Juvenile Queen Arella rallies to impressive debut win at Gulfstream
[1]
Coglianese Photos/Ryan Thompson
By Sarah Mace
In the topsy-turvy world of 2020, it is wonderful to see Thoroughbred racing deliver on one of the most joyful annual rites of late spring: inspiring debut wins by 2-year-olds. On Friday at Gulfstream Park, J Stables’ Queen Arella, a bay New York-bred filly by WinStar freshman sire Speightster, rallied following a rough start to win her 5-furlong dirt debut, a $65,000 maiden special weight, by four lengths. She was the first winner for her sire.
Trained by Roderick Rodriguez, who is based at Gulfstream Park West, Queen Arella came into her debut with a pair of published works under her belt. The more recent of the two was a four-furlong bullet move from the gate timed in :47 flat over good going.
Partnered with Miguel Vasquez and drawn in post six of nine, Queen Arella flew in under bettors’ radar at post time odds of 8-1.
Off-balance and pinballed right out of the gate, Queen Arella regrouped and took to the outside of the scrum and, once in the clear, immediately began to make up lost ground.
Advancing into fifth through the sharp 22.78 first quarter, the bay filly picked off rivals on the backstretch until, by midway around the far turn, only the vying trio of Stepping Forward (rail), Hara (between) and New York-bred Jill’s a Hot Mess (three-wide) remained four lengths ahead.
Getting even terms with the trio in upper stretch, Queen Arella cruised on by in the final furlong and her momentum carried her along to a comfortable four-length win. After four furlongs on 46.56, the filly stopped the clock at 59.54. Hara hung on for second and a closing Go Jo Jo Go finished third.
Bred by WinStar Farm, Queen Arella proved to be the ultimate bargain. The only time she was offered for sale at public auction, Eduardo Prado astutely picked her up for just $1,000 at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton October yearling sale.
Queen Arella is the second foal and second winner out of Unbridled Sonya. A Kentucky-bred daughter of Unbridled’s Song, Unbridled Sonya won on turf in her second career start at two. Her first foal is Winning Impression by Paynter who has earned $68,730. In 2018 she sold to K.O.I.D. for $37,000 and relocated to Korea.
Endnotes:- [Image]: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Queen-Arella-credit-ryan-Thompson.jpg
Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2020/05/30/queen-arella-gulfstream-msw/
New York-breds to be catalogued as a group at Midlantic Fall Yearlings Sale
(Fasig-Tipton release)
All New York-bred yearlings entered at Fasig-Tipton’s Midlantic Fall Yearlings Sale will be catalogued together as a group in 2020, the company announced today [May 27].
“Having to cancel our Saratoga auctions this year due to Covid-19 has displaced many New York-bred yearlings,” said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning. “By cataloguing New York-breds together at Midlantic Fall, we are providing buyers with a large group of New York-breds that can easily be zeroed in on. We annually have strong representation from New York owners and trainers at Midlantic Fall, which makes the sale an appropriate venue to offer this service.”
“As previously announced, we are also cataloguing New York-breds together at our Selected Yearlings Showcase in Kentucky on September 9 and 10,” Browning continued. “We are doing our best to serve the New York-bred marketplace in a difficult year, and are pleased that we can offer New York connections two sales venues in which New York-bred yearlings will be presented collectively as a group.”
The Midlantic Fall Yearlings Sale will be held on Monday and Tuesday, October 5-6, at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium, Maryland. It will take place alongside the rescheduled Preakness Stakes, which will be conducted in nearby Baltimore on Saturday, October 3.
Entry Forms[1] for Midlantic Fall Yearlings may be found online at fasigtipton.com[2]. Entries close on July 10.
