June 2024 Stable Highlights

June 2024 Highlights

June 1st - Saturday

• Simply Enchanting runs 2nd off layoff in Churchill #2, $127k Allowance
• Fireball Birdie entered June 8th AOC at Lone Star, Stewart Elliott, no tag.
• Adaay in Asia paddock schools at Santa Anita ahead of Race #6 tomorrow.

June 2nd - Sunday 

• Adaay in Asia runs in $50k AOC at Santa Anita.
• Seize The Grey, now at Saratoga, kicks up his heels in a walk on the grounds.
• Adaay In Asia ran 3rd at Santa Anita in the 6th and was not claimed! Yay!
• Fireball Birdie has tune up work: Lone Star Park, 3F in :38.13

June 3rd - Monday

• Seize The Grey - exercise on Oklahoma training track, 5:30-6:00 am ET
• 2024 Belmont Post Draw - 6/3 at 5:00 PM ET/3 PM MT - NYRA YouTube page 
• Seize The Grey drew post #1. Same post as his sire who set the record at Saratoga.

June 4th - Tuesday

• Seize The Grey - exercise on Oklahoma training track, 5:30-6:00 am ET
• Seize The Grey - exercise on Saratoga main track, 6:00-6:30 am ET: 1-3/4 mi
• Lane Way is RETIRED!!!

June 5th - Wednesday

• Seize The Grey - exercise on Oklahoma training track, 5:30-6:00 am ET

June 6th - Thursday

• Seize The Grey - exercise on Oklahoma training track, 5:30-6:00 am ET
• From MRH: "Your colt looks great and The Coach says he couldn't be doing any better."
• Lane Way arrives at Sunshine Farm and begins retirement from racing.

June 7th - Friday

• Seize The Grey - exercise on Oklahoma training track, 5:30-6:00 am ET

June 8th - Saturday - BELMONT STAKES @ SARATOGA

• Seize The Grey finishes 7th in Belmont after leading to the 2nd turn.
• Isle Blue breezed 4F at Saratoga this morning clocking :50.85.
• Fireball Birdie runs 4th against winners, after change of jockey.

June 9th - Sunday

• Guinevere runs 10th at Churchill Downs turf race ($125k)
• Seize The Grey has minor cuts, hind leg from starting 1st turn in Belmont.
• A Day To Remember works 4F in 50.60 at Santa Anita all weather track.

June 10th - Monday

• Good Cop joins Todd Pletcher barn at Belmont Park. Good report!

June 12th - Wednesday

• Received video update on 2YO Caldera from Ocala. Ready to start back.

June 13th - Thursday

• Seismic Beauty is back:  Los Alamitos 06/13/2024 Dirt 3F 36.80 Handily 3/9

June 14th - Friday

• Mo Temptation's new owner is Alfred Pais; she has 2025 date with Brickyard Ride

June 15th - Saturday

• Magical Ways (formerly owned) finished 3rd at Belmont at the Big A
• Legitify (recently claimed from us) finished 10th at Santa Anita  :'(

June 16th - Sunday 

• Coexist (formerly owned) ran a sharp work at Churchill - 4f in 47.20
• A Day To Remember works at Santa Anita: All Weather Track  5F  1:01.20  3/10
• Simply Enchanting in good order after race on 6/1; may breeze tomorrow.
• Pioneer Prince runs 6th (last) in today's race at Santa Anita after a bad start.
• Rylee's Song 22's sire-Vekoma-has his first crop hit the board in a big way! 

June 17th - Monday 

• Seize The Grey: "Full of himself" and they are looking at future plans
• Simply Enchanting breezed @ Churchill Downs - Dirt 4F in 50.00
• Fireball Birdie breezed 4F in 51.89 (between 51-52) that Asmussen looks for

June 18th - Tuesday

• Fancy Quality - update from small paddock turnout. Re-eval due July 1st. 
• Secret Crush was checked by Dr. Wes Sutter and continues to improve 

June 20th - Thursday

• Seismic Beauty works a bullet at Los Alamitos - 4F in 47.60

June 21st - Friday

• Here's The Kicker works 3F in 38.75 at Palm Meadows

June 22nd - Saturday

• Seize The Grey worked 4F in 47.20 at Churchill -- 4/150 
• English Jubilee finishes 7th/12 at Woodbine in her first start of 2024.
• Simply Enchanting is #14 A/E in AOC at Churchill on June 29.
• Isle Blue worked 4F in 50.65 at Saratoga

June 23rd - Sunday

• Seize The Grey under consideration for G1 Haskell and G2 Jim Dandy.
• Seize The Grey's recent 4F/37.2 work highlighted by horseracing nation.
• A Day To Remember works 5F on All Weather Track in 1:01.40   4/13
• Simply Enchanting works prior to start-Churchill  Dirt 5F  1:02.80  16/18
• Good Cop *FIRST OFFICIAL WORK* Belmont  Dirt tr  3F  38.71 12/16

