2. Not since the days of the great Jack Whitaker on ABC have racing telecasts enjoyed someone who could comment with intelligence and eloquence. Nack wrote and did voiceovers on the 25 greatest Breeders’ Cup moments that will be sprinkled throughout the telecasts today and tomorrow.

4:08 p.m. … Props on the anchor desk. Tessitore, Moss and Bailey show off a sample of turf from the Santa Anita grass course and the Rose Bowl football field.  The point was lost on me. Next up is a Bailey interview with South African horse breeder and golfing great Gary Player (who plugs Sentient jets, a race sponsor). Gary then tees up a golf ball on the grass course and aims it at one of the windows in Frank Stronach’s office. Fore!

4:15 p.m. … Overhead shot of Santa Anita shows dozens of people in the track infield. The infield parking lot looks to be about one-third full.  They’re loading into the gate for the Juvenile Fillies Turf. Another horrible directing job….way too many camera cuts to figure where they are on the track. Laragh tried to take this field all the way, but got nipped at the wire by Maram and Heart Shaped. Saucey Evening was fourth.

4:20 p.m. … Maram is trained by Chad Brown, a former Bobby Frankel assistant who went out on his own this year. Johnny Murtagh rode a terrific race, breaking from the outside and getting the Storm Cat filly Heart Shaped  into a ground-saving position. Prado took Laragh through some quick fractions, and she was game to the end. Brown’s grandfather died earlier this week and was buried in New York today. Brown said his grandfather would have wanted him to be at the Breeders’ Cup. Talk about the highs and lows of racing. Jose Lezcano rode the winner, who is unbeaten in three starts, including a narrow victory in the Miss Grillo Oct. 1. She’s a daughter of Sahm (beter than a "son of Sahm"). The photo finish shows Maram getting up to beat Heart Shaped by a matter of inches. The winner paid $24.20. $1 exotics were: $175.10 for the exacta; $898.90 trifecta; $5,796.30 superfecta. Our pick, Consequence, finished seventh and was never a threat. Time of the race was 1:35.10. Chart.

4:30 p.m. … C.S. Silk is taking a lot of money in the Juvenile Fillies, bet down to 9-2 from her 15-1 morning line. Stardom Bound is a solid favorite at 8-5.

4:35 p.m. … The obligatory feature on synthetic surfaces shows, guess what? There is no consensus on whether it’s good or bad.  Caton Bredar on horse back says the Pro-Ride surface temperature is 145 degrees. Don’t go runnin’ barefoot on that, Caton!

4:43 p.m. … Now seriously, whoever is directing this telecast should try to remember one thing: people who watch horse races are interested in finding the horse they like and following its progress. Constant camera cuts and jumps make it almost impossible.

4:45 p.m. …. Returning from a commercial break, we hear Randy Moss saying he wants to see if someone is perspiring. He can only be talking about the all-time sweat king, Hank "The Bank" Goldberg. Post parade for the Juvenile Fillies. Sentimental pick is Stardom Bound, the favorite, who will be sold by 84-year-old owner Charles Cono in Kentucky after the Breeders’ Cup. Chris Paasch, her trainer, has hinted at retirement because of health problems. He’s a good guy and good for the game. Same reaction I had when hearing that Larry Jones was thinking of hanging it up because of the pressure that followed the death of Eight Belles. I’ll bet Larry just cuts back on the number of horses he trains and will continue. The way things are going it might be my only winning bet of the day.

4:58 p.m. … Stardom Bound will have to win from last place.Betdown C.S. Silk took the lead, followed by Be Smart. A half-mile in :45.92. Stardom Bound makes a six wide swoop around the turn and takes the lead. What a breathtaking performance! Dream Empress finishes second, with Sky Diva third and Dave’s Revenge fourth. Stardorm Bound was ridden with tremendous confidence by Mike Smith. This is what a championship performance looks like. 

Quick story about this filly. Mother-in-law Helen touted me on Stardom Bound  at Del Mar when she lost her debut July 20. I got to the track shortly after that race was run, and she said "Stardom Bound is a good one. She was unlucky to lose."  Helen was right. Hope she stuck to her guns and made a winning bet today. The winner paid $5.20, and the exotics were:  $24.50 for the exacta; $77.90 for the tri, and $2,538.90 for the superfecta. Time of the race was 1:40.99.  Chart.

5:10 p.m. … Stuart Janney, presenting the trophy for the Juvenile Fillies, doesn’t seem to think Charles Cona has the strength to hang onto the miniature Ecorche horse that is emblematic of the Breeders’ Cup. "This is very heavy," Janney says, "and I’ll give it to whoever would like to hold it." Cona grabs it out of his hands. Cona is asked about whether or not he is going to go through with the sale. "We’re thinking," Cona says to much laughter.  

