- 2 days ago
Ned Toffey joins this week's TDN Writers' Room to discuss the stacked lineup of Spendthrift Farm-owned horses pointing for the Breeders' Cup, including the General Manager's namesake, Ted Noffey, who figures to be the favorite in the Juvenile.
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00:00:00For the love of the worse, for generations to come.
00:00:23Welcome to another edition of the TDN Writer's Room podcast presented by Keeneland.
00:00:32My name is Bill Finley. I'm a correspondent for the Thoroughbred Daily News.
00:00:36How y'all doing? I am Randy Moss with NBC Sports and the Byers Speed Figure team with, there she is.
00:00:42Lucy's back there taking a nap as always.
00:00:46Zoe Catman with First Racing and First TV.
00:00:49Southern California, it's still dark out, it's early, and it's raining.
00:00:54Yes, it's been months since we saw the rain here, and it's going to rain all day.
00:00:59It's going to be fabulous.
00:01:01You got a clock back there for us. I think it said 6.30 a.m.?
00:01:05Yeah, 6.30 a.m. Bright and early.
00:01:09That's why Lucy's out.
00:01:10Well, we appreciate Zoe getting up to help us out at this early, early time.
00:01:15If the roles were reversed, I wouldn't have got up at this early to do that.
00:01:19We know. We know.
00:01:21We tried to make you go early before, Bill.
00:01:24It's a big no.
00:01:26Yeah.
00:01:27So anyways, this is kind of a quiet time in racing, which is okay.
00:01:30It gives us a chance to reflect on some various issues and whatnot.
00:01:34And the first one I wanted to bring up is the decision to not run Napoleon solo in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile.
00:01:40Randy, I remember you were raving about this horse.
00:01:42The horse won the Champagne by six and a half lengths in fractions of 22.53, 44.24, and 107.88 wire to wire.
00:01:53And they did the same thing with Tis the Law.
00:01:56But is this going to be the beginning of a new pattern?
00:02:00The Derby is so important and so big that people will keep their horses out of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile
00:02:06because they think that's the best way to get them to Louisville on the first Saturday in May.
00:02:10I'd be surprised, Bill, if it's a pattern.
00:02:13Because if you go back and you look at the horses that won the Champagne in the past,
00:02:17in the years that the Breeders' Cup was in Southern California, right?
00:02:21Those years where you think you would have the most reluctance to run a Champagne winner in the Breeders' Cup.
00:02:27So, Chancer McPatrick ran.
00:02:29Timberlake ran.
00:02:30Jack Christopher was intended to run.
00:02:32Forensic Fire, Practical Joke, Daredevil, Havana, Shanghai Bobby won both races.
00:02:38That's the last three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine or ten other than Tis the Law.
00:02:44So, you know, Tis the Law and Funnyside both could have run in the Breeders' Cup,
00:02:50but Barkley Tag and Sacatoga decided not to.
00:02:52I think it's going to be, honestly, my opinion, I think it's going to be a one-off,
00:02:57I think, if we look back on it 10 years from now.
00:03:00I actually reached out to Chad Summers.
00:03:03He's like, why wasn't I on the podcast?
00:03:04I'm like, because I wasn't on it last week, Chad.
00:03:08And he texted me the following.
00:03:11He said he's not running.
00:03:12He said he ran a nine on the sheets, 94 by a speed figure, which you obviously know,
00:03:16two and a half on the thorough graph.
00:03:18He said he was 0.34 off the six furlong tracks record and 0.7 off the seven furlong track record held by Artak.
00:03:29So all of these factors were going into him, just putting him away and just, you know, leaving him until next year.
00:03:37He says the horse is doing great.
00:03:38He's just simply not coming because he feels he ran too fast.
00:03:42And boy, I mean, he was shockingly impressive.
00:03:46Oh, I thought he had a legitimate chance to beat Ted Noffey and Brandt if they had chosen that route.
00:03:53But I can understand.
00:03:54Yeah.
