MONDAY, JANUARY 5, 2015 732-747-8060 $ TDN Home Page Click Here SHRINKING VIOLET MAKES GRADE AUSTRALIA AND THE SHUTTLE EFFECT Shrinking Violet (Congaree), owned and trained by By Kelsey Riley Wesley Ward, held sway over a host of late challengers Australia has become a melting pot of sire lines and to earn the first graded stakes victory of her career in pedigrees from across the globe, and nowhere is that Sunday=s GII Monrovia more evident than this week=s Magic Millions Gold S. at Santa Anita. Sent Coast Yearling Sale. Books 1 and 2 of the country=s off at 10-1, Shrinking first yearling sale of the season include the progeny of Violet chased 21 Northern Hemisphere-based shuttlers (accounting pacesetting longshot for 159 of the 912 yearlings catalogued), and sires like and fellow Ward trainee More Than Ready (36 To My Valentine (Fr) catalogued), High (Dyhim Diamond {Ire}) Chaparral (Ire) (12) and through fractions of Street Cry (Ire) (7) :21.71 and :44.05. She have become as skipped to the lead revered in Australia as when a hole opened anywhere else in the along the rail in upper world. stretch and was able to Shrinking Violet While shuttlers maintain a 1 1/4-length Benoit boast a strong advantage as Heat Trap Successful Australian shuttler More presence Down Under, (Unusual Heat) closed for second, a head in front of Than Ready a look at Australia=s favored Velvet Mesquite (In Excess {Ire}). Vinery leading sire table reveals another Cont. p4 dynamic to the story. Nine of the top 10 current leading sires in Australia--excluding number three Monsun Sunday, Santa Anita Park (Ger), whose more than A$3.9 million bankroll is almost MONROVIA S.-GII, $201,500, SAX, 1-4, 4yo/up, f/m, exclusively courtesy G1 Melbourne Cup winner a6 1/2fT, 1:12 2/5, fm. Protectionist (Ger)--are Australian-bred >colonial= sires, 1--@SHRINKING VIOLET, 118, m, 5, by Congaree with just Street Cry breaking the mold in the eighth 1st Dam: Lets Get Cozzy (GSP, $178,218), by position. Just three of the top 20 sires are, or were, Cozzene shuttlers. Cont. p6 2nd Dam: Sweet Lassie (Fr), by Posse 3rd Dam: Very Sweet (Ire), by Bellypha (Ire) ($4,000 wlng '10 KEENOV). O/T-Wesley A Ward; B-Ashbrittle Stud (KY); J-Kent J Desormeaux. $120,000. Lifetime Record: 16-7-1-3, $394,677. *1/2 to Ronda Rocks (Rockport Harbor), SW, $100,859. Werk Nick Rating: C. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. 2--Heat Trap, 118, m, 6, Unusual Heat--Trapunto, by Deposit Ticket. O/B-Scott Gross & Mark Devereaux (CA); T-Carla Gaines. $40,000. 3--Velvet Mesquite, 118, m, 5, In Excess (Ire)-- Mesquite, by Huddle Up. O/B-Harris Farms (CA); T-Blake R Heap. $24,000. Margins: 1 1/4, HD, NO. Odds: 10.10, 4.30, 3.50. Also Ran: Sky Treasure, To My Valentine (Fr), Gender Agenda (GB), Biorhythm, Wishing Gate, Warm Breeze, One More, Judy In Disguise (GB). Scratched: Baruta (Brz). Click for the brisnet.com chart, the brisnet.com PPs or the free brisnet.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO. The New York Thoroughbred Breeding & Development Fund salutes these outstanding NY-breds for their milestone achievements in 2014. BREEDERS’ CUP CHAMPION — DAYATTHESPA GRADE 1 WINNERS: ARTEMIS AGROTERA | DAYATTHESPA | PALACE NEW MILLIONAIRES: BE BULLISH | DAYATTHESPA | DISCREET MARQ | LUBASH | PALACE | ZIVO NY-BREDS SET NEW RECORD WITH OVER $100 MILLION IN AWARDS & PURSE MONEY . In 2014, NY-breds will earn more than $85 MILLION in purse money and more than $17 MILLION in owner, breeder and stallion owner awards. BE READY WITH YOUR NY-BRED 2-YEAR-OLDS FOR THE 2015 EXPANDED STAKES SCHEDULE WORTH MILLIONS! nytbreeders.org | 518.587.0777 For more information visit our website or call 518.388.0174 IN THIS ISSUE CO-PUBLISHERS President: Barry Weisbord [email protected] @barryweisbord Vice President: Sue Finley [email protected] @suefinley BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Sophomores Fine after Stakes Wins Director of Business Development: Gary King [email protected] Connections are looking forward to future engagements after six newly turned sophomores earned stakes victories at EDITORIAL Gulfstream Park Saturday. [email protected] Editor-in-Chief: Jessica Martini Managing Editor: Alan Carasso Racing Editor: Steve Sherack Bluegrass Singer Racing Analyst/Social Media Director: Brian DiDonato Kenny Martin Associate Editor: Justina Severni Assistant Editor: Christie DeBernardis Page 3 Assistant Editor: Heather Likins Assistant Editor: Ben Massam Wildcat Red Preps for Classic ADVERTISING [email protected] Director of Advertising: Alycia Borer Wildcat Red (D’Wildcat) prepped for an expected Art Director: Lia Kusch start in the Jan. 17 Sunshine Millions Classic at Sr. Ad