ftboa.com • Tuesday & Wednesday • August 11 & 12, 2020 FEC/FTBOA PUBLICATION DEADLINE: Art Collector Delivers FSS yearling deadline is Saturday, August 15, 2020 and is $275. Since the deadline falls on a weekend, the Masterclass in Ellis postmarked deadline has been Park Derby Victory extended to Monday, August 17. BY ELLIS PARK In This Issue: PRESS OFFICE_____________ Smooth Like Strait Takes La Jolla H’cap HENDERSON, KY – On Saturday Crazy Beautiful in Runhappy Debutante evening, following a devastating performance at one of racing’s Sole Volante Breezes at Palm Meadows most historic tracks, the consensus Pico d’Oro Breaks Maiden within the thoroughbred racing community was that the question Lady Kate Dominates in Groupie Doll S. of which horse would bear the Spinoff Nabs Stakes Victory in Alydar burden of favoritism in the pan- demic-delayed Kentucky Derby Tiz the Law Even-Money in Derby Futures presented by Woodford Reserve Sacred Life Rallies to Win Oceanport S. (Grade 1) had been answered. Barely 24 hours after Tiz the Gulfstream Park Charts Law threw down the gauntlet with Track Results & Entries his sublime victory in the Grade 1 Florida Stallion Progeny List Travers Stakes at Saratoga Race Course, however, one of Florida Breeders’ List Kentucky’s native sons served up Wire to Wire Business Place a reminder that he plans on being a hostile host to even the most intimidating of challengers head- Featured Advertisers ing to the Sept. 5 Run for the Roses. Bloodstockauction USA Sunday’s $200,000 Runhappy Ellis Park Derby wasn’t the Florida Department of Agriculture endgame for Bruce Lunsford’s FTBOA homebred Art Collector, but the Stonehedge Farm South son of Bernardini looked every bit cranked for what lies ahead at Ocala Breeders’ Feed & Supply Churchill Downs next month Seminole Feed when he drew off to a three-and- one-quarter-length triumph in the mile-and-one-eighth race that FOR ADVERTISING headlined the biggest day in histo- INFORMATION ry at the track known as the Pea Patch. or to subscribe, please call With the coronavirus pandemic Antoinette at 352-732-8858 or forcing this year’s Kentucky email: [email protected] Art Collector/COADY PHOTO See ART COLLECTOR on page 3 Back to Top Page 3 Art Collector Continued from COVER Derby to be delayed, Ellis Park was able to host its first ever prep for the 10-furlong classic. Its signature race offered 50 qualifying points to the winner toward the Derby and while Art Collector had basically locked up his place in the Kentucky Derby starting gate courtesy of his win in the Grade 2 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland on July 11, the bay colt made sure to showcase how much upside is still within him. His 2-5 status on the odds board told of the expectations he carried in his ninth career start and, as has been the case in each outing since joining trainer Tommy Drury’s barn earlier this year, Art Collector didn’t disappoint in the least in leading virtu- ally every step en route to his fourth consecutive victory. “I’m surprised that my legs are still holding up underneath me,” Drury said. “It’s a big day for us. We got what we were looking for. We wanted to get enough out of this without over- doing it. [Jockey] Brian [Hernandez] even mentioned coming to the eighth pole that he was going a little too easy, Tom Drury/COADY PHOTO so he let the reins out a notch just to let him finish on up. He was going away from the end of it and that’s kind of been him every race this year. That’s all you can ask of one. Every time we throw something at him, he answers the question and handles it with flying colors.” Art Collector has proven during his recent streak he can win with virtually any kind of setup, having come from off the pace during his victory at Churchill Downs on May 17 and sitting a stalking trip in his Blue Grass Stakes triumph. When he got away without issue out of post four in the Ellis Park Derby, he used it as the latest opportunity to flaunt his frontrunning ability. After clicking off the opening fractions of :23.33 and :46.74 with 165-1 longshot Truculent sitting just off him in second, Art Collector faced a brief threat when Dean Martini loomed up approaching the far turn and Attachment Rate followed suit in the three-wide path. Attachment Rate did well to outrun his 14-1 odds and get place honors, but he was no match in the lane for Art Collector, who strided home in a final time of 1:48.02 over a track rated fast. The See ART COLLECTOR on page 5 FTBOA Document and Form Drop Box A drop box has been installed near our side entrance of the FTBOA building at 801 SW 60th Avenue, Ocala, Fla. for members to use when drop- ping off time-sensitive docu- ments. Forms may be found on our website at www.ftboa.com. Timely payments must be in the drop box no later than 4:30 p.m. the day of a deadline. 