A Triple Dose of “Curl” Power in Breeders’ Cup Distaff
Although everyone will be anxiously awaiting the reappearance of Flightline in the Breeders’ Cup Classic and his showdown with Life is Good and the nation’s top 3-year-olds, the truly historic moment could come in the Distaff where the three likely favorites will be daughters of Curlin, whose fascinating back story will also be discussed in this week’s column. ~ Steve Haskin
A Triple Dose of “Curl” Power in Breeders’ Cup Distaff
By Steve Haskin
Left to right: Malathaat, Nest, and Clairiere
Is there anyone who can knock off Todd Pletcher’s dynamic daughters of Curlin, Malathaat and Nest, in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff? How about, uh, a daughter of Curlin? With Clairiere appearing the main threat to the Pletcher pair it is safe to say no sire has ever been more dominant in a single race, especially one of this magnitude, than Curlin will be if Malathaat, Nest, and Clairiere all make it to the race.
Curlin, who resides at Hill ‘n’ Dale at Xalapa Farm near Paris, Kentucky, is having an amazing year, both on the track and in the sales ring. Not only does Curlin have a stranglehold on the Distaff, another Hill ‘n’ Dale stallion, Violence, will be represented by Hopeful and Breeders’ Futurity winner Forte in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. Although the undefeated and untested Cave Rock looks to be the solid favorite in the Juvenile it is worth noting that Forte received a faster Thoro-Graph number (2 3/4) at Keeneland than Cave Rock (3) did in the American Pharoah Stakes.
But getting back to Curlin, not only is he holding a strong hand in the Breeders’ Cup, at this year’s Keeneland September yearling sale, in the first two sessions alone he had yearlings sell for $1.7 million, $1.2 million, and $1.1 million. At the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling sale, he topped all sires in average price with eight yearlings selling for an average $1,071,875, including a $2 million filly and a $1.75 million colt.
Now, here he is going into the Breeders’ Cup Distaff with three fillies who have earned a total of $6,559,467, ranging from Malathaat’s $2,750,825 to Nest’s $1,873,050. They have won a total of 10 Grade 1 stakes and placed in eight others.
Going into the Spinster Stakes, the 4-year-old Malathaat and the 3-year-old Nest were polar opposites of each other. Malathaat was a battler who loved a good fight. With the exception of her easy score in the Tempted Stakes early in her career, all 11 of her starts (seven wins, three seconds and a third) were decided by less than two lengths and eight of those were decided by less than one length. In two of her defeats, in which she was beaten a head and a half-length, she was forced to come from 13 lengths back and 9 1/2 lengths back, despite being a stalker who liked to sit just off the pace. And in another defeat, she wound up battling on the lead with Clairiere in a paceless four-horse field, only to be beaten a head by outsider Maracuja, while finishing almost six lengths ahead of Clairiere.
Nest on the other hand, with the exception of her hard-fought victory in the Demoiselle Stakes last year, has won her six races by an average margin of over seven lengths, with her narrowest margin of victory being 4 ½ lengths and her largest being 12 ¾ lengths, 9 ¾ lengths, and 8 ¾ lengths, so she likes to annihilate her opponents and assert her superiority. But she will also be remembered for her gallant performance in the Belmont Stakes, in which she finished second to stablemate Mo Donegal despite having a rough trip, stumbling and getting bumped after the break and losing valuable position.
Returning to Malathaat and the Spinster, something happened to her in that race that bears watching when handicapping the BC Distaff. She stalked the pace as usual, two lengths behind the pacesetting Letruska. But this time when John Velazquez asked her on the far turn she quickly accelerated and blew right on by Letruska, drawing off to a 5 ¼-length victory. That was something we have not seen from her. So was this a case of Malathaat getting so sharp at this stage of her career that she has learned how to put her opponents away or catching a noticeably declining Letruska who now appears to be over the top at age 6? It’s just another interesting aspect of the Distaff to consider. What can be more intriguing than Malathaat and Nest eyeballing each other in the stretch and seeing which one has the true killer instinct.
But let’s not forget Clairiere, who finished behind Malathaat in all four of their meetings last year as three-year-olds. However, since her victory in the Grade 1 Cotillion and her fourth-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff, in which she closed from 11th, 15 lengths back, to be beaten three-quarters of a length and a head behind Malathaat, she has been a different filly, knocking off her nemesis in back-to-back races this year, the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps Stakes at Belmont and the Grade 2 Shuvee Stakes at Saratoga. In her last start, the Grade 1 Personal Ensign Stakes, she was sent off as the 8-5 favorite over Malathaat, but surprisingly just ran around the track the entire race, finishing fifth in the five-horse field, well behind Malathaat. But at the start she hit the front of the gate twice, cutting her tongue, and just wasn’t herself after that. She’s been training steadily since, including a sharp five-furlong breeze over the deep Saratoga training track in 1:00 4/5, and has already had several solid breezes at Keeneland.
So now it is time to see which of the whirlin’ Curlins proves to be the best filly in the country in a race that will determine the winners of the Eclipse Awards for 3-year-old filly and older filly and mare.
Many of you remember Curlin’s career as a racehorse and all his victories and awards and eventual induction into the Hall of Fame, but his early days before he became a two-time Horse of the Year were quite eventful and affected a number of lives and are a major part of his story.
So, using past material from 10 to 15 years ago and new material, here is Curlin’s back story.
No one can really predict Hall of Fame greatness after one start, but there have been a number of fortunate trainers who have had the thrill of foreseeing potential greatness in a young horse. Most of those visions, however, fade away after their sure-fire star descends into mediocrity.
For trainer Helen Pitts and her assistant and exercise rider Hanne Jorgensen, the potential greatness they foresaw in their 3-year-old colt Curlin following his career debut did indeed become reality, but sadly they would never share in it.
On Feb. 3, 2007, Pitts, longtime assistant trainer for Kenny McPeek, and Jorgensen both saw those visions of greatness as they watched their colt demolish a maiden field at Gulfstream by nearly 13 lengths, running the seven furlongs in a snappy 1:22 1/5, earning a 102 Beyer Speed Figure. Unfortunately for Pitts, others with deep pockets were watching as well.
Prior to his career debut Pitts had taken over most of the horses trained by her old boss after McPeek announced he was giving up his stable, at least for a while, to pursue other avenues in racing, mainly bloodstock work. It was McPeek who had picked out Curlin as a yearling at the Keeneland September sale for a modest $57,000. The son of Smart Strike had an OCD lesion removed from his left ankle as a weanling, and it wasn’t a pretty sight at the sale. Although it turned off most buyers, McPeek felt it would be a non-issue. But when his buyers, Shirley Cunningham and Bill Gallion, became angry with McPeek about having to spend $57,000 on a horse with physical issues that no one wanted and having received reports from the farm how bad the ankle looked, McPeek offered to take the colt back and find another client. He felt the colt was a steal at that price and believed he would have gone for $300,000 if his ankle didn’t look so unappealing. Cunningham and Gallion began having second thoughts and decided to keep him.
Pitts had already shown a good deal of success with the McPeek horses, especially with the top grass horse Einstein, and appeared to be a new force in training. Jorgensen had exercised and taken care of Sarava every day at Belmont Park prior to his shocking victory in the 2002 Belmont Stakes at odds of 70-1 until McPeek arrived several days before the race. When Pitts took over many of the McPeek horses and went out on her own, Jorgensen, who had become a good friend, went with her.
After spending several years focusing on bloodstock work, McPeek decided he wanted to get back to training and politicked to get Curlin, but Cunningham and Gallion had already promised him to Pitts and didn’t want to renege on their word.
Curlin was sent to Gail Garrison, manager of Cunningham’s Hillcrest Farm near Lexington, and he immediately began working on the colt’s physical problems. Curlin was at the farm for 60 days, where he was turned out in a paddock and allowed to eat grass each day. Garrison could see he was still a “big, playful kid who was full of vinegar.” He just needed time to grow up and settle into that big effortless stride of his. As McPeek had said all along, the OCD lesion was a non-issue and was never discussed again.
Finally, the colt was sent to Pitts, and it didn’t take long for her and Jorgensen to start seeing those visions of greatness. When Jorgensen worked him, she came back and told Pitts, “I’ve never sat on a horse like this before.”
On July 29, 2006, the Southern Legislative Conference convened at Churchill Downs, where the legislators were treated to a night at the races, which included three exhibition races. When Churchill Downs’ senior vice president of racing, Donnie Richardson, asked Pitts to help out and put a couple of her 2-year-olds in the races, she chose Curlin, who wound up finishing third behind the Bernie Flint-trained Speedway, who had already broken his maiden by three lengths, but was still green and needed more experience.