00:03:54You know, especially nowadays when trainers are so, I think, overly concerned about the bounce factor if a horse just runs a giant race.
00:04:03And obviously, that race was giant.
00:04:05And I think it's the shipping across country.
00:04:07If the Breeders' Cup was in New York or Kentucky, I think it may be a different kettle of fish, to be perfectly honest.
00:04:15But the fact of running such massive numbers, those are huge numbers for a two-year-old.
00:04:19And then having to ship as well was probably the nail and the straw that broke the camel's back.
00:04:26Did Chad say they were going to look at the Remsen or are they going to?
00:04:29He did not.
00:04:30He didn't say anything.
00:04:31And, you know, Bill would tell him that, you know, no good horse ever wins the Remsen.
00:04:35So it's probably not going to happen.
00:04:37Yeah, I'll have to have that conversation with Mr. Summers the next chance I get.
00:04:45We're going to learn more about a horse by the name of Further Adieu who is owned by Spent Thrift Farms because Ned Toffee is coming up in our next segment.
00:04:54And he is the general manager of Spent Thrift Farms.
00:04:56He'll be our Gainsway guest of the week.
00:04:58But, Zoe, it's an unusual horse.
00:05:02He wasn't precocious enough to break his maiden.
00:05:05But in his third lifetime start, won by 20 lengths.
00:05:11What did you make of him?
00:05:13I mean, visually, he was pretty darn amazing.
00:05:16He really was.
00:05:17And he comes out of some live races in Saratoga talking.
00:05:21Won one of the maiden races he was in.
00:05:24And he came back to run very, very well in the Champagne.
00:05:27It was his third start.
00:05:29It was the two turns that really, I think, was the clincher there for him.
00:05:33But if I'm going to compare Further Adieu with Napoleon Solo, time-wise, it's not the same.
00:05:39He got kind of a much easier setup.
00:05:4223.17, 47, 111 and change.
00:05:46137, 143 and 2.
00:05:48Yes, he won by 20.
00:05:49I'm not sure who was behind him.
00:05:51But visually, yes, horses just don't do that.
00:05:54And it doesn't look like that we'll see him go into the Breeders' Cup either.
00:05:58Yeah.
00:05:58And in the Breeders' Futurity, Ted Nafi was stalking a 48 and change half-mile pace,
00:06:03if you want to compare that to Napoleon Solo.
00:06:05So, further ado, his first and second starts, he was fifth and third.
00:06:10You mentioned at Saratoga.
00:06:12He's bred to be a distance horse.
00:06:14He's by Gunrunner.
00:06:15He's a John Oxley-bred colt.
00:06:18The dam, Skydreamer, traces back to Beautiful Pleasure, an outstanding race mare that Oxley raced with John Ward way back in the day.
00:06:29So, further ado, he's bred to be a good horse, and we'll see what they choose to do with him next.
00:06:34Well, it's not going to be the Breeders' Cup, but we'll see what path they plot out for him.
00:06:40He's an exciting horse.
00:06:4198 buyer speed figure, and honestly, it could even have been – you can make the case it could have been a few points higher.
00:06:48It could have been a triple-digit buyer.
00:06:49So, he really, really ran fast.
00:06:51I wanted to touch on one more thing about Chad Summers and Napoleon Solo.
00:06:56He bought him for $40,000 off of Glenwood Farm.
00:07:00Now, if you ever see Chad at a yearling sale, he doesn't walk around with a catalog or an iPad.
00:07:06All he does, guys, is he picks up – there's usually a sheet at the front of the consignment that just gives the horses the sires or the mares that they're out of, right, with a number, and you tick off the ones you want to look at.
00:07:19So, Chad picks up one of those, and he writes his notes on the sheet for the horses he's looking at, and at the end of the day, he's got like a stack of sheets, probably six inches high, that then he puts in the catalog.
00:07:32So, I'm like, what?
00:07:33Why do you do that?
00:07:33Why do you waste all that time?
