APB: Montauk & Irish Territory

MONTAUK GETS BACK TO WORK

'TDN Rising Star' Montauk (Medaglia d'Oro), unraced since posting one of the more visually impressive debut victories of 2017, took his first steps toward a 3-year-old campaign in South Florida this past weekend.

The $300,000 KEESEP yearling turned $850,000 OBSAPR juvenile (:10 1/5), campaigned in partnership by Robert LaPenta, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Twin Creeks Racing Stables and Bridlewood Farm, covered three furlongs in :37.20 (1/2) at trainer Todd Pletcher's Palm Beach Downs base Jan. 28.

“He was smooth as silk and well within himself throughout the breeze and he seems to have emerged in good order,” Eclipse President and Founder Aron Wellman said. “We're very pleased with his condition, and while Todd and our ownership group have no intention of pressing on him, we anticipate Montauk coming to hand rather expediently as things just come so natural to him.”

Montauk ran to his lofty reputation and justified even-money favoritism in a field of 11 with a jaw-dropping, stalk-and-pounce 11 1/4-length tally, or, “from here to the end of Long Island” as track announcer Larry Collmus put it, going seven furlongs on debut at Belmont Park Oct. 7. He earned a very solid 89 Beyer Speed Figure for the effort. The time off since has been by design, per Wellman.

“We have no plan for him other than to allow Montauk to tell us when he's ready to return to race action,” Wellman said. “Clearly, with a horse like him, we'd love to be in a position to consider the Classics, but the entire ownership group is level-headed about our path and no one wants to compromise a horse of his quality and talent by forcing him to do something he's not ready to do.”

Montauk's late dam Indian Vale (A.P. Indy) won four graded stakes and placed in both the GI Beldame S. and GI Personal Ensign S. while carrying the colors of Eugene Melnyk. His second dam Marley Vale (Forty Niner) won the 1999 GI Test S. Montauk was bred in Kentucky by Mandy Pope's Whisper Hill Farm, which purchased Indian Vale for $725,000 at the 2013 FTKFEB sale.

Montauk closed at odds of 17-1 in the first round of the GI Kentucky Derby Future Wager late last November.

“If he's not quite ready for the Classics, we believe we have a superior animal on our hands, and as we've learned from the likes of Arrogate and West Coast the past few seasons, there's no downside to having a late-developing 3-year-old,” Wellman concluded. “We're excited to have him back on the worktab and it will be fun for us to all see how he progresses under Todd's guidance.”

COMEBACKING MAIDEN EXITS KEY RACE

Irish Territory (Ire) (Declaration of War), last seen finishing a strong second in a very live renewal of the GIII With Anticipation S. at Saratoga last summer Aug. 30, is aiming for a spring return to the races.

The Zayat Stables colorbearer led in the stretch that day after posting a powerful sweeping move on the far turn and was reeled in late by the highly regarded subsequent GII Remsen S. hero Catholic Boy (More Than Ready).

No shortage of talent finished behind the maiden of two career starts in the With Anticipation including: 'TDN Rising Star' Untamed Domain (Leroidesanimaux {Brz}) (third), who followed with a win in the GII Summer S. and runner-up finish in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf; Seabhac (Scat Daddy) (fourth), a next out winner of the GIII Pilgrim S.; Evaluator (Overanalyze) (seventh), winner of the Sleepy Hollow S.; and Nauti Buoy (Mizzen Mast) (ninth), winner of the Juvenile Turf S.

Irish Territory, a€475,000/$532,713 purchase at the 2016 Goffs Orby Yearling Sale, has posted a handful of works at Payson Park under the watchful eye of Hall of Famer Bill Mott since turning three, including an easy three-furlong move in :38.80 (10/11) Jan. 29.

Bred in Ireland by Springbank Way Stud, Irish Territory is the first foal out of the stakes-placed Oasis Dream (GB) mare Sleeping Beauty (Ire). His second dam is Irish 1000 Guineas heroine Nightime (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}).

“He just had little baby things here and there–no major issues, just a minor setback–so we gave him 60 days off,” Justin Zayat, President and CEO of Racing and Bloodstock at Zayat Stables, said. “He hasn't missed a day of training since coming back to Bill. He's moving really well, has grown and developed, and is getting stronger every single day. He's doing all the things that you want to see. Maybe a race like the [GIII] Transylvania S. [at Keeneland Apr. 6] or something like that could potentially be a comeback spot. He's still technically a maiden though, and has conditions.”

A very troubled and green seventh on debut going two turns on the lawn at the Spa Aug. 5, the money showed up at the windows for Irish Territory facing much tougher next time, going off at a well-backed 6-1 in the With Anticipation.

“We've always known that he's talented, but he just had to do it in the afternoon, especially after his first race at Saratoga,” Zayat said. “It was actually Bill's idea to run him in the With Anticipation. When Bill Mott, who tends to be a little more conservative, is telling you that he wants to run a maiden in a Grade III, I was like, 'Wow. Let's do it.' He really ran a hell of a race that day and almost won.”

The Zayat family has hit the ground running with a handful of European purchases thus far. In addition to Irish Territory, 'TDN Rising Star' Gidu (Frankel {GB}) (€410,000/$457,683 Arqana Deauville August Yearling) lines up next in Saturday's GIII Dania Beach S. at Gulfstream. The future also looks bright for last year's €1.6-million Goffs Orby Sale topper, a son of the mighty Frankel owned in partnership with Coolmore.

“We've really just dabbled so far in the overseas market and so far we've had some nice success,” Zayat said. “We've gotten reports from Aidan O'Brien that the Frankel Orby topper is doing really well, too. Hopefully, we'll go back in the future and buy a couple more.”