For further information:
Paget Bennett
(410)392-5555
Endnotes:- Entry Forms: http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001ggN3fJoe6K5riVu8di_d8pZV33_Zaq8J9RobRX5-e8TQnrPtU72kFplHDN8Q2Ist0eW9higc8fYRKqYTR0LbtW3ZQQQlXGoz57gX0Ejcp2qaNT74XwkDpehH1x1tw3OWcIWNIZ_uU-u497Jy3VrCMTrB-Q7on3H4S2LntqvkQaordyxgH-YXQ15PDOYbhDz7&c=6lGp8-_nAAhU8f4aPO1aMOhJRO3aU82bqsZuEmYa2uB7t3EtMxmlag==&ch=i_mmSVENHM6_qckKW2c4E0wsfmaEK7m7NqhvJsLRfNI-I40lhGeULQ==
- fasigtipton.com: http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001ggN3fJoe6K5riVu8di_d8pZV33_Zaq8J9RobRX5-e8TQnrPtU72kFuZ9E-q5Nl9mEKNeDUedLO1qNlSz31fgJpi-BT_ZjqeqB5AEY6dQnDCIYwfZw_kBirVrAzIFYPmcy2SN2X9LM8ZSfzCLR5sevA==&c=6lGp8-_nAAhU8f4aPO1aMOhJRO3aU82bqsZuEmYa2uB7t3EtMxmlag==&ch=i_mmSVENHM6_qckKW2c4E0wsfmaEK7m7NqhvJsLRfNI-I40lhGeULQ==
Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2020/05/27/new-york-breds-grouped-midlantic-fall-yearlings-sale/
Todd Yaeger, 50, passes unexpectedly
[1]
Todd Yaeger (2nd from left) celebrates NY Champion Midnight Disguise with Stepwise Farm et al in 2018. Photo: Skip Dickstein.
(Obituary, courtesy Flynn Brothers Inc. Funeral Home)
Todd L. Yaeger, 50, a resident of Duncan Rd., [Gansevoort,] passed away unexpectedly Sunday, May 24, 2020 at home.
Born June 9, 1969 in Saratoga Springs, he was the son of Lawrence and Charlene Cramer Yaeger of Saratoga Springs. Todd was a graduate of Saratoga Springs High School and Hudson Valley Community College where he found his passion for manufacturing. He began working at Sandy Hill Manufacturing and was currently employed at AngioDynamics in Queensbury.
He discovered his love of horses working with his father and grandfather at the harness track and then at Stepwise Farm in Saratoga Springs. He continued his love of horses and racing by becoming an owner, assisting with training, and sharing his passion for horses with his family.
Todd was predeceased by his grandparents, Charles and Jeanne Cramer, Lucy Belle and Anton Yaeger; and his father-in-law, Edward Blonkowski.
In addition to his parents, he is survived by his wife of 30 years, Nancy Yaeger of Gansevoort; 2 daughters, Stephanie and Morgan Yaeger of Gansevoort; his sister, Kelley (James) Weed II and their children, Collin and Madeline of Middle Grove; cousins, Sharon, Roy, and Ryan Cornelius of MA, Linda, Dan, Steven, and Greg Mohan of TX, and Gary and Wendy Craig of PA; sister-in-law, Joanne (Peter) Romano of Latham and their daughter Brittany (Jesse) Siminitz and great niece Eliose of VA;brother-in-law, Paul Blonkowski of FL; and his mother-in-law, Dolores Blonkowski of Ballston Spa.
A private service for the family will be held at Flynn Bros. Inc. Funeral Home, 13 Gates Ave., Schuylerville. Burial will be in Prospect Hill Cemetery, Schuylerville.
Memorials can be made in his memory to the Backstretch Employee Service Team of NY (B.E.S.T.), 2150 Hempstead Turnpike, Gate 6, Cottage 28B, Elmont, NY 11003 or at https://www.bestbackstretch.org[2]/
There are no events scheduled. You can still show your support by planting a tree in memory of Todd Yaeger.
Endnotes:- [Image]: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Yaeger-photo-Dickstein-resized.jpg
- https://www.bestbackstretch.org: https://www.bestbackstretch.org/
Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2020/05/26/todd-yaeger-50-passes-unexpectedly/
Ny Traffic merges steadily into Derby-bound lane
[1]
Ny Traffic (inside) with Maxfield. Coady Photography/Churchill Downs
By Sarah Mace
Unlike fellow New York-bred Tiz the Law, who has deservedly played a leading role in Kentucky Derby headlines and chatter, Ny Traffic, a fast and gritty grey son of Cross Traffic, has steadily worked his way into the conversation by dint of three strong on-the-board efforts in Derby preps. Most recently, on Saturday, he finished a strong second to Maxfield in the Grade 3, $150,000 Matt Winn Stakes at Churchill Downs.
