April 2024 Highlights

April 2024 Highlights

April 1st - Monday

•  Catalyst returned to Oaklawn from Ten Mile Creek training center

April 2nd - Tuesday

• Seize The Grey confirmed entry and gate draw (post #3) for G1 Toyota Blue Grass

April 3rd - Wednesday

• Seize The Grey shipped to Keeneland for Blue Grass Stakes - Derby Prep
• Legitify does paddock training for debut at Santa Anita tomorrow

April 4th - Thursday

• Legitify **DEBUT** in R#3, Santa Anita - 8th  :(
• Adaay in Asia in G3 Wilshire Stakes, Santa Anita  - 8th  :(

April 5th - Friday

• Pioneer Prince in R#3, 1 mi turf SA at Santa Anita - 4th
• Guinevere in R#10, 1-1/16 mi turf MSW Keeneland Opening Day - 10th/11 :'(
• The last two days of racing -- four races -- have been very discouraging

April 6th - Saturday

• Seize The Grey in R#10, P#3 Toyota G1 Blue Grass Stakes - 7th :(
• Fireball Birdie **DEBUT** Oaklawn R#6 MSW 6 F for 3YO up - 7th :(
• Not the results hoped for in any of these 6 starts. Hope things turn around soon.
• Secret Crush breezed 4F in 50.72 with notable G2 stakes winner Julia Shining.

April 7th - Sunday

• Blue Devil will undergo a procedure. Expected return to training in early June.

April 8th - Monday - Solar Eclipse 

• Simply Enchanting has first work back since 2/12. Easy 3F in 38.40. :D
• Lane Way had sharp work prior to Siren Lure Stakes nom. Entries on 4/18.
• Seismic Beauty returns to training at Los Alamitos in Baffert barn.

April 11th - Thursday

• Seize The Grey came back in good order. Has been shipped to Churchill.
• Seize The Grey has dropped from #15 to #27 on Derby leaderboard
• Secret Crush entered in $100k MSW at Keeneland

April 13th - Saturday

• Lexington at Keeneland, final Kentucky Derby prep was run. 
• Seize The Grey remains at #27 with one addition, one scratch.
• Dilger (Secret Crush lost to by a nose last out) ran 3rd in Lexington 
• Lane Way nominated to the Siren Lure Stakes at Santa Anita, 4/21

April 15th - Monday

• Seize The Grey has moved from #28 to #25 in Derby rankings in the last few days.

April 16th - Tuesday

• Fireball Birdie ran a bullet 5F at Oaklawn in 1:01.40
• Isle Blue puts in a very nice work at Two Springs, may ship to Clement soon.
• Secret Crush does first gallop over Keeneland track - "enthusiastic" (headstrong)

April 17th - Wednesday

• Simply Enchanting worked 4F in 47.20 at Santa Anita. First work back. 
• Seize the Grey breezed 5F at Churchill over sloppy track at 59.20. Wow! 1/1
• Seize The Grey believed to have moved up to #24 on the Derby list today.
• Seize The Grey now eligible for entry in the Kentucky Derby as an AE

April 18th - Thursday

• Secret Crush ran 3rd at Keeneland in $125k MSW, outside post, Irad up.
• Secret Crush flag by vet, may be off in left front. Further evaluations underway.

April 19th - Friday

• Bullet work from Adaay In Asia Santa Anita all-weather, 4F 49.00 Handily 1*/11

April 20th - Saturday

• Catalyst at Oaklawn. Finished dead last.

April 21st - Sunday

• Deterministic confirmed off the Derby Trail. Seize The Grey moves to #24 (A/E)
• Lane Way runs 3rd in the Siren Lure Stakes, K. Kimura up.

April 22nd - Monday

• Seize The Grey moves up to #23 in rank on the Kentucky Derby list (A/E)
• Legitify runs a bullet at Santa Anita - 3F in 36:00, 1*/9
• Legitify entered in 5-1/2f MSW at Santa Anita on 4/26 (Friday)
• Straight to Glory (Royal Duet) to ship out soon to Kentucky from Stonestreet.
• Secret Crush sent to Silver Springs for additional evaluation.

April 23rd - Tuesday

• Seize The Grey will be entered in the 2024 Kentucky Derby as #23AE.

April 24th - Wednesday

• Received update and video link on English Jubilee from Eclipse
• Received word Good Cop training well/will head to trainer mid-May from Eclipse. 

April 25th - Thursday 

• Simply Enchanting turns in good work in company with three others
• Phil D'Amato very happy with Simply Enchanting's progress
• Adaay In Asia turns in a solid work over the synthetic at Santa Anita 

April 26th - Friday

• Seize The Grey works 5f in 1:00 flat at Churchill Downs 
• Seize The Grey increases rank to #22 AE after Uncle Heavy opts out.
• Legitify finished 9th at Santa Anita, initially showing speed, fading. :(
• Fireball Birdie ran a very competitive 2nd at Lone Star Park, battling. :D

April 27th - Saturday

• Seize the Grey opts out of the Kentucky Derby. :'(
• Seize The Grey entered in the Pat Day Mile on the Derby undercard, #5.
• Timberlake does not enter Pat Day Mile. STG appears competitive w/field.
• Fancy Quality runs first work back since January - 3F in 36.80

April 29th - Monday

• Seize The Grey gallops on Churchill track
• Encino scratches from Kentucky Derby (STG would be 1st alternate)

Isle Blue Update - Ready to go to Christophe Clement

Isle Blue, our 2YO Speightstown filly, is finalizing her pre-training before shipping to Christophe Clement and was filmed doing gate schooling this week at Two Springs Farm in Florida. 

