WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2021 LYNN HANCOCK BUILDS ARLINGTON HORSEMEN BEG FOR HELP. IRB INSTEAD TWEAKS 15-CENT ADMISSIONS UPON FAMILY SUCCESS AT TAX by T.D. Thornton SARATOGA For the fourth consecutive meeting of the Illinois Racing Board in the six months since Churchill Downs, Inc. (CDI), announced its industry-devastating intention to sell Arlington International Racecourse for "non-horse racing" purposes, the 10-member board on Tuesday remained stunningly silent on the prospect of suburban Chicago's premier Thoroughbred venue going dark forever after Sept. 25. How pronounced was the "elephant in the room" syndrome during the IRB's one-hour Aug. 17 teleconference? Cont. p6 IN TDN EUROPE TODAY MOUTHWATERING INTERNATIONAL CLASH Lynn Hancock takes the reins in Saratoga. | Staci Hancock Photo IN STORE AT YORK York’s Ebor Festival kicks off on Wednesday with the G1 by Katie Ritz Juddmonte International S. Click or tap here to go straight to Lynn Hancock breezed through the Fasig-Tipton sales grounds TDN Europe. early Tuesday morning last week, heading for Barn 1 wearing a baseball cap and a smile. After a long stretch of days running a successful consignment at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Selected Yearlings Sale, Stone Farm=s Director of Racing and Sales had enjoyed a night of celebration when her consignment sold the highest-priced yearling of the auction=s first session. AI didn=t want to get out of bed this morning, but the horses needed fed,@ she said with a grin, nodding toward the pair of stalls that had recently been vacated. The youngsters had shipped out shortly after their morning feed. There was plenty of cause for Hancock to savor all the festivities the Saratoga Sale is known for. The youngest daughter of Stone Farm founder Arthur Boyd Hancock III had successfully sold both yearlings at the first Saratoga consignment she had brought up on her own. ADad has always been here,@ Hancock said. AThis was my first consignment coming up here by myself. Even though my dad was guiding me from afar, it was very rewarding to come up here and put in a lot of work. It=s not easy to get these horses to this point from the time they=re foals up until now. To bring them up here and get the results that we had, it=s exciting.@ 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 Senior Contributing Editor Wednesday, August 18, 2021 Alan Carasso @EquinealTDN 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 Assistants Amie Newcomb Kristen Lomasson Photographer/Photo Editor Sarah K. Andrew @SarahKAndrew [email protected] Social Media Strategist Justina Severni Associate Producer Sparkle Blue (Hard Spun), a juvenile half-sister to 2010 GI Breeders' Cup F/M turf Katie Ritz upsetter Shared Account (Pleasantly Perfect), kicked off Tuesday's card from Colonial Downs with a debut victory. See the North American Racing section for all the day's Director of Customer Service Vicki Forbes results. | Coady Photo [email protected] Marketing Manager TAKING STOCK: POSTCARD FROM THE SPA 8 Alayna Cullen @AlaynaCullen Sid Fernando recaps his recent trip to Saratoga, including Chief Financial Officer attending the Fasig-Tipton yearling sale. Ray Villa [email protected] [email protected] TODAY’S GRADED STAKES WORLDWIDE INFORMATION ET Race Click for TV International Editor 9:25a Tattersalls Acomb S.-G3, YOR -------------- TVG Kelsey Riley @kelseynrileyTDN 10:00a Sky Bet Great Voltigeur S.-G2, YOR -------------- TVG [email protected] European Editor 10:35a Juddmonte International S.-G1, YOR -------------- TVG 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 | www.TheTDN.com TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 3 OF 14 • THETDN.COM WEDNESDAY • AUGUST 18, 2021 Lynn Hancock cont. from p1 Hancock said this third offspring from Dame Dorothy, a May- When Hancock, alongside a few of her farm=s best horsemen foaled striking bay colt, excelled from the start. and the two sale-bound yearlings, arrived in Saratoga, she knew AHe has always been an easy keeper,@ she explained. AI would the colt out of Dame Dorothy say he was a gate hugger. My (Bernardini) could be something dad always said that=s a sign of a special. good horse. When you turned AI wasn=t sure what to expect, him out, he would turn back but we knew it was a nice around and come hang out at horse,@ she said. AHe has done the gate, curious and interested. everything right since the day he When you ask him to do was born.