ANTOINETTE on TOP in >HARD= FOUGHT OAKS SCORE
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
MONDAY, AUGUST 17, 2020 ANTOINETTE ON TOP IN HIGH PURSES AND FIELD-LIMITING >HARD= FOUGHT OAKS SCORE CLAIMING CONDITIONS. WHAT'S NOT TO LIKE? PLENTY. 68th Annual Round Table Conference hosted by The Jockey Club by T.D. Thornton Purses subsidized by gaming revenue and a vastly expanded menu of claiming conditions were initially thought to be positive changes that would be a boon to Thoroughbred racing when racinos changed the North American landscape 30 years ago. Now, decades later, some horse people and industry stakeholders are starting to question whether chasing vastly inflated purses under narrowly defined race conditions is incentivizing a harmful cycle of behavior that over time imperils equine health, creates short fields, cheapens the betting product and dilutes the bloodstock pool. Cont. p6 Antoinette | Sarah Andrew IN TDN EUROPE TODAY Godolphin homebred Antoinette (Hard Spun) made all the PALACE PIER OVERCOMES IN THE MAROIS running in Sunday=s $500,000 Saratoga Oaks Invitational S. to Palace Pier (GB) (Kingman {GB}) overcame a star-studded more than double her bankroll with a half-length victory over field and heavy going at Deauville to land the G1 Prix Jacques Stunning Sky (Declaration of War). A second-out winner on the le Marois in stylish fashion. Click or tap here to go straight to Belmont grass last October, the Bill Mott pupil took Aqueduct=s TDN Europe. rained-off Tepin S. in December. That effort likely had her connections thinking GI Kentucky Oaks, and she resurfaced to be third in the GII Fair Grounds Oaks Mar. 21 behind Saturday=s GI Alabama S. runner-up Bonny South (Munnings). Third again when favored in Oaklawn=s May 1 Gardenia S., she returned to turf to be third in the GIII Wonder Again S. June 20 before rounding out the trifecta for a fourth consecutive time in the GI Coaching Club American Oaks here back on the dirt July 18 behind stablemate Paris Lights (Curlin). Off at 5-1 in a race that lacked a particular standout, Antoinette was ridden along by John Velazquez to seize command into the first turn as the rest of the found themselves in a bit of a traffic jam behind her. She faced little resistance as she loped along through splits of :48.87 and 1:12.78, and was joined by favorite Enola Gay (Uncle Mo) heading for home. She stiff-armed that foe around the bend and hugged the hedge into the lane, and by midstretch was met with a new challenge from Stunning Sky. That narrow GII Lake Placid S. runner-up seemed likely to go by, but she never did as Antoinette found the line in time. 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 Managing Editor Alan Carasso @EquinealTDN Monday, August 17, 2020 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 Assistant/Dir. Of Distribution Rachel McCaffrey Advertising Assistants Amie Newcomb Kristen Lomasson Photographer/Photo Editor Sarah K. Andrew @SarahKAndrew [email protected] MGIW millionaires Rushing Fall (More Than Ready), outside with Kriss Bon up, and Sistercharlie (Ire) (Myboycharlie {Ire}), with Walter Malasquez up, match strides over Social Media Strategist Justina Severni Saratoga's turf training course and work 5f in 1:01.72 on Sunday morning. | Sarah Andrew Director of Customer Service Vicki Forbes [email protected] SWISS SKYDIVER CONFIRMED FOR OAKS 9 Marketing Manager Saturday’s dominant GI Alabama S. winner Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil) Alayna Cullen @AlaynaCullen will take on Gamine (Into Mischief) instead of Tiz the Law (Constitution) Director of IT/Accounting next month in the GI Longines Kentucky Oaks. Ray Villa [email protected] [email protected] CONNECT 1ST CROP FEATURES 10 HIGH-PROFILE YEARLINGS WORLDWIDE INFORMATION Lane's End's Grade I-winning millionaire sire Connect is just weeks from International Editor seeing his first yearlings enter the sales ring. The son of top sire Curlin Kelsey Riley @kelseynrileyTDN was recognized for his commercial appeal with his weanlings last year, [email protected] European Editor and the farm hopes to emulate that success again this fall. 