THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2019 PLENTY OF MONEY DIVERSE HORSE OF THE YEAR CONTENDERS TOP 188 BREEDERS= CUP PRE-ENTRIES STILL IN PLAY AT FTKOCT A total of 188 horses, including 47 foreign-based runners from as far afield as South Korea, have been pre-entered for the 36th renewal of the Breeders= Cup World Championships, to be held for a record 10th time at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California, Friday and Saturday, Nov. 1 and 2. W. S. Farish=s Code of Honor (Noble Mission {GB}) would need a few things to go his way, but a victory in the GI Longines Classic would enhance his chances for a Horse of the Year title and would sew up champion 3-year-old honors. Winner of his two most recent appearances in the GI Runhappy Travers S. and GI Jockey Club Gold Cup (via the DQ of the re-opposing Vino Rosso {Curlin}), the chestnut will be looking to give his Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey an elusive first victory in the 10-furlong feature. Cont. p12 Session-topping Hip 1033 in the ring| Fasig-Tipton IN TDN EUROPE TODAY by Brian DiDonato SHOWCASING COLT FOR GODOLPHIN AT ARQANA LEXINGTON, KY - Buyers continued to zero in on the perceived Godolphin made it’s presence felt when securing the top lot top lots during the third session of the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky during Arqana October’s second session on Wednesday. October Yearling sale, with the first, second and fourth-priciest Click or tap here to go straight to TDN Europe. purchases of the sale thus far all coming Wednesday. Topping trade was an Uncle Mo colt (hip 1033) acquired by agent Mike Ryan from the Indian Creek consignment for $410,000. With a somewhat softer market for the lower-priced lots than was seen during the first two days of the four-day auction, the average ($34,909) and median ($10,000) dipped slightly. Wednesday=s gross sales totaled $8,378,100 and the RNA rate was 26.4%. Cumulative numbers for the sale continue to stack up well against figures from 2018. Seven-hundred forty horses have sold for $27,577,200 at an average of $37,266 ($35,576 in 2018) and median of $13,000 ($15,000 in 2018). The buyback rate sits at 26.2% for the sale so far--it was 22.7% for the entirety of last year=s auction. AThree straight days with increases in average and increases in gross [compared to last year=s corresponding sessions] are certainly very encouraging,@ said Fasig-Tipton President and CEO Boyd Browning, Jr. AThe resilience and the depth of the market never ceases to amaze me.@ 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 Thursday, October 24, 2019 Alan Carasso @EquinealTDN 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 Sarah K. Andrew @SarahKAndrew [email protected] Social Media Strategist Hronis Racing’s Catalina Cruiser (Union Rags–Sea Gull, by Mineshaft) will stand at Justina Severni Lane’s End Farm upon retirement, the farm announced Wednesday morning. A son of leading cumulative fourth-crop sire Union Rags, Catalina Cruiser is seven-for-eight Director of Customer Service Vicki Forbes lifetime, with five graded stakes wins. See page 17 for story. | Benoit [email protected] Marketing Manager Alayna Cullen @AlaynaCullen MATH WIZARD SALE FINALIZED 17 Owner John Fanelli has sold a 50% interest in his Director of Information Technology GI Pennsylvania Derby upsetter Math Wizard Ray Villa (Algorithms). Bill Finley has the details.. [email protected] Bookkeeper Terry May SOL KUMIN JOINS TDN WRITERS’ ROOM PODCAST 18 [email protected] Omnipresent owner Sol Kumin joins the crew on the WORLDWIDE INFORMATION TDN Writers’ Room podcast as their first call-in guest to International Editor talk about Midnight Bisou’s Horse of the Year case and Kelsey Riley @kelseynrileyTDN what he’s looking forward to in the Breeders’ Cup. [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 19 • THETDN.COM THURSDAY • OCTOBER 24, 2019 FTKOCT Day 3 recap cont. from p1 AHistorically, this sale has been strong throughout all four days and there continues to be lots of activity,@ Browning added. AThere might be a few less people here in person, but they=ve certainly left plenty of money with other agents or associates to be able to bid on horses. That was what was really encouraging. Tonight, I spent the last 30 minutes in the back walking ring outside and there were still hundreds of people here for the last 10 or 15 horses... It=s been three really good days so far. We=ve got one more day to go, and we certainly have no reason not to be optimistic that tomorrow will be a continuation of the strength that we=ve seen for these first three days.@ At least the day=s top four lots were horses who had been rerouted or withdrawn from an earlier yearling sale for one reason or another. AI think that sellers now know that there=s a legitimate marketplace here to bring a quality animal,@ Browning said. AIf you have a situation where the additional time, or a change in circumstances or change in environment or whatever factor might make you say that, whether it=s from July, or August, or September to being in the latter stages of October will improve the marketability of that horse, they=ve got the confidence to do that, whether it=s a $20,000 horse, or a $50,000 horse or a $250,000 horse... This is a tough game we play. Sometimes a horse might get a little sick or come up with a cough. It might have a minor X-ray blemish that was unexpected. There are all sorts of facts or circumstances that lead to horses moving from one sale to another sale, and a lot of horses just benefit from the additional time. You see a lot of horses blossom. There were some beautiful horses offered here the first three days and there are some damn fine ones who will walk through this ring tomorrow.@ The final session of the final yearling sale of 2019 kicks off Thursday at 10:00 a.m. Ryan Snags >Magnificent= Mo Colt Agent Mike Ryan, perched in the second floor press box, fended off challenges from throughout the sales complex Monday to land the session-topping Uncle Mo colt for $410,000. Shack Parrish=s Indian Creek consigned the Mar. 13 foal as hip 1033. Breeder Meg Dumaine paid $350,000 for his unraced dam Picardia (Stormy Atlantic), a half to Grade I winners Lear=s Princess (Lear Fan) and Pretty City Dancer (Tapit), while she was carrying the colt at the 2017 Keeneland November sale. AI thought he was magnificent,@ said Mike Ryan, who was bidding on behalf of a client of trainer Chad Brown=s. AI thought he was the best horse in the sale. In fact, he=s one of the best Uncle Mos I=ve seen since [champion 2-year-old and GI Kentucky Derby winner] Nyquist--that=s why I liked him so much.@ Cont. p4 TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 4 OF 19 • THETDN.COM THURSDAY • OCTOBER 24, 2019 AI thought he was exceptional,@ Ryan continued. AIn any sale, he was a serious horse. I told Chad that he=d probably top the sale and it would take a bit of money to buy him. He=s a summer 2-year-old, and if he=s good he=s got a stallion=s pedigree.@ Of the price paid, Ryan continued, AI felt $400,000, up around there, that=s what it was going to take to buy him. There=s still good money for the right horses. The colt looked magnificent. It took no genius to find him. He stood out--he sold himself. He comes off a great farm. They raise a great horse and do a good job.@ Hip 1033 | Fasig-Tipton As for the October market, he said, AIt=s still solid. When you find something that you like and want to follow up there, you=re not by yourself. Obviously, it=s extremely selective. We=re down to the last [yearling sale] of the year, and a lot of people have already filled their quotas. This horse was for a client of Chad=s, and he=s already got plenty of yearlings, but I said, >This is a horse you need to have in your barn.= And he said, >Well then let=s try and get him.=@ A >Happy= Accident for Woods Edge While the Runhappy filly (hip 1090) Peter O=Callaghan paid $215,000 for last year at Keeneland November and was pointing to Keeneland September suffered a setback after getting sick over the summer, she headed into October in fine fettle and the shrewd Irishman was rewarded Wednesday. Peter Fluor and K.C.