Category: News

Kirkwoood Yearling Purchase wins the CAROUSEL S. at Oaklawn

Courtey of the TDN

CAROUSEL S., $200,000, Oaklawn, 4-2, 4yo/up, f/m, 6f, 1:09.26, ft.
1–ACTING OUT, 124, m, 5, Blame–Riding Point, by Speightstown. ($120,000 RNA Ylg ’18 KEESEP; $12,000 3yo ’20 KEEJAN). 1ST BLACK TYPE WIN.
O-Sherman Racing, Inc., Zvika Akin & Robert Harkins;
B-Vincent Colbert (KY)
T-Jerry Hollendorfer;  Lifetime Record: 12-5-3-0, $323,840.

Acting Out made it two-for-two since joining Hall of Famer trainer Jerry Hollendorfer. Previously campaigned by winning co-owner and former trainer Art Sherman, she was a well-beaten sixth at Del Mar July 29. She returned eight months later to lead gate-to-wire against a similar field Mar. 11 at Oaklawn. Two of those beaten rivals were behind her again Saturday as she stepped back into stakes company for the first time since a second-place finish over the Golden Gate grass last April.

Acting Out got away from the gate in good order to set the early pace and led comfortably throughout. She entered the stretch with a 1 1/2-length advantage and was pushed to the wire by heavily favored SW & MGISP Frank’s Rockette (Into Mischief) to win comfortably.

Acting Out is a half-sister to two other winners and her dam was bred to Seattle Serenade in 2022

STARTWITHABANG graduates in a MSW

STARTWITHABANG (Jump Start)  raced 6 1/2 furlongs at Charles Town to a MSW graduation. She came between horses late to win by a neck.  She is trained by  Anthony Farrior for owner Timothy Freitag. She was bred in MD by Mr. & Mrs. Charles McGinnes.

Starts Firsts Seconds Thirds Earnings
6 1 2 2 $51,379

2 winners for Kirkwood

Racing at Remington Park, GODDARD (Tapit) got up in the final stride to break his maiden. He raced 7 furlongs on the dirt for trainer Todd W. Fincher
and owner  B. Ray Willis. He was bred by Winchell Thoroughbreds, LLC. Since then at Sunland, he has been 1st or 2nd in his last 3 starts and has earned over $75,000.

At PARX, KODAPENDANT (Outwork) swung wide and got his head in front to break his maiden for trainer Robert E. Reid, Jr. and owners  LC Racing LLC, Michalee Milam, Smart Angle LLP and Westerly Farm.  Off the favorite, he raced a mile and seventy and won by 1 3/4

KIRKWOOD EXCLUSIVE!

saxonSelling as Hip 413 at OBS March – likely the only available 2-year-old in the US by Coolmore’s G1 and classic mile winning SAXON WARRIOR.  SAXON WARRIOR is a son of  Japanese super stallion DEEP IMPACT out of a G1 stakes winning Champion Galileo daughter. The Kirkwood colt is out of a graded stakes-winning Smart Strike mare. Deep black-type U.S. family – 2nd dam a SW, 3rd dam a multiple graded stakes producing 1/2 sis to ALLEGED.

Stakes placed BERNABREEZY takes Fair Grounds Allowance

Prepared at sold by Kirkwood at  Fasig Tipton Gulfstream
Courtesy of the TDN

9th-Fair Grounds, $53,000, Alw (NW1X)/Opt. Clm ($50,000), 2-18, 3yo, f, 1 1/16m, 1:45.07, ft, 2 lengths. BERNABREEZY (f, 3, Bernardini–Super Allison {SW, $157,043}, by Super Saver) rallied from well back to be fifth in her career bow at Churchill Downs Nov. 14 and closed resolutely to earn her diploma next out over track and trip Dec. 20. Third to GII Rachel Alexandra S.-bound La Crete (Medaglia d’Oro) in this venue’s Silverbulletday S. Jan. 22, she was given a 4-1 chance for this drop in class while facing GISP favorite Sequist (Nyquist). Sitting back in her preferred position near the back, the bay had just one beat through a :23.59 first quarter and :47.17 half-mile. In the same position, but taking closer order on the backstretch run, Bernabreezy was six wide turning for home and slingshotted to the front in the lane to win going away by two lengths. Mariah’s Fortune (Classic Empire) was second with Sequist in third. Bernabreezy is the first foal out of SW Super Allison, whose only foal since is a 2021 colt by Catalina Cruiser. She was bred back to Volatile. Sales history: $25,000 Ylg ’20 KEESEP; $40,000 2yo ’21 FTFMAR; $100,000 2yo ’21 EASMAY.
Lifetime Record: SP, 4-2-0-1, $77,400. O-McMakin, Nelson and Kennedy, Aaron; B-Machmer Hall, Tamme Valley Farm & Godolphin (KY);
T-Matt A. Shirer.