00:07:35He's like, I don't want to be swayed by the catalog page.
00:07:39So, he doesn't want to know that he's looking at a half to a grade one winner or, you know, a full to a grade one winner because he might not like it.
00:07:47So, that's what he does anywhere, any sale, and that's how he came up with Napoleon Solo, and he's bought some good horses.
00:07:54So, fair dooms to Chad.
00:07:56So, I want to ask you something, Zoe, since you're so sales connected.
00:07:58I see a lot of these huge money purchases by Baffert for the Avengers and for Amherst and all that, and then you go back and look at their pedigrees, and very few of them have these unbelievably blue-blooded pedigrees.
00:08:15Does Bob kind of do sort of the same thing at sales?
00:08:18Is he much more focused on the physical than he is on what's on the page?
00:08:22Absolutely.
00:08:23Physical comes first.
00:08:24We all have, you know, brothers and sisters that may not be up to much.
00:08:28So, a lot of the times, that doesn't really matter.
00:08:32You know, Donato is the first scout, and then Bob comes in after, and he'll be like, yeah, no, no, don't like that one.
00:08:38Now, what about that one over there?
00:08:41Because he'll just see something walking.
00:08:43He tried to steal a horse off me at the September sale.
00:08:46I was looking at her.
00:08:47I'm like, hey, that one's mine.
00:08:49You just wait your turn, Bob.
00:08:51So, yes, it's purely the individual first.
00:08:56And, you know, you'll see a lot of it turn up at the two-year-old sale.
00:08:59High-priced horses for a $10,000 stud fee just because they look so good on the track.
00:09:04And guys like the Avengers, they can afford to do that and have some losses because there are certainly some losses.
00:09:10You'll see horses show up.
00:09:12With Brittany Russell, they paid $500,000 for that a break in the maiden for $50,000.
00:09:17But you've got the one dual grade one winner that's going to be syndicated to stud for millions.
00:09:23So, at that point, in case you can afford to do it, but it is very much about the individual.
00:09:29So, yeah, Chad going around there with just his cards and picking up Napoleon Solo for $40,000, good for him.
00:09:36Really, it's good for him.
00:09:39Yeah, $40,000, remarkable that he was able to do that.
00:09:43The TDN Writers' Room is brought to you by Keeneland.
00:09:46This past week, Keeneland announced that a 25% ownership in Breeders' Cup Sprint contender Ben Tornado will be offered at the championship sale in the Del Mar Paddock on Wednesday, October the 29th.
00:09:59Ben Tornado, who earned $1.2 million, was second in last year's Breeders' Cup Sprint to Straight No Chaser and is among the leading candidates for the race this year.
00:10:09We'll be right back after these messages from Keeneland.
00:10:12Dear racing fans, we've been waiting for you.
00:10:18We've been working, prepping, training, putting together thrilling races, high stakes, favorite traditions, and fresh experiences.
00:10:29From right on the rail to the top of the hill.
00:10:33Whether it's your first meet or your 50th, we can't wait to welcome you back this fall.
00:10:39Love, Keeneland.
00:10:42Fastest Horse of the Week brought to you as always by the Fast Sires at Windstar Farm.
00:10:49It's always fun to talk about the sires at Windstar Farm because there are so many fast sires there.
00:10:55And yes, we repeat stallions occasionally.
00:10:57And it's okay to do that because they're just so fast.
00:11:00But it's cool that we have a new stallion to talk about at Windstar.
00:11:04And that would be Patch Adams.
00:11:06He was being pointed to run against a great field in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile.
00:11:11Those plans fell through.
00:11:13And now he has been retired to stud for next year at Windstar.
00:11:17He was quite the racehorse.
00:11:18One of the nation's premier three-year-old sprinters this season.
00:11:22Back-to-back grade ones in the Woody Stevens and the Allen Jerkins.
00:11:25He was undefeated, going seven furlongs.
00:11:28Patch Adams, quite the horse on the racetrack.
