Classic Champion Thoroughbreds: October 2016

Friday, October 28, 2016

Classic Champion Thoroughbred Profile® Tabs Day One And Three Sale Toppers At Fasig-Tipton Fall Yearlings October Sale

The results of the Fasig-Tipton Fall Yearlings October Sale are in the history book and the Classic Champion Thoroughbred Profile® software continues to show its’ sales analytical prowess as it correctly tabbed the sale topper for day one and three of the three-day sale.

Hip 293, a bay colt by Curlin out of Party Chatter by Pleasant Colony, brought the hammer down for $350,000 as the sale topper on day one. The colt, a half-brother to MSW/GSP Rock Candy, was consigned by VanMeter-Gentry Sales and purchased by agent Justin Casse for Joe Minor’s JSM Equine. Here’s the video of the sale:

Hip 1034, a bay colt by Bernardini out of Desert Gazelle by Smart Strike, was the $350,000 sale topper on day three and was purchased by Stonestreet Stables from the consignment of Brookdale Sales, agent. Here’s the video of the sale:

Overall, Fasig-Tipton cataloged 1,250 yearlings for the October sale and I created a shortlist of 23 colts that had an A+ or A Classic Champion Thoroughbred Profile® Grade Index. Of those, six colts sold for over $100,000. Here’s a look at those horses:

Since the debut of the Classic Champion Thoroughbred Profile® software in the 2015 Kentucky Derby (G1), my brother Dallas and I are excited about the results we’ve achieved with the software as a powerful handicapping and Thoroughbred sales analytical tool.

We see our software as “A New Vision, Standard Of Excellence, For An Old Industry.” And, we are confident that it will revolutionize the Thoroughbred racing and breeding industry.

The software assigns each horse a profile score. The higher the score the more potential that horse has to be a top-quality stakes winner or a winner of a classic race like the Kentucky Derby.

The Classic Champion Thoroughbred Profile® is a powerful tool that helps horse owners and breeders take the guesswork out of breeding their horses. In addition, the profile is a powerful sales analytical tool for horse buyers, helping them make the best decisions and investments when buying horses at auction.

For example, Carpe Diem was a $1.6 million dollar purchase as a 2YO in training. However, our software profile accurately predicted he would not finish in the money in the 2015 Kentucky Derby.

In addition to being and excellent handicapping tool, the Classic Champion Thoroughbred Profile® is also a proven sales analytical tool that picked several of the top-priced yearlings at the 2016 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

For the first time in the history of the Thoroughbred, the empirical evidence gathered through the robust power of the Classic Champion Thoroughbred Profile® software shows that the pedigree is the only true standard and indicator of horse performance, especially of their classic potential.

The ability to know how a horse may perform on the racetrack is a valuable resource not only for handicappers but it also is a valuable tool for breeders who want to know how to make the best breeding decisions and for buyers at auction who want to make the wisest investments.

Like an intricate puzzle, the pedigree contains many secrets of what champions are made of and everything one needs to know about the horse, from the physical conformational characteristics to the emotional and behavioral traits, can be found in the pedigree if one knows the families, Ancestral Herd that formed the foal.

The Classic Champion Thoroughbred Profile® software unlocks the secret of the pedigree and Ancestral Herd to identify which horses have the potential to be top-quality stakes winners or, perhaps, a classic champion.

If you are planning to breed, or purchase at auction, a potential classic-winning Thoroughbred, the Classic Champion Thoroughbred Profile® is the analytical tool you need to take the guesswork out of buying and breeding champion racehorses.

The empirical data of the Classic Champion Thoroughbred Profile® will easily show you which horses have the potential to be classic champions while other horses may only be quality stakes winners.

The profile will give you the important information necessary to make the best decisions and investments when breeding or buying horses at auction. For a free consultation, please contact us at my website Classic Champion Thoroughbreds, LLC.

Friday, October 7, 2016

Claiborne Breeders' Futurity Stakes Racing Roundup

The Road to the Kentucky Derby takes us to Keeneland Race Course Saturday where, in what appears to be a wide-open horse race, Classic Empire heads a herd of 12 young Thoroughbreds as the 5-2 lukewarm morning-line favorite in the 103^rd running of the $500,000 Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity (G1) stakes.

Altogether, there are seven horses in this herd that are stepping up from sprint races to a route of ground including the favorite, Classic Empire, who comes into this race with a 2-0-0 record in three starts for trainer Mark Casse.