The daughter of Speightstown did not ‘jump’ out of the gates but was relaxed and professional while learning the ropes. Gate schooling is a big part of the Two Springs preparation as they want their 2-years-old confident at the gate once arriving to the race track. 

She galloped nicely and seems to do everything easily as you will see in the video above. She has been a farm favorite and continues to be. 

Isle Blue is scheduled to ship sometime next week to Clement and we will follow up once we get an update that she has arrived at his barn.

Photo of Isle Blue at Ocala Showcase in February 2024
Photo credits - Jennifer Reed

Fireball Birdie Post Race Update

We are pleased to report that Fireball Birdie exited his recent second-place effort at Lone Star Park in good physical order and will return to the track in the coming days. 

Our son of Uncle Mo earned a 61 Beyer Speed Figure which was a slight progression compared to his career debut.. The good news is that we will have plenty of race options to consider and we will follow up with the Asmussen barn in the coming weeks with any news.

Fireball Birdie ("Firebird") at Lone Star
04-26-2024
Photo credits - Sharon Miesen  

History of the Pat Day Mile - Seize The Grey

"Ceasar's" next race is the Pat Day Mile on the Derby undercard this coming Saturday. 

Here's a bit of history:

The Pat Day Mile was previously the Derby Trial Stakes and was traditionally run one week before the Kentucky Derby as a last-chance prep for the Run to the Roses. Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas owns three Derby Trial trophies, including a win in 1987 with Pat Day himself in the irons.

The Grade 2 stakes was moved to the Kentucky Derby undercard in 2015, so now it is always held on the First Saturday in May.

General Jim (2023), Jack Christopher (2022) and Jackie's Warrior (2021) are prominent horses who have been winners of the Pat Day Mile in the last three years.

Mo Temptation Shipping Back to Doug O'Neill

Mo Temptation turned in another very nice work this morning at San Luis Rey Downs, covering five furlongs in 1:00.80. Assistant trainer Kim Marrs couldn’t be happier with her progress and overall status, giving her the green light to trainer Doug O’Neill to ship into Santa Anita Park. Our daughter of Mo Town is expected to ship to Santa Anita tomorrow and we’ll begin looking at potential race targets. 

Seize The Grey Says Farewell to Derby Bid

A decision was made this morning not to enter Seize The Grey in the 150th Kentucky Derby, instead opting for a different stakes on the Derby undercard. Our notice is posted below:

With no changes in the Kentucky Derby field as of mid-morning, trainer D. Wayne Lukas feels it is unlikely we have a realistic chance of drawing into the field. Both Endlessly and Encino are staying the course and all others appeared to ship in that were off the grounds. 

Of course, it is disappointing as he was so close to being in Derby 150.

With that said, we will proceed with entering STG in the Pat Day Mile, the $600,000 G2 event is an undercard stakes race on Kentucky Derby day. This will be no easy event either, but Mr. Lukas feels we have a horse that is ready to run. We will follow up once entries are official. 

Good Luck Message to Seize The Grey from MRH

It's not very often you can say you've got a horse staring down a potential spot in the starting gates of the Kentucky Derby, so we're excited to say Seize the Grey is officially on the board for the Kentucky Derby as an also-eligible. 

He's currently sitting at the 23rd spot [now 22nd], however as we have seen in previous years, a lot can change over the next week. 

We will keep all owners up to date on Seize the Grey's quest to the Kentucky Derby! Seize the Grey owners, drink in this moment. Your colt has worked so hard to earn his place and truly deserves it. We owe so much to everyone who has helped get Seize the Grey to where he is now, from his sire and dam, the breeders, the consignors, Ciaran Dunne and Wavertree Stables, D. Wayne Lukas and his team, the grooms who have cared for him throughout his life, down to the Grey himself and his passionate group of owners. 

Best of luck next week!

Video on Trainer of Seize The Grey - D. Wayne Lukas

 Hall of Fame Trainer Still at the Top of his Game

Seize The Grey is a Kentucky Derby Hopeful!

There have been no significant changes since our last update, but Seize the Grey is officially on the board as an also-eligible. 

He has his Derby saddle for training and will train during the Derby set each morning between 7:30-7:45, including a work in the next day or two. Over the next six days there will have opportunities to watch your colt train.

Come join MyRacehorse staff and fellow owners in the Churchill Downs grandstand to watch Seize the Grey hit the track before a potential start in the Kentucky Derby. During this time, only horses entered in the Oaks and Derby will be on the track sporting their custom saddle towels with their names on them making horses easy to spot! Morning training at Churchill Downs is free to attend.

Please note, routine jogging and gallop schedules can change for various reasons on a daily basis but we will try to have team members out on site to spot Seize the Grey. If anything changes with his training times we will send out an email the evening before with that update.

Seize The Grey an Also Eligible: #23 AE

IMPORTANT UPDATE 4-26-2024

Uncle Heavy has dropped out of Derby contention, and Seize The Grey has moved up to #22 AE! Almost there!

Two more horses would need to drop out in order for him to be in the gate. This can happen before the gate draws on Saturday, or up until the final pre-race deadline which is believed to be Friday morning, May 3rd.

Mr. Lukas has stated he'd like Seize The Grey to be at #21 AE (one more uptick in ranking) before entering him as an AE (also eligible) in the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, April 27th. 

__________________________________

PHOTOS OF SEIZE THE GREY ON THE CHURCHILL DOWNS TRACK 

SPORTING THE 150TH KENTUCKY DERBY SADDLE CLOTH. 

Please note photo credits where they are available.

