Wednesday, September 30, 2009 Classic No Leap for Grazen
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Volume 2 • Number 39 Official publication of the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association WEEEKLYEKLY WWEEKLYWednesdaednesdEay, Sy,EKLYep Apriltemb e16,r 3 02008, 2009 This Week’s Issue Is Sponsored by W Classic No Leap for Bold Chieftain, Grazen 50th Millionaire? While galloping over the seven-eighths mile track at Tommy The California Cup is marking its 20th running this year and Town Thoroughbreds one morning in the summer of 2008, Grazen Bold Chieftain also can achiev e a his toric milestone in the 10- inexplicably jumped over the inner rail. race stakes series for Cal-breds at Santa Anita Park on October 3. “He must have been spooked by some people making noises 40 If he wins or runs second in the $200,000 Classic, the richest of or 50 feet away,” recalled Mike Allen, farm manager of the Santa the Cal Cup races, or wins the $125,000 Mile on turf, the versa - Ynez, Calif., facility, at which Grazen was being broken and pre - tile 6-year-old son of Chief Seattle, out of the Seattle Dancer mare pared for his racing career. Hooked On Music, would become the 50th Cal-bred to earn $1 What happened next was even more inexplicable. million in purse money. “Grazen jumped right back over the fence,” Allen said, an air The dark bay or brown, almost black horse is $36,589 shy of the of disbelief still in his voice. “The exercise rider went down and seven-figure plateau after elevating his career earnings to $963,411 broke his shoulder, but the horse didn’t have a scratch on him. with a five-length victory in his most recent start, the $80,000, 1 This was a fence about four feet high and this all happened in 1/8-mile Governor’s Cup Handicap at Sacramento on Sept. 7 about five seconds. I’ve seen two or three horses a year jump that It was Bold Chieftain’s first victory in seven trips to the post fence and either hurt themselves or shake themselves up. But he this year and trainer Bill Morey Jr. admits he was beginning to acted like it was the most natural thing in the world for him to do despair of the horse’s chances of becoming a millionaire. that. I figured if he didn’t turn out to be a good racehorse, we "He’s not as fast as he once was out of the gate," Morey said, "and could make a steeplechase horse out of him.” he’s not as competitive with the good horses like he used to be. Those plans have long since been shelved, but Grazen, a "But he’s a full horse with a future as a stallion. Getting him to a gray/roan 3-year-old son of Benchmark, out of the Rubiano mare million dollars would be a good advertisement for him as a stallion." Hazen, still is jumping. Continued on next page Continued on next page www.ctba.com CALIFORNIA THOROUGHBRED WEEKLY • September 30, 2009 1 Cal Cup: Grazen for Grazen, who has earned $245,400. All four wins have come Continued from page 1 during five 2009 starts. His only loss was to Misremembered in Right onto the national scene. Hollywood Park’s Grade II Swaps Stakes. Trainer Bob Baffert The homebred of longtime Los Angeles car dealer Nick thought highly enough of Misremembered to run him in Del Mar’s Alexander is the likely favorite in the $200,000 Cal Cup Classic, one $1 million Pacific Classic the day after the El Cajon. of 10 stakes for Cal-breds to be run at Santa Anita Park on Oct. 3, the In his biggest victory to date, Grazen defeated Misremembered by first Saturday of the 41st Oak Tree Racing Association fall meet. 2 ¾ lengths in the Grade III Affirmed Handicap at Hollywood Park Success in that 1 1/8-mile event could land Grazen a spot in on June 20--the first triumph by a Cal-bred in that 1 1/16-mile race North America’s richest Thoroughbred race, the $5 million, 1 ¼- since Tiznow won in 2000 en route to his Horse of the Year laurels. mile Breeders’ Cup Classic on Nov. 7. Remarkably, for a man who has spent nearly 30 years in the “We originally were thinking that after the Cal Cup we would- Thoroughbred business, Grazen is the first stakes winner n’t run him again until the San Fernando Stakes (at Santa Anita) Alexander has ever owned. in January,” trainer Mike Mitchell said. “But Nick and I have been “We’ve bred a couple minor stakes winners that we’ve sold,” looking at the Breeders’ Cup and Ron Anderson (the agent for said Alexander, who has gone from selling Chevrolets to BMWs in jockey Garrett Gomez) has said he would like to ride