00:11:30Now he'll be at Windstar.
00:11:32His fee is yet to be determined.
00:11:35Fastest Horse of the Week.
00:11:36Not as much to choose from this week, simply because almost all the fast horses in America,
00:11:41the fastest horses, are getting ready for the Breeders' Cup.
00:11:44We had one outstanding performance on Thursday at the Belmont at Aqueduct meeting in an allowance race.
00:11:53You remember a horse named El Grande O, owned by Barry Sports, trained by Linda Rice.
00:11:57He was a New York bred who ran pretty well as a three-year-old in some of the prep races,
00:12:03one-turn prep races, getting ready for the Kentucky Derby.
00:12:05Of course, he didn't run in the Derby.
00:12:07Recently, he's had some traffic problems.
00:12:10He was declared a non-starter in his most recent race because of issues at the gate, whatever.
00:12:15He bounced back in a big way Thursday at Aqueduct, narrowly winning an allowance race at six furlongs,
00:12:21but running 109.29 for six furlongs.
00:12:25Buyer's speed figure of 99 makes El Grande O our fastest horse of the week.
00:12:34Welcome in now to Gainesway Guest of the Week and is none other than Ned Toffee,
00:12:38the general manager of Spendthrift Farms.
00:12:41Boy, are things going well for Spendthrift, Ned.
00:12:43And you gave me your list of your Breeders' Cup horses the other day,
00:12:47and it looks like you're going to run five, correct?
00:12:51It looks like it right now, but you know how racing is that could end up being very different,
00:12:56but that's the plan right now.
00:12:58Well, we'll get into each horse individually,
00:13:00but how do you feel overall about your team that you're bringing out there?
00:13:04You're going to have some very talented horses.
00:13:05Yeah, not just going for the weather.
00:13:11It's a really nice group, and I think everybody is alive.
00:13:18I think the one that is the most sort of unknown for me is Brave Deb and the Juvenile Phillies,
00:13:24just because you're never quite sure what's going to be coming from across the pond.
00:13:28But, you know, I think she's really talented.
00:13:33She's two for two, and Richard felt like she was just toying with the other horses in her last start in that grade three.
00:13:40So, you know, but I'm not quite sure where she stands relative to what she'll be up against.
00:13:50But still, I think we got five very good shots.
00:13:54So, for the people that might not be so Breeders' Cup savvy right now on, as we tape this, October the 14th,
00:14:01we're looking at Ted Noffy in the Juvenile, Tommy Joe in the Juvenile Phillies,
00:14:05Copion slash Tamara in the Philly Mayor Sprint.
00:14:09I want to follow up with a question there.
00:14:11And then you mentioned Brave Deb.
00:14:13So, it's been mentioned in the media that Richard Mandela is holding out the option of possibly running Copion in the sprint against the males
00:14:22rather than running them against each other in the Philly Mayor Sprint.
00:14:27What's going to go into that decision?
00:14:30You know, I think ultimately we've always done fairly well by just leaving that to the trainer
00:14:39and particularly Richard.
00:14:41I can remember a long time ago having that discussion about Beholder and whether to run her.
00:14:50You know, there was the Juvenile Phillies and then there was a Juvenile Sprint race that year.
00:14:56And we were back and forth up and then we said, finally, I remember Wayne and I were sitting talking about it.
00:15:03I think we were actually sitting at Cracker Barrel.
00:15:05And we said, you know, it suddenly occurred to us that let's leave it to the guy who's in the Hall of Fame,
00:15:12who's training the horse and in the barn every day with the horse.
00:15:15So, you know, ultimately we'll let him, we'll let Richard make that call.
00:15:22You know, we fiddled around with trying Copion stretching out.
00:15:26And I still think she probably can, but it just ended up circumstances.
00:15:33Everything didn't really fall into place quite the way we wanted.
00:15:37And I know that Richard has for quite some time been really high on Tamara and how she's coming back.
00:15:47You know, unfortunately, she ended up getting a whole lot more time than we thought she would need.