Thursday, April 25, 2024

Training on the Churchill Downs Track
Photo credits Debbie Stuebe Lee

Training on the Churchill Downs Track
Photo credits Debbie Stuebe Lee

Training on the Churchill Downs Track
Photo credits Debbie Stuebe Lee

Photo of 150th Kentucky Derby saddle cloth
under D. Wayne Lukas barn sign
Photo credits to MRH/D. Wayne Lukas staff

Training on the Churchill Downs Track
Photo credits Kaitlyn Hill

____________________________________

Friday, April 26, 2024

Seize The Grey working on Churchill Downs track
prior to 2024 Kentucky Derby
Jaime Torres up
Photo credits to Debbie Stuebe Lee

Seize The Grey on Churchill Downs track
with Jaime Torres up
prior to 2024 Kentucky Derby
Photo credits to Debbie Stuebe Lee

Seize The Grey sporting 2024 Kentucky Derby
(150th) saddle cloth
Photo credits to Debbie Stuebe Lee

Seize The Grey jogging over Churchill Downs track
prior to 2024 Kentucky Derby
Photo credits to Debbie Stuebe Lee

Seize The Grey - Jaime Torres up
prior to 2024 Kentucky Derby
Photo courtesy of the Paulick Report

150th Kentucky Derby Official Logo

Simply Enchanting Update

Simply Enchanting remained on schedule this morning, breezing five furlongs in 1:01.20 over the Santa Anita main track. Our daughter of Nyquist caught some company from the barn of Jeff Mullins and Carla Gaines in the turn but “fended off those challengers” with ease and galloped out well in front. Of course, all of these horses were looking to accomplish different things but it was positive to see how well our filly worked. 

Trainer Phil D’Amato feels she is back on her game and the patience did her a world of good. We aren't far off from starting to look at race options and we'll relay any possibilities once they arise.

Video of workout can be seen here: Simply Enchanting work 4-25-24

Seismic Beauty Update - Back at Baffert's Barn

Seismic Beauty has been doing well since returning to the barn of Bob Baffert at Los Alamitos. Our daughter of Uncle Mo is still only jogging but will soon pick up galloping. 

The MRH team had an opportunity to check in on her today and she looked well. She’s carrying plenty of weight, which is no surprise following three months off at the farm, and she’ll need to go through the motions as she builds back bone density and fitness.

Seize The Grey Current Kentucky Derby Ranking - AE Slot

 

English Jubilee Training Video

We received this update video from Eclipse yesterday regarding our English Channel 3YO filly, English Jubilee. Unfortunately, she's been having trouble finding a suitable race that isn't canceled due to weather in Florida, so her next start may very well be at Woodbine. The Canadian track will be opening soon. 

English Jubilee Exercising Video on YouTube

Good Cop Update

We received this encouraging update from Eclipse on our 2YO Tiz The Law son yesterday:

Our Tiz the Law colt, Good Cop, really impressed our group this past week when we were at Ocala Stud watching our stock train.

He has matured and strengthened since we saw him about a month ago and we all like the way he gets over the track with a good mental attitude.

David O'Farrell is also happy with how he has trained over the past months and feels that he will be ready to graduate from Ocala Stud in mid May.  

We will continue to update the partners on his progress and will inform everyone when he is set to join his trainer Todd Pletcher in the coming weeks.

Seize The Grey: Derby Status

We received a lengthy update on Seize The Grey's status in regards to the Kentucky Derby today. Here's what it said (emphasis is ours):

Derby Fever is in the air. 

With only 11 days to go, we have already seen the field start to take shape as a handful of connections have indicated that their horse would not be running, most notably Deterministic, who was in the body of the field. Common Defense, Hades, and El Grade O are unlikely to consider the Derby as well. With these changes, Seize the Grey now finds himself #23 on the leaderboard which would mean that he officially would enter as an also-eligible on Saturday. 

At this time, Epic Ride and Uncle Heavy are the lone two also-eligibles ahead of Seize the Grey, but the Derby will allow up to four AE’s. By entering as an AE, we will be unable to cross-enter the Pat Day Mile [on the Kentucky Derby undercard].

Rumors have been floating around that horses like Endlessly and Encino are not 100% committed, and if those two were to come out, we would only need one more defection to get in the gate. The Derby is a race you can only run in once, and if we have the opportunity to run in the Derby, we plan on running. Of course, everything from now until then will have to go to plan, and “The Coach” will need to believe your colt is up to the task, which he currently believes him to be. Seize the Grey will certainly be one of the longest shots in the field if he gets in, and we understand that but crazier things have happened in the Derby.

Seize the Grey turned in a sharp work last Wednesday, breezing five furlongs in :59.20 over the Churchill main track. He will not breeze back tomorrow but will breeze later this week. As soon as the Lukas team provides more information on a specific work schedule we will relay that information, but be sure to tune into the Kentucky Derby and Oaks Morning Works Show provided on YouTube to watch the breeze in real-time in addition to getting the inside scoop regarding the contenders...

There are still many moving pieces and a lot can change in the next 11 days. As we mentioned to get into the starting gate for Derby 150, we do run the risk of not running on that day if we don’t draw in. We will be back with more over the next few days including work info/report, any information regarding the field and, hopefully, entry information come Saturday. 

The next week and a half is sure to be exciting as we inch closer to the 1st Saturday in May.

The Royal Duet (Straight to Glory) News

Straight to Glory (half of The Royal Duet package) has remained at Stonestreet Farm for the time being as trainer Wesley Ward wanted to allow the Keeneland Spring meet to wrap up before he shipped in. Ian Brennen of Stonestreet reported he should be able to get a van this weekend and we will follow up once he arrives in Kentucky.

Legitify Entered for 2nd Start

Legitify ran a bullet work this morning for 3F, and has been entered in a 5-1/2 f MSW at Santa Anita on Friday, 4/26. R#6. 3:30 PT / 4:30 MT. This will be our son of Justify's 2nd start. 

Lane Way Grabs 3rd in the Siren Lure Stakes

Lane Way finished third in today’s Siren Lure S. at Santa Anita Park.

