The Ball's Back in Hennig's 'Court'

SARATOGA SPRINGS, New York–When trainer Mark Hennig went down to Lexington last year for the Keeneland September sale to shop with Don Adam of Courtlandt Farms, he had no idea what he was getting himself into

“He just called me up, kind of sent a few horses in and then we just kept getting more until we had all of them,” Hennig said of around this time last year when he started training for the prominent owner/breeder. “Then we went to the sale at Keeneland, bought some nice babies.”

Nice babies might be an understatement. When the dust settled at KEESEP, Adam, Hennig and Courtlandt farm manager Ernie Retamoza had signed for six regally bred yearlings for a combined $2,945,000.

“I didn't know when I got there,” Hennig said Wednesday morning outside of his Saratoga barn when asked what the game plan was going into KEESEP. “Mr. Adam just asked me if I was coming to Keeneland and said he might buy something. I thought he might buy one horse. But when we started out it didn't take me long to realize he was pretty serious about it. And I think he will be again this year.”

He continued, “My wife and I went down there and we combined the lists of horses we had each looked at independently–I wrote down some horses, Ernie wrote down some horses and Mr. Adam wrote down some horses and we looked at those and put together what we felt was a real nice list. We hit it off right away–it's a great relationship. We had a lot of fun during the sale, and we've had a great time subsequently the rest of the year. We've had great communication and we've enjoyed it. It feels like a real team.”

When Hennig returned to his New York base after the sale, he was joined by Courtlandt homebred Strike Charmer (Smart Strike), winner of the 2014 GIII Cardinal H. for previous conditioner David Carroll. The then-5-year-old mare took a grassy Aqueduct allowance in her first start for the Hennig barn in November, and has been in the best form of her career this term at six.

She annexed the GIII Beaugay S. May 14 at Belmont, but was eighth in the GI Just a Game S. back there June 11 and fifth–beaten just 1 3/4 lengths–in the GI Diana S. at Saratoga July 23.

Last Saturday, Strike Charmer rallied from last to first to upset previously unbeaten Lady Eli (Divine Park) at 27-1 in the GII Woodford Reserve Ballston Spa S.

“We were optimistic–we were hoping she could get one of those with her name on it,” Hennig said when asked if he was surprised at all by his charge's most recent performance. “She was close. She had won the Beaugay at Belmont and had shown she kind of fit with that group. In the Just a Game, she had no chance to run, and was only beaten six lengths. You kind of just have to wait until the luck falls your way sometimes. It got us off the duck [at the meet], too.”

And those pricey Keeneland babies have started showing up in the afternoon, as well. In last Saturday's opener, Capitaine (Tapit), a $400,000 purchase from the family of Kitten's Joy and Dreaming of Anna, finished a sneaky-good fifth going six panels.

“He was out a little wide, got bounced around a bit, but I thought going three-quarters he ran a very credible race,” said Hennig, who added that few if any of the horses he's ever trained have run their best race in their first race, and that the horses Adam purchased at Keeneland are all more geared towards Classic-type races.

Sunday it was $340,000 pick-up Cursor (Quality Road)'s chance to strut her stuff. Away slowly, she kicked home nicely down the center of the track to put a scare into well-meant fellow newcomer Sky Gesture (Tiznow) and finish a clear second.

“I thought she might go ahead and get the job done going three-quarters because she's just that kind of horse,” Hennig said of the close relative to local Grade I winner Visionaire and Grade I-winning 'TDN Rising Star' Tara's Tango. “She does everything right. But she had that outside post, got shuffled back a little bit early. I had told [jockey] Junior [Alvarado] don't rush her–don't chase–let her run her race. She'll take the dirt, she'll do everything right. She's never done a thing wrong. I thought maybe class would get her there, but she ran into a nice filly.”

He added, “You've got to be excited about a horse like her. She was probably less fit than Capitaine, but she just did it out of pure will. Like I told Mr. Adam after the race, if the winner wasn't in there she would've broken her maiden by 8 1/2. And that's knowing that she wasn't even totally fit yet. It's encouraging, and obviously more ground is going to help her.”

Hennig says he's pleased with what the Courtlandt 2-year-olds have shown him despite some setbacks, and will debut a Tapit colt named Spectacular Jack for Adam in Saturday's fourth race at Saratoga.

“He was just kind of backwards all through the spring,” Hennig noted. “It's taken him a long time to come around, but the light seems like it's really come on for him and his last few works have been very nice.”

Carrying a $550,000 price tag at the sale, Spectacular Jack is out of an unraced half-sister to 2002 GI Personal Ensign H. heroine Summer Colony, who Hennig trained on behalf of the late, great owner/breeder Ned Evans, in addition to the likes of Grade I winners Raging Fever and Gygistar around that same time.

The native Ohioan and former D. Wayne Lukas assistant's shedrow is starting to look like it did in the 1990s and 2000s when he had more firepower behind him.

“It makes you feel good to know you've got those prospects coming,” Hennig offered. “Somebody asked me the other day how many Tapits I've trained. I said, 'I never had any Tapits before Mr. Adam came along.' Between the loss of Mr. Evans and Mr. Adam coming in, it's a familiar feeling that we haven't felt in a long time.”