Dakota Gold leads 1-3 finish for NY-breds in Nownownow

By Tom Law

Trainer Danny Gargan made the trip to the Jersey Shore looking for one thing Sunday afternoon.

“When we came here, we were hoping to be 1-2 for the Breeders’ Cup,” Gargan said after the featured $500,000 Nownownow Stakes on the Closing Day card at Monmouth Park. “So, as long as everything comes out well from here, hopefully we’ll go to Del Mar.”

Better book the flight.

Gargan and owners Dean and Patti Reeves have reason to look ahead to the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Del Mar after Dakota Gold ran his record to 2-for-2 with a powerful victory over open company in the Nownownow for 2-year-olds on the grass.

Ridden by 23-year-old Isaac Castillo, Dakota Gold tracked in mid-pack early, followed the moves of fellow New York-bred and 4-5 favorite Coinage for three quarters of the 1-mile turf stakes and rolled through the lane to a 2 1/2-length victory over Royal Spirit. Coinage, winner of the Grade 3 With Anticipation Stakes Sept. 1 at Saratoga Race Course, finished third in the field of nine.

“Tremendous ride,” Gargan said after Castillo rode Dakota Gold to victory in 1:36.31 over the turf rated good.

The 5-1 second choice, Dakota Gold came into the Nownownow off a 4 1/2-length victory in an off-the-turf open-company maiden race going 5 1/2 furlongs Sept. 2 at Saratoga.

“We trained him on the grass, so that’s where we were looking to get him started,” Gargan said. “He’s a nice quality colt. Just a beautiful animal. We ran him against open company the first time because the timing was right and we wanted to get a race in him. We had him ready.

“When it came off the turf we knew he had also worked well on the dirt so we were fine with it.”

Gargan said he would have been comfortable running the son of Freud on either the dirt or turf Sunday. The weather cooperated the left the Nownownow, boosted from its original $150,000 purse to entice potential Breeders’ Cup hopefuls to use the race as a final prep before going to California in early November, on the grass.

“I just couldn’t wait to get him on the grass,” Gargan said. “We knew he had this kind of turn of foot on the grass. There was some pace in the race and he just flew by. When the jockey asked him he just galloped by. It was pretty impressive. You get lucky and get a horse like this once in a while. I think this horse has as much talent as any younger horse I’ve ever had.”

Grooms All Bizness and Pure Panic set the early pace before There Are No Words and jockey Jose Ferrer took over with a 2 1/2-length lead through the opening half-mile in :45.56. Grooms All Bizness and Pure Panic tracked behind the leader at that point, with Coinage and jockey Junior Alvarado tracking about three paths off the fence. Castillo also kept Dakota Gold in the clear and well off the rail up the backstretch, and followed Coinage’s move around the far turn as There Are No Words passed the 6-furlong mark in 1:10.82.

There Are No Words’ lead didn’t last long in the lane as Dakota Gold uncorked from fifth while four wide. Dakota Gold opened up past the eighth pole while Royal Spirit rallied for the place spot, 6 lengths clear of Coinage.

“There was a New York-bred race today at Belmont at seventh-eighths on the dirt,” Gargan said of the Bertram F. Bongard. “Dean and I discussed it and I really wanted to run here. I’m just glad I got the opportunity to do it and Dean gave me a chance. I told him if we win this we can go to the Breeders’ Cup, so I think Dean is going to let me going to the Breeders’ Cup.”

Bred by Sequel Thoroughbreds and Ron Bowden and foaled at The New Hill Farm in Hoosick Falls, Dakota Gold became the 72nd stakes winner sired by longtime leading New York sire Freud in the Nownownow. A 23-year-old son of Storm Cat who stands for $5,000 at Sequel Stallions New York in Hudson, Freud came into the day third on the New York general sire list and the $300,000 earned Sunday by Dakota Gold figures to move him into second in the final days of September.

Dakota Gold is the second foal out of the winning Lemon Drop Kid mare Dakota Kid. A half-sister to Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile winner and $1,282,810-earner Dakota Phone, Dakota Kid is also the dam of the unraced 3-year-old Freud filly Dakota Dancer currently in training at Belmont Park. Reeves Thoroughbred Racing purchased Dakota Gold as a weanling selling as Hip 106[2] for $83,000 out of The New Hill Farm’s consignment at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga fall mixed sale.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2021/09/26/dakota-gold-leads-1-2-finish-for-ny-breds-in-nownownow/

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Shipsational bounces back in Bertram F. Bongard

By Tom Law

Eddie Barker walked out of his Saratoga barn office the last Friday of the recent meeting, welcomed a writer looking for horses to include in the Fasig-Tipton Stable Tour with the Little Guys and stepped into the sunshine of Clare Court to start the annual visit.