Our veteran broke well and sat a perfect trip behind the leaders who went quick down the hill setting an opening half-mile fraction of :43.16.

Lane Way had clear sailing and looked like a potential winner once crossing over the dirt, but failed to have the kick needed in the final sixteenth. #3 First Peace was a tough customer to his inside, not letting him by. Both foes were then confronted by the longest shot in the field #2 Johnny Padres and were no match for his big late rally.

Jockey Kazushi Kimura provided his feedback after the race on video, saying that despite running third, Lane Way never stopped running. The hard-knocking 7-year-old picked up his 19th in-the-money finish from a total of 22 starts and we are certainly proud of him.

We’ll be back with a post-race update in the coming days.

Catalyst Likely to Take a Break

Our daughter of Gun Runner broke fairly well and found herself mid-pack in the first turn as expected, but it was evident quite early on that her race was over. When straightening out on the backstretch, she was having to be asked to keep her position and gradually went backwards from there. Once jockey Christian Torres knew his chances were completely over, he wrapped up and brought her home safely.

Following the race, Torres mentioned he heard your filly make some noise in the race, but she seems to have come out of the race in good order and scoped clean. We certainly weren’t expecting an effort like this and will be recommending the filly be turned out and receive a break. She appears to have lightened up weight-wise following this four-race campaign and at this stage, we need to hit the reset button. Hopefully, after some time she can return both physically and mentally better.

Once we have additional discussions with trainer Steve Asmussen and our partners, we will return with an official plan.

FOLLOW UP

Catalyst remains in good physical order out of this weekend’s race but it has been agreed to give your daughter of Gun Runner a break after that most recent effort. 

Trainer Steve Asmussen will begin working on arrangements for her to return to De Meric Stables in Ocala, FL. De Meric Stables is not only a partner on Catalyst but they handled her pre-training and consigned her at the 2-year-old in training sale.

Once she arrives in Ocala and the team at De Meric can evaluate her, we will determine a more specific plan and timeline.

Blue Devil Update

We were sent a video of Blue Devil, which showed a very happy, healthy horse who was really on his toes. He is currently taking a break from training for approximately six weeks to two months. 

The following was the attached report:

We checked in on Blue Devil while in Ocala this past week. All remains well during his rehabilitation. He is currently on stall rest and is hand-walking daily. He’ll remain on this schedule for a total of six to eight weeks before having an examination and ultrasound to be cleared to resume training with trainer Steve Asmussen.

Catalyst Race Overview

Catalyst will make her fourth career start this afternoon in the 7th race at Oaklawn Park. The maiden special weight restricted to 3-year-old fillies will be contested over 1 1/16 miles on the dirt. 

Our daughter of Gun Runner made significant improvement in start number two, but regressed most recently over a muddy track. Trainer Steve Asmussen always felt she was going to get better with time and given he continues to give her a shot at Oaklawn, shows he still has faith in her. She has been training with plenty of enthusiasm of late, see the video above of her galloping earlier this week.

Catalyst draws post #2 in a full field of 10 and will be ridden by Christian Torres. There appears to be spread from the far inside and outside which should put Catalyst sitting a mid-pack trip. #6 Flashy Dancer looks to be the horse to beat coming off a troubled trip when facing Catalyst most recently. Race 7 has a post time of 3:20 pm CT and at this time there are no scratches. 

Good luck to all owners!

Main Threats:

#1 Gourmet (4/1): Catalyst’s stablemate. Took a nice step forward when stretching out around two turns in career start number two. The winner of that race returned to finish an even fourth in a first-level allowance at Keeneland. Breaking from the rail, expect this one to be on the engine early with blinkers added.

#3 Looking for Ginny (12/1): Also exits the same race as #1 Gourmet. This one takes a bit more creativity to get to, but it’s more a hunch play on trainer Kenny McPeek. It wouldn’t be surprising if this one took a few starts to get cranked especially if she showed she was strictly a two-turn horse early on, which is why he debuted her going long. Expecting to see a career-best effort today

#5 Miss Rockette (8/5): $1.25-million dollar yearling purchase at Keeneland travels for her debut for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert. Have to respect the connections and Baffert wouldn’t be making a move like this unless he was confident, but it still isn’t an easy task to ship and debut around two turns on debut. There are some vulnerabilities.

#6 Flashy Dancer (9/5): The horse to beat. Exits a live race where the third-place finisher returned to win a MSW at Oaklawn and is cross-entered in a listed stake later in today’s card at Oaklawn and a first-level allowance option next Friday at Oaklawn.

Fireball Birdie Entered at Lone Star Park

Fireball Birdie will be entered today for a maiden special weight at Lone Star Park on Friday, April 26th. While your colt has remained training at Oaklawn, trainer Steve Asmussen felt this was the right spot for him where he will be able to face off against some lighter competition while he still gets experience under him. We will follow up after entries are taken.

Entry Confirmation Post

Fireball Birdie was entered in Friday’s 6th race at Lone Star Park, a 3yo maiden special weight that will be contested over five and one-half furlongs on the dirt. Our 3-year-old colt drew post 3 (of 8) and will be ridden by Stewart Elliot. Post time is 8:50 p.m. CT.

Adaay In Asia Update

Adaay in Asia breezed a solo half mile in :49 flat over the Santa Anita Tapeta training track this morning. This was a fairly straightforward breeze being her first work back since the G3 Wilshire and your daughter of Adaay cruised around the training track. At this moment we do not have any info on a next race target but we will keep you updated once we do.

Legitify Follow Up

Legitify was back on the work tab on Wednesday morning as planned, covering three furlongs in :37 flat from the gate under exercise rider Jose Contreras. 