5:14 p.m. … Here comes a Filly Friday feature on life at the track, focusing on female trainers Carla Gaines and Helen Pitts. Wayne Lukas, who’s been married to several females, says he never wanted to hire a woman because he’s afraid someone would fall in love with them. Nice. Gaines was asked what she sacrificed for the racetrack lifestyle. "Children….marriage," she says. Good feature. Uh-oh. Let’s put a little sour taste in it by bringing in Rick Dutrow for words of wisdom. He essentially says, "I have no interest in learning anything from a woman trainer." That’s why we luv ya, Rick. Dirt bag.

5:22 p.m. … They brought some celebrity with too many lip injections to scare the horses in the paddock. Lisa Rinna? I’m told she’s famous for being famous and that’s about it. "Rider’s up…Woo-hoo."

5:26 p.m. … What racing telecast would be complete without a Jeannine Edwards-Mike Iavarone interview? Why did you retire Big Brown and take all that money for breeding him instead, she asks him. Blah-blah-blah, he says. "His life is incomplete and my life is incomplete," Iavarone says. So was mine, Mike, until this interview. Question: Why do you have  a bodyguard at the track all the time? Do that many people dislike you? There are billionaires that drive to the track in their own car, walk through the gates on their own, and wander around without a bodyguard. I know you have a nice tan and all, but that doesn’t make you a  a celebrity — with or without a bodyguard.

5:32 p.m. … I’m wondering if Hank Goldberg had his sweat glands removed. Or did ESPN2 borrow Sarah Palin’s makeup artist for the telecast? Speaking of sweating, Forever Together drinks a lot of Guinness  beer, according to Randy Moss, to make her sweat more. She stopped sweating in Florida, apparently. Hank, were you listening?

Frankie Dettori guns Folk Opera to the lead in the Filly & Mare Turf, gettting the first quarter in a slow :25.46 and half in :50.02. Halfway to Heaven sits in the perfect spot in second and Wait a While third. Slow three quarters in 1:14.78. Out of nowhere comes Forever Together, who sweeps by them all to win, with Sealy Hill second, Wait a While third and Visit fourth. Julian Leparoux gets it done. Forever Together, racing for George Strawbridge and trainer Jonathan Sheppard,   comes off a win at Keeneland in the First Lady on Oct. 3 Good thing they don’t do a breathalyzer test for these horses. Forever Together might be DQed because of the Guinness. 

Meanwhile, there is a run on Guinness at the nearby liquor store by other trainers.

5:46 p.m. … Bailey accuses the French jockey of being bi-coastal. Good thing Julian isn’t listening. Trainer Sheppard (one of the great jump trainers ever) gets his first Breeders’ Cup win after seconds with Storm Cat and With Anticipation. He hit the lottery with Storm Cat, however, getting  a lifetime breeding right in the horse from owner W.T. Young and enjoying a long, profitable run. Strawbridge says he and Sheppard have been friends who have been "forever together." I notice Sheppard is sweating a bit from the heat…or was it the Guiness?

On a serious note, Strawbridge is the second cancer survivor to win on Friday, following trainer Chris Paasch. Part of the decision to have Filly Friday was to raise awareness and research funds for breast cancer in women. Cancer is a disease that doesn’t discriminate.

5:54 p.m. … Payoffs in the Filly & Mare Turf, run in 2:01.58 for the 1 1/4 miles. Forever Together, a 4-year-old by Belong to Me, paid $11.80 to win. Exotics: $224.50 for the exacta; $996.10 trifecta; $13,505.10 superfecta. Hank Goldberg had the winner. I didn’t. My pick, Halfway to Heaven, was in perfect position but had nothing left for the stretch run, finishing eighth. Chart

6:02 p.m. … Crowded paddock for the Ladies’ Classic. Everyone wants a close-up look at Zenyatta, and for good reason. She is spectacular looking. Aaron Gryder’s jockey introductions have been an OK addition to the show. Just got some insight from someone close to the Darley/Godolphin camp. Cocoa Beach is jumpin’ out of her skin, but the filly I picked to upset Zenyatta, Music Note, isn’t on her game. Let’s see how good the inside information is. It may not matter. If Zenyatta runs her race, the only contest is for second.

6:08 p.m. … Great feature on Zenyatta…little about the filly, a little about the music business that owner Jerry Moss has been such a big part of. Sting, the Police. But how come no one has asked Jerry why he failed to sign the legendary Captain Beefheart to a contract? Just realized that the Downbeat winning exacta would be Zenyatta-Music Note.

6:16 p.m. … Bear Now sprints to the lead in the Ladies’ Classic, with Zenyatta dropping back to last. Opening quarter in :23.71. Malfunction on the timer for the half mile (it said :58.08).  Zanyatta on the move as the field makes the final turn. She’s good, sweeping by the on the far outside, but this was no gimmie. Cocoa Beach got  an inside trip and ran hard, making the daughter of Street Cry work for the victory. Music Note gets third, with Carriage Trail fourth and Hystericalady fifth.  Big day for Sheikh Mohammed, who stands Street Cry and owns the second and third place finishers.

