An Exciting Time for West Point

Photo ©Tom Hyland

True thoroughbred racing fans not only know their favorite horses and trainers, they're also familiar with some of the most famous silks worn by jockeys today. Certainly the black and cherry silks of the Phipps family is among the best-known and there's the green and pink of Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Moss, which has become almost iconic over the past decade, especially when their beloved mare Zenyatta was winning all those Grade 1s. 

Of course, the best way for an owner's silks to be recognized is to have their horses win races, especially graded stakes. With that in mind, I'm guessing that the handsome silks of West Point Throughbreds - bright yellow with a large black star - will become known to a lot more racing fans in the months ahead.

West Point Throughbreds has been in business since 1991, when it was founded by Terry Finley, a graduate of West Point - the colors of the silks are those of the Army. Finley is the president of this firm and his wife Terry is Chief Administrative Officer. West Point has become one of the most successful firms dealing with racing partnerships; they currently manage equine portfolios for 400 members, representing 80 horses. They work with some of the finest trainers in the business, such as Dale Romans, Tom Albertrani and Craig Dollase and run horses primarily in Florida, California and New York, although you'll sometimes see those yellow and black silks at other tracks in the east and midwest.

I mentioned earlier how an owner's silks will become well known once they show up in the winner's circle; that being the case, West Point Throughbreds is primed for a big year. The principal reason is a five year-old gelding named Twilight Eclipse, a son of Purim, out of the Twilight Agenda mare, My Twilight Dancer. Last year, Twilight Eclipse had a pretty successful year and that's a bit of an understatement. He's a turf specialist and set the world record for one and one-half miles on the lawn at Gulfstream Park on March 23, 2013, winning the Grade 2 Pan American in 2:22 and three-fifths! He then ran second in two Grade 1s in New York, the 1 and 3/8 mile Man O'War at Belmont in July and then another placing in the 1 and 1/2 mile Sword Dancer at Saratoga in August. He ended his 2013 campaign with a sixth-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Turf, defeated by mere two lengths.

This past Saturday at Gulfstream Park in the Grade 2 MacDiarmida Stakes, Twilight Eclipse ran his usual race from coming off the pace and flying past other horses in the stretch. In the past, some of his races were from far off the pace, but trainer Tom Albertrani has done a fine job getting the horse to settle in mid-pack and even press the pace a bit. Once the horse reached the top of the stretch on Saturday, he accelerated and kept his mind to his business, as he prevailed by a length, his time for the mile and three-eighths was 2:15 flat. 

It was a thoroughly professional performance and showed the true nature of this horse, as he just loves the longer distances; it seems the farther he runs, the better he gets. His next race may be in Dubai and after that, there should be the most important turf races on the East Coast, with the Breeders' Cup Turf the ultimate goal. He seems to me to be in even better condition this winter than he was last, so perhaps that elusive Grade 1 victory will finally come in 2014.

West Point had another winner on Saturday, when their four year-old gelding Brokered captured an allowance race at Santa Anita; his time for the about six and one-half furlongs (a Santa Anita specialty) was a splendid 1:11.41. This was the second lifetime win for the horse in nine races, with two seconds and a third; trainer Craig Dollase has done a fine job with this horse.

West Point also looks to have another star on the West Coast, as they recently purchased Anniversary Kitty, a three-year daughter of Tribal Rule out of the Bertrando mare JustAnotherBlonde. Anniversary Kitty won the first race she ran in, a six-furlong turf event on the final Saturday of racing (December 21, 2013) at Hollywood Park. She exploded in the stretch for a very convincing win and was arguably even more impressive in her next race, the one mile turf event, the California Cup Oaks. In that race, leaving the 14th post position, Corey Nakatani - who is clearly one of today's finest turf riders - kept her relatively close to the pace and also kept her from going too wide down the backstretch. At the top of the stretch, Nakatani was forced to take her to the seven or eight path for a clear run at the leaders and she finished up strong, just getting her nose ahead of the third-place horse. The horse that beat her that day was in the number two post position and her victory (at a cozy 65-1) was no doubt due in great deal to the fact that her jockey kept her on the rail as long as possible; clearly Anniversary Kitty had to cover much more ground that race and it's not a stretch to think that had the post positions been reversed, so too the result of the race might have been altered.

