Maryland Horse® August 2016 Official publication of the Maryland Horse Breeders Association; Vol. 81, No. 8 Sagamore filly rules 82nd annual yearling show By Joe Clancy. Photographs by Barrie B. Reightler. MARYLAND HORSE BREEDERS ASSOCIATION INC. 30 East Padonia Road Timonium, MD 21093 P.O. Box 427 Timonium, MD 21094 410-252-2100 Fax 410-560-0503 www.marylandthoroughbred.com BOARD OF DIRECTORS Robert B. White 1 President Michael J. Harrison Vice-president Richard F. Blue Jr. Secretary-treasurer Cricket Goodall Executive director Donald H. Barr, John W. Boniface, Rebecca B. Davis, John C. Davison, David DiPietro, R. Larry Johnson, Louis Merryman, Sabrina Moore, Kent Allen Murray, Lawrence Murray, James B. Steele Directors Emeritus (served 18 years) J. William Boniface, R. Thomas Bowman, King T. Sagamore Farm’s Into Mischief filly was John Servis’ top pick at the MHBA Yearling Show. Leatherbury, Donald P. Litz Jr., Robert T. Manfuso, Ann hough she probably just Trophy as the show’s cham- Class IV, for fillies by out-of- Merryman, Michael Pons, T Katharine M. Voss missed her barnmates from pion. Judged by Mid-Atlan- state sires, and then repeated Sagamore Farm, the big bay tic trainer John Servis, the the performance in the cham- Advisory Council filly made her case – loudly – show attracted 115 yearlings pionship showdown with the (past MHBA presidents) that she belonged in the cham- and showcased some of the other three class winners a J. William Boniface, William K. pionship class of the Mary- state’s prime Thoroughbred few moments later. Boniface, Frank A. Bonsal, land Horse Breeders Associ- crop born in 2015. Sagamore Physical makeup won the R. Thomas Bowman, William G. Christmas, Hal C.B. Clagett ation’s yearling show June 26 claimed its second champion- day, for Servis. III, Kimball C. Firestone, King at the Timonium Fairgrounds. ship in four years with the “There were nice sprinter- T. Leatherbury, J.W.Y. Martin And her voice apparently daughter of Into Mischief and type horses in there, but that’s Jr., Joseph P. Pons Jr., Michael carried as she took home the the Not For Love mare Road- not the kind of horse I like or Pons, Katharine M. Voss Chanceland Farm Challenge tohanna. The May foal won look for,” he said. “I like a big, Michelle Jennings (second from left), of class sponsor The Mill, presents the Chanceland Farm Challenge Trophy to the 2016 champion – the Into Mischief filly bred, owned and exhibited by Sagamore Farm. Debbie Moorefield (third from left) accepts additional awards from Maryland Racing Commission chairman John McDaniel and John Price on behalf of a big crew from Sagamore. rangy, two-turn looking horse Ginnes, the champion’s dam and that was her. She had a lot Roadtohanna never raced of the things that I like. She but has produced four win- looked very athletic. She had ners – $238,365-earner Going a couple of little flaws that I to Market and stakes perform- felt as a horse trainer I could ers Tell a Great Story, Give No overlook, as nice as she was.” Quarter and All I Karabout, Sagamore’s team celebrat- for Sagamore. A 2014 colt by ed the win, but paid full credit Scat Daddy placed in a class to their filly. at the 2015 yearling show, and “We thought she was a real- little sister went two steps bet- 2 ly good one,” said Sagamore’s ter in 2016. Debbie Moorefield. “She’s big, Sagamore founder Alfred but she has elegance. She has Vanderbilt was a frequent a really elegant walk and she yearling show participant and reaches and steps and she’s winner – taking championship real sure of herself.” honors seven times. Now The Into Mischief filly – owned by Kevin Plank, Saga- who whinnied through more won the championship Moore field’s interview back with a Macho Uno filly in in the barn – has a right to be, 2013. thanks to a deep family tree. “We’re thrilled,” said Judge John Servis (center) accepts a token of appreciation from Bred in Maryland by Moore field. “It really matters. judge’s assistant Cindy Deubler and ringmaster Brian Magness. Charlie and Cynthia Mc- It’s the prestige. It’s like win- Owner/breeder Larry Johnson (fifth from left), exhibiting his first yearlings in the show, was presented the reserve champion trophy by John Price and cash award and ribbon by John McDaniel for his Maclean’s Music colt, the winner of Class II handled by Misael Duran. ning a race at Pimlico. There’s a lot of tradition here. Saga- more and Mr. Vanderbilt used to do the yearling show and we’re sort of keeping it up. It means