Bred by Brian Culnan and foaled at Gallagher’s Stud[2] in Ghent, and the first of only two reported foals out of Mamie Reilly, a winning New York-bred daughter of Graeme Hall, Ny Traffic is campaigned jointly by John Fanelli, Cash is King, LC Racing and Paul Braverman.
Trained by Harold Wyner as a juvenile, Ny Traffic had four appointments with the starter last year, all in sprints. First out at Parx on September 21 going seven furlongs, he had the dubious distinction of meeting a debuting Independence Hall, one of Constitution’s star progeny, to whom he finished third while earning a more-than respectable debut Beyer Speed Figure of 71. Independence Hall went on immediately to win the Grade 3 Nashua Stakes and Jerome Stakes in back-to-back starts.
Ny Traffic was sent off for his second start on October 12 still relatively under the radar. Let go at odds of 14-1 to go six furlongs at Parx, the colt soundly defeated nine rivals to earn his diploma with a driving 3 1/4-length victory, while improving his Beyer score to 84. To complete the year, the colt went unplaced in two stakes starts (the Parx Juvenile Stakes and Aqueduct’s restricted Notebook Stakes).
During a brief winter freshening of 55 days, Ny Traffic moved his tack to the Florida barn of 33-year-old Saffie A. Joseph, Jr. When put on a steady diet of route racing for his sophomore campaign, he would really start to turn heads.
In his first start for Joseph on January 11, Ny Traffic trounced a group of first-level allowance foes by 6 3/4 lengths. It was a frontrunning effort going 1 1/16 miles over a speed favoring track under Luis Saez. Joseph decided it was time to test his colt in deeper waters.
Drawn into what turned out to be the “slower” division of the split 1 1/8-mile Grade 2 Risen Star at Fair Grounds on February 15 (won by Modernist), Ny Traffic followed a script that has served him well ever since: break aggressively, race on or near the lead and never throw in the towel.
In the Risen Star, Ny Traffic led the pack through three-quarters of a mile. After he was passed by Modernist, he stayed in the fight to the wire, finishing a gritty third after being also passed by a closing Major Fed.
Returning in the 1 3/16-mile, Grade 2 Louisiana Derby on March 21, Ny Traffic challenged leader Wells Bayou for the length of the race and refused to be shaken off as the pair raced one-two around the track. Wells Bayou was 1 1/2-lengths better that day, but Ny Traffic was decidedly “best of the rest,” finishing 2 3/4 lengths ahead of Major Fed in third.
On the Saturday of Churchill Downs’ opening weekend, Ny Traffic tried out his fifth racetrack in eight career starts. This time he was pitted against another field of top-flight Kentucky Derby aspirants in the Grade 3, $150,000 Matt Winn Stakes. This first race in the reconstituted Road to the Kentucky Derby, run at 1 1/16 miles under the twin spires, was worth 50-20-10-5 points for the top four finishers.
Paco Lopez had the call aboard the grey for the first time. At the time of the draw Joseph commented, “The [Matt Winn] fits for us, schedule-wise. We’d like to run him in one more prep after this and hopefully pick up some more Derby points along the way.” And pick up points they did.
Ny Traffic garnered more respect from Winn bettors than he did in his first two Derby preps. Sent off at 11-1 in the Risen Star and 26-1 in Louisiana Derby, the grey was hammered down late from his 10-1 morning line to be the 7-2 third choice behind headliners Maxfield and Pneumatic.
First out of the gate from mid-pack at the bell, Ny Traffic set up in third three wide in the first turn and up the backstretch, pressing longshot leader Celtic Striker and parked outside undefeated third-time starter Pneumatic at the rail. Favored Maxfield broke poorly in his much-anticipated sophomore debut and occupied the tail end of the leading group of eight through the first half mile in 48.21.
Up front Celtic Striker tired midway through the far turn, leaving Ny Traffic and Pneumatic to vie for the lead. Ny Traffic led by the quarter pole. Meanwhile Maxfield was winding up, picking off horses on the outside.
