Regally Bred Tacitus Gets the Job Done in Tampa Bay Derby
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SUNDAY, MARCH 10, 2019 SANTA ANITA TO RE-OPEN MAR. 22 REGALLY BRED TACITUS By Bill Finley GETS THE JOB DONE IN Barring any further problems with the main track, Santa Anita will resume racing Mar. 22, The Stronach Group=s COO Tim Ritvo TAMPA BAY DERBY told the TDN. In addition, the main track will re-open for training Monday. Though the track has been deemed ready, TSG delayed the re-opening until Mar. 22 to give horsemen time to get their horses fit after the interruptions in training. A[Former Santa Anita track superintendent] Dennis Moore thinks the track is perfect,@ Ritvo said. AIn fact, he said it is 100%. The point is, I think we=re in really good shape.@ The Mar. 9 card that was canceled because of concerns for the track conditions included several stakes races. Ritvo said the GII San Felipe S. will not be run this year. The GI Santa Anita H. will be contested. Ritvo said it will likely be part of the GI Santa Anita Derby card April 6. He said every attempt will be made to reschedule all the races, except the San Felipe, that were scrapped while the track has been shut down. Cont. p12 IN TDN EUROPE TODAY A happy Bill Mott & Jose Ortiz with Tacitus | SV Photography DREAM NIGHT FOR GODOLPHIN AT MEYDAN It is not often that you see Hall of Famer Bill Mott send a Dream Castle (GB) (Frankel {GB}) capped a wonderful night for maiden winner to a graded stakes and it did not work out for Godolphin with a win in the G1 Jebel Hatta at Meydon on Super him last weekend when Juddmonte=s >TDN Rising Star= Hidden Saturday. Click or tap here to go straight to TDN Europe. Scroll (Hard Spun) finished fourth as the favorite in the GII Fountain of Youth S. However, fellow Juddmonte homebred Tacitus (Tapit) made amends for his stablemate with a late- running victory in stakes record-setting time in the GII Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby Saturday, officially putting himself on the GI Kentucky Derby trail with 50 points. Fourth in his 1 1/16-mile unveiling at Belmont Oct. 4, Tacitus donned cap and gown by a neck next out going a mile at Aqueduct Nov. 10. Running on Lasix for the first time in this class hike, the son of champion Close Hatches (First Defence) broke a step slower than the rest, but quickly got his hooves beneath him and moved up to mid-pack, running off the fence as Zenden (Fed Biz) led GIII Sam F. Davis S. victor Well Defined (With Distinction) through early fractions of :22.79 and :45.85. Tucked in to save ground by Jose Ortiz, the 8-1 shot split horses to improve his position turning for home and slipped past the tiring pacesetter in the final sixteenth to score. Outshine (Malibu Moon) charged at Tacitus late, but it proved to be too late and he had to settle for second over Win Win Win (Hat Trick {Jpn}). Cont. p3 PUBLISHER & CEO Sue Morris Finley @suefinley [email protected] V.P., INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONS Gary King @garykingTDN [email protected] EDITORIAL [email protected] Editor-in-Chief Jessica Martini @JessMartiniTDN Managing Editor Alan Carasso @EquinealTDN Sunday, March 10, 2019 Senior Editor Steve Sherack @SteveSherackTDN Racing Editor Brian DiDonato @BDiDonatoTDN News and Features Editor Ben Massam @BMassamTDN Associate Editors Christie DeBernardis @CDeBernardisTDN Joe Bianca @JBiancaTDN ADVERTISING [email protected] Director of Advertising Alycia Borer Advertising Manager Lia Best Advertising Designer Amanda Crelin Advertising Assistants Alexa Reisfield Amie Morosco Advertising Assistant/Dir. Of Distribution Rachel McCaffrey Photographer/Photo Editor Sarah K. Andrew @SarahKAndrew [email protected] Social Media Strategist Dachshunds dash to the wire during Saturday's wiener dog races at Fair Grounds Race Justina Severni Course in New Orleans, LA. | Hodges Photography Director of Customer Service Vicki Forbes [email protected] HAIKAL STEALS THE SHOW IN THE GOTHAM 4 Marketing Manager Shadwell Stable’s Haikal (Daaher) came flying late to Alayna Cullen @AlaynaCullen spring a mild upset in Aqueduct’s GIII Gotham S. Director of Information Technology Ray Villa [email protected] SOMELIKEITHOTBROWN SCORES IN JEFFY RUBY 7 Somelikeithotbrown (Big Brown) scored a decisive victory Bookkeeper in Turfway’s GIII Jeff Ruby Steaks S. Saturday evening. Terry May [email protected] TODAY’S GRADED STAKES WORLDWIDE INFORMATION International Editor EST Race Click for TV Kelsey Riley @kelseynrileyTDN 1:25a Kinko Sho-G2, CKO -------------- ----- [email protected] 1:35a Hochi Hai Fillies’ Revue-G2, HSN -------------- ----- European Editor Emma Berry [email protected] Associate International Editor Heather Anderson @HLAndersonTDN Newmarket Bureau, Cafe Racing Sean Cronin & Tom Frary [email protected] 60 Broad Street, Suite 100 Red Bank, NJ 07701 732-747-8060 | 732-747-8955 (fax) www.TheTDN.com TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 3 OF 17 • THETDN.COM SUNDAY • MARCH 10, 2019 Saturday, Tampa Bay Downs Margins: 1 1/4, 1 1/4, HF. Odds: 8.90, 6.20, 1.40. LAMBHOLM SOUTH TAMPA BAY DERBY-GII, $355,000, Tampa Also Ran: Zenden, Sir Winston, Dunph, Admire, Well Defined, Bay Downs, 3-9, 3yo, 1 1/16m, 1:41.90, ft. The Right Path, Dream Maker, Lord Dragon. Click for the 1--TACITUS, 117, c, 3, by Tapit Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com 1st Dam: Close Hatches (Ch. Older Mare, MGISW, catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton. $2,707,300), by First Defence AWe=ve always liked this horse and thought he could be a 2nd Dam: Rising Tornado, by Storm Cat horse that would be on the Derby trail,@ Mott said. AI liked him a 3rd Dam: Silver Star (GB), by Zafonic lot better today at the 3/8ths pole than I did at the 5/8ths pole, 1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. because it looked like when he was trying to get between O/B-Juddmonte Farms Inc (KY); T-William I. Mott; J-Jose L. horses, I couldn=t tell if he was maybe fighting with the Ortiz. $210,000. Lifetime Record: 3-2-0-0, $253,000. Click for racetrack. He was climbing a little bit, but once he got through eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ between those horses, he really got some confidence and got *Triple Plus*. some momentum. Jose said he actually finished with something left. He got to the lead and maybe started to dog it a little bit, 2--Outshine, 118, c, 3, Malibu Moon--Life Lesson, by Unbridled's but I thought it was a very good race and a very good education Song. ($260,000 Wlg '16 KEENOV; $625,000 Ylg '17 KEESEP). for him.@ O-Let's Go Stable & Richard Schibell; B-T. F. VanMeter & Ricky AWhen the nine-horse [Dunph (Temple City)] went out, I Stivers (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher. $70,000. decided to go in and follow the one [Admire (Cairo Prince)] because I thought he had a good chance to win,@ Ortiz said. AI = took a lot [of dirt], but the dirt doesn t stick as much here as some other tracks, so I think it was good for my horse. He=s a little green still, but we got a rail trip and it opened up for us. 3--Win Win Win, 117, c, 3, Hat Trick (Jpn)--Miss Smarty Pants, He=s a big horse and when he made the lead, he didn=t keep by Smarty Jones. O-Live Oak Plantation; B-Live Oak Stud (FL); going; he kind of waited a little bit. He does everything so easy T-Michael J. Trombetta. $40,000. and I don=t know if he=s given me 100% yet--I don=t think so.@ TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 4 OF 17 • THETDN.COM SUNDAY • MARCH 10, 2019 HAIKAL STEALS THE SHOW IN THE GOTHAM Shadwell Stable homebred Haikal (Daaher) did not look like a winner most of the way in Saturday=s GIII Gotham S., but he came alive with a powerful punch in the final strides of the Aqueduct feature to pull off a mild upset and earn 50 points towards the GI Kentucky Derby. Unhurried early, the bay ran in second last, well back off the overeager Bob Baffert runner Much Better (Pioneerof the Nile), who zipped through an opening quarter in :22.36 with GISW Knicks Go (Paynter) glued to his inside hip. The pacesetter shook free of that rival as he put up a half in a swift :44.42 with Haikal=s position remaining Tacitus | SV Photography unchanged. Pedigree Notes: Much Better was confronted to his inside by Jerome S. winner Tacitus is the first foal out of Juddmonte and Mott=s 2014 Mind Control (Stay Thirsty) in the stretch with heavily favored Eclipse winner Close Hatches, a five-time Grade I winner and >TDN Rising Star= Instagrand (Into Mischief) ranging up on his runner-up to Beholder (Henny Hughes) in the 2013 GI Breeders= outside and Haikal moving into fourth. It looked like Mind Cup Distaff, who earned over $2.7 million on the racetrack. The Control was going best of those three and would get the job 9-year-old mare has a 2-year-old filly named Atheer (Malibu done, but Haikal was just winding up out in the five path and Moon) and a yearling colt by Tapit. The full-sister to SW & powered past that foe in the final strides for a surprising victory. MGISP Lockdown produced a Curlin colt Feb. 21, which is the Mind Control held second over the previously undefeated same day she foaled Tacitus in 2016.