Bodexpress wins Clark Stakes to earn first graded stakes victory

Bodexpress celebrated Thanksgiving weekend at Churchill Downs on Friday, Nov. 27, 2020 in style, when he finally earned the first graded-stakes win of his career with a one-length victory over Code of Honor in the 146th running of the $500,000 Clark Stakes (G1).

“This horse just showed so much run today,” said his jockey Rafael Bejarano after the race. “I'm so proud of him.”

The win was a celebration for the 4-year old son of Bodemeister-Pied A Terre (Can), by City Zip, as he has been so close to winning a stakes race a number of times. He has also become a fan-favorite ever since he dumped his jockey at the start of the 2019 Preakness Stakes (G1) and then happily ran the rest of the race around the Pimlico track without a rider.

Bodexpress came into the Clark Stakes off an impressive 11-1/4 length gate-to-wire win in an allowance optional claiming race at Gulfstream Park race on Oct. 17.

While he had four wins in his career, none of them came in stakes races. His best finish for his trainer Gustavo Delgado came in the Florida Derby (G1) when he finished second on March 30, 2019 at Gulfstream Park and earned enough points to run in the Kentucky Derby, where he finished 13th on May 4, 2019.

Interestingly, he didn’t break his maiden until two races after the Kentucky Derby when he won a maiden special weight race at Gulfstream Park West on Oct. 14, 2019.

Bred in Kentucky by Jane Mulholland, the son of Bodemeister-Pied A Terre (Can), by City Zip would break from post position 8 in the Clark at 11.70 odds.

The favorite for the Clark was Code of Honor, who came into the race with some impressive performances in 2020. Just prior to the Clark, he finished second in the Kelso Handicap (G2) on at Belmont Park on Oct. 20,

Earlier in the year, he finished fourth in the Whitney Stakes (G1) at Saratoga on Aug. 2; third in the Metropolitan Handicap (G1) at Belmont on July 4; and he won the Grade 3 Westchester Stakes at Belmont on June 6.

Ridden by jockey John Velazquez, Code of Honor would break from gate 3 at 1.60 odds.

Another horse to watch was Owendale, who came into the Clark off a fifth-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile on Nov. 7 at Keeneland. Prior to that in 2020, he finished second in two other stakes races, the Pimlico Special Stakes (G3) at Pimlico on Oct. 2, and the Alysheba Stakes (G2) at Churchill on Sept. 4.

He would be ridden by Florent Geroux and break from gate 9.

At the start of the Clark, Bodexpress, Code of Honor, and Owendale all broke cleanly, with Bodexpress settling into second behind early race leader Phantom Currency. Behind them, Code of Honor was in ninth place, and Owendale in 12th place in the 14 horse field.

At the half-mile pole, Bodexpress began to move up on a tiring Phantom Currency and found himself a head shy of the lead, while Code of Honor had worked his way into sixth place. Meanwhile, Owendale had been bumped heading into the first turn and remained in 12th place.

To that point, the field had set fractions of 22.36 and 47.94 in the race.

By the 3/4-mile post, Bodexpress had slipped back to third, while Phantom Currency had fallen to second behind new race leader, Mr Freeze. In the meantime, Code of Honor remained in sixth and Owendale had moved up one spot into 11th.

Coming around the final turn and nearing the top of the stretch, things began to change quickly. Bodexpress moved out into the three path to take the lead. Code of Honor, also in the three-path, moved up one spot into fifth, while Owendale came flying six-wide and was now fourth.

Coming down the stretch, Bodexpress held his lead along the inside and continued to improve on his position. Behind him, Code of Honor tried to rally and catch the leader, but did not have enough in him to do so. For Owendale, it just wasn’t his day, as he got bumped again in the race, but continued to try and power on to catch the race leaders.

At the wire, Bodexpress got the win one-length in front of Code of Honor, while Owendale finished one-length behind in third.

Bodexpress finished the 1-1/8th-mile race on a track rated fast in 1:49.12.

“This is a different horse than we saw last year during the Triple Crown campaign,” said Gustavo Delgado Jr., the son and assistant for his father, Gustavo Sr. “He's really matured. Turning for home I thought we had a really good shot. The horse deserves this most of all. I'm very happy for everyone involved but we are so happy for Bodexpress.”

For the win, Bodexpress paid $25.40, $10.60 and $7. Code of Honor paid $4 and $3, while Owendale paid $3.60.

Owned by Top Racing LLC, Global Thoroughbred, and GDS Racing Stable, Bodexpress now has 4 wins, 4 seconds, 3 thirds and $694,600 in earnings in 17 career starts.

Bodemeister will now get some rest for the winter to prepare for his 2021 campaign. If he remains healthy, his next possible start could be in the Pegasus World Cup (G1) at Gulfstream on Jan 23, 2021. He finished fifth in the Pegasus this past January.

---

In other racing news from Churchill this past Thanksgiving weekend, Keepmeinmind won the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2) by 3/4-lengths over Smiley Sobotka, with Arabian Prince finishing third.

Keepmeinmind finished ran the 1-1/8th-mile race for 2-year-old on a fast track in 1:44.62 and improved his career mark to 1 win, 2 seconds, 1 third, and $394,320 in four starts.

A son of Laoban-Inclination, by Victory Gallop, he is trained by Robertino Diodoro for owners Cypress Creek LLC and Arnold Bennewith, and was ridden in the race by jockey David Cohen.

Authentic runs away with Breeders’ Cup Classic

 Authentic validated his status as one of the top 3-year-old Thoroughbreds in the country on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020 at Keeneland, with an emphatic gate to wire win over stablemate Improbable and five other Grade 1 winners in the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic.