Riding Curlin that night was Hanne Jorgensen’s husband, Mick Jenner. They had been going together for several years when they faced each other as competitors in the 2002 Belmont Stakes. Jenner was the regular exercise rider for Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner War Emblem. But it was Jorgensen who got the better of that battle, winning the Belmont with the little-regarded Sarava.
Jenner recalled his ride aboard Curlin that night at Churchill Downs. “Curlin had worked a couple of half-miles, but he was just a big ol’ 2-year-old who had never been asked to do anything at that point,” he said. “Everything he’d done was on the bit. The race was only a quarter of a mile and he was bucking and rearing, and I was hanging on for dear life. So I not only got Curlin beat, I got him well beat.” But it at least gave him a taste of competition under race conditions.
As Curlin matured he began to convince Pitts and Jorgensen that he could be something special. They were expecting big things first time out, as, apparently, was everyone else, with Curlin being sent off as the 2-1 favorite. For a new trainer like Pitts, it’s a very fine line between joy and dread when a young 3-year-old runs off the screen in his debut. The crashing sound you usually hear afterwards is that of the rich folks breaking open their piggy banks. You know the million-dollar offers are going to start pouring in for that brilliant ready-made Derby horse, and that a sale is most likely going to result in the horse being given to the buyer’s trainer, especially if he’s Pletcher or Asmussen or Mott or Baffert.
So, when Curlin rocked the Derby trail in his debut, Pitts knew there was a good chance she could lose the horse. Ironically, at the time of Curlin’s victory, Steve Asmussen just happened to be stabled in her barn, preparing Leprechaun Racing’s Gunfight for the 6 1/2-furlong Swale Stakes, his only starter at the meet. Asmussen had recently lost his big Derby horse, Tiz Wonderful, owned by Jess Jackson’s Stonestreet Stables, to injury and had no idea how he was going to replace a horse of that caliber, one who was undefeated and had already won the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes at Churchill Downs.
Because Asmussen was stabled in Pitts’ barn, he had gotten to see Curlin close up on a daily basis and was impressed with everything he saw. When Curlin romped in his debut, it set the wheels in motion. Watching the race on simulcast at the Ocala Breeders 2-year-old sale was John Moynihan, who was Jess Jackson’s bloodstock manager. Watching from his home in San Francisco was owner George Bolton. Both had the same reaction – “Wow!” Asmussen after seeing the race, watched the colt cool out and said to himself, “We’ve got to get that horse.”
Bolton contacted someone at the Ragozin Sheets and found out Curlin had run a “5 3/4,” an extraordinary number for a first-time starter. The pieces were beginning to come together.
Moynihan knew that the offers would start to pour in for the colt, so he drove down to Gulfstream to see the horse and then contacted Cunningham and Gallion. As he figured, an offer had already come in, this one from Barry Irwin, president of Team Valor, who offered $1.75 million, but, as Irwin put it, his bid was “blown out of the water” by subsequent bids. As it turned out, there were 15 bids on the horse, each with different stipulations.
Cunningham and Gallion wanted to stay in for a minority interest, and the day after the race, Super Bowl Sunday, Moynihan began negotiations, representing Jackson, Bolton, and another interested party, Satish Sanan. By 2 a.m. Monday morning, the deal was completed.
Although Cunningham and Gallion had received larger offers for the whole horse, the Moynihan group’s selling point was allowing them to stay in as minority partner.
The only thing left to be done was for Moynihan to look at Curlin on the racetrack to see how he had come out of the race and to make sure he was sound. So, Pitts brought him to the track that morning and when Curlin began bucking and squealing the deal was finalized for a reported $3.5 million. That would be the last time Pitts would lead him to the track.
Asmussen was delighted, having found his Derby horse. He felt everything was meant to be, because if Tiz Wonderful hadn’t gotten hurt, Jackson would not have been looking for a Derby horse to replace him, and, as he put it, he’d be trying to figure out how to beat Curlin instead of training him.
Pitts and Jorgensen were devastated, especially having to watch their dream horse depart after devoting so much time and effort getting him through some physical issues and becoming so close to him.
“I cried my eyes out when they sold him,” Jorgensen said shortly after the sale. “We babied him for such a long time. He bucked his shins twice and we tried to get him through it and worked hard with him. And then, one big race and he’s gone. We felt he was something special before he even started, we really did. I understand it’s hard to turn down that kind of money, and they did keep a piece of him, so it wasn’t hard for them. But it’s hard for us, because you get so attached to them.”
Curlin, of course, set off on his meteoric rise to stardom, winning the Rebel Stakes by 5 1/4 lengths and the Arkansas Derby by 10 1/2 lengths before finishing an excellent third in the Kentucky Derby after encountering traffic problems at a key point in the race which was a terrific effort considering it was only the fourth start of his life, and the last horse to win the Derby with only three starts was Regret in 1915.
Pitts and Jorgensen, meanwhile, had to move on, and they did have Einstein still in the barn. And it was Einstein, also owned by Cunningham and Gallion’s Midnight Cry Stable, who brought Pitts to Pimlico on Preakness Day to saddle the horse in the Dixie Stakes on the grass. As if it weren’t tough enough being stabled near Curlin and watching all the media flock to him and the Derby winner Street Sense, she had to then endure a horrific trip by Einstein.
When he moved up to challenge down the backstretch in the Dixie, a horse went down in front of him, causing Einstein to stumble so badly he unseated jockey Robby Albarado, who was also Curlin’s rider. So, here was Pitts having to watch Einstein run loose the rest of the race, returning with a grabbed quarter.
But her emotionally draining day was far from over. She then retreated to the hospitality tent at the end of the stakes barn and watched Curlin, who appeared to be beaten at the top of stretch, stage a sensational late rally to win the Preakness by a head over Street Sense. Although she wanted only the best for Curlin, having to suffer the anguish of Einstein’s misfortune and then see her dream horse win a classic for someone else had to tug hard at her emotions.
“I have mixed feelings,” Pitts said following the Preakness. She was trying hard to say the right things, but it was obvious she was struggling to deal with her feelings, especially the trauma of the Dixie and Einstein’s injury.
“Horses like this are hard to come by” she added, “and I feel honored to have been a part of him at some point. But what can you do? It’s hard.”
Curlin went on to have a famed career winning the Breeder’s Cup Classic, Dubai World Cup, Jockey Club Gold Cup, Woodward Stakes and several other races, retiring in 2008 with record earnings of $10,501,800.
Now 15 years after losing one of the greatest horses of this century, Hanne Jorgensen, who has moved back to her native Norway, living outside Oslo, can only look back and be grateful for the part she and Pitts played in the emergence of Curlin as a superstar.
“It goes without saying that Curlin still ranks as number 1 in my heart,” she said. “I’m so happy that his career at stud has been so successful. Malathaat is just so impressive and I loved her Kentucky Oaks win in particular. Now I can’t wait to see how Nest will do. And of course Clairiere. It was hard to miss out on the great racing career he had, but it was special just to have been a small part of his beginning. I went to visit him early in his stud career and it was terrific to see how well he looked. I wish I could be at Keeneland and see his three daughters run.”
On a personal note, at the end of the month I will be visiting Curlin, as well as Violence and two of my favorites, Vox Populi Award winner Mucho Macho Man and champion Ghostzapper at Hill ‘n’ Dale at Xalapa. Please note on October 22 there will be tours of the historic farm as part of Secretariat.com’s Paris-Day Fest – one to visit the stallion barn and the rest of the farm and one just to visit the stallion barn. I for one am looking forward to seeing Curlin, knowing that in November he could very well be making history.
Photos courtesy of New York Racing Association/Coglianese, Hill ‘n” Dale Farm
Racing historian, author, and award-winning retired journalist for the Daily Racing Form and The Blood-Horse, Steve Haskin was inducted into the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame’s Media Roll of Honor in 2016. Known for his racing knowledge and insightful prose, he has been an exclusive contributor to Secretariat.com since 2020.
Keep forgetting to head over to this site. Great article and he indeed has a fantastic BC WITH 3 Winners and 2 more 3rds and a 4th. The Bc DISTAFF will go down as one of the greatest. The Bc Mile will always be remembered for both Cody’s.
Search results, turns the tables!
Thanks Steve
GREAT article
We all know i have been a huge supporter and fan of Curlin and now his offspring since day one.
I would not bet against all 3 fillies making the HoF. Only a question of who gets there first.
Malathaat will get to the HOF 1ST
Just announced that 2.5% interest in Flightline held by West Point Thoroughbredsv will be auctioned off at the November Keeneland Bloodstock Sale.
Flightline will be standing at Lanes End but his fee has not been announced.
I’ll have a stab at a reasonable $150,000 first up.
Count me as one who is glad to see Bob bringing his horses to Keeneland! Cave Rock will be an even money favorite, Laurel River is going to be one of the Dirt Mile favorites he is a good horse….Messier also, which adds spice! Bob has another two year old, National Treasure, I saw him on Pacific Classic Day, he went :44 1/5 and persevered, then ran very well in the ‘Pharoah….a well balanced smaller (than Cave Rock) colt, a GOOD one …
Blacbeard has been retired. Injury (chipped knee).
