“Keep breeding up, keep breeding better.”
Rene Hunderup encouraged Ontario breeders to ‘stick to it’ as he celebrated the victory by GRAN SPIRITED, owned Hunderup and wife Darlene, in the $202,000 Simcoe Stakes for 2-year-olds at Woodbine on Aug. 28.
Rene races under Heste Sport while the couple operate Norse Ridge Farm in King, Ontario. They have been breeding and boarding Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses since the early 2000s. Their Thoroughbred stable collected a few wins here and there but in the last four years, the Hunderups have upped their game.
Following their first stakes win with homebred My Silencer (trained by Bill Tharrenos) in 2018, Rene went broodmare shopping and Mark Casse was hired as one of their trainers in 2019. They have had six stakes wins since then, including two this year. Sir for Sure won the Plate Trial and was third in the Queen’s Plate and now Gran Spirited has black type.
The victory by Gran Spirited (Shaman Ghost – Granny Broughton by Sky Mesa) in one of four yearling sales stakes races held on Sunday will go a long way to boosting the interest in the juvenile’s yearling half-brother Gran Adonis, a Frac Daddy colt who is hip no. 121 in Wednesday’s CTHS Ontario sale.
Sent off at 6-1 in the 14-horse field, Gran Spirited, with Declan Carroll in the irons, was prominent early, tracking the early leaders through an opening quarter reached in :22.87. Moving into second spot, Gran Spirited was a head behind Housebuilder after a half in :46.08.
As the field rounded the turn for home, Carroll roused gelding, who then briefly appeared to have stalled, but regrouped to surge to the front and held off a hard-charging Twin City (Klimt) for a neck triumph. Wickedblackbullet (Wicked Strong) was third, with Housebuilder(Mshawish) in fourth. Cadfael was scratched. The final time was 1:18.23.
Rene bought Gran Spirited’s dam Granny Broughton for $4,000 at the CTHS Ontario Mixed sale in 2018 in foal to We Miss Artie. Gran Spirited was bought back from last year’s yearling sale for $37,000. “I don’t know what to say,” said Hunderup. “Everyone had an opportunity to bid [at the sale], and I have to thank the underbidder. We were $1,000 apart and I would have let the horse go but thank God I didn’t.”
Gran Spirited rides the rail to victory in the Simcoe Stakes. JM
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ANAM CARA (‘soul friend’) was purchased for just $3,000 from last year’s CTHS Ontario sale by Sarah Ritchie, a former assistant to Mark Frostad who went out on her own in 2017. Ritchie, who also introduced her cat ‘Gator Kitten’ to the racing world through social media, had a small stable and won a few races for clients and herself. Ritchie’s profile has increased in the last two years and in 2022, Ritchie has sent out 6 winners already (46 starts), her highest total. Anam Cara, a daughter of Ontario stallion Frac Daddy from the Giant’s Causeway mare Me Love, was the 7th horse in the ring at last year’s Canadian Premier Yearling Sale, put on by the CTHS.
The filly won her career debut with Patrick Husbands riding and she came right back to take the $201,600 Muskoka Stakes on Sunday despite a shoe being dislodged before the start.
“She won a big race today,” said Husbands. “I got to the gate. I looked down. I always look down, and when I look down, I see the shoe halfway on. And only one more horse to go and I’m like, ‘Oh my God.’ So, you know, she blows the shoe, and she still showed us she was the best today.”
Leaving from post eight in the 12-horse field, Anam Cara settled into seventh spot as longshot Beyla Be Good took the lead and guided her rivals through an opening quarter in :22.46, as Rifling followed in second, with Trick and Treat third.
Souper Sinclair, at 44-1, held a head advantage over Rifling at the half in :45.52, while 2-1 choice Anam Cara was still seventh and waiting for her cue from Husbands.
Anam Cara picked up the chase on Souper Sinclair down the lane, with the former powering by to take control and go on to a 1 ¾-length victory in a time of 1:17.61.
Anan Cara is a full sister to winner Blind Trust and she was bred by Michael C. Byrne.
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Jim Menzies and his Piano Bar syndicate paid just $5,000 for TALK TO YA LATER at the 2019 CTHS Ontario yearling sale. The good-sized dark bay was from the first crop of Grade 1 placed Perfect Timber from Sea the Awesome, an Irish bred mare by Sea the Stars. The pedigree said long, later and turf. But trainer Ian Black knew he had a precocious one right off the bat and the filly won her career debut last November in impressive fashion.
It took some time to get the filly back to the races this year and when she finally returned on Aug. 6 in an optional claiming race, she suffered a leg injury essentially a hole in a hind leg, and lost two front shoes. In just 22 days, Black had the 3-year-old all set to go again and with Emma-Jayne Wilson riding, Talk to Ya Later sat a great trip in the Algoma Stakes worth $100,000.
A four-horse tussle emerged in the early stages of the race, as 2-5 mutuel choice Baksheesh was engaged by Chroma, Absolute Jewel and Unable, as Wilson and Talk to Ya Later patiently watched the proceedings unfold from the rear.
Odds-on favourite Baksheesh was in front by a head after a quarter in :23.59 and two lengths ahead through a half in :46.59,and rounded the turn for home with a charged-up Talk to Ya Later poised to pounce.
The dark bay filly, owned by Piano Bar Racing, and trained by Ian Black, narrowed the gap with each stride and was only a head behind Baksheesh at the stretch call. Talk to Ya Later then powered by and went on to notch a 3 ½-length win. Baksheesh was second, Chroma finished third and Absolute Jewel fourth.
The final time was 1:24.43.
Menzies started Piano Bar in 2017 and his small group of friends and family had immediate success with red cabernet, who earned over $500,000. The syndicate has grown in numbers in the last couple of years. Talk to Ya Later, bred by Charles Fipke, was one to two purchased by Menzies with the other, Proud Speaker showing promise last year.
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FULL SCREEN rode the rail to a front-running victory in the seven furlong Elgin Stakes worth $100,000 and became the first stakes winner for owner Nidel Charfi and trainer Julie Belhumeur. Full Screen was bought by Charfi for $9,500 at the 2019 CTHS yearling sale from breeder Spring Farm who stands the 3-year-old’s sire Big Screen. Full Screen was the first winner for Charfi when he won his maiden in a turf claiming race at Tampa Bay Downs this winter.
The gelding placed several times this season in various routes and sprints but seemed to enjoy getting back to sprinting in the Elgin.
Four horses, including Full Screen, battled for the early lead, with longshot Big Warden emerging on top and taking his eight rivals through an opening panel in :23.65.
Jockey Jeff Alderson then guided Full Screen to the lead, one length on top after a half in :46.22, running comfortably on the front end as the duo straightened for home. Ahead by three at the stretch pole, reached in 1:10.10, the pair skipped away for the easy win in 1:23.35.
“It kind of worked out to our game plan that we had set up,” said Alderson. “He doesn’t like being poorly placed and the last couple races we wanted to change things up, but he didn’t really enjoy it, so we went back to what works, and today was a day where it worked.”
Belhumeur said, “A really good horse, he has a lot of talent. Unfortunately, very immature still. We are working on that. We tried a different kind of racing and the last couple times on the turf didn’t work out too good, but the horse has been training well, and he’s been running well on the Tapeta, so we just figure we’ll keep him on it, and go with the flow.”
Charfi, who is an equestrian and owns a small farm in Quebec, said he liked Full Screen at the sale and hopes to go shopping at this year’s sale on Wednesday, August 31.
Full Screen is from the Langfuhr mare Lyndenshire and the mare has a filly by Midshipman in the sale as hip no. 159.
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