MERCI graduates MSW at Tampa first out

Courtesy of the TDN

9th-Tampa Bay Downs, $26,000, Msw, 2-11, 3yo, 1 1/16mT, 1:44.03, fm, 2 1/2 lengths. MERCI (c, 3, Noble Mission {GB}–Almina, by Macho Uno) was fairly lightly regarded at 15-2 on debut and settled midpack after breaking fairly from a low gate. Quietly ridden through the middle stages, the May foal advanced on the turn, came out four wide for the drive, struck to the lead a furlong from home and galloped clear. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $15,080. O/B-Ghislaine Head (KY); T-Christophe Clement.

RESPONSE TIME wins Laurel Allowance with dispatch

RESPONSE TIME (Mosler) was purchased from Kirkwood for $100,000  by her owners Mens Grille Racing at Fasig Tipton Timonium in 2020. This is her second win in a row and she rated well and then moved out to clear the field for the win by 2 1/4. The newly turned 4 year old filly is trained by Hamilton Smith.

Starts Firsts Seconds Thirds Earnings
12 3 3 0 $131,548

Kirkwood is proud to have worked with Ambassador Mack on the Man O’ War project.

Earle I. Mack

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), Daily Racing Form and the National Turf Writers And Broadcasters (NTWAB) announced today that the honorable Earle I. Mack, who has burnished a remarkable career serving his country and the Thoroughbred industry through racing, breeding and philanthropic causes, has been selected to receive the Eclipse Award of Merit in recognition of a lifetime of outstanding achievement.

Mack, 83, will receive the Award of Merit at the 51st annual Eclipse Awards ceremony, honoring racing’s champions of 2021 on Thursday, Feb. 10 at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif. Winners in 17 horse and human categories will be announced at Santa Anita and live on TVG, and other outlets, beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. The evening will culminate with the announcement of the 2021 Horse of the Year.

Eclipse Awards tickets and information on the awards show, dinner and party is available at the NTRA website https://www.ntra.com/eclipse-awards/.

Ambassador Mack, from Florida, has enjoyed a career of varied accomplishments in business, government, the military, the arts, and Thoroughbred racing. He served as the United States Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Finland in 2004 and 2005 under President George W. Bush.

Ambassador Mack served in the U.S. Army Infantry as a Second Lieutenant while on active duty, and as a First Lieutenant, U.S. Army Infantry and Military Police.

Ambassador Mack has been breeding and racing Thoroughbreds since 1963, and has bred or raced 25 stakes winners, including 1993 Canadian Triple Crown winner Peteski, 2002 Brazilian Triple Crown winner Roxinho, November Snow and Mr. Light. He has also served the industry through his participation on numerous endeavors. He was a member of the Board of Trustees for the New York Racing Association (1990–2004), Chairman of the New York State Racing Commission (1983–1989), Member of the New York State Thoroughbred Racing Capital Investment Fund (1987–1996) and a Member, Board of Directors, of the New York State Thoroughbred Breeding and Development Fund Corp. (1983–1989). He served as Senior Advisor on Racing and Breeding in New York State for the Thoroughbred Industry to Governors Mario M. Cuomo and George E. Pataki. The Earle I. Mack Thoroughbred Champion Award has been presented annually since 2011 to an individual for outstanding efforts and influence on Thoroughbred racehorse welfare, safety, and retirement.

“This is a distinct honor. Since college I have devoted my life to the equine industry. I love the horse. I love our veterans who have fought hard for the survival of our freedoms and the democracy we embrace as Americans. I am grateful for and would like to give special thanks to the NTRA and the Eclipse selection committee for this special recognition,” said Mack. “I am also immensely grateful to those in the industry who have supported my vision for the Man O’ War Project, most especially The Jockey Club.

“The health, safety and welfare of our horses and the integrity of our sport have been at the center of my advocacy over the years. I’m very heartened by the new HISA legislation which will most certainly inure to the greater good of our industry.”

Ambassador Mack has been a long-time supporter of numerous equine charities, including the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation and the Grayson Jockey Club Research Foundation, and has inspired others to do good works through his establishment of the Ogden “Dinny” Phipps Award, given annually to someone who has performed meritorious service to racing.