00:15:52But that time, as so often is the case, was really, really good for her.
00:15:58And so I think he's probably for a long time thought that she was going to come back really, really strong.
00:16:04And so I think that's sort of the genesis of some of this thinking is looking for options for Copion.
00:16:11And, but, but we'll, we'll let Richard make that call and obviously look at, look at those, those fields and what she's up against.
00:16:22But, you know, we also, you know, we'd also like to, we don't mind taking two good shots in the same race.
00:16:28So, you know, we'll, we'll, we'll, that'll require a little more time.
00:16:33All right. Thanks. Thanks for the news update there.
00:16:35It's also newsworthy, by the way, that B. Wayne Hughes ate a cracker barrel, but that's another, another topic.
00:16:42It's a, yeah, no, he, he was a regular there when he was in Lexington.
00:16:48Yeah, you definitely see him there.
00:16:50All right, Ned, let's talk about the year you had in the past 10 days.
00:16:55You got Tommy Joe with the grade one Alcibiades.
00:16:57We'll get to her in just a moment.
00:16:59Tamara, the grade three Chillingworth.
00:17:01Ted Noffey, the grade one Breeders for Churity.
00:17:05Local Knowledge won a Maiden Special Way at Keeneland.
00:17:07Get Back Loretta won a Maiden Special Keeneland.
00:17:10And Brave Deb won the grade three Surfer Girl.
00:17:12Further ado, won by 20 Lentz at Kentucky.
00:17:16A major dude just took down the Artie Schiller.
00:17:18Everywhere I've looked over the past seven days, I've just seen orange and purple.
00:17:24It's like Halloween for the beginning of October.
00:17:28What can you say about this past week and what it's meant for Spendthrift?
00:17:31Well, look, you know, as everybody watching this and all of you all know, is that racing is a tough game.
00:17:41So, you know, there's been plenty of weekends where it did not go like this.
00:17:47So we really appreciate and are enjoying this run that we've had here lately.
00:17:54But, you know, and I think it's one of the things that I think is most gratifying is that it's sort of coming from a lot of different places.
00:18:03A number of these are homebreds.
00:18:06A number of them are by our own sires.
00:18:09Some of these we bought out of yearling sales.
00:18:11Some of these we bought out of two-year-old and training sales.
00:18:14So and I think the thing that's nice about that is that throughout all of those horses, it really encompasses every aspect of what we do.
00:18:25And so it's just it's kind of the culmination isn't really quite the right word, but it's it's you know,
00:18:32it's the coming together of of all of what we've been trying to do and what we've been trying to build here over time.
00:18:38And and I think that's one of the things that we're most proud of is that is the team that we've been able to put together.
00:18:45And I think you're we're seeing the fruits of that now.
00:18:49So what about Tommy Joe?
00:18:52Tell me about the race, because I think I, along with a lot of other people, were expecting her to just park and she was never going to park.
00:19:02What were the general discussions about her after the race?
00:19:06Yeah, you know, it's sort of funny because I think in a sense, it's not often that you get to win a grade one and feel a little let down.
00:19:19So because, yeah, I think we were sort of, you know, she's been really highly touted from the beginning.
00:19:26I mean, Todd and Johnny probably held her in higher regard than than Ted Naughty early on.
00:19:33And and, you know, I think she, you know, maybe she was just didn't relax quite as well as as we would have liked her to.
00:19:45You saw her throw on her head a little bit as they started straightened that way down the backstretch.
00:19:50And so I think that's going to be the trick to her.
00:19:54If we if if Johnny can get her to relax, I think two turns is is not a problem.
00:19:59I think if if she doesn't relax, then then, you know, she should probably run a similar race to what she did.
00:20:07But I think she's she's capable of more, but she's got to relax.
00:20:11And I think that's actually one of one of one of one of Ted Naughty's strengths is that he is a really laid back horse and he does relax very, very well.
00:20:21And just like his namesake.