In his last race, Classic Empire veered out of the Hopeful (G1) stakes starting gate and threw his jockey, Irad Ortiz, Jr. Here’s the video of that race. In July, he won the Bashford Manor (G3) stakes by three quarters of a length. Here’s the video and chart call of that race:

CLASSIC EMPIRE ducked in a bit at the start and was back early, shifted into the three path entering the lane, rallied down the lane and rolled by the leader in the final stages while full of run.

Classic Empire narrowly beat Recruiting Ready who went on to finish third in the Iroquois (G3) stakes. With C Classic Champion Thoroughbred Profile®, Classic Empire could be competitive in this race but he’ll need to make a big step forward.

Pioneerof the Nile, the sire of Gettysburg, was a pretty good middle-distance runner and multiple graded-stakes winner that compiled a 2-0-1 record as a two year old including a win in the CashCall Futurity (G1) and a third-place finish in the Lane’s End Breeders’ Futurity (G1).

As a three year old, Pioneerof the Nile was 3-0-1 in five starts with wins in the Robert B. Lewis Stakes (G2), San Felipe Stakes (G2) and Santa Anita Derby (G1) in route to a second-place finish in the 2009 Kentucky Derby (G1).

Jockey Julien Leparoux rode Classic Empire in his previous two wins and he picks up the mount in this race. If Classic Empire returns to his previous form he should be competitive.

Singing Bullet (8-1) looks like a nice, long shot, colt and he comes into this race off of a two length maiden win for trainer Dale Romans. Here’s the video and chart call of that race:

SINGING BULLET vied for the lead in hand, took over entering the turn, rebuffed the bid of TEXAS SKY a furlong out and cleared.

I like the way Singing Bullet pulled away with authority when challenged in the stretch drive. With an A Classic Champion Thoroughbred Profile® he’s one of the best bred colts in this herd.

Hard Spun, the sire of Singing Bullet, was undefeated in three starts as a two year old, including wins in the Port Penn Stakes and Pennsylvania Nursery Stakes. As a three year old on the Derby trail, Hard spun was 2-0-0 in three starts including wins in the Le Comte Stakes (G3) and Lane’s End Stakes (G2).

Hard Spun went on to finish second in the Kentucky Derby (G1), third in the Preakness Stakes (G1) and rounded out his classic campaign with a fourth-place finish in the Belmont Stakes (G1).

Singing Bullet has room to improve in his second start of the season and if he lives up to his breeding he should be competitive in the Futurity.

No Dozing (12-1) comes into this race with two back-to-back wins for trainer Arnaud Delacour. Here’s the video and chart call of his last race.

NO DOZING rated kindly while saving ground into the turn, edged up inside rivals nearing the quarter pole, eased out and lodged a bid between foes soon into the lane, spurted clear after being shaken up past the three sixteenths, edged away past the final furlong marker and proved best under a mild drive.

Union Rags, the sire of No Dozing, was a competitive colt on the trail to the 2012 Kentucky Derby (G1), compiling an overall 5-1-1 record in eight career starts with $1,798,800 in earnings.

As a two year old, he won the Three Chimneys Saratoga Special (G2) and Champagne (G1) stakes and finished second in the Grey Goose Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) stakes.

At the age of three, Union Rags won the Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth (G2) stakes and finished third in the Florida Derby (G1) en route to a seventh-place finish in the Kentucky Derby (G1). He finished his career with a narrow win by a neck over Paynter in the Belmont (G1) stakes.

No Dozing has room to improve in his third start of the season and I look for him to be competitive.

Wild Shot (15-1) comes into his race with a 1-1-0 record in two starts including a maiden win at Churchill Downs for trainer George Arnold. Here’s the video and chart call of that race:

WILD SHOT set the pressured pace, shook clear entering the stretch and held safely.

Trappe Shot, the sire of Wild Shot, raced mostly in sprints from the age of two to four, compiling a 6-2-0 record in 12 starts with $703,884 in career earnings. However, he did stretch out to route racing winning the 8½ furlong Long Branch Stakes and finishing second in the nine furlong Izod Haskell Invitational (G1).

Trappe Shot’s best runner to date on the Kentucky Derby Trail has been My Man Sam who finished second in the nine furlong 2016 Toyota Blue Grass (G1) stakes.

Wild Shot also has an A Classic Champion Thoroughbred Profile® and if he can step up in class he could be competitive in this race.

Honorable mention goes to Bitumen (9-2) and Gunnevera (4-1) who could be factors in the exotics.

With an A Classic Champion Thoroughbred Profile®, Bitumen is the best bred horse in this herd but he has yet to live up to his breeding. However, if Bitumen can recover from his last race, he could be very competitive.