Loved this horse, was looking forward to him coming to the Breeders Cup.
But in his best interest of course. Thankful for that.
Lynda, I know how deflating it is reading this kind of news about horses who have stolen your heart. I was hoping Blackbeard would win for at Keeneland. Just bad luck. At least he’s safe.
Hello Davids,
No expert by any means on leg injuries in horses other than splints, tendons, DSLD, absences, hoof bruises etc bit this curable. Many Thoroughbreds have chips and usually after orthoscopic surgery they can return to training and racing in 6 months.
Some, well quite a few actually in Ireland saying that this was a business decision on Coolmore”s part. He will serve the small breeders market that want a precouscious 2 year old but cannot afford NNN’s fee.
Read too that Stradavarius will be standing for the equivalent of $10,000 USD. Have not confirmed tha
Who ate you liking in the Melbourne Cup. Been trying to keep up with the final draw, but that is a lot of horses, HA, HA.
Lynda, the Coolmore ‘business decision’ fits well into their modus operandi. Standing precocious, Group 1 winners at 2 years & 3 years if Classic performers that have international appeal for shuttling. Early ROI. The model is extremely successful.
With the Melbourne Cup, weather plays a crucial part so often I wait for the Monday to decide. The Melbourne Cup is always run on the first Tuesday in November and it’s a public holiday here in Melbourne. The whole city is engulfed in racing, the rest of the country to a lesser extent, for that week – Oaks day Thursday is when I go to the track.
When picking a winner: if it’s a hot day and the track is like cement – a light weighted gelding with an inside draw. Wet day, look for a mud lark and preferably a light weighted mare with an inside draw. Cool day softish track – best bred horse/colt, filly/mare with a sound record of going the distance and having an inside draw.
The jockeys with outside draws will cross right in front of the path of others to get good position – the prize money is too good.
However, at this stage though, I’d go for Loft or Duais.
Loft’s name is being mentioned a lot. Just for the fun of it, probably going to check out the mares and fillies.
Thank you for the info.
As to Coolmore, their business model is repeated ad nauseum year after year here in the US. Might be good for business but not the sport.
Steve wrote a great article for Blood Horse some years back about the demise of the small private stable. Was excellent, wish he would publish it again.
I am used to it all now, it has happened so many times. Guess I have no choice but to accept it if I am going to continue to follow the sport.
Lynda, it’s always a little bit more special when a filly/mare wins the Melbourne Cup. Here’s a gem for you, go to YouTube and search for the 1988 MacKinnon Stakes (prep for the Melbourne Cup) and the 1988 Melbourne Cup both won by the monster mare Empire Rose. Empire Rose was extremely charismatic, the fans loved her.
If you want a potted history on how racing changed and by whom search for Robert Sangster on Wikipedia. Modern racing was all down to his influence. It’s a short read.
Davids, I knew bits and pieces of the backstory on Coolmore and the article on Wikipedia that I read this morning about Robert Sangster filled in the gaps.
When I Googled Sangster a link came up to a book written in the 90’s about the rise and fall of Thorougbred horse racing and Sangster with a caption about the bankruptcies of thousands of breeding farms.
Will probably download the Kindle version to see what the author has to say.
Lynda, introducing the syndications of stallion prospects by Sangster et al at one stage seemed that not only could you have your cake at eating too but amass a fortune on the side. Northern Dancer being the golden gander behind the scene.
Sangster’s millions, Magnier’s vision and O’Brien’s talent and ability to pick yearlings that would win certainly resulted not only in a mega empire but a paradigm change from sport to industry.
Sad thing is the collateral damage they left in their wake with thousands of small breeding farms going bankrupt.
The competition between Coolmore and Godolphin (including Darley, Shadwell etc) is also interesting.
I would say at the moment Godolphin is ahead because of Frankel.
Not impressed with American Pharoah crops so far. The 2022 mares bred report just came out. Have not looked at the list yet so do not know how many mares AP covered this year.
Just going by Justify’s first ravingcrops, I would have tonsay he will be the superior of the two in the breeding shed eventhough I do not like him.
Wonder which one will win the Derby or possibly the Triple Crown first, Godolphin, Coolmore or Japan?
A real shame was the loss of Arrogate at such a young age. I have been impressed by his foal crops.
Still, the best horses on dirt, however, are coming from the small breeding farms.
The Shiek’s daughter (Shadwell) is making a lot of purchases at the sales. She supposedly has a good eye for horses and is very knowledgeable. She was very close to her father snd shared his love of the sport and the horses.
Still think Coolmore made a mistake about Carravaggio, LOL.
Just some random thoughts as we await the Breeders Cup.
Gawd, I just realized EARLY VOTING has retired. Rich Strike is the only winner of a Triple Crown race this year who is still racing.
Linda and Davids, I really enjoy your back-and-forth discussions on international racing!
Yes, his retirement was announced about ten days ago.
Guess we will see the usual numerous retirements after the BC.
Good news is that Nest will be back next year.
Lynda, I love Blackbeard’s sire, No Nay Never. I felt so badly when Wesley Ward’s Strike The Tiger died in a barn fire. He used to bring him to accompany his horses to Royal Ascot every year.
Terri, I did not know that about Mr Ward’s horse. So sad.
I too love No Nay Never and adore Mendelsson.
Just do not know how to explain it. Some horses just take hold of one’s heart and don’t let go.
Who goes off as the 2nd favorite in the BC Classic? Life Is Good’s BSFs are trending downward. Admittedly, with excuses. Epicenter and Taiba are both trending upward with their BSFs. I think that one of those two 3-year olds can go off as the 2nd choice and that Life Is Good could drift up to maybe 10-1 if people go crazy on Flightline. This will only be Life Is Good’s 2nd try at a mile and a quarter. He can improve off of his Dubai World Cup performance at the distance and I think he will. I think that it will be Life Is Good battling it out with Flightline in the stretch. Then, the question becomes: Will we ever see either one of them race again? Probably 10% for Life Is Good and 40-50% for Flightline that they race next year from what I’ve read.
Epicenter will be second choice…IF..track is fast—Expect TWO horses under 10-1, everything else INCLUDING Life Is Good a $20 horse….that is IF a fast surface, I am hearing rains are predicted (wah..)..
I believe big money will come in on Life is Good. I see him being in the 4-1 or 9/2 range. Someone once gave me some advice and it was, “if you can find the race to toss, you’re the boss.” And the race I’d toss is the one in Dubai.
It looks like the Breeders Cup Classic will be the 11th race on Saturday. So, even if Flightline wins, we’ll have an undercard race as the 12th race giving us a chance to “get out”.
I remember a couple of Japanese horses winning at Del Mar last year. One paid a whopping price. I haven’t heard of any Japanese runners coming this year. We’ll find out on Wednesday. Unless somebody leaks the information early.
From HRN “Reed did not rule out the possibility of Rich Strike going to both races. They fall 20 days apart. Reed and Dawson famously decided not to run back in the Preakness two weeks after winning the Derby.”
Guess what? If for some reason Flightline does not fire and Rich Strike wins the BCC, then there is a good possibility of him running in the Clark and go after that once in a lifetime chance of HOTY.
That should be great for racing
Hi Steve, Did you get to stay for another day or two in Lexington and make a visit to Keenland? I hope you got to speak to some of the trainers entering in the Breeders Cup. And that you took photos of some of the horses entered in the Breeders Cup.
It looks like Tyler Gafflione and Johnny V are riding this season at Keenland.
I hope Johnny V gave Sonny Leon a strong talking to. He is respected by all of the jockeys in the US. He’s a gentleman on and off the track and is a class act.
I think Leon did not do that intentionally. Why would he? he practically had the race won.
Yes, there is doubts that the saddle did not slip, but he could have simply lost his balance.
Never heard of him not the connections before the derby, so I am willing to give him a chance.
I havent left yet. We’ll be there Thursday.
Rich Strike’s entry in the classic could have been the continuation of a great underdog story, but in my eyes his connections have squandered much of the goodwill. It won’t be the first time connections have done a little too much talking, think California Chrome. Rich Strike has run well, but the excuses are wearing thin. He had every chance to get second in the Travers but wasn’t good enough. In the Lukas, he hung. Maybe if Leon had ridden his own horse, he could have won. Leon’s ride in the derby was miraculous,but subsequent rides revealed himself as not up to the task. His antics in the Lukas were a disgrace. Eric Reed’s defense of Leon and his participation in toe grab gate have left a bad taste. Personally, i am over Rich Strike.
