Spun to Run

For the first half of this story, please visit yesterday's instalment. Precocity may not be the first thing you'd have in mind from Tom's d'Etat (Smart Strike--Julia Tuttle, by Giant's Causeway), who enters service at WinStar at $17,500 after only really seizing our attention at the age of seven. Nonetheless, he represents one of the most promising prospects of the intake. For a start, he's by a sire of sires out of a graded stakes-placed Giant's Causeway mare whose own dam was a full-sister to Candy Ride (Arg). And nine...

Spun to Run (Hard Spun--Yawkey Way, by Grand Slam), winner of last year's GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, will enter stud at Gainesway next season, the farm announced Sunday. The 4-year-old was also third in last year's GI TVG.com Haskell Invitational S. and he captured the GIII Smarty Jones S. He ended his career with a runner-up effort behind champion 3-year-old Maximum Security (New Year's Day) in the GI Cigar Mile H. On the board in 10 of 12 starts, Spun to Run won five times and earned $1,160,520. "Great...

Bob and Sue Donaldson's Spun to Run (Hard Spun--Yawkey Way, by Grand Slam), last year's clear-cut winner of the GI Big Ass Fans Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, has been retired from racing. The Juan Carlos Guerrero trainee blossomed in the second half of his sophomore season in 2019, finishing third in the GI Haskell Invitational S. behind eventual Maximum Security (New Year's Day) in July before annexing the GIII Smarty Jones S. over a pair of next-out winners. He earned a gaudy 110 Beyer Speed Figure two starts later when...

The Ocala Breeders' Sales Company has added a supplemental catalogue to its upcoming Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training and the 78 additional horses are now listed on its website, www.obssales.com. Among the 15 siblings to graded stakes winners in the supplemental catalogue are a half-sister by Frosted (hip 1271) to GI Breeders' Cup Mile winner Spun to Run (Hard Spun); a half-brother by Runhappy (hip 1266) to GII Amsterdam S. winner Shancelot (Shanghai Bobby) and a half-sister by Outwork (hip 1261) to GIII Honeybee S. winner Shedaresthedevil (Daredevil). The...

Just under a decade ago, Migdaly Serra was busy building up her marketing and human resource company in Venezuela. The successful businesswoman and entrepreneur knew next to nothing about Thoroughbred horse racing. But Serra caught the horseracing bug, and in just a short time became not only a successful farm owner and manager, but also the breeder of last year's GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile winner Spun to Run (Hard Spun), as well as Tonalist's Shape (Tonalist), a leading 3-year-old filly in 2020. A native of Venezuela, Serra graduated with...

The owners of Midnight Bisou (Midnight Lute) released a statement Wednesday saying they expect Maximum Security (New Year's Day) to be disqualified from all his races, which would include the $20-million Saudi Cup. If so, Midnight Bisou would be placed first in the race. Bob Donaldson, the owner of Spun to Run (Hard Spun), who was second behind Maximum Security in the GI Cigar Mile H., also weighed in, saying he wants the New York Gaming Association to disqualify Maximum Security from that race. Midnight Bisou, who was beaten three-quarters...

In what may be an unprecedented example of bad luck for a major race, Saturdays's GI Pegasus Invitational lost not just its marquee star, but also its second choice Thursday. The day kicked off with the news that GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile winner Spun to Run (Hard Spun) would be scratched due to a skin issue. About five hours later, it was learned that morning-line favorite Omaha Beach (War Front) would also be a late scratch as trainer Richard Mandella discovered his colt had an issue with his right...

Expected to be the second choice in Saturday's GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational S. at Gulfstream, Spun to Run (Hard Spun) will be scratched after an issue with his skin took a turn for the worse yesterday. The story was first reported by the Daily Racing Form's Jay Privman. Trainer Juan Carlos Guerrero said that Spun to Run had been dealing with skin issues for "three or four weeks" and was breaking out in hives. He originally thought they wouldn't be an impediment to his horse running in the Pegasus....

Hallandale Beach, FL - The activity at Gulfstream Park continued to amplify as the post positions were drawn for this weekend's $3-million GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational S. Presented by Runhappy and the $1-million GI Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational S. at Frankey's Sports Bar in The Village at Gulfstream Park. Headlining Saturday's main track event, Fox Hill Farm's Omaha Beach (War Front) drew post five in the field of 12, much to the satisfaction of Richard Mandella. He was installed the 7-5 favorite for the nine-furlong race. "Couldn't ask...

A strange four-day period in which the likely second choice in a $3-million race did not have a jockey ended Tuesday with the announcement that Javier Castellano will ride Spun to Run (Hard Spun) in the GI Pegasus Invitational at Gulfstream. Castellano replaces Irad Ortiz, Jr., who made the peculiar decision to take off Spun to Run in order to ride the Bob Baffert-trained Mucho Gusto (Mucho Macho Man). Mucho Gusto was last seen running third in the GIII Oklahoma Derby Sept. 29 and his biggest wins have come at...

Maximum Security (New Year's Day) faces a speed-laden field of six foes as he looks to bounce back in Saturday's GI TVG.com Haskell Invitational S. at Monmouth Park, which carries a "Win and You're In" berth to this year's GI Breeders' Cup Classic. The saga the Gary and Mary West homebred has been embroiled in is well documented--a controversial DQ from first to 17th in the GI Kentucky Derby led to plenty of debate, and litigation, and the GI Xpressbet Florida Derby winner skipped the next two legs of the...