00:20:25Except his namesake.
00:20:27I'm not quite as fast.
00:20:31And then in the opening segment, we talked about further ado, the horse, the one by 20 lengths.
00:20:36First of all, it took this horse a while to for the light bulb to go on.
00:20:41Usually don't see maidens win by 20 lengths in their third lifetime start.
00:20:44But did you and the team give any thought to running him in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile?
00:20:50Yeah.
00:20:51And I think in talking with Brad, that would probably be a little bit quick back, especially off that kind of an effort.
00:21:01And I think that, you know, knock on wood, hopefully there's there's lots of bigger and better things on the horizon for this horse.
00:21:13And I think you could maybe cost him some chances at a future trying to trying to roll him back so quickly.
00:21:19So, you know, we'll look at, you know, very possibly the the the jockey club in Kentucky, which would give him about six weeks.
00:21:28But, you know, obviously, you know, as everything in this game, it's it's day to day.
00:21:34But he seems to have come out of the race really well, you know, and I think, look, I think he's just a horse.
00:21:41He'd run one turn twice and it makes all the sense in the world when you look at his pedigree and his physical that that two turns would would be his friend.
00:21:54And it certainly was.
00:21:58Annette, I think people outside the sport sometimes don't appreciate all the vagaries that go into thoroughbred racing and how things aren't always what they seem to be on the surface.
00:22:08Take us back to the La Brea when you had when you had Tamara.
00:22:13She was going to be odds on.
00:22:15Everybody was excited about Tamara.
00:22:17And then it turns out to be one hundred and eighty degrees, the opposite when they actually run the race.
00:22:22Take us back to what you were thinking that whole week.
00:22:25Well, with it and with it, with Copian, I mean, you know, we weren't sure.
00:22:34Richard was even, you know, having maybe he was believing the odds makers.
00:22:38I don't know. I mean, I think she was thirty seven to one.
00:22:43And, you know, he was even having some reservations about the wisdom of going in there off of such a long layoff.
00:22:51And I'll really give Eric Gustafson a lot of credit because he you know, he basically we talked a little bit about it.
00:22:59And and, you know, Richard had seen some some things that were he was a little worried that she got a little tired out of one of her one of her works leading up to that race.
00:23:10And and but, you know, she he really had he knew early on she had missed the allowance race that was going to be her prep.
00:23:22And so we said, look, you know, there wasn't much else that made a lot of sense for her.
00:23:29And we sort of made the decision, look, let's just train her up up to that.
00:23:34And Richard's a master doing that.
00:23:36And she had three consecutive six furlong bullets going into that race.
00:23:41And and I guess, you know, it's hindsight we should we should have been loading up and betting her.
00:23:47And I'm not a big I'm not a big bettor.
00:23:50And that's not I'm usually thinking about all kinds of other things going into a race.
00:23:54But it probably made all the sense in the world that she was ready to run a big race because Richard is so good at that.
00:24:01But Eric is Eric is the one who said, look, you know, we've been pointing to this.
00:24:05This has been the plan.
00:24:06Let's just let's just run.
00:24:09And and it's and it certainly certainly worked out.
00:24:13So was she a substitute for Tamara in there or were you going to run the two against each other all along?
00:24:19No, they were both always they were both going to be pointed, pointed for that.
00:24:23And, you know, but Tamara's always had the big reputation.
00:24:30But I think we were we were already kind of beginning to feel like Hopi was going to be really good this year just because she she really grew up and developed from last year to this.
00:24:45She just got a lot taller, bigger, stronger and and just really was thriving.
00:24:52And at that point, Tamara hadn't progressed physically in quite that same way.
00:24:59And, you know, it was frustrating to to to have to miss so much time with her.
00:25:05And she was coming off the track and kicked that kick the rail and and it wasn't even clear whether that was what caused the issue.
00:25:18But when we really started looking closely at a hind ankle on her, there was just some stuff going on that need to be that needed attention.