To defend Rich Strike, he was out almost 3 months going into the Travers and was coming off a bad race. I can excuse him for hanging a little at the end, but I give him credit for running a strong race and almost getting second. As for the Lukas, you criticize the excuses but you gave him a great one by saying Leon blew it, which I believe he diid. He keeps him straight and I believe he wins.
Hi Steve, welcome back from Lexington. I hope you and Joan enjoyed your trip.
I was curious if the famous farm that bred, raised, and named Rich Strike has expressed interest in standing him.
It’s been so many years since Calumet bred a Kentucky Derby winner.
What a wonderful gift for the owner, Brad Kelly. I like that Mr. Kelly thinks outside the box. He’s very much like Mr. Stronach in that regard.
P.S. It was very astute that the Japanese purchased Caravaggio from Coolmore. When Coolmore advertised and listed his pedigree there was no mention of his dam sire: Holy Bull; they mentioned his dam and his sire, Scat Daddy. As Holy Bull never ran in the Breeders Cup and was compromised in the Derby I don’t think they knew who Holy Bull was. And Caravaggio looks like his grand pop, Holy Bull. I don’t think they realized his potential as the bull could run and win in races multiple distance races.
Hey Steve, it’s you again? I must be losing it, welcoming myself back from someplace I havent been to yet.
Oops, I thought you went to Lexington for the Secretariat.com gathering on October 22nd.
Hi Steve 1 or is it Steve 2?
Totally agree with you about Carrivaggio. I think Japan is getting a stallion with so much potential and a great pedigree that sound cross really well with the broodmare band they have assembled.
Agree too about Brad Kelly. I so appreciate his mission for his breeding operation.
Hope you (and Joan) had great time in Lexington and if you have hot been yet, you do have a great time.
Either way, looking forward to photos and your impressions about the BC entries.
Oops Lynda. Somehow, they put my comment under Steve’s name. LOL. Crazy things do happen n the internet.
By the way, Jimmy Bell (who used to be in charge of Darley) used to say about Holy Bull; he was able to run any distance and on any surface. I also like what Mike Smith said about him; he was holy and he was a bull.
PS, I thought that Steve and Joan went to attend the festivity in honor of Secretariat on October 22nd.
Terri, that has happened to me more than once.
Like what Mike said, described him perfectly.
Did you see those gorgeous photos of Flightline arriving at Keeneland?
Do not know who took them, but the trees behind him in their full orange glow and him standing there, ears up, with that look of eagles just took my breath.
Jane Lyon posted one thus afternoon and she mentioned he is 16.2 or 16.3.
He looked as someone said like Man O ‘War.
Trying not get too excited about the race, might jinx it. I cannot jinx the race of course but I am sure you know what I mean.
It going to be one of those races when I hold my breath for two minutes.
Lynda, relax, you might only have to hold your breath for 1.58.5. Lol.
Steve, In both the Travers and Lukas I felt Leon moved Rich Strike too soon. Now whether he was under orders by Reed to do so it is unclear, but Reed has stated he is trying to get “more” early speed into Rich Strike. Not sure why he is as horse did his best race as a closer. From the pictures I saw I could see the concern about possible toegrab but it also looked like it could have been a build up of dirt between the shoe. It seems to have been investigated and cleared up and is done with.
Toegate is not over Downthestretch. Rich Strike connections are appealing the HISA decision.
I am trying to stay out of this. I have my opinions but choosing to keep them to myself. Have not read the HISA report.
Thanks Lynda, apparently that story of appeal just hit today. From what I read the shoe put on HRC was a toe grab plate but before put on HRC the toe grab had been ground down to match the rest of the shoe. Apparently, there were no non-toegrab shoes available at the time of the shoeing so they had to do that to make it conform. So for now TOEGATE continues. So Steve , while in Kentucky can you check on how tracks will be checking horses before races on having the proper shoes since HISA has made them illegal. Tracks are granted Licenses and given permission to allow pari-mutuel wagering they should be protecting the public. Your thoughts?
Cave Rock worked a crisp 6 furlongs in 1:11+ … still no work for Country Grammer, a little strange there. Rich Strike is confirmed for the BCC set to work on Tuesday, Reed said that would be his last work before the Classic, I hope it is a quick one, would love to see 6 furlongs in 1:11+. Epicenter had a workmanlike 5-furlong work in 1:00+, a mile out in 1:40+, I was expecting a little faster. Cyberknife a nice 6-furlong work in 1:12+ right now headed for the dirt mile… good spot for him and I like his chances there. Chad Brown gave his BC horses works today… Nothing to write home about. Hot Rod Charlie a workmanlike work 5 fulongs in 1:00+ just an OK work was expecting a faster and longer work… Maybe O’Neil saving that for next weekend.
Thanks for the info. Saves me some clicks and navigating.
Speaking of Cave Rock, the American Pharoah Stakes on 10-8-22 was kind of strange. Strange because the first four horses across the line were all trained by BB. It was basically a BB Stable training race. Cave Rock won easily, and National Treasure finished 2nd. But, behind them there were 6 other horses strung out all the way back to the top of the stretch seemingly. In a strange way, it reminded me of Flightline’s Pacific Classic. When Flightline hit the wire, wasn’t the rest of the field just turning into the stretch? OK. Maybe that’s an exaggeration. But not much of one.
I’ve been thinking about how to bet the BC Classic. Last year, they offered a 2-day Daily Double on the Juvenile and the Classic. This year, that would feature Cave Rock at something like 4-5 and Flightline at maybe 2-5. If you got even-money on Cave Rock, and that’s a big “if” IMO, the parlay would pay something like $5.60 for each $2 wagered. So, maybe you could get $6 for the Daily Double. Not my kind of bet, but if you like both Cave Rock and Flightline, it could be a way for you to get 2-1. Two to one could be iffy. IMO, Cave Rock and Flightline will be the 2 lowest priced horses over the 2-day event. They are likely to get hammered in that Daily Double wager if it’s offered this year. This could be one of the rare times that the “Double” pays less than the Parlay. I guess Golden Pal could also go off at pretty low odds. We’ll see.
Speaking of Cave Rock, the American Pharoah Stakes on 10-8-22 was kind of strange. Strange because the first four horses across the line were all trained by BB. It was basically a BB Stable training race. Cave Rock won easily, and National Treasure finished 2nd. But, behind them there were 6 other horses strung out all the way back to the top of the stretch seemingly. In a strange way, it reminded me of Flightline’s Pacific Classic. When Flightline hit the wire, wasn’t the rest of the field just turning into the stretch? OK. Maybe that’s an exaggeration. But not much of one.
I’ve been watching race replays and thinking up bets for the Breeders Cup while trying not to mess up my BC Bankroll. Anyway, I ran across something interesting. I learned something new. I was looking at Highfield Princess who is getting lots of buzz for the Breeders Cup Turf Sprint. Her win 2 races back at York she beat a 2-year old filly named The Platinum Queen who ran 2nd and appears to be greased lightning. I don’t remember ever seeing 2-year olds racing against older here in The U.S. It was a strange race that featured the 2-year old filly, The Platinum Queen. The 5-year old Mare, Highfield Princess, and various other Colts and Geldings. The key was the weights. Highfield Princess carried 138 lbs. and The Platinum Queen 114.
Highfield Princess has won races at distances from 5-furlongs to 7-furlongs and at tracks in England, Ireland, and France. Her trainer has her firing on all cylinders right now. She’s adaptable. She wins on the lead or stalking. She could give Golden Pal some trouble. The negatives are that she has already had 7 races this year and the 3 races that I watched were all on straightaways. Can she handle the turn at Keenland? But, she’s been around the block a couple of times and strikes me as the kind of horse that can adapt to almost anything.
As for The Platinum Queen, she’s really fast. Again, the question is the turn. Will she handle it if she shows up for the Juvenile Turf Sprint? Also, she has raced only at 5-furlongs. Can she handle an extra 1/2 furlong and a turn?
Flightline should be arriving at Keeneland any moment now….just watching the Classic, not betting! Very much like when I was at the 1980 Strub, I did not bet I just enjoyed a great horse….this is a horse to enjoy…yesterday at Clockers Corner everyone was there to enjoy watching a horse work…now it’s Keeneland’s turn.
NO BET??? Are you crazy? Just kidding, Matthew. I admire your restraint. The key to winning at the track is “discipline”.
I mean….you COULD bet against Flightline, but….ya really think you’re gonna cash that bet??!!..
Matthew – did you happen to see the results from Los Al last night? 1st time I’ve seen this in awhile with the place pick all bet. 8 out of 10 was the best anyone could do.
The Los AL place pick all is a great wager! Because of smaller pools, sometimes it pays a bunch! That’s because few hit it. ..I’ve cashed on 8 of 10, and big! Total surprise! I usually put ip a PPA wager, at Los Al, when I play….
Matthew, you should bet on Flightline just for posterity. Could be the last great horse of this caliber.
