MEL CUP RIDE TO COST DETTORI HEADLINE p4 NEWS For information about TDN, DELIVERED EACH NIGHT BY FAX AND FREE BY E-MAIL TO SUBSCRIBERS OF call 732-747-8060. www.thoroughbreddailynews.com THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2004 PLEASANTLY PERFECT RETIRED BIRDSTONE RETIRED Diamond A Racing Corporation’s Pleasantly Perfect Marylou Whitney’s homebred Birdstone (Grindstone-- (Pleasant Colony--Regal State, by Affirmed) has been Dear Birdie, by Storm Bird) emerged from the GI Breed- retired from racing after suffering a minor ankle injury ers’ Cup Classic with a chip in his left front ankle and during his third-place finish in last Saturday’s GI Breed- will be retired, according to The Blood-Horse. No stud ers’ Cup Classic. The six-year-old stallion, who was plans have been announced as of yet for the three-year- tentatively scheduled to make his final racetrack ap- old, who had been scheduled to pearance in the G1 Japan race next year. “There really was- Cup Dirt in Tokyo Nov. 28, n't any sign that there was some- will instead ship to Lane’s thing wrong,” veterinarian Joe End Farm in Versailles, Ken- Migliacci told The Blood-Horse. tucky, where he will com- “We surveyed him just as we did mence stud duties next after the Belmont and Travers, and winter. Bred by Clovelly it came as a surprise to us. Every- Farms, the strapping bay one is really going to miss him. He was purchased as a year- was so great to have around the barn and work with. One of the Pleasantly Perfect winning the ling for $725,000 at the Birdstone wins the reasons I recommended retirement ‘03 BC Classic Horsephotos 1999 Keeneland September Belmont A Coglianese photo sale, but was diagnosed is that, although he could have with inflammation of the heart and didn’t make the made it back, there was a question whether he'd be races until May of 2001. Off for eight months thereaf- able to compete at that same level.” Winner of the GI ter with a respiratory illness, Pleasantly Perfect began Champagne S. last year, the bay rebounded from an to put things together the following season, taking four unplaced effort in the GI Kentucky Derby to deny of his eight trips to the post, capped by the first of his Smarty Jones the GI Belmont S. He later added the GI two wins in the GII Goodwood Breeders’ Cup H. After Travers S. to his laurels before facing his elders in the successfully defending his Goodwood title last October, Classic at Lone Star. A half brother to Eclipse champion he closed the year with a come-from-behind victory in three-year-old filly Bird Town, Birdstone retires with a the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic at his Santa Anita base, record of 9-5-0-0 and earnings of $1,575,600. Though offers have been made from overseas, the colt will then resurfaced to win his first two starts of this year, begin his stud career in Kentucky, according to Whit- including a thrilling 3/4-length victory in a memorable ney’s husband John Hendrickson. “She's committed to showdown with Medaglia d’Oro in the $6-million G1 keeping the horse in America, and we'll price him rea- Dubai World Cup. Given ample time to recover, he sonably so he will be attractive to people,” he told The raced just twice more prior to the Breeders’ Cup, post- Blood-Horse. ing a runner-up finish in the GII San Diego H. before a one-length victory in the GI Pacific Classic Aug. 22. “I’d say he was one of the really great ones, to have gone BIRDSTONE through the virus as a two-year-old and end up as good (c, 3, Grindstone--Dear Birdie, by Storm Bird) as he was,” trainer Richard Mandella told Daily Racing Year Sts 1st 2nd 3rd Earnings Form. “How great do you have to be to overcome 2003 3 2 0 0 $339,000 that?” Pleasantly Perfect, who will stand for $40,000 WON GI Champagne S. at Lane’s End, retires with a career record of 18-9-3-2 2004 6 3 0 0 $1,236,600 and earnings of $7,789,880. He ranks fourth on the all- WON GI Belmont S., GI Travers S. time North American earnings list behind Cigar, Skip Totals 9 5 0 0 $1,575,600 Away and Fantastic Light. (Career stats p4) TDN P HEADLINE NEWS • 11/4/04 • PAGE 2 of 4 WEEKEND PEDIGREE Ghostzapper is out of Baby Zip, a precocious and speedy daughter of Relaunch. She was a stakes winner PERSPECTIVES at two and is also dam of City Zip (Carson City), a by Alan Porter Grade I-winning juvenile and a good sprinter at