NorCal Sale Preview

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ONLINE BIDDING ADDS DIMENSION TO NORCAL SALE

California-breds make headlines throughout the year at California tracks, with many earning black type. Several of those blacktype runners have siblings available at the California Toroughbred Breeders Association Northern California yearling and horses of racing age sale.

Te CTBA will conduct this year’s edition Tuesday, Aug. 10, at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton beginning at noon. Te horses will be stabled in the permanent barns near the Amador Pavilion. In addition, a $500 travel allowance with a minimum purchase of $3,500 is being ofered to out-of-state trainers and trainers from Southern California with proof of travel who attend the sale.

While the July issue of California Toroughbred discussed the ample sire power available in the catalog, the female families also sport many talented runners, including California-bred champions.

Monument is a good example. Te champion Cal-bred 2-yearold male of 2012, he won that year’s Bob Benoit California Cup Juvenile Stakes. Monument is by Cindago out of the stakes-placed Beautiful Crown mare Grant Marty a Wish and is a half brother to hip #44 in the sale catalog.

Barton Toroughbreds has consigned the flly, who is by Dads Caps. Grant Marty a Wish is also the dam of Cal-bred stakes-placed Drizzy.

Just Grazed Me is one of the many Grazen Calbreds who have posted big earnings numbers, as she has compiled a bankroll of $506,332. Just Grazed Me’s stakes wins include the 2019 Senator Ken Maddy Stakes (G3T) and two editions of the California Distaf Handicap.

Milky Way Farm has a half sister to Just Grazed Me by Danzing Candy in the catalog. Te flly, hip #35, is out of the Cuvee mare Fairway Road, winner of the 2009 Bustles and Bows Stakes.

California Chrome is one of the most famous Cal-bred champions, and he fgures in the pedigree of hip #102 from the Woodbridge Farm consignment. A daughter of champion and California sire I’ll Have Another, the sale flly is out of the Lucky Pulpit

Cal-bred champion 2-year-old male Monument, shown winning Bob Benoit California Cup Juvenile Stakes, is one of several notable runners to have siblings in the sale mare R Sunday Surprise. Te dam is a full sister to California Chrome, being out of California Broodmare of the Year Love the Chase. Woodbridge’s consignment also includes a half brother to Calbred stakes winner Curvy Cat. Hip #22 is by Ministers Wild Cat out of the Distorted Humor mare Curvy Girl. Curvy Cat has earned $386,055 and won the 2013 B. Toughtful Stakes. 2021 2021 NORTHERN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA CALIFORNIA YEARLING YEARLING & & HORSES HORSES OF OF Patriots Rule is another good Cal-bred with RACING RACING AGE AGE SALESALE Tuesday, August 10, 2021 at 12 PM a relative in the catalog. Te gelding earned Alameda County Fairgrounds, 4501 Pleasanton Ave, Pleasanton, CA 94566 $576,173 during his racing career, winning such races as the 2016 California Dreamin’ Stakes and 2015 Crystal Water Stakes. Easterbrook Livestock Management ofers hip #13, a half brother to Patriots Rule by California Chrome. Te colt is out of the stakes-winning ©Benoit Seattle Bound mare Candy Factory, who has also produced Cal-bred graded stakes-placed Tiz a Kiss. Te Northern California catalog will ofer something for everyone, and for the frst time at this sale, prospective buyers can bid online. Te catalog is available for download to devices through Te Jockey Club app, as well as in traditional print format. For further information on the sale, contact Loretta Veiga at (800) 573-2822, ext. 227 or loretta@ctba.com or Christy Chapman at (800) 573-2822, ext. 247 or christy@ctba.com.

