Gunning for it

As we close in on the Breeders’ Cup, Melissa Bauer-Herzog reviews the Graded race action stateside and sees younger sires dominating results

AS NORTH AMERICAN racing approaches the Breeders’ Cup World Championship, the season heated up with final prep races being run around the country. It kicked off in mid-September when Godolphin and Charlie Appleby remained true to form and took two of the three Grade 1s run at Woodbine on September 17.

Their 2021 Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf winner Modern Games (Dubawi) led the way to secure his second Grade 1 of the year in the Woodbine Mile. Modern Games is one of three graded stakes winners for Dubawi in North America this year, joined by two-time Grade 1 winner In Italian in giving his sire top level wins on the continent in 2022.

Godolphin and Appleby then proved they have another strong juvenile on their hands with Mysterious Night (Dark Angel) in the Grade 1 Pattison Summer Stakes. An experienced runner with five starts before shipping to North America for the first time, he also proved to be a strong traveller for his first trip to the continent with a 5l victory in the Summer Stakes.

Both colts earned “Win and You’re In” berths to their respective Breeders’ Cup races with Appleby looking for his seventh win at the meet. If Appleby wins the Juvenile Turf, it will be his fourth victory in that race since his victory with Outstrip (Exceed and Excel) in 2013.

Across the border, Godolphin and Appleby took another North American stakes – Nations Pride (Teofilo) romping home in the Caesars Jockey Club Derby (G3) at Aqueduct.

That colt loves racing in the US with two wins and a second in New York’s Turf Triple Crown, and that group of races included victory in the Grade 1 Caesars Saratoga Derby Invitational on August 6.

Gun Runner: the sire of the future

If it wasn’t already clear before, Gun Runner again showed that he’s a breed-changingsire-in-the-making in late September producing five stakes winners.

That group was led by the two Grade 1-winning three-year-olds at Parx Racing.

Taiba proved that he may make the three-year-old championship interesting if he performs well at the Breeders’ Cup with a 3l victory in the Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby for his second top level score of the year.

The colt was the top half of a one-three finish for his sire after fellow two-time Grade 1 winner Cyberknife won the photo for third.

Society showed that Gun Runner isn’t just a “colt sire” with victory in the Grade 1 Cotillion Stakes. A homebred for Peter Blum, Society has been a rising star in her division with five wins in six career starts – her only loss coming when fourth against Nest (Curlin) in July.

Also among Gun Runner’s winners that day was his 2021 champion two-year-old filly Echo Zulu in the Grade 3 Dogwood Stakes on the same card which saw Gunite won the Harrods Creek Stakes by 3l and Sixtythreecaliber take the Seneca Overnight by quarter of a length.

His four Grade 1 winners of the year is second among all North American stallions and his eight Grade 1 performers leads all stallions – and this is despite having only two and three-year-olds on the track.

The golden boys

In what is quickly turning into a golden age of stallions in the US, freshman sire Good Magic struck the first Grade 1 blow of his class with Blazing Sevens proving to be an interesting contender for the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile with a 3l win in the Grade 1 Champagne Stakes to kick off October.

It was an exacta for the freshman class with Verifying finishing second to give undefeated Triple Crown winner Justify his first Grade 1 performer.

Justify has sired four stakes winners and seven stakes performers from his first crop.

Set to join the stallion ranks next year with an advertised fee of $100,000, subject to his Breeders’ Cup result, Life Is Good (Into Mischief) won the Grade 1 Woodward Stakes on the same card.

The colt has made his case as one of the best older Dirt males with his four wins in five starts this year, including three Grade 1 victories.

His only loss of the year came when going 1m2f in the Grade 1 Dubai World Cup, which makes the Breeders’ Cup Classic an interesting challenge for him. His connections may always opt for a potential second victory in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile instead.

The most debated race was the battle between Hot Rod Charlie (Oxbow) and Rich Strike (Keen Ice) in the Grade 2 Lukas Classic.

There was controversy after the race but it didn’t detract from the throwdown the pair had down the stretch.

The Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Rich Strike dueled with last year’s Kentucky Derby second place finisher all the way down the stretch and grabbed the advantage near the line, but in the end Hot Rod Charlie came back late to win the race by a nose. While Hot Rod Charlie is nearly a certainty for the Breeders’ Cup Classic, Rich Strike’s connections haven’t decided if they want to take on the tough field of horses or aim for the Grade 1 Clark Handicap a few weeks later.

Rich Strike has proven to love the Churchill Downs surface and would be a top contender for the Clark if he heads that way.

