Multiple Graded SW TOM’S READY 3rd in the FOREGO G1

Racing for G M B Racing trained by  Dallas Stewart, TOM’S READY added to his laurels closing to run a strong 3rd in the FOREGO G1 at Saratoga on Travers Day. TOM’S READY has already earned graded victories in the Ack Ack (Gr. 3) and Woody Stephens Stakes (Gr. 2). He enjoyed his early preparation at Kirkwood Stables.  He has earned  $863,767 for his connections.

DEFIANT HONOR wins the Riskaverse S. at Saratoga

Courtesy of the TDN

Defiant Honor | Sarah Andrew

Defiant Honor, the beaten favorite in the GIII Lake George S. on opening day, made amends with a stalk-and-pounce score in the Riskaverse S. Thursday at Saratoga.

A second-out winner last fall at Belmont, the bay shipped across the country to be runner-up in the GIII Jimmy Durante S. Nov. 26 before capturing an allowance in her sophomore debut June 21 back at Big Sandy. Fading to sixth after tracking the pace in the Lake George, Defiant Honor was made the distant second chance in this feature and broke sharply before allowing favored ‘TDN Rising Star’ Cherry Lodge (Bernardini) to sprint clear through a :23.67 quarter. That one was able to slow things down past a :49.15 half, but had a tenuous lead at the top of the lane. Defiant Honor was the first to attack, quickly taking charge from the pacesetter at the three-sixteenths pole, and she kicked clear into the final furlong before holding sway late from Fizzy Friday (GB).

“I think she’s a quality filly and things went well for her today,” said winning trainer Jimmy Toner. “She had had a myectomy, where they cut the muscles in the throat because, with the displacement of the soft pallet, it cuts off the wind and they can’t breathe and they panic. But today, you can see the difference. Also, the way the race set up, there was one speed and she didn’t have to be restrained or anything. It was a perfect trip. Everything worked out today. It’s all good.”

The winner is a full-sister to ill-fated Recepta, GSW & MGISP, $696,700 and a half to Taqarub (Aldebaran), GSW, $256,962. Her dam is a half to champion Soaring Softly (Kris S.) and GISW Plenty of Grace (Roberto) out of GSW Wings of Grace (Key to the Mint). Honor Bestowed has a juvenile full-sister to the victress named Honored Promise, a yearling colt by Curlin and foaled a Speightstown colt this season before being paired with Dialed In.

RISKAVERSE S., $100,000, SAR, 8-24, (C), (NW1SRL), 3yo, f, 1mT, 1:35.67, fm.
1–#DEFIANT HONOR, 117, f, 3, by Speightstown
1st Dam: Honor Bestowed, by Honor Grades
2nd Dam: Wings of Grace, by Key to the Mint
3rd Dam: Far Beyond, by Nijinsky II
O-Phillips Racing Partnership & Pam Gartin; B-John W. Phillips
& Hank & Lynn Snowden (KY); T-James J. Toner; J-Jose
Lezcano. $60,000. Lifetime Record: 6-3-1-0, $172,015. *Full to
Recepta, GSW & MGISP, $696,700; 1/2 to Taqarub
(Aldebaran), GSW, $256,962.

Kirkwood Grad Coal Front Remains Perfect in Amsterdam G2 at Saratoga

Courtesy of the TDN

 $200,000 GII Amsterdam S. (6 1/2f) Coal Front, c, 3 by Stay Thirsty

Coal Front | Sarah Andrew

“TDN Rising Star” Coal Front kept his perfect record in tact and became the first graded stakes winner for his second-crop sire (by Bernardini) with this stylish front-running score in his stakes debut.

Sent to the front by Johnny Velazquez from his inside draw, the $575,000 OBSAPR buy held a narrow advantage through opening fractions of :22.37 and :45.90. The dark bay kicked for home in control, opened up a three-length lead in the stretch, and was never seriously threatened by Excitations, who rallied nicely from last of six to complete the exacta.

“We weren’t committed to the lead–the thing we were focused on was letting him break and kind of find his rhythm,” winning trainer Todd Pletcher said. “We knew he was fast, but we didn’t want to be in a speed duel, but we didn’t want to take away what is coming easy to him, either. We kind of left it in Johnny’s hands. Johnny said he was very relaxed, really comfortable. A really talented horse.”

Romping by 6 1/2 lengths on debut at Keeneland Apr. 20, Coal Front followed suit with a facile score in a first-level allowance at Belmont June 8. Sol Kumin’s Head of Plains Partners privately purchased a piece of the colt from Robert LaPenta following his last victory.

“It’s hard to win a race, much less the first three, and he beat a pretty strong group of older horses last time, and then to step up into a graded stakes, it just seems like he’s getting better and better,” Pletcher said.

As for what’s next, Pletcher added, “We talked about the [GI] Allen Jerkens [Aug. 26], we’ll see how he comes out of it. He’s a horse with a strong pedigree and enough talent to stretch out, when the time is right.”

Pedigree Notes:

Coal Front’s unraced dam Miner’s Secret, a half-sister to MGSW Woodlander (Forestry), is responsible for a yearling colt by Noble Mission (GB) and foaled a Pioneerof the Nile filly Feb. 28. She was bred back to Triple Crown hero American Pharoah.