June 24th - Monday

• Blue Devil rescanned and declared fit to return to training!
• Fireball Birdie works a bullet at Lone Star. 
• Rylee's Song '22 arrives at Saratoga. 
• Rylee's Song '22 - Vekoma's hot streak continues: 2 more winners

June 25th - Tuesday

• Simply Enchanting nominated to G2 Indiana Oaks on 7/6 at Horseshoe
• Addie, a 4YO Yellow Lab cross, has arrived as our latest ranch dog

June 26th - Wednesday

• Blue Devil jogged this morning at Sequel Training Center.
• Straight to Glory: Keeneland  Dirt 4F  49.80  Breezing 35/57
• Rylee's Song '22's sire, Vekoma, now leading freshman sire by winners.

June 27th - Thursday

• Cotai Glory has now done 3 works at Keeneland in June, including a 2/8
• Seismic Beauty work: Los Alamitos Dirt  4F  48.20  Handily  2/8
• Coexist (formerly owned) ran 5th at Churchill Downs R#2

June 28th - Friday

• Here's The Kicker: Palm Meadows TC  Dirt  3F  35.25  Breezing  2/28
• Adaay in Asia  Santa Anita   All Weather   4F   48.80  Handily  1*/12

June 29th - Saturday

• Simply Enchanting in today: Churchill R#5. Salty AOC, no tag. #14 (A/E).
• Simply Enchanting ran 11th (last). Reason not clear. Blood work being done.
• Legitify (recently claimed from us) WON a 1000 yard sprint at Los Alamitos.

June 30th - Sunday

• Rylee's Song 22: First Saratoga breeze (in company). 3F in :36.33. Jena pleased.
• A Day To Remember performs 8th work back. 4F/49.00. May have a start soon.
• Simply Enchanting's bloodwork found no issues. She may return to California.
• Seize The Grey work: Churchill Downs  Dirt  5F  1:00.00 Breezing 3/23
• Seize The Grey's work was in company with Cowboy Code

Fireball Birdie Entry

Fireball Birdie has been entered in Saturday’s third race at Lone Star Park, a first-level allowance for 3-year-olds which will be contested at one mile on the turf. Given your colt is a half-sibling to Grade 1 winner and $1.8-million earner Up With the Birds, who did all of his running on turf or synthetic, we felt it was worth not only stretching Fireball Birdie out in distance but also attempting a surface change.

He will be #2 (of 8) and Erik Asmussen will take over riding duties for the first time. Post time is 2:31 p.m. CT.

Simply Enchanting After Race Follow-Up

We got a clean bill of health on Simply Enchanting (Nyquist) after her disastrous finish at Churchill yesterday. No issues with lameness, breathing, other physical ailments or bloodwork, she simply failed to perform. 

Her trainer and others believe that the high heat and humidity (heat index over 100) may have played a part in her lackluster performance. To this point, she had won her debut, is stakes placed, and had never finished off the board. They will consider if she should return to CA for the Del Mar meet. 

"Ella" has been a very special member of our partnership stable and our top performing filly to date, and we are still a little stunned by how poorly she ran. 

[Photo credits - Ernie Belmonte, from her debut]

Rylee's Song '22 Breeze Report

Rylee’s Song ’22 turned in her second official work and first work at Saratoga Sunday morning, covering three furlongs in :36.33 outside of older filly Dash of Lemon (Lemon Drop Kid) for the 2nd fastest time of 6 at that distance.

She galloped out in :49 2/5. 

Jena was very pleased with the move. The filly got a little tired past the wire, but that’s just a function of fitness and one of the main reasons why they breeze. 

She was very professional in company and has been thriving in her new surroundings.

As a side note, Rylee's  Song '22's official registered name should be announced within the next day or so after several rounds of the naming process have been completed among the owners. Her official name is anticipated to be either be "Nakoma" or "Life of Rylee." 

Screenshot from workout video:

Simply Enchanting Draws In but Fails to Fire

Simply Enchanting failed to fire this afternoon at Churchill Downs R#5 and checked in last under Flavien Prat. 

Our daughter of Nyquist broke okay, but was caught four wide heading into the first turn. But from there on out, she gradually lost ground and never seemed to be engaged with running today. Late in the race, Prat wrapped up and brought your filly home safely.

This effort was a bit of a head-scratcher for all of us and trainer Phil D’Amato’s feedback out of the race was:

“She scoped well and cooled out well. Legs look very clean and jogs sound. Not tired at all. I will take blood tomorrow. She didn’t even run more than a 1/2 of a mile. Either the blood will show she is working on something or the humidity played a big factor. Those are the only things I can think of now.”

We will follow up with any additional updates regarding her status.

Afterthoughts on Disdainful - B.C. (Before "Ceasar")

More than two years ago, we bought into a horse named Disdainful, an Irish bred who had won his first start in the UK. He ran twice more for us, never finishing off the board. We lost Disdainful in January of 2023 to peritonitis. It was a devastating blow, since "Dane" was looking to be the best horse we'd ever partnered on to that date. But there are two horses who will always remind me of our imported son of Kessaar (Kodiak).

