SUNDAY, JANUARY 20, 2013 732-747-8060 $ TDN Home Page Click Here A ‘WISE’ CHOICE FOR HORSE OF THE YEAR Following a wildly successful 2012 campaign which FEATURE PRESENTATION • GIII LECOMTE S. saw him set two track records, win three Grade I races and record six consecutive triple-digit Beyer Speed Figures, Morton Fink's homebred gelding Wise Dan (Wiseman's Ferry--Lisa Danielle, by Wolf Power {SAf}) was named America's Horse of the Year for 2012 at Saturday night's Eclipse Awards ceremony at Gulfstream Park. AIt=s a good thing I have something to hold on to. What can I say?@ LUKAS BACK ON THE TRAIL deadpanned Fink, as he It has been 13 years since trainer D. Wayne Lukas took the stage for the won the most recent of his four Kentucky Derbies with third time, having Charismatic (Summer Squall). Owner Brad Kelley has previously accepted the invested hard in several Eclipse for older male facets of the and champion turf male. Thoroughbred business Wise Dan Horsephotos AWhen you get to be my and has entrusted the age, you need something bulk of his holdings to get up in the morning for and look forward to. This with the Hall of Fame horse has made me so happy I can=t even express it in trainer. Just two words.@ Brilliantly managed and brought along by trainer months ago, Kelley, Charles Lopresti, Wise Dan posted a Beyer Speed Figure who races as Bluegrass of 117 in winning the GIII Ben Ali S. over the Keeneland Hall, and Lukas landed Polytrack in April and won the GI Woodbine Mile and the Breeders= Cup Oxbow Lou Hodges GI Shadwell Turf Mile ahead of his sensational score in Juvenile Sprint with the GI Breeders' Cup Mile at Santa Anita. Wise Dan is Hightail (Mineshaft), but in the form of Oxbow back at work at Keeneland and is being readied for a (Awesome Again), the duo could possess a legitimate 6-year-old campaign in 2013. Wise Dan also took down threat for the 2013 Triple Crown following a thoroughly top honors as champion older male and champion turf dominating victory in the GIII Lecomte S. at the Fair horse, the first to sweep all three categories since John Grounds. Cont. p5 Henry in 1981. He is the first homebred horse of the year since Ghostzapper in 2004. The TDN=s Special Eclipse Edition appears after Headline News 2012 ECLIPSE CHAMPIONS 2yo Male: Shanghai Bobby (Harlan’s Holiday) 2yo Filly: Beholder (Henny Hughes) 3yo Male: I’ll Have Another (Flower Alley) 3yo Filly: Questing (GB) (Hard Spun) Older Male: Wise Dan (Wiseman’s Ferry) Older Female: Royal Delta (Empire Maker) Male Sprinter: Trinniberg (Teuflesberg) Female Sprinter: Groupie Doll (Bowman’s Band) Male Turf Horse: Wise Dan (Wiseman’s Ferry) Female Turf Horse: Zagora (Fr) (Green Tune) Steeplechase Horse: Pierrot Lunaire (War Chant) Owner: Godolphin Racing LLC Breeder: Darley Jockey: Ramon Dominguez Apprentice Jockey: Jose Montano Trainer: Dale Romans Won two of AMERICA’S BIGGEST G1 RACES, including the Belmont S. (G1), and defeated 12 total G1 Winners, incl: GAME ON DUDE STAY THIRSTY TO HONOR AND SERVE UNCLE MO Defeated twice $20,000 stud fee $30,000 stud fee $35,000 stud fee etc... Distorted Humor - Golden Ballet, by Moscow Ballet • Fee: $17,500 www.WinStarFarm.com | 3001 Pisgah Pike, Versailles, KY 40383 | (859) 873-1717 | Fax (859) 873-1612 In This Issue The ‘Sky’ Is The Limit in Palos Verdes 60 Broad St., Suite 100 Red Bank, NJ 07701 Jerry Hollendorfer and Sweetwater Stable’s (732) 747-8060 Sahara Sky (Pleasant Tap) hadn’t visited the (732) 747-8955 (fax) races since last June and was apparently in a www.thoroughbreddailynews.com tough spot in Saturday’s GII Palos Verdes S. at www.thetdn.com Santa Anita. Easily the longest shot in the field at 21-1, the 5-year-old took advantage of a Barry Weisbord, co-publisher wicked pace battle in front of him and ran down Private Zone (Macho Uno) to register [email protected] • @barryweisbord , co-publisher the upset. Sahara Sky Benoit Sue Finley [email protected] • @suefinley Coverage page 3 Editorial [email protected] Jessica Martini, Editor-in-Chief ‘Greek’ Wins FL Millions, ‘Macho’ Stops Alan Carasso, Managing Editor Marie Kizenko, Senior Editor In a rematch of the 2012 Sunshine Millions, Ron Christina Bossinakis, Senior Editor the Greek (Full Mandate) and Mucho Macho Man Steve Sherack, Racing Editor (Macho Uno) were the star turns in this year’s Brian DiDonato, Racing Analyst/Soc. Media Dir. running. Only one showed up on the day. Justina Severni, Assistant Editor Kelsey Riley, Assistant Editor Coverage page 5 Advertising Ron the Greek [email protected] Adam Coglianese Alycia Borer, Director of Advertising Lia Kusch, Senior Advertising Designer Sarah K. Andrew, Adv Assistant/Distribution Amanda Crelin, Advertising Assistant Race Results Amanda Foster, Advertising Assistant Songandaprayer Colt Runs a Hole in the Wind ATW p6 Customer Service [email protected] Vicki Forbes, Director of Customer Service Information Technology Robert Williams, Director of IT [email protected] Gregg Casillo, DB Administrator, Programming [email protected] EST Race Click for TV Business Development Gary King, Director of Business Development 6:36p La Canada S.