*Ulysses has heat in leg, scratched from Turf
IT’S A RUSH
Fielding, Sam-Son, Windfields, Fipke and ‘Moon’ do Canada proud on Day 1
The first day of Breeders’ Cup 34 lived up to the hype as 4 exciting races took place on what appeared to be fair racing surfaces at Del Mar.
Beyer Figures on Breeders’ Cup Winners
RUSHING FALL – 85
BATTLE OF MIDWAY 108
MENDELSSOHN – 86
FOREVER UNBRIDLED 99
Canadians had a pretty good day too. JOHN FIELDING, on the board of Woodbine Entertainment and a longtime Standardbred owner, co-bred RUSHING FALL the winner of the Juvenile Fillies Turf, the first race of the day. Fielding, who was featured on the Woodbine website for his first 2 Cup starters (Catholic Boy was 4th in the Juvenile Turf) told Thoroughblog last night
“That was a real thrill today.” Fielding is at the left in the photo below from a tweet by WinStar which stands Rushing Fall’s sire More Than ready. Fielding breeds Thoroughbreds with longtime friend Fred Hertrich III (far right).
RUSHING FALL is unbeaten and came off a breathtaking win in the Jessamine Stakes at Keeneland, a Win and You’re In Race for the Breeders’ Cup. The sleek dark bay is from the Forestry mare AUTUMNAL, a $550,000 purchase herself as a yearling by Darley.
Autumnal produced her first foal for the Hertrich/Fielding combo in 2010 (Hertrich had been raising foals from her before that) and she produced 2 stakes horses before Rushing Fall.
And Autumnal is from a Sam-Son Farms (Ernie Samuel) family.
Her dam is Marie J, a daughter of IN MY CAP, a 6-time stakes winner by VICE REGENT (Wonder Where, Bison City etc.) bred by E.P. Taylor and raced by Sam-Son Farms.
In My Cap produced at least 10 foals to race including horses such as Bright Feather, the dam of Albert the Great.
Rushing Fall was a $320,000 yearling purchase by new owners e Five Racing (www.e5racing.com), which strated in 2015 and raced last year’s Juv. Filly Turf winner NEW MONEY HONEY.
Oh, they have GOOD MAGIC in the Juv. Turf today.
So while RUSHING FALL was winning the Juvenile Filly Turf, Sean and Dorothy Fitzhenry’s DIXIE MOON was finishing well in her 6th place finish under Eurico da Silva. She had a bit of a steady into the first turn when Capla Temptress was checked, was in a crowd on the last turn, the first time she has faced adversity in her brief career, had to wait and then she finished evenly. The Curlin filly, bred in Ontario by her owners, is trained by Catherine Day Phillips and she was only 3 1/2 lengths behind the winner.
BATTLE OF MIDWAY, a 3yo who was 3rd in the Kentucky Derby, was a surprise winner of the Grade 1 Dirt Mile, posting a huge 108 Beyer Figure. The Fox Hill, WinStar, Don Alberto colt is by SMART STRIKE, bred and raced by Sam-Son Farm.
The $3 million purchase MENDELSSOHN won the Juvenile Turf from the rail post and this Scat Daddy colt is out of Leslie’s Lady, of course the dam of INTO MISCHIEF and BEHOLDER.
And Leslie’s Lady, written about a lot on Thoroughblog, is out of the Ontario bred mare CRYSTAL LADY, by Stop the Music.
And FOREVER UNBRIDLED, a top filly and mare in the US over the last two years, won the Distaff for British Columbia’s Charles Fipke, who won the Filly & Mare Turf a few years ago with Perfect Shirl. Forever Unbridled is a daughter of Lemons Forever, a Kentucky Oaks winner and dam of Grade 1 winner Unbridled Forvever.
Fipke made news earlier in the week when he suddenly revealed he had fired jockey Joel Rosario and hired John Velazquez. Rosario was ordered to to receive whatever the mare made, however, in jock’s fee by the Del Mar stewards.
All-sources handle for the Friday Breeders’ Cup program was $52,273,883, a 5.3% increase from 2016, on the first
day of the 34th Breeders’ Cup World Championships today at the iconic Del Mar racetrack, a first-time host for the event. The total handle for Championship Friday
was the highest since 2013.