I was thinking this morning what does Secretariat, Seattle Slew, Spectacular Bid, Bernardini, and Flightline all have in common – Bold Ruler sire line. That is not a coincidence.
Davids now that the tickets print the horse’s name on them I just might do that…I wish tickets were like those thicker, more textured ones of yesteryear…they are more collectable..
That’s so true Matthew.
Even if it rains at Keenland on November 4th & 5th, could it ever be as bad as that Breeders Cup that they had at Monmouth? I bet they never go back there again. If I remember correctly, I think that the Breeders Cup is back to Santa Anita next year. I’d love to see Belmont and Churchill Downs get back into the rotation. But, who knows what’s going on with that Churchill turf course? When last seen for the “Arlington Million”, it was in horrible shape IMO. Lots of sand or dirt flying up in the air. I hope they can get it squared away for Oaks/Derby Days in May.
14 day is calling for high in 70’s and low in 40’s and sunshine for the BC.
However the weather can be unpredictable year round in Southern states.
I heard Belmont stopped applying….
Maybe they will start applying again after they complete their remodel.
That’s correct. Racetracks are required to have top line facilities/amenities to host a Breeders’ Cup Carnival.
The main threat in November here is heavy rains that are the result of tropical depressions that come up from the Gulf of Mexico
I can remember snow in early November in the mountains in Virginia but it is rare. Typically we had snow, sleet, freezing rain etc during December, January and February. Sometimes snow as late as April amd early May.
Horses were stopping in the stretch, at Monmouth, the very good George Eashington broke down in front of yhe grandstand, in the Clasdic….it got too deep, with mud….
Speaking of workouts, I heard Elliot Walden comment on Life Is Good’s 5-furlong workout yesterday. He said that LIG galloped out a mile in 1:39. That’s what I wanted to hear. Combined with Flightline’s workout this morning, we should be setup for a good race in 2 weeks. It will be the best field that Flightline has faced. Of course, with Flightline in the starting gate, it will also be the best field that Life Is Good has ever faced.
It also sounded like the Classic will be Life Is Good’s final race.
Lots of really good races to look forward to in this year’s Breeders Cup. All we need is clear skies and fast & firm.
The Pegasus would be a great match, for Flightline and Life Is Good….Sadler said they may go….
He’s a disgrace!
Just heard trainer Sadler say Flightline worked 6F in 1:11 and 4/5. Galloped out 1 1/8 mile in 1:51 and change
Perfect workout !!! That gallop out in 1:51 for 1 1/8 is unreal !!!
Well I came out to see Flightline’s penultimate work, but was 6 minutes late! Breakfast very good and cheap! Coffee free…..just saw a pod of Thoroughbreds, come put, for a gallop….so beautiful….The Great Race Place..
Ron MacAnally, sitting right across from me..by himself….
It sounds like you were “dining with the stars” this morning Matthew. It also sounds like you need a new alarm clock.
But…Sadler said they were going to work later on this AM, a photographer told me they changed their mind yesterday, and decided to work at the usual 6:30…in yhe dark…I did not get the memo….I thought I was 30 min early….
Matthew W, I watched a replay. Really could not see anything but the headlight on the exercise riders head. Know you were disappointed.
For those who may be betting on the Cox Plate today at Moonee Valley, it’s been pouring all night so check the wet weather form on the runners. I was going today but I’ll watch on the races on TV now, rain is expected all day. The humidity is incredibly dense like walking in soup. Shame about the weather, they had to shift the Manikato Stakes from last night to today because of the flashing, lightning last night. It may clear later but that seems doubtful.
TVG does not carry Moonie Valley….
Matthew if you have a VPN you could try selecting the location as Melbourne, Sydney etc then join 7plus.com.au This is Channel 7 TV’s website. They are showing all the races from Melbourne and Sydney all the way up to the Melbourne Cup week of races and it’s totally free. Frankly, the Australian TV coverage of racing is excellent.
Worth a try even if you haven’t got a VPN.
By the way, the day has cleared to blue skies and sunshine but Melbourne weather can have the 4 seasons in one day. Lol.
I like Anamoe (Street Boss – Anamato by Redoute’s Choice) for Godolphin in the Cox Plate… not much value there at 1 to 2 right now in my betting provider website.
Everyone was impressed when we won the Cox prep (the Neds Might And Power at Caufield) 12 days ago.
Anamoe has handled heavy goings before but I think Mr. Brightside (11-1) will like it best and will improve out of his 4th place in that prep race.
I can not believe Zaaki and I’m Thunderstruck are 18 and 14 to 1 respectively. They lost by a neck to Anamoe at Caufield.
3 minutes to the start…!
Those last two are now 7 to 1 (Zaaki) and 9 to 1 (I’m Thunderstruck)… more likely now
Well done, Nelson. I was hoping for Zaaki – Blushing Groom line.
Anamoe wins the greatest Australian race…!!!
First Cox Plate for Godolphin
I can not believe Street Boss has sired such a brilliant Stayer…!
Nelson, are you getting the Channel 7 feed for the Moonee Valley races?
No. Just my betting website.
If you’re still in Canada the time zones aren’t the best, lol, but if you want to watch the whole cards have a go with a VPN and join 7plus.com.au Excellent coverage.
Thanks for the tip… I just tested the VPN Australia and it works well BUT It needs to create an account though and it is not accepting my postcode…!
7plus.com.au doesn’t take my postcode so I am not able to create an account with them.
Bad luck, Nelson. At least we tried. Ha ha The TV coverage on Channel 7 is the best I’ve seen for racing. It’s light years ahead of the other racing countries. They trace the horses close up as they trace Australian Rules football. If you’ve even seen that code you’d know what I mean. They have so many cameras focusing at all angles.
Great ride by James McDonald, James Cummings trainer famous Australian racing family. 7th Group 1 wins for Anamoe, son of Street Boss.
Always find it intriquing that so many of these horses go back to Sir Gaylord.
Read an interesting comment recently that even if Somethingroyal had not foaled Secretariat that she would have been remembered as the dam of Sir Gaylord.
Mr Chenery’s careful selection of broodmares still has an impact to this day.
Another beautiful day at Keenland. Can this weather hold out for another 2 weeks? A little rain on Monday or Tuesday of “CUP-week” could set the tracks up perfectly.
Reading about Curlin’s first team made me think of Rachel Alexandra’s original trainer. I always felt bad for him, too.
Steve, enjoy your visit with Mucho Macho Man! Meeting him was the highlight of my trip to Kentucky in 2019.
I spent that morrning after the Oaks with Hal and he talked about losing her. I also felt badly for him. It was hard on him. I cant wait to see Macho.
When I saw Mucho Macho Man a few years ago, his hooves looked marvelous. And although he is over 18 hands, he was of thin build. He is not built like Tiznow.
Never liked RA moved. Hal did a good job. New barn/owner, huge disgrace!
LIG just worked today 5 furlongs in 1:00.40
Thanks. Good to hear.
Tommy Mc, don’t expect any longer and faster than this for LIG before the BC.
Saw TAIBA worked on 6/19/22 6 furlong in 1:14 flat… Was expecting a little faster (1:12 or faster) Baffert has said in the past that TAIBA can be lazy at times. I hope that is the case here.
Expecting FLIGHTLINE to work 7 Furlong tomorrow in sub 1:25. If he does he should be sitting on another big one.
A little concerned that Country Grammar (CG) has not worked recently. If he doesn’t work tomorrow or Sunday something must be up with him.
Maybe Baffert is just conceding the BCC to Flightline and maybe looking for a softer spot for him (CG) and just wants Taiba to just finish in front of Epicenter in the BCC…. Wish I could get into the White hair’d fox’s mindset for the BC !!!
Thanks for the info. I assume that Flightline will work very well tomorrow. He always works really well.
On another blog Sadler said he going to work the horse longer but turned it back to 6 furlongs and just have him gallop out because he is doing exceptionally well. One more work after tomorrow and that will be at Keeneland.
BB has zero chance.
The more I read about the Breeders Cup Classic, the more that I get the feeling that Epicenter could go off as the 2nd favorite in the race. Could Life Is Good drift up to as high as 10-1? I figure Flightline at no higher than 3-5 and more likely 2-5. His fantastic 126 BSF in the Pacific Classic will insure that. No fun and very little profit in betting that. Before Flightline came along, Life Is Good was “the freak”. I think that Life Is Good will be in front of Flightline. Can he take them all the way? I agree with Steve Haskin’s last column and think that he is the only one who can. At possibly 10-1, I’ll take the chance that Life Is Good takes them into the stretch and then let’s see what happens. I won’t go crazy though. No more than a $30 win bet. My Breeders Cup will be won or lost on about 5 other races that I like a lot better. People seem to be focusing on LIG’s Dubai World Cup race and his visually unimpressive win over the “off” track in his last race. But, as Steve Haskin suggests, was LIG’s last race really a bad performance, or was it the perfect prep for him to run the race of his lifetime? He’ll need his best race to pull it off.