*****

This is the fifth consecutive year for Churchill Downs to use a point system to determine eligibility to get into the Kentucky Derby starting gate. A total of 35 races comprise the Road to the Kentucky Derby and a significant change to the schedule is that the Sam F. Davis Stakes (G3) will replace the Grey Stakes (G3) as a qualifying race.

In addition, Churchill Downs has partnered with the Japan Racing Association to feature the Cattleya Sho Stakes and Hayacinth Stakes as two qualifying races in the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby.

Under the tiered-point system implemented by Churchill Downs to determine Kentucky Derby eligibility, the winner of the Frontrunner will receive 10 points while the second-place finisher will receive 4 points, the third-place finisher will receive 2 points and 1 point will be awarded to the fourth-place finisher.

Champagne Stakes Racing Roundup

The Road to the Kentucky Derby takes us to the Empire State Saturday where Syndergaard has been tabbed as the 9-5 morning line favorite in the 146^th running of the $500,000 Champagne Stakes (G1) at Belmont Park. The Champagne Stakes (G1) is a Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” Challenge Race. Post time is 4:13 p.m. ET.

Syndergaard comes into this race with a 2-0-0 record in two starts for trainer Todd Pletcher including a blowout, 10-length win in the Funny Cide Stakes. Here’s the video and chart call of that race:

SYNDERGAARD lightly coaxed from the gate, established the front crossing to show the way from the three path in hand through swift splits, tucked to the two path with seven-sixteenths to run, came under coaxing five-sixteenths out before getting set down spinning just off the inside for home, went clear under a drive and was under a vigorous hand ride through the final sixteenth to the finish.

Syndergaard set fast fractions in this race and looked like he had a lot more left at the end. However, it remains to be seen if he can carry that brilliant speed to a mile and still be the victor.

Majesticperfection, the sire of Syndergaard, was a brilliant sprinter that only raced as a four year old. During his brief career, he compiled a 5-0-1 record in six starts including wins in the Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap (G1) and the Iowa Spring Handicap.

So far at stud, most of his progeny have been competitive in sprint races. However, his daughter Lovely Maria has won the nine furlong Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) and the 8½ furlong Central Bank Ashland Stakes (G1) and compiled 4-3-0 record in 11 starts with $1,003,000 in earnings.

Syndergaard has a low Classic Champion Thoroughbred Profile® but his Behavior Index helps to make him competitive.

Big Gray Rocket (6-1) ships in from California for Hall of Fame Trainer Bob Baffert and he comes into this race with a 1-1-0 record in two starts, including a 6¾ length win in his last race. Here’s the video and chart call of that race:

BIG GRAY ROCKET dueled between horses then outside a rival midway on the turn, inched away off the rail into the stretch and won clear under a brisk hand ride while drifting in.

Tapit, the sire of Big Gray Rocket, was undefeated in two starts as a 2-year-old including a win in the Laurel Futurity (G3). As a 3-year-old, Tapit was troubled by a lung infection for much of the season but did win the nine-furlong Wood Memorial Stakes (G1) in route to a ninth-place finish in the 2004 Kentucky Derby.

With an A Classic Champion Thoroughbred Profile®, Big Gray Rocket is the best bred colt in his herd. He’s yet to win a stakes race but another move forward should him competitive in the Champagne Stakes (G1).

Favorable Outcome (2-1) comes into this race off of a six length maiden win for trainer Chad Brown. Here’s the video and chart call of that race:

FAVORABLE OUTCOME came away in good order then established a nice early position, chased the pace, went two then three wide on the turn, advanced to make a bid at the quarter-pole, kicked clear in upper stretch, was given one crack of a right-handed whip just inside the furlong marker and drew away while kept to the task.

Flatter, the sire of Favorable Outcome, was a decent middle-distance horse who competed, mostly, in maiden and allowance races and in his only stakes start he finished third in the 8½-furlong Washington Park Handicap (G2). But in six starts, Flatter compiled a 4-0-1 record and was a winner from 7½-furlongs to 9-furlongs.

Favorable Outcome has yet to win a stakes race but another move forward should make him competitive in this race.

Honorable mention goes to Thirst for Victory (15-1) who comes into this race off of a three length win in his maiden debut to trainer Todd Pletcher. Here’s the video of that race.

*****

In addition, Churchill Downs has partnered with the Japan Racing Association to feature the Cattleya Sho Stakes and Hayacinth Stakes as two qualifying races in the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby.