The action came fast and furious late March folded into April, with Triple Crown preps, Dubai World Cup, the start of the National Steeplechase Association season and New York Thoroughbred Breeders Annual Awards Dinner keeping everyone in our camp busy. We reported on all those events and more in recent weeks but as always we’re left with a little extra that didn’t make it in print or online.
So here’s our collection of Worth Repeating, By the Numbers, Name of the Day and a look back at a Fasig-Tipton Stable Tour graduate.
Worth Repeating
“We’ve got the old with the new; bring it on.”
Becky Thomas on the mix of newcomers and established breeders of finalists at the New York Thoroughbred Breeders Annual Awards Dinner
“And let’s be clear, it’s not New York-bred jockey of the year, it’s New York Breeders jockey of the year. I was the only one eligible for that one.”
NYTB Awards Dinner emcee Richard Migliore before Irad Ortiz Jr. was awarded the 2016 jockey award
“From looking at the names tonight, I decided that New York-breds have to have funky names and they win.”
Samantha Will Baccari, breeder of 2016 New York-bred Horse of the Year Mind Your Biscuits
“I think that has to be an infomercial for New York-breds. Jeff, are you ready?”
Migliore to Jeff Cannizzo after Baccari extolled the virtues of New York-breds
“It’s been wonderful to follow his lead.”
Susan Kresa on five-time NY-bred champion turf male finalist and two-time champion King Kreesa
“Maybe you guys should have this table right here.”
Migliore, to the connections of Mind Your Biscuits after another trip to the stage collecting a New York-bred championship
“I don’t know.”
TIHR’s Tom Law, accepting the steeplechase honor on behalf of Check Mark Stables at the NYTB dinner, when asked by Migliore if he knew what the connections of Willow U liked about the mare when they bought her as a jumping prospect
“This is when you come up here Rudy.”
Migliore to champion NY-bred trainer Rudy Rodriguez, still seated at the end of a video showing his highlights of 2016
“My husband is a man of few words but many actions.”
Mary Broman, on Chester, awarded New York’s top breeder award for the fourth time
“I immediately thought of Zenyatta.”
Mike Smith on his thoughts after Arrogate broke last in the Dubai World Cup
“That might be the best racehorse I’ve ever seen.”
Bob Baffert, Arrogate’s trainer
“After the break I said, ‘If he wins he’s the greatest horse since Secretariat.’ ”
Baffert
“This horse can do anything. He does it all and look at him, it’s like he has never taken a breath.”
Smith on Arrogate
“I’m blessed I stayed on there leaving there and didn’t fall off.”
Smith
“That Saratoga Special is the bees knees. I read it religiously, every day.”
New York breeder Richard Zwirn
“Tough to get away from foaling season but I’ll take it.”
New York breeder Jonathan Thorne, in midst of two-week vacation last month in the Bahamas
“At least it’s consistent, the 32 to 68 has stopped and it’s leveling off and we’re getting mares to cycle. It was hard there for a while with that, so cold at night and warm in the day, everything was out of whack.”
James Keogh on the weather of late in Central Kentucky
“Winter hasn’t even arrived here yet, so guarantee the first week of the Keeneland we’ll get six to eight inches of snow.”
Taylor Made Farm’s Mark Taylor, echoing Keogh’s sentiments
“Paris Bound is paddock bound. He nearly made his own Brexit.”
Announcer as Paris Bound blew the first turn at Lingfield in February
“I grew up around Camden, Linda Klein taught me how to ride, she put me on my first little racehorse when I was 11.”
Trainer Nancy Ruch, after winning the maiden at Camden with Maximum Horsepower
“I did. I did.”
Trainer Arch Kingsley when asked if he expected Show Court to upset the Carolina Cup
“It’s like hanging out with a couple of teenagers, the life and energy between them.”
Kingsley about owners John and Julia Buyck Jr.
“If you had seen what happened turning down the backside, you would have said he had no chance but he came back and won easy.”
Jockey Ross Geraghty after winning the maiden at Aiken on Any Given Royal
“No, I’ve gone past that stage, he doesn’t yell at me any more, I’m the one giving out to him most of the time. It changes.”
Jockey Jack Doyle when asked if his father yelled at him during a winter schooling session in Ireland
Name of the Week
Heartbreak Hill
Boston Marathon fans – or participants, past and present – will appreciate 4-year-old filly by Ghostzapper out of Heartbroken Hill, by Broken Vow, who runs in the finale on Keeneland’s Opening Day card Friday. The Boston Marathon is Monday, April 17.
By The Numbers
14: Straight training titles at the Gulfstream Park Championship meet for Todd Pletcher. He won 58 races from 210 starters at the meet, which ran from Dec. 3 to Sunday.
49: Wins for Rudy Rodriguez’s barn on the 2016-’17 Aqueduct inner track, his second inner meeting training title and seventh overall on the NYRA circuit.
76: Winners from 281 mounts for Irad Ortiz Jr. on the Aqueduct inner track from Dec. 7, 2016 until the winter meet wrapped up Sunday, his 11th title on the NYRA circuit.
102: Wins at the Gulfstream Championship meet for Luis Saez, his first title and 12 victories more than runner-up Paco Lopez.
$2,472,799,741: Handle on U.S. races for the first quarter of 2017, down 1.04 percent from a year ago.
$16 million: Purse for the 2018 Pegasus World Cup Invitational at Gulfstream Park, up from $12 million in 2017 thanks to $4 million earmark from The Stronach Group
$26.693 million: Handle for Gulfstream Park’s 13-race Fountain of Youth Day card, up from $24,291 last year.
This Week in Stable Tour History
Two summers back in the Fasig-Tipton Stable Tour, trainer Mark Hennig talked about how much the then New York-bred 3-year-old Rock Hard Ten filly Summersault had thrived since arriving in Saratoga more than a month before. She broke her maiden in mid-August – in her ninth career start – and quickly added an allowance score on the grass the second to last day of the meeting.
“She’s the kind of filly that took awhile to break her maiden, was always hitting the board and I think she’s got the idea. She’s done well since she’s gotten to Saratoga. Some horses blossom here and some don’t.”
Summersault blossomed in South Florida this winter, winning back-to-back starts in turf allowance races before an upset victory over odds-on choice Olorda in the Grade 3 Orchid. She paid $20 as the longest shot in the field of five older fillies and mares.
