The Power of Collaboration by Ray Paulick
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September 10, 2014 www.PaulickReport.com SPECIAL The Power of Collaboration By Ray Paulick Talk to most people in American horse racing about the Jockey Club got involved, putting together an “industry al- challenges the industry faces, and the conversation almost liance” of different organizations that we have come to always winds up focusing on the lack of structure and lead- know as the alphabet soups. The National Thoroughbred ership. It’s been that way for a long time. The most suc- Racing Association was formed in 1998 to great fanfare cessful racing programs in the world, notably those con- and widespread optimism. Over the next decade, however, ducted under the auspices of the Hong Kong Jockey Club the NTRA’s vision and mission were dramatically reduced and Japan Racing Association, have clearly defined struc- from its original purpose: a centralized office to organize ture and governance. The HKJC and JRA, with the blessing and grow the sport. of their national governments, are in control and command of virtually everything within the sport: licensing, facilities, The problem with the NTRA was that it was trying to rep- marketing, scheduling, regulations, medication, technology, resent everything in horse racing from the Breeders’ Cup and wagering. to the $2,500 claiming races at Podunk Downs. Getting all the different racetracks, horsemen’s groups and other or- That is never going to happen in the United States. ganizations to agree on something substantive brought the NTRA back to the same challenge Brian McGrath faced: This is not to say horse racing cannot make incremental herding cats. progress toward some form of unifying national organiza- Continued on Page 5 tion. But rather than having it occur through governmental intervention, voluntary collaboration and cooperation will be necessary for horse racing to get organized beyond what exists today. It’s been tried before. In 1994, the Thoroughbred Racing Associations, an organization of 39 different North Ameri- can racetracks, said it was forming a “commissioner’s of- fice” and hired Brian McGrath, an experienced sports mar- keting executive, to work on television programming and national initiatives. That deal imploded after a little more than a year because McGrath quickly discovered organiz- ing all those different racetracks was like herding cats. A couple years later, the late John Gaines, working with Lexington advertising executive Fred Pope, took a different approach, attempting to form a league office controlled by horse owners. That initiative morphed into something different when The ASK RAY QUESTION: Who’s the front-runner for Horse of the Year? ANSWER: That’s an easy one. If California Chrome runs the table in the Pennsylvania Derby and Breeders’ Cup Classic, I don’t see how anyone could vote against him. It’s his championship to lose. But winning the Breeders’ Cup Classic will be easier said than done. 148027-LookfortheStar-cvrBanner-PRS.indd 1 9/5/14 4:40 PM www.PaulickReport.com Page 2 Stallion Spotlight Pulpit By Frank Mitchell One of the sobering moments at the yearling sales comes From 75 stakes winners to date, Pulpit has 45 graded when we see the final crop by a really good sire coming stakes winners, and as that latter figure suggests, quality through the ring. This has happened recently with Dynafor- and class are hallmarks of the Pulpit stock. They also have mer and with A.P. Indy; this year we are looking at the last speed, and from the sire’s third crop came Tapit, an un- yearlings by Pulpit, a horse who distinguished himself as a defeated 2-year-old who progressed to win the G1 Wood sire and will genuinely be missed. Memorial at 3. As a sire, Tapit has been his sire’s most notable contribution to the breed because Tapit is even From the first crop by Horse of the better than Pulpit. Year A.P. Indy, Pulpit did not race at 2 but came to hand readily at 3, ris- Other sire sons of Pulpit in- ing through the ranks from maiden clude Hopeful Stakes winner to graded stakes winner in Florida, Sky Mesa, who has sired 33 then scoring well for owner-breeder stakes winners; the consistent Claiborne Farm in the Blue Grass value sire Stroll, a G1 winner; Stakes at Keeneland, which was his graded winner Sightseeing, prep for the 1997 Kentucky Derby. who sired a Spinaway Stakes winner before his unfortu- In the feature race on the first Sat- nate death; and Lucky Pulpit, urday in May, Pulpit showed serious whose son California Chrome courage and ability but still