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. 15) Late Yearling Payment - $500 (Aug. 16-Nov. 15) Missed Nov. 15? – $5,000 by Jan. 15 Last chance payment option of $10,000 by May 1 of 2-year-old year (horse must not have started) *Yearling payment must have been paid. ** All terms of FSS races and FTBOA purse supplements, including number of races, purse levels, race conditions, racing dates and the host track may change from year to year and may change at any point after the FSS racing schedule for a particular year is announced FLORIDA THOROUGHBRED BREEDERS’ AND OWNERS’ ASSOCIATION 801 SW 60th Ave. • Ocala, FL 34474 • 352-629-2160 • Fax: 352-629-3603 • Download form online at www.ftboa.com • E-mail: [email protected] Back to4 Top Page 5 Art Collector Continued from page 3 sloppy track Nov. 30 before being disqualified when he was tested track record is 1:47.60, set in 1988 by Lt. Lao. positive for levamisole, a deworming agent. “Our horse broke sharp and I put him in the race,” winning “Tiz the Law will be the favorite. But everybody who’s going jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. said. “He was going quick enough but to be there in the Kentucky Derby, they’ve earned their chance,” at some point, I knew I’d be able to give him a breather. He was Hernandez said. “You have to go in there with an open mind and able to take a breather going just read your race. The into the second turn. And biggest thing we’ve done once he did that, I was pretty through this whole journey is confident in him. we just have to trust our “This is huge. We’re going horse. Let him take us there, into the Derby now with a and that’s what he’s doing.” legitimate horse. Like we said Art Collector now has 150 after the Blue Grass, he’s qualifying points toward the proven he’s getting better and Kentucky Derby and better with each race. He improves his overall record to showed it again today. He put five wins from nine starts everyone away. He did it all on with $664,380 in earnings. his own and ran away from “There are no bad stories there.” here with our threesome Attachment Rate was five- [Lunsford, Drury, and-one-quarter lengths clear Hernandez],” Lunsford said. of Necker Island in third with “We get along great. We start- Rowdy Yates and Shared ed out with an idea. We pretty Sense completing the top well stuck to the pattern, and five. we’re going to stick to it for Bred in Kentucky by one more race. I like the fact Lunsford out of the Distorted that we’re local boys. It would Humor mare Distorted Art Collector/COADY PHOTO be a nice story for Louisville if Legacy, Art Collector began we were to win it.” his career with trainer Joe Sharp before being transferred to Drury Art Collector started his career last year on grass, where he prior to his first start this season. And where Tiz the Law has suf- won a maiden race at Kentucky Downs in his second start. fered his only career loss at Churchill Downs—running third over a sloppy track in the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes last NOTE: An Ellis Park record $5,241,601 was bet on the 10- November—Art Collector owns two wins beneath this Twin race card, eclipsing the prior record of $4,906,096 on Aug. 4, Spires this season and crossed the wire first there in a race over a 2007, when Ellis Park was host to the Claiming Crown. Smooth Like Strait Triumphs in La Jolla Handicap BY DEL MAR PRESS OFFICE _________ DEL MAR, CA—Cannon Thoroughbreds’ Smooth Like Strait used his speed to good advantage Sunday and scored a handy victory in the 80th running of the Grade 3 La Jolla Handicap for 3-year-olds at Del Mar Race Course. Under 124 pounds and Umberto Rispoli, Del Mar’s leading rider, the 4-5 favorite drew out in the lane to tally by two-and-a-half lengths at the end of the mile-and-one-six- teenth grass test and earned $75,000 from the $125,000 purse.