One of those horses was General Jim, a Grade 2 winning son of Into Mischief. Disdainful ran against him in his first race ever in the US at Keeneland, separating himself from the pack and running a game 2nd to General Jim's win. (We would later own our own graded stakes winning son of Into Mischief, named Lane Way.)

Ironically, General Jim came back the following spring (2023) to win the G2 Pat Day Mile on Kentucky Derby day. I burst into tears upon seeing his victory, with such a heavy heart for what might have been. Ironically, the horse that would succeed him in winning the Pat Day Mile this year was none other than our Seize The Grey, a horse who fulfilled all the dreams we'd once had for our "Dane." 

The whole situation with Seize The Grey (who would have been the first also eligible at the time the Derby closed, but would not have made it into the race, so was entered into the G2 Pat Day Mile instead by his genius trainer, "The Coach") happened so quickly it didn't really sink in that he was General Jim's successor until after he'd won.

But going back to the Fall of 2022, after Dane's place at Keeneland against General Jim, trainer Graham Motion knew he had a horse, and "Dane" was immediately sent to Del Mar to compete against the extremely talented Speed Boat Beach in the Grade 3 Cecil B. DeMille stakes. Sadly, Dane colicked prior to entries being taken, and was sent to the vet hospital for follow up care as the colic worsened. Though he was given the absolutely best veterinarian care, he continued to decline until his death in early January 2023.

I don't know if he could have won that race against Speed Boat Beach, but I would have loved to see him get that opportunity. Speed Boat Beach went on to win the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes and was recently named the Florida Horse of the Year. 

Considering everything that has unfolded in the last year for us, especially with Seize The Grey, I don't cry when I hear the names General Jim or Speed Boat Beach anymore. I smile wistfully. I do believe everything happens for a reason. The Lord taketh away, but he also giveth back, often more abundantly. Though I wish "Dane" could have had his chance at a bright future, I believe that it wasn't meant to be and I'll never know the reason why. Sometimes we aren't meant to. 

Rest in Peace Always, our beautiful "Dane."

Disdainful(IRE) aka "Dane"
Kessaar(IRE) x Shallow Lake by Bernardini 

Adaay In Asia Update

Adaay in Asia breezed a solo half mile over the Santa Anita training track this morning with Geovanni Franco aboard. The official clocking was :48.80 (1/12). She was keen early which is fairly typical for her but she still finished up nicely.

Pending all continues well, Adaay in Asia will be pointed to the aforementioned $32,000 claimer on July 25th at Del Mar. 

Here's The Kicker's Latest Work is a Big Step Up

Here's The Kicker, our daughter of Liam's Map, had an uninspiring start to her career, but with a 5 month break to grow, mature, retrain, and a change of trainer to Saffie Joseph Jr., she just put in her first eyebrow-raising work. Hope it's a sign of good things to come. 

Palm Meadows TC  Dirt  3F  35.25  Breezing  2/28  

[Photo credits - Jordn Hennessey, 2023]

Here's The Kicker - First start at Gulfstream, 10/22/2023 (4th)
Photo credits - Jordn Hennessey

Recent works:

Palm Meadows TC  6/28/2024 Dirt 3F  35.25  Breezing  2/28

Palm Meadows TC  6/21/2024 Dirt 3F  38.75  Breezing 17/21

Palm Meadows TC  5/31/2024 Dirt 3F  36.90  Breezing 6/19

Palm Meadows TC  5/24/2024 Dirt 3F  38.30  Breezing 15/21

Here’s the Kicker Workout Report Follow Up

Here’s the Kicker breezed a sharp three furlongs in :35.20 yesterday morning at Palm Meadows Training Center. Your daughter of Liam’s Map worked on the inside of fellow maiden, Save Us Melania. Despite only being three-eighths, visually this was her best work to date since joining the Saffie Joseph Jr. barn. Saffie remains pleased with her and everything continues to progress in the right direction.

Seismic Beauty Update

Seismic Beauty breezed a half mile in 48.20 this morning at Los Alamitos. Our daughter of Uncle Mo worked by herself given she does it plenty fast enough on her own at this stage and once she gets a little further down the line from a fitness standpoint company will be added.

Assistant trainer Mike Marlow reported, “She worked great. Does it so easy.”

We don’t imagine it will be long before Seismic Beauty transitions to Santa Anita to train, but given we are only a few weeks away from horses moving to Del Mar, she may just join Bob's barn there. He'll make that decision.

Her first three works back have been very encouraging:

Los Alamitos  6/27/2024  Dirt  4F 48.20  Handily  2/8

Los Alamitos  6/20/2024  Dirt  4F 47.60  Handily  1*/7

Los Alamitos  6/13/2024  Dirt  3F 36.80  Handily  3/10

Simply Enchanting Nominated to Alternate Race

Simply Enchanting breezed as planned this past Sunday at Churchill Downs, covering five furlongs in 1:02.80. 