After that race, West Point purchased the horse; Craig Dollase, who is the firm's regular West Coast trainer, will continue to train Anniversary Kitty, so there will be a nice continuity. The next race scheduled for the horse will be her dirt debut in the Grade 3 Santa Ysabel Stakes at Santa Anita on March 1; this is a local prep for the Santa Anita Oaks. Looks like an ambitious schedule for the horse, but when you've won your debut and then placed in a marvelous effort in your second race, why not?

So 2014 could shape up to be quite a year for West Point Thoroughbreds. If you don't recognize the yellow and black silks now, you will soon!

Let's Hear it for Mike Smith

Photo ©Tom Hyland

Last year, the comeback of jockey Gary Stevens at age 50, was one of the major stories in thoroughbred racing. After not having ridden competitively for eight years, Stevens came back with a vengeance, winning the Preakness Stakes as well as both the Breeders' Cup Distaff and the Breeders Cup Classic; overall, he was 12th on the money earnings list for the year and was one of three finalists for an Eclipse Award for the best jockey of the year. 

But there's another jockey who had a hell of a year in 2013 and really all throughout the past decade and even longer. That would be Mike Smith, who captured the Belmont Stakes and then won three Breeders' Cup races at Santa Anita. No other jockey won as many races at last year's BC - his total number of career Breeders' Cup wins is now a staggering 20! It will be a long time before anyone breaks that record.

Just to prove that wasn't a fluke, Smith is still going strong now that 2014 racing has been underway for a month. At the age of 48, he continues to excel in his craft and he's riding with as much enthusiasm and talent as ever. Through his first 70 mounts at the current Santa Anita meet that began on December 26, Smith has won 23 races for an amazing 33% win rate; his in-the-money percentage through those first 70 races was 56%. As a comparison, the meet's leading rider Rafael Bejerano had only eight more wins from another 67 mounts, a win percentage of 23% (still quite impressive) with his in-the money percentage at 65%.

Over the weekend of January 25 and 26, Smith captured the Grade ll $200,00 Santa Monica Stakes on Scherzinger in an effort that track handicapper John White labeled a "hall-of-fame" ride. You get the feeling that there are a lot more "hall-of-fame" rides left for Mike Smith and as he's doing this at his age, you just hope that he can continue his winning ways for another four or five years, if not longer! It couldn't happen to a nicer or more professional guy- way to go Mike!

Smith aboard Midnight Hawk in the Santa Anita winner's circle after capturing the Sham Stakes on January 11. (Photo ©Tom Hyland)

Gotta Love those First-Timers

Vegas Bound, a first-time starter, winning the 9th race at Santa Anita on January 12 (Photo ©Tom Hyland)

Every January, you can count on it at Santa Anita - there will be a good percentage of first-timers that win races. I've been following this meet since opening day on January 26 and there have been numerous first starters that have won both maiden special weight as well as maiden claiming races on the dirt and the turf, in sprints as well as distances.

The photo above shows Vegas Bound, a 3 year-old filly winning the 9th race on Sunday, January 12 at Santa Anita. This was a $30,000 maiden claiming race, with Vegas Bound going off at 16-1; this despite her morning line of 6-1. Why didn't the betting public think she had much of a chance? Two main reasons: one, there was a filly from Carla Gaines named Moscato Girl that was dropping from special weight to the claiming level and bettors were quick to spot this as usual. I see it as a red flag when a top notch trainer drops a horse from a $46,000 MSW to this level, but the public almost always makes a horse like this the favorite or one of the chalks. 