With all of that being said, if I don’t see a workout by Life Is Good by the end of this weekend, I will abandon ship.
15 days is normal…21 days is also fine, after a race….ran in a slow-ish off track, I’m sure he is dead fit….and I’m also sure they want the lead…they want a fresh horse..
One thing about Flightline. Even off of his incredible performance in the Pacific Classic, he looks like he is still training forwardly to me. I’m no workout expert, but I see what I see. I’m sure that Flightline will be there at the finish. But, I figure his odds at about 2-5. Too low for me to bet on him. In fact, I think that Flightline will be “singled” on an extraordinary number of multi-race wagers. I’ll take the chance with Life Is Good with a $25 or $30 win bet and hope for 8-1 or 10-1. It wouldn’t be the first time that I lost in a horse race. There will be 22 races over the 2-day Breeders Cup event. Plenty of chances to make a “score”.
Life Is Good winning….would mean Flightline losing…and Epicenter, whose Travers was terrific, as well as his Derby—running into that pace and staying the length of the stretch, his two best races have been his two 10 fur races, the two most important races for three year olds, and he very well might be improving—Life Is Good would be a surprise, to me…
Country Grammar will take some action I believe also. He was 7/2 against Flightline in the Pacific Classic.
I just saw that Country Grammer is listed as a possible entrant rather than probable. He hasn’t had a recorded workout either since his 10/1 race which seems a bit overdue for a Baffert contender.
Liam, agree with your assessment of an overdue workout for Country Grammar. see my comment above.
The Todd Pletcher horses, Nest and Malathaat, will likely be the favorites in the Distaff. But, will the two Steve Asmussen horses, Clairiere and Society, upset the apple cart? Society is a Gun Runner filly and is fast. But, she takes another big step up to face the three Curlin fillies. With Letruska possibly going to the Breeders Cup F & M Sprint, if she runs in the BC at all, Society could find herself on the lead if she can outrun Search Results. Is Society a real threat to win? Or, does she set things up for her stablemate?
Even though she lost to Malathaat in her last race, I can’t forget how stand-out beautiful Search Results was in the post parade. Her form might be coming around again at the perfect time.
The Distaff will likely have one of the shortest fields of the 2-day BC, but it will be a very competitive and interesting race.
Thank you Steve for this most interesting story. You always ferret out the connections between horses/trainers/owners/breeders, and their back stories, so masterfully. Curlin is my favorite ‘modern’ race horse and I advidly follow his progeny since his retirement. A walk down memory lane : I enjoyed all the articles you wrote about Curlin in your old Hangin’ with Haskin columns. I especially enjoyed both the article and head ‘Curlin Go Bragh. You are quite the wordsmith.
Thank you very much
It could very likely be a Curlin-AP Indy Triple.
If all three hit the board, I hope that consideration for breeder of the year goes to Barbara Banke and Stonestreet Farm.
I love how Barbara Banke races the fillies that she breeds. And then keeps them to breed after their racing career is over.
Dreaming of Julia is on her way to becoming a Blue Hen.
It looks like Curlin and Dreaming of Julia have a young star in the making—Shining Julia. Her MSW win was very good. And Banke and Stonestreet are pure class.
Terry I agree!
Stonestreet has thrived under Ms Banke and she is so deserving of an Eclipse.
My money is on Jane Lyon for the Eclipse this year.
I do hope Malathaat is booked in with a visit to see Tapit next year.
Davids, after I read your comment I ran a True Nicks on a Tapit/Malathaat breeding and it came back as “A “.
The Curlin/Tapit lines cross has proven to be successful. I would think a Tapit on top and Curlin on the bottom would be successful.
The only draw back to a Malathaat to Tapit breeding might be that it would be too close. Dreaming of Julia’s sire was AP Indy and Tapits grandsire was AP Indy.
I have not read that Malathaat is retiring this year.
When she is retired, no idea we what Shadwell’s plan will be.
Since the Shiek’s passing, the operation in Kentucky has undergone a lot downsizing.
The only stallion that Shadwell has is Moyhamen and many of the broodmares have been sold. Two of the farms in Kentucky are for sale.
The family is still committed to racing and breeding Thoroughbreds but on a much smaller scale.
Lynda, Nest and Clairiere both come up ‘A’ as well. Hopefully, the three go to Tapit, he’s not getting any younger then if the resultant foals prove successful you have extremely valuable broodmares or possibly sires with potent stamina. Mind you, dreams don’t always come true. Lol.
Nest is coming back next year per Mike Repole. Some chatter about possible entry in the Pegasus.
Do not know about Clairiere.
Davids, Sheikha Hissa has taken over the Shadwell operations both here and in England.
It is always very interesting I think to follow the auctions to see what the farms or other countries are purchasing.
She is investing in fillies both here and in England and made several purchases at both the recent Tattersalls and Keeneland sales.
Her farm manager made the comment that they are investing in future with acquisition of these fillies.
Sheikha Hissa dropped several notable trainers – England, Ireland, France – this year which appears telling. Perhaps, she wishes to breed her own families rather than inherit a stud.
Terri did you see her FB post from about 45 minutes ago about the two Paulines hitting the wire at the same time in the last race at Keeneland today?
Someone commented that she has built a breeding dynasty based on mare power.
Thanks Lynda, I didn’t see the comment. But I am in agreement with it. I looked up the race on Blood Horse and what a great race with a dead heat.
I remember Keen Pauline when she ran, but I never heard of Grand Pauline.
Another good thing I have noticed is that Johnny V is riding for Todd Pletcher again. What a good change from that trainer with the initials BB.
I missed seeing Johnny V race at Gulfstream this past winter. The East Coast has such a competitive jockey colony. But you know what you get when you ride for Pletcher. I am hoping Johnny V will straighten out a certain jockey who tried to push another jockey off his mount this winter.
Pardon my misstating my case. I am hoping if Johnny V comes to ride in Florida this winter, he will straighten out a certain jockey who tried to push another jockey off his horse. And then was not truthful about it.
Curlin belongs to the very exclusive club of Horses of the Year and Hall of Fame horses who are also exceptional Sires of Champions and Stakes horses. This unique circle includes legendary names like Native Dancer, Bold Ruler, Secretariat, Seattle Slew, Sunday Silence, A.P. Indy, Tiznow and Ghostzapper.
From a quick search it seems that none of them or any other stallion had three daughters not only competing in a top Stakes but with real chances of winning the Trifecta. So, Steve is indeed anticipating a piece of history being scripted on November 5th …
The triple dose of “Curl” Power, Malathaat, Clairiere and Nest, are among the top four female chief earners for Curlin only behind 2015 Champion 3-Year-Old Filly Stellar Wind. Malathaat would become Curlin’s leading female earner with only a 3rd place in the Breeder’s Cup Distaff; and Nest or Clairiere would be his richest daughter if any wins the top race for fillies and mares.
An interesting fact is that those top four daughters are products of the Curlin/A.P. Indy nick. Mares by A.P. Indy and Bernardini when bred to Curlin have produced 74 starters and 17 are black type winners (23%).
As related by Steve, Malathaat and Clairiere have faced each other seven times including in last year’s BC Distaff where Malathaat was third holding Clairiere by a head in fourth. Clairiere could not finish in front of Malathaat in four starts last year but defeated the champion two times this season. Malathaat redeemed herself with convincing wins in the Spinster and in the Personal Ensign where Clairiere was a no show.
That kind of long-lating sisterly rivalry is rare, at least I am not able to recall any other sire achieving it. Curlin also had Stellar Wind and Curalina as potential strong rivals, but they clashed only two times in 2015 and 2016 Breeders’ Cup Distaff. Explicable as the former was based in California and the latter in New York. Stellar Wind and Curalina were 2nd and 3rd in the 2015 BC Distaff and 4th and 6th respectively in the 2016 edition.
As a precedent to Curlin’s possible record in the BC Distaff, we had Danzig siring Dance Smartly and Versailles Treaty finishing first and second in the 1991 edition. In the 2006 Distaff, Round Pound (1st) and Spun Sugar (11th) represented Awesome Again.
If Curlin’s magnificent trio makes it to the BC Distaff I would be cheering for Malathaat. I agree with Steve in that the champion filly is sharper now and more prone to win hard fought battles.
Nelson, in 1997 Strawberry Road was represented by Ajina 1st and Escena 3rd in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff while in 1998 Escena came back to win the Breeders’ Cup Distaff.
I like the chances of Search Results to upset the ‘Curlin Gang of 3’ party especially with Letruska heading for the Sprint division.
Thanks for the reminder, Davids. I should have mentioned these two high class mares specially because they brandished Allen Paulson’s colors… one my favorite silks.