The D’Amato team continues to be pleased with how she bounced out of her comeback race and while we are still unsure if she will get into Saturday’s allowance race at Churchill, we did proceed with nominating her to the G3 Indiana Oaks at Horseshoe Indianapolis as an alternative option. 

The G3 Indiana Oaks is scheduled to be run on July 6th.

Fireball Birdie Runs a Bullet Work at Lone Star

Fireball Birdie breezed five furlongs in 1:01.40 this morning at Lone Star Park. Our 3YO colt breezed on the inside of his stablemate Tejas, always keeping his nose in front to the wire and with the two galloping out nicely together.

We shouldn't be far away from another race with Fireball Birdie and will let Steve finalize a spot.

Link to video. May not work for everyone.

https://cdnb-media.myracehorse.com/blog/video/IMG6624_1719254723878/MP4/IMG6624_1719254723878.mp4

Isle Blue Workout Report

Isle Blue breezed a half-mile from the gate yesterday morning (6/22/2024) over the Oklahoma training track at Saratoga while in company with fellow 2YO filly Brindi (No Nay Never). It was her first work from the gate and fourth official work.

The duo was credited with a final time of :50.65 for 4F. 

Assistant trainer Miguel Clement provided a video report following the work with a bit of commentary, including: "All good. Not quite there yet. She's straight forward. Moving well. Shows some speed."

All photos and video screenshots provided by MRH/Christophe Clement's team at Saratoga.

Seize The Grey Workout Report and Potential Targets

Seize the Grey had his first work since the Belmont Stakes this morning at Churchill Downs. 

Our son of Arrogate covered a swift half-mile in :47.20 (4/150) with Jaime Torres in the irons. This work was a bit faster than what D. Wayne Lukas was intending (the target was more like :49 flat), but Wayne said he did it easily and was geared down on the gallop out to complete five furlongs in 1:04 flat.

The team is still in the process of selecting a race target, but most importantly, everyone is thrilled to see the colt pick up where he left off. 

We are keeping both the G1 Haskell (7/20/2023) and G2 Jim Dandy (7/27/2024) open as possibilities. 

Seize the Grey will remain on a weekly work schedule leading up to these late July options.

News:

Horseracing Nation Spotlights Seize The Grey's Work

Simply Enchanting Entry

Simply Enchanting has been entered at Churchill Downs on Saturday, June 29, however the race is currently overfilled and she's sitting at 2nd alternate. If she makes it in, this will be a tough test for her, since fillies including Lemon Muffin (Kentucky Oaks contender) and Wonder Ride (placed in the Grade 1 Spinaway Stakes) are entered. Flavien Prat will again be in the irons. We'll keep you posted. 

[Photo copyright - Ernie Belmonte]

Simply Enchanting Race Entry Follow-Up

Simply Enchanting drew second on the also-eligible list for next Saturday’s first-level allowance going one mile and one-sixteenth at Churchill Downs. Our daughter of Nyquist will need two scratches to get in the body of the field and will have Flavien Prat in the irons. 

Post time for Race 5 is 2:45 PM ET (12:45 PM MT). 

The plan is for Simply Enchanting to breeze tomorrow and we will follow up with any news from trainer Phil D'Amato.

English Jubilee Doesn't Shine in Return

English Jubilee failed to land much of a blow in her comeback today at Woodbine, just about splitting the field of 12 (including a late scratch) while well beaten at the wire.  

She didn’t have the most ideal of trips, as she was hung out very wide, which is not the place to be, and then remained on the wrong lead for a good part of the stretch.  

We had realistic expectations coming into this race and English Jubilee ran to just about those expectations.  

She definitely needed the race today, but a drop in class into a Maiden Claiming event is probably in store, as she’s a bit exposed at this point. We’ll see how she emerges from the race and see what the  game plan will be. 

Here's the Kicker Workout Report

Here’s the Kicker was back on the work tab this morning at Palm Meadows and was credited with three furlongs in :38.75. 

Trainer Saffie Joesph Jr. reported, “she got away a bit quick the first 1/8, so her rider slowed it down towards the end.” 

Given our daughter of Liam’s Map missed her work last week, Saffie wasn’t looking for anything serious this morning. All remains well with the filly.

Seismic Beauty Works a Bullet at Los Alamitos

Seismic Beauty breezed a bullet half mile in :47.60 this morning at Los Alamitos. 

Our daughter of Uncle Mo traveled beautifully and continues to move right along in her training.

Adaay In Asia Update

Adaay in Asia remains in good order at Santa Anita Park since her recent third-place effort. She is scheduled to return to the work tab on Friday and we will be targeting either a claiming $32,000 spot on July 25th or a first-level allowance for the $40,000 claiming tag on August 1st. 