three. It’s worth noting here that Carson City is by Mr. Pros- BREEDERS’ CUP IN REVIEW pector out of a Blushing Groom mare, and that Awe- With the 21st Breeders’ Cup in the record books, it’s some Again’s dam is by Blushing Groom out of a mare clear that from a pedigree standpoint, the big winner by Mr. Prospector. The Blushing Groom factor may be a was Awesome Again. With the GI Breeders’ Cup Clas- particularly important one in the pedigree of sic winner Ghostzapper and Wilko, who took the GI Ghostzapper, as Blushing Groom’s sire Red God is Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, the Adena Springs stallion has out of the mare Spring Run, a product of the a certain Horse of the Year as well a strong candidate Menow/Bull Dog cross. We often see Blushing Groom for champion two-year-old honors. Awesome Again is a successfully combine with another Menow/Bull Dog son of Deputy Minister and a cross, Tom Fool,who appears in Ghostzapper’s pedigree member of Northern Dancer in the male of his second dam (as grandsire of Tri Jet). male line. On the day North- The pedigree of the Juvenile victor Wilko is a more ern Dancer-line horses took unusual one. He is out of the Irish-bred mare Native half of the eight races, the Roots, a minor winner by Indian Ridge. The granddam other victories coming Phazania is a half sister to the speedy stakes winner through Sweet Catomine Muffitys. That mare is the granddam of Taiki Shuttle, (Storm Cat) in the GI Juvenile Japanese Horse of the Year and winner of the G1 Prix Awesome Again Fillies and Ouija Board (Cape Jacques le Marois in France. This pedigree is a com- adenastallions.com Cross) in the GI Filly/Mare plete outcross at five generations, with the only Ameri- Turf. Two of the day’s win- can blood close-up in the dam being Swing Easy, a ners were from branches of the Turn-to line: Ashado high-class sprinter who appears as broodmare sire of (Saint Ballado)--from Halo’s branch--took the GI Distaff; Indian Ridge. Native Roots also has Relic tucked away and Singletary (Sultry Song), who descends via Cox’s Ridge and Best Turn, captured the GI Mile. The Mr. in the pedigree. Relic appears in Awesome Again’s Prospector line was surprisingly limited to one victory, pedigree through his son Olden Times, who is responsi- which came courtesy of Speightstown (Gone West) in ble for Awesome Again’s third dam Square Generation. the GI Sprint. The other male line to score was that of It’s interesting to note that Relic or his sire War Relic Caro, who appears as great-grandsire of GI Turf winner appear in all three of Awesome Again’s Grade I win- Better Talk Now. ners, as well as his only other graded winners, Snorter Ghostzapper is a member of the first crop sired by and Pink Champagne. Awesome Again, as is the multiple Grade I winning juvenile Toccet. In going through an undefeated four-year-old season, Ghostzapper emulated the MOVING??? achievement of his sire, who was also perfect at four DON’T FORGET TO LET US KNOW and ended his career with a win in the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic, over a field which included Silver Charm, YOUR NEW FAX NUMBER! Swain, Victory Gallop, Touch Gold, Skip Away, 1 (732) 747-8060 Coronado’s Quest and Gentlemen. FROM THE NEW KID IN TOWN: • Sire of 8 Winners & 4 Placed from his First Crop to Race • Sire of Stakes-Placed Gemilli & Winning Season, winner of a Mdn Sp Wt at Churchill Downs Tuesday. • Sire of Lemon Drop King and Lemon Sky, who were 1st and 2nd in a Mdn Sp Wt at Calder on Saturday CHAMPION LEMON DROP KID Kingmambo - Charming Lassie PHONE (859) 873-7300 • FAX (859) 873-3746 • E-MAIL: [email protected] • WEB SITE: www.lanesend.com TDN P HEADLINE NEWS • 11/4/04 • PAGE 3 of 4 Porter cont. rate’s Revenge, heroine of the GI Milady H. The cross The runner-up in last year’s GI Juvenile Fillies, of Storm Cat over Roberto-line mares in general has Ashado returned to defeat her elders in the Distaff, now achieved a strike rate which is better than Storm nailing down the champion three-year-old filly title in Cat’s overall percentage of stakes winners to foals. the process. Ashado is a daughter of the deceased Halo Sweet Catomine follows Dessert (out of a mare by Lear stallion Saint Ballado, a brother to champions Devil’s Fan) as the second Grade I winner bred on a Storm Bag and Glorious Song (dam of Rahy and Singspiel).