It was an impressive win for the 2020 Kentucky Derby winner, as he broke from the gate on a beautiful, sunlit afternoon, took the lead under jockey John Velazquez, and never looked back, crossing the finish line as the 2-1/4 length winner. Coming in third, one length behind second-place Improbable, was Global Campaign.

Authentic scored an impressive 2-1/4 length victory in the Breeders' Cup Classic at Keeneland on Saturday, Nov.  7. (Photo courtesy of Keeneland photos.)

Trained by Bob Baffert, Authentic, who is by Into Mischief-Flawless, by Mr. Greeley, finished the 1-1/4-mile race on the dirt track listed as “Fast,” in a new track record time of 1:59.19. The previous track record of 2:00.07was set in 2015 by American Pharoah. (Note: there were no fractions available for the race as the timing system malfunctioned. Final time was done by hand.)

The win in the Classic was the first for hall of fame jockey Velazquez; one of the few big races he hadn’t won in his career. It was also the fourth for Baffert, who had previously won with Bayern (2014), American Pharoah (2015) and Arrogate (2016).

Owned by Spendthrift Farm, MyRaceHorse Stable, Madaket Stables, and Starlight Racing, the beautiful bay colt won five times in seven starts this year, and improved his overall record to 6 wins, 2 seconds, and $6,191,200 in earnings in 8 career starts.

“You know what, they were all training so well and [Authentic] was training well,’ said Baffert, who also trained Improbable and Maximum Security in the race. “I think Johnny [Velazquez] got to know him a lot better and he’s just a quirky guy. But when I saw him out there, he’s catching up with these older horses. That’s what they do at this time of year. What a horse. He’s the real deal. … That was awesome!”

Velazquez concurred with Baffert’s assessment saying, “It’s incredible. Thanks God and the whole team. The older I get, the more emotional I get. It worked out perfect. Bob said to take him to the lead so he doesn’t wander so much and keep his mind on running. It worked out. He did everything I wanted him to do.”

To say the field for the 2020 Classic was loaded would be an understatement of epic proportions, as six of the 10 entries were grade 1 winners.

To start, there was Tiz the Law, who opened 2020 on fire, scoring wins in the Holy Bull Stakes (G1) and the Florida Derby (G1), before winning the Belmont Stakes (G1), which was run as the first of the Classics this year because of the Coronavirus, and was run only at 1-1/4 miles instead of the usual 1-1/2 miles.

Tiz the Law then added to his status with a dominating 5-1/2-length victory in the Travers Stakes (G1), making him the favorite going into the Kentucky Derby, which was being run in September this year.

However, on Derby day, he just didn’t seem to like the Churchill track and finished second to Authentic. It should be noted that Tiz the Law’s only other career loss came at Churchill as well.

Owned by Sakatogs Stables, the same group that owned 2003 Kentucky Derby winner Funny Cide, and trained by Barclay Tagg, he would be ridden by Manny Franco and break from post position 2.

Then there was Authentic, who also started the season on strong note as well, winning the Sham Stakes (G3), the San Felipe Stakes (G2), finishing second to Honor A.P. in the Santa Anita Derby (G1), before bouncing back to win the Haskell Invitational Stakes (G1). Those races all led to his strong performance in winning the Kentucky Derby.

Following the Derby, he finished second to the super-filly Swiss Skydiver in the Preakness, before being rested until the Classic.

As noted, Authentic was trained by Baffert, would be ridden by Velazquez and break from post position 9.

Improbable was another Baffert trainee. In 2020, he was coming into the race off three straight Grade 1 victories in the Gold Cup, the Whitney Handicap and the Awesome again Stakes.

Owned by Winstar Farm, the China Horse Club and SF Racing, he would be ridden by Irad Ortiz and break from post position 8.

Maximum Security, best known for winning the 2019 Kentucky Derby then disqualified for interference, is the third Baffert trainee in the race. Baffert became trainer earlier this year when owner Gary West switched his horse to Baffert’s barn after his original trainer, John Servis, was caught up in a drug sting, which is still being litigated in court.

The bay 4-year old colt also had a solid 2020 season. After winning the inaugural Saudi Cup, though that is still in litigation due to Servis, he won the San Diego Handicap (G2) and the Pacific Classic (G1), before running strong but finishing second to Improbable in the Awesome Again Stakes just prior to the Classic. Still he cannot be overlooked.

Owned by Gary and Mary West, Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith, he would be ridden in the race by Luis Saez, and break from the far outside in post position 10.

Those were probably the top four horses race fans would be watching, but there were still a few other horses coming into the race with impressive resumes.

Tom’s d’Etat had a Grade 1 win earlier this year in the Oaklawn Mile, while Global Campaign had a Grade 1 win in the Woodward Handicap. Both horses were capable of winning the Classic, but did not fare well in the race, finishing ninth and tenth, respectively.

One final horse that was worth watching was fan-favorite, Tacitus. A beautiful gray, his biggest win in 2020 came in the Suburban Handicap (G2). And, while he was bumped early in the Classic, he did what he always does, and ran his heart out in the race. In the end, he finished fourth, two lengths behind Global Campaign.

As for the race itself, which was run in front of limited attendance due to Covid restrictions, Authentic broke alertly, went straight for the lead and set the pace for the race just off the rail. He then held his lead down the backstretch and around the final turn. As he reached the eighth pole, he seemed to kick into another gear, and with little urging from Velazquez down the stretch, crossed the wire a 2-1/4-length winner.

Behind him was Improbable in second, with Global Campaign third, followed by Tacitus, Maximum Security, Tiz the Law, Title Ready, By My Standards, Tom’s d’Etat, and Higher Power.