Given Adaay in Asia has already cleared her first-level allowance condition, if the race on August 1st was to overfill--which is a very likely scenario in the early parts of the Del Mar meet--she would be excluded. Horses that are eligible for the condition will get preference over her. Due to this, we will focus on that July 25th option, but keep the latter spot as a backup if needed.

Isle Blue Update

Isle Blue breezed her second half mile this past Saturday (6/15) over the Oklahoma training track at Saratoga. Our daughter of Speightstown breezed in company with stablemate Patrick’s Promise, a son of Tonalist. 

Trainer Christophe Clement reported the work went great and he remains pleased with her overall progress.

The Test

We put together this graphic to show the strength of the field in the Belmont Stakes at Saratoga. Probably one of the toughest fields "Ceasar" has faced to date, and a good prep for him for his future, which will go from competing with other spectacular 3YOs to competing with spectacular horses of any age later this year. (Click on the image below to expand it.)

Rylee's Song '22 - First Official Breeze!

Exciting day as our Vekoma filly, the as yet unnamed "Rylee's Song '22" has recorded her first official breeze at Keeneland.  

Unnamed (out of Rylee's Song) (KY) Keeneland F 2YO  37.20   b  11/34 Unraced

We'll report back when we receive an official update.

Rylee's Song '22 Workout Report

Rylee's Song '22 turned in a nice breeze at Keeneland this morning, covering three furlongs solo in :37.20 (11/34).

Jena was very pleased with it, saying "Couple little green moments during the breeze, but all in all a very nice first work to build off of! Very straightforward."

The plan is still for the filly to ship up to Saratoga in the coming days once a van heads that way, so our next update will likely come when she's made it up to The Spa.

Screenshot from a video of her work this morning
provided by MRH

Fancy Quality Update

We were sent photos of Fancy Quality while on turnout at Magdalena Farm in Lexington. The daughter of Wootton Bassett transitioned to a small paddock and is doing well according to the team at the farm. 

Pending everything continues in good order, our 3YO remains on schedule to be re-evaluated on July 1st. We will follow up with more news then. 

Good News on Good Cop

Good Cop and his training partner, Article (Constitution), made good training partners at Ocala and now have teamed up on the big track in NY, Belmont Park, as both have gone to Todd Pletcher's barn.

The boys cruised their first ever 1/4-mile at Belmont over the weekend and they performed well and professionally, which is a good early sign.

The word from Ocala Stud is that Good Cop was acting perhaps a bit more precocious than Article, but they were in lock step in their introductory breeze and for now they'll keep one another company as they get into the swing of the Pletcher program.

It's early days to be sure, but so far so good and we'll keep reporting as they progress. 

Secret Crush Update

Our team caught up with Secret Crush this morning. While he remains on stall rest, the team at Silver Springs reported that our colt has been in good spirits and is a good patient to work with. 

While there is not much to report, Dr. Wes Sutter continues to check on him regularly and has been pleased with his progress.

Simply Enchanting Workout and Race Update

As planned, Simply Enchanting had her first work yesterday morning (June 17th) at Churchill Downs, covering a maintenance half-mile in :50 flat. 

Our daughter of Nyquist went nicely according to trainer Phil D’Amato and she remains on schedule for the aforementioned allowance race on June 29th. 

Entries will be taken on Saturday, June 22nd and she will have her final breeze the following day. We will follow up once the overnight is released.

The Triple Crown Bids Farewell to Arrogate

We are so proud to be the owners of one of Arrogate's Triple Crown contending sons. 

There will never be another. :'(

Beautifully written article by Steve Haskin that captures the essence of how great of a horse Arrogate was on the track, and the tragedy of only producing three crops to carry on his legacy. 

The Triple Crown Bids Farewell to Arrogate by Steve Haskin

Seize The Grey Update

Seize the Grey has remained in good order since returning to Churchill Downs. Trainer D. Wayne Lukas says your colt is full of himself at the moment and seems to have bounced out of the Belmont Stakes as well as he seemed to have gone in. The scratches that he sustained in the early part of the race were superficial and healed up quickly.

We also talked to Lukas about optimal distances moving forward and he was quite confident that anything between a mile and mile and a quarter fits him well. He does not believe his less then optimal performance in the Belmont was anything more than an "off day."

It's great to see Ceasar exit his race in such good order, as this provides a lot of options moving forward for the second part of his 2024 campaign. That being said, no decision has been made on his next start, but he'll certainly have lots of exciting spots to choose from in the coming months. We'll continue to monitor his progress daily, and over the next week or so should have a better idea where he may be pointed next. 

Photo credits - Amber Chalfin - from the Belmont Stakes

Getting Caught Up With Rylee's Song '22

Rylee's Song '22 has now begun the process to get her official registered name. This will be decided by those of us who are owners and involves a process of combing through hundreds of name submissions, selecting those names that will go up for a vote, followed by several rounds of voting. The process should wrap up around July 1st and then we'll announce her permanent name. 