Add to that the fact that the trainer of Vegas Bound was Richard Rosales, a good conditioner, but not one of the more renowned in California. So the odds went up and up. I bet on her anyway, if only to win some money the last race and walk away with a little cash in my pocket. Long story short, the two of them battled for the lead right from the start, Vegas Bound took the lead just before the top of the stretch and won by several lengths over Moscato Girl.

Just the other day on Monday, Carla Gaines had a first-timer win a MSW turf race at the distance of one mile; the colt, named Texas Ryano, is a son of the great Curlin, while the mare is an Irish bred named Blending Element. Certainly, this is a horse bred to go long, so the distance wouldn't be a problem. Also, Carla Gaines does have a very good record with first-timers, so here was a horse that should have never gone off at 24-1. But he did and won by just getting up in a furious rally, while the two chalks finished 3rd and 5th (incidentally, another first-timer, Cowtownmary, ran an excellent race, as he had the lead in deep stretch, before tiring slightly to finish a close fourth, beaten for all the marbles by only two lengths.

Then just three races later, a 3 year-old filly named Wonderful Lie, trained by Dan Blacker, won a 5 and 1/2 furlong sprint on the main track. Her morning line was 12-1, at post time the horse went off at 17-1; she won by a half-length and the $1 trifecta payout was $3484.40!

So keep an eye out for 3 year-old first timers at Santa Anita (and other tracks) for the next few weeks. Generally the trainers have these horses primed to win early, as chances are the horse had a minor injury or condition that prevented it from running as a 2 year-old. And remember, these first-timers, - no matter the morning line or odds at post time - haven't done anything wrong yet!

A Weekend at Santa Anita - Part Two (Images from January 10-12)

Rafael Bejarano guides Jet Warrior to victory in Friday's 5th race (Photo ©Tom Hyland)

Trainer John Shirreffs (Photo ©Tom Hyland)

Early Saturday morning workout for a Doug O'Neill-trained horse (Photo ©Tom Hyland)

Hall-of-Fame trainer Ron McAnally (Photo ©Tom Hyland)

(Photo ©Tom Hyland)

Jockey Tyler Baze after Saturday's 1st race (Photo ©Tom Hyland)

Photo ©Tom Hyland)

A Weekend at Santa Anita - Part One

Photo ©Tom Hyland

Being a racing fan living in Chicago in January can be a bit depressing. The wintry conditions don't allow for a local meet, so you have to watch races on the internet (or at an OTB). Or you can do what I did and get out of the cold and snow and head to Santa Anita in beautiful Arcadia, California.

Anyone who follows thoroughbred racing knows Santa Anita, so there's no need for me to write much. I'll just let my images do the talking.

Mike Smith in the paddock before Sunday's 5th race (Photo ©Tom Hyland)

Final few strides of Saturday's 7th race (Photo ©Tom Hyland)

Bob Baffert in the paddock before Saturday's 5th race (Photo ©Tom Hyland)

 Is there a more beautiful setting for a thoroughbred track? (Photo ©Tom Hyland)

A special thank you to Mike Willman and Debbie Olsen at Santa Anita for their cooperation and courtesy.

Baffert's Latest Star

Midnight Hawk, Mike Smith up, on the track before the Sham Stakes (Photo ©Tom Hyland)

Now that the calendar has turned a page and we're in January, Derby fever has begun in earnest. At Santa Anita this past weekend, the first in a series of Derby trials - the Sham Stakes at a distance of one mile on the main track - was held. 

Of course, you can't have a Derby trail in Southern California without Bob Baffert, who routinely seems to have three or four valid candidates for an appointment at Churchill Downs on the first Saturday in May. That's true again this year, even after Baffert's best young horse, the Breeders' Cup-winning New Year's Day had to be retired due to injury. 

