10/3/16 – Kirkwood Stables was instrumental in the purchase of the three year old gelding ELUSIVE PATH (SAF). The chestnut gelding broke his maiden last month at Kenilworth and won back today in a handicap at Durbanville. He is owned by Mayfair Speculators (pty) Ltd (Mr D L Brugman) and is trained by Vaughan Marshall.
Category: Miscellaneous
Two year old OLD LINE GAL graduates at PARX
Cash is King’s two year old Stay Thirsty filly, OLD LINE GAL, won a speed duel and inherited the rail at PARX to graduate in a MSW. She cruised up the fence to over a 4 length lead at the wire. She was bred by Hillwood Stables, LLC. OLD LINE GAL was sold by Kirkwood Stables for $210,000 at the Fasig Tipton Midlantic Sale in May.
Tom’s Ready Set for Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile
Courtesy of the TDN
Tom’s Ready on to Breeders’ Cup
GMB Racing’s Tom’s Ready (More Than Ready) exited his win in Saturday’s GIII Ack Ack S. in fine shape and remains on target for the Nov. 4 GI Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile.
“He cooled out good and came back from the race really well,” said trainer Dallas Stewart’s assistant Bentley Combs. “[He] ate up well [Sunday] morning and he walked around real fresh [Sunday] morning, too. It looks like we’ll keep on going with him.”
The Stewart barn was represented by two graded stakes winners Saturday. Some 30 minutes after Tom’s Ready’s victory, Forever Unbridled (Unbridled’s Song) splashed home first in the GI Beldame S. at Belmont Park. The 4-year-old filly is expected to make her next start in the Nov. 4 GI Breeders’ Cup Distaff.
“They came back real good,” Stewart said while en route from New York back to Kentucky. “Now we’re just trying to get the Breeders’ Cup, so we’ll be training up, hopefully do a good job and go get the money.”
Courtesy of the Blood-Horse
GMB Racing’s Tom’s Ready was doing well Oct. 2, the morning after defeating champion sprinterRunhappy in the Ack Ack Stakes (gr. III) at Churchill Downs and is set to make his next start in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (gr. I) Nov. 4 at Santa Anita Park.
“He cooled out good and came back from the race really well,” said trainer Dallas Stewart’s assistant Bentley Combs. “(He) ate up well (Sunday) morning and he walked around real fresh (Sunday) morning, too. It looks like we’ll keep on going with him.””Everyone’s happy this morning,” Combs said. “Good energy is a good way to put it. I don’t know how else to describe it. We’re happy for both of them. I think Runhappy ran a nice race, but I think we can beat him again.”
Stewart, who was on his way back from saddling the now dual grade I winner Forever Unbridled in New York, spoke highly of both horses’ efforts.
“They came back real good,” Stewart said. “Now we’re just trying to get to the Breeders’ Cup, so we’ll be training up, hopefully do a good job, and go get the money.”
The Ack Ack was the second graded stakes victory for Tom’s Ready, who won the Woody Stephens (gr. III) at Belmont Park June 11. Prior to that he was 12th in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (GI).
Tom’s Ready wins Ack Ack Handicap G3
Courtesy of the Paulick Report
Tom’s Ready wins the Ack Ack
G M B Racing’s Tom’s Ready rebounded from a poor effort in the G1 King’s Bishop to score in impressive fashion in Saturday’s G3 Ack Ack Handicap at Churchill Downs, defeating Iron Fist by a half-length on the wire. The sophomore son of More Than Ready, ridden by Brian Hernandez, closed strongly to make the lead in mid-stretch and held on late over Iron Fist, recording a final time of 1:34.86 over a mile on the good main track rated good. Tom’s Ready was trained by Dallas Stewart, and defeated Breeders’ Cup Sprint champion Runhappy in his comeback race.
“We thought that if we could beat Runhappy, today was the day and our horse ran his race,” Hernandez said. “They didn’t go all that fast up front and he ran after them and ran them down his own way and proved to be the best horse today. I was pretty confident the whole way. I was sitting back behind them and I know they didn’t feel like they weren’t going all that fast but knowing my little horse and watching him run in the race he did at Belmont, I thought when I called on him that he would be able to give me that kind of run and he did.”
