ftboa.com • Tuesday & Wednesday • Oct. 27 & 28, 2020 FEC/FTBOA PUBLICATION FOR ADVERTISING INFORMATION or to subscribe, please call Antoinette at 352-732-8858 or email: [email protected] In This Issue: Maxim Rate Much the Best in Goldikova Mott Puts Breeders’ Cup Contenders to Work at Belmont Rachel Alexandra’s Sister Graduates at Gulfstream Park West Brown Brigade Prepares for Breeders’ Cup Assignments Merveilleux is Marvelous in the Wonder Where Stakes Tapit Today/SERITA HULT PHOTO King Fury Collars Super Stock to Win Tapit Today Notches First Street Sense Stakes Gulfstream Park West Charts Stakes Win with Athenia Score Track Results & Entries Florida Stallion Progeny List Downs Ladies Turf on Sept. 12, which fol- BY BRIAN BOHL, Florida Breeders’ List NYRA PRESS OFFICE______________ lowed a fourth-place effort in the Grade 3 Matchmaker Stakes in July at Monmouth Wire to Wire Business Place ELMONT, NY —William Lawrence and Park and another third in her 5-year-old Bradley Thoroughbreds’ Tapit Today broke debut in the Grade 3 Suwannee River through in a stakes after a trio of close Stakes in February at Gulfstream Park. Featured Advertisers efforts, running down pacesetter Mitchell In her first start at Belmont, Tapit Today Road from the outside in the final furlong broke sharp from the outside post under Bloodstockauction USA and holding off her competitor for a one- jockey Jose Ortiz and tracked in third posi- Florida Department of Agriculture length win in Sunday’s $100,000 Athenia tion as Mitchell Road and Sweet Bye and Stakes (Grade 3) for fillies and mares, 3- Bye led the eight-horse field through the FTBOA years-old and older at Belmont Park. opening quarter-mile in :24.89, the half in Ocala Breeders’ Feed & Supply The Tapit mare was coming off a third- :50.37 and three-quarters in 1:13.11 over Seminole Feed place effort in the Grade 3 Kentucky See BELMONT on page 3 Sparr Farm and Building Supply Back to Top Page 3 Belmont Continued from COVER the firm inner turf. Out of the final turn, jockey Luis Saez kept Mitchell Road near the rail, but Tapit Today challenged from her outside, went eye-to- eye and passed her rival in mid-stretch. The Chad Brown trainee maintained that urgency and completed the mile-and-one-six- teenth course in a 1:42.56 final time. “She had an outside post and I tried to ride her like she was the best and control the race a little bit if I had enough horse, and I did,” said Ortiz, who registered his Belmont fall meet-leading 35th win. “Past the half-mile, I had the favorite right inside of me and I controlled the race from the three-eighths pole to the wire.” Tapit Today improved to four wins with two seconds and two thirds in 10 career starts and posted her best stakes performance since running second in the 2018 Riskaverse at Saratoga. Off at 5- 1, she returned $13.60 on a $2 win wager and improved her career earnings to $212,230. “She had a great trip today. Jose and I spoke about it in the pad- dock and looking at all her races, it seems like she’s a clear-run- ning horse,” Brown said. “She runs a bit better out in the clear. She can be a little temperamental.” Tapit Today gave Brown his fourth victory in the Athenia in the previous five runnings and marked the conditioner’s fifth overall win in the contest. It was also Brown’s meet-leading 20th win of the fall meet, which concludes on Nov. 1. “Normally, a race like this with the funny turns at a mile and a sixteenth here you wouldn’t want an outside post,” Brown said. “We talked about the post position in the paddock about how it might benefit her to be in the clear today. She sort of resents being covered up.” Mitchell Road, who bested Tapit Today when second last out in the Ladies Turf, finished one length ahead of the Brown-trained She’s Got You for second. “She was travelling pretty good, but she’s better on firmer turf,” Saez said. “When she came to the stretch she couldn’t get a hold of it [the turf] and it cost me a little bit because the winner got on top of me. She tried to fight back but it was a little late.” She’s Got You, making just her third career North American start and graded stakes debut, was a neck better than fellow English-bred Feel Glorious to earn blacktype for Brown. Call Me Love, Altea, Sweet Bye and Bye and Story Time com- pleted the order of finish. CLICK HERE for the latest The Florida Horse ONLINE Back to Top Page 4 Mucho Macho Man (2013) World Approval (2017) Musical Romance (2011) Caledonia