THOROUGHBRED TIMES Monday, January 30, 2012 ® INSIDE Handicapper of the Year
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THOROUGHBRED TIMES Monday, January 30, 2012 ® INSIDE Handicapper of the Year ..................................page 3 Papaw Bodie wins John B. Connally ..................page 4 Alpha prepares for Withers ..............................page 5 Ambitious Dragon takes Stewards’ Cup ..........page 10 T DAY New Zealand premier sale preview .................page 10 Your inside track to the Thoroughbred industry Algorithms hands champion Hansen first defeat in Holy Bull In a battle of unbeatens it was Starlight Racing’s Cryptoclearance, Algorithms was purchased by Algorithms who took down 2011 champion two- Starlight Partners for $170,000 at the 2010 Keene- year-old male Hansen on Sunday in the $400,000 land September yearling sale. Holy Bull Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream Park. Algorithms won his debut at five furlongs on Hansen, winner of the 2011 Grey Goose Breed- June 2011 at Belmont Park. He entered off a 1 ers’ Cup Juvenile (G1) to secure the Eclipse clear win on December 16 at Gulfstream in a 6 ⁄2- Award and cap an unbeaten season, led into the furlong optional claiming race and capably stretch after setting the pace through a testing handled his stakes debut as the 5-to-2 second half-mile in :45.67 but could not hold off the late ALGORITHMS betting choice under Javier Castellano. rush of Algorithms. Bob Coglianese/Gulfstream Park photo “He felt absolutely amazing today,” Castellano The Todd Pletcher-trained Bernardini colt swept past with said. “He broke so sharp and wanted to go to the lead, but I just an explosive turn of foot, opened a clear lead in early stretch, took my time. I don’t think two turns will be a problem for him. and completed the one-mile race in 1:36.17 on a sealed, sloppy I rode his father, Bernardini, to win the Preakness [Stakes (G1)] track to prevail by five lengths. and other big races and, hopefully, this horse can be like that. “This race was going to tell us where we were with [Algo- He certainly is in the right hands with Todd Pletcher.” rithms], running against the two-year-old champion. Now, he’s The Holy Bull was Pletcher’s third win on the card after tak- done everything we’ve asked him to,” Pletcher said of the Ken- ing the seventh race with talented three-year-old El Padrino tucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) hopeful. and the Forward Gal Stakes (G2) with Broadway’s Alibi. “It’s too early to say what we might do with him at this point. Hansen, who stumbled and ducked in at the start, held off You can never have enough good three-year-olds, but you hate My Adonis by a half-length for second as the 9-to-10 favorite. to run them against each other. Now we have Discreet Dancer “[Hansen] stumbled coming out of the gate and he picked him- and this colt that are two for two over the track. [Algorithms self up pretty quickly, but sometimes that scares a horse a little bit is] by Bernardini and I don’t think he’ll have distance limita- and they go a little fast,” Hansen’s jockey, Ramon Dominguez, said. tions. So we just have to sort things out from here.” “The stumble probably didn’t help but it’s not an excuse. I’m not Bred in Kentucky by Oakbrook Farm out of Grade 3-placed happy that he didn’t win, but I’m not totally disappointed. When winner Ava Knowsthecode, a multiple graded stakes producer by he got passed, he really dug in and he galloped out really well.” This year’s Holy Bull was held five years to the date that 2006 Broadway’s Alibi romps in Forward Gal Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro was euthanized from com- Broadway’s Alibi controlled plications of laminitis at the University of Pennsylvania’s New the pace and rolled through the Bolton Center. 3 stretch to a 16 ⁄4-length tour de Barbaro won the 2006 Holy Bull in his first start on dirt and force in the $200,000 Forward defeated Algorithms half brother Keyed Entry in winning the Gal Stakes (G2) for three-year- 2006 Kentucky Derby. Barbaro shattered his right hind limb in old fillies on Sunday at Gulf- that year’s Preakness Stakes (G1), which was won by Algorithms’ stream Park. sire, Bernardini.