Zenyatta’s jockey Mike Smith tells Jerry Bailey while on horseback: "Jerry, I’m in awe. Those are the best mares in the world right there. She’s just amazing. … She was there at any time that I wanted her." Let the Horse of the Year debates begin."She just makes things happen," trainer John Shirreffs tells Jeannine Edwards."She is so special and we are so blessed to have her in our barn." Randy Moss tells us that Jerry and Ann Moss intend to race Zenyatta next year when she’s five. Would that be cool, or what?

Prices: $3 to win, $6.70 on the $1 exacta; $34.30 on the tri; $116.80 for the superfecta, and $254.50 for the Super High 5. Chart.

6:30 p,m. … Nice touch: Joan Gaines, the widow of Breeders’ Cup founder John Gaines, presents the winning trophy to the Mosses. "This is our first Breeders’ Cup win, and she’ll be our first champion," Moss says. "It’s pretty amazing, pretty fantastic." Moss is fighting off tears. "I can’t help it. Applause makes me pretty emotional, somehow. I’m sorry."

A good way to end a very fine day of racing. It was mostly formful, accident free, and definitive in all of the applicable Eclipse Award divisions:  Ventura in the filly and mare sprint division; Stardom Bound, 2-year-old fillies; Forever Together, filly and mare turf; and Zenyatta, older filly and mare and possibly, just possibly, Horse of the Year.

We’ll be back for more tomorrow. I hope my selections for Saturday are better than today’s 1-for-6.

Copyright © 2008, The Paulick Report

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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

In the face of volatile financial markets, a gloomy world economy and a multitude of publicity problems in the American racing industry, business at Fasig-Tipton’s two-night select yearling sale in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., performed extremely well in its first year under new ownership, with the average up slightly from 2007 and the median price even with last year. Fewer horses sold, resulting in a decline in gross receipts, and the buy-back rate increased just one percentage from last year to 25.6%.

A colt by Storm Cat out of the Mr. Prospector mare Get Lucky, sold for $2 million to M.V. Magnier to top the second night and the sale overall. The colt (Hip 158) was consigned as the property of Mr. and Mrs. Ben Walden’s Gracefield. Magnier (named Michael Vincent in honor of the legendary Irish trainer M. Vincent O’Brien) is the son of Coolmore Stud’s John Magnier. This was the only Coolmore purchase at the Saratoga sale.

It also was the only son of Storm Cat catalogued to the sale. The colt’s dam is a graded stakes winner and has produced three stakes winners and the dam of Grade 1 winner Bluegrass Cat, who is also by Storm Cat. 

A filly by Storm Cat was the second-highest price of the sale, selling for $1,500,000 on Monday night to Team Valor International from the consignment of Hill ‘n’ Dale Sales Agency, agent. A third Storm Cat, a filly out of Golden Reef, sold for $510,000, making the Overbrook Farm stallion the leading sire with an average of $1,336,666.

Among the first-year sires, Rock Hard Ten and Ghostzapper drew the most interest. Rock Hard Ten had three sell for an average of $516,666 to lead first-year sires. The son of Kris S. stands at Lane’s End for $50,000 live foal.Ghostzapper, a son of Awesome Again standing at Adena Springs for $150,000, had five through the ring, with four selling for an average price of $393,750.

John Ferguson, Sheikh Mohammed’s bloodstock adviser who put a deal together earlier this year for Dubai-based Synergy Investments to buy Fasig-Tipton from the family of John Hettinger and minority shareholders, purchased just one yearling on Tuesday night. But that $225,000 Elusive Quality colt was enough to rank Ferguson as the sale’s leading buyer. Including Monday night’s purchases, he signed tickets on six yearlings for a total of $3,325,000.That was down slightly from Ferguson’s spending at the 2007 Saratoga sale when he bought five for $3,675,000.

Legends Racing, the new partnership organized by Thomas Gaines and Olin Gentry of Gaines-Gentry Thoroughbreds that is teaming with trainers D. Wayne Lukas, Nick Zito and Bob Baffert, was the second leading buyer, purchasing nine yearlings for $3,275,000.

The final numbers from the sale: 122 yearlings sold for $36,080,000, an average of $295,738 and median of $227,500. There were 42 listed as not sold, a rate of 25.6%. In 2007, Fasig-Tipton sold 142  yearlings for $41,082,000, an average of $289,310 and median of $227,500. The RNA rate was 24.5%.

Thus, this year’s gross was down 12.1% and the average increased by 2.2%. The median was unchanged.

As reflected in the numbers, Tuesday’s session was the weaker of the two nights, unlike 2007 when the second session was stronger than the first. Tuesday’s average of $289,032 was considerably lower than the $321,439 second-night average in 2007. The median of $225,000 was also down from the $235,000 median record on the second session in 2007. Buy-backs on Tuesday night fell to 21.%, much lower than on Monday night.

Copyright © 2008, The Paulick Report