HEADLINE THREE CHIMNEYS NEWS The Idea is Excellence. For information about TDN, Smarty Firster Wins at the Spa! call 732-747-8060. (see ATW page 2) www.thoroughbreddailynews.com FRIDAY, AUGUST 29, 2008 KEN TAKES A SHOT AGAINST FAMILIAR FACE MAMBO IN SEATTLE TO SUPER DERBY Trainer Ken McPeek is plenty familiar with Curlin Mrs. W.S. Kilroy and W.S. Farish=s Mambo in Seattle (Smart Strike). After all, it was McPeek, wearing his (Kingmambo), who just missed when a rallying second bloodstock agent hat, who purchased Curlin as a to Colonel John (Tiznow) in Saturday=s GI Travers S., Keeneland September yearling for just $57,000 for a will start next in the partnership. McPeek handed the Sept. 20 GII Super Derby colt over to former assistant at Louisiana Downs, Helen Pitts, who sent Curlin out trainer Neil Howard told to a 12 3/4-length debut win in Daily Racing Form. AIt=s a February of 2007. An estimated mile and an eighth, the $3-million private transaction and timing is pretty decent, 12 starts later, Curlin is widely it=s a nice race, good considered the best horse in the purse, still with three- world, with a Horse of the Year year-olds,@ said the title to his credit. Asked about Howard, who took the Curlin yesterday, McPeek same route with last quipped, AI wish my name were Mambo in Seattle (left) and year=s Travers= runner-up still next to his.@ Unfortunately Colonel John in the Travers Grasshopper (Dixie Un- for him it isn=t, and this Satur- Adam Coglianese ion). That colt ran second day, he and his old friend reunite as the favorite in the Ken McPeek as foes in Saratoga=s GI Wood- $500,000 Super Derby. Howard also told the Form that Horsephotos ward S. McPeek sends out Loose the GI Breeders= Cup Classic, to be held this year over Leaf (Notebook), a four-year-old who earned a big 110 Santa Anita=s Pro-Ride surface, remains a possibility BRIS fig winning a nine-furlong allowance race at the despite Mambo in Seattle=s zero-for-two record on Spa Aug. 13. It was Loose Leaf=s first start of the year. synthetics. AThe first time he ever ran, he was a good At three, Loose Leaf ran fourth to Chelokee in the GIII second on the Polytrack,@ said Howard. AIn his first race Northern Dancer S. and a well-beaten sixth to Street this year, he wasn=t overly cranked up, so he figured to Sense in the GI Travers S. He concluded his season get tired. I wouldn=t be overly concerned if he did run with a close-up third in a grassy Churchill allowance in on a synthetic track, but [the Breeders= Cup] is not November. Despite Loose Leaf=s big comeback number, something we=re thinking too much about right now.@ McPeek knows precisely what he=s up against. ACurlin=s been a monster since he was a yearling,@ said McPeek. In Today’s TDN AIf he runs back to his numbers, he=s physically impossi- ble to beat. But Loose Leaf ran back a huge number Alhaarth Colt Tops St Leger Finale.............................p2 coming off a nine-month layoff. We=ll see how close we Corby Dies in Auto Accident; Channon Injured........p4 can get to Curlin. At the worst, we=ll get a check out of Jalil Entered in Suffolk Downs Stakes.........................p4 it.@ Saturday, Saratoga Race Course WOODWARD S.-GI, $500,000, 3yo/up, 1 1/8m PP HORSE SIRE JOCKEY 1 A. P. Arrow A.P. Indy Velasquez 2 Loose Leaf Notebook Coa 3 Past the Point Indian Charlie Prado 4 Divine Park Chester House Garcia 5 Curlin Smart Strike Albarado 6 Dr. D. F. C. Personal Flag Arboleda 7 Out of Control (Brz) Vettori (Ire) Velazquez 8 Wanderin Boy Seeking the Gold Leparoux All carry 126 pounds. All horses in the TDN are bred in North America, (859) 233-4252 unless otherwise indicated www.claibornefarm.com P TDN HEADLINE NEWS • 8/29/08 • PAGE 2 of 8 P S A L E S N E W S P ALHAARTH COLT TOPS LEGER FINALE An Alhaarth half-brother to Blythe Knight (Ire) (Selkirk) topped proceedings on the final day of Doncaster=s St Leger Sale yesterday when selling to Cormac McCormack for ,95,000. From the draft of Ger Hourigan=s Whitehall Stud, the February-foaled bay was always likely to attract keen attention due to the ex- ploits of his half-sibling, who captured his second con- secutive renewal of Epsom=s G3 Diomed S. on Derby day. Purchased for 30,000gns at Tattersalls December, hip 415 had a host of interested parties, but it was McCormack who prevailed after a tussle with Bobby O=Ryan. Progeny by Acclamation (GB) have