Getting caught up on her recent training: She had two breezes 17 days ago down at beautiful GoldMark Farm in Ocala since returning to training in April following a standard post-sale break coming out of the OBS March sale.

While at GoldMark, she worked an easy 1/8 of a mile in :11.22 (out the next furlong in :13.52) on May 18, followed by a 1/4 in :26.20 (out in :39 flat for 3/8) on May 31.

Clearly ready to do more in her second breeze, she will now ship to Keeneland to join trainer Jena Antonucci's string there and get some big-track experience. Depending on how things shake out training and timing wise, she could make her way up to Saratoga for an unveiling or stay in Kentucky and debut there. We'll keep you posted.

. 

Rylee's Song '22 - Sire on Fire!

Vekoma En Fuego!

Rylee’s Song ’22’s sire Vekoma has been absolutely on fire over the past week or so.

He already had three winners heading into last Sunday, and added another clear-cut debut graduate at Woodbine that day.

Then this past Friday at Churchill Downs, he had two maiden special weight winners, including impressive five-length romper Viggiedal. That Steve Asmussen trainee was an OBS March graduate just like Rylee’s Song ’22 ($375K off a speedy 9.3 work) and is bred on the exact same Vekoma over Unbridled’s Song cross as our filly. She earned a solid 76 Beyer Speed Figure.

On Saturday in New York, Colloquial did everything but win for George Weaver, missing by a nose to champion juvenile Fierceness’s full-brother Mentee. That pair earned 88 Beyers—the fastest by a juvenile thus far in 2024.

Vekoma’s popularity in the sales ring has continued as well—he was represented by five six-figure juveniles, including a $330K filly, at this week’s OBS June sale. That top-priced filly’s dam is by Rockport Harbor, a son of Rylee’s Song’s broodmare sire Unbridled’s Song.

Rylee’s Song ’22 herself is doing very well at Keeneland. She’s scheduled to breeze mid-week, and will likely ship up to Saratoga after that to join Jena’s string there. At this stage, if she remains on her current trajectory, it seems like she should have a good chance to be ready to debut during the meet up at "the Spa," so it will be a good thing to have  her settled in and used to the Spa surroundings.

We're very excited to see what's ahead for Rylee's Song '22 (not her permanent name). 

Great Article on Zinger's Former Trainer Justin Evans and Son

Once upon a time, we claimed back a homebred who was losing all his races and coming in dead last in some. People said he was "hopeless."

He went to trainer Justin Evans, who worked with him for about six weeks. When he was finally ready to be entered in a race, we drove to Farmington, NM to see him run, not really expecting a lot.

Well...

He won that race. 

And the next. And the next.

In fact, he won four of his first five races with Justin as his trainer, then came back again with another big win at Sunland Park (we've posted the video of that one on this site).

Since that time, Justin has been the leading trainer at just about every track where he's trained. He's currently at Emerald Downs near Seattle, and this article was in the local newspaper about Justin and his son, Austin, who's following in his dad's footsteps.

I think they're going to find that Derby horse one day. :)

Emerald Downs Leading Trainer Justin Evans Shares Passion With Son

Seize The Grey

                     

                 "He is a part of history,

                              and we are a part of his story."

                    

               [Quote inspired by fellow partner Diane M. George]

                                            As of June 15, 2024:

Arrogate's Leading Progeny of 2024 - $1,839,938 earnings

Grade 1 Classic Winner and Grade 2 Winner

Winner, 2024 G1 Preakness Stakes, 2nd Jewel of the Triple Crown

Winner, 2024 G2 Pat Day Mile, on 2024 Kentucky Derby Day

Winner, 2024 Allowance at Oaklawn Park, 2/24/2024

Winner, 2023 Maiden Special Weight at Saratoga, 7/29/2024

3rd Place, G3 Jeff Ruby Steaks, Turfway Park, 3/23/2024

3rd Place, Allowance, Keeneland, 10/14/2023

3rd Place, Skidmore Stakes, Saratoga, 8/18/23

Visiting Seize The Grey at the D. Wayne Lukas Barn
Churchill Downs

Mo Temptation has Found a New Home as a Broodmare

Mo Temptation has remained at Sunshine Farm as we have been finalizing her next steps. Through various conversations with different possible takers, MRH has found a great home for her with Alfred Pais, owner of Brickyard Ride, who will be standing stud in 2025 at Rancho San Miguel. Brickyard Ride is a winner of over $900K and thirteen races.

Although this breeding season is over, Alfred is willing to carry her costs until next season, a win-win for all involved. The owners will not have to incur additional carry costs, Mr. Pais gets to secure a nice broodmare prospect for next year and Mo Temptation gets to enjoy the year at Rancho San Miguel before she moves onto her second career. Since he is willing to carry all costs, we agreed to complete the sale for $1.00, since the costs would likely exceed what we could expect her to bring at an auction some time later in the year.