It is no Joke amongst the younger brigade

Young stallions were back in the spotlight the following day when three of the races were won by runners from the first or second crops of their sires.

Practical Joke led the charge on that front when juvenile Chocolate Gelato became his first Grade 1 winner in the Frizette Stakes.

While it’s hard to stand out in a sire class that includes Gun Runner, Practical Joke is quickly proving to be a solid sire-son of leading stallion Into Mischief.

His two Grade 1 performers this year put him third among second-crop sires, while his 13 stakes performers this year is a tie for second best. Mastery joined Practical Joke as second-crop sires with graded stakes winners that day after Midnight Memories won the Grade 2 Zenyatta Stakes against her elders.

On the Frizette card, first-crop sire Bolt D’Oro sired his second graded stakes winner with Major Dude’s victory in the Pilgrim Stakes (G2).

A son of Medaglia D’Oro, Bolt D’Oro’s first runners have come out winning with his 17 winners including four stakes winners.

The stallion leads all first-crop sires with 11 stakes performers, four stakes winners, and five graded stakes performers. His only zero comes in the Grade 1 category, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see at least one Bolt D’Oro runner fix that at the Breeders’ Cup.

It was a stakes-double for sons of the late blue hen mare Leslie’s Lady at Keeneland during the opening day of the meet thanks to Into Mischief and Mendelssohn.

Into Mischief the champion elect

Almost certainly locking up another sire’s championship this year, Into Mischief also registered his 13th Grade 1 winner when Wonder Wheel put in a determined effort to take the Grade 1 Alcibiades by a nose.

She was nearly beat by freshman sire City Of Light’s Chop Chop with Nyquist’s Xigera back in third.

The final-named colt out of Leslie’s Lady, Into Mischief’s freshman half-brother Mendelssohn, earned his first graded stakes winner in style earlier on the card in the Grade 2 Jessamine Stakes.

Breaking her maiden one race before the Jessamine Stakes, Delight was more than up for the graded stakes company she faced with a 5l victory to earn herself a spot in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf.

The filly is one of four stakes performers for Mendelssohn as of October 17, placing him sixth on the freshman sires’ list in that category.

The late Arrogate continues to be a major loss to the bloodstock industry with the latest blow coming when he sired the winners of both the Grade 1 American Pharoah and the Grade 2 Chandelier Stakes during their final weekend of Breeders’ Cup prep races.

Cave Rock was an authoritative winner of the Grade 1 American Pharoah, while And Tell Me Nolies won the Grade 2 Chandelier by three-quarters of a length over Uncontrollable (Upstart) with the field 4l behind the top pair.

Arrogate looks to have a strong hand going into the Breeders’ Cup with the stallion also the sire of Kentucky Oaks (G1) winner Secret Oath, who heads to the Breeders’ Cup Distaff.

Secret Oath is set to sell the day following the Distaff at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale.

Only a few months after his sire Kitten’s Joy died in July, freshman sire Oscar Performance put in his card as Kitten’s Joy’s heir apparent with a big statement in the Bourbon Stakes (G2).

Placed in two stakes – one on Turf and one on Dirt – in his two outings before the Bourbon Stakes, Andthewinneris showed that the Keeneland Turf is to his liking with his 2l victory.

Directly behind him was another Oscar Performance son in Deer District, who also had a stakes placing before this run.

A Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf winner himself, Oscar Performance has sired four stakes performers with all four of those earning their black-type at the graded stakes level.

Malathaat (Curlin): is heading for honours as the year’s champion older Dirt female in the US

Curlin not to be denied

Young guns may have ruled most of the Breeders’ Cup preps but leading sire Curlin made sure he is still at the forefront of peoples’ minds with a graded stakes double in early October.

Daughter Malathaat was named champion three-year-old filly last year and is making a strong big for champion older Dirt female honours after securing another Grade 1 victory in the Spinster Stakes.

Her victory came just hours after Nest continued her run for champion threeyear-old filly honours with a 9l score in the Beldame Stakes (G2) over another Curlin filly in First To Act.

Both Malathaat and Nest are leaders in their divisions and could clash in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff.

It is worth noting that both are also out of A.P. Indy mares, a cross that has produced a golden seam for Curlin – 10 stakes winners from 52 runners, including four Grade 1 winners, two fillies and two colts.

Nest’s Grade 1-winning full-brother Idol is set to stand his first season at Taylor Made Farm in 2023, while Global Campaign had his first foals at WinStar Farm this year.

There is no word on if Malathaat will continue to run next year though Nest’s connections have said that is the plan for their own filly.