With the win, Authentic now stakes his claim to possible Horse of the Year honors. As to whether that could happen, Baffert said, “He sealed the deal. It’s not a fluke. He’s the best horse in America.”

Authentic paid $10.40, $5.40 and $4.20 for the win, while Improbable paid $4.80 and $3.30 for second, and Global Campaign paid $8.80 for third.

Postscript: On Monday following the Breeders’ Cup, it was announced that Authentic would be retired and begin his stud career. He will stand at Spendthrift Farm in Lexington for a fee of $75,000.

Update: On Wed., Nov. 11, Keeneland and Equibase announced that they reviewed the tape of the race and now have official results – fractions and final time. Their statement read:

“Prior to the running of the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) on November 7, 2020, at Keeneland, a photo eye at the start of the race was inadvertently tripped, which resulted in an error when attempting to operate the timing system manually causing inaccurate timing for all fractions and the final time of the race. A final time of 1:59.19 was initially provided by Equibase using the available video replay.

“After subsequent and more detailed review and timing of the race from multiple sources and camera angles, Keeneland and Equibase have determined the fractional times for the Classic (:23.20, :46.84, 1:10.32, 1:34.64) and confirmed a final time of 1:59.60. The Classic chart has been updated and the running of Authentic in the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic is now the official track record for the 1 1/4-mile distance at Keeneland.”

Monomoy Girl scores impressive win in Breeders’ Cup Distaff

Monomoy Girl capped off her extraordinary undefeated 2020 racing season with an impressive victory in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Keeneland on Saturday, Nov. 7.

With jockey Florent Geroux riding, the five-year old mare took the lead at the top of the stretch, then held off all challengers and crossed the wire 3-1/4 lengths ahead of second-place finisher Valience. Finishing third a half-length back was Dunbar Road.

“Honestly, it’s a relief,” said her trainer Brad Cox. “She means the world to me and it’s a lot of pressure when we run her, I don’t know why. It just is. … She’s a real race horse.”

Monomoy Girl, with jockey Florent Geroux riding, scored an impressive victory in the 2020 Breeders' Cup Distaff on Saturday Nov, 8, 2020, at Keeneland. (Photo courtesy of Keeneland photos)

Coming into this year’s championships, which were held at Keeneland, Nov. 6 and 7, the Distaff was probably one of, if not, the most highly anticipated races of the event.

There were two highly-talented Thoroughbreds headlining the race, Swiss Skydiver and Monomoy Girl, and everyone was hoping the two would hook up and have a memorable dual for the ages.

Swiss Skydiver came into the race with great credentials. This year the 3-year-old filly ran nine races, won five times, finished second two times and third once, while collecting $1,741,820 in earnings.

Her wins included the Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2), the Fantasy Stakes (G3), the Santa Anita Oaks (G2), the Alabama Stakes (G1), while also finishing second in the Kentucky Oaks (G1) and second in the Blue Grass Stakes (G2), when she took on the boys for the first time.

The highlight of her 2020 season came in the race leading up to the Breeders’ Cup when her trainer, Ken McPeek, decided to let her race against the boys for the second time, this time in a Classic – the Preakness Stakes (G1). In that race, with jockey Robby Albarado riding, she battled down the stretch, side-by-side with Authentic, and gallantly held off the 2020 Kentucky Derby winner to win by a neck.

Meanwhile, Monomoy Girl had overcome a lot to even be back in horse racing. After winning the 2018 Breeders’ Cup Distaff, the mare missed the next year-and-a-half due to colic and other physical injuries. However, she healed completely and Cox brought her back to race this year.

And, she didn’t disappoint, scoring three straight wins this year leading up to the Breeders’ Cup. The first was an allowance race, the second was the Ruffian Stakes (G2) and the third was the La Troienne Stakes (G1) all with Florent Geroux, who has been her jockey in all 14 career starts, aboard.

According to both trainers, their horses were in great shape, training well, and were ready for the challenge of the competition.

In addition, there were a few other horses with solid credentials in the 10-horse field.

Harvest Moon came into the race after winning four out of five of his races in 2020, including her two previous outings, the Torrey Pines Stakes (G3) and the Zenyatta Stakes (G2). Trained by Simon Callaghan, she would be ridden by her regular jockey, Flavien Prat.

Another horse to watch would be Dunbar Road, who had two wins in three starts in 2020. She won the Shawnee Stakes (black type) and the Delaware Handicap (G2), before finishing third in the Beldame Stakes (G2) in the race prior to the Breeders’ Cup. She is trained by Chad Brown, and would be ridden by Jose Ortiz.  

One last horse to watch was Valiance, who was coming into the race off three straight wins. The first was an allowance race, the second the Eatontown Stakes (listed) and the third was the Juddmonte Spinster Stakes G1. She was trained by Todd Pletcher, and would be ridden by a new jockey (for her), Luis Saez.

As the horses lined up for the race on a beautiful, sunny and warm afternoon, with limited attendance present due to the Coronovirus, all eyes were on Swiss Skydiver in post position five, and Monomoy Girl on the outside in post position 10.

With the horses ready, the gates clanged open and, within one second, the hoped for intended match-up was over, as Swiss Skydiver stumbled out of the gate, was collected by Albarado, and settled into ninth place.

Meanwhile, Horologist, Ce Ce, and Lady Kate fought up front for the lead, while Geroux guided Monomoy Girl into seventh place, and eventually moved her to the outside to fourth place.

The field set some good fractions of 23.11, 46.03 and 1.09.94, on a track labeled “Fast,” though it was so fast it favored speed horses, as no horses laying in the back of the pack ever had a chance of winning all weekend long

Coming around the final turn and heading into the stretch, Monomoy Girl was four-wide and moved to the front to take the lead.