Friday’s on-track handle was $9,280,504, a 29% increase over the prior year, as an enthusiastic crowd of 32,278 witnessed a commanding performance by Forever
Unbridled in the $2 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff.
For the comfort of its guests and due to the smaller capacity of the venue, Breeders’ Cup capped ticket sales for each day at 37,500.
IKERRIN ROAD (IRE) LOOKING FOR LLOYD
Alpine Stable’s IKERRIN ROAD, the claim of the year, posted a 100 Beyer Figure Figure for his win in the Kennedy Road prep at Woodbine on Friday setting up a wild showdown with Ontario bred Pink Lloyd.
Ikerrin Road is a fascinating story as he was a big purchase overseas by Tepin’s owner Robert Masterson. Taken from the Goffs London sale as a 3yo, Ikierrin Road (by Ifraaj) did not do a lot in his first few races in US for Masterson and trainer Mark Casse.
He came to Woodbine and ran for $32,000 claiming and was taken by Alpine and trainer Vito Armata. Ridden by David Moran, Ikierrin Road is an exciting strtech runner who is 4 for 11 this year and he won the Bold Venture in September.
Sales history for Ikerrin Road
Sale Code Hip Type Cover Sire Buyer Consignor Price Status Sale Code Hip Type Cover Sire Buyer Consignor Price Status
GOFLON 23 Horses of racing age N/A Robert Masterson Bellwood Cottage Stables $228,112 Sold
TATBRE 54 Other N/A N/A Grove Stud $49,668 RNA
TATOCT 288 Yearling N/A Grove Stud Horse Park Stud $92,960 Sold
TATFOA 866 Weanling N/A Horse Park Stud Victor Stud $93,659 Sold
BREEDERS’ CUP SELECTIONS FOR SATURDAY – Thoroughblog and guest Zac Kennedy looking for more
THOROUGHBLOG PICKS
Juvenile Fillies – Mark Casse is a good spot to win this – 1 – HEAVENLY LOVE; CALEDONIA ROAD 3 – MOONSHINE MEMORIES 4 – GIO GAME
Turf Sprint – 1 – DISCO PARTNER 2 – LADY AURELIA – 3- RICHARD’S BOY 4 -MARSHA
Filly & Mare Sprint – 1- UNIQUE BELLA 2 – AMI’S MESA 3 – HIGHWAY STAR 4-FINLEY’SLUCKYCHARM
F/M Turf Sprint 1 – LADY ELI 2 – WAHEIDA 3- CAMBODIA 4- WAR FLAG
Sprint – 1- DREFONG 2- IMPERIAL HINT 3 – ROY H 4 – MIND YOUR BISCUITS
Mile – 1 RIBCHESTER 2- SUEDEOIS 3- MIDNIGHT STORM 4 – WORLD APPROVAL
Juvenile – 1 BOLT D’ORO 2 – GOO MAGIC 3 – SOLOMINI 4 FIRENZE FIRE
Turf 1 – TALISMANIC 2- HIGHLAND REEL 3- FANCIFUL ANGEL 4- BEACH PATROL
Classic 1- GUN RUNNER 2- ARROGATE 3- WEST COAST 4- COLLECTED
ZAC KENNEDY’S PICKS (Racing Fan, horseman)
Juvenile Fillies
1 Heavenly Love
12 Caledonia Road
7 Moonshine Memories
9 Alluring Star
Turf Sprint
3 Lady Aurelia
1 Disco Partner
6 Marsha
2 Holding Gold
Filly And Mare Sprint
11 Unique Bella
10 Highway Star
12 Skye Diamonds
3 Curlins Approval
Filly and Mare Turf
9 Lady Eli
10 Queens Trust
7 Dacita
14 Rhodoendron
Sprint
6 Mind Your Biscuits
2 Drefrong
8 Roy H
5 Whitmore
Mile
5 World Approval
12 Roly Poly
4 Lancaster Bomber
10 Ribchester
Juvenile
5 Free Drop Billy
11 Bolt d’Oro
7 The Tabulator
3 Firenze Fire
Turf
3 Highland Reel
5 Ulysses
4 Decorated Knight
14 Oscar Performance
Classic
1 Arrogate
5 Gun Runner
8 West Coast
9 Gunnevera
MARE PURCHASE PROGRAM announced BY CTHS
http://ontarioracing.com/News-and-Racing-Results/News/2017/2018-Mare-Purchase-Program-Announced.aspx