This filly always flashed some talent, but unfortunately she was unable to prove what she was capable of on the racetrack -- maybe that talent will be realized one day via her offspring. 

We will be sure to get an update once Mo Temptation has settled in to her new home.

Mo Temptation at Sunshine Farm taken by MRH
On her way to Alfred Pais who stands Brickyard Ride

Rancho San Miguel, CA - Future home of Mo Temptation.

Report to followers on our Facebook page:

We are super excited to announce that Mo Temptation has found a new home! She currently remains as Sunshine Farm (see photo) but will head to her new career as a broodmare at Rancho San Miguel, CA (pictured), to be bred to multiple stakes winner/placer, Brickyard Ride (grandson of Candy Ride) in 2025. 

Brickyard Ride campaigned from age 2 to 7, winning or placing in multiple graded stakes at Santa Anita and Del Mar, earning over $925,000 while running E-speed figures of 114, 113 (3x), 112 and running triple digits 17 times! He ran in the G3 Kona Gold Stakes three times, winning twice and coming in 2nd on his first try, as well as competing in multiple other stakes. The partnership group will continue to follow Mo T and report back as she begins this new phase of her life. 

Brickyard Ride's latest Kona Gold Win

Straight To Glory Restarts Works

Straight to Glory has performed two works at Keeneland in the last two weeks. These are his first works since July 2023. His second work was quite sharp, though at 3F shorter than the first at 4F.

6/13/2024  Keeneland     Dirt 3F 37.60 Breezing 2/8

6/2/2024 Keeneland    Dirt 4F 51.00 Breezing 31/43

Here's The Kicker Update

Here’s the Kicker did not breeze this past Friday (6/7/2024) due to the weather, according to trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. All remains well with our daughter of Liam’s Map. She continues to be straightforward since joining Saffie's barn at Palm Meadows and we should see her return to the work tab in the coming days.

Welcome to our Stable, Rylee's Song '22

This 2YO daughter of Vekoma (Candy Ride) out of Rylee's Song by Unbridled's Song is a brand new addition to our stable. She will be trained by Jena Antonucci, who is best known as the first female trainer to win a Triple Crown race when Arcangelo (Arrogate) won the Belmont last year in 2023.

We're very excited to see what this filly and trainer team will do in the future. 

To see more information about Rylee's Song '22, see her page here >>>  Rylee's Song

There's a New Grey in Town!

2YO Caldera is currently in Ocala and will be heading to trainer D. Wayne Lukas. 

His breeding is Liam's Map x Send Me On My Way - Tiznow. 

Like Arrogate, Liam's Map is also a son of Unbridled's Song and has produced top runners including Roses for Debra and Jerry the Nipper.

His dam is from the family that produced Horse of the Year, FLIGHTLINE. She's half to two graded stakes placed horses and from the Phipps Family line.  Caldera was purchased at the OBS 2YO in Training sale, where he recorded a 10 second furlong, and his stride length was measured at 27.5 feet!

$5 Million Bonus - Only One Horse Eligible

 There's only one horse in the country that's eligible for this bonus. Guess who?

1/ST Racing announces owner bonus program for Preakness, California Crown, Pegasus World Cup

Good Cop Update

Good Cop recently joined Todd Pletcher's barn at Belmont Park to continue his progression towards a career debut.

He graduated with honors from Ocala Stud and will begin a breeze routine with his trainer in the coming week or so.

We have seen good results from the small sample size of the Tiz the Law offspring so far that have made it to the races which gives us some confidence with what we have seen from our colt as well in his early stages.

We will let Good Cop get into a good routine with TAP and will continue to update the partners as he moves forward in his training program.

Seize The Grey - Belmont Stakes Results

Not Seize The Grey's day, when he finished 7th after leading or vying for the lead with a very tough  Dornoch (eventual winner) through the final turn, then ran out of gas. Drawing the #1 gate almost required that he get out of the gate fast, and the subsequent speed duel with Dornach which lasted into through the final turn, was most likely a bit too taxing. His early effort in the Belmont was notable, but his campaign this spring may have taken a toll and for his chances at another Grade 1 win. 

It's important to note his energy level and exercises prior to the Belmont seemed to reflect a horse on his game and did not indicate he was a tired horse.

He did come back with marks on his rear leg bandages, and does have some minor cuts that he is believed to have gotten in the first turn when he and another horse (possibly Resilience) got too close.

Seize The Grey remains one of the top three horses in the 3YO division with a Grade 1 and Grade 2 win, along with Dornoch and Sierra Leone. 

We'll see where and when The Coach points him next.

