TUESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2017 FROM SAN LUIS REY TO RISING TIDE BRINGS NEW STALLIONS TO MARYLAND THE WINNER=S CIRCLE by Ben Massam Ask any veteran horseman or horsewoman in Maryland and they will tell you all about the ebb and flow of the local Thoroughbred industry in recent years. Following years of decline at the hands of a seemingly ambivalent state government, Maryland hit rock bottom in 2012 with an all-time low foal crop of 369. But in recent years, as renewed commitment from the state prompted a steady influx of funding from casinos and a corresponding rise in breeders= incentives and purses, the Old Line State=s breeding industry has seen steady growth by nearly all metrics. If the growth of Maryland=s stallion market is any indication, the period of relative prosperity will continue for years to come. Cont. p4 (click here) IN TDN EUROPE TODAY Greyvitos | Dustin Orona Photography MUHAARAR’S EARLY SUCCESS FOR SHADWELL by Ben Massam Gary King chats with Shadwell’s Stud Director, Richard When Greyvitos (Malibu Moon) crossed the wire in front in Lancaster, regarding the early sales’ success of first-crop foal Sunday night=s $400,000 Springboard Mile S. at Remington Park, sire Muhaarar (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}). Click or tap here to go he not only stamped himself as a colt to watch on the 2018 straight to TDN Europe. GI Kentucky Derby trail, but also demonstrated a level of maturity that is hard to find in young horses [video]. A week- and-a-half earlier, the Adam Kitchingman trainee and his fellow barnmates were among the first horses to be evacuated from San Luis Rey Downs as the training facility was becoming engulfed by the Lilac wildfire, which ultimately led to 46 equine deaths and the destruction of much of the property. After avoiding the worst of the devastating situation, Greyvitos regrouped at Santa Anita Park and ultimately shipped to Oklahoma shortly thereafter, looking to build on his win in the Nov. 11 GIII Bob Hope S. at Del Mar. AHe went from San Luis Rey with a good friend of mine--he went to their farm, and then he went to Santa Anita,@ Kitchingman said. AHe had smoke around him and stuff, but he didn=t have to deal with the fire. I didn=t have to turn him loose, but I=m sure it was still pretty traumatic.@ Greyvitos passed his test at Remington with flying colors despite drawing widest in a field of 12, working his way over to secure an ideal stalking position beneath jockey Victor Espinoza and rallying to notch a 2 1/4-length score over a persistent Combatant (Scat Daddy). Cont. p3 NO. 2 COMPARABLE INDEX IN 2017 5.90 CI Only Tapit bred a better book of mares; Ranked directly ahead of Medaglia d’Oro & War Front NO. 4 YEARLING SIRE IN 2017 $328,413 AVG. Ranked directly ahead of Scat Daddy & Curlin NO. 5 COVERING SIRE IN 2017 $817,142 AVG. Ranked directly ahead of Uncle Mo & American Pharoah LIMITED BOOKS, BIG RESULTS EMPIRE MAKER - STAR OF GOSHEN, BY LORD AT WAR (Arg) | 2018 FEE: $110,000 S&N (859) 873-1717 | WinStarFarm.com PRESIDENT & CO-PUBLISHER Barry Weisbord @barryweisbord [email protected] SR. V.P. & CO-PUBLISHER Sue Morris Finley @suefinley [email protected] V.P., INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONS Gary King @garykingTDN [email protected] EDITORIAL [email protected] Tuesday, December 19, 2017 Editor-in-Chief Jessica Martini @JessMartiniTDN Managing Editor Alan Carasso @EquinealTDN Senior Editor Steve Sherack @SteveSherackTDN Racing Editor Brian DiDonato @BDiDonatoTDN News and Features Editor Ben Massam @BMassamTDN Associate Editors Christie DeBernardis @CDeBernardisTDN Joe Bianca @JBiancaTDN Assistant Editor Bobby Klatt ADVERTISING [email protected] Director of Advertising Alycia Borer Advertising Manager Lia Best Advertising Designer Amanda Crelin Advertising Assistants Alexa Reisfield Michelle Benson Photo Editor/Dir. of Distribution Rising tide brings new stallions to Maryland. Breeders listen to Bonita Farm general Sarah K. Andrew @SarahKAndrew [email protected] manager J. William Boniface (left) speak while Kobe’s Back (Flatter) stands for inspection at a recent stallion show in Darlington, MD. The multiple graded stakes Social Media Strategist Justina Severni winner joins Dortmund (Big Brown) and Alliance (Harlan’s Holiday) at Bonita Farm for 2018. See page 4 for the continuation of Ben Massam’s story about the influx of new Director of Customer Service Vicki Forbes faces to the Maryland stallion market. | Sarah Andrew [email protected] Marketing Manager Alayna Cullen @AlaynaCullen SEEKING THE SOUL TO PEGASUS 7 Director of Information Technology Ray Villa Though he had entertained also running his GI Breeders’ Cup [email protected] Distaff heroine Forever Unbridled (Unbridled’s Song) in the $16-million GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational, owner Charles Bookkeeper Fipke chose GI Clark H. winner Seeking the Soul (Perfect Soul Terry May [email protected] {Ire}) as his lone representative. WORLDWIDE INFORMATION International Editor Kelsey Riley @kelseynrileyTDN [email protected] European Editor 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 | 732-747-8955 (fax) www.TheTDN.com TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 3 OF 10 • THETDN.COM TUESDAY • DECEMBER 19, 2017 From San Luis Rey to The Winner=s Circle cont. AHe definitely liked the two turns and he galloped out strong. His win earned him 10 We=re going to back off on him qualifying points toward a berth for a few weeks, and then come in the starting gate for the back and go from there.@ Derby. While it might be tempting to AIt=s what every trainer dreams keep Greyvitos at home and of,@ Kitchingman said. AI really follow Santa Anita=s path to the believe in the horse and he does First Saturday in May, a lot of things right. He=s had to Kitchingman said he will not overcome a lot of things, from hesitate to ship the gray to an the shipping around to going to unfamiliar venue once again. a new environment to racing at Greyvitos, whose two career nighttime. He was still jumping wins from four starts have both shadows and looking around a come in stakes, is not the first lot. If he had more competition Kitchingman trainee to emerge around him, he probably victorious from the devastating would=ve focused a bit more.@ situation at San Luis Rey. One Kitchingman said that while week removed from the fire, the the win was encouraging from a native Australian saddled maturity perspective, it also Scathing marked Kitchingman=s first winner to emerge from the Scathing (Grazen) to capture a bodes well for the colt=s ability San Luis Rey Downs fire | @AdamKitchingman Twitter starter allowance event at Los to handle increasing distances as Alamitos. he progresses into his sophomore season. AHe still has a lot more improvement, I think,@ Kitchingman said. TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 4 OF 10 • THETDN.COM TUESDAY • DECEMBER 19, 2017 Rising Tide Brings New Stallions to Maryland cont. from p1 No new arrival to Maryland in 2018 is more well-known on the With Maryland welcoming eight new stallions in 2018--the national stage than Dortmund (Big Brown). The hulking chestnut most of any state outside of Kentucky--Cricket Goodall, carried an undefeated record from six races into the 2015 executive director of the Maryland Horse Breeders= Association GI Kentucky Derby and gave a good account of himself, finishing (MHBA), said farms are busy third behind stablemate and lining up mares to support their eventual Triple Crown winner new additions. American Pharoah (Pioneerof AThe buzz about Maryland has the Nile). A two-time Grade I given people more of a reason winner, Dortmund will stand for to look at the state for stallions,@ $7,500 at the Boniface Family=s Goodall said. AI=m sure all of the Bonita Farm in the new year. stallion farms are feeling the AHe=s a really exciting horse squeeze to bring in good mares. and he=s being well-received,@ Thankfully, there are some sales said Bonita Farm general that just happened and the manager J. William Boniface. stallion owners took advantage AHe=s a big horse, 16.3 [hands] of that.@ when I measured him. He was a Goodall noted that Maryland=s racehorse--he has so much class competition with other states in about him. He kind of possesses the region, such as Pennsylvania Dortmund | Sarah K. Andrew the ground he stands on...He=s a and Virginia, is healthy and smart horse and he adapted drives more interest from breeders to the Mid-Atlantic region as right away. I think he ought to fit very well here, and I=m excited a whole. about having him.@ Cont. p5 TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 5 OF 10 • THETDN.COM TUESDAY • DECEMBER 19, 2017 Rising Tide Brings New Stallions to Maryland cont. driving force behind the revival of Maryland racing. Dortmund is one of three new stallions Bonita Farm will AOur new breeders= incentives have triggered some of the new welcome in 2018, joining Alliance (Harlan=s Holiday; $4,000)--an stallions coming here,@ said Boniface, who was candid in unraced half-brother to champion racemare and recent stressing the importance of casino revenue to the racing $8-million seller Tepin (Bernstein)--and the late-running Kobe=s industry. AIf you look at it pound-for-pound with the number of Back (Flatter; $3,000), a four-time foals competing for the prizes, graded stakes winner. we=ve got one of the best AKobe=s Back is a small breeder, programs in the country, I breeds-to-race kind of horse think...There=s a lot of optimism because he was a sprinter on the in the air.