Plate Winning Trainer Phil Serpe: "I Know How Prestigious It Is"

Phil Serpe was looking forward to coming to Woodbine August 22 for the 162nd Queen’s Plate. The New York trainer and partner Lisa Bartkowski have family in Ontario and were excited to join them to watch SAFE CONDUCT, the colt he trains for Dr. Robert Vukovich of New Jersey, in the most famous race in Canada.

With COVID-19 and its variants still raging on, however, traveling is not the smoothest. Protocols and paperwork aside, there was a stable of horses at Saratoga that Serpe needed to tend to and any delay coming home to getting back to work would prove problematic.

“I really wanted to get up there as I know what a prestigious race it is,” said Serpe. “But just getting Lisa up there, that almost didn’t happen. Passports were backed up eight to 12 weeks; incredibly, she got hers the day before.”

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Bartkowski was assisted by Woodbine trainer Julia Carey, who welcomed Safe Conduct into her barn two days before the Plate and, with her staff, accompanied Bartkowki and the colt to the track on Plate day.

Serpe ended up watching the race from his home in New York with his brother and sister-in-law. Vukovich, who is in his 70s, also stayed home, strictly because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

And what an exciting race it was! Safe Conduct, a giant, almost black-coloured colt by Bodemeister that Dr. Vukovich had bought for $45,000 (US) as a weanling at the 2018 Keeneland November Breeding sale, fended off his rivals to win the 1 1/4 mile Canadian classic by a neck, picking up the winner’s cheque of $600,000 (Can.).

“We had that house shaking,” Serpe laughed. “I called Dr. Vukovich right after and he could barely talk.”

How famous are the Plate and Woodbine? Serpe said he received 92 text messages after the race and dozens of phone calls.

Serpe has been to Woodbine once and coincidentally, it was for the Queen’s Plate. He sent up Sircharlesschnabel in 2003 but that colt had the misfortune to compete against a fellow named Wando, who went on to win the Triple Crown.

Serpe, talking to Canadian Thoroughbred on Aug. 24, had high praise for jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr., one of the world’s top riders, who was in town to ride several of the stakes races on the Plate card.

Safe Conduct drew post position one in the 13-horse field which meant Ortiz would have to get the colt out of the gate sharply to avoid getting shuffled in traffic.

“This is a big horse and it takes him a minute to get going,” said Serpe. “I can’t say enough about Irad. He got him out of there and got a great position. Irad loves what he does, he studies his races and he is full entrenched in the sport.”

Phil Serpe – NYRA photo

Safe Conduct was greeted in the winner’s circle by breeder Mitchell Kursner, wife Marla and daughter Halee. The family lives in King City, ON, and Kursner, a co-owner of 2016 Woodbine Oaks winner Neshama, had only started his small breeding program with Duchess Dancer, the dam of Safe Conduct.

Serpe had planned on bringing Safe Conduct to Woodbine as a 2-year-old last fall for the Cup & Saucer Stakes but following the colt’s maiden win on turf at Saratoga he became sick. “His temperature was pretty high so he went to Dr. Belgrave at the Mid-Atlantic Medical Center. Thankfully he didn’t need anything more other than the antibiotics we had him on.”

Safe Conduct then spent time at Dr. Vukovich’s farm in Colt’s Neck, New Jersey. The owner’s Wellspring Farm, named after his pharmaceutical company, is a “beautiful farm” and he has raced horses with Serpe for many years. Dr. Vukovich is an avid Thoroughbred horseman and “loves getting in deep as far as pedigrees go.”

Safe Conduct won an allowance race on turf at Belmont this spring but his next race, the Pennine Ridge Stakes, came off turf and was run in slop. Then he sank in soft turf in the Grade 1 Belmont Derby.

When Serpe sent the colt out for a workout with Ortiz on board two weeks before the Plate, he knew the colt was up to the Plate task.

“He really responded after the Belmont Derby in a positive way. The workout was sensational. He had a last quarter in 23 seconds, out in 1:13 and change and up in 1:25 and change for seven furlongs.”

Serpe, who praised Woodbine and Julia Carey for taking care of the colt, “we are very thankful,” said Safe Conduct arrived back at Saratoga in fine shape and he will go back to the track to train on August 27.

As for the second jewel of Canada’s Triple Crown, the Prince of Wales Stakes at Fort Erie on the dirt on Tuesday, September 14, Serpe was non-committal. “I want to see him back on the track and then Dr. Vukovich and I will talk about it. It is getting to the October 3 race [the third leg of the Crown, the Breeders’ Stakes at 1 1/2 miles on turf at Woodbine] is what we have to plan.”

Serpe is keen on the Breeders’ for Safe Conduct since the colt is a turf ace.

For now, Serpe and Vukovich are enjoying the Plate win by Safe Conduct. “It can never get old, we are absolutely tickled. For Dr. Vukovich, this is what they do this for. And it shows you that you don’t need the most expensive horse to win big races. You can find a wonderful horse like this anywhere.”

*FATAL BULLET, PINK LLOYD OH MY! – CLASSIC BLOODLINES: Safe Conduct is a very tall, long-striding colt, route-distance-loving fellow and somewhat unlike the top horses on the female side of his pedigree.

He is the second foal of DUCHESS DANCER (Congrats, by A.P. Indy), who won a 6 1/2 furlong maiden allowance at Charles Town in her second career race and only raced three times. The daughter of Congrats, who raced for Qatar Racing, was produced from the stakes placed mare SARAREGAL, a daughter of Canadian Classic winner, champion and top sire Regal Classic, owned and bred by Sam-Son Farms. Regal Classic, a racy chestnut son of Vice Regent, won the Prince of Wales Stakes at Fort Erie, among other races.

Sararegal was bred by Jurgen Schemmer, owner of Arosa Farms in Ontario.

Sararegal’s dam, SARAWILHA, also stakes-placed, is a daughter of Sir Ivor and she produced many Canadian-bred foals for Schemmer. In all, Sarawilha had 11 foals to race. In addition to Sararegal, she produced 11-time winner and stakes-placed Sindi’s Success.

Another daughter of Sarawilha, ASCOT SARAH, is the dam of GLADIATOR QUEEN, dam of one of the greatest Canadian-bred sprinters of all time, PINK LLOYD.

Sararegal raced at Woodbine for Herbert Chambers and she was a sprinter who was stakes-placed several times at Woodbine and won five races and over $164,000.

Sararegal had 11 foals to race with millionaire and Champion FATAL BULLET being her best. A multiple graded stakes winner for Bear Stables and trainer Reade Baker, Fatal Bullet finished second in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Sprint.

Sararegal is also the dam of stakes winner MILLENNIA (Milwaukee Brew), who loved route races on grass, and winner WICKED SPEED, the dam of fast 2021 winner SPITE STORE at Woodbine. Sararegal has produced a Bodemeister colt in 2016, UNDERWRITER, who was placed in Dubai.

As for DUCHESS DANCER, her yearling by Collected is up for sale at Keeneland September for Kursner.

SAFE CONDUCT
Breeder:
Mitchell H. Kursner (ON)
Sale Price: $45,000
Sale: Keeneland Association November Breeding Stock Sale 2018
Consignor: Cara Bloodstock (Bernard McCormack)
Buyer: Wellspring Stables

Inbreeding:
A.P. Indy: 4S X 3D
Mr. Prospector: 5S X 4D
Northern Dancer: 5S X 5S X 5D X 5D
Secretariat: 5S X 5D
Seattle Slew: 5S X 4D
Weekend Surprise: 5S X 4D