I should also rectify that Curlin would not be the only HOY/HOF with three daughters in the Distaff (possible though) . The one and only SEATTLE SLEW did it in 1995 BC Distaff): Lakeway (3rd), Top Rung (7th), Borodislew (8th)
Below is an extended list of sires who had had two daughters in a given Distaff.
Fit to Fight (1991 BC Distaff): Fit for a Queen (4th), Fit to Scout (8th)
Danzig (1992 BC Distaff): Versailles Treaty (2nd), Harbor Club (14th)
Dynaformer (2001 BC Distaff): Starrer (5th), Critical Eye (8th)
Storm Cat (2004 BC Distaff): Storm Flag Flying (2nd), Nebraska Tornado (8th)
Wild Rush (2004 BC Distaff): Stellar Jayne (3rd), Hollywood Story (10th)
Wild Rush (2005 BC Distaff): Stellar Jayne (4th), Hollywood Story (8th)
A.P. Indy (2007 BC Distaff): Indian Vale (9th), Teammate (11th)
Empire Maker (2010 BC Distaff): Acoma (5th), Acting Happy (6th)
Empire Maker (2012 BC Distaff): Royal Delta (1st), Grace Hall (4th)
Include (2012 BC Distaff): Include Me Out (3rd), Class Included (7th)
Great research, Nelson! You have a very sharp memory, too.
Thanks Ms Blacktype.
My memory is only good for some outstanding performances of few great horses; for the other stats I have to resort to the data banks of the digital world.
For instance, you can access the Breeders’ Cup Stats website to see all the historical data of the BC…
The Breeders’ Cup is now getting equal or more documentation that that of the Kentucky Derby.
Lava Man is going to Old Friends after he escorts Charlie to BC Classic.
For sure one of the most beloved racehorses to ever set a hoof on the track.
He is 21 and still full of life but Doug wants him to enjoy life at Old Friends.
Little sad, but at the same time so happy for him.
Mewonders if the 2021 Vox Populai winner will be led into the Classic starting gate by the 2022 Vox Populai winner!
Now that is a good possibility I think.
I’m going to try and see Lava Man on the track this Sat, when I go and watch Flightline’s penultimate work…the cool thing about Lava Man the stable pony is his saddle cloth is black and pink…just like his riders silks were back in the day…and his rider wears a pink helmet..they kept his tack the colors of his silks .
Hope you have the opportunity to see him!
I’ve seen Pinehurst and Gunite listed as “possibles” for the Breeders Cup Sprint. Both are entered in Saturday’s $250,000 Perryville at Keenland. Artorious and B Dawk are also entered in the same race.
The BC Sprint is starting to look like a short field. Could this be a tipoff that Jack Christopher will be going to the BC Sprint?
I think they are waiting to see where Life Is Good is going. .I think they want to run in the Dirt Mile, but not vs LIG…
Steve,
I just wanted to thank you for running such a tight ship on this site.
I see comments all day on long racing sites and FB that just blow me away because they are so mean and ill spirited.
Guess it is why I stop by and chat so much on this page. Love to talk about the horses and the races and the pedigrees. This is just about the only place we can disagree but are civil in doing so (there is one other, a group of female fans only that I belong to).
Thev immediate reason for this post is the ruling by HISA regarding HRC’s racing plates. The HISA investigation resulted in a ruling that the racing plates he had on for the Lukas were not out of compliance. The comments against this ruling about Doug O’Neil and Charlie and Mr Reed and Rich Strike have been awful both before and after the complaint.
So again, thank you!
Lynda, by chance did you catch Race 1. Deauville, October 18? TDN has a replay. Harfang (Snowy Owl in English) really impressed both on the track and pedigree. Could be one to follow for the Poule d’Essai des Poulains, the de facto French 2,000 Guinea, for next year. Snowy Owl is such a regal, gorgeous bird as well.
Hello Davids. No, did not catch race but will try to find.
Did look up pedigree. Quite a bit of inbreeding going on to Native Dancer, Mr Prospector and Danzig. I can see why some breeders would like American Pharoah.
I love owls, one of my favorite crestures along with foxes and cranes.
Further back Natalma is ever present, Northern Dancer and half sister Raise the Standard. You become accustomed to this type of European pedigree. The Aga Khan used to be concerned with too much Northern Dancer blood but that seems to have lessened, the concern not Northern Dancer blood lol, over the years.
Just my opinion, over the years I just have developed a preference for horses that are not so line bred top and bottom. Still like to see some bloodlines that go back to the Godolphin.
As Bob Baffert has said, most race horses today are inbred.
Granted I have not gone very far back on Harfang. Just curious what language is Harfang? Meant to look that up.
I stated Northern Dancer but meant to say Native Dancer, however there is Native Damcer as well.
One reason Midnight Bourbon was such a loss was because of Tiznow.
Hopefully Curlin’s line will continue. He has multiple progeny with $500,000 and up in winnings.
I checked out his progeny today and several of his best had Holy Bull as a damsire.
Still think Japan was interested to Carravaggio in part because of Holy Bull.
As you well know a male breeding lineage may soon go extinct, unless a son of Tiznow can keep things going…Colonel John didn’t progress as a sire, and Midnight Bourbon was such an important horse to lose….Tizamagician is still racing….
Tourist may yet save the line. A quality A. P. Indy mare like Dreaming of Julia would be just what the line needs to produce a sire son.
Davids on another note, at least three (that I have found so far) of Curlin’s best had Holy Bull as either the damsire or the grand dam sire.
Matthew W, spent a little time this morning going back through the pedigrees of Curlin’s progeny that have a half million or more in earnings.
I did not make it through the entire list, roughly about half.
The one common denominator for his most successful progeny has been the dam lines that go back to the Godolphin (including Bernardini).
Lynda, Harfang is French, mon ami. Eclipse, with tail male ancestor of 95% of contemporary thoroughbreds the die is cast.
Davids, Eclipse was Darley but his dam was Godolphin.
The Godolphin lines today are primarily to be found in the dam lines.
The Byerly Turk has already all but disappeared except in very limited number of lines in Europe.
Do not wish to sound like Debbie Downer but I am not very hopeful that the Godolphin line that includes Man O War will be around much longer.
As to Tonalist, to date I do think he has produced much.
All the emphasis in the United States (I cannot speak for other countries) is on speed, speed and more speed and stallion making sires.
Does anyone really think that the Thoroughbreds today could race three mile heats in the morning and then race in the afternoon as they did in the early days of the sport?
Yes, Lynda. Speed, speed, speed then shorten the races. On a positive note though is that the Broodmare Sire list top 20 is lead by stamina sires.
Davids, not sure which broodmare sires list you looked at.
If the one on Bloodhorse, I agree up to a point. Thing is that most of the top 20 are either deceased, penioned or close to being pensioned.
Yes, Lynda, The Blood-Horse. Stats from various other sources are often wakki sometimes and patiently wrong. Bernardini could become the new Buckpasser, let’s hope so.
P.S. The early loss of Unbridled was significant.
Bells The One out of BC. Sad.
Good to see that CURLIN, the excellent racehorse, has turned into CURLIN, the excellent sire!
Nice comment and I agree.
Curlin’s progeny really improved with top line A. P. Indy mares and Bernardini mares looks to follow suit. Stamina to Stamina, yes!!
Steve Haskin –
Hello. Thank you for the articles this summer and fall heading into Breeder’s Cup in November. Out of curiosity, do you have any comments regarding the Mile (Turf) race? Modern Games may be the one to beat. Kinross raced in the Qatar Prix De La Foret at Longchamp. And then come the American-raced horses. Usually, the Mile is one of the more intriguing races for me.
Hope you had a good summer.
7.5 Furlongs
Kinross just won the BC Champions Day Sprint race at Ascot on Saturday and his connectiobs say hes definitly pointing for the BC Mile. Modern Games ran a big race at in the QE II at Ascot and will be tough to beat. Our milers look pretty weak.
Just read about Kinross most recent race on a straight course at Ascot. He must be razor sharp now. Can he handle left turns at Keeneland?
Steve, you always find the stories that tug at my heart.
I knew some of the story about Curlin but not about Helen.
Looked her up and learned that she is still training but now trains racehorses and eventing horses as well.
She and Greg Blasi have three adorable children who are now riding.
Curlin has come a long way as a sire from the early days when not many breeders were using him. At one time his fee was down to $10,000 as I recall. For 2022 his fee will be $175,000 and his progeny are selling in high 6 and low 7 figures. I think Hill N’ Dale has done an excellent job marketing him and of course he has always been supported by Barbara Banke’s incredible broodmare band. I seem to recall Mr Jackson imported a number of foreign mates when he started Stonestreet. Looked up his pedigree again this morning and he has no inbreeding back through the first 5 generations. He is also a beautiful stallion who has always reminded me of Secretarist.
