By Tim Wilkin
SARATOGA SPRING, N.Y.–Three Chimneys Farm, LLC has a 'volatile' situation on their hands.
And that is a good thing.
Volatile, who had a pretty fair career as a racehorse, is continuing to shine in the breeding shed.
That showed at Saratoga Race Course on Sunday when Volatile progeny Reliable Source gutted out a stretch drive with first-timer Margot's Angel (Practical Joke) and won a $100,000 maiden special event for 2-year-old fillies, the first race on the card. She is the sixth individual winner for her freshman sire (by Violence).
Reliable Source is from the first crop of Volatile and out of the Broken Vow mare Repeta. Three Chimneys owns and bred Reliable Source.
“Three Chimneys loves that mare and loves that sire,” Three Chimneys vice chairman Doug Cauthen said by phone from Kentucky where he watched the race on television. “We are always hoping for the best for these new runners. She did her job and then some. She was very game.”
Cauthen said that Repeta has been very productive and has produced several stakes horses, including Funtastic Again (Funtastic), who was second in the GI Shoemaker Mile Stakes on the grass at Santa Anita May 27.
Ridden by Flavien Prat and trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, Reliable Source was making her second career start in the 6 1/2 rlong race, which was reduced to five runners after a pair of scratches.
Volatile, who was trained by Asmussen, won five of six of his career starts from 2019-2020. His final start–the GI Alfred G. Vanderbilt Stakes at Saratoga on July 25, 2020–was his lone graded stakes victory.
He was retired in September 2020 due to a hairline fracture of his right front cannon bone.
Three Chimneys owned Volatile during his racing career along with Phoenix Thoroughbred III.
“He was so brilliant and a very good-looking horse,” Cauthen said. “He was brilliantly fast.”
“That's what we are in the game for,” Asmussen said. “The whole team has a lot of confidence in this sire, especially because he has put out individuals that look like she does. She is going to be a wonderful filly and we are fortunate to have her.”
This was the second win of the meet for a Volatile offspring. Incentive Pay, a 2-year-old colt, broke his maiden at first asking for trainer Chad Brown and Seth Klarman's Klaravich Stables, Inc. July 20.
“The stallion business is tough, and they don't all make it,” Cauthen said. “You have to hope a lot. Certainly, he has given us some level of confidence that he might do the job because he threw–and continues to throw–really athletic looking horses. We've had a positive feeling, but now they have to run. It's nice when a filly like that does it.”
Reliable Source broke alertly from the gate and went straight to the lead. She was engaged by Magot's Angel and the two ran as a team, six lengths ahead of the rest of the field at the half.
Having the one race experience under her helped Reliable Source navigate her way to the wire.
“That definitely helped her, no doubt,” Cauthen said. “She was out of the gate way more professionally and tried to control the race.”
After putting away Margot's Angel, Reliable Source and Prat cruised to a 2 1/2 length win over the late running Buriana (Justify).
Reliable Source was timed in 1:20.27 on the deep track. She paid $4.10.
“She is a lovely filly,” Asmussen said. “We are happy to see her win a maiden special weight here at Saratoga. Everybody knows how tough that can be.”
The other Volatile Saratoga winner–Incentive Pay–could be targeting the GI Hopeful Stakes at the end of the Spa meet. Cauthen said it will be up to Asmussen to pick out the next spot for Reliable Source.
“Steve said going in that he hoped she could win this race and then he would start looking for a stake,” Cauthen said. “She certainly gave the impression that (Asmussen's) plan was a good one.”
RELIABLE SOURCE, daughter of @Three_Chimneys stallion Volatile, out-dueled Margot's Angel for a win in the opener with Flavien Prat up for Steve Asmussen. pic.twitter.com/7X0h76keS2
— NYRA (🎪) (@TheNYRA) July 28, 2024
1st-Saratoga, $97,000, Msw, 7-28, 2yo, f, 6 1/2f, 1:20.27, ft, 2 1/2 lengths.
RELIABLE SOURCE (f, 2, Volatile–Repeta, by Broken Vow), runner up in her debut going 4 1/2 panels at Churchill Downs June 26, was installed the even-money choice to go one better this time. Quickly to the front, she cut out fractions of :22.14 and :45.17 as Margot's Angel (Practical Joke) pressed the issue to her outside with Buriana (Justify) several lengths back. The top two turned for home in lockstep, and while Margot's Angel did her best to hold on, it was Reliable Source who had the most left in the tank and she crossed the wire 2 1/2 lengths ahead of the closing Buriana. Margot's Angel held third. The winner is a half to Lady Glamour (Discreet Cat), GSP, $126,170; Mucho Del Oro (Mucho Macho Man), MGSW, $421,100; and Funtastic Again (Funtastic), SW & GISP, $408,694. In foal to Not This Time, Repeta brought $70,000 from Mulholland Springs at Keeneland November in 2020. She foaled a filly by that sire the following season and was most recently bred back to Gun Runner this season. Sales history: $250,000 RNA Ylg '23 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 2-1-1-0, $79,000. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuelTV.
O-Three Chimneys Farm, LLC (Goncalo B. Torrealba); B-Three Chimneys Farm, LLC (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen.
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
