As has been widely reported, Zenyatta has a date with Bernardini.  I had assumed she would go to see his sire, A.P. Indy, but the reasoning behind the match makes perfect sense – Zenyatta has a 2-year-old half-sister by Bernardini called Eblouissante, which helped make his offspring something of a known quantity [...]]]>

The lucky stallion

As has been widely reported, Zenyatta has a date with Bernardini.  I had assumed she would go to see his sire, A.P. Indy, but the reasoning behind the match makes perfect sense – Zenyatta has a 2-year-old half-sister by Bernardini called Eblouissante, which helped make his offspring something of a known quantity (insofar as any predictions can ever be made about what will actually happen in the breeding shed). But A.P. Indy himself is still very much a part of the family; Zenyatta’s talented older half-sister, Balance, had an attractive bay colt named Mr Besilu by the senior stallion.  (As an aside, it’s worth noting that he’s got his own Facebook page. Obviously.)  In September, he was the sales-topper at Keeneland’s yearling sale, changing hands for $4.2 million – so it would seem there’s a good chance that the Zenyatta-Bernardini mating will, at the very least, produce a good-looking foal.

The matchup makes sense from a conformation perspective as well; while Bernardini is certainly a good few inches smaller than Zenyatta, his look is more ‘refined’ and a smaller (well, smaller than Zenyatta) foal would probably be welcomed, since (as a very, very general rule) it tends to be more difficult to keep a larger horse sound.  And it’s hard to argue with his offspring on the track – I’ve been very impressed by his European runners thus far (especially Biondetti), and his North American results are equally notable.   He’s so popular that his book is full – Ed DeRosa has an amusing anecdote about Jim Rome’s filly being turned away (and I’d love to hear Rome take this up with the Sklar Brothers).  I’d still like to see Zenyatta go to Einstein or a European-based stallion down the line, but it’s difficult to find anything to complain about in this matchup.

There was other bloodline news this week that may have been easy to miss with all the Zenyatta publicity – Deluxe, a daughter of über-broodmare Hasili, has come from France to join Bill Mott’s barn.  She’s had some ups and downs on the track so far, but given the success her siblings have had in America, she has every opportunity to excel here. The same article noted that Proviso, one of my favorite grass fillies, has left Mott’s care to start her own breeding career with a visit to Street Cry.

I admit I have no obvious names for the eventual Zenyatta-Bernardini foal, but that should discourage you from entering the ‘Name the Foal‘ contest. Let’s go beyond Zendini and Bernyatta…

D. Wayne Lukas may not be sending Dublin to the Belmont, but he’ll be busy nonetheless; he’s just become the trainer for Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird.  The move had been rumored for a few weeks, but it was confirmed this week with the horse setting out from New [...]]]>

Hasili VIII: A New Hope?

D. Wayne Lukas may not be sending Dublin to the Belmont, but he’ll be busy nonetheless; he’s just become the trainer for Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird.  The move had been rumored for a few weeks, but it was confirmed this week with the horse setting out from New Mexico for Kentucky – this time, in a trailer not driver by his old trainer.

Apparently Chip Woolley’s handling of the popular gelding was not quite good enough, as just about anyone can get a horse to win the Derby and finish in the money in the other two Triple Crown races.  That leads us to a small aside – how frequently do we see the previous year’s Derby, Preakness and Belmont champions all residing in a new trainer’s barn by the following spring?  Granted, Rachel Alexandra had already made the move by Preakness time, but that was just days after her Oaks win; all statistics in this area are welcomed.

It seems the switch was handled with the requisite class and communication we have come to expect:

“I appreciate the opportunity I had to train him and I wish him the very best and hope he has a long career and wins 100 races,” Woolley said. “I will be pulling for him every time he goes into the gate. I thought I had a good bond with him, but I guess that doesn’t really matter now.

“Nobody ever prepares for something like this,” Woolley said. “I had had a lot of assurances that this was all just a rumor and I was keeping the horse. But this is the nature of the game. You’ve got to get up in the morning and do the same thing, whether you have the Derby winner or a $25,000 claimer. I just hope we can get another one.”

Woolley said he was not invited to come by and say goodbye to the horse.

It would seem that Woolley has joined the John Servis Club – win the Derby, get dropped by your bigger clients.  Here’s hoping both trainers find better luck (and, perhaps, more loyal clients) in the near future.

More cheerily, we have an exciting return to the races to look forward to this weekend – dual Breeders’ Cup Mile champion Goldikova will take on the talented Stacelita in the Prix d’Ispahan at Longchamp on Sunday.  It will be the seasonal debut for both mares, and both are likely a bit vulnerable here after long layoffs.  Let us recall that Goldikova finished seventh out of nine (or Seven of Nine, if you prefer) in this race last year to inferior competition over a soft course, although she returned to her winning ways next time out.  Stacelita is also looking to bounce back from a seventh-place finish, albeit a respectable one – she faced a tough group in the Arc and finished better than most.