Coordinator/Dir. of Distribution: Sarah K. Andrew Gulfstream Park Sunday. Advertising Designer: Amanda Crelin Advertising Assistant: Amanda Foster Social Media Strategist: Nichola Henry CUSTOMER SERVICE Wildcat Red Leslie Martin [email protected] Director of Customer Service: Vicki Forbes Page 3 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY O’Brien Honored at Moyglare Dinner Director of IT: Robert Williams [email protected] Trainer Aidan O’Brien, who recorded an historic treble with Australia’s victory in the G1 Epsom Derby in June, WORLDWIDE INFORMATION was honored at the Moyglare dinner Saturday. Also International Editor: Kelsey Riley honored was the organizing committee of the inaugural [email protected] Irish Champions weekend. Aidan O’Brien and Newmarket Bureau, Cafe Racing: Sean Cronin Newmarket Bureau, Cafe Racing: Tom Frary Australia [email protected] Racing Post photo 60 Broad Street, Suite 100 • Red Bank, NJ 07701 732-747-8060 | 732-747-8955 (fax) www.thoroughbreddailynews.com www.thetdn.com Page 5 TDN P HEADLINE NEWS • 1/5/15 • PAGE 3 of 13 • thoroughbreddailynews.com AI thought he ran really well especially from that post [9],@ commented Brown. AHe worked out a great trip and he galloped out well, so it looks like he=ll run a bit farther than that. It=s a long year, and I don=t know what I=m going to do with him yet, but so far he looks good.@ Bill Kaplan was similarly pleased with his trainee Ekati=s Phaeton (Tale of Ekati), a gritty half-length 3YOS EMERGE FROM STAKES IN GOOD ORDER winner of the six-furlong GIII Old Hat S. for sophomore Gulfstream Park played host to five stakes this past fillies earlier on Saturday=s card. Saturday, including a number of promising AShe=s doing great,@ Kaplan offered. AShe=s an amazing performances from newly filly. She=s got more than she=s shown so far. When she turned 3-year-olds gets in front, she waits on horses, so it was nice to see throughout the day. her run the way she did [on Saturday].@ Crossed Sabres Farm=s Kaplan added that he is evaluating the Jan. 24 GII Bluegrass Singer Forward Gal S. as a potential next start for his filly. (Bluegrass Cat) kicked off the road to the GI Besilu Stables Florida WILDCAT RED PREPS FOR SM CLASSIC Derby with a decisive Honors Stable=s MGSW Wildcat Red (D=wildcat) victory in the one-mile continued preparation for his 2015 debut in the Jan. 17 Mucho Macho Man S. Sunshine Millions Trainer Marcus Vitali Classic S. with a bullet said yesterday that the Bluegrass Singer five-furlong move in colt came out of the race Kenny Martin :57.48 yesterday tired, but in good morning at Gulfstream condition. He added that a decision has not yet been Park. made on the colt=s next start, but a further extension in AHe worked very distance is likely. good, very AI think we=ve prepared him for the two-turn impressive,@ observed challenge,@ commented trainer Jose Garoffalo. Wildcat Red Vitali. AI eased him into AI was really surprised Leslie Martin different distances feeling because he was doing he was going to get it without a big effort. He galloped out very strong and better with each start@ came back very happy, bucking and kicking. He=s ready Three-year-old to run.@ counterpart Night Prowler Wildcat Red covered the last furlong of his work in (Giant=s Causeway), a 11 seconds flat and stopped the clock in 1:12 for his half-length winner of the six-furlong gallop out. GIII Dania Beach S. over AI was telling owner [Josie Martino] that I wish the the turf, pleased trainer race was next week because this horse is doing better Ekati’s Phaeton Chad Brown with his than ever, and he absolutely loves this track,@ said Leslie Martin effort. Garoffalo. AHe=s a different horse on this track. Next week he=ll just have a routine breeze.@ Cont. p4 TDN P HEADLINE NEWS • 1/5/15 • PAGE 4 of 13 • thoroughbreddailynews.com The bay annexed the GII Fountain of Youth S. and the GIII Hutcheson S. at Gulfstream en-route to a start in the GI Kentucky Derby as a sophomore last season. He added Grade I placings in the Florida Derby and the Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park during his ten- start 2014 campaign, which concluded with a runner- up finish to East Hall (Graeme Hall) at Gulfstream Park West Nov. 8. Garoffalo noted that he is still in the process of lining up a rider for his charge in the Sunshine Millions Classic. Shrinking Violet Makes Grade (cont. from p1) AShe tracked well; she runs like a European,@ commented winning rider Kent Desormeaux. AThe leaders spread crossing the dirt, so I filled that spot and she was full of run at that point.@ Desormeaux gave Ward credit for the win. AThis was all Wesley Ward, trainer and owner,@ he said.