Behind her, coming out of the turn five wide was Valiance, who was trying to catch up to the leader.

On the inside, Swiss Skydiver worked hard to overcome her bad start, and actually got close to the leaders, but she was not able to continue on in strong fashion. She faded back and would finish seventh.

Up front, Monomoy Girl kept pushing on and while Valiance tried her best to catch up, it just wasn’t good enough on this day, and Monomoy Girl crossed the wire a winner by 1-3/4 lengths,

Valiance was second, with Dunbar Road in third a half-length back, followed by Harvest Moon, Ce, Point of Honor, Swiss Skydiver, Ollie's Candy, Horologist, and Lady Kate.

After the race, Albarado spoke about Swiss Skydiver’s stumble out of the gate, saying, “It maybe cost her a length or two position-wise, but it didn’t cost us the win. I’m disappointed we didn’t win, but I’m not disappointed in her. She’s a special filly and everybody knows her.”

The day, however, belonged to Monomoy Girl, who is by Tapizar-Drumette, by Henny Hughes. She finished the 1-1/8-mile race in 1:47.84, which was very close to the record set by Noble Bird of 1:47.75 in 2016.

“What a mare, just exceptional,” said Geroux. “She’s a mare of a lifetime, very rare. It’s like finding a diamond. When you have it, you do the best you can. It’s a gift. Even after all she’s been through, being off a year and a half, to come back and still be at the top of her game is unreal. I’m super thankful for the opportunity that Brad and the owners have given me.”

Added Cox, “She’s meant so much for so many people’s lives, she’s an amazing creature. I love her to pieces. Words can’t even describe it. I think she plays a big role in our other three Breeders’ Cup victories over the weekend. She’s meant so much to so many people’s lives. She was my first Grade 1 winner here at Keeneland. I’m just do proud of her.”

Owned by Michael Dubb, Monomoy Stables, The Elkstone Group, and Bethlehem Stables, Monomoy Girl improves her career record to 13 wins, 2 seconds, 0 thirds and $4,426,818, in 15 career starts.

She is also one of only four horses to win the Distaff twice, as she joins Royal Delta, Beholder and Bayakoa, who accomplished the same feat.

With the win, Cox joins Richard Mandella with a record tying four wins in one Breeders’ Cup Championship weekend,

"Words can’t even describe it," Cox said.  "I think she plays a big role in our other three Breeders Cup victories over the weekend. She was my first Grade 1 winner here at Keeneland. I’m just do proud of her."

With the win, Monomoy Girl brought $4 for the win, $3 for the place, and $2.40 for the show. Valiance paid $8.80 and $5.60, while Dunbar Road paid $8 to show.

Postscript… On Sunday, Nov. 9, the day after the Breeders’ Cup, Monomoy Girl was sold for $9.5 million at the Fasig Tipton November Sale. She was purchased by Spendthrift Farm from the consignment of ELiTE, agent.

According to a report on the Fasig-Tipton website, "Ned Toffey of Spendthrift Farm told Alicia Wincze Hughes of the NTRA that Monomoy Girl will be returned to Cox and remain in training for another year."

That means, if she stays healthy, the potential future Hall of Famer, just might go for a third Breeders’ Cup Distaff win next year. Stay tuned.

Back in the Saddle!

It's been a while! Five years to be exact. Time flies for sure.

And so... with the Breeders' Cup this weekend at Keeneland, Friday and Saturday, Nov. 6-7, 2020, I am going to re-start my horse racing blog to get back into the practice of writing about the sport. My goal is to do at least one new entry a week. We'll see hot it goes.

My first posts will be about the Breeders' Cup Distaff and Breeders' Cup Classic, which are both on Saturday. My goal for this first time back is to post my stories on Monday (Distaff) and Tuesday (Classic).

Thanks for reading!

American Pharoah has storybook ending with BC Classic win

Earlier this year, American Pharoah became the first Thoroughbred in 38 years to win the Triple Crown.

That, all by itself, made the 3-year old son of Pioneerof the Nile one of the great Thoroughbreds in horse racing history.

After his win on Saturday, Oct. 31, at Keeneland in the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic (G1), American Pharoah became a legend.

In his final career start under his regular jockey, Victor Espinoza, American Pharoah broke cleanly from the starting gate, took the early lead and went gate-to-wire in a dominating performance to win the Classic by 6-1/2 lengths and complete, what is now being termed, horse racing's Grand Slam (the Triple Crown and the BC Classic).

American Pharoah, winner of the 2015 Triple Crown, put on a powerful performance to capture the 2015 Breeders' Cup Classic victory at Keeneland on Saturday, Oct. 31, and in the process, wrote a storybook ending to his career. (Racing photo courtesy of Wendy Wooley/EquiSportPhotos.com)

Finishing second was Effinex, followed by Honor Code, Keen Ice, Tonalist, Hard Aces, Frosted and Gleneagles (Ire).

A son of Pioneerof the Nile-Littleprincessemma, by Yankee Gentelman, American Pharoah ran the 1-1/4-mile race on a track rated fast in 2:00.7.

"He gave everyone what they came to see today," said Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert in an Oct. 31, 2015, article on BloodHorse.com. "I've never seen anything like him; I've never trained anything like him. I'm just glad Pharoah goes out the champ he is."

American Pharoah truly did write a storybook-type ending to his career.

After winning the Triple Crown earlier this year by capturing the Kentucky Derby (G1), Preakness Stakes (G1) and Belmont Stakes (G1), he went on to win the Haskell Invitational (G1) in his next race.

But then he suffered a setback when he lost his next race, the Travers Stakes (G1), at Saratoga to Keen Ice.

