Trainer Todd Pletcher continued his strong early start Thursday at Saratoga Race Course in the historic track’s fifth race on the card, when Our Amazing Rose, a $325,000 purchase by owner Mike Repole at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co. March selected 2-year-olds in training sale, romped by 7 3/4 lengths in her career debut.
Unbridled Express, a Grade 1-placed winner and Indiana-based sire, was represented by his first winner Wednesday night when the 2-year-old filly Express Model scored at Indiana Downs.
Express Model, a gray or roan filly homebred by LTB Inc. and Hillerich Racing LLC, stalked the pace and drew off powerfully to win by 4 3/4 lengths. She covered five furlongs in 1:01.07 on a fast track. The filly had previously finished sixth in her career debut June 6 at Churchill Downs.
So You Think, a world-travelling Group 1 winner, sired his first foal on July 25, when Soft Landing produced a colt at Bell View Park in Australia, Coolmore Stud reported on Twitter.
A New Zealand-bred son of High Chaparral, So You Think stands the Southern Hemisphere season at Coolmore’s Australian division in Jerry’s Plains, New South Wales, for an advertised fee of $60,605 ($66,000 Australian). He stands the Northern Hemisphere season at Coolmore’s Irish base in Co. Tipperary for $23,140 (17,500 Euros).
Coolmore’s champion St Nicholas Abbey, who underwent surgery Wednesday to repair a fractured pastern, is “well and comfortable” but remains in intensive care, according to a Thursday morning update that Coolmore released via Twitter.
The 6-year-old Montjeu horse fractured a pastern Tuesday morning during training with Aidan O’Brien at Ballydoyle in Ireland.
Behrens, a three-time Grade 1 winner with more than $4.5 million in earnings, has retired from stud duty in California, Ellen Jackson of Victory Rose Thoroughbreds confirmed Wednesday. Plans call for him to reside at the Old Friends at Cabin Creek facility in New York.
Grade 1 winner Desert Blanc was successful in his return to racing after a season at stud earlier this year, winning a weight-for-age race in France on Monday.
The 5-year-old son of Desert Style covered just three mares during the 2013 breeding season according to a report in Racing Post, prompting a return to the track He began his stallion career at Haras du Hoguenet in Lessard-et-le-Chêne for an advertised fee of $4,630 (3,500 Euros).
Local standout and freshman sire Nationhood was represented by his first winner at stud on July 13 when Zafari Nation won a maiden claiming race at Emerald Downs by 1 1/2 lengths.
The 2-year-old bay filly completed the 4 1/2-furlong race in :53.83 seconds over a fast track. Homebred in Washington by Karen Angelos and Keith Swagerty, and also co-owned by Terry Pierce, Zafari Nation is out of the multiple stakes-winning Jazzing Around mare A Jazzy Venture.
Six-time Grade 1 and Group 1 winner St Nicholas Abbey, who had been favored to win the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes this Saturday, fractured a pastern during training Tuesday in Ireland and is scheduled to undergo surgery Wednesday, according to Coolmore Stud. On Tuesday afternoon, Coolmore Stud tweeted that the operation to stabilize the fracture “will be long and complicated.”
“We will need a bit of luck, so fingers crossed for St Nicholas Abbey,” the tweet concluded.
The opening of Saratoga and Del Mar, respectively, signaled an upturn in graded stakes action around North America that will last through Labor Day as the popular summer meets in upstate New York and Southern California kicked off with stellar racing. Perhaps the most impressive performance of the weekend, however, came on Saturday at Delaware Park, as champion Royal Delta rebounded from a subpar performance last out with an absolutely dominating win in the Grade 1 Delaware Handicap.
