SATURDAY, APRIL 16, 2011 For information about TDN, call 732-747-8060. FULL OF GRACE PACE COULD BE A FACTOR IN ARKANSAS DERBY Fox Hill Farm=s Havre de Grace (Saint Liam) earned Fog City Stable and George Bolton=s J “TDN Rising her first Grade I victory in yesterday=s $500,000 Apple Star” J The Factor (War Front) headlines today=s Blossom H. at Oaklawn, $1-million GI Arkansas Derby at turning it on late to win Oaklawn. The grey, who Churchill by 3/4 of a length from Downs morning line maker Mike MGISW Switch (Quiet Battaglia made the tepid 7-2 early American). The victoress choice for the May 7 GI Kentucky was bet off the board to Derby earlier this week, is coming be an overwhelming 1-2 off a 6 1/4-length romp in the favorite, and gave her GII Rebel S. here Mar. 19, and will backers a brief scare be joined by the next six finishers turning for home when it in the Rebel here. While The seemed as if Switch Factor certainly showed no signs Havre de Grace (outside) Gets Up would prove as tough a Michael Marten of vulnerability when trouncing foe to down as she had most of this group last time, an when almost defeating champion and dual Apple Blos- added 1/16th of a mile and more The Factor Gallops at OP som winner Zenyatta (Street Cry {Ire}) in last year=s early pressure could at least give Michael Marten GI Lady=s Secret. Those concerns were soon dashed the favorite a sterner test. AI=m when the headliner hit her best stride at the eighth sure he=ll get a little bit more pressure this time,@ pole. Havre de Grace was coming off a 3 1/4-length conditioner Bob Baffert admitted to Daily Racing Form. win in the GIII Azeri S. here Mar. 19 over her familiar The late Ned Evans=s homebred Dance City (City Zip) rival and 2010 champion 3-year-old filly Blind Luck possesses early speed comparable to that of The (Pollard=s Vision) in what was her first run for previ- Factor, and trainer Todd Pletcher plans on using it. ously retired conditioner Larry Jones. ANow you know AHe=s kind of a free-running horse with natural speed why I came out of retirement,@ quipped Jones. AWe=re and we=ll let him place himself forwardly,@ Pletcher told just glad she ran to her ability and to the way she had DRF. AWe don=t plan to let The Factor walk the dog.@ been training. She=s a top-quality filly, and when we got Five other runners will add blinkers, and could show her in the barn, we quickly realized that she might be more tactical foot. Cont. p4 something special, and I=m glad she=s living up to what we feel she can be.@ Cont. p2 >STORMY= TAKES MAKER=S MARK IN RAIN Sullimar Stable=s Get Stormy (Stormy Atlantic) also secured his first Grade I victory in Friday=s Maker=s Mark Mile S. at Keeneland over a course that was, fittingly, softened by rain. The 4-1 third choice made all the running, and finished 2 3/4 lengths to the good of Workin For Hops (City Zip). Get Stormy powers clear Society=s Chairman (Not EquiSport Impossible {Ire}) was a neck back in third, and favored MGISW Court Vision (Gulch) came up a head short of hitting the board. AHe=s a real wonderful horse to have in the barn,@ said trainer Tom Bush of Get Stormy. AWe thought we could win a Grade I, and we=re real thrilled to get it done today.@ Cont. p3 www.coolmore.com P TDN HEADLINE NEWS • 4/16/11 • PAGE 2 of 20 • thoroughbreddailynews.com Friday, Oaklawn APPLE BLOSSOM H.-GI, $490,000, OPX, 4-15, 4yo/up, f/m, 1 1/16m, 1:42, ft. 1--sHAVRE DE GRACE, 119, f, 4, by Saint Liam 1st Dam: Easter Bunnette, by Carson City 2nd Dam: Toll Fee, by Topsider 3rd Dam: Toll Booth, by Buckpasser ($380,000 yrl '08 KEESEP). O-Fox Hill Farms Inc; B-Nancy S Dillman (KY); T-J Larry Jones; J-Ramon A Dominguez; $300,000. Lifetime Record: 10-5-3-2, $1,263,175. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. 