—Mike Curry BROADWAY’S ALIBI Making her 2012 debut, the Bob Coglianese/Gulfstream Park photo For an Equibase chart, click here. E. Paul Robsham Stables’ home- bred took command at the start under John Velazquez and HOLY BULL S. (G3) left five opponents in her wake as she romped unchallenged Gulfstream Park, January 29, $400,000, 3yo, 8f, sloppy, 1:36.17. ALGORITHMS, 116, B. c. 3, Bernardini SD—Ava Knowsthecode, by to a dominant victory as the 6-to-5 favorite. Cryptoclearance. Owner, Starlight Racing; breeder, Oakbrook Farm The dark bay or brown filly has won three consecutive (Ky.); trainer, Todd A. Pletcher; jockey, Javier Castellano. $240,000. races by a combined margin of 28¾ lengths. She closed her Lifetime: 3-3-0-0, $301,500. $170,000 2010 KEESEP. Half to KEYED juvenile campaign with a five-length win in a 6½-furlong op- ENTRY (G2, $322,852), JUSTIN PHILLIP (G2, $298,362), SUC- tional claiming race at Gulfstream on December 15 that fol- CESSFUL MISSION (G3, $332,643), ALEX’S ALLURE ($69,270). Hansen 122, Gr or Ro. c. 3, Tapit SD—Stormy Sunday, by Sir Cat. lowed a seven-length maiden win going six furlongs on Owner, Hansen, Kendall, M.D. and Sky Chai Racing; breeder, Dr. September 10 at Delaware Park. Kendall Hansen (Ky.); trainer, Michael J. Maker. $80,000. With Sunday’s win, her record improved to three wins and My Adonis 120, B. c. 3, Pleasantly Perfect—Silent Justice, by Elu- a second from four career starts and $189,500 in earnings. sive Quality. Owner, Hall, George and Lori; breeder, K & G Stables (Ky.); trainer, Kelly J. Breen. $40,000. Velazquez said a change in riding tactics was the key to 1 Margins: 5, /2, 1; Odds: 2.50, *.90, 22.20. another success. Also ran: Fort Loudon 120 ($20,000), Silver Max 116 ($12,000), continued on page 4 Consortium 116 ($8,000). www.thoroughbredtimes.com Thoroughbred Times TODAY January 30, 2012 1 you’ re invited to an exclusive musical event What do you and classical music sensation Andrea Bocelli have in common? You both love horses. Andrea Bocelli is teaming up with the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation at his special Valentine’s Day concert on February 14, 2012 at The Bank Atlantic Center in Sunrise, FL A select group of premium seats have been reserved for those who wish to enjoy: DSUHSHUIRUPDQFHFRFNWDLOSDUW\ WKHEHVWVHDWVDYDLODEOHLQWKHLUVHFWLRQDQG DSRVWFRQFHUWGHVVHUWSDUW\LQFOXGLQJDPHHWDQGJUHHWZLWK$QGUHD%RFHOOLKLPVHOI Tickets are limited to keep the pre- and post-events intimate. Last year’s show sold out, so order your tickets ASAP to get the best available seats. Tickets for the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation evening are on sale now: SHUWLFNHWLQFOXGHVÁRRUOHYHOVHDWLQJDQG75)HYHQWPHHWDQGJUHHW A portion of each ticket sale will be donated to the TRF. The pre-event cocktail party at the Bank Atlantic Center begins at 6:00 PM with the post-event party immediately following the concert. This is a wonderful opportunity to spend a special evening with the biggest-selling classical artist in history while helping the TRF continue our mission of saving unwanted Thoroughbred racehorses. We hope you will join us! 7RUHVHUYH\RXUVHDWVSOHDVHFDOORUHPDLOLQIR#WUÀQFRUJ THOROUGHBRED RETIREMENT FOUNDATION 6$5$72*$635,1*61<LQIR#WUÀQFRUJ Beychok takes handicapping championship in photo finish Michael Beychok of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, topped a record ($149.80). Darwin Labordo, a Sierra Madre, California resident field of 480 contestants to win the $1-million first-place prize and who qualified via NHC Tour was third at $206.60 to collect an Eclipse Award as Handicapper of the Year at the 13th annual $80,000. Gaylord Grundy of Airdrie, Alberta, Canada was fourth Daily Racing Form/NTRA National Handicapping Champion- at $196.10 to take home $50,000. Donna Labriola of Richmond, ship (NHC) Presented by Sovereign Stable on Saturday night. California was fifth at $196.00. That score was good for $37,000. Beychok, 48, a political consultant, amassed a winning score The NHC 13 finals paid out to the top 50 finishers from a record of $238.60 from 30 mythical $2 win and place wagers over the total purse of $1,507,003. Including $75,000 awarded to Paul two-day tournament held at Treasure Island Las Vegas. Shurman, the winner of the year-long $125,000 NHC Tour, the ag- Beychok, who qualified for the NHC at TwinSpires.com, never gregate payouts over the weekend to contestants totaled $1,632,003. led until the contest was over, scoring with Golden Gate Fields Full standings and results for this weekend’s just completed winner Glorious Dancer ($8.20 to win, $3.80 to place) in the event’s NHC can be found at www.ntra.com and www.drf.com. final race to edge past eventual second-place finisher Dave In its 13th year, the Daily Racing Form/NTRA National Hand- Flanzbaum by only $1. Watch Beychok’s reaction to the race here. icapping Championship is the most important tournament of Flanzbaum had led for much of the second half of day two. the year for horseplayers. There are no “buy-in” entries at the Glorious Dancer won that Golden Gate race for Beychok by NHC. It is the culmination of a year-long series of NTRA-sanc- just a nose. tioned local tournaments conducted by racetracks, casino race- “It can’t get any more dramatic than that,” Beychok said.