Miner’s Secret went through the ring twice, bringing $250,000 from Reynolds Bell Jr., agent, at the 2006 KEESEP Yearling Sale and $52,000 from Coal Front’s breeder Michael Connelly in foal to War Pass at the 2009 KEENOV sale.

I’M BETTY G takes Pearl Necklace S at Laurel

I’M BETTY G broke her maiden last out at Indiana Grand.   Moving straight from that win into stakes company in the Pearl Necklace at Laurel, the Maryland bred filly  scored again.  She overcame a stumble breaking from the gate and went straight to the lead and stayed there to wire the field. She was a $150,000 sales graduate for Kirkwood sold to current owner Three Diamonds Farm. She is trained by Michael J. Maker.

GSW TOM’S READY takes the Leemat S at Presque Isle Downs

The well traveled TOM’S READY (More than Ready) made his appearance in the Leemat S at Presque Isle count, fighting a fierce stretch drive for the win.  At retirement,  he will stand at Spendthrift Farm following an agreement with owner GMB Racing to acquire the breeding rights to the son of More Than Ready. He has earned over $800,000.

Tom’s Ready was purchased & prepared for his racing career at Kirkwood.

WEST POINT’S STREET SURRENDER WINS THE SOUTHERN TRUCE – HER FIRST STAKES VICTORY

Courtesy of the Blood Horse

Apprentice jockey Evin Roman  guided West Point Thoroughbreds’ Street Surrender to a frontrunning victory in the 1 1/16-mile test.

It was the first stakes win for the Street Boss filly and for Roman, and also put the apprentice one win away from leader Flavien Prat (35) in the jockey standings with five race days to go in the meet. The stakes victory capped a four-win day for the rider.

“He’s very, very talented,” said Roman’s agent, Tony Matos. “I’ve had some great apprentices. I won Eclipse Awards with Frankie Lovato Jr. and with Christian Santiago Reyes. I had Corey Nakatani and he was a very talented apprentice. Evin ranks with all of them. … I’ve been blessed and I was very fortunate to get this kid from Puerto Rico.”

In the Southern Truce, Street Surrender hit the front in the five-horse field and set fractions of :23.55, :46.84, and 1:11.08 through six furlongs, as Nickname—the 2015 Frizette Stakes (G1) winner—stalked in second. Nicknamed moved alongside the Jerry Hollendorfer-trained frontrunner in the final turn, but was no match in the stretch.

“This filly has been settling down and doing really well lately, so we thought we might have a chance today,” Hollendorfer said of the chestnut who placed in two stakes before the Southern Truce. “I think it’s great Evin was able to win his first stakes race. He did very good—did a good job. No problems today.”

Bred in Kentucky by Sally Thomas and New Dawn Stable, out of the Crafty Prospector mare Sweet Sierra, Street Surrender was a $280,000 purchase by West Point out of the Ocala Breeders’ Sales spring sale of 2-year-olds in training. She now has a 6-3-1 record from 15 starts and $198,425 in earnings.

Two year old PURE PRAISE sold by Kirkwood wins 2nd time out

Kirkwood prepared and sold, PURE PRAISE ( Congrats) zipped out of the gate at Churchill  and led through an opening quarter in :22 and change. She was challenged at the top of the stretch, but kept fighting on the inside to score by a length in her second start. She was a $42,000 FT October yearling purchase and brought  $110,000 as a 2 year old at OBSMAR. She has given her owner Bernard G. Schaeffer s a quick return on his purchase.

DEFIANT HONOR wins for Phillips Racing at Belmont

Kirkwood Stables and Phillips Racing are having an exciting June. MANITOULIN won at Belmont in allowance company earlier in the month and today DEFIANT HONOR (Speightstown), a half-sister to Taqarub (Aldebaran), GSW, $256,962; and a full-sister to the late Recepta, GSW & MGISP, $696,700, pressed the pace and then cleared to score quite easily at Belmont – her second win in 4 starts. She broke her maiden last fall in NY, then shipped to California where she ran second in the Jimmy Durante Stakes – Gr. 3 and added graded black-type to her pedigree. With this facile win first race back at 3, she announced that she was very ready to get n her sophomore campaign underway. Trained by James Toner, she has already earned over $111,000.

Courtesy of the TDN
Defiant Honor is out of a winning daughter of Grade III victress Wings of Grace (Key to the Mint), the dam of Darby Dan’s outstanding 1999 champion grass mare Soaring Softly (Kris S.) and GISW Plenty of Grace (Roberto). Further down the page is Wings of Grace’s half-sister Battle Creek Girl (His Majesty), the dam of 15 winners from 18 to make the races, including Sovereign Award winner Wavering Girl (Wavering Monarch); GSWs Tricky Creek (Clever Trick), Parade Ground (Kingmabo), Parade Leader (Kingmambo) and Speed Dialer (Phone Trick); and SW & MGSP Everhope (Danzig). Honor Bestowed is the dam of Defiant Honor’s 2-year-old full-sister Honored Promise, a yearling colt by Curlin and a Speightstown colt foaled Mar. 30.