SATURDAY, JULY 8, 2017 WINSTAR ENTERS THE JULY MARKETPLACE YOSHIDA ON THE RISE by Ben Massam IN BELMONT DERBY WinStar Farm played a major role in spearheading the growth of the horses of racing age section of the Keeneland November Sale in the past two decades, and the farm is poised to once again enter new territory by offering its first-ever seven-horse consignment at the Fasig-Tipton July Selected Horses of Racing Age sale Monday. According to WinStar President/C.E.O. and Racing Manager Elliott Walden, a recent overflow of productive racing stock necessitated a reevaluation of the farm=s usual year-end selling schedule. AWe have more horses [than usual] in the range that we typically sell [at November], and I think that is part of it,@ Walden said. AWhen we first did the November Sale, we were the first ones who sold racehorses. Now it=s gotten a little overpopulated, so we=re looking for a different market and a different opportunity.@ Cont. p3 Yoshida | MJC photo Yoshida (Jpn) (Heart=s Cry {Jpn}), tabbed a >TDN Rising Star= IN TDN EUROPE TODAY after an easy four-length graduation going nine furlongs over the lawn at Keeneland Apr. 9, looks to continue his ascension in TOTAL ECLIPSE? Saturday=s $1.2-million GI Belmont Derby. The lightly raced Sandown’s G1 Coral-Eclipse sees Coolmore’s Derby sophomore, who went wire-to-wire in his maiden score, came bridesmaid and ‘TDN Rising Star’ Cliffs of Moher (Ire) take on his elders. Click or tap here to go straight to TDN Europe. from well out of it to capture the May 20 James W. Murphy S. over the Pimlico turf in his most recent start. He faces 10 foes while making his fourth trip to the post and stretching out to the Derby=s 1 1/4-mile distance for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott. Mott will also saddle Good Samaritan (Harlan=s Holiday). Third in last year=s GI Breeders= Cup Juvenile Turf, the bay colt is coming off runner-up efforts behind a pair of foes he will face again Saturday. He was a length short of Arklow (Arch) in the May 6 GII American Turf S. at Churchill Downs and 1 1/2 lengths adrift of Oscar Performance (Kitten=s Joy) in the June 3 GIII Pennine Ridge S. AMy horses are doing well,@ Mott said. AI really haven=t looked at the others yet, but my horses have worked well. Yoshida has run a couple of good races, and looked good doing it, like the race at Pimlico. He=s just short on seasoning.@ Of Good Samaritan, Mott added, AHe=s had two good races, but he=ll have to move forward to win this one.@ ATDN Rising Star@ Oscar Performance, who capped 2016 with a win in the Breeders= Cup Juvenile Turf, started his sophomore campaign with a pair of dull efforts, but rebounded with a strong showing in the Pennine Ridge. Cont. p5 PRESIDENT & CO-PUBLISHER Barry Weisbord @barryweisbord [email protected] SR. V.P. & CO-PUBLISHER Sue Morris Finley @suefinley [email protected] V.P., INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONS Gary King @garykingTDN [email protected] Saturday, July 8, 2017 EDITORIAL [email protected] Editor-in-Chief Jessica Martini @JessMartiniTDN Managing Editor Alan Carasso @EquinealTDN Senior Editor Steve Sherack @SteveSherackTDN Racing Editor Brian DiDonato @BDiDonatoTDN Associate Editors Christie DeBernardis @CDeBernardisTDN Ben Massam @BMassamTDN Assistant Editor Joe Bianca @JBiancaTDN ADVERTISING [email protected] Director of Advertising Alycia Borer Advertising Manager Lia Best Advertising Designer Amanda Crelin Advertising Assistants Alexa Reisfield Look who’s in the TDN stall! Super Tyree (Super Saver) is the latest horse to be Michelle Benson stabled in the TDN Stall at the New Vocations Mereworth Farm location. He has been fully rehabbed and is looking for his next career. Click here to sponsor your own stall at Photo Editor/Dir. of Distribution New Vocations, or to support their general fund. | Photo courtesy of New Vocations Sarah K. Andrew @SarahKAndrew [email protected] TODAY’S GRADED STAKES Social Media Strategist EST Race Click for TV Justina Severni 8:50a The Sprint S.-G3, SAN --------------- ------- 9:40a Lancashire Oaks-G2, HAY --------------- ------- Director of Customer Service 10:35a Coral-Eclipse S.-G1, SAN --------------- ------- Vicki Forbes 4:31p Parx Dash-GIII, PRX TJCIS PPs TVG [email protected] 4:33p American Derby-GIII, AP TJCIS PPs TVG 4:38p Dwyer S.-GIII, BEL TJCIS PPs TVG/NBC Director of Information Technology 4:50p Robert G. 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While the November sales have become a year-end staple for barns to shift breeding stock, July provides buyers with the chance to attain fit-and-ready racing prospects. AWith it being in the middle of the year, it lends itself to creating a little bit more of a quicker return on buying a racehorse at this sale,@ Walden said. AIn November, they might have run all year and need a little bit of a break before freshening for the next year.@ Walden pointed toward the 3-year-old colt Benefactor (More Than Ready) [Hip 409], owned in partnership with China Horse Club, as a prime example of a horse in sharp form. The dark bay broke his maiden at second asking May 13 at Gulfstream and added a runner-up finish in the June 9 Ocala Flame H. before crossing the wire third in last Saturday=s GIII Carry Back S. ABenefactor has only had four starts,@ Walden said. AHe=s placed in a graded stake and has all his conditions. I also think his first race on the grass was a sneaky kind of race. So he has that option as well, being by More Than Ready.@ The WinStar consignment is augmented by the presence of 5-year-old Closing Bell (Tapit) [Hip 419], who posted a career- best Beyer Speed Figure of 99 when finishing a close sixth in the GI United Nations S. last Saturday. Winner of the 2015 Dueling Grounds Derby, the turf marathoner was also second in the GI Secretariat S. earlier that year before splitting his 2016 season between the States and Australia. Cont. p4 TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 4 OF 13 • THETDN.COM SATURDAY • JULY 8, 2017 Closing Bell | Sarah K. Andrew WinStar Enters the July Marketplace cont. Back in America with Hall of Famer Bill Mott, Closing Bell captured a 12-furlong optional claimer over the Belmont sod prior to his effort in the U.N. Closing Bell is a half-brother to GISW Mani Bhavan (Storm Boot) and GSW Hear the Ghost (Ghostzapper). AClosing Bell is just a really nice horse that can give a buyer a lot of fun on a Saturday afternoon,@ Walden noted. AHe always shows up--and he ran his career best in the United Nations. I also think he could wind up in someone=s stallion program, as well, being by Tapit out of a really good mare that=s thrown some very good horses.@ Walden explained that the decision to part ways with Closing Bell and Benefactor is not a commentary on their overall quality- -but rather an acknowledgment that the horses will not stand as stallions at WinStar following the conclusion of their racing careers. Such a dynamic highlights the potential for smaller-scale operations to land productive racehorses at the July Sale. AI think the market is positioned to people who have different goals and objectives,@ he said. AYou have the bigger racing stables that have a need for cash-flow and turnover. And then you have smaller racing stables that are in demand of >now= type horses...As training expenses have increased over the past decade, [the July Sale] creates a better opportunity. It used to be done in the claiming ranks, where you would recommend a new owner to go ahead and claim a horse because you get that chance to start earning back right away. But with these type of horses, just because they don=t fit our program--which is typically geared toward the stallion barn--it doesn=t mean they=re bad horses or we=re trying to unload them. We=ve actually had a lot of success giving people the opportunity to buy horses that go on to win graded stakes and have big careers.