He's got a few colts lined up; Chitu, who is 2 for 2, Tap It Rich (who has been acting up in his races), The Admiral and Icy Ride, who are both 0 for 2, but have run in two very tough maiden races (The Admiral was third to Chitu in his debut, while both horses were defeated by Cool Samurai from the John Shirreffs barn in a December 27 maiden race), and now, Midnight Hawk. The son of Midnight Lute, who won the Breeders' Cup Sprint twice for Baffert and owner Mike Pegram (Pegram is co-owner and breeder of Midnight Hawk), Midnight Hawk is out of the Wolf Power mare Miss Wineshine. Other co-owners of the horse include Mike Tice, currently offensive line coach of the Atlanta Falcone, Joel Queneville, head coach of the Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks and his assistant coach Mike Kitchen.

Trainer Bob Baffert with co-owner Mike Tice in the paddock (Photo ©Tom Hyland)

This was the second race for Midnight Hawk; his first was impressive, to say the least. On December 13 at Hollywood Park, he broke slowly, but soon gained momentum and swept by the other five horses in the field, winning this 7 and 1/2 furlong race by a resounding 6 and1/4 lengths in 1:29.1. Baffert had fitted the horse with blinkers for that race, but removed them for the Sham, as he believed the horse wanted to show speed. His decision was a wise one, as Midnight Hawk went with Kristo, a John Sadler-trained colt to the front in this two-turn mile. The horses stayed on even ground for much of the race, with each taking the lead at some point, but when Mike Smith asked Midnight Hawk for more at the top of the lane, the horse took command, charging home for a 1 and 3/4 lengths victory. 

Photos ©Tom Hyland

So Midnight Hawk is on the Derby trail, but before anyone gets too excited, let's note that he only beat three maiden winners in this race; also the final time of 1:36.48 was hardly earth-shattering. Still the horse has done everything asked of him in his brief career to date and given that Baffert is his conditioner (he has won the Kentucky Derby three times), you certainly has to like his chances on the road to Louisville.

Ten Memorable Moments from Thoroughbred Racing in America in 2013

The start of the 7th race at Hollywood Park on December 21, the next-to-last day of racing ever at this historic track. (Photo ©Tom Hyland)

Here are my ten most memorable moments in thoroughbred racing in 2013. Most happened on the track, but not all.

1) Wise Dan wins the Breeders' Cup Mile - OK, this was hardly an upset as I'm sure that most bettors who played the Pick Six on Breeders' Cup Saturday probably singled Wise Dan on their tickets. After all, he had won this same turf race at the same track (Santa Anita) the previous year. So why is this number one for me in 2013? Well, it's the way he won the race, stumbling out of the gate and them getting fanned four or five-wide in the stretch before finally rallying to defeat a stubborn ZA Approval and eight others. Great athletes perform at their finest in the biggest moments, and Wise Dan did so brilliantly at the past two runnings of this race. He is a cinch as Horse of the Year.

2) Mucho Macho Man wins the Breeders' Cup Classic - You could certainly make an argument for this being the number one moment of 2013; it was undeniably the most heartwarming. How nice to see Mucho Macho Man win this race after doing everything but win the 2012 revival; he was defeated by a half-length by Fort Larned in that race. But he made up that distance in this year's classic - plus a nose, by narrowly holding off Will Take Charge, who made a furious run in the final eighth of a mile. In so doing, Mucho Macho Man made Kathy Ritvo the first woman trainer to win the Breeders' Cup Classic. It was also the first winning ride by Gary Stevens in this race; Stevens also won the Distaff the previous day in the Breeders' Cup.

3) Oxbow wins the Preakness - This was not just about the horse, winning this second leg of the Triple Crown in front-running style. No, this was also about two great veterans - trainer D. Wayne Lukas and jockey Gary Stevens recapturing some previous glory in this race. Oxbow would be retired before year's end, but on this day, he was in superb form thanks to a great job of training by Lukas, who won his sixth Preakness; Stevens who rode a flawless race, captured his third Preakness. This was a treat for anyone who's followed thoroughbred racing for even just a few years.

