Derby Perfection!
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
SUNDAY, MAY 8, 2016 DIVISIDERO UP IN TURF CLASSIC DERBY PERFECTION! A year to the day after taking the GII American Turf on the Derby undercard, Gunpowder Stables= Divisidero (Kitten=s Joy) rallied wide on the turn, avoided a spill to his inside and outfinished World Approval (Northern Afleet) to take the GI Woodford Reserve Turf Classic, giving his sire a graded-stakes double on the program. Cont. p9 TARIS RISES TO THE OCCASION IN HUMANA After a couple of near misses at the highest level, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith and John Magnier=s >TDN Rising Star= Taris (Flatter) sat a perfect stalking trip while three wide, wrested command at the head of the lane and went on to pummel her rivals to take Saturday=s GI Humana Distaff S. by a resounding 5 3/4 lengths. Cont. p11 Nyquist (right) proves the doubters wrong | Coady photography ABBEY AWESOME IN SCHWEPPES OAKS By Alan Carasso Abbey Marie (Aus) (Redoute=s Choice {Aus}) kept her unbeaten It=s the GI Kentucky Derby. The >greatest two minutes in record intact in Saturday=s G1 Schweppes Oaks at sports.= Twenty horses--a race in which literally almost anything Morphettville. can happen. In a sense, Nyquist (Uncle Mo) had nothing to Click or tap here to go straight to TDN Europe. prove coming into the 142nd Run for the Roses Saturday afternoon. All a horse can do is take on and defeat those that choose to line up against him, and that he had done. On seven occasions from as many appearances, over racetracks from west to east, the bay colt with the red shadow roll and the nasal strip carried by runners from the Doug O=Neill barn had finished ahead of each of the 51 rivals he had faced. His body of work had earned him a quote of 3-1 favoritism on handicapper Mike Battaglia=s morning line, but given the unpredictability of a race like the Kentucky Derby, there were plenty of gamblers who were willing to take him on. Despite a victory over then-favorite Mohaymen (Tapit) going nine furlongs for the first time in the GI Xpressbet.com Florida Derby some five weeks ago, many questioned the colt=s ability to stay Saturday=s 10-furlong trip and were unwilling to swallow the skinny post-time odds of 23-10. But given the coolest of cool rides by Mario Gutierrez off a demanding pace, he silenced his critics--not for the first time in his career--and held off a late surge from GI Santa Anita Derby winner Exaggerator (Curlin) to give owner Paul Reddam, O=Neill and Gutierrez their second Derby wins. Gun Runner (Candy Ride {Arg}) was a perfect-trip third. Cont. p3 New Graded Stakes Winner Camelot Kitten, a full brother to Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G1) winner Bobby’s Kitten, finished in a flurry to prevail at the wire in the $300,000 American Turf Stakes (G2) at Churchill on Derby Day. Coming off an allowance race, the 3YO is the newest Graded Stakes winner for Kitten’s Joy, the Leading Turf sire in America for the fourth year in a row. 2016 Stud Fee: $100,000 S&N 6915 Harrodsburg Road | Nicholasville, KY 40356 LGB, LLC 2016 / Photo: Horsephotos.com (859) 887-3200 | Fax: (859) 885-2666 | www.ramseyfarm.com New Grade 1 Winner Gunpowder Farms’ Divisidero muscled his way to the wire in the final strides to win the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic S. (gr. IT) by a neck at Churchill Downs. He was the second home run horse to light up the board for Champion Sire Kitten’s Joy on Derby Day. World Class. 2016 Stud Fee: $100,000 S&N 6915 Harrodsburg Road | Nicholasville, KY 40356 LGB, LLC 2016 / Photo: Horsephotos.com (859) 887-3200 | Fax: (859) 885-2666 | www.ramseyfarm.com PRESIDENT & CO-PUBLISHER Barry Weisbord @barryweisbord [email protected] SR. V.P. & CO-PUBLISHER Sue Morris Finley @suefinley [email protected] V.P., INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONS Gary King @garykingTDN [email protected] Sunday, May 8, 2016 EDITORIAL [email protected] Editor-in-Chief Jessica Martini @JessMartiniTDN Managing Editor Alan Carasso @EquinealTDN Senior Editor Steve Sherack @SteveSherackTDN Racing Editor Brian DiDonato @BDiDonatoTDN Associate Editor Christie DeBernardis @CDeBernardisTDN Assistant Editors Heather Anderson @HLAndersonTDN Ben Massam @BMassamTDN Joe Bianca @JBiancaTDN ADVERTISING [email protected] Director of Advertising Alycia Borer Advertising Manager Lia Kusch Sr. Ad Coordinator/Dir. of Distribution Sarah K. Andrew @SarahKAndrew Advertising Designer Amanda Crelin Advertising Assistants Brittlan Wall @bwallTDN Number 13 was very lucky indeed for undefeated Nyquist in Saturday’s GI Kentucky August Pons @APonsTDN Derby. Derby coverage continues on page 3. | Coady Photography Social Media Strategist Nichola Henry @NicholaHenryTDN TODAY’S GRADED STAKES [email protected] EDT Race Click for TV Director of Customer Service 2:20a Niigata Daishoten-G2, NII ---------------- ----- Vicki Forbes 2:40a NHK Mile Cup-G1, TOK ---------------- ----- [email protected] 9:25a Sandyford Parish Amethyst S.