Runhappy was quick out of the gates under Edgar Prado, dueling with Mr. Z for the lead in the early stages of the one-turn mile. Through a first quarter in :23.08, Runhappy led by about a half-length, but Mr. Z took over in the middle of the backstretch to lead by a neck through a half-mile in :45.95. Iron Fist and Schivarelli tracked from third together, and Tom’s Ready was steady early on a couple lengths back in fifth. Turning for home, Runhappy dragged Prado to the lead by about a length, but Schivarelli was moving strongly up the outside, and Tom’s Ready was really rolling from the back of the pack four-wide on the turn.
Tom’s Ready took over the lead in the early part of the stretch, easily putting away Schivarelli, though Runhappy tried to battle on briefly. Iron Fist got clear late and made a big run down the outside, but ran out of racetrack and would finish second behind Tom’s Ready by a half-length. Schivarellli would finish third, and Runhappy tired very late to finish fourth.
“We’ll talk about it and see,” trainer Laura Wohlers said of the Breeders’ Cup. “Hopefully, but we’ll stop and see. I’m disappointed he didn’t win the race, especially when he’s such a favorite but it’s alright, he’ll do okay. As long as he comes out of the race okay, we’ll be fine. We’ll live to race another day.”
Bred in Pennsylvania by Blackstone Farm, Tom’s Ready was a $145,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale purchase. He would finish second in both the Lecomte and Louisiana Derby to earn his way into the Kentucky Derby, where he finished 12th. Dropping back in distance, the colt recorded his first graded stakes win in the Woody Stephens at Belmont, but was disappointing in the King’s Bishop. The Ack Ack is his second graded stakes victory, improving his overall record to three wins and four seconds from 13 starts, with earnings of over $630,000.
French Bred 2 YO MR GREY wins at Belmont
Prepared and sold by Kirkwood for $50,000 this spring at OBS, two year old MR GREY (Fr) ran greenly but got his head in front to break his maiden going a mile on the turf at Belmont. He was bred in France by E.A.R.L. Haras Du Quesnay (FR) and is trained by Christophe Clement.
FIRESTAR wins again – this time by over 9 lengths
FIRESTAR, a three year old Here Comes Ben filly owned by Zilla Racing, won again laughing at the competition at Finger Lakes wiring the field going a mile and seventy and sailing to an almost 10 length romp. She raised her earnings to $81,382.
2 YO THE WALK graduates at Belmont
West Point Thoroughbreds 2 YO Hansen gelding, THE WALK, graduated in his second start. He rated inside behind splits of :23.02 and :46.65. Ready to go, but lacking running room, he finally found a gap along the inside. THE WALK promptly went on to score by a length over his tiring rival. The gelding was bred by Crumbaugh Lane LLC (KY) and is trained by Thomas Albertrani.
COME ROUND wins second in a row
Wonderfully named Midshipman gelding, COME AROUND returned from over a year off and a trainer switch to Horacio DePaz . This summer he ran second on the Saratoga lawn and followed that up to graduate easily in an off-turf event also at the Spa. Today in allowance company at Belmont going 1 1/8 on the turf, COME AROUND broke sharply as the favorite and stalked in midpack . He was bottled up approaching the top of the lane, but found an inside route and passed the pacesetter to win going away by 1 1/4 lengths. He is owned by Sagamore Farm and was bred by Stephen Jacobs. He is approaching $100,000 in earnings. Patience Rewarded!
MADCAP HEIRESS graduates in a MSW
Three year old Speightstown filly MADCAP HEIRESS went off the favorite sprinting 5 furlongs in a MSW on the turf at Indiana Grand. She closed resolutely in the final furlong and got up to score by 3/4 of a length. She is owned by Tracy Farmer and was bred by Town & Country Farms Corp. (KY). Her trainer is Brad H. Cox.
2 YO BERNED graduates at Belmont in her second start
Racing for West Point Thoroughbreds, Three C Stables and Robert Masiello, BERNED, a 2 year old Bernadini filly, overcame all sorts of incidents to break her maiden in a MSW at Belmont. Racing a mile on the dirt, she angled in initially and then swung out but had to check due to some greeness of the filly next to her. She re-accelerated for the win. She is trained by Thomas Albertrani
and was bred by AR Enterprises, LLC.