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 11 • THETDN.COM MONDAY • AUGUST 17, 2020 Sunday, Saratoga "There wasn't much speed in the race,@ Hall of Famer SARATOGA OAKS INVITATIONAL S., $500,000, Saratoga, 8-16, Velazquez said. AI'd been taking this filly back every time she 3yo, f, 1 3/16mT, 1:53.30, fm. runs. She runs behind the horses on dirt or grass and I think 1--ANTOINETTE, 121, f, 3, by Hard Spun she's going to gallop and when you let her go, she doesn't pass 1st Dam: Shuruq (Hwt. Older Mare at 4-UAE-at the horses. Today, we sent her to the lead and got her to relax 7-9 1/2f MGSW-UAE, GSW-Tur, GSP-Eng, $658,709), and she put up a good fight. I didn't have to take a hold of her by Elusive Quality today. She opened up on the horses, but she fought with the 2nd Dam: Miss Lucifer (Fr), by Noverre horses. I wasn't worried about the distance at all, I was worried 3rd Dam: Devil's Imp (Ire), by Cadeaux Genereux (GB) about her putting her mind on running." Cont. p4 O/B-Godolphin (KY); T-William I. Mott; J-John R. Velazquez. $275,000. Lifetime Record: GISP, 8-3-0-4, $483,750. 2--Stunning Sky, 121, f, 3, Declaration of War--Sky Walk, by Unbridled's Song. ($85,000 RNA Wlg '17 KEENOV; $100,000 Ylg '18 KEESEP). O-Paradise Farms Corp. & Parkland Thoroughbreds; B-Stephen J McDonald (KY); T-Michael J. Maker. $100,000. 3--Key Biscayne, 121, f, 3, Brethren--Boa Twelve, by Lemon Drop Kid. O/B-Arindel (FL); T-Juan Alvarado. $60,000. Margins: HF, 2HF, HF. Odds: 5.00, 5.90, 28.00. Also Ran: Speaktomeofsummer, Enola Gay, Ricetta (GB), Queens Embrace. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton. Hall of Famers celebrate | Sarah Andrew TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 4 OF 11 • THETDN.COM MONDAY • AUGUST 17, 2020 Saratoga Oaks cont. out. She's raced three times in a short period of time and she's Fellow Hall of Famer, trainer Bill Mott, saw things the same traveled. Sometimes, first time off the plane, they run really big way: "I think we both looked at the same racing form and it but it wasn't for her today. I'm sure she's a nice filly and I'm sure looked like we would be laying first or second. He decided he she's better than that." was going to let her lay up close. Last time, he had been tucked in behind horses and tipped her Pedigree Notes: out and she didn't really respond Darley resident Hard Spun is for him. With the lack of speed in also responsible for A Thread of this race, we thought just let her Blue, who won the inaugural do what she's comfortable Saratoga Derby Invitational--the doing." equivalent race to this for males- Acknowledging Antoinette=s -last year. The winner=s dam was versatility, Mott said his charge also surface versatile, having would likely stay on the grass won a trio of group races on the next time and that a try in the Meydan synthetic as well as a GI Kentucky Oaks was unlikely. Group 3 on turf in Turkey. Mott also saddled Juddmonte A half to last week=s G1 LARC Prix homebred Ricetta (GB) (Camelot Maurice de Gheest winner Space {GB}), who was a disappointing Blues (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), Shuruq sixth as the second choice in her produced a filly by Medaglia first start since checking in third Antoinette fights on inside | Sarah Andrew d=Oro in 2019 and a colt by Uncle in York=s G3 Tattersalls Musidora S. July 9. Mo in 2020 before being bred back to War Front. "She was just flat turning for home,@ Mott said. AJavier [Castellano] said she was traveling well down the backside and he had a lot of horse, but she turned for home and just flattened TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 5 OF 11 • THETDN.COM MONDAY • AUGUST 17, 2020 Sunday, Woodbine SEAWAY S.-GIII, C$127,750, Woodbine, 8-16, 3yo/up, f/m, 7f (AWT), 1:22.10, ft. 1--SOUPER ESCAPE, 123, f, 4, by Medaglia d=Oro 1st Dam: Cry and Catch Me (GISW, $226,480), by Street Cry (Ire) 2nd Dam: Please Sign In, by Doc's Leader 3rd Dam: Register, by Mari's Book O-Live Oak Plantation; B-Live Oak Stud (FL); T-Michael J. Trombetta; J-Luis Contreras. C$75,000. Lifetime Record: 16-6-1-2, $269,908. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. 2--Painting, 121, f, 4, Distorted Humor--Handpainted, by A.P. Indy. O-Hill 'n' Dale Equine Holdings, Inc. (J. G. Sikura), Glenn Sikura & Windsor Boys Racing; B-Hill 'n' Dale Equine Holdings, Souper Escape | Michael Burns Photo Inc.