@ something, he does it. Horses Dame Dorothy has been a like that you keep an eye on special horse for breeder and because you expect something celebrity chef Bobby Flay, taking from them. I=ve always really him to the winner=s circle in five liked him.@ stakes including the GI Humana Buyers liked the colt as well Distaff and giving him two and when the son of Uncle Mo successful yearling sales already in Spice Is Nice (Curlin), a Uncle Mo colt out of Bobby Flay=s Dame Dorothy fetches $1.6 was the consummate $1.05-million yearling who went million at this year=s Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale. | Fasig-Tipton professional in the sales ring, on to earn graded stakes status this year for Robert and Lawana bids flew. The hammer dropped Low, as well as an unraced 2-year-old colt named Principe d=Oro with a $1.6 million winning bid from Jacob West, agent for Spice (Medaglia d=Oro), purchased for $650,000 by Juddmonte, Is Nice campaigners Robert and Lawana Low. Bridlewood and Winchell Thoroughbreds last September. Cont. p4 TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 4 OF 14 • THETDN.COM WEDNESDAY • AUGUST 18, 2021 Hancock cont. AHe did everything right and when he came up here, he showed well,@ Hancock said. AIt=s fun to bring one that you feel a bit of connection to and get those results. It=s very rewarding and it=s not easy to do. Breeders will know that you can have a well-bred horse and have all kinds of issues, or things will go right and all the stars align and you can bring them here and have some fun.@ The stars had aligned two years earlier in Saratoga for Stone Farm and Flay when their Curlin colt out of GSW American (A.P. Indy) was the co-topper of the sale, going for $1.5 million. Now known as First Captain, the promising Shug McGaughey trainee took the GIII Dwyer S. in July and is now pointing towards the GI Pennsylvania Derby. AFirst Captain was similar in a lot of ways to this Uncle Mo colt,@ Hancock said. AHe was very laid back. Those well-bred horses, it=s really fun to bring them up here and do well with them. You want them to sell well, but the most important thing is that you want them to go on and run. So it=s been really fun to watch him become a graded stakes winner. The hype surrounding him has been fun to watch and I think there=s more to come.@ While Stone Farm is certainly no stranger to success at the Saratoga Sale, the family behind the legendary surname has been connected with the Fasig-Tipton auction since its inception. AMy great-great-grandfather, Captain Richard Hancock, sold up here in the very early days of Fasig-Tipton,@ Hancock noted. AIt=s been exciting to be up here at the 100th sale as the fifth generation of Hancocks. Everyone was like, >Oh, your dad left you to do it yourself,= and I told them he may have misguided faith in me, but it worked out okay.@ When she=s not running a sales consignment, Hancock stays busy working alongside her father as Stone Farm=s Director of Sales and Racing. APeople ask me what I do on a daily basis a lot and it is kind of ever-changing,@ she said. AI look at the horses and I technically do our racing, bloodstock and sales, but a lot of it is just whatever my dad tells me to do. I call him my father boss and what he says, I do.@ While the light-hearted, teasing side of Hancock=s relationship with her father is evident, she is also clearly appreciative of the wisdom the renowned horseman has to offer. AMy dad went out on his own and started Stone Farm and it=s something that we=re all really passionate about because he built it,@ she said. AOne thing I respect a huge amount about my dad is that he=ll tell you what he thinks and he=s not afraid to shy away. People might not agree, but he=s always going to do what he thinks it the right thing. He always says that all you can do in life is the next best thing.@ Cont. p5 TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 5 OF 14 • THETDN.COM WEDNESDAY • AUGUST 18, 2021 Hancock cont. want to see it thrive and continue to produce runners.@ She continued, AWe=re all very proud of him and the work that Today, the business still remains a family affair.