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SATURDAY, MAY 22, 2021 PLETCHER COLTS WORK FOR BELMONT THE MAN ALONGSIDE Three-time GI Belmont S.-winning conditioner Todd Pletcher FOUNDATION SIRE sent out a trio of colts to breeze Friday morning at Big Sandy in preparation for this year's running of the final leg of the Triple MALIBU MOON Crown June 5. GI Curlin Florida Derby winner and GI Kentucky Derby ninth- place finisher Known Agenda (Curlin) breezed in company with GI Hill >n= Dale Metropolitan H. contender Dr Post (Quality Road). The duo went in 1:02.54 (8/18). Irad Ortiz, Jr. was aboard Known Agenda, with Hall of Famer John Velazquez on last year's Belmont S. runner-up and recent GIII Westchester S. hero. AI thought it was a good progressive breeze that should bring them both forward. In particular, I liked the way they galloped out,@ said Pletcher. Cont. p5 IN TDN EUROPE TODAY IRISH GUINEAS HANGS IN THE BALANCE The weekend's racing at the Curragh is in doubt, as heavy Click here for our interview with Wayne Howard on overnight rains Thursday forcing a Saturday morning inspection of Spendthrift=s late foundation sire Malibu Moon. | Spendthrift the course. Click or tap here to go straight to TDN Europe. by Katie Ritz Following the sudden passing of Spendthrift foundation sire Malibu Moon, much has been said on his accomplishments at stud. The perennial leading sire has had 126 stakes winners, 51 graded winners and 17 Grade I winners. He=s the sire of a Kentucky winner in Orb and an Eclipse champion in Declan=s Moon. As a broodmare sire, he has produced champion Stellar Wind (Curlin) and Breeders= Cup runner-up Bellafina (Quality Road). Just Thursday, he had his 21st >TDN Rising Star= with Always Carina. To Spendthrift=s Stallion Manager Wayne Howard, those stats don=t mean all that much. To him, Malibu Moon will be remembered for so much more. AMalibu Moon is a once-in-a-lifetime horse for me,@ he said. AI don=t see myself having another horse like that again with his presence. Everybody knew he was the man. Without Malibu Moon, I=m not sure where I would be.@ Malibu Moon was foaled in 1997, the same year Howard, a native of Falmouth Cornwall England, arrived in the United States. Cont. p3 PUBLISHER & CEO Sue Morris Finley @suefinley [email protected] SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT Gary King @garykingTDN [email protected] EDITORIAL [email protected] Editor-in-Chief Jessica Martini @JessMartiniTDN Senior Contributing Editor Saturday, May 22, 2021 Alan Carasso @EquinealTDN Senior Editor Steve Sherack @SteveSherackTDN Racing Editor Brian DiDonato @BDiDonatoTDN Deputy Editor Christie DeBernardis @CDeBernardisTDN Associate Editors Christina Bossinakis @CBossTDN Joe Bianca @JBiancaTDN News and Features Editor In Memoriam: Ben Massam (1988-2019) ADVERTISING [email protected] Director of Advertising Alycia Borer Advertising Manager Lia Best Advertising Designer Amanda Crelin Advertising Project Manager Rachel McCaffrey Advertising Assistants Amie Newcomb Kristen Lomasson Photographer/Photo Editor Sarah K. Andrew @SarahKAndrew At this week's Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Sale, six-year-old Rosie Crane shows hip 439, a [email protected] colt by Mucho Macho Man, to purchaser Bill Reightler. Crane is the daughter of Clovis and Joanna Crane of Crane Thoroughbreds, and is also a barrel racer. | Bill Reightler Social Media Strategist Justina Severni TODAY’S GRADED STAKES Associate Producer Katie Ritz ET Race Click for TV 9:15a GAIN Marble Hill S.-G3, CUR -------------- TVG Director of Customer Service 9:40a William Hill Bronte Cup Fillies' S.-G3, YOR -------------- TVG Vicki Forbes [email protected] 9:45a Weatherbys Ireland Greenlands S.-G2, CUR -------------- TVG 10:20a Tattersalls Irish 2000 Guineas-G1, CUR -------------- TVG Marketing Manager 10:35a Casumo Bet10Get10 Sandy Lane S.-G2, HAY -------------- TVG Alayna Cullen @AlaynaCullen 10:55a Lanwades Stud S.-G2, CUR -------------- TVG Director of IT & Accounting 11:10a Casumo Best Odds Guaranteed Temple S.-G2, HAY -------------- TVG Ray Villa 4:30p Santa Maria S.-GII, SA TJCIS PPs TVG [email protected] 7:00p Honeymoon S.-GIII, SA TJCIS PPs TVG [email protected] 7:57p Winning Colors S.