-GII, SA (brisnet.com PPs) HR/TVG [email protected] TDN Newmarket Bureau: Cafe Racing [email protected] Sean Cronin Tom Frary TDN P HEADLINE NEWS • 1/20/13 • PAGE 3 of 9 • thoroughbreddailynews.com Palos Verdes S. cont. GRADED/GROUP RESULTS Acquired privately out of a victory for maiden $20,000 claiming at Delta Downs in late 2010, Sahara Saturday, Santa Anita Sky won just once from six starts at age three, but PALOS VERDES S.-GII, $150,500, SAX, 1-19, 4yo/up, kicked off 2012 with a 4 1/4-length allowance victory 6f, 1:07 3/5, ft. at this venue last January. The dark bay proceeded to 1--#@SAHARA SKY, 118, h, 5, by Pleasant Tap round out the exacta in allowance heats Feb. 26 and 1st Dam: Seeking the Sky (MSW, $143,589), Mar. 22 in Arcadia, then returned from a two-month by Storm Cat freshening to annex a Cushion Track heat going seven 2nd Dam: Seeking Regina, by Seeking the Gold furlongs at Hollywood Park May 19. He had just one 3rd Dam: Fulbright Scholar, by Cox's Ridge appearance since, a fourth--placed third--behind Capital O-Jerry Hollendorfer & Sweetwater Stable; B-Martin Account (Closing Argument) at Hollypark June 22 Stables Inc (FL); T-Jerry Hollendorfer; J-Joseph where he clipped heels early and found himself a Talamo. $90,000. Lifetime Record: 13-5-2-4, distant last before making some late headway. $236,680. Werk Nick Rating: C. Click for the Comma to the Top (Bwana Charlie) won the break eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. here and showed the way from the fleet GI Malibu S. Picked, prepped & sold by Hebert Bloodstock 337-515-2320 runner-up Private Zone through an opening quarter mile in :21.50 as Sahara Sky and Joe Talamo drifted back to 2--Private Zone, 120, g, 4, Macho Uno--Auburn Beauty, near the tail of the field. The eventual winner caught by Siphon (Brz). ($15,000 yrl '10 KEESEP). O-Good the eye and had improved to midpack around the turn, Friends Stable; B-Adena Springs (ON); T-Doug F while the two front-runners were still doing their thing O'Neill. $30,000. on the engine and had posted a half-mile split in a Registered Ontario-Bred wicked :43.61. Sahara Sky was now just finding his best stride and was steered to the outside of Justin 3--Justin Phillip, 118, h, 5, First Samurai--Ava Phillip in upper stretch as he took aim on the leaders. Knowsthecode, by Cryptoclearance. ($400,000 yrl Private Zone put Comma to the Top away, but was '09 KEESEP). O-Zayat Stables LLC; B-Oakbrook Farm showing some signs of distress, and though he put up (KY); T-Steven M Asmussen. $18,000. a gallant fight down on the inside, was forced to settle EQB yearling auction purchase • www.EQB.com for the place spot yet again and watched Sahara Sky Foaled, Raised & Sold by VALKYRE STUD fly by. AA fresh horse will break a lot better and maybe lay a Margins: 1, HF, 2HF. Odds: 21.60, 2.80, 2.50. lot closer,@ said winning trainer Jerry Hollendorfer, who Also Ran: Comma to the Top, Canonize, Drill, Apriority. owns the 5-year-old in partnership with Barretts= Kim Click for the brisnet.com chart, the brisnet.com PPs o r Lloyd=s Sweetwater Stable. AIn the past when you have the free brisnet.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video to move this horse, you have to make him move. But replay. he kind of halfway moved himself today and [jockey] Joe [Talamo] didn=t have to prompt him too much. AWe both thought that the two speed horses would 60 Broad St. hook up and maybe make a good pace for us. That=s Suite 100 the key to winning a race like this. We had to have a Red Bank, NJ 07701 little pace in front of us for that particular kind of horse, Fax (732) 747-8955 so we got lucky today and he came through for us.@ Phone (732) 747-8060 [email protected] All horses in the TDN are bred in North America, unless otherwise indicated TDN P HEADLINE NEWS • 1/20/13 • PAGE 4 of 9 • thoroughbreddailynews.com TDN Feature Presentation cont. Lecomte S. cont. By a Breeders= Cup Classic winner and out of a full- Saturday, Fair Grounds sister to dual Breeders= Cup Classic hero Tiznow, LECOMTE S.-GIII, $200,000, FGX, 1-19, 3yo, 1m70y, Oxbow was purchased for $250,000 as a Keeneland 1:43 1/5, ft.