Barker talked first about his lone winner at the meet, the 2-year-old New York-bred Midshipman colt Shipsational purchased in March for six figures, before extolling the positives of six other members of his small stable. After about 15 minutes of talking about the promising and proven members of the string, good and bad beats at the windows and the positive vibes of Saratoga, Barker returned to his shedrow and found himself in front of Shipsational’s stall.

“You have to watch his race in the Funny Cide,” Barker said of the race that came exactly a week before, when Shipsational finished fourth. “He got in all kinds of trouble. He really ran a giant race.”

Shipsational finished fourth, beaten 4 1/2 lengths by Senbei, in the Funny Cide Stakes on New York Showcase Day, somewhat remarkable considering he was bumped and knocked sideways twice in the first 40 yards. He encountered no such trouble Sunday at Belmont Park, where he turned the tables on Senbei with a 2-length victory in the $139,500 Bertram F. Bongard Stakes for 2-year-old New York-breds.

“He’s a really nice, nice colt,” Barker said after Shipsational won in 1:23.64. “He’s trained well since the day we got him. He’s going to be a special New York-bred. The last race was a throw out. He had trained super coming into this race and I am really, really happy for Mrs. Iris Smith and the whole team.”

Shipsational improved to 2-for-3 in the 7-furlong Bongard, adding the stakes to his impressive 6 3/4-length debut victory during opening weekend at Saratoga. He also picked up $82,500 for owner Iris Smith Stable.

Senbei went to the post at 4-5 and took the lead from the outset. The Funny Cide winner and jockey Manny Franco led by 1 1/2 lengths through the opening quarter-mile while Whittington Park and Shipsational battled side-by-side in second and third. Senbei still led by a length through the half in :46.48 while Sensational edged away from Whittington Park and into contention around the turn.

Saez stayed busy on Shipsational into the stretch while Franco called on Senbei. Shipsational pulled alongside between the eighth and sixteenth poles and edged away just outside the sixteenth.

“We had to work a little bit, but he gave me a good kick. He ran pretty great,” Saez said. “Last time, he had a lot of trouble in the race. He missed the break and got bothered a lot. Today, things went our way. He got a good break, he was right there and he won.”

Senbei, the 4-5 favorite in the field of five, wound up 16 1/2 lengths clear of the official third-place finisher Surprise Boss after presumptive third Happy Happy B broke down just before the wire and tossed Jose Ortiz. Happy Happy B, a half-brother to graded stakes winner Keepmeinmind, was euthanized on the track and Ortiz took off the remainder of his mounts after reportedly going to the hospital for an examination of his left ankle.

Barker, along with Richard Saba of High Point Bloodstock, picked Shipsational out of the OBS March sale of selected 2-year-olds in training and bought Hip 178[2] for $210,000 for Smith. The chestnut colt had previously sold as a weanling for $27,000 at last year’s Keeneland November breeding stock sale.

“His conformation was flawless, the way he moved, his breeze was flawless and he galloped out really well. He hit all the boxes,” Barker said after that July 18 victory at Saratoga. “He’s been showing it in his training, he’s got a great mind, he does everything right. I’m happy for the owner, she’s been very supportive.”

Smith is the daughter-in-law of Barker’s longtime former client Seymour Smith.

Bred by Diana and the late Bertram Firestone and foaled at Berkshire Stud in Pine Plains, Shipsational is the 10th foal out of the winning Thunder Gulch mare Regal Approach. All nine of Regal Approach’s foals are winners, including her new stakes winner, the $330,753-earning New York-bred First Appeal, $115,821-earner Regal Force and $111,739-earner Rain Forest. Regal Approach’s 2017 foal, the New York-bred Mr Speaker colt, has four wins in 10 starts, $107,120 in earnings and is entered in a 1 1/16-mile turf allowance-optional Sept. 30 at Belmont.

The Firestones raced Regal Approach after purchasing her for $75,000 out of the 2003 Keeneland September yearling sale. She won five of 21 and earned $118,721 for the couple and various trainers including Bill Mott, Jimmy Murphy and Ralph Nicks.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2021/09/26/shipsational-bounces-back-in-bertram-f-bongard/

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