-G3, LEO ---------------- ----- 9:45a Prix Greffulhe-G2, STC ---------------- ----- Director of Information Technology Ray Villa 10:00a Derrinstown Stud 1000 Guineas Trial-G3, LEO ---------------- ----- [email protected] 10:35a Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial S.-G3, LEO ---------------- ----- 10:40a Premio Presidente Della Repubblica-G2, ROM ---------------- ----- WORLDWIDE INFORMATION 11:00a Prix D’Hedouville-G3, STC ---------------- ----- International Editor Kelsey Riley @kelseynrileyTDN 11:20a 81st Gerling-Preis-G2, KOL ---------------- ----- [email protected] 4:35p Hendrie S.-GIII, WO TJCIS PPs TVG European Editor 5:30p Adoration S.-GIII, SA TJCIS PPs TVG Emma Berry [email protected] 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 HEADLINE NEWS $ PAGE 3 OF 22 $ THETDN.COM SUNDAY $ MAY 8, 2016 FEATURE PRESENTATION • GI KENTUCKY DERBY (Click here for a Bill Finley story on James Keogh, who originally bought Seeking Gabrielle off the track and click here to read Steve Sherack=s Q&A with Dennis O=Neill) Some 93 days after his purchase, Nyquist found himself in a five-furlong Santa Anita maiden at odds of 7-1 and fought out a strong pace while buried down inside, was headed in the stretch and boxed back gamely to score by a head. Fifth that day? A 28-1 chance named Exaggerator. Cont. p4 Bred to Be a Star... Bred in Kentucky by Tim Hyde Jr.=s Summerhill Farm (click here Horsephotos for a story from Jonathan Murrietta on Summerhill Farm), | Nyquist made the first of three trips through a sales pavilion at the 2013 Keeneland November Sale, where he was knocked down for $180,000, the sixth most expensive of 26 first-crop weanlings to sell that year. He found himself back at Keeneland 10 months later, where he was hammered down for $230,000 at the 2014 September sale (10th priciest of 95 to sell) and was ticketed for the 2015 Fasig-Tipton Florida March Sale. The March foal, produced by a half-sister to the dam of GI Metropolitan H. hero Sahara Sky (Pleasant Tap), touted himself at the under-tack show, breezing an eighth of a mile in :10 2/5, and was scooped up by Dennis O=Neill for $400,000 (4/41). Danzing Candy leads into the first turn HEADLINE NEWS $ PAGE 4 OF 22 $ THETDN.COM SUNDAY $ MAY 8, 2016 Kentucky Derby 142 cont. The handsome bay made light work of the 2-year-old series at Del Mar, besting Swipe (Birdstone) by 5 1/4 lengths in the GII Best Pal S. Aug. 8 and by 3 3/4 lengths in the GI Del Mar Futurity before stretching out to two turns. His 3/4-length defeat of Swipe in the Sept. 26 GI FrontRunner S. was more workmanlike than spectacular and the naysayers began to come out in force. That group=s collective skepticism was only enhanced when Nyquist drew 12 in the field of 14 in the GI Breeders= Cup Juvenile Oct. 31 and those who believed got 9-2 that Halloween afternoon at Keeneland. Trapped out the entire way and reserved in midfield off a wicked pace, Coady photography he was forced to cover ground on the turn, but nevertheless fought on and beat Swipe by a half-length, with the late-running Brody=s Cause (Giant=s Causeway) third. A perfect season, an Eclipse Award and a future home at Darley already secured, Nyquist was programmed for a two-race preparation leading up to the Run for the Roses and got his 2016 season off on the right foot with a pace-pressing defeat of Exaggerator in the seven-furlong GII San Vicente S. Feb. 15. With a potential $1-million bonus on the line in the Florida Derby, Nyquist was the 6-5 second choice in a clash of the titans with then-unbeaten Mohaymen (Tapit). For a few strides with three furlongs to race over a rain-affected strip, it appeared as if the match race could develop. But Mario Gutierrez floated his gray rival wide into the lane, kicked away and proved an easy winner as Majesto (Tiznow) closed for second. Cont. p5 Nyquist emerging from the tunnel through a mass of humanity during the playing of >My Old Kentucky Home= | Coady photography HEADLINE NEWS $ PAGE 5 OF 22 $ THETDN.COM SUNDAY $ MAY 8, 2016 Say >Uncle=... Off in a flash once Danzing Candy (Twirling Candy) was loaded into stall 20, Nyquist broke well and was kept in about the four path, as Gun Runner made best use of his low draw in five to lead narrowly through the opening exchanges.