Dancing in Silks retired from racing once again

DEL MAR, Calif. – Dancing in Silks, winner of the 2009 Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Santa Anita, has been retired – again.

Winless in 12 starts since the 2009 BC Sprint, Dancing in Silks made his final start at the Betfair Hollywood Park meeting, finishing eighth in the Robert Kerlan Handicap for turf sprinters on July 1. In recent months, he has resided at trainer Anthony Saavedra’s home near Santa Anita, where he is expected to spend the winter.

“No more racing,” Saavedra said of Dancing in Silks earlier this week.

“He’ll layup at our house,” Saavedra said. “He’ll probably spend the winter with us.”

A California-bred by Black Minnaloushe, Dancing in Silks won 7 of 25 starts and $1,500,401.

Saavedra said that owner Ken Kinakin is planning to move Dancing in Silks closer to his home in British Columbia in future summers when the weather is nicer in that part of the continent. Saavedra was Dancing in Silks’s third trainer in the last three years.

Carla Gaines trained Dancing in Silks for his win in the BC Sprint and through 2010. In the winter of 2010-11, Dancing in Silks was transferred to trainer Kathy Walsh.

The gelding made three starts for Walsh in early 2011 before it was announced that he was retired after a series of disappointing performances. The decision was reversed last December when Dancing in Silks joined Saavedra’s stable.

For Saavedra, Dancing in Silks made four starts, with his best finish a fourth in the Joe Hernandez Stakes at Santa Anita in March.

Since his retirement, Dancing in Silks has shared a paddock with another California-bred stakes winner, Shadow of Illinois, 12, who was retired in 2011.

“They’re kicking it at the house right now,” Saavedra said.

Barretts has 236 yearlings for October sale

Barretts announced earlier this week that 236 yearlings will be offered at the company’s annual October sale on Oct. 9.

The catalog is slightly lower than the 253 that were in the catalog for the 2011 October yearling sale. That sale had an average of $16,881 for 154 sold, compared to an average of $14,128 in 2010.

Of the 236 horses in the 2012 catalog, 200 are California-breds.

At least two yearlings from the 2011 sale, both colts by Tribal Rule, are among the expected starters for Monday’s $150,000 I’m Smokin Stakes for California-bred 2-year-olds at Del Mar.

Strong Wind, purchased for $24,000 by trainer Steve Knapp, and The Humancomplaint, sold twice at Barretts in the last year, are among the entrants for the six-furlong race.

Strong Wind won the division’s first stakes at Del Mar, the $100,000 Graduation Stakes on Aug. 1.

The Humancomplaint has started once, finishing a fast-closing second in a maiden race for California-breds on Aug. 4. Trained by Ben Cecil for Paul Reddam, The Humancomplaint was sold for $37,000 at the 2011 yearling sale and then pinhooked at the March 2-year-olds in training sale, where he was sold for $105,000.

Two other I’m Smokin candidates were sold at Barretts as weanlings in 2010 as part of a breeding stock dispersal by Pam and Marty Wygod.

Native Treasure, by Tribal Rule, was sold for $2,200 to trainer Ed Moger Jr., who is part of a partnership that owns the colt. Native Treasure placed in two minor stakes in Northern California earlier this year.

Life a Riley, by Bertrando, was sold for $18,000 to Narvick International in 2010, but was eventually retained by the Wygods. The colt won a maiden race at Del Mar on Aug. 19.