4) Palace Malice wins the Belmont - This is a tribute to three individuals: the horse itself, jockey Mike Smith and owner Cot Campbell. Palace Malice had shown a lot of promise previously, but had never been able to put everything together until this race. He had just missed capturing the Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland in April when he ran a bit green in deep stretch; in the Kentucky Derby, Smith took him to the lead, running suicidal fractions. Trainer Todd Pletcher equipped the colt with blinkers in that race, but never again. Palace Malice and Smith were ready for the Belmont, as he laid just off the pace and then swept by Oxbow at the top of the stretch in most convincing fashion. As for Campbell, the founder of Dogwood Stables and the man that revolutionized partnerships for owing thoroughbreds, this was his first classic victory since Summer Squall captured the Preakness in 1990. The fact that Campbell is slowing down his daily work tag at Dogwood after all these years no doubt made this victory that much sweeter.

5) Will Take Charge wins the Travers - When this colt closed stoutly to finish second to Palace Malice in the Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga on July 27, you had a feeling that he would be a major factor in the Travers a month later at the Spa. Boy, was he ever! He again put on a furious rally in this race, just beating out front-running Moreno by a nose to capture the mid-Summer Derby. Luis Saez stamped his name as a top rider with this win (trainer D. Wayne Lukas noted the effort put forth by Saez). Lukas did a marvelous job with this horse, barely getting edged out from the win in the Breeders' Cup Classic and then just four weeks later to narrowly defeat Game on Dude in the Clark Handicap at Churchill Downs. The three-year old colt of 2013, no question.

6) Hollywood Park closes - Here was one of the saddest stories in American thoroughbred racing not just in 2013, but over the past several decades. One of the country's most history-rich tracks (it opened in 1938) with a list of winners ranging from Seabiscuit to Native Diver to Swaps, Affirmed, Cigar and of course, Zenyatta, this was the home of so many great races over the past seventy-five years. I might have ranked this higher on this list, but Southern California racing will survive just fine thanks to Santa Anita and Del Mar picking up most of the racing dates of Hollywood. So this may not be a disaster, but it is a heartbreaking moment for thoroughbred racing in America and it's something that never should have happened.

7) Mike Smith wins three Breeders' Cup races - At age 48, Smith gets better and better with time. Already the leading rider as far as Breeders' Cup victories coming into this year's event, he captured three more wins in the 2013 races with London Bridge in the Marathon and Outstrip in the Juvenile Fillies Turf on Friday and then Mizdirection in the Turf Sprint on Saturday. That brings his total of wins in Breeders' Cup races to 20; if anyone breaks that record, it won't be for a long time. Just a big-time money rider and in reality, one of the most consistent jockeys of the past twenty-five years; on top of that, he's also a great guy!

8) Orb wins the Kentucky Derby - Everyone remembers the winner of the Kentucky Derby, even if that horse doesn't go on to become the three year-old colt of the year or even if he doesn't win another race, as was the case with Orb in 2013. In fact, I might not have even mentioned this is it wasn't for his trainer, Shug McGaughey, one of America's most respected and beloved trainers of the past quarter century. This win was a long overdue one for Shug- congratulations!

9) Javier Castellano sets North American money earnings mark in a single season - Congratulations to Castellano, one of the game's finest riders, for breaking the record set by Ramon Dominquez just last year. Castellano quickly noted that a main reason for him setting the record was the fact that he rides in New York, where the purses are tremendous; classy move by this terrific reinsman.

10) Repeat Winners at the Breeders' Cup - Winning a Breeders' Cup race is a tremendous achievement for a horse or trainer, so what does that say about repeating? 2013 saw repeat wins from Wise Dan in the Mile (mentioned above at #1) as well as Groupie Doll in the Filly and Mare Sprint and in an incredible effort, Mizdirection in the Turf Sprint, a win made even more remarkable by the fact that the horse was coming off a layoff of nearly five months. Also quite notable was the three-peat performance of trainer Aidan O'Brien, who captured the Juvenile Turf for the third consecutive year, this time with Giovanni Boldini.