His loss at "The Graveyard of Champions," as Saratoga is known, put him in good company, as it was at that track that Man O' War and Secretariat both lost races there.

So, coming into the Breeders' Cup at Keeneland, there were some doubters that wondered if American Pharoah was not the same horse that had won the Triple Crown. Did his loss in the Travers show that he'd lost a step?

Well, in the Classic, American Pharoah brilliantly showed that the Travers was a fluke and that he is not only the best race horse in America this year, but that he is clearly one of the all-time great Thoroughbreds ever to set foot on the track.

American Pharoah completes his career with eight wins, one second and $5,980,300 in earnings in 10 career starts. In addition, he won nine Grade 1 races in his career, seven of them in 2015.

On Sunday morning, as has been their custom throughout the year, Baffert and American Pharoah's owners, the Zayat family, shared American Pharoah with his fans. They paraded him outside their Keeneland barn and allowed fans to pet him and get their photos taken with him. There were smiles all around.

Then on Monday, there were a few tears for American Pharoah's team, as they travelled up the road to Ashford Stud in Versailles, to say farewell to their beloved champion. American Pharoah will now stand at stud at the farm in 2016.

There were 12 other races in the Breeders' Cup Championships, which took place on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 30 and 31.

Here are a few others to note.

On Friday, Liam's Map, ridden by Javier Castellano, came back from the mid-pack in the stretch to win the $1 million Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) by 2-1/2 lengths over Lea.

Finishing third in the 11-horse race for 3-year-olds and up was Red Vine.

Liam's Map, who is by Unbridled's Song-Miss Macy Sue, by Trippi, ran the race on a track rated fast in 1:34.54.

Owned by Teresa Viola Racing Stables and West Point Thoroughbreds, and trained by Todd Pletcher, Liam's Map has six wins, two seconds and $1,378,940 in earnings in eight career starts.

After the race, it was announced that Liam's Map will stand at stud at Lane's End in Versailles starting in 2016.

Also on Friday in the $2 million Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1), Stopchargingmaria battled side-by-side with Stellar Wind down the stretch and crossed the wire a winner by just a neck. Finishing third in the 14-horse field was Curalina.

Stopchargingmaria, who is by Tale of the Cat-Exotic Bloom, by Montibrook, ran the 1-1/8th mile race on the dirt in 1:48.98.

Owned by Town and Country Farms and trained by Pletcher, Stopchargingmaria now has nine wins, three seconds, one third and $2,924,000 in earnings in 16 career starts.

Also on Friday:
* $1 million BC Juvenile Turf (G1): Hit it a Bomb
* $1 million BC Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1): Catch a Glimpse

On Saturday, in addition to the Classic, there were nine other Breeders’ Cup Championship races.

In the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf (G1), Ken and Sarah Ramsey’s Stephanie’s Kitten came from back from last place under jockey Irad Ortiz Jr., took the lead from Legatissimo (Ire) in the stretch, and crossed the wire a 1-1/4-length winner.

Finishing third in the 10-horse field of fillies and mares 3-years old and up was Queen’s Jewel (GB).

Stephanie’s Kitten, who is named after one of the Ramsey’s granddaughters, ran the 1-3/16th-mile race on a turf course rated good, in 1:56.22.

Trained by Chad Brown, Stephanie’s Kitten, who is by Kitten’s Joy-Unfold the Rose, by Catienus, closes out her career with 11 wins, four seconds, four thirds and $4,292,904 in earnings in 25 career starts.

On Sunday at the Fasig-Tipon November sale, Stehanie's Kitten was put on the auction block, but failed to sell. Ramsey had set a reserve of $3 million, but bought the mare back for $2.95 million.

However, on Monday, in a private sale, the mare was sold to Katsumi Yoshida's Northern Farm in Japan for $2.8 million.

"There was a sigh of relief last night (at the Fasig Tipton sale) because the family did not want to sell her," said Ramsey in a Nov. 2, 2015 article on BloodHorse.com. "But this was a business decision, and I wish them (Norhern Farm) much success."

In one other race of note on Saturday, the $1.5 million Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1), fan-favorite Runhappy, under jockey Edgar Prado, tracked the race leaders in third place for most of the race, came out of the final turn five-wide, and then took off down the stretch to win the race over second-place finisher Private Zone by three-quarters of a length.

In addition, Runhappy not only won the race, but also set a track record in the Sprint, as he finished the six-furlong race in 1:08.58.

"Oh my God, oh my God," said Runhappy's trainer Maria Borell. "I was worried, I'm not going to lie. Track record, really? Oh my God. I am just not used to him not going to the lead like that. I was nervous. That is the first time he stalked off the pace like that. I was nervous, but he did it. I can't believe it.

With the win, Runhappy, who is by Super Saver-Bella Jolie, by Broken Vow, now has six wins and $1,306,300 in seven career starts.

Borell, who trains Runhappy at the Thoroughbred Training Center on Paris Pike, was handed the 3-year-old colt's training duties earlier this year and guided him to four-straight victories, including break out performances in the King Bishop Stakes (G1) at Saratoga on Aug. 29 and in the Phoenix Stakes (G3) at Keeneland on Oct. 2.

The horse-training duo's crowning achievement this year then came on Saturday with their win in the Breeders' Cup Sprint, which completed one of the best story-lines of the weekend.

But then on Sunday, the feel-good story came to an abrupt end when Runhappy's owner, James McIngvale, inexplicably fired Borell, and handed the colt’s training duties to Laura Wohlers, his sister-in-law.