I am totally undecided on which “curly” I like to win the Distaff; like all three but maybe lean a bit more to Nest. Saw that Malathaat’s full sister had an awesome run in her first win. Must admit that I also like the Gun Runner filly, Society as well.
It should be a good race. I know the Classic gets all the attention but I enjoy watching the Distaff almost as much.
Thanks Lynda. I remember seeing Curlin at Lanes End Farm in 2011. You think they’d like to have him back?
LOL, probably.
The last 2 years, the Breeders Cup has had 10 races on Friday and 12 races on Saturday. The last 5 races on Friday were actual BC races as were the last 9 on Saturday.
Looking back at the Keenland Breeders Cup in 2020, first post on Friday was 11:30am and 10:15am on Saturday. No big deal now that I’m in Florida. But, that was tough when I lived in Nevada and California where it’s 3 hours earlier. It was so difficult to get the scratches and put tickets together while still being groggy after being up late doing last minute handicapping. To my friends out in Nevada and California: I feel your pain.
The last 2 years they offered two 2-day bets: a Juvenile Fillies-Distaff Daily Double, a Juvenile Turf-Turf DD, and a Juvenile-Classic DD.
Here are a few other notes from Keenland’s 2020 Breeders Cup. BB swept the Classic exacta with Authentic & Improbable. His Maximum Security finished 5th in the same race. Tiz the Law finished a very disappointing 6th as the 3-1 favorite in the Classic.
The Europeans were dominant in the turf races on Saturday. Tarnawa and Magical were the exacta in the BC Turf. Who can forget that Aidan O’Brien swept the trifecta in the BC Mile? Wow! Audarya won the F & M Turf. What happened to jockey Boudot? I know he got himself into some legal troubles. The Euros even won the BC Turf Sprint with Glass Slippers. Dominant indeed.
There were 14 horses in the BC Sprint that year. It looks more like 8 this year.
Bell’s the One ran 3rd to Gamine in the F & M Sprint in 2020. She’s expected to try again this year. To me, Bell’s the One is better than ever. I still say that she is better at 6-furlongs, but being older now, maybe she can get it done at 7-furlongs this year. I’m not saying that I will bet her. Too early to say. But, I love a horse that sticks around and always tries her best. Trainer Neal Pessin skipped a race with her, but said he was more comfortable training her up to the race.
Seven who I like…all good prices…
Blazing Sevens…Annapolis…Ce Ce…Society…Lieutenant Dan…American Theorem. .War Like Goddess..
Hi Matthew…just wanted to let you know that I wrote an article about COUGAR II, which is now posted on America’s Best Racing.
Mike, I will look for it.
Great article, Mike! The first time I saw Cougar…was 1971, winning the Californian over east coast shipper Never Bow….I got an up close with The Big Cat, before the San Antonio, where he finished 5 back of Unconscious and Triple Bend…he was 4/5 that day, and came back 4/5 again, in the Big Cap….he likely would have won, but for his stablemate Buzkashi (a rabbit) tossing his rider and jumping into the infield, at the start…..Cougar was not large, a medium bay, with that long tail of his! High neck action and long tail was a sight to behold, when he got it going! And he would just stop, and stare at the crowds, and the grandstand would roar, at his antics! His stablemate Ack Ack was perhaps even smaller in size, they both weren’t large horses, but Ack Ack won with 134 lbs, and Cougar never was selected to win under 130, much of that lead, with the tiny Shoemaker….but Cougar was the popular one, of the two…he ran some terrific races, his mile and three eighths on turf in the Century….his 1:39 1/5 from far back …and of course the 1971 Woodward blow out, the dq may have cost him HOY…but it sealed HOY for his stablemate Ack Ack…..more than three years of top races, his long tail…and the crowd staring, to go with his torrid stretch runs—made Cougar a legend, thanks for the article!
Meant to say Cougar never was able to win carrying 130…he gave bigtime weight, though…not bad!
Hi Matthew…so glad you enjoyed the article. And of course I love that you are also a big COUGAR II fan, like I am! He was really quite special.
Great article Mike about the ‘Big Cat”….still remember this horse in post parade would stop and hold up the horses behind him waiting on the crowd to cheer him on and then stlowly turn his head to stands while people were yelling and then slowly turn his head back and procede forward only to do the same thing again 50 yards further on down.
Joe Hernandez, the track announcer at SA, would often call….Here come the Big Cat!”. I also remember fans in NY throwing trash cans over and garbage everywhere when Cougar II was disqualified in the Woodward….what a horse….perhaps the most underrated horse alongside Chinock Pass etc. others.
Thanks,
Thank you, John, for the compliment about my article. I am glad it’s being so well received and bringing back fond memories for COUGAR fans.
I must say I was astounded when I got the BloodHorse’s book about the Top 100 horses of all time and COUGAR wasn’t on the list! Actually, I was shocked. This was one seriously high class racehorse with tons of ability, and he was super consistent. 40 of his races, from 50 starts, were stakes placings! That’s 80% of his long resume. Believe me, not many horses have that kind of statistic – especially after so many starts!
Anyway, John and Matthew, if you want to say hello connect with me on LinkedIn! I’m the guy with the mortgage background who is currently “open to work!”
If memory serves ..Cougar was 4-1, that day, meaning there were some angry bettors!
COUGAR’s Woodward blitzkrieg was on the of the best efforts in the history of that race!
What I meant to say was that his Woodward blitzkrieg was one of the best efforts in the history of the race!
Joe Said “Here come da Cou-GARR”!..
I saw Cougat first in 1971 ..but it was 1972 where I was baptized into the sport, and very much like Steve, who came in right when they were running the 1967 Woodward, the only time there was three all time greats in ghe same race—-1972 Santa Anita featured two tremendous races…one I was at, and I played the winner Turkish Trousers, the small, sleek black filly, who came up the rail with Shoemaker, in the Santa Margarita….9/2 odds! Got there a neck in front of Typecast, the Westerly Stud mare owned by Fletcher Jones…the enormous Convenience 3rd place (Glen Hill) Manta (Elmendorf)…Street Dancer 5th, two lengths spread top five…all multiple gr1 winners……but even better was the 1972 San Fernando, Autobiography, Triple Bend, Unconscious, Good Counsel, His Majesty a NECK from victory in fifth place—normally a race with five on the wire is a sign of mediocity,, but not in this case ther were all gr1 winners!
Steve, Thanks for the great article. Brings back a lot of memories. I was a big fan of Curlin and Hard Spun back then. You have to feel for Helen Pitts and Hanne Jorgensen. Putting all the time and efforts nursing and prepping Curlin to get him to where he was just getting to the top of his game and then to have it just taken away… just gut wretching !!!
I am happy Curlin has turned into a “GREAT” sire, producing offsprings that show the Greatness that he possessed as a race horse!!!
BTW… In Federico Tesio’s book “Breeding the Race Horse. He stated that horse’s that possessed ” two rear white stocking” were of “Greater Value” and possessed more “Vigor”. No truer words than to describe what Curlin possessed!!! Beautiful picture above.
2 rear white socks along with a white blaze up front. What a beautiful photo.
Trust you, Steve, to come up with a great story that makes the most of the obvious: it had never registered with me that all three brilliant fillies were daughters of Curlin. I knew most of the back story on Curlin — except the quarter mile race he ran when he was a baby (who knew! You did!) — but it’s fun to hear it all again. Curlin was a truly exceptional horse. I might say, a great one.
As for Malathaat, Nest, and Clairiere, I can see any of the three winning the BC F&M. My heart is with Nest, of course, but I have a sneaky affection for Clariere, who upset in a major race earlier this year. Love all three of them! I also love Letruska, who I hope will retire sound, and soon. She is too precious to lose to an injury.
That’s fascinating information about Forte getting a faster Thoro-Graph number than Cave Rock. Cave Rock is going to be one of the shortest-priced favorites at this year’s BC.
I’m not 100% sure, but I want to play Loggins in the Breeders Cup Juvenile. He lost a heartbreaker to Forte in his last. Forte also survived an Inquiry when he appeared to interfere with Loggins in the stretch. The Stewards let the result stand. I have mixed feelings. It was Loggins’ first try at 2-turns, but he ran a very hard race and was fighting back at the end. On the other hand, Forte had the easier race of the two horses and might be able to run another good one on November 4th.
I remember when Curlin was moved from Helen Pitts. I felt bad for her at the time. Few trainers get a second chance at another horse like that. Einstein was a very good horse. I was a fan. But, he was no Curlin.
I’ll be on Clairiere on Breeders Cup Saturday. I’m just going to draw a line through her last race. Steve Haskin mentioned how she hurt herself in the gate, but she wasn’t herself in the paddock or in the post parade either. This year’s Distaff is one of the more interesting races of the 2-day event. An all-Curlin trifecta is possible.