sold well this week and yesterday=s session continued to underline the regard buyers have for Rathbarry=s success story. Two of his fillies provided a focus and the first was hip 370, a granddaughter of a dual listed-winning half to the 1989 G1 Middle Park S. scorer and sire Balla Cove (Ire). Consigned by David Powell=s Catridge Farm Stud, who sold the sire himself for 33,000gns to Gerald Cottrell here in the millennium year, she was knocked down to BBA Ireland=s Adrian Nicholl on behalf of owner Matthew Green for ,90,000. Gerard Burke=s Glidawn Stud was responsible for the other highlight when selling hip 402, a half-sister to the 2006 G2 www.pinoakstud.com Premio Parioli fourth Sgiaff (GB) to Highfield Farm for ,87,000. That represented a pinhooking success, as she had fetched just 22,000gns at Tattersalls Decem- DBS ST LEGER YEARLING SALE ber. Cont. p3 THURSDAY - TOP 6 LOTS Hip Sex Sire Dam Price (,) 415 c Alhaarth (Ire) Blushing Barada 95,000 (30,000gns wnlg >07 TATDEC) Consigned by Whitehall Stud DBS ST LEGER YEARLING SALE Purchased by Cormac McCormack THURSDAY, AUG. 28, 2008 370 f Acclamation (GB) Anneliina (GB) 90,000 Consigned by Catridge Farm Stud SESSION TOTALS 2008 2007 Purchased by BBA Ireland No. Catalogued 160 150 No. Offered 144 137 402 f Acclamation (GB) Belladera (Ire) 87,000 No. Sold 127 119 (22,000gns wnlg >07 TATDEC) RNAs 17 18 Consigned by Glidawn Stud % RNA 11.8% 13.1% Purchased by Highfield Farm Gross £3,637,000 £4,383,675 390 c Bahamian Bounty (GB) Baby Bunting (GB) 80,000 Average (% Change) £28,638 (-22.3%) £36,838 (i30,000 wnlg >07 GOFNOV) CUMULATIVE 2008 2007 Consigned by John Troy(Agent) No. Catalogued 500 500 No. Offered 474 467 Purchased by Robin O=Ryan No. Sold 401 417 449 f Royal Applause (GB) Chanterelle (Ire) 80,000 RNAs 73 50 Consigned by Floors Stud % RNA 15.4% 10.7% Purchased by Shadwell Estates Gross £13,493,500 £15,759,030 463 f Shamardal Crystal View (Ire) 80,000 Average (% Change) £33,649 (-11%) £37,791 Median (% Change) £26,000 (-11.6%) £29,400 Consigned by Grove Stud www.dbsauctions.com Purchased by Blandford Bloodstock P TDN HEADLINE NEWS • 8/29/08 • PAGE 3 of 8 St Leger Coverage cont. Beeby continued, ABut we are far from despondent, as the results are on a par with 2006 and a five-year Smart Pinhook... trend shows an incredible 75 percent rise in average, Consignor John Troy was another making a sound demonstrating that we have developed the sale in to a profit after Robin O=Ryan paid ,80,000 for hip 390, a serious sale of quality in a relatively short space of son of Bahamian Bounty (GB) who is a full-brother to time. Our feedback has been that it was hard to buy the very smart juvenile filly Bahamian Babe (GB). She from the purchasers and that vendors were very busy, had beaten the subsequent G2 Queen Mary S. winner so we have to face the fact that the economy has Langs Lash (Ire) in the Listed Marygate S. at York in played its part, but I would repeat our plea from earlier May, six months after Troy had paid i30,000 for her this month that we must remain positive as to give in full-sibling at Goffs November. to the prophets of doom will only exacerbate any prob- Shadwell, who had made such an impact at Deauville lems the industry may face. The bloodstock business last week, were again to the fore at this auction and thrives on confidence, and our hope is that we do not also paid ,80,000 for Floors Stud=s hip 449, a daughter allow modest downturns to turn in to talk of much of Royal Applause (GB) whose extended family includes worse. We have survived economic dips before and will Thunder Gulch. again, but it makes such a difference if a realistically That price was matched 14 lots later by Blandford positive attitude is adopted.@ Full results are available Bloodstock for a filly from the first crop of Shamardal on www.dbsauctions.com. consigned by Brendan Holland=s Grove Stud. She is the first produce of Crystal View (Ire) (Imperial Ballet {Ire}), N E W S T O D A Y who was third behind the subsequent G1 1000 Guineas P P heroine Virginia Waters in Leopardstown=s G3 1000 Guineas Trial three years ago. BROWN BREEZES ON TURF IEAH Stables and Paul Despite an overall drop of 11 percent in the average Pompa Jr.=s Big Brown (Boundary) worked a relaxed and median, DBS Managing Director Henry Beeby re- five furlongs in 1:04 3/5 over the Aqueduct lawn yes- mained upbeat yesterday.