Mack’s most recent cause, as founder of The Man O’ War Project, has allowed him to combine his interest and passion for military veterans and retired racehorses. The focus of the project is to search and discover effective treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in wartime veterans. The Man O’ War Project team is comprised of researchers from the Department of Psychiatry at Columbia University/New York State Psychiatric Institute (Columbia University Irving Medical Center) with expertise in PTSD, assessment, development and testing of psychotherapeutic treatments, namely Equine-Assisted Therapy (EAT), which is a widely used alternative treatment for many people struggling with mental health and life problems, including veterans.

The initial goal of the Man O’ War Project (MOW) was to examine the effectiveness of EAT for military veterans and military personnel with PTSD. Ambassador Mack approached his friend, David Shaffer, MD, and soon a team was formed at Columbia led by Dr. Prudence Fisher and Dr. Yuval Neria. The project was the first-ever university-led research study to examine the effectiveness of equine-assisted therapy in treating veterans with PTSD. The promising clinical and MRI results have been published in three highly regarded medical journals, including the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. Building on the success of the study, the Man O’ War Center at Columbia University is under development with the mission to train others in the EAT field in the Man O’ War protocol, expand access to the therapy for veterans, and adapt the protocol for children and adolescents.

“Ambassador Mack’s contributions to the Thoroughbred industry go well beyond his successful breeding and racing operations,” said James L. Gagliano, President and Chief Operating Officer of The Jockey Club. “His support of the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation, creation of the Dinny Phipps Award, and contributions to the Man O’ War Project exemplify what the Eclipse Award of Merit represents, and he is well-deserving of it. We are honored to have him as a member of The Jockey Club.”

Among his many other endeavors, Ambassador Mack served on the board of directors of the New York City Ballet. He is also a former co-chairman of the board of the Dance Theater of Harlem and a former member of the New York Governor’s Committee on Scholastic Achievement. He was chairman and CEO of the New York State Council of the Arts in New York from 1996 to 1999, being named Chairman Emeritus upon his retirement.

Ambassador Mack and his wife Carol have two children, Andrew and Schuyler.

The Eclipse Awards are sponsored by Roberts Communications, Four Roses Bourbon, Daily Racing Form, Breeders’ Cup, FanDuel Group, The Stronach Group and 1/ST Racing, Santa Anita Park, TVG, Dean Dorton, Stonestreet Farm, Keeneland, Racetrack Television Network, Jackson Family Wines, Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital, Hallway Feeds and the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association.

The Eclipse Awards are named after the great 18th-century racehorse and foundation sire Eclipse, who began racing at age five and was undefeated in 18 starts, including eight walkovers. Eclipse sired the winners of 344 races, including three Epsom Derbies.

SEIGNEUR dead heats in his first start – he got his early training at Kirkwood

Courtesy of the TDN

7th-Tampa Bay Downs, $25,000, Msw, 1-21, 3yo, 1mT, 1:39.58, fm, 3 1/4 lengths. (DH)–NAPOLEONIC WAR (c, 3, War Front–Naples Parade, by Street Cry {Ire}) Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $9,875. O-Peter M. Brant; B-White Birch Farm, Inc. (KY); T-Chad C. Brown.
(DH)–SEIGNEUR (c, 3, Flintshire {GB}–Silva {Fr} {MSW-Fr, $104,151}, by Anabaa) Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $9,875. O-Ghislaine Head; B-Brookdale Thoroughbreds Inc (KY); T-Christophe Clement.

Napoleonic War, sent off as the 4-5 favorite, broke slowly and settled last on his maiden voyage going a mile on the Tampa Bay Downs turf while the other half of the dead heat Seigneur was third in the early running. The 7-1 shot Seigneur was keen to press, however, and pulled his rider along through the first turn to secure second on the outside of rivals. With the pair covering the front and back of the field, their positions remained unchanged until the final turn, where Napoleonic War launched his rally going wide and Seigneur took the lead from the longtime frontrunner. The former was forced to the inside to save some ground, and dove even further to the rail midway down the stretch. Napoleonic War inched closer with every stride and the wire came as both noses went down together.

Napoleonic War is his unplaced dam’s first foal, and winner. There is a yearling half-sister by Constitution on record, and the dam was barren after visiting Into Mischief last season.

Seigneur is out of a four-time stakes-winning dam in France. Silva has six winners as a broodmare as well as a yearling full-sister to the colt named Lycada. He got his early conditioning at Kirkwood.