In his debut a few weeks ago, trainer Richard Mandella thought he would have broken quicker from there and wanted to take him right back to the gate which was the purpose of this breeze. 

The Mandella barn is pleased with how your colt is doing following his debut and is considering a maiden special weight going five and one-half furlongs on the dirt next Friday, April 26th but has not confirmed that spot quite yet. Entries for Friday are taken on Sunday and we will follow up with another update by Sunday morning.

Secret Crush Post Race Report and Follow Up

Our son of Candy Ride broke very well today after being a little hesitant to load into the gate. Heading into the first turn, Irad Ortiz Jr. and Secret Crush were three wide and settled off the early leaders #1 Unlimitedpotential (eventual winner) and #2 Crossing. The opening quarter of :22.86 was pretty quick, but they were able to slow it down and completed the first half-mile in :47.18. 

Secret Crush maintained his third-place position on his own while remaining three wide down the backstretch. As they went into the far turn, Irad started to ask Secret Crush to quicken, but it was soon evident that he was not accelerating as needed. The eventual runner-up, #4 Reynolds Channel, came along his inside and went past him quite easily. Secret Crush floated off the turn and was very even in the stretch, but did fight on gamely for third once he got pressure to his outside from #6 Sardis.

Following the race, Secret Crush was flagged by the state veterinarian coming off of the track, and was put on the 14-day vet list. Once he got back to the barn and was evaluated by the Pletcher team he was noticeably off at a jog in his front left limb. Trainer Todd Pletcher had his front left ankle X-rayed, which returned inconclusive. In speaking with Todd, he would like to give Secret Crush a few days and evaluate any changes as time goes on. 

Looking back, Secret Crush did battle with some issues before getting to the racetrack and when discussing that with Todd, he felt pretty confident that that was not the issue as that area had been consistently monitored. 

We were expecting a big effort today from Secret Crush and thought it was a great spot for him to break through, so perhaps what we are finding is part of the reasoning for the average effort. It’s disappointing news but we’ll do whatever is best for Secret Crush based on the findings over the next few days.

AFTER RACE FOLLOW-UP

Secret Crush earned a 79 Beyer Speed Figure for yesterday’s third place finish. This was a slight regression from his most recent 86 BSF but this was still a solid number. 

As mentioned in the race recap, the Pletcher team will continue to monitor his left front ankle/foot and we will return back with any additional information.

D. Wayne Lukas Accepts Liftime Acheivement Award (Seize The Grey)

Seize The Grey's trainer accepting the inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award presented by the Kentucky Derby Museum. 

Hall of  Fame Trainer D. Wayne Lukas Accepts Lifetime Achievement Award

Simply Enchanting Update After Breeze

Simply Enchanting breezed a half mile in :47.20 over the Santa Anita main track on Wednesday morning. Working under jockey Geovanni Franco, your daughter of Nyquist did it very well according to the D’Amato Barn. 

Phil has been very pleased since she has returned back to the work tab and believes the time has done a world of good for her both mentally and physically. Franco said she felt great and got stronger as the work went on, finishing up with a long gallop out.

We checked in with the barn this morning as well and your filly bounced out of this work in great order. 

Simply Enchanting during an April 2024 work
Photo credits and copyright to Ernie Belmonte/Past The Wire

Secret Crush Race Preview from MRH

Secret Crush looms large as he looks to earn his diploma third out in his first two-turn test this afternoon at Keeneland. Our son of Candy Ride drew the outside post #7 and has been slated as the morning-line favorite at 6-5 in today's sixth race. Post time is 3:40 p.m. ET.

The next two choices on the morning line are #4 Reynolds Channel, who finished directly behind Secret Crush last out, and Secret Crush’s stablemate #1 Unlimited Potential, who is still seeking a breakout first tally at the age of five.

See below for a closer look at each runner in the field. Good luck! We'll be live in the paddock, click here to set a reminder.

#1 Unlimited Potential - $750K 2yo in 2021 was second in both tries at three, including over track and trip behind a future MGSP runner. Missed all of 2023, and has run decently while showing speed in two sprint tries this term, but hasn’t gotten back to the speed figures he earned as a sophomore. Blinkers go on. Should be showing the way from the rail.

#2 Crossing - 0-for-14 4-year-old gelding’s most likely impact will be on the early pace. Hard to see him hanging around late.

#3 Axed Avenger - Son of Gun Runner (oddly enough also out of a mare by a Candy Ride stallion*) ran on mildly to be fourth sprinting at Mahoning Valley in January. Wades into much deeper waters here. Would be a surprise. [*Our note: Candy Ride inbred]

#4 Reynolds Channel - Didn’t do a ton in his Saratoga unveiling last summer, but was well-backed off the bench last time against Secret Crush and showed the way before finishing third, one length back. Mott barn is having a solid meet, though doesn’t have the strongest numbers second off similar lay-offs. Probably the main danger, though could find himself too close to strong early splits.

#5 Tapit’s Tale - Well-bred 4-year-old son of Tapit did very little running in his synthetic sprint unveiling at Turfway. Should appreciate the surface switch and stretch out, and sports some upbeat local works. Needs to improve significantly, but that doesn’t seem like an impossible task. Attracts Jose Ortiz.

#6 Sardis - Second and third in one-mile contests at Aqueduct this winter while a member of the Chad Brown barn, and recently changed hands in a digital sale for $65K. Winner of his last aired in the Bay Shore S. earlier this month. Needs to get faster to land in the top spot here, but new connections—Mike Maker and Three Diamonds Farm—are very savvy with acquisitions like this.