© BENOIT PHOTO

George Krikorian

MOVIE THEATER MOGUL FINDS THE STUFF THAT DREAMS ARE MADE OF

BY LENNY SHULMAN

Having been exposed to San Diego before shipping out to Vietnam while in the military, New Hampshire native George Krikorian decided to make California his adopted home when his hitch was over. Successful in real estate and with his self-named chain of movie theaters, Krikorian, the son of a New England trainer, decided to enter the world of Toroughbreds as an owner and breeder.

He has been rewarded with a series of top runners as an owner and has reached a pinnacle in breeding with his recognition by the Toroughbred Owners and Breeders Association as the California Breeder of the Year for 2020.

With a 50-strong band of broodmares divided between California and Kentucky, Krikorian is a commercial breeder whose intent is to sell the horses he breeds at auction. One that didn’t get away, however, is Mucho Unusual (Mucho Macho Man—Not Unusual, by Unusual Heat), whom Krikorian bred and raced in California.

A 4-year-old in 2020, Mucho Unusual won the 10-furlong Rodeo Drive Stakes (G1T) at Santa Anita in September and added the Dec. 27 Robert J. Frankel Stakes (G3T) over nine furlongs to her laurels. With placings in the Gamely Stakes (G1T) and Buena Vista Stakes (G2T) as well, Mucho Unusual racked up a line of 7-2-0-3 and earnings of $317,333 for the season. For these accomplishments, she was named California-bred Horse of the Year for 2020 and was further honored as California’s champion older female and champion turf horse.

Krikorian was not fnished on the year, however. Having sent the Into Mischief mare Perched to his stallion Mr. Big, Krikorian bred Big Fish, who was a 2-year-old gelding in 2020. Racing for Legacy Ranch, Big Fish broke his maiden at Del Mar in August and returned less than three weeks later to score in the Del Mar Juvenile Turf Stakes. Big Fish earned the title of Cal-bred co-champion 2-year-old male for the season, in which he picked up $119,018 in purses. Big Fish has returned in 2021 to win the Cal Cup Derby.

Big Sweep is another product of Krikorian’s breeding program. Another son of Mr. Big, out of the City Zip mare Misszippityslewda, Big Sweep, a 3-year-old flly in 2020, broke her maiden

and then scored victories in the Echo Eddie Stakes at Santa Anita and the Fleet Treat Stakes at Del Mar, earning $212,750 on the year for owners Red Baron’s Barn and Rancho Temescal. Mr. Big, owned and raced by Krikorian, is a son of Dynaformer who enjoyed just a modest race career with two victories. However, Krikorian decided to breed mares to him, and the stallion began siring winners from modest stock. He has since turned into a highly productive stallion in the Golden State while standing at Rancho Temescal. “Te Cal-bred program is very lucrative, and I enjoy taking part in it and supporting California breeding and racing,” Krikorian said. “We had a great year in regard to these stakes wins. I plan the matings for all my mares, and while I’m no pedigree expert, I’m always trying to fnd the best matches for them. We’ve had some good luck.” Krikorian enjoyed another huge victory as a breeder in 2020. Hollywood Story, Krikorian’s frst grade 1 winner as an owner when she won the Hollywood Starlet Stakes, is now a broodmare at his Starwood Farm near Lexington, Ky. Sent to Honor Code, Hollywood Story produced a ridgling who sold to CRK Stable for $850,000 as a yearling. Named Honor A.P., he won the 2020 Santa Anita Derby (G1) and ran fourth in the Kentucky Derby (G1). Krikorian also bred the Paynter flly Ring Leader, who, as a George Krikorian 3-year-old won the 2020 Dixie Belle Stakes at Oaklawn Park. Krikorian has just opened LexLive, an entertainment complex with 10 theater screens, 14 bowling alleys, and a sports bar in downtown Lexington, and is opening a similar facility in Menifee, Calif.

ANNE M. EBERHARDT

With such 2020 graded victories as the Frankel Stakes, above, George Krikorian’s homebred Mucho Unusual was named Cal-bred Horse of the Year, champion older female, and champion grass horse

© BENOIT PHOTO