Pneumatic cut the corner and gained a brief advantage in upper stretch before Ny Traffic dug down again to gain the top spot with a furlong to go, but Maxfield kept barreling home on the outside.
The final furlong was a thrill as all three horses stayed in the fight, but Maxfield was ultimately able to clear Ny Traffic, who lugged out slightly, before going on to win by a length. Ny Traffic finished second, three-quarters of a length ahead of Pneumatic. The final time was 1:43.05.
With 20 more points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby for the Matt Winn, Ny Traffic has quietly amassed at total of 70 points, good for a co-seventh on the leaderboard.
Joseph, Jr. commented on Sunday to NYRA Communications, “[The Matt Winn] was a very important race and he was beaten by an exceptional horse. We’re thankful we have enough points now to get into the Derby.”
The conditioner reported that Ny Traffic came out of the race well and he is weighing a start in the 1 1/8-mile Belmont Stakes, which kicks off 2020’s unique Triple Crown series on June 20
“[Ny Traffic]’s doing good. My assistant is [at Gulfstream] with him and said he came out of the race well. We haven’t made a decision yet regarding the Belmont. That’s going to be down to how the horse is doing and the owner’s choice. We probably won’t make a decision for another 10 days at least.”
Joseph added, “Trip wise, I think that would be perfect for him. It’s just a matter of the timing with the race being four weeks out. It’s something we’ll have to consider, but we’re not going to rush a decision.”
From two wins, two seconds and two thirds in eight starts, Ny Traffic has earned $365,470.
Endnotes:- [Image]: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/MAXFIELD-Ny-Traffic-The-Matt-Winn.jpg
- Gallagher’s Stud: https://gallaghersstud.com/
Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2020/05/24/ny-traffic-merges-decisively-into-derby-bound-lane/
Letter to the Editor: Robert Fierro on Steve DiMauro in the TDN
[1]
©Horsephotos
By Robert D. Fierro (TDN)
Everyone whose life he touched was no doubt touched in many ways upon hearing of the passing of Steve DiMauro. That would include many memories of his training accomplishments with Wajima, Lady Pitt, Dearly Precious, et al, and his place in the Hall of Fame-as well as the fact that he basically “discovered” jockey Richard Migliore.
And I could not imagine that anyone who was touched by him remembers him with anything other than respect and fondness.
That goes double and triple for yours truly because he was an exceptional, though very understated, influence in my involvement with the New York breeding program with which I became involved in the early 1980s when he was President of New York Thoroughbred Breeders.
I was just starting out very modestly when Steve sort of encouraged me, with an occasional nod if not a wink, to add my promotional talents to the hands-on experience of other members of the board of directors. To say I was astonished would be an understatement: The only thing I had in common with him was an Italian heritage, although his demeanor and approach to life may have seemed far from what (still at that time) was the stereotype of “our people” in the industry, and in the country at large, i.e., overly expressive people who talked with their hands along with their somewhat robust mouths.
That stereotype was the complete opposite of what I had come to learn and understand was the essential quality of a man of Italian heritage-pazienza, which means exactly what you think it means: He was a man of patience in a business, and culture, which were beginning to depend on short cuts.
Without realizing it at the time, his steady hand as leader of the breeders during a time of turbulence involving both the state government and the racing executives set the stage for others who followed him to adopt some of his wait-and-see style, a style which was usually backed up with a few behind the scenes nudges that helped achieve our goals.
His way of going, so to speak, allowed his successor Paul Schosberg, and Paul’s successor (me) to temper our impatience at times by calling on Steve for advice, which was given with a bit of an arched eyebrow, cryptic insight, and always a smile. I didn’t realize it but he was much like my father who wore out his own eyebrows with the pazienza he had (don’t ask).
His lovely and adoring wife Kathryn and his always friendly and quite accomplished trainer and now Gulfstream steward son Steve shared a heritage that husband and father displayed quietly every time you came into his presence. If he were part of the game today at the same age that he was when I first met him most people would refer to him as “cool.”
If he had ever heard that, he would no doubt arch that eyebrow-and then burst out laughing.
Bravo, Stefano, bravo!