#7 Secret Crush - the winner from his last start came back to finish a well-beaten third in the local GIII Lexington S., but regressed slightly on Beyer Speed Figures from 87 to 79. Secret Crush seemed to just be putting it all together at the end of his one-mile journey last time, and an additional turn and sixteenth of a mile should only help his chances. Is drawn perfectly to work out a stalking trip behind the likely three speeds.

Seize The Grey's Kentucky Derby Page

Seize The Grey has a page on the Kentucky Derby site. 

Kentucky Derby.com / Seize The Grey

Isle Blue 2YO Update

Isle Blue put in an extremely nice breeze this morning at Two Springs farm working on the inside of MRH stablemate Miss American Pie. Isle Blue is a bit more advanced than her workmate to this stage so she was expected to work better this morning, but the way she did it was very impressive. 

Her future assistant trainer Miguel Clement was onsite for this morning’s breeze and was very happy with what he saw.

All things are continuing to progress in excellent order and we believe she will be one of the first to be ready to ship into the track from the group at Two Springs which will be in the near future. 

Fireball Birdie Update

Fireball Birdie has remained in good order since his debut and returned to Oaklawn Park following a short stint at Ten Mile training center. We should see him return to the work tab shortly and we will follow back up after that.

Follow Up

Fireball Birdie had his first breeze since his debut this morning at Oaklawn Park, covering five furlongs in 1:01.20 while on the outside of stablemate Incursion ($65,000 son of Runhappy with a steady work tab). Under Keith Asmussen, our son of Uncle Mo worked head-to-head with his workmate and finished up well when asked for more. Fireball Birdie galloped out nicely past the furlong pole. 

The Asmussen Barn was pleased with today’s drill and we will discuss with Steve in the coming weeks regarding our plan moving forward.

2024 Kentucky Derby Update - Seize The Grey

Two more horses have been sidelined in the last several days--No More Time (#19) and Deterministic (#16). Our hearts go out to the connections of the injured horse and our prayers go out that he will return to a full and notable career. Although the listing hasn't been updated, we believe this will move Encino and Grand Mo the First into the gate. 

Ceasar has now moved up to #25. He is still a longshot to get into the field on the first Saturday in May, and the partnership seems divided on if he should run or not if he has the opportunity, or if he should wait for other opportunities down the road. This will be our legendary trainer's call to make, of course. 

We're not taking a stand either way. We believe if he's meant to be in the Kentucky Derby, it will happen. If he's not, we pray he continues to train and mature well, and there'll be plenty of opportunities down the road. We love ya, Ceasar.

Catalyst Entry and Update

Catalyst had her final work this morning at Oaklawn Park, breezing a half-mile in :50.60 under exercise rider Brooke Stillion. The daughter of Gun Runner did everything on her own and was very enthusiastic as usual. Trainer Steve Amsussen was pleased with this drill and proceeded with entering Catalyst in our aforementioned MSW going one mile and one-sixteenth on Saturday, April 20th at Oaklawn Park.

Catalyst drew post 2 (of 10) with jockey Cristian Torres returning in the irons. The race is carded as the 7th race with a post time of 3:24 p.m. CT. 

Seize The Grey is #27 on the Derby Trail

The dust has settled after the last Kentucky Derby prep today, and with one addition to the list and another going off the trail, Ceasar is still sitting at #27. He is now at Churchill Downs and should a random number of unforeseen things occur (i.e. "a miracle"), he'll be there to answer the call. 

But it's now time for the connections to look ahead to his next prospect and his future course. I'll let you know if there are any unexpected changes in the points standings between now and May 4th. Otherwise, we'll say a very fond farewell to the Road to the Kentucky Derby! What a great time we had on the way, and how blessed we are to have a part of this amazing and talented horse!

Seize The Grey and Nik Juarez in the
Grade 1 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes
at Keeneland. April 6, 2024
(dueling with Be You, Irad Ortiz up).
Photo credits to Dale Hargrave.

Mo Temptation Turns in Third Strong Work

Mo Temptation has turned in three strong works in recent works, with this morning's work being from the gate. We have not received an official update as yet, but suspect she may be approaching a start.

San Luis Rey Training Center 4/13/2024 Dirt 4F 47.80 Handily from gate 3/17

San Luis Rey Training Center 4/4/2024         Dirt 4F 48.20 Handily 2/14

San Luis Rey Training Center 3/23/2024 Dirt 4F 47.20 Handily 2/18 

Update:

Mo Temptation breezed a half mile in :47.80 from the gate on Saturday morning at San Luis Rey Downs. Assistant trainer Kim Marrs reported everything went very well and most importantly she bounced out of this work beautifully. 

Your daughter of Mo Town definitely got a bit tired from this demanding drill but that is as expected and she should gain a lot of fitness from it. Kim doesn’t believe we are too far from the races pending everything continues in good order.

Secret Crush Next Start

Secret Crush is being pointed to a $100k MSW at Keeneland on Thursday, 4/18/24.  He is currently the M/L favorite in a field of well-bred maidens including those sired by Into Mischief, Tapit, Gun Runner, Cross Traffic, and Union Rags. He has drawn post 7 in a seven horse field, which should be an advantage. Irad Ortiz Jr. is again in the irons. 

Secret Crush Breezed with Notable G2 Winner

Our son of Candy Ride breezed a half-mile in :50.72 on Saturday morning at Palm Beach Downs while in company with stablemate Julia Shining (G2 winner), the full sister to Maalathat. Everything remains well for our 3-year-old colt and trainer Todd Pletcher has been pleased with him since his recent second-place finish at Gulfstream Park.

Secret Crush's work appears to be unofficial as it's not showing in Equibase, but we've noted it on his page and we'll check back to see if it's listed later. 

Catalyst Breeze and Next Target

Catalyst breezed five furlongs yesterday morning with GSW Red Route One to her outside. She was credited with a final time of 1:03.40. By no surprise, your daughter of Gun Runner was second-best to this very talented stablemate of hers but the Asmussen team wasn't disappointed.