Saratoga     June 8     Race 12     Belmont S. Presented by NYRA Bets

    Dornoch finished 1st by 1/2 length        

    Mindframe finished 2nd beaten 1/2 length        

    Sierra Leone finished 3rd beaten 1 1/2 lengths        

    Honor Marie finished 4th beaten 5 1/2 lengths        

    Antiquarian finished 5th beaten 7 1/2 lengths        

    Protective finished 6th beaten 9 3/4 lengths        

    Seize the Grey finished 7th beaten 12 3/4 lengths        

    Mystik Dan finished 8th beaten 15 3/4 lengths        

    The Wine Steward finished 9th beaten 21 3/4 lengths        

    Resilience finished 10th beaten 33 1/4 lengths

Isle Blue Breezes at Saratoga

 Isle Blue breezed a half mile in :50.85 this morning over the Oklahoma track at Saratoga. Working on the inside of her stablemate, your daughter of Speightstown was always in hand and in the bridle.

Our team watched Isle Blue this morning with trainer Christophe Clement who reported she has been straightforward to work with. They do believe her best running will come around two turns from what they have seen so far but thought today’s work was solid. If everything continues to go to plan a debut this summer at Saratoga seems realistic.

In addition, Isle Blue has been up to the gate on multiple occasions as well and is not far from being ready to breeze from there.

Seismic Beauty Update

Seismic Beauty is coming along well in her training, and our daughter of Uncle Mo should be ready to breeze by next week according to assistant trainer Mike Marlow. 

Seize The Grey - Quote by Lukas on his Potential

D. Wayne Lukas quote from "The Saratoga Special 6/6/24"

Seize The Grey Morning Exercise and Grazing Time at Saratoga

TWO DAYS TO THE BELMONT!  

MRH UPDATE: "Your colt looks great and The Coach says he couldn't be doing any better."

Saratoga morning exercise and grazing time with D. Wayne Lukas (and "Bucky") looking on. 

All screenshots and photos courtesy of MRH.

Arrogate's Legacy: Seize The Grey

This article was published on April 6, 2021 -- EXACTLY two weeks before Seize The Grey was foaled!

Will he be one of two Grade 1 Classic winning stallions to carry the legacy of Arrogate forward to new generations?

Here's Hoping Arrogate Leaves his Mark on the Breed

Seize The Grey (son of the great Arrogate)
Taken at Saratoga two days before the Belmont Stakes
by MyRacehorse (partnership)

LANE WAY RETIRES!!!

We are very saddened to announce the retirement of our "Star of the West," LANE WAY. 

In the course of Lane Way's last stakes effort, his team discovered a minor injury that, although is expected to heal completely with a few months rest, at the age of 7YO, the decision was made to retire our multiple stakes performing son of Into Mischief.  

Inquiries are being made to Old Friends (famous retirement farm) in Lexington, Kentucky, but we, personally hope that someone might acquire him as a potential eventing prospect after his time off. While returning to racing would be entirely possible, we agree it's in the best interests of Lane Way to move on from the racing arena instead of bringing him back to run as an 8YO. It’s been a remarkable journey with him, finishing in the money in 19 of 23 lifetime starts, including multiple graded/stakes wins and placings and total earnings exceeding $500,000, and setting a New Track Record at Santa Anita! 

While it's disappointing that he won't have another run at the Breeders Cup this year, we feel he has well earned retirement and couldn’t imagine a better or more caring home for him if he does end up at Old Friends. 

This is admittedly a little painful for us because prior to Seize The Grey beginning his Triple Crown run, Lane Way had been our most successful and decorated runner. Among the photos below is one of him  sporting his 2023 Breeders Cup Turf Sprint saddle cloth, where he unfortunately ended up as first alternate due to a decision by the committee, instead of in the gate where his stakes record should have placed him. 

LANE WAY'S NOTABLE RACES AND STAKES

Santa Anita  4/21/2024  4  Siren Lure Stakes (Listed)  3RD  105

Santa Anita  3/9/2024  7  San Simeon Stakes (G3)  3RD  109

Del Mar 12/2/2023   3  Stormy Liberal Stakes (Bl Type)  3RD  106

Santa Anita   9/30/2023 9  Eddie D Stakes (G2)  1ST  110

Santa Anita  1/29/2023  8  Clocker's Corner St (Bl Type)  1ST  106

Santa Anita  12/31/2022  1  Joe Hernandez Stakes (G2)  2ND  106

Santa Anita  11/6/2022  9  Allowance OC  1ST  103

Santa Anita  10/1/2022  7  Eddie D Stakes (G2)  2ND   109

Del Mar  9/4/2022 9  Green Flash Handicap (G3)  2ND  100

Del Mar 7/30/2022  7  Allowance OC  2ND  100

Santa Anita  10/3/2021  4  AOC  1ST  105  NTR!*

Del Mar 11/1/2020  8  Let It Ride Stakes (Bl Type)  3RD  100

Santa Anita 9/27/2020  5  AOC  2ND  105

Del Mar 8/22/2020  5 MSW  1ST  92

*He holds the track record for 6 furlongs at Santa Anita:

October 3, 2021 - 6F - 1:06:60 (New Track Record)

[Photo credits Gary Tasich]