something.” Moorefield headed a crew from the historic farm at the show – Ihor Ihnatenko, Paco Vega, Francisco Lopez, Gra- ham Bell, Randy Lewis, Joce- lyn Brooks, Katelyn Lamp and Kaitlyn Helwig. Everybody pitched in with the six fillies in the day’s final class. “It’s why we get up early in the morning and sweat on Fasig-Tipton Midlantic’s Paget Bennett presented the trophy to David and JoAnn Hayden for their 100-degree days and groom Class I winner, a son of Not For Love handled by Lazaro Sanchez Colin. Also presenting were ribbon these horses and bathe them sponsor Steve Dance and wife Nancy, and Bill Reightler of EMO Insurance Agency (groom’s award). and do everything that needs to be done,” said Moorefield. “Otherwise, it’s just work.” Reserve champion hon- ors went to owner/breeder R. Larry Johnson’s Maclean’s Music colt. Smaller and more compact than the champi- on, the bay colt nevertheless caught the eye of Servis and others at the show. “He had that athletic look to him,” said Servis, who won this year’s Kentucky Oaks 3 with yearling show graduate Class II winner: Larry Johnson and his Legacy Farm team accept the first-place prizes won by the Cathryn Sophia. “He wasn’t a Maclean’s Music—Keeper Kell colt from Jim Steele of Shamrock Farm (trophy), Paget Bennett of big horse, but he wasn’t that Fasig-Tipton Midlantic (cash award), and Steve and Nancy Dance (Steve Dance Auctions, ribbons). horse that looks like he has to go 6 furlongs. He looks like a horse who has plenty of length to him and would probably stretch out with no problem. Just overall I thought he was very athletic looking.” Making his yearling show debut, Johnson brought a horse for each class and was happy to leave with a reserve championship, a class win, a chance to share in $40,000 in bonus money for show grad- Class II groom’s award winner: Carol Kaye’s Class III groom’s award winner: Dragon’s Lair uates and plenty more. From Trappe Shot colt with Ciara McMurtrie. Farm’s Freedom Child filly with Christy Holden. the Two Punch mare Keeper Kell, the colt was foaled by the Bowman family in Maryland and prepped at home with Su- zanne Dempsey. “Wow, those are some nice horses in the ring,” Johnson said after the class win. “I like my horse but I didn’t come up here with any expectations. I Glenangus Farm’s Class III- bred him to race him and the winning filly by Hunters Bay incentive to this is the mon- took the spoils from Phoebe Hayes, representing cash award ey that’s available for them sponsor Maryland Jockey Club, as racehorses. I don’t sell too and trophy sponsor Joe Clancy many of mine and I won’t sell with ThisIsHorseRacing.com. show, which was founded in 1932. In addition to his Ken- tucky Oaks win with Cathryn Sophia, he won the 2004 Ken- tucky Derby and Preakness with Smarty Jones and trained Grade 1 winners Jostle and Round Pond on the way to more than 1,500 wins and $46 million in purse earnings. The West Virginia native enjoyed the experience, but admitted it was not an easy job. “I loved it,” he said. “I really enjoy looking at young horses, especially horses who look The Class IV-winning filly and soon-to-be show champion, with handler Ihor Ihnatenko good. I really enjoyed it. I had and the rest of the Sagamore team, have their photo taken with trophy sponsor Frank Vespe a good time. It was exhausting, of TheRacingBiz.com and cash sponsor John Price of Patterson Price Real Estate. I was pretty tired. A lot of that was standing out in the sun, but when you are looking at this guy. He looks like a race- that many horses, it’s mental- horse.” ly exhausting.” Dempsey called the colt As usual, the judge did not a tribute to his dam, a John- know the pedigrees of the son homebred who descends horses in each class until af- from the breeder’s foundation terward – which really didn’t mare Ran’s Chick. Keeper Kell make that much impact on his never raced but has produced formula for finding the best three winners from four foals horse. to race, including stakes- “I always tell owners, espe- placed Change of Seasons. cially new owners, that when 4 “He’s always been a nice I go to a sale, I get a catalog colt,” Dempsey said. “The for two reasons – one for birth- dam is really nice, she’s a dates, and two to write my classy horse, so easy to deal notes on. I couldn’t care less with, and he’s been the same about the pedigree . if he’s way. He’s the one who kept a nice horse, they come from all the other ones happy over anywhere.” here getting a bath today.