Balmoral: Sunday 9/20 Analysis
Jeremey Day's analysis of the Sunday 9/20 card at Balmoral Park.
Jeremey DaySep 18, 2015
Jeremey Day's analysis of the Sunday 9/20 card at Balmoral Park.
Mandy Pope has become one of the North American Thoroughbred auction scene’s most recognizable figures in recent years while building a broodmare band full of big names and big price tags. The road to recouping on that significant investment began in Book 1 of the Keeneland September yearling sale, when the first foals from several of Pope’s high-dollar broodmare purchases went through the sales ring. Some were out of veteran broodmares foaling for the first time under the banner of Pope’s Whisper Hill Farm, while others were highly anticipated debut foals by younger mares.
Florent Geroux was named to ride Saturday at Parx and therefore missed the last program of the five-day Kentucky Downs meet, but what the 29-year-old Frenchman accomplished at the south-central Kentucky track this month was nothing short of remarkable.
Work All Week breezed a half-mile in 48 seconds Friday morning at Churchill in preparation for the Phoenix Stakes on opening day (Oct. 2) of the Keeneland fall meet.
Here we go again. Another study on the effects of Lasix will be undertaken. No, make that two more studies.
Pauls Mill, a Versailles, Ky., stallion, boarding, and sales consignment operation is listed for sale with an $8.5-million asking price.
With the stewards at Hastings ruling C U At Eau Claire is not eligible to run in the $100,000 Sadie Diamond Futurity for 2-year-old fillies Sunday, the role of the favorite will shift to Snuggles.
Dual leading American sire Storm Cat sired a worthy successor in three-time leading sire Giant’s Causeway, who with the help of other successful sons such as Hennessy and Tale of the Cat, has continued a thriving male line, but Storm Cat did sire two other leading sires. His son Bernstein topped the Argentine sire list in 2006 and 2007, and Pure Prize led the same list in each of the last two years. Both Bernstein and Pure Prize also have enjoyed some success in their native land, though not quite at the same level. The most recent success came in the victory of Pure Prize’s daughter Dothraki Queen in the Grade 2 Pocahontas Stakes on Sept. 12 at Churchill Downs.
American Pharoah is among the 32 nominees to the Lukas Classic, one of three stakes to be run at Churchill Downs next Saturday (Sept. 26), but the nomination by trainer Bob Baffert appears to be a provisional one at best. Instead, the likely favorite could be Golden Lad, a winner of three stakes this year for Todd Pletcher.
Heritage Place in Oklahoma City has cataloged 128 horses to its fourth annual Thoroughbred sale, which will feature a special session for yearlings.