As previously mentioned, there is a straight 3YO filly maiden special weight on April 20th which is our preferred target at this time.

Seismic Beauty has Returned to Training

We are pleased to report Seismic Beauty has returned to Los Alamitos under the care of Bob Baffert's assistant Mike Marlow. Following a 90-day period at the farm with Julie Adair Stack, our daughter of Uncle Mo will need to jog for a few weeks before starting to gallop. This will be a gradual step-by-step process, since she did no prep work with Julie before shipping to Los Al.

With the team heading to the Ocala this week, they'll work on getting further updated content as soon as possible.

Simply Enchanting is Working Again

Simply Enchanting had her first easy work back after a rough trip in the Sunland Park Oaks in February, where she placed 3rd in the Kentucky Oaks prep, then returned to Santa Anita with a minor cut, then spiked a temperature, then had weather issues, all affecting her training. 

We're super happy to see her getting back on track. With only two starts--a win, and a 3rd in a stakes earning Kentucky Oaks points, she's a very promising young filly and is receiving excellent care in Phil D'Mato's barn. 

As a side note, her travel partner to Sunland Park, Stronghold, who won the Sunland Park Derby the same day she ran in the Oaks HAS QUALIFIED for the Kentucky Derby with a huge win in the Santa Anita Derby! 

CONGRATULATIONS TO PHIL D'MATO, STRONGHOLD, AND ALL HIS CONNECTIONS!

Simply Enchanting (screenshot from a video)

Blue Devil Update

Following additional conversations with our resident vet Dr. Jeffery Berk and Dr. Andrew Smith of Peterson and Smith it was recommended to have a procedure performed on Blue Devil that will require a small incision, but is expected to heal quickly and have no complications. 

While it’s disappointing news that he will require additional time off following the procedure, it is nothing major. Following six weeks of stall rest and hand walking, Blue Devil will be re-examined and have an ultrasound performed. At that time, we are hopeful he will receive the green light to resume training. We are looking at approximately early June to receive the go ahead. 

Our team will be back in Ocala beginning next week and we plan on following up with both Blue Devil and Dr. Berk at that time.

Fireball Birdie Post Race Update

 Fireball Birdie checked in seventh in his debut Saturday at Oaklawn Park.

Our son of Uncle Mo broke on top, but soon found himself taking plenty of pace pressure and had to work very hard to keep up with the 2-5 favorite to his inside and another rival to his outside. They zipped through an opening quarter in :21.88, and into the turn Fireball Birdie seemed to start spinning his wheels. He continued to try into the lane, but was empty at that point and steadily dropped back.

Rider Keith Asmussen ultimately felt that Fireball Birdie simply found the competition too tough, but thought he’d benefit from the experience.

It’s worth noting that the pace basically came apart—the winner was dead-last early and the third finisher was second last, and the huge favorite who looked nearly unbeatable on paper faded to fourth after attending pace. 

We'll post any other follow up information that we receive. 

Post Race Follow-Up

Fireball Birdie exited his debut no worse for the wear. He returned in good physical order and scoped clean out of the race. As expected, his Beyer Speed Figure returned low, a 43. Trainer Steve Asmussen noted our son of Uncle Mo was pretty tired after the debut which was a bit of a surprise to him as he thought he had enough foundation into him. 

We’ll draw a line through this effort and see how our colt looks once returning to a regular training routine.

Video of the coverage from Oaklawn Park, set to start at his race -- Race 6:

Seize The Grey: Keeneland Blue Grass Follow-Up Report with Video

Seize the Grey could only muster a 7th-place run Saturday afternoon in a very competitive running of the G1 Blue Grass. After a slight delay at the gate when the eventual winner Sierra Leone was slow to load, our son of Arrogate broke in good order before taking up a mid-pack spot into the first turn behind plenty of kickback. He began to back up into the second bend, and was one-paced from there.

Jockey Nik Juarez noted that he and Seize the Grey found themselves a bit farther back early than he would have liked, but it’s tough to say that made much of the difference as Sierra Leone rallied from the back of the pack.

Ultimately, Seize the Grey just didn’t run his race for whatever reason (perhaps the tough competition, or the short turnaround, and/or a somewhat quirky surface) [Edited to add: A 'quirky surface' is our take. This is Ceasar's second sub-par performance over the Keeneland track in the only two races he's run there and it appears he just doesn't care for the surface, but we'll see what The Coach determines.] 

The good news is that he seems to have come back in good order thus far, and should have plenty of exciting races to consider and compete in going forward.

We’ll let him bounce back from today’s effort and get with The Coach to formulate what’s next. Overall, it was a fun and exciting lead-up to running in such a prestigious and historic race as the Grade 1 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes. This was Seize The Grey's first Grade 1 level stakes race. 

Seize The Grey in the Press:

Seize The Grey Owners Have Memorable Bluegrass Experience

A Day To Remember has Another Temporary Set Back

A Day to Remember, a son of American Pharoah, had to take a small step back in his training at Santa Anita Park just as he was approaching a full work tab at the track. Thankfully, there is nothing major going on with him, but Mark Glatt thought our son of American Pharoah was just not 100% in his hind left. This is the same leg that was troublesome and led to his turn out following his debut last summer. 

Knowing we gave him plenty of time off at the farm, Mark felt fairly confident it wasn’t a recurrence but opted to run him through a nuc scan as a precaution. While the scan returned normal he did have some light up/uptake on his tibia which probably explains the "off" that Mark was seeing. 

This is not uncommon with horses coming off of a layoff, especially younger horses like A Day To Remember. It will require a little more patience, but the horse will not have to leave training in the meantime. Mark will jog him for a few weeks and hopefully things can pick back up from there.