our horse if his automotive career. “But this is the only one we’ve kept.” he ran in the Breeders’ Cup.” He has turned most of the direction of his car business over to Gomez, who won four Breeders’ Cup races in 2008, was daughter Elizabeth and is concentrating on a small Santa Ynez aboard Grazen for his victory in the El Cajon Stakes at Del Mar Valley farm he bought four years ago on property that formerly was on Sept. 5, in which Grazen defeated Chocolate Candy, who ran a walnut orchard. fifth in the Kentucky Derby. Alexander’s farm manager is Carrie Drake, who worked four “This is a very good horse,” Mitchell said. “And he’s getting years at River Edge Farm for Russell Drake--no relation--and said better all the time. It’s nice to have an improving 3-year-old at this she saw Grazen’s potential early. time of the year who’s lightly raced when all the others have gone “He was late to get to the races,” she said, “but I told Nick he through the wars.” looked like he’d be a good one. It’s turned out that way.” The victory in the El Cajon was the fourth in six career starts —Larry Bortstein Cal Cup: Bold Chieftain Continued from page 1 running of the event before the San Mateo track was razed. His The winning share in the 1 1/8-mile Classic, which Bold best performances in graded races were runner-up finishes in the Chieftain won two years ago, is $120,000, and second money is Grade II Del Mar Breeders’ Cup Mile last year and in the Grade III $40,000. The winner of the Mile, in which Bold Chieftain ran sec - Bay Meadows Derby as a 3-year-old in 2006. That year he also ran ond in 2008, gets $75,000. third in the Grade III El Camino Real Derby. "We’re not sure which race we’ll run in yet," says Morey, a co- The biggest race in which Bold Chieftain ever competed was last breeder of the horse with Dwaine Hall, Ernest Langbein and year’s $2 million Breeders’ Cup Mile at Santa Anita, won by the fab - Kenneth Robinson. ulous French filly Goldikova, who is expected to attempt a defense of Entries for the Cal Cup races will be drawn Wednesday, Sept. her Mile title on Nov. 7. Bold Chieftain checked in eighth. 30, opening day of the Oak Tree Racing Association meet. "We thought he ran well, but he wasn’t a match for that filly, "Depending on how he does in the race he runs in, it could be and neither was anybody else," Morey said. his last race," Morey said of Bold Chieftain, who has won 12 of 30 The first Cal-bred millionaire was Native Diver, three-time starts, including nine wins in stakes races. "He’ll tell us what he winner of the Hollywood Gold Cup, who achieved the milestone wants to do. He’s been too good to us to keep going beyond what on July 15, 1967. The 49th was Greg’s Gold, a Grade I-winning he can do." sprinter, who reached the $1 million mark on April 5, 2008. Morey said his one disappointment with Bold Chieftain is that Kentucky and Florida are the only states which have produced the horse never won a graded stakes. more state-bred millionaires than California. —Larry Bortstein He won the ungraded Bay Meadows Handicap in 2008, the last Cal Cup Regular Nominations Added $200,000 Cal Cup Classic, presented by City National Bank - Star Nicholas. Six horses were submitted as regular nominations for $125,000 John C. Mabee Cal Cup Mile - Suit Yourself. Saturday’s $1 million California Cup XX, a series of 10 stakes $100,000 Donald Valpredo Cal Cup Sprint - Candy Pull. races exclusively for California-breds, to be held at the Oak Tree $100,000 CTT/TOC Cal Cup Matron - Strawberry Tart. at Santa Anita meet. $100,000 John Deere Cal Cup Distaff - Strawberry Tart, Here are the additional nominees: Unworldly Heat, Chars Problem. 2 CALIFORNIA THOROUGHBRED WEEKLY • September 30, 2009 www.ctba.com Working For You New Cal-bred Maiden Bonuses Start Today The bonus amount, to be paid to all Cal-bred maiden III . Significant eligibility changes for California-breds. allowance winners, will be an additional $20,000 in Southern The bonus will go to the owner of the winner and will be paid California and $10,000 in Northern California. The bonuses directly by the CTBA within 30 days after the race. To put this came about through an agreement reached by the California into perspective: In Southern California, at the recently conclud - Thoroughbred Breeders Association (CTBA), the Thoroughbred ed Santa Anita Park meet, a California-bred Maiden Allowance Owners of California (TOC), and the various racing associations.