Endnotes:- [Image]: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/DiMauro_Steve_WEB_horsephotos.jpg
Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2020/05/24/robert-fierro-on-steve-dimauro-in-the-tdn/
Champion trainer & NYTB past President Stephen A. DiMauro passes away at 87
By Matt Hegarty, courtesy DRF.com
Stephen A. DiMauro, a champion trainer and a breeder who also was highly involved in the New York backstretch community, died on Wednesday night at his home in Winter Park, Fla., after a long illness, according to his son, Stephen L. DiMauro. He was 87.
A native of New Jersey, DiMauro started his career as a jockey in 1952, but in 1959 he turned to training. He trained his first champion, 1966 3-year-old filly champion Lady Pitt, just seven years later, and in 1975, he guided Dearly Precious to the champion 2-year-old filly title and Wajima to the champion 3-year-old male title, earning the Eclipse Award for the country’s top trainer in the process.
Although he amassed 1,159 wins and $23.2 million in earnings in a career that stretched from 1959 until 2002, DiMauro was also well known for his tutelage of young racetrackers, including Richard Migliore, the champion apprentice jockey of 1981, who went on to win 4,450 races in a 30-year-career.
“He took a chance on a 14-year-old kid and made a profound difference in my life,” Migliore said on Twitter, calling DiMauro his “mentor.”
DiMauro was also heavily involved in the New York backstretch community, serving on the board of directors of the New York Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association, the New York Backstretch Pension Fund, and [served as President and Director of the New York Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc. (NYTB)].
DiMauro said that during his father’s training career, he bought a farm on Long Island, a farm in Kentucky, and a farm in Ocala, Florida. He would breed his mares in New York to qualify them for the New York-bred program, send the foals to Kentucky for breaking, and then to Ocala for training.
“He thought he wanted New York-breds, and he thought Kentucky was the best place to bring them up, and that Ocala was the best place to get them ready,” his son, who trained until 2016, said. “That was just him all the way. He did everything 110 percent.”
His son said that he always respected and admired his father for the way he conducted himself, and that he taught him “patience, not just with horses, but with everything in life.”
“I admired him, I respected him, and I looked up to him,” his son said. “I couldn’t have accomplished half of what he did.”
Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2020/05/21/champion-trainer-stephen-a-dimauro-passes-away-at-87/
NYRA’s revised schedule for 25-day Belmont spring/summer meet heralds return of NY-bred stakes action
[1]By Sarah Mace
The New York Racing Association (NYRA) has announced the stakes schedule for an abbreviated 25-day Belmont spring/summer meet which will run from Wednesday, June 3 through Sunday July 12.
As the connections of Empire State-breds will be pleased to discover, the six New York-Bred Big Apple Showcase races, originally scheduled to be run together on May 25, have been seeded throughout June and July on the new schedule. Moreover, we know that team Tiz the Law is pointing to the historic 152nd renewal of the Grade 1, $1 million Belmont Stakes which will take place on Saturday, June 20.
Originally scheduled for 51 days from April 24 through July 12, the shorter Belmont spring/summer meet will offer at least one stakes race each day. Following a five-day opening week, live racing will be conducted Thursday through Sunday.
The six New York-Bred Big Apple Showcase races will be run singly in June and July as follows:
Friday, June 12: Commentator H. (NYB) $125,000 3&UP 1 Mile
Sunday, June 14: Mike Lee (NYB) $100,000 3YO 7 Furlongs
Thursday, June 18: Critical Eye H. (NYB) $125,000 F&M 3&UP 1 Mile
Sunday, June 28: Bouwerie (NYB) $100,000 F3YO 7 Furlongs
Thursday, July 2: Mount Vernon (NYB) $100,000 F&M 4&UP 1 Mile (Turf)
Sunday, July 5: Kingston (NYB) $100,000 4&UP 1 1/16 (Turf)
The new Belmont schedule also adds a pair of overnight sprint stakes on grass restricted to New York-breds, which are named for New York-bred turf luminaries Hessonite and Banrock.
