By Alan Carasso
Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency
1st-SAR, $100K, Msw, 2yo, 1 1/16mT, post time: 11:35 a.m. ET
Though there are more fashionable pedigrees on display for the Saturday opener at the Spa, DAUNT (Nyquist) may present longshot players something to grab on to. Owned and bred by Marc Keller and trained by Bobby Ribaudo–who teamed to win back-to-back renewals of the GI Sword Dancer Invitational in 2007 and 2008 with Grand Couturier (GB)–the February-foaled dark bay is the first produce for his dam Promotional (Artie Schiller), third in the GIII Rood & Riddle Dowager S. and sold with this colt in utero for $275,000 at Keeneland January in 2019. Promotional is a half-sister to the Glen Hill Farm's outstanding MGISW and GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf runner-up Marketing Mix (Medaglia d'Oro), while the deeper female family includes two-time GI Pacific Classic winner Skimming (Nureyev), G1 English 1000 Guineas heroine Wince (GB) (Selkirk) and MGSW Eltish (Cox's Ridge). Electability (Quality Road), a $600K in-utero purchase at KEENOV in 2018, is out of a daughter of GIII Florida Oaks winner French Satin (French Deputy), dam of GSW Long Haul Bay (Quality Road), SW & GSP Midnight Transfer (Hard Spun) and SP Salt Plage (Quality Road). Electability cost $300,000 at KEENOV in 2019 and third dam produced MGISW Lion Heart (Tale of the Cat). Royal Spirit (Into Mischief), a $450,000 KEESEP buy, is out of a winning half-sister to GSW Mo Tom (Uncle Mo), SW & MGISP Beautician (Dehere), MGSW Red Ruby (Tiznow) and SW Bella Castani (Big Brown), the dam of MSP Be Sneaky (Into Mischief). TJCIS PPs
Frosted Colt Looks to Unleash His 'Wrath'…
2nd-SAR, $100K, Msw, 2yo, 6f, post time: 12:08 p.m. ET
Produced by a half-sister to GSW Doremifasollatido (Bernstein) and GSW Fortunate Damsel (Runaway Groom), STEINBECK (Frosted) fetched $125,000 at KEESEP last year, then was hammered down for $650,000 at Fasig-Tipton's Gulfstream Sale earlier this winter after breezing a quarter-mile in :21 2/5 (see below). The price ranks as easily the most expensive of 34 second-crop juveniles for his sire in 2021. Don Adam's Courtlandt Farm was extended to $690,000 to acquire Dr. Perry (Into Mischief) at Keeneland last fall. The Mar. 5 foal is out of Not In Jest (Unbridled's Song), a daughter of GI Ballerina H. winner Stop Traffic (Cure the Blues), making her a full-sister to GISW and 'TDN Rising Star' Cross Traffic and a half to MSW Thirteen Arrows (Indian Charlie). Be Better is a homebred son of Uncle Mo, who defeated Admiral Perry by 14 1/4 lengths at first asking 11 years ago to this day before going on to GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile and Eclipse Award honors. The dark bay is out of a daughter of the late SW Grat (A.P. Indy), dam of GSW turfer Old Time Hockey (Smarty Jones). TJCIS PPs
Fipke Homebred Looks 'Ready' For Debut…
5th-WO, C$126K, Msw, 2yo, f, 7fT, post time: 3:23 p.m. ET
Charles Fipke homebred READY LADY (More Than Ready) looks set to roll at first asking and has the family behind her to do it. The late Jack Werk acquired the filly's second dam, Grade I-winning Illinois-bred Lady Shirl (That's a Nice), for $485,000 in foal to Theatrical (Ire) at Keeneland November in 2005 and the result was Lady Shakespeare, who went on to become a graded winner on turf at 10 and 12 furlongs for Fipke. Lady Shakespeare has gone on to produce GISW, Sovereign Award winner and 'TDN Rising Star' Lady Speightspeare (Speightstown) while her half-sister, GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf upsetter Perfect Shirl (Perfect Soul {Ire}), has accounted for GSW 'Rising Star' Shirl's Speight (Speightstown). Lady Shirl also produced SW & MGSP Fantastic Shirl (Fantastic Light). TJCIS PPs
'Chrome' Sibling Gets Underway…
1st-DMR, $70K, Msw, 2yo, f, post time: 5:00 p.m. ET
CAPTAIRE (Uncle Mo) draws outside in a field of six for a much-anticipated career debut Saturday 'where the surf meets the turf.' On behalf of SF Bloodstock, John McCormack went to $1.9 million to purchase Love That Chase (Not For Love) in foal to Tapit at Fasig-Tipton November in 2016, a few months before her son California Chrome (Lucky Pulpit) would add a Horse of the Year and champion older horse statuette to his champion 3-year-old Eclipse from two years prior. Love That Chase was RNAd for $1.3 million with this filly in utero at FTKNOV in 2018. Electric Ride (Daredevil) was the joint-third priciest of her sire's 28 yearlings reported as sold last season when fetching $130,000 at FTKOCT and was the dearest of 19 of the stallion's current juveniles when hammering for $250,000 at OBSAPR this spring (under-tack video). TJCIS PPs
Ballerina Winner Represented By Second Starter…
8th-DMR, $70K, Msw, 2yo, 6f, post time: 8:35 p.m. ET
ROCKEFELLER (Medaglia d'Oro) is the second foal to make the races out of the classy Dance to Bristol (Speightstown), who posted the most important of her 10 career wins in the 2013 GI Ballerina S., besting favored Book Review (Giant's Causeway) by a head. The $750,000 KEESEP purchase squares off against Union Train (Union Rags), whose talented half-sister White Frost (Candy Ride {Arg}) was ultra-impressive in taking out the GIII Sweetest Chant S. on the turf at Gulfstream last January. Also a half-brother to MSP Torres Del Paine (Karakontie {Jpn}), Union Train realized a final bid of $325,000 at OBSMAR after breezing in :10 1/5. South Street (Quality Road) is a son of Miss Catomine (Bernardini), whose dam Sweet Catomine (Storm Cat) won the 2004 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies and GI Del Mar Debutante en route to an Eclipse Award that season. The latter's full-sister Life Is Sweet was a winner of the GI Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic. TJCIS PPs
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