2--Switch, 119, f, 4, Quiet American--Antoniette, by Nicholas. ($150,000 yrl '08 KEESEP). O-C R K Stable; B-Calumet Farm (KY); T-John W Sadler; $100,000. Another IBS Yearling Auction Purchase 3--Absinthe Minded, 114, f, 4, Quiet American- - Rockford Peach, by Great Above. O/B-Briland Farm & Robert & Stacy Mitchell (KY); T-D Wayne Lukas; $50,000. Margins: 3/4, 1 1/4, 10HF. Odds: 0.50, 2.00, 11.40. Also Ran: Miss Match (Arg), Belle Watling (Chi). Havre de Grace made her stakes debut for Anthony Dutrow in the Go For Wand S. at Delaware last June and came up a neck short. Narrow defeats would continue to plague Rick Porter=s filly, as she dropped a nose decision to Blind Luck in the GII Delaware Oaks July 10 in that pair=s first meeting. Blind Luck increased 859-873-7270 • www.airdriestud.com her edge to a neck on Havre de Grace in the Aug. 21 GI Alabama S. at Saratoga, but Havre de Grace turned AThey weren=t going very fast early on and I was a the tables on Blind Luck in the GII Fitz Dixon Cotillion S. little worried when I saw Switch had those four lengths by the same margin. She finished off the year with a on us, but I could see she was comfortable. She third in the GI Breeders= Cup Ladies= Classic under the responded to that and it went well,@ said Jones. AWe Twin Spires Nov. 5, one spot behind her familiar know it=s a long year, but the number one goal from adversary. Havre de Grace appeared to progress nicely here on in is the Breeders= Cup and, being from from three to four while making her way into Jones=s Delaware, I=m sure Mr. Porter would want us to look at barn, and was on the winning end of the largest gap the [July 16 GII] Delaware H. That race makes sense, I ever separating herself and Blind Luck in the Azeri. She think.@ He continued, AWe aren=t going to gut her by was unhurried on the inside in fourth behind splits of running her every month or three weeks. We are going :23.90 and :47.92 set by Absinthe Minded, and pilot to treat her like the champion we think she can be. You Ramon Dominguez switched his chalky charge to the can=t sew it up in April, but we feel we certainly have outside in anticipation for the stretch drive coming into the leader, and the horse ready to be the champion.@ the final turn. Switch wore down the pacesetter to take Click for the brisnet.com chart, the brisnet.com PPs o r over in mid-stretch, but Havre de Grace was a looming the free brisnet.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, presence who was simply too good to hold off. sponsored by Taylor Made. The brisnet.com >Race of the Day= is the GI ARKANSAS DERBY at OAKLAWN For pps and a complete race analysis, click here. IT’S A BOY! OR A GIRL! Click here to submit your Foaling News for Stakes Winning and/or Stakes Producing Mares for publication in the TDN. Owner Rick Porter left, Jones right Sarah K. Andrew photo Michael Marten P TDN HEADLINE NEWS • 4/16/11 • PAGE 3 of 20 • thoroughbreddailynews.com Friday, Keeneland Race Course Mary Sullivan, who bred Get Stormy in Kentucky and MAKER'S MARK MILE S.-GI, $300,000, KEE, 4-15, campaigns him under the nom-de-course Sullimar 4yo/up, 1mT, 1:37 1/5, gd. Stable, bought her first horse in partnership in 1983. 1--sGET STORMY, 119, h, 5, by Stormy Atlantic She enlisted late Hall of 1st Dam: Foolish Gal, by Kiri's Clown Fame conditioner P.G. 2nd Dam: Galaxy North, by Far North Johnson to train her 3rd Dam: Hayley Nicole, by Apalachee horses for over 20 O-Sullimar Stable; B-Mary A Sullivan (KY); T-Thomas years, and Grade I M Bush; J-Javier Castellano; $180,000. Lifetime winners owned or co- Record: 21-9-2-2, $795,961. Werk Nick Rating: owned by Sullivan and A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. trained by Johnson Graduate of Custom Care Equine LLC were Highland Talk Maker’s Mark Trophy Presentation; 2--Workin for Hops, 119, g, 4, City Zip--Citi Pearl, by (1990 Gazelle H.), Far Sullivan in center Keeneland/Coady Citidancer. O-Estrorace LLC; B-Amy Bondon & Tom Out Beast (1993 Flower McNally (KY); T-Michael Stidham; $60,000. Bowl H.) and Kiri=s 3--Society's Chairman, 117, h, 8, Not Impossible (Ire)-- Clown (1995 Sword Dancer H.). Sullivan purchased Athena's Smile, by Olympio. (C$40,000 yrl '04 Galaxy North, the dam of Get Stormy=s dam Foolish ONTSEP). O-Charles E Fipke & George Waud; B-Errol Gal, for $100,000 as a 2-year-old at Fasig-Tipton Bailey (ON); T-Roger L Attfield; $30,000. February in 1988. She never raced, and Galaxy North Registered Ontario-Bred/CTHS Grad did not enjoy much success with eight previous foals. Sullivan bred Galaxy North to Kiri=s Clown in his third Margins: 2 3/4, NK, HD.