Friday, June 26: Hessonite (NYB) 75,000 F&M 4&UP 6 Furlongs (Turf)
Thursday, July 9: Banrock (NYB) 75,000 4&UP 6 Furlongs (Turf)
The centerpiece of the meet will of course be the 152nd renewal of the Grade 1, $1 million Belmont Stakes. The race will be contested at nine furlongs, rather than the traditional 1 1/2-mile distance established in 1926. For the first time in history, it will serve as the opening leg of the Triple Crown.
Sackatoga Stable and trainer Barclay Tagg have been pointing star New York-bred sophomore Tiz the Law to this historic contest since shortly after his victory in the Grade 1, $750,000 Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park on March 28, which they had to celebrate remotely. The Constitution colt is posting regular works at Palm Meadows and will ship to New York on or around June 1.
Endnotes:- [Image]: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/NYRA_large-logo-for-enews_HR.jpg
Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2020/05/19/nyras-revised-schedule-belmont-spring-summer/
Finger Lakes opens backside for training June 1
[1]Finger Lakes Gaming & Racetrack announced May 18 that the Farmington track will open for training June 1. In the coming days the track will apply to the New York Gaming Commission to resume live racing July 13 without the presence of spectators.
“It is anticipated that trainers will use the next six weeks to condition and ready their horses for the live racing season,” read the statement. “In accordance with the state’s order in response to COVID-19, Finger Lakes remains temporarily closed, including for gaming, simulcast wagering, events, and dining.
“Prior to suspending operations in March, we worked to protect public health by following U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines on sanitizing protocols and cleaning throughout our venue. Our planning for reopening has been focused on a comprehensive program that features additional ways that we will help keep our guests and employees safe from COVID-19. We will provide more information on that program ahead of reopening as we continue to consult with local and state government officials.”
Endnotes:- [Image]: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/finger-lakes-casino-racetrack-logo.jpg
Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2020/05/19/finger-lakes-backside-june-1/
Niko’s Dream gets up in time to upset Gulfstream AOC for team Sackatoga
[1]
Coglianese Photos / Lauren King
By Sarah Mace
On the Sunday of what would have been Preakness weekend – had the traditional Triple Crown schedule not been scrambled courtesy of COVID-19 – Sackatoga Stable and trainer Barclay Tagg got a nice boost at Gulfstream Park while patiently awaiting the time when their star sophomore Tiz the Law can compete in the 2020 classics. Niko’s Dream, a 4-year-old filly by New York sire Central Banker with solid back class, got up just in time to defeat a strong field of eight in a first-level allowance / optional claiming contest run at 1 1/6 miles over “good” turf.
Fifth choice in the wagering at 11-1 odds behind higher profile rivals, Niko’s Dream brought consistency and back class to the race. Already on her resume were seven placings in 11 prior starts (all on turf), including a pair of runner-up finishes to the talented Kid Is Frosty in divisions of the New York Stallion Stakes Series last summer: Belmont’s Cupecoy’s Joy, where she missed by a neck, and Saratoga’s Statue of Liberty where she finished three lengths back. Dylan Davis, aboard for the filly’s seasonal debut on March 20, a fifth-place finish just two lengths behind the winner at the same trip at Gulfstream, had the call.
Drawn in post six (of eight), Niko’s Dream was outrun in the trip to the clubhouse turn, traveling about eight lengths off the pace with only one horse beaten, but securing a ground-saving trip around the bend. Patient early in the backstretch run, Niko’s Dream tugged her way into the midst of the mid-pack scrum as the half went in 47.92.
Advancing into contention in the turn three-wide, but stuck behind a wall of five horses, Niko’s Dream angled out widest of all for the sprint home and launched her bid.
By mid-stretch Niko’s Dream had four horses left to pass and two lengths to make up. She lowered her head, stretched out her neck and lengthened her stride to erase the deficit and, ultimately, get up to win by a neck. She completed the 1 1/16 miles in a sharp 1:41.58.
Hotsy Totsy, a Christophe Clement trainee coming off a long layoff and the 3-2 favorite, was second in the blanket finish, followed a head back by Music of Life and Isla Road, who dead-heated for third.
The victory improved Niko’s Dream’s record to three wins, four seconds and third in 12 starts and boosted her bankroll to $196,050.