According to an Oct. 31 BloodHorse.com article, the day after the race, Borell felt heat in one of Runhappy's legs. Wohlers, who is also McIngvale's racing manager, disagreed and still wanted to send the horse out to the track to work out. The disagreement continued and Borell was fired.

It was really no surprise, as McIngvale, who owns a string of mattress stores in Texas, has gone through trainers faster than a horse can eat a bucket of oats. Still, it turned one of the best storylines of the Breeders' Cup Championships into the worst, and will, no doubt, raise the interest in Borell as a trainer, while causing a PR nightmare for McIngvale and Wohlers.

Other races on Saturday:
* $2 million BC Juvenile Fillies (G1): Songbird
* $1 million BC Turf Sprint (G1): Mongolian Saturday
* $1 million BC Filly & Mare Sprint (G1): Wavell Avenue
* $2 million BC Mile (G1): Tepin
* $2 million BC Juvenile (G1): Nyquist
* $3 million BC Turf (G1): Found

(Information collected from EquiBase.com Keeneland press releases, BloodHorse.com, PedigreeQuery.com and Brisnet.com)

America Pharoah prepares for Breeders' Cup Classic

On a beautiful Thursday morning, Oct. 29, just two days before his historic victory in the Breeders' Cup Classic, American Pharoah took a morning jog at Keeneland on the lower training track off Rice Road.

The workout was captured beautifully by a friend of mine, Steve Blake, of MultiExposures.com.

The lighting that day was great, and Steve was able to capture AP with all four feet off the ground. A beautiful image.

American Pharoah works out at Keeneland on the lower training track off Rice Road on Thursday, Oct. 29, two days prior to his historic win in the Breeders' Cup Classic. (Photo by Steve Blake/MultiExposures.com)

Beholder wins the Zenyatta Stakes; onto Breeders' Cup

She made it look easy – again!

In another impressive performance, Beholder, the two-time Eclipse award winner who was ridden by Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens, stalked the race leaders until the home stretch, and then pulled away to win the $300,000 Zenyatta Stakes (G1) by 3-1/2 lengths over My Sweet Addiction.

Beholder, with jockey Gary Stevens riding, easily won the 2015 Zenyatta Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita on Sept. 26, 2015 by 3-1/2 lengths. (Photo by Benoit Photo)

Finishing third in the eight-horse field of fillies and mares 3-years-old and up was Savings Account.

"I hate to say easy, but it really did look easy," said winning trainer Richard Mandella, who trains Beholder for Spendthrift Farm. "She's good. She's really, really good."

Rounding out the order of finish was My Monet in fourth, followed by Big Book, Wild in the Saddle, Warren's and Kyriaki.

Beholder, a 5-year-old filly by Henny Hughes-Leslie's Lady, by Tricky Creek, ran the 1-1/16th-mile race in 1:42.83. She now has 15 wins, three seconds and $4,436,600 in earnings in 20 career starts.

According to a Sept. 27, 2015 BloodHorse.com article, the victory was the sixth straight for Beholder, her ninth Grade 1 win, her 11th win at Santa Anita and her third straight win in the Zenyatta Stakes, which equaled Zenyatta's own mark. (At the time she won it three times, the race was called the Lady Secret Stakes (G1).

If all horses stay healthy, the win sets up a potential match-up between Beholder, the 2012 champion 2-year-old filly and 2013 champion 3-year-old filly, and 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah in the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic on Saturday, Oct. 31, at Keeneland in Lexington, Kentucky.

"I'm not going to make any predictions, but I can't wait to get to Keeneland," said Stevens. "I just hope everybody shows up like they did today. I'll probably feel less pressure going into the Classic than what I felt today. I knew we had to get through this one as easy as possible and it was."

Also expected in the Classic is Keen Ice, who recently defeated American Pharaoh in the Travers Stakes at Saratoga, Frosted, Honor Code, Liam's Map, and Tonalist, to name just a few.

(Information gathered from EquiBase.com, SantaAnita.com, BloodHorse.com, BreedersCup.com, and PedigreeQuery.com.)

Riva Way enjoys retirement at Old Friends

Riva Way keeps the legacy of Meadow Stables alive at Old Friends, with both Secretariat and Riva Ridge on both sides of his pedigree.

Officially, Riva way is by Tinners Way-Yia Yia, by Riva Ridge.

So, on one side of Riva’s pedigree is Secretariat. Riva’s sire, Tinners Way, who is a retiree at Old Friends, is by Secretariat, the 1973 Triple Crown winner.

On the other side of his pedigree is Yia Yia, who is by Riva Ridge, the 1972 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stake’s winner.

In his career, Riva Way won 11 races, mostly claiming races in the New Jersey-Philadelphia area. In all, Riva finished second three times, eighth eight times and earned $109,915 in 56 career starts.

According to the Old Friends website, “Riva's wins included, three consecutive triumphs at Monmouth Park in 2003.

“... (However), when injuries prevented Riva Way from again racing competitively, he was acquired for Old Friends by Maya de Rosa.”

Now, Riva Ridge, who is my all-time favorite horse, is the reason I originally went to visit Old Friends back in 2008. I went specially to see Riva Way.

In a funny story, on my first visit to Old Friends, Riva Way’s sign was posted on a fence where five geldings lived. Since Riva was the reason for my visit, I asked, “Which one is Riva Way.” The tour guide who was there that day (and who is no longer at Old Friends) said, “I’m sorry. I don’t really know. But, he’s one of those,” and she pointed out to the field where those five horses were grazing.

Two weeks later when I returned to meet Michael Blowen, the founder and owner of Old Friends, he said, “Oh, Riva’s not in that field. He’s down the street at Dr. (Doug) Byar’s farm,” and he then took the time to drive me down the street, where I got to meet Riva, a beautiful chestnut horse who came trotting up to the fence when Michael called his name.