Also Sunday’s Longchamp card is the Prix Saint-Alary, which will feature Deluxe, the latest racing offspring of broodmare superstar Hasili.  The 3-year-old filly is unbeaten in two starts so far, but this will be her first effort in Group 1 company (and her first shot at a 1 1/4 mile distance – her previous wins came at a mile). Stacelita won this race last year before heading to victory in the Prix de Diane – she’s as fine a role model as Deluxe’s many illustrious half-siblings.

Any guesses as to the potential odds for her to complete an Arc/Breeders’ Cup double?

Back in the day, the Derby Trial used to be a legitimate Kentucky Derby prep (and we’ll mention that more next week); nowadays, the two-week turnaround from the Coolmore Lexington to the Derby seems a nearly insurmountable challenge.  But graded earnings can be hard to obtain, and it’s the [...]]]>

Can Uptowncharlybrown pull it off?

Back in the day, the Derby Trial used to be a legitimate Kentucky Derby prep (and we’ll mention that more next week); nowadays, the two-week turnaround from the Coolmore Lexington to the Derby seems a nearly insurmountable challenge.  But graded earnings can be hard to obtain, and it’s the last likely spot in which to earn any, and so a few potential Derby starters are looking to hit the board – ideally, without working too hard at it.

Connemara should perform well here, given his respectable record on synthetic surfaces, but whether the son of Giant’s Causeway will find it a useful Derby prep is another question – he has the look of a synthetic specialist about him.  Uptowncharlybrown will make headlines just for his appearance here; the unexpected death on Monday of his trainer, Alan Seewald, has thrust the spotlight directly upon the chestnut colt with his own blog and Facebook page.  While he will be a sentimental choice, it would also be nice to see a horse who also had some bad luck in the Tampa Bay Derby get another shot – and at least we know he can run on dirt, and I have a soft spot for his sire, Limehouse.  While Kettle River also looks the part of a synthetics-only performer, he did not show much in the Sham, which was his first outing in stakes competition.  Nevertheless, last week’s odd results suggest he’s worth keeping an eye on. I could also see Chief Counsel hitting the board, but doubt that would get him to the Derby – and again, he seems better suited to Polytrack.

In other news, Stardom Bound has been retired, and she’ll be hustled into the breeding shed for a meeting with Big Brown.  While I’d agree she seems beyond her best on the track, I can think of plenty of better matings…sigh.

But there’s an interesting report of a filly across the pond – 3-year-old Deluxe won her second start in France; the daughter of Hasili is aiming to join her siblings as a top-flight racehorse.  She’ll start next in the French 1000 Guineas – remember her name come Breeders’ Cup time!

Here’s a conspiracy theory for you – while Crisp certainly looked fine in her upset victory in the Santa Anita Oaks, it was a race Blind Luck ‘had to lose’ to stave off Derby fever – hence the change to her usual running style (and the troubled trip overall). An easy victory [...]]]>

Game on

Here’s a conspiracy theory for you – while Crisp certainly looked fine in her upset victory in the Santa Anita Oaks, it was a race Blind Luck ‘had to lose’ to stave off Derby fever – hence the change to her usual running style (and the troubled trip overall). An easy victory would have made it harder to argue that she should stick with her own sex (for now), and this keeps her on the road to the Kentucky Oaks, rather than the Derby. In all seriousness, the top three finishers all looked good – and Blind Luck, in particular, looked like she’d relish some extra distance. There’s always the Belmont…

I’m not entirely sold on the colts who ran last weekend (yet) – I liked Awesome Act’s performance in the Gotham, but I’m not quite ready to add him to my top list at present (although I have no good reason for that – I like a versatile horse who can perform on different surfaces); however, he definitely merits further consideration. The same goes for Sham winner Alphie’s Bet, the subject (along with his trainer, Alexis Barba) of a fine article by Joe Drape – I want to see how both horses look in their next starts.

The fact is that the Derby trail is simply not as compelling as what’s happening next Saturday – Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra are both making their yearly debuts. Zenyatta (pictured) has been assigned 127 pounds in the Santa Margarita at Santa Anita; while she’s carrying the high weight, she’s won with more, and the field should not offer her any trouble – she worked another bullet on Friday in preparation, and on paper, it’s another paid workout for her on Saturday.

As for Rachel Alexandra, not many have elected to take her on in the New Orleans Ladies; although she won’t be 100% fit, the field of four other mares should (in theory) still be easy pickings, even with the addition of John Sheriffs’ talented Brazilian trainee Zardana. Still, as this race is really a prep for the Apple Blossom (and it looks as though Rachel Alexandra has been bored with her layoff and needs a race), we’ll wait to see how things pan out – her last work was impressive. We’ll have more on both races as well as Lookin At Lucky’s 3-year-old debut later in the week.