Legitify: Post Debut Update

Legitify exited his debut in good physical order and scoped clean following the race which is a positive sign. It’s still a bit of a head-scratcher regarding his performance. As trainer Richard Mandella said, “He was training much better than that on dirt. Maybe we’ll have to consider running him back on the dirt.” It’s still a bit early to say what exactly are our next moves will be, but Mr. Mandella will go into his next start with an open mind.

By no surprise, his Beyer Speed Figure did not return anything notable. The Mandella team will let Legitify tell them when he’s ready to get back into a routine and we’ll post more updates then.

Our Take:

The clean scope is a huge relief. Sometimes youngsters just don't do well on their first out for no physical reason, but gain fitness and a better understanding what's being asked of them and perform at a much higher level in their next start. We're hoping that's the case with "Legit." Legitify broke well and led for much of the early running before he lost momentum and started to fade, being overtaken by all of his competitors to fade to last place. 

Richard Mandella is a great trainer, and we respect his opinion and his action plan on what he will do next to take this promising and extremely well-bred colt forward. 

We'll be back to edit this with race video and photos when they are available.

Legitify (Justify x Sarrocchi by Galileo)
Sporting his MRH blanket in the Santa Anita paddock

Legitify getting tacked up. Note his tongue
extension due to the tongue tie-down. This
keeps the tongue out of the way to help
with breathing or not interfering with the bit.

Legitify eyeing the crop. He clearly wasn't happy to see it.

Legitify just before jockey Kazushi Kimura mounts.
Notice the assistant trainer hiding the crop behind
his back. He handed it to Kimura once he was mounted.

Kazushi Kimura aboard Legitify.

Legitify on the rail. Eclipe horse Series (grey) beside him.
Legitify ran well on the break and early on
but tired late in the race to run 8th/last on debut. 

What appears to be a very tired Legitify post-race.
He looks to have lost a few pounds in his debut effort
which is not unusual for a young horses gaining fitness.

Seize The Grey Exercises at Keeneland

Seize the Grey stopped for a photo op this morning at Keeneland before getting out on the track to strut his stuff a bit. His condition, attitude and mental state all appeared to be optimal! 

He'll be back again tomorrow morning for another exercise session. 

Two more days until the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland!

Adaay In Asia Race

Adaay In Asia finished a very disappointing 8th in the G3 Wilshire Stakes today. 

We're all a little baffled and disappointed in her performance. We'll report back after she's been checked over and we get the after-race report.

After Race Report

Adaay in Asia checked in 8th in yesterday’s G3 Wilshire S. Breaking from post nine under Edwin Maldonado, our daughter of Adaay was fresh and left the gates with plenty of energy. As expected, Stay and Scam and Leisurewear looked to set the early tempo, but Adaay in Asia was tugging hard into the first turn while three wide. 

Edwin did his best to get her to settle, but there was no slowing her down on the backstretch. She found herself on the lead shortly after passing the half-mile pole while covering those first four furlongs in :47 and change.

She did give us a glimpse of hope heading into the turn, but once Stay and Scam (eventual runner-up) toyed with our mare, we knew she was not going to be able to fire in the stretch. Adaay in Asia’s run was flat once they hit the top of the stretch. This race reminded us a lot of that Keeneland effort when Flavien Prat and her got into a tugging war down the backside.

She has certainly been a disappointing and frustrating one in regards to figuring out what, exactly, she wants to do. Or perhaps the competition is simply too tough for her in the U.S. at the graded stakes level. We’ll get together with trainer Phil D’Amato and our partner Reeves Thoroughbred Racing to develop a plan for her next step.

Photos courtesy of MRH.

Legitify Debut Race Recap

Legitify broke a little slow, went to the front, but faded in the stretch finishing 8th and last.

It was a disappointing end result to Legitify’s debut today at Santa Anita Park. Our 3YO colt handled himself well in the paddock pre-race, despite plenty of commotion from the horse to his inside, #1 Hurricane Way.

Legitify was off a step slow from the gate, but recovered fairly quickly under urging from jockey Kazushi Kimura, which was by design. Given his previous tie-back surgery, we have learned that fighting him in the early stages does not play in his favor. Despite the sluggish break, he was still able to make the lead, but he certainly had to work for it completing the half in :46.60. Kazushi said at that point he could feel Legitify beginning to tire and kept him engaged until he knew his chances were over.

Unfortunately, the early pressure required to get the colt to the front affected his chances late. He had a pretty extensive work tab leading into this debut including multiple six-furlong drills, so we felt fitness wasn’t going to be an issue, but you just never know until they run their debut. So far, Legitify has come back in good physical order, but is pretty fatigued according to the barn. He will be scoped and we will follow up with the results in our post race update tomorrow. We’ll have to regroup and figure out what our next steps are as all parties were certainly expecting better.

We do know now that Legitify has the same speed in the afternoons that he’s shown in the mornings, so hopefully it’s just a matter of taking advantage of the fitness and conditioning he’ll surely gain coming out of today’s effort. 

Adaay In Asia In Tough for the G3 Wilshire Stakes

Adaay In Asia(GB) has her work cut out for her in tomorrow's G3 Wilshire Stakes at Santa Anita. She's in R#7, P#9, at 5:10 PM MT with E. Maldonado up. 

The 1 mile turf race features an 11 horse field including Stay And Scam, Selenaia(IRE), Leisurewear(IRE), and Turnerloose, a daughter of Nyquist. She'll need to be on her game. 

Racing Manager Joe Moran gave us a rundown of the race via video today. (Screenshot below.) Here's hoping our veteran gets her chance to shine and add more blacktype to her resume. 

We're rootin' for ya, Adaay!