At the time, Riva lived in a huge paddock at Dr. Byar’s farm with two other horses, Cappucino Kid, who currently lives in one of the big paddocks at the back of the main farm, and another sweet little gelding, Bingo, who has since passed away.

No question, Riva is still one of my favorite horses at Old Friends, and I try and make sure that I go visit him as many times as I can when I go up to the farm.

Yesterday, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2015, was one of those days. It was a beautiful, sunny, cool day and I walked up to his paddock and called his name. The grass was extra sweet yesterday, because it took him a little longer to break away and come over to the fence for a visit.

I gave him a few face rubs, a couple handfuls of grass from “the other side of the fence,” and then he went back to his grazing, while I took a few photos, a few of which are shown below.

The four below are from yesterday (Sunday), and the one at the top of the blog is from last year when he was at Nuckols Farm with 20 other geldings while his new paddock was being fenced in.

That photo is one of the best ones I ever took of him and was selected for the cover image of the 2015 Old Friends Calendar – my very first calendar cover photo – which I thought was very fitting since  Riva Way was the horse that originally brought me to Old Friends six years ago.

Hope you will enjoy the photos.

Wise Dan, two-time Horse of the Year, has been retired

He will go down as one of the greatest Thoroughbreds of all time.

Wise Day, two-time Horse of the Year, has been retired, according to an announcement by his trainer, Charlie LoPresti on Monday, Sept. 7, and in articles on BloodHorse.com on Monday and Tuesday, Sept. 7 and 8.

Wise Dan's last race, and his last win, was in the Shadwell Turf Mile (G1T) on Oct. 14, 2014.

Wise Dan runs to victory in the 2014 Shadwell Turf Mile (G1) at Keeneland on Oct. 14, 2014. As history will record, that win turned out to be the final win of his brilliant career. It was announced on Monday, Sept. 7, 2015, that the two-time Horse of the Year has been retired. (Photo by Wendy Wooley/EquiSportPhotos.com)

Then, while preparing for his next race, an injury was detected and he had been sidelined ever since.
Recently, as the injury healed, and the veterinarians gave the okay, LoPresti put the 8-year-old gelding back in training and was slowly working him towards a start in the Woodbine Mile, a race he had won twice on his way to Horse of the Year honors in 2012 and 2013.

The ultimate goal in his comeback was the Breeders' Cup Mile (G1T), a race he had won two times and which would be held at Keeneland, his home track, in October.

Over this past weekend, however, while giving the champion a bath, swelling was detected in his leg that was ultimately diagnosed as a tear on the outside edge of his tendon.

With nothing left to prove, it was decided to retire Wise Dan and not risk any further chance of an injury.

"He's been training lights out," said LoPresti in a BloodHorse.com article on Monday, Sept. 7. "But, we noticed some filling in his tendon this morning when we were giving him a bath. The vet suggested we scan it and it turns out he has a tear on the outside edge of his tendon.

"Mr. (Morton) Fink (owner) and I talked about it and we've all decided he should be retired at his age. There's no point trying to bring him back again. I expect he'll retire to our farm here in Kentucky. He'll be turned out with his brother Successful Dan."

Wise Dan, who is by Wiseman's Ferry-Lisa Danielle, by Wolf Power (SaF), ends his career with 23 wins, two seconds and $7,552, 920 in earnings in 31 career starts. That's a 74 percent winning average.

As for awards, he has many.

In 2012 he won Eclipse Awards as Horse of the Year, Champion Grass Horse and Champion Older Horse. Then, in 2013, he was the repeat winner of all three of those Eclipse Awards.

In both years, he capped those two seasons with wins in the Breeders' Cup Mile (G1T), which were both held at Santa Anita Park.

He also won numerous graded stakes races in his career. They included:
* 2010: the Phoenix Stakes (G3) at Keeneland.
* 2011: the Firecracker Handicap at Churchill Downs, the Fayette Stakes (G2) at Keeneland, and the Clark Handicap (G1) at Churchill Downs.
* 2012: Ben Ali Stakes (G3) at Keeneland, Fourstardave Handicap (G2) at Saratoga, the Woodbine Mile Stakes (G1) at Woodbine, the Shadwell Turf Mile (G1) at Keeneland, and the Breeders' Cup Mile (G1) at Santa Anita.
* 2013: Maker's 41 Mile Stakes (G1) at Keeneland, Woodford Reserve Turf Classic Stakes (G1) at Churchill Downs, Firecracker Stakes (G2) at Churchill, Fourstardave Handicap (G2) at Saratoga, Woodbine Mile Stakes (G1) at Woodbine, and the Breeders' Cup Mile (G1) at Santa Anita.
* 2014: Maker's 41 Mile Stakes (G1) at Keeneland, Woodford Reserve Turf Classic Stakes (G1) at Churchill Downs, the Bernard Baruch Handicap (G2) at Keeneland, and the Shadwell Turf Mile (G1) at Keeneland.

Between the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic and the Bernard Baruch Handicap at Saratoga, Wise Dan suffered a bout of colic. He recovered well and went on to win the Bernard Baruch in his return race.

He then trained well and won the Shadwell Turf Mile before a leg injury sidelined him one again. Then, as noted previously, he recovered, and began to train again before another leg injury sidelined him and ended his career.

No question, Wise Dan is one of the great gelding Thoroughbreds of all time. Now the clock begins to tick to see when he will be enshrined in the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in Saratoga.

Personal Note

During Wise Dan's amazing racing career, I had hoped to get to see him race at least one time. I mean, he was always right down the street from me at Keeneland. He lived in LoPresti's barn right off Rice Road there, and some of his greatest wins were achieved at the track.

