SUNDAY, AUGUST 16, 2015 732-747-8060 $ TDN Home Page Click Here SON OF SHAMARDAL LEADS ARQANA OPENER Arlington Million by Kelsey Riley and Emma Berry Lot 89 boasted all the credentials of a sale-topper and the strapping bay--by Shamardal out of a half-sister to last year=s champion first-season sire Lope De Vega (Ire) PIZZA MAN TOPS HOME TEAM SWEEP (Shamardal)--made it worth the wait until late in the Facing some higher-profile North American-based opening session of the Arqana August Yearling Sale for runners and a five-strong European contingent, local vendor Ballylinch Stud hope The Pizza Man (English Channel) rewarded his when fetching a session- connections= confidence to become the first-ever topping i720,000 from Illinois-bred to win the GI Arlington Million while Sheikh Mohammed=s stamping his ticket to the GI Breeders= Cup Turf later in bloodstock advisor John the year. Cross-entered in the GIII American St. Leger Ferguson. earlier on the card, the last-out GIII Stars and Stripes S. The Arqana sales ring winner was backed down to 5-1 from a 10-1 morning was lined with spectators line and split the field in the early going as Shining standing six deep just Copper (Aragorn {Ire}), a rabbit for co-favored Big Blue ahead of the 5 p.m. Kitten (Kitten=s Joy), did his job up front. Guided out curtain-up of the into the clear along Lot 89, session-topping company=s flagship Shamardal colt | Racing Post the home turn, the yearling sale Saturday, fan favorite was met and while expectations were high, figures fell short of with an audible roar last year=s red-hot trade on the corresponding day. from the crowd Sixty-two of the 81 lots offered exchanged hands for when track an aggregate of i11,792,000--a dip of 27%--and announcer John clearance rate of 77%, which was down five points on Dooley said his 2014. The average price of i190,194 dropped by name. He seemed to 25%, while the median was also down, to i155,000 find another gear at from i170,000 (-8.8%). A notable buyback and would- that point, and be session topper was lot 39, a Sea the Stars (Ire)-- started to chip away Dance Secretary (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) filly from at the pacesetter s The Pizza Man | Four Footed Fotos = the Haras de la Reboursiere et de Montaigu advantage. Up With consignment who was led out unsold at i750,000. the Birds (Stormy Atlantic) snuck up the rail inside of Cont. p16 that rival, and Big Blue Kitten came flying outside of The Pizza Man, but The Pizza Man gobbled up ground under left-handed encouragement from Florent Geroux to deliver the popular victory by a neck over Big Blue Kitten. Shining Copper managed to hold third over Up With the Birds. "I always have confidence when I ride him,@ said Florent Geroux, who also pilots last year=s champion sprinter Work All Week (City Zip) for Richard and Karen Papiese=s Midwest Thoroughbreds and trainer Roger Brueggemann. AHe knows where the wire is and he knows how to win. But I had no horse the whole way. It looked like he was struggling a little bit over the very soft track, but when I took him outside, he's all heart... he grabbed the bit again and I was like, >Oh boy, he's going for a big one here.'" Of his popularity, Geroux added, AHe=s a local horse. Even going to the track, we had a lot of people cheering for us... He=s just a very special horse who loves to win. There aren=t many like this, but we have two in the stable with this guy and Work All Week. I=d like to give credit to trainer Roger Bruegemman, because these are two very different horses. We have The Pizza Man who=s going very long on the turf, and we have the fastest sprinter in the country too.@ Cont. p3 IN THIS ISSUE Brown 1-2, Via DQ, in Beverly D. Secret Gesture (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) crossed the line first in Saturday’s GI Beverly D. S. at Arlington, but drifted to her right approaching the wire, impeding the on- President & Co-Publisher: Barry Weisbord rushing Stephanie’s Kitten (Kitten’s Joy). The latter’s [email protected] stablemate, Watsdachances (Ire) (Diamond Green @barryweisbord {Fr}), was able to drop her head on the wire just ahead of Stephanie’s Kitten and was awarded the victory Sr. V.P. & Co-Publisher: Sue Finley [email protected] @suefinley when stewards ruled that Secret Gesture’s actions in deep stretch cost the Ramsey runner a position. With V.P., International Operations: Gary King the win, Watsdachances earns a trip to the BC [email protected] @garykingTDN Watsdachances | FourFootedFotos Filly/Mare Turf. EDITORIAL [email protected] Page 4 Editor-in-Chief: Jessica Martini Galileo Colt Leaves ‘Em Reeling Managing Editor: Alan Carasso Senior Editor: Steve Sherack Racing Editor: Brian DiDonato Sent off the 12-5 second favorite in Saturday’s Associate Editor: Justina Severni GI Secretariat S., Highland Reel (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) Associate Editor: Christie DeBernardis Assistant Editor: Heather Anderson was given a positive ride by Seamie Heffernan, pinched Assistant Editor: Ben Massam a winning margin on the turn and cruised home the 5 1/4-length winner to give his perennial leading sire ADVERTISING his third winner of the race in five years and second in [email protected] succession (Treasure Beach {Ire}, 2011; Adelaide {Ire}, Director of Advertising: Alycia Borer 2014). Closing Bell (Tapit) came from the back of the Art Director: Lia Kusch back to give WinStar Farm and trainer Bill Mott a Sr. Ad Coordinator/Dir. of Distribution: second straight runner-up effort in the event, while Sarah K. Andrew Highland Reel | Four Footed Fotos Advertising Designer: Amanda Crelin favored Force the Pass (Speightstown) went in the air at Advertising Assistant: Amanda Foster the break and ran on to finish a creditable third. Social Media Strategist: Nichola Henry Page 6 CUSTOMER SERVICE [email protected] Karakontie Returns in the Marois Dir. of Customer Service: Vicki Forbes Flaxman Holdings’ Karakontie (Jpn) (Bernstein), last seen leading home a French 1-2 in INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY the GI Breeders’ Cup Mile at Santa Anita, makes a much-anticipated 4-year-old debut in Director of IT: Robert Williams Sunday’s G1 Prix Jacques le Marois going a straight mile at Deauville. The Niarchos [email protected] homebred was meant to have his first run of the year in the G1 Queen Anne S. at Royal Ascot, but was forced to miss that event and kicks off the season here. Richard Hannon Director of Internal IT: Ray Villa [email protected] will saddle the half-brothers Toormore (Ire) (Arakan) and Estidkhaar (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), while Godolphin’s Territories (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) also rates a look. WORLDWIDE INFORMATION Page 24 International Editor: Kelsey Riley [email protected] Newmarket Bureau, Cafe Racing: Sean Cronin & Tom Frary [email protected] 60 Broad Street, Suite 100 EST Race Click for TV Red Bank, NJ 07701 9:40a Prix Minerve-G3, DEA ---------------- ----- 732-747-8060 | 732-747-8955 (fax) 10:10a Prix du Haras de Fresnay-le-Buffard-Jacques le Marois-G1, DEA ---------------- ----- www.thoroughbreddailynews.com 10:40a Grosser Preis der Sparkasse Krefeld-G3, KRE ---------------- ----- www.thetdn.com 3:34p Sky Classic S.-GII, WO (TJCIS PPs) HR/TVG 5:13p Breeders’ S., WO (TJCIS PPs) HR/TVG 5:29p Saratoga Special S.-GII, SAR (TJCIS PPs) HR/TVG 6:40p Rancho Bernardo H.-GIII, DMR (TJCIS PPs) HR/TVG 8:39p Longacres Mile H.-GIII, EMD (TJCIS PPs) HR/TVG Headline News • PAGE 3 of 25 • thetdn.com Sunday • August 16, 2015 FEATURE PRESENTATION • GI ARLINGTON MILLION Saturday, Arlington Park ARLINGTON MILLION XXXIII S.-GI, $1,000,000, AP, 8-15, 3yo/up, 1 1/4mT, 2:02.20, yl. 1--&THE PIZZA MAN, 126, g, 6, by English Channel 1st Dam: I Can Fan Fan (MSP, $182,993), by Lear Fan 2nd Dam: Flower Circle, by Lieutenant's Lark 3rd Dam: Social Circle, by Circle O/B-Midwest Thoroughbreds, Inc (IL); T-Roger A. Brueggemann; J-Florent Geroux. $558,000. Lifetime Record: 23-15-1-2, $1,458,537. Werk Nick Rating: C+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. 2--Big Blue Kitten, 126, r, 7, Kitten=s Joy--Spent Gold, by Unaccounted For. O/B-Kenneth L. & Sarah K. Ramsey (KY); T-Chad C. Brown. $186,000. EQB cardio elite score for client • www.EQB.com Hip 644 - Full sis selling at KeeSep with TAYLOR MADE 3--Shining Copper, 126, g, 5, Aragorn (Ire)--La Minuta (Chi), by Winged Victory. O-Kenneth L. & Sarah K. Ramsey; B-International Equities Holding, Inc. (KY); T-Chad C. Brown. $93,000. Brookdale Foaled & Raised Margins: NK, 3/4, 1HF. Odds: 5.90, 3.00, 27.10. Also Ran: Up With the Birds, Elleval (Ire), Wake Forest (Ger), Belgian Bill (GB), Slumber (GB), Bookrunner, Quiet Force, Triple Threat (Fr), Legendary (GB), Maverick Wave. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton. The Pizza Man sported a 12-9-1-1 record over the Arlington Park turf course, and reeled off three-straight wins here to kick off his 5-year-old campaign, including scores in last year=s running of the Stars and Stripes and in the then-ungraded American St.