Bred by Nick Peros, Niko’s Dream is the first foal out of Adriatic Dream, New York-bred daughter of Wild Desert who was stakes placed on turf. She has produced two full sisters to Niko’s Dream, Adriatic Holiday and Adriatic Rose, and yearling colt by Laoban.
Niko’s Dream was offered once at public auction, the 2017 OBS October yearling sale, where she was a $32,000 buyback.
Endnotes:- [Image]: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Nikos-Dream-credit-Lauren-King.jpg
Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2020/05/18/nikos-drea-gulfstream-aoc/
Hot Mist & Bok Choy produce NY-flavored exacta in Tampa MSW; Bustin Stones sires winner of Gulfstream’s Powder Break
[1]
Hot Mist, first foal o/o Hot Stones (SV Photography)
By Sarah Mace
While the New York Thoroughbred racing and breeding industries were still reveling Saturday in Governor Cuomo’s announcement that horse racing can resume in New York as early as June 1, more than a thousand miles away, New York-connected horses were celebrating in their own way on the Florida ovals.
A pair of first-time starters injected a strong New York flavor into a maiden special weight for 3-year-old fillies at Tampa Bay Downs on Florida’s west coast. Across the state, at Gulfstream Park, New York sire Bustin Stones got another feather in his progeny cap when his PA-bred 5-year-old daughter Jakarta upset the $75,000, Powder Break Stakes.
The debut maiden-breaker, Pennsylvania-bred Hot Mist by Tonalist, is the first foal out New York-bred graded stakes winner Hot Stones. Hot Mist rallied from fifth as the 8-5 favorite to win the seven-furlong contest for West Point Thoroughbreds and trainer Christophe Clement.
During her racing career, Hot Stones had the distinction of giving New York sire Bustin Stones[2] (Waldorf Farm) his first stakes winner when she got up in the final stride to capture Belmont’s Grade 3 Bed o’ Roses Handicap in 2014. The following year Hot Stones won the Saratoga Dew at the Spa. Bred by Jerry Bilinski and Roddy Valente and campaigned by Valente and partners, the mare won eight races in 19 starts and retired with $521,356 in earnings.
Hot Stones changed hands twice since being retired in 2015, going first to Raylan Givens for $200,000 at the 2016 Keeneland January Sale and purchased later in the year at the Keeneland November sale by Clarkland Farm for $250,000. West Point went to $110,000 to purchase the filly at the 2018 Keeneland September sale.
The runner-up to Hot Mist in that same maiden special was New York-bred Bok Choy. Out-performing her 14-1 odds, she delivered a strong and determined performance for trainer Roy Lerman, dispatching the pacesetter early and yielding late to make the favorite work for her 2 1/2-length win.
Bok Choy, a dark bay brown filly by Shanghai Bobby is a homebred for Lambholm and Ella Fletcher. She is the seventh winner from 10 foals start out of veteran producer Clever Me, an unraced Florida-bred daughter of Not For Love, whose Pomeroy gelding Papa’s Paisley is a six-figure earner, In training at Saratoga as a juvenile last summer, Bok Choy tuned up for her debut with a steady series of moves at Tampa dating back to late march.
Later that afternoon on Florida’s opposite coast, Bustin Stones[2] (Waldorf Farm) got another feather in his progeny cap at Gulfstream Park when his 5-year-old PA-bred daughter Jakarta upset the $75,000, Powder Break Stakes, originally scheduled for the turf and run at one mile on a muddy harrowed track labeled “fast.” She led at every pole, eventually kicking away to win by 2 1/4 lengths. Bred by Arrowwood Farm, Jakarta was purchased by her owner Three Diamonds Farm for only $35,000 at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic December mixed sale.
Sent off at odds of 11-1, the Mike Maker-trainee came into the race in sharp form, having wired her seasonal debut, a five-furlong sprint on turf in her first start for the Maker barn. She had previously run exclusively on dirt. Winner of her 2019 debut at Penn National, Jakarta has won six of 11 races and earned $159,986.
Endnotes:- [Image]: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/5-16-20-R2-Hot-Mist.jpg
- Bustin Stones: https://www.bloodhorse.com/stallion-register/nytb/stallion/126394/bustin-stones
Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2020/05/17/hot-mist-and-bok-choy-tampa-msw-bustin-stones-power-break/
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