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Mendelssohn Q&A with Robyn Murray

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Mendelssohn Q&A with Robyn Murray FRIDAY, JANUARY 18, 2019 PHYLLIS WYETH PASSES AWAY MENDELSSOHN Q&A WITH Lifelong horse enthusiast, philanthropist and Thoroughbred ROBYN MURRAY owner/breeder Phyllis Mills Wyeth died Monday at the age of 78, according to a statement released by the Brandywine Conservancy and Museum of Art, of which Wyeth was a long-time supporter. Wyeth, who achieved her greatest success in racing as the owner/breeder of 2012 GI Belmont S. hero Union Rags (Dixie Union), passed away with her husband, acclaimed painter Jamie Wyeth, by her side. Born in New York City to the late James and Alice du Pont Mills and raised near her family’s Hickory Tree Farm in Middleburg, Virginia, Wyeth became involved in racing through her family, who counted Devil’s Bag and Gone West among the success stories of their breeding/racing operation. Wyeth maintained a love for horses throughout her life and, although an automobile accident left her disabled at age 20, she became a carriage driver and continued to be active as a breeder and owner of racehorses. Cont. p4 IN TDN EUROPE TODAY by Kelsey Riley ZOUSTAR SHINING BRIGHT AT TWEENHILLS Mendelssohn (Scat Daddy) was a standout from the beginning, Tweenhills Stud showed off its new Australian shuttler selling for $3 million at the 2016 Keeneland September Yearling Zoustar (Aus) (Northern Meteor {Aus}) at a media event on Sale as a half-brother to Into Mischief (Harlan’s Holiday) and Thursday. Click or tap here to go straight to TDN Europe. Beholder (Henny Hughes). He delivered on the racetrack as well, winning the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf and the G2 UAE Derby. He stands his first season at Coolmore’s Ashford Stud in 2019, and we caught up with Coolmore’s Robyn Murray to talk about his initial book and how he’s settling in. TDN: Obviously, a big part of the reason why he was a $3-million yearling was his pedigree, but he has the physical as well. RM: He's one whose pedigree doesn't really need too much of an explanation. He's by Scat Daddy and a half-brother to the young, hot sire Into Mischief and four-time champion Beholder. Hence, it's an incredibly deep pedigree. He’s also a gorgeous, gorgeous horse. He's a fantastic mover with plenty of quality. He really is a fantastic individual. He's got incredible conformation and plenty of quality leg underneath him. He’s a very scopey individual and a beautiful, beautiful mover as well. Cont. p3 PUBLISHER & CEO Sue Morris Finley @suefinley [email protected] V.P., INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONS Gary King @garykingTDN [email protected] EDITORIAL [email protected] Editor-in-Chief Jessica Martini @JessMartiniTDN Managing Editor Alan Carasso @EquinealTDN Friday, January 18, 2019 Senior Editor Steve Sherack @SteveSherackTDN Racing Editor Brian DiDonato @BDiDonatoTDN News and Features Editor Ben Massam @BMassamTDN Associate Editors Christie DeBernardis @CDeBernardisTDN Joe Bianca @JBiancaTDN ADVERTISING [email protected] Director of Advertising Alycia Borer Advertising Manager Lia Best Advertising Designer Amanda Crelin Advertising Assistants Alexa Reisfield Amie Morosco Advertising Assistant/Dir. Of Distribution Rachel McCaffrey Photographer/Photo Editor Zarkava’s 2-year-old filly by Siyouni, pictured here as a foal, has been named Zaykava. Sarah K. Andrew @SarahKAndrew Zarak, her half-brother by Dubawi, is available to view this Saturday on La Route des [email protected] Etalons at Haras de Bonneval. | Zuzanna Lupa Social Media Strategist Justina Severni Director of Customer Service Vicki Forbes [email protected] ON AFTERCARE: Q&A WITH RRP’S CAROLYN KARLSON 5 In the latest edition of our series spotlighting people and Marketing Manager organizations helping transition Thoroughbreds into post-racing Alayna Cullen @AlaynaCullen lives, Diana Pikulski talks to Carolyn Karlson of the burgeoning Director of Information Technology Retired Racehorse Project. Ray Villa [email protected] Bookkeeper Terry May MERIT MAN COLT TOPS CTBA SALE 10 [email protected] Jessica Martini talks to Bob Hess, Jr., who took home the WORLDWIDE INFORMATION topper, a $60,000 colt by Merit Man, at Wednesday’s International Editor California Thoroughbred Breeders Association January Kelsey Riley @kelseynrileyTDN Mixed Sale. [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 | 732-747-8955 (fax) www.TheTDN.com TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 3 OF 12 • THETDN.COM FRIDAY • JANUARY 18, 2019 Mendelsson Q&A cont. from p1 RM (cont.): Those are all things that you want to see, and the breeders that have been out