Alwaysmining has won six straight races, including five stakes, at Laurel Park in his home state of Maryland. If he keeps his win streak going in the Preakness Stakes on Saturday, he will become the ninth Maryland-bred and the first in more than three decades to win his state’s signature race.
Maryland-breds to win the Preakness are Cloverbrook (1877), Dunboyne (1887), Refund (1888), Sly Fox (1898), Challedon (1939), Kauai King (1966), Bee Bee Bee (1972), and Deputed Testamony (1983).
Owners and breeders Robert Manfuso and Katy Voss have a long and prolific background in the Maryland racing industry. They are writing one of the latest chapters in their partnership with the broodmare Tanca, a multiple stakes producer.
The mare recorded a rarity in March, as her offspring Cordmaker and Las Setas won stakes on the same day. The two will attempt to take that to a higher level Friday in Baltimore, as Cordmaker will start in the Grade 3 Pimlico Special about a half-hour before Las Setas looks to keep her winning streak going in the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes.
Last year, each passing race in the Triple Crown highlighted the magnitude of the loss of the stallion Scat Daddy, as his son Justify swept through Louisville, Baltimore, and New York undefeated.
There was still one more crop of runners waiting in the wings for Scat Daddy, who had died at Coolmore’s Ashford Stud in Kentucky in December 2015 at age 11. And one of those runners is bound for Baltimore this week.
Alex and JoAnn Lieblong’s home track is Oaklawn Park in their home state of Arkansas. The Lieblongs chose their blue and white racing colors based on their shared alma mater, Conway High School. Alex Lieblong is further involved in the state industry as the chairman of the Arkansas Racing Commission, and the couple was among the leading owners at Oaklawn’s recently concluded meet.
Lookin At Lucky was anything but lucky in the 2010 Kentucky Derby. He got a nightmare trip while breaking from the rail, finishing sixth as the favorite on a sloppy, sealed track. But nine years later, Lookin At Lucky’s longshot son Country House, who broke toward the opposite end of the large field, had a more fortuitous time of things in the Kentucky Derby.
The late, great leading sire Danzig was expected to have an impact on this Kentucky Derby through his son War Front, the most expensive stallion in North America. But War Front ran into bad luck Kentucky Derby week, with morning-line favorite Omaha Beach scratched and War of Will encountering a troubled trip. But the versatile Danzig line still had its point of pride, as Danzig’s son War Chant is the broodmare sire of official victor Country House.
Kentucky Oaks winner Serengeti Empress became the biggest winner yet for her sire, Pin Oak Stud’s homebred stallion Alternation, who continues to perform consistently from his relatively small numbers at stud.
Alternation, by Distorted Humor, was bred and raced by Pin Oak, which also bred and raced his dam and granddam. The millionaire won four graded stakes, taking the Grade 2 Peter Pan as a 3-year-old before winning the Grade 3 Razorback, Grade 2 Oaklawn Handicap, and Grade 2 Pimlico Special in 2012.
Spendthrift Farm has reached a deal to stand Omaha Beach, the likely favorite in this year's Kentucky Derby, upon his retirement from racing.
Omaha Beach is a son of popular international sire War Front, the most expensive stallion in North America with an advertised stud fee of $250,000. The colt races for owner Rick Porter's Fox Hill Farm, which privately purchased him as a yearling after he was a buyback at the Keeneland September yearling sale. He will continue to race in Porter's colors.
The Kentucky Derby Sire Future Wager, which ran concurrently with the first Kentucky Derby Future Wager pool from Nov. 22- 25, may have provided an opportunity for pedigree-savvy handicappers to cash in.
Omaha Beach is the expected Derby favorite off victories in the Arkansas Derby and a division of the Rebel Stakes. Both he and multiple graded stakes winner War of Will are certain to go off at odds lower than that of their sire War Front, who closed at 41-1 in the future wager.
Master Fencer will become the first Japanese-bred to start in the Kentucky Derby. But the colt, who is looking to become the first non-North American-bred to win the classic since British-born Tomy Lee in 1959, is not without Kentucky connections.