-GIII, CD TJCIS PPs FS2 WORLDWIDE INFORMATION International Editor Kelsey Riley @kelseynrileyTDN [email protected] 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 | www.TheTDN.com TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 3 OF 8 • THETDN.COM SATURDAY • MAY 22, 2021 Malibu Moon cont. from p1 Malibu Moon passed away Tuesday, May 18 at the age of 24. | Spendthrift As a juvenile, Malibu Moon went into training under Melvin Stute, where the B. Wayne Hughes homebred made his only two career starts at Hollywood Park, breaking his maiden on second asking going five furlongs. From there, the son of A.P. Indy began his stud career at the Pons family=s Country Life Farm in Maryland, his initial stud fee set at $3,000. Meanwhile, Howard was working at Gainsborough Farm, learning from the likes of Allen Kershaw and Sandy Hatfield. In 2004, Malibu Moon was relocated to Castleton Lyons. That=s when the stars aligned for Malibu Moon and Howard. AI was working the sales when Gary Murray [of Castleton Lyons] came up to me and asked if I had ever worked with stallions,@ Howard recalled. AHe said they were looking for somebody to come look after Malibu Moon and they had already been through three people who didn=t stay very long with him. I came for an interview and Gary made me grab the horse. He bit me, made me bleed. I took him out to the show ring and when he went up in the air, I gave him a slap on the shoulder. Gary said I was hired. That=s how our 18 years together started.@ The duo slowly began to figure each other out, their relationship developing as mutual respect grew for the other. AHe was always a tough horse to be around,@ Howard said. ABut he wasn=t in any way vicious, he just had to have his own way. I spent most of my time looking at the sky because he was always on his hind end with his legs up in the air. You had to have a firm hand but also respect him.@ During Malibu Moon=s first year in Kentucky in 2004, his son Declan=s Moon was named champion juvenile colt. The next year, his fee at Castleton Lyons was increased from $10,000 to TO DATE IN 2021 29% STRIKE RATE TWO Group Wins 25 Wins/85 Starts in England 1st Two Weeks in May 47% Ten Wins 1st or 2nd Around the World From Last 19 Starts 56% 25 Wins from Won/Placed 22 Different Horses Barry Irwin, Founder & CEO (859) 621-8186 We Form Fractional Interest [email protected] Racing Partnerships. Jessica Berry (502) 415-2832 [email protected] TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 4 OF 8 • THETDN.COM SATURDAY • MAY 22, 2021 $30,000, and again to $40,000 in 2007. In 2008, Hughes was ready to bring his homebred success to Spendthrift. It was quickly decided that Howard would come along too. AThey were asking who was going to look after him,@ Howard remembered. AI was lucky enough that they said, >Well Wayne is handling him now,= and I was offered the position. When I arrived at Spendthrift, there were just three stallions. Here we are now with 24.@ As it turned out, Howard=s hand with the rambunctious stallion would be needed for most of his career. AMalibu Moon was a tough horse up until the age of 14,@ he said. AThen he finally decided it was time to grow up a bit. But he was definitely the man of the barn. He was such a great breeder, but we had to do everything his way. He was the boss, one hundred perfect.@ Even as the stallion produced a Kentucky Derby winner in 2013 and soon became regarded as a perennial leading sire, to Howard, he was just >Malibu,= or sometimes, >Boo Boo.= AFor me, the enjoyment was just coming up here at 11 o=clock at night in my pj=s and flip flops, going around and seeing all the guys and patting Malibu on the head and giving him a carrot. The racing is great, but for me, it=s about seeing these horses and getting to know them. Every one of them is different and Malibu, without a doubt, is a horse like I=ve never been around before. He=s one of a kind.@ Over the past few days, the loss of Spendthrift=s cornerstone sire has hung heavy among members of the farm=s stallion team. AThere was just a presence about him,@ Howard explained. AWhen every other stallion would see him walk by, they would all just kind of drop their heads. They knew he was the boss of the farm. Without him around, there=s a big hole to be honest. You don=t think of Spendthrift without thinking of Malibu Moon. It=s heartbreaking at the moment.@ A few years ago, Howard handed Malibu=s shank over to his new handler, Alex. AHe=s taking it very hard,@ Howard shared. AHe has lost a great horse.@ Malibu Moon=s paddock is the first on the left when driving up the hill to the farm=s sprawling stallion complex. Along the fence, an arrangement of flowers sits this week, given by Howard and his wife in honor of the horse that will have an eternal impact on their lives.