to see him have absolutely loved him. TDN: How is his initial book coming along? RM: The demand that we've had from breeders has been absolutely phenomenal, and to the point where he's been fully booked now for a little while, so it's really exciting. TDN: And being a son of Scat Daddy, a horse that you had here, I'm sure that helps with his demand. RM: Yes, absolutely. Of course, Scat Daddy is much missed, not just here, but all over the world. Also we have No Nay Never (in Ireland), who was champion first-season sire in Europe. Caravaggio, who has been very popular there, is having his first foals this year and they now have Sioux Nation as well. Scat Daddy has been incredibly important for us and for so many people that wanted to breed to him before he passed, so it's great to have his sons. TDN: How does his body of work on the track predispose him to doing well at stud? RM: He was a very versatile horse, winning the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf and then going down to Meydan and winning the UAE Derby by 18 1/2 lengths in a phenomenal performance. Then he came over and raced in the States with a second in the GI Travers, and a third in the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup. So he's proved himself on turf and then has been magnificent on dirt as well. I think that versatility has really appealed to the breeders. Obviously Scat Daddy was a very versatile sire himself, having the likes of Justify over the Classic distances and then the likes of Caravaggio, No Nay Never and Lady Aurelia. TDN: How has he adapted to life on the farm? RM: He came straight here after the Cigar Mile at Aqueduct, so he’s been here about six weeks now. He's settled into life here fantastically. He's got a beautiful, beautiful temperament. They've test-bred him and all has gone well so far. He's starting to fill out a bit, put a bit of weight on. He's settled in fantastically. TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 4 OF 12 • THETDN.COM FRIDAY • JANUARY 18, 2019 Phyllis Wyeth Passes Away cont. from p1 A win in the GII Fountain of Youth S. and a late-running third in In Union Rags, a fourth-generation homebred out of the Gone the GI Florida Derby landed him in the starting gate for the West mare Tempo, Wyeth reached the Grade I winner’s circle GI Kentucky Derby, but the bay could do no better than seventh twice in the GI Champagne S. after enduring a troubled trip. and the Belmont. Union Rags bounced back five Wyeth initially parted ways weeks later in the Belmont, with Union Rags for $145,000 at skimming the rail to notch a the 2010 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga courageous neck victory over Yearling Sale, but later returned Paynter (Awesome Again). to the auction ring to buy back “I had a dream--I knew he the striking son of Dixie Union would make it," said Wyeth in for $390,000 at Fasig-Tipton’s the aftermath of the Belmont Florida 2-Year-Olds in Training win. "I only have that racehorse Sale the following February. The and half of another, a claimer. investment proved more than And I knew Michael [Matz] could worth it, as Union Rags was do it with him. It was my dream placed under the care of trainer and he made it come true today. Michael Matz and quickly reeled Wyeth celebrates her 2012 Belmont victory with John Velazquez He and Johnny [Velazquez].” off three eye-catching victories Getty Images Although Union Rags never to begin his career, including romps in the GII Saratoga Special S. raced again after the Belmont, he proved to be a gift that kept and Champagne. The colt nearly overcame a wide trip when on giving for Wyeth, later giving her another Grade I win as an runner-up by a head behind Hansen (Tapit) in the GI Breeders’ owner as the sire of Dancing Rags, who captured the 2016 Cup Juvenile and subsequently traveled south to begin the Triple GI Darley Alcibiades S. for her Chadds Ford Stable and trainer Crown trail in Florida. Graham Motion. Cont. p5 Contact Sue Finley for details at 732-747-8060 or [email protected] TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 5 OF 12 • THETDN.COM FRIDAY • JANUARY 18, 2019 by Diana Pikulski The first Racehorse Retraining Symposium was organized by Steuart Pittman in 2009 as a clinic for people and organizations wanting help in transitioning Thoroughbreds from racing to second careers. At the time, Carolyn Karlson was a business school professor and a trustee of the University of Maryland. Union Rags | Reed Palmer photo She also owned her first racehorse, Ave Ravina. Karlson was already thinking about what her post-racing options would be Wyeth majored in political science at Finch College and for the mare.
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