Still, because of my job, my schedule always blocked any chance I had of seeing him race.

Then, last year, on Oct. 4, 2014, I noted that Wise Dan was once again running in the Shadwell Turf Mile, but once again, my schedule interfered with going to the races that day.

For some reason though, I had a gut feeling this just might be my last chance to see him race, so I changed all my plans and headed to Keeneland to watch Wise Dan run.

I got a prime location in the stands, which turned out to be directly across from the starting gate for the race, and when the gates opened… Wise Dan stumbled a bit and ended up far behind the field.

My first thought, being very superstitious about these kinds of things, was: "Oh great. I finally get to see Wise Dan run and I cause him to stumble."

But, then, Wise Dan did what he always did. He dug down deep like the champion he is, and caught up to the field by the middle of the first turn.

From there, and all the way down the backstretch, he began to pick off horses one at a time, and by the far turn, his jockey, Hall of Famer John Velazquez, had him in position to make a charge for the front.

And, oh wow, what a charge it was. Coming from seventh place around the turn, he ran wide into the stretch, charged down the lane, finally caught up to the race leaders close to the wire, and then won it by a length over Grand Arch and Sayaad at the wire.

Wow! Wow! Wow! That was all I could think after seeing such a great race run by a great champion. I was so glad I had ditched all my plans and came to the races.

For sure, it was another great win for Wise Dan. But, who knew then, it would be the final time anyone would see this great horse run in a race.

As we all know now, that was Wise Dan's final race. I am sad to see his career come to an end because I believe he still had a lot of good races in him.

Having said that, I am also very glad he has an owner in Morton Fink and a trainer in Charles LoPresti that put the health and welfare of their horse first and let him retire a champion and in good health.

For me personally, I am so very glad I took the day off and got to go see him run. It's something I will never forget. From last to first, a great comeback, and a great win right into the history books.

Funny side story

My friend, Steve Blake and I, travelled to Saratoga last August, 2014. I had a book signing at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in Saratoga (self-promotion here) for my book, "History of Old Friends: A Home for Retired Thoroughbreds."

It was my first trip to Saratoga and I wanted to see as much as I could.

One of the first things we did was head to the backside and had some breakfast at the concession stand. Then, after that, I wanted to see if I could find Wise Dan.

While I did that, Steve, who is a great photographer (see his work at multiexposures.com), wandered over to the track and started taking photos.

Now, a couple of things you should know about Steve. He is a retired Lexington fire fighter and fire chief. He knows nothing about horse racing, yet he currently works as an EMS person and is one of the folks that drives the ambulance around the Keeneland track behind the horses during races.

So, while I began my search for Wise Dan, Steve took photos of some of the horses working out on the track.

Well, I never did find Wise Dan's barn, but in the end, Steve and I had a great day enjoying the track, the races, our lunch, the Hall of Fame, and a lot of other things we managed to do that day.

A few days later after I got home, I decided to check out Steve's photos that he took at Saratoga. I went to his website, opened his folder with his Saratoga photos and… just started laughing my head off.

One of the first photos he took while I was out wandering around looking for Wise Dan in his barn were of– you guessed it – Wise Dan jogging out on the track on that beautiful, sunny Saratoga morning. Now how funny is that?!?

Here is one of the photos he took that day.

Wise Dan out for a jog on a beautiful, sunny morning at Saratoga in Aug. 2014. (Photo by Steve Blake/MultiExposures.com) --- (For more of Steve's photos at Saratoga, go to the Equine folder and then look for the Saratoga folder.)

Rachel's Valentina scores Grade 1 win in Spinaway Stakes

Running in only her second career race, Rachel's Valentina, under Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez, scored big time, as she took the lead near the sixteenth-pole and went on to a one-length victory over Tap to It in the $350,000 Spinaway Stakes (G1) at Saratoga on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2015.

Rachel's Valentina, the daughter of Rachel Alexandra, put in an impressive performance under Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez, to capture the $350,000 Spinaway Stakes (G1) at Saratoga on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2015. (Photo by Coglianese Photos)

Finishing third in the six-horse race for 2-year-olds was Constellation.

"Today, she knew what it was all about," said Velazquez. "She was on the bridle, and she knew what she was supposed to do. I didn't have to do anything down the lane, just keep her mind on running, and she got it done. She's one of those horses that the farther she goes, the better she gets. Before she ran I thought three-quarters might be a little too short and she still got up there. She's pretty good."

Added winning trainer Todd Pletcher, "I thought she ran fantastic. Actually, she put herself into the race a little more than I thought she would, but she seemed to be handling tracking those horses well, and getting a little dirt well. I felt like turning for home, knowing her style and watching her train, that she was going to keep coming. I've always felt like the farther she goes, the better she gets."

Rachel's Velanetina has a big following, as she is the daughter of Rachel Alexandra, who's legacy was cemented at Saratoga with her courageous win over the boys in the 2009 Woodward Stakes (G1).

Rachel's Valentina, who's full pedigree is Bernardini-Rachel Alexandra, by Medaglia d'Oro, ran the seven-furlong race on a dirt track rated Fast in 1:23.10.

Owned by Stonestreet Stables, Rachel's Valentina now has two wins in two career starts and $259,800 in earnings.

The Spinaway was also a Breeders' Cup "Win and You're In" race, which gives the filly an automatic berth into the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) race. The Breeders' Cup will be held at Keeneland on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 30 and 31.

Rounding out the order of finish in the race was Anna Rae fourth, followed by Tonasah and Banree.

(Information provided by EquiBase.com, BloodHorse.com, and Brisnet.com)