finished won the Kentucky Derby and fourth behind Silver Charm, Cap- Preakness this year. tain Bodgit, and Free House. That was a trio of racehorses who each As a sire, Pulpit has contrib- earned more than $1 million, but uted soundness and a high the Derby was Pulpit’s last race. A degree of competitiveness knee fracture put the talented bay to the succeeding generation. on the sidelines, then eventually sent him into retirement From current statistics supplied by Equineline, Pulpit has at Claiborne, where he spent the rest of his life. 79 percent starters from foals and 56 percent winners. Both of those figures far exceed the pars for the breed, As a sire, however, Pulpit outshone all his contemporaries, and Pulpit’s average winning distance for his progeny is and he was the first indicator of the impact that A.P. Indy nearly a mile at 7.7 furlongs. would come to have as a sire not just of racehorses but also of breeding stock. Pulpit sired G1 winner Essence of Pulpit has 58 foals among his current crop of 2-year-olds, Dubai as a member of his freshman crop and never looked but there are only 26 yearlings in the stallion’s last crop. Of back. those, 11 are consigned as part of Book 1 at the Keenel- and September sale. PRS 10-70% off MY Up to 28% off Up to 40% off ADVANTAGE Exclusive Member Up to 30% off Up to 30% off Discounts Call us toll-free at 866-678-4289 or visit NTRAadvantage.com. www.PaulickReport.com Page 3 Honor Roll Wicked Strong makes the most of breeders’ second chance By Ray Paulick by the Danzig stallion Hard Spun, sold for $375,000 to Cen- tennial Farms from the Three Chimneys Sales consignment at the 2012 Keeneland September Sale. Lynn kept Wicked Strong’s half sister and has plans to sell her at this year’s Keeneland November Sale. A yearling half- brother, sired by first-year stallion Sidney’s Candy and foaled in New York, is being offered by Shannon White’s Ballantrae Sales in Book 3 on Monday as Hip 1637. “Wicked Strong was something of a project,” said White. “I had him as a short yearling and he was tough, both mentally and physically – but he’s an athlete. He’s still known for hav- ing an uneven disposition. We saw him at Saratoga a couple (2011, Bay colt, Hard Spun – Moyne Abbey, by Char- of weeks ago and he ran his groom out of the stall.” ismatic. Consigned by Three Chimneys Sales to 2012 Trained by Jimmy Jerkens, Wicked Strong won his second Keeneland September Yearling Sale, purchased by Cen- start as a 2-year-old last fall, then turned in a solid third-place tennial Farms for $375,000) effort in the G2 Remsen, beaten just a half length by the high- ly regarded Honor Code. He had two sub-par performances “I always liked her and didn’t want to sell her in the first in Florida, then rebounded to win the G1 Wood Memorial, place,” William Lynn, the breeder of Wicked Strong said of setting up Wicked Strong as a legitimate Kentucky Derby Moyne Abbey, dam of the G1 Wood Memorial winner and contender. He got head-strong and lost his cool before the G1 Travers runner-up who races for Centennial Farms. race, still finishing a decent fourth to California Chrome, Lynn bought Moyne Abbey, a daughter of Charismatic, for skipped the Preakness, then wound up in a dead-heat for $50,000 at the 2003 Keeneland September yearling sale. fourth with the Derby winner in the Belmont. Blinkers were He raced her for two years, with only limited success: one added when Wicked Strong won the G2 Jim Dandy, then he win in maiden claiming company and a third-place showing lost a heartbreaker in the Travers to stablemate V.E. Day. from 12 starts. He sold her, then had second thoughts. “The Sidney’s Candy is a little different,” White said of Wick- “I was thumbing through the book,” said Lynn in reference ed Strong’s yearling half brother. “The mare contributes her to the 2009 Keeneland November Sale catalogue, “and better attributes to the offspring – she gives them leverage said, ‘Oh, my God. There’s my horse.’” and they are very tightly coupled, look quick and are versatile. But physically they are very different types.” Moyne Abbey, in foal to Street Boss, didn’t sell when bid- ding stalled at $90,000. Lynn, a Skaneateles, N.Y., attor- Lynn, who relies on Junior Little to help plan his matings, ney struck a deal to purchase her privately. realizes Moyne Abbey may never be worth more than she is today. He’s entered her to sell this November at Fasig- It’s been a happy reunion. Wicked Strong, a 3-year-old colt Tipton, in foal to Blame. PRS We will be available at Keeneland to discuss your breaking, training, racing, and/or sales needs.