Road (2017) Little Mike (2012) FLORIDA THOROUGHBRED BREEDERS’ AND OWNERS’ ASSOCIATION Lonny T. Powell, CEO FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Tammy A. Gantt, Associate Vice President AND CONSUMER SERVICES Membership Services & Events Nicole “Nikki” Fried, Commissioner 352-629-2160 • Fax: 352-629-3603 www.FDACS.gov 801 SW 60th Ave. • Ocala, FL 34474 www.ftboa.com • [email protected] LITTLE MIKE/BENOIT; WORLD APPROVAL/MICHAEL BURNS; MUCHO MACHO MAN/COGLIANESE; MUSICAL ROMANCE/COGLIANESE; CALEDONIA ROAD/ECLIPSE SPORTSWIRE Back to Top Page 5 Maxim Rate Much the Best in Goldikova BY SANTA ANITA PRESS OFFICE ___ ARCADIA, CA—A menacing presence a quarter mile from home, trainer Simon Callaghan’s Maxim Rate cruised to the lead from there and marched to an emphat- ic two-and-a-half length win in Sunday’s $200,000 Goldikova Stakes (Grade 2) at Santa Anita. Ridden by Umberto Rispoli, the 4-year-old daughter of Exchange Rate got one mile on turf in 1:33.85. Ridden to a pair of wins by Rispoli this past summer at Del Mar, Maxim Rate was most recently second to Mucho Unusual in the Grade 1 Rodeo Drive Stakes at a mile- and-one-quarter on turf here Sept. 26 when ridden by Luis Saez. With Rispoli back aboard today, she was into the bridle while third, about a length-and-a-half off the lead H coming to the quarter pole, wheeled three- wide turning for home and went on to win in a fashion that indicated she could’ve prevailed at any distance. “I think she has no problem with the dis- Maxim Rate/BENOIT PHOTO tance,” Rispoli said. “I think Simon knows one mile turf on Nov. 29) at Del Mar. That mare Catch My Eye, Maxim Rate picked what he is doing. We know that she can go was actually our initial plan. After her last up $120,000 for the win, increasing her further… and that’s why I wasn’t afraid to race I sat down with all the owners and that earnings to $402,185. go a mile and three-wide. Everybody knows was the plan. She came out of her last race Next to last after the first half mile, Zee I like to save ground, but that was not the so well so I said, ‘To be honest, we kinda Drop rallied well to outfinish Tonahutu by case [today]. I knew that she could go fur- need to run this filly because she is doing one length for second. ther and she responded really well. When great.’ Thankfully it worked out. It was a Irish-bred Tonahutu laid a close second she took the lead, she kind of pulled herself great win today.” to Raymundos Secret heading to the quar- up a little bit, but she’s definitely improving Owned by Nick Cosato’s Slam Dunk ter pole and proved third-best, finished a and I think she still can improve.” Racing and James D. Branham, Maxim half-length in front of Raymundos Secret With Florida-bred pacesetter Raymundos Rate, the winner of the Grade 3 Senorita in Fourth. Secret dominating the wagering, Maxim Stakes at age three, notched her second Live racing will resume at Santa Anita Rate, who had been installed as the 8-5 graded victory and her fifth win from 13 with the track’s traditional Winter/Spring morning line favorite, was a considerable overall starts. Out of the Unbridled’s Song opener on Saturday, Dec. 26. overlay at 2-1 in a field of seven fillies and mares and paid $6.80. “She was always a very good filly, won her first time out and then she just plateaued a little bit as a three-year-old, so we gave her HELP WANTED some time off,” said Callaghan. “Thankfully the owners were really patient Exercise Rider with her and that really helped her develop. Experienced Only I think she definitely is a better filly now, but I honestly think there’s more scope for Stephens Thoroughbreds improvement. Obviously a very exciting filly for the future… 352-239-1967 “I’m thinking the Matriarch (Grade I, FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs Date Race Name Conditions Distance Purse 12-12 FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes Marion County 3yo and older* 7 fur. $100,000 12-12 FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes City of Ocala 3yo and older, F&M* 7 fur. $100,000 Florida Cup Day, March 28, 2021 – Six Stakes for Florida-breds worth $600,000 * FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes eligible horses Back to Top FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes Program** 2-Year-Old Payment* - $250 by Jan. 15 Late 2-Year-Old Payment* - $500 by Feb. 28 Yearling Payment - $250 by May 15 Yearling Payment Option 2020 - $275 (May 16-Aug.