Var Filly Tops Sale Well-related good-looker grabs the limelight

The Emperors Palace Johannesburg Ready To Run Sale came to a close on Friday after evening after two solid sessions of spirited bidding

Courtesy of Sporting Post
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Highest price of R1,2 million was paid by Mayfair Speculators for a beautiful Var filly consigned by Balmoral Stud.  (This filly was selected for resale last January by a Doyle / Kirkwood partnership.)

Ice Queen is out of Baltic Beauty, a full sister to champion racemare, Mother Russia, who won 13 of her 27  starts, including four Gr 1’s.

Var Var – top class racers produced over many seasons

Super  sire Var is a noted producer of high-class fillies – his best daughters including Gr1 winning champions as Val De Ra and Via Africa, as well as the top class graded winners Princess Of Light, A Womens Way, Valdivia, and the Gr1 filly Schiffer.

Var’s daughters are also showing promise at stud, and he already features as broodmare sire of smart stakes winner Mambonick (by Mambo In Seattle) and the leading Fillies Guineas hope, and Gr3 Starling Stakes winner She’s A Giver (by Philanthropist).

We saw another smart Var on the up at Kenilworth on Wednesday when Sommerlied, a Maine Chance Farms bred and owned filly, won her second start on the trot for Dennis Drier. She is rumoured to be very good and has done little to dispel that so far!

Great graded stakes day for Kirkwood

Started at Kirkwood and now trained by James J. Toner, 2 year old filly Defiant Honor (Speighstown) broke her maiden last out. Stepping up into graded stakes company in her third start, she overcame debris on the turf course to run an excellent second in the G3 Jimmy Durante S at Del Mar. She is owned by the Phillips Racing Partnership and Pam Gartin and was bred by John W. Phillips, Hank Snowden & Lynn Snowden.

On the other coast, Realm (Haynesfield) moved up from a allowance win and ran  third in the G1 Cigar Mile, to add a graded stakes placing to his credentials. He is owned by his trainer Barclay Tagg , Eric Dattner and Harry Astarita

ROSE OF THE NILE breaks her maiden at Churchill

2 yo ROSE OF THE NILE (Pioneerof the Nile) broke slowly and was allowed to settle before sweeping wide and engulfing the field to run off with the win. She raced 7 1/2 furlongs.  ROSE OF THE NILE is owned by Jake Van Oort and was bred by Dr. J. K. Griggs & Linda Griggs. Her trainer is Kelly R. Van Hemel.

 

SCHOLAR ATHLETE runs third in the G3- Commonwealth Turf S at Churchill

West Point’s well named Einstein gelding,  SCHOLAR ATHLETE, broke his maiden and was stakes placed at Woodbine as a 2 year old. In his third 2016 start, he wired the field going 1 1/16 on the turf at Belmont.  Stepping up into graded stakes company today, he ran third in the G3- Commonwealth Turf S at Churchill – beaten just 3/4 length for it all.  He has earned over $177,130.

West Point Thoroughbreds’ THE WALK ran second in the CHRISTOPHER ELSER MEMORIAL S

2 yo THE WALK (Hansen) made his 4th start in the CHRISTOPHER ELSER MEMORIAL S at PARX. The stakes, named in honor of Kip Elser’s son, is open to horses which have trained in South Carolina.  Trained now by Thomas Albertrani. and owned by West Point Thoroughbreds, THE WALK, challenged and then challenged again to get up for the place. He has earned over $70,000.

COURT SAVVY graduates at Woodbine

Going 6 furlongs on the all weather track at Woodbine, COURT SAVVY broke his maiden for owner West Point Thoroughbreds. He led right out of the gate, was joined by a rival and needed to duel to regain the lead and go on for the win. He is trained by  Ralph J Biamonte and was bred in KY by  Larry Jutte & Quetta Jutte.

Good day racing: 2 YO BERNED gets a G3 stakes placing and REALM wins by 5

Two year old Bernadini filly Berned stepped up into graded stakes company in the Tempted S G3 at Aqueduct after he maiden win. She was overly keen early, dropped back to last when held by her rider and then came with a charge when given the signal to go and was an eager second despite running into traffic. She upped her earning over $100,000. Trained by  Thomas Albertrani, she is owned by Three C Stables, West Point Thoroughbreds and Robert Masiello.

Also at Aqueduct, REALM finally got a race with no trouble or traffic and won in a breeze by over 5 lengths. He is owned by Eric Dattner, Barclay Tagg & Harry Astarita He has earned $136,455.

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READY for the G1 Breeders’ Cup Mile

Tom’s Ready certainly is! The 3-year-old heads into the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile fresh off a snappy victory in the Ack Ack Stakes at Churchill Downs Oct. 1 at the same distance. Among those left in his wake was last year’s Breeders’ Cup Sprint victor Runhappy.

Tom’s Ready is owned by Gayle Marie Benson [GMB Racing], wife of New Orleans Saints and New Orleans Pelicans owner Tom Benson. The Bensons just ventured into thoroughbred ownership in 2014, and this colt was their first purchase. He fetched $145,000 as a yearling at the Saratoga Fasig-Tipton sale.

Spendthrift Farm has already secured breeding rights to the More Than Ready colt when his racing career is over.

Tom’s Ready has banked $640,267 with three wins and four seconds from 13 starts. He also captured the Woody Stephens Stakes at seven furlongs in early June at Belmont Park, after running 12th in the Kentucky Derby. That marked his first stakes score after running second in both the Lecomte Stakes and the Louisiana Derby, both at the Fairgrounds.