A Poindexter Pick Three at Santa Anita

The early race card at Santa Anita had a decidedly Midwest flair Saturday as the winners of the first three races of the day were bred by Missouri-resident Allen Poindexter and two of the three winners were Iowa-breds. The streak began with 15-1 shot Posit (Cairo Prince)'s half-length win in an optional claimer; continued with the debut victory of OBS June topper Clivetty (Into Mischief) (video) and concluded with 'TDN Rising Star' Auberge (Palace)'s 2 1/4-length allowance win (video).

“I wasn't sure about Posit in the first, but I thought the other two had a good shot,” Poindexter said Sunday. “Auberge is Grade II placed and was running in an allowance, so I thought she would win. The other filly, I really didn't know if six furlongs would be the right distance. She is a really big Into Mischief filly. I think she is going to want to go long, but she still won going three-quarters.”

Of the hat trick, Poindexter said, “I was very pleased. I'm not sure that's ever happened before to win the first, second, and third at Santa Anita with the same breeder. I'm very proud. We work hard to try to get racehorses. There is a lot of hard work that goes into this. It's a passion, so it's always nice to see your passion paying off.”

Auberge, who sold for $140,000 as a weanling at the 2017 Fasig-Tipton November sale, brought $170,000 at the 2018 Keeneland September Yearling Sale before Speedway Stable purchased her for $570,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton Midlantic May Sale. She was tabbed a 'TDN Rising Star' following her debut win in Arcadia last October and then was second in the GII Santa Ynez S. Jan. 5.

Auberge is out of Prenuptial Vow (Broken Vow) and Poindexter is still considering 2020 matings for that 15-year-old mare.

“We ended up not breeding her back last year because she was going to be on a late cover,” he said. “I think right now, we're kind of pointing her towards either Audible or City of Light.”

Clivetty, out of Rosemonde (Indian Charlie), is a full-sister to multiple Grade I placed Rowayton and both carry the colors of Larry Best's OXO Equine.

“Rosemonde had a May baby and we did not breed her back,” Poindexter said. “She is going to Tapit this year.”

Best purchased Rowayton for $320,000 at the 2017 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale and acquired Clivetty for $900,000 at last year's OBS June Sale. He added more of the family to his stable when going to $375,000 to acquire the mare's Frosted filly as a weanling at last year's Keeneland November sale.

Rosemonde's 2-year-old colt by Frosted is expected to make an appearance at the juvenile sales this spring.

“The Frosted colt is with Julie Davies [in Ocala] and he's going to a 2-year-old sale,” Poindexter said.”

Asked if he was hoping Larry Best would be attending that particular auction, Poindexter said with a chuckle, “I don't know, he buys almost everything else, doesn't he? He has bought the whole family. I think I need to sell him the mare, don't you? It would be cheaper for him–buy the factory.”

Poindexter has a broodmare band of some 60 head spread around the country and making good use of several regional markets.

“We have about 25 what I would call top-notch mares that we breed to be Kentucky-breds,” he said. “And the rest of the mares we have regionally. I usually foal out between 12 and 15 in Iowa. This year I have six in Minnesota, nine in Indiana and four or five in Oklahoma, three in Pennsylvania, and the 25 in Kentucky.”

But it is the Iowa racing and breeding scene which has him particularly captivated.

“I am on the HBPA in Iowa, so I am very involved with Iowa-bred racing and breeding,” Poindexter said. “I have a market for a lot of my horses with the Iowa people and I partner a lot with them where they buy half of one of my babies and I stay in for half. It gets a lot more people involved in Iowa with some really good Iowa-breds. This past year, we had the 2-year-old Iowa-bred filly champion, the 3-year-old colt champion, the Horse of the Year, the Broodmare of the Year. So we're very big into Iowa, improving the Iowa-bred horse racing.”

Posit, the Iowa-bred who kick-started Poindexter's win streak at Santa Anita Saturday, is a half-sister to multiple stakes winner and graded placed Chanel's Legacy (Dominus).

“Chanel's Legacy was an Iowa-bred and I think she only ran once in Iowa,” Poindexter said. “She won the Dixie Belle and the Martha Washington S. and was second in the GIII Fantasy. I still have her.”

Chanel's Legacy produced a colt by Bernardini in 2019 and was bred back to More Than Ready.

“Some of these Iowa-breds will never run in Iowa,” Poindexter said. “They are good mares bred to Kentucky stallions. Horses like Auberge–she is going to compete with anyone.”