Dream Tree owners to give percentage of winnings to San Luis Rey recovery

Dream Tree remained unbeaten with her victory in the Grade 1 Starlet Stakes Saturday at Los Alamitos, and captured the first Grade 1 for the rising Phoenix Thoroughbreds. The partnership, a major player in the U.S. sales market this season, promptly joined the ranks of those paying it forward, donating some of the prize money from the Starlet to those affected by last week’s fire at the San Luis Rey Downs training center.

“Christmas came early,” bloodstock agent Kerri Radcliffe, who represents the partnership, said on Twitter. “Very emotional that Dream Tree won [our] first Grade 1. We have donated a huge percentage of prize money to San Luis Rey.”

Radcliffe’s name on behalf of Phoenix appeared at the top of buyer lists with greater frequency in 2017. Amer Abdulaziz serves as chief executive of the company, which includes several major investors from around the globe, and employs Bob Baffert and Jeremy Noseda as primary trainers.

The operation announced itself during the spring juvenile sales, highlighted by the purchase of a $1.7 million Congrats filly who topped the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co. March sale. The filly, Diamondsandpearls, won her debut in July before finishing fourth in the Grade 2 Sorrento Stakes. Dream Tree, by Uncle Mo, was a $750,000 purchase out of the Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream sale.

Radcliffe made six purchases totaling $3.95 million at the boutique Fasig-Tipton Saratoga selected yearling sale, including a $1 million Orb colt who co-topped the sale. She signed for seven yearlings, alone or in partnership, for $6.35 million at the Keeneland September sale, with a trio of seven-figure purchases led by a $1.1 million War Front colt.