Finally, while things did not pan out for St Trinians in the Big Cap, nicely won by Misremembered, another mare went against the boys and came away with a win – Proviso took home the Kilroe Mile in the final strides, becoming the first filly or mare to win the race. Formerly trained by Bobby Frankel and now in the care of Bill Mott, the British-bred bay has a starry pedigree (by Dansili, so she’s a grand-daughter of Hasili) and has finished within striking distance of Goldikova in France – perhaps she’ll prove a bigger threat in the Breeders’ Cup Mile this year…

But it was a satisfying exit; Champs Elysees capped his career in style, [...]]]> As we move inexorably closer to Breeders’ Cup time (pre-entries are to be announced in a little more than a week), things are fairly quiet – last weekend’s (stateside) races were most notable for a major exit, rather than as Breeders’ Cup preps.

But it was a satisfying exit; Champs Elysees capped his career in style, by going out on a win in the Canadian International. He beat a thoroughly professional field that included Jukebox Jury and Quijano, and he is now off to join his brothers, Dansili and Cacique, at Banstead Manor Stud. It will be interesting to see how they price him, given the economy and the fact that Juddmonte is rather awash in Danehill-Hasili stallions – Dansili is already a proven sire, with notable offspring including Arc winner Rail Link (also a Juddmonte stallion) and Zambezi Sun, but Champs Elysees has had a more varied racing career, including G1 wins – Dansili never won a G1 race. Fellow G1-winning brother Cacique’s fee is officially private, while Dansili stands for £65,000 – will Champs Elysees sit somewhere in the middle, or come in at a lower rate as the junior partner?

And so to some racing that may have more of an impact on the Breeders’ Cup – the Newmarket Champion Stakes. Twice Over (something of a stablemate to Champs Elysees in the sense that both reside under the very large Juddmonte banner) was the winner and while he has earned a spot in the Turf, he may instead follow the European crowd to the Classic. Something of an underachiever at 3 and earlier this year (despite a race record full of glittering opponents, including Sea the Stars, Vision d’Etat, Tartan Bearer, Henrythenavigator and Raven’s Pass – who finished behind Twice Over in the Craven Stakes), he has recently come into his own. On Saturday, he beat a fine field including favo(u)red Fame & Glory (an unthreatening 7th – he may have been tired from a season of chasing Sea the Stars) and held off strong efforts from Mawatheeq and Sariska. Unfortunately neither will be coming to the Breeders’ Cup – Sariska is getting a break before aiming for next year’s Arc – but it seems likely we’ll see both next year. As for Twice Over, he’s flying slightly under the radar (at least compared to Rip Van Winkle) – you may want to make note of him.

Also hoping to go out on a win like Champs Elysees is Red Rocks, winner of the 2006 Turf – but with a slight difference. If a stallion deal for the 6-year-old is not finalized before the Breeders’ Cup, he’ll head to Fasig-Tipton a few days after the race for the auction block. Someone could pick up a bargain – although if Spanish Moon, Conduit and Dar Re Mi do show up, he’ll have his work cut out for him.

Other horses operating in stealth mode (but who appear on the Breeders’ Cup possibles list – PDF warning) include Stardom Bound – she may not have lived up to her potential in the spring, but she’s been working toward redemption in the Filly & Mare Classic. Whether her strong workouts will translate back into a win in the afternoon remains to be seen – but the prospect of Zenyatta losing to ‘Baby Z’ (or to Music Note or Icon Project) should send her to the ‘classic’ Classic (where her name presently does not appear) – a good finish behind just about anyone in this potential field still says a lot. We should know reasonably soon, in either case.

We’ll look at other possible Breeders’ Cup matchups later, but if Radiohead does come for the Juvenile, will he prove fitter/happier than the local boys?

In case you’re wondering how that [...]]]> It’s not a big weekend for the 3-year-olds, but the older horses have plenty going on in California. Champs Elysees is still in the game and he’s taking on his nephew (insofar as we can pretend these terms apply in horse breeding) Zambezi Sun in the San Luis Obispo.

In case you’re wondering how that works, here’s the short version: Champs Elysees is a son of wonder-mare Hasili (pictured) and Zambezi Sun is by Dansili, who is a full brother to Champs Elysees – so it’s a family reunion of sorts (especially given that both horses are now trained by Bobby Frankel). Zambezi Sun had a very respectable record in France (there’s no shame in getting spanked by Zarkava) and seems to like California so far, so this should be a fun race.

I’ll also be keeping an eye out on a few of my other turf favorites – the ever-underrated Spring House and Artiste Royal will hopefully make this interesting. I’m also curious to see how New Zealand-bred longshot Bonjour does (especially with reality-star Joe Talamo aboard) on the California turf.

Before we get to that, the San Carlos headlines Saturday’s card; Georgie Boy is back for more after his Sunshine Millions victory last month. The field isn’t that tough, although you never know when some of the underachievers like Halo Najib or Mutadda may suddenly find their best form.

I’m glad there’s another installment of ‘Jockeys‘ this evening to keep the rest of the household interested in the fates of the Southern california jockeys and their horses – from that perspective, it has been a rousing success!