Stay Thirsty

Irad Ortiz, Jr., currently the nation's leading jockey in both purse winnings and victories for 2023, waived his right to appeal a three-day "careless riding" suspension imposed by the Aqueduct Racetrack stewards for an Oct. 22 bumping incident that resulted in a victory for Ortiz's mount, an inquiry by the stewards, but no disqualification. As a result of waiving the appeal, Ortiz will sit out three days starting this coming Sunday, Nov. 5, the day after he rides the Breeders' Cup at Santa Anita Park, plus next Thursday and Friday,...

by Dan Ross & Jill Williams A $250,000 colt by late California sire Vronsky led Tuesday's one-session Fasig-Tipton California Fall Yearlings and Horses of Racing Age Sale, topping a dozen lots to sell for six figures. While the $5,751,500 gross for 185 head and $15,000 median (-11.76%) declined somewhat from the 2022 edition, average was up slightly from $30,522 in 2022 to $31,089 (+1.86%) this year. The buy-back rate, 25.7% in 2022, rose to 34%. "Buy-backs may be up a little bit," said Fasig-Tipton's California representative Mike Machowsky. "But the...

Grade I winner Fun to Dream (Arrogate) was crowned California-bred Horse of the Year at the CTBA Awards dinner held Monday night. The 4-year-old filly, who is out of the Maria's Mon mare Lutess, was bred by Connie Pageler and trainer Bob Baffert and is owned by Paegler and Natalie J. Baffert. The gray filly was also named Cal-bred champion 3-year-old filly and sprinter, and her dam was named Cal-bred broodmare of the year. "I did this, it was a crazy thing, I called Garrett O'Rourke at Juddmonte and I...

Tenacious to the end, Red Oak Stable and Madaket Stable's Mind Control (Stay Thirsty) closed out his career with a win in the 2022 GI Cigar Mile, his third Grade I win and his 11th black-type victory. In a remarkable 29 starts over five years, Mind Control amassed total winnings of $2,185,834. In that race, as in all of Mind Control's stakes wins, he beat an impressive field of competitors, including favored Zandon, White Abarrio, and Get Her Number. Big numbers, indeed. Numbers, as it turns out, will also be...

Red Oak Stable (Stephen P. Brunetti) and Madaket Stable's (Sol Kumin) Mind Control (Stay Thirsty--Feel That Fire, by Lightnin N Thunder) winner of the GI $750,000 Cigar Mile at Aqueduct on Dec. 3 in the final start of his career, will stand at Rockridge Stud in New York under the management of Irish Hill Farm, Dutchess Views Stallions, Hidden Lake Farm and Rockridge Stud. The five-year-old is out of a stakes-winning mare and is priced at $8,500 LFSN. Mind Control won the GI Hopeful S. as a 2-year-old and the...

Red Oak Stable and Madaket Stable's Mind Control (Stay Thirsty), who has competed in 27 stakes since his debut in 2018, closed out his career in style Saturday, scoring his 11th black-type victory and third at the highest level in Aqueduct's GI Cigar Mile. With GI Pennsylvania Derby runner-up Zandon (Upstart) bet down to 3-5, Mind Control was dispatched as the 3-1 second choice, a gift to his faithful fans in his career finale. Away quickest of all, the bay was outrun by 58-1 shot Outlier (Not This Time) and...

Each year since 2010, as Thoroughbreds across the country face the end of their racing careers, the team at the Maryland-based Retired Racehorse Project step up with one purpose: "furthering founder Steuart Pittman's vision to increase demand for Thoroughbreds after racing and restoring their prominence in the equestrian world." With this goal in mind, the RRP created the inaugural 'Thoroughbred Trainer Challenge' in 2012--an event which gave four trainers just 100 days and an opportunity to showcase what a recently retired racehorse could do in a potential second career. That...

OCEANPORT, NJ--It was an unseasonably cool and windy June day at the Jersey Shore for Monmouth Park's GIII Salvator Mile S. and the match up on display for Saturday's marquee race was just as unusual as the weather. It is not often the Salvator Mile attracts a pair of Grade I winners, but that is exactly what the Monmouth Park fans were treated to Saturday with Mind Control (Stay Thirsty) meeting Hot Rod Charlie (Oxbow) for the first time. And what a treat it was! GI Pennsylvania Derby hero Hot...

by Dan Ross and Jessica Martini CYPRESS, CA - With numbers predictably down against a backdrop of pandemic and economic uncertainties, a total of 166 yearlings grossed $3,735,700 during the Fasig-Tipton California Fall Yearlings Sale held Monday at Los Alamitos Race Course. The average of $22,504 was down 15.9% from last year's inaugural Fasig California Yearling sale and the median dropped 30.0% to $10,000. "Statistically it was in line with what we've seen at the Kentucky sales and the Ocala sales," Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning said at the close of...

Just two years ago, Maryland-based horseplayer Rob Schutzman had only dreamed of owning a racehorse. But thanks to a little help from his wife Jill, he is now a part of the new ownership group Designated Hitters Racing, whose star 3-year-old My Friends Beer (Stay Thirsty) will start on Saturday in the first division of the GI Arkansas Derby. Jason Scott and Dan Heim were the original founders of the partnership. "Jason grew up near Pimlico and Dan is from Ocala," said Schutzman. "They both have a background in the...

Spendthrift Farm's multiple graded stakes-winning millionaire Coal Front (Stay Thirsty--Miner's Secret, by Mineshaft) had his first mare confirmed in foal. The Wildcat Heir mare Defying Gravity scanned in foal Mar. 10 for breeder Ken Doyen at Sparks View Farm in Paris, KY. She hails from the immediate family of multiple graded stakes winner and sire Too Much Bling. Bought for $575,000 as an OBS April 2-year-old in 2016, Coal Front was named a 'TDN Rising Star' a year later at Keeneland and went on to win five stakes over his...