00:25:25And so we did that. And I think, as I said, so often extra time is is a horse's best friend.
00:25:32And Richard is, again, very good at that. And and so that's been really good for her.
00:25:38But it was frustrating to miss the beginning of the year with her.
00:25:42But Hopi and we were already beginning to think was was emerging as as as what might be a real powerhouse.
00:25:49So and, you know, so the early part of the year was really good with her.
00:25:53And I I kind of second guess myself and all of us really on kind of the decision we tried to thought about stretching around,
00:26:02I think, kind of with the idea of not locking horns with Tamara.
00:26:07But, you know, we just those planes really didn't come together.
00:26:11So, you know, we're back to possibly running them against each other.
00:26:17So Ned, could I pencil in Ted as the most likely winner if I had to put you on the spot right now?
00:26:26I'm not going there.
00:26:28All right. OK.
00:26:31You all speculate on that.
00:26:33That's fine.
00:26:35He's a good horse and he's doing well.
00:26:39You know, we're excited about his chances, but I'm going to leave that speculation to you all.
00:26:43You mentioned you're a fuzzy Tipton would spendthrift be looking at Streak of Luck, who's been supplemented to the sale.
00:26:52Well, we're always looking.
00:26:53So, yeah, look, there's, you know, yes, he's interesting, very exciting.
00:27:04The authentic filly that they're putting in a flash sale, recent grade one winner.
00:27:08So there's always lots of lots of possibilities out there.
00:27:13But, you know, Streak of Luck is, you know, she's she's only 10.
00:27:16She's very nice.
00:27:17Had a nice yearling that I think Mike Propoli bought this summer, half to Ted Noffey.
00:27:26And so, yeah, you know, exciting.
00:27:30They're wonderful breeders.
00:27:32The Joneses, Marie Jones, just a wonderful, classy lady.
00:27:37So nice to be able to have this kind of success with a horse that she produced.
00:27:42Ned, let me change the subject just a little bit.
00:27:44The way you can measure, one of the ways you can measure how well a stud farm is doing is by their stud fees for their horses.
00:27:51If they're going down, you're not doing well.
00:27:53If they're going up, you're doing very well.
00:27:56You guys released your stud fees the other day.
00:27:58Intimischief stays the same at $250,000.
00:28:01Obviously, he's one of the premier sires in the country, if not the premier sire.
00:28:05But how about these other numbers?
00:28:07Vekoma from $35,000 to $100,000.
00:28:10Omaha Beach from $35,000 to $75,000.
00:28:13And Yow Pan from $25,000 to $60,000.
00:28:17What does that say about what your sires have accomplished over this year?
00:28:21Well, one of the things that I'm happy about is that the younger horses that made the big jump are...
00:28:29Yow Pan, we didn't announce until just recently.
00:28:32But our salesmen who do a great job, Mark Toothaker, Brian Lyle, Des Dempsey, and actually my son is part of that team as well, Daniel Toffey.
00:28:42They do a great job.
00:28:44And Yow Pan, if he's not already full, he will be.
00:28:47And Omaha Beach and Vekoma are already full.
00:28:50So, you know, it tells you that, look, we're very fortunate in that we have Tammy and Eric Gustafson who've done such an incredible job of carrying on the legacy that Wayne Hughes built here.
00:29:06You know, but we have the resources to go after high-quality horses.
00:29:13But as we all know, that's not a guarantee of success.
00:29:17So we've been fortunate to have some horses that have gotten off to a great start.
00:29:23And that's really a credit to our breeders.
00:29:26I mean, you know, one of the things that our salesmen do such a good job of is building relationships with all the breeders in this industry.
00:29:36And that's really what you need.
00:29:39I mean, we can, all the stud farms can fight over all these stallions all they want.
00:29:43If we don't have, if we're not being patronized by the right people and enough of them, then these horses have no shot to be successful.
00:29:52So I think that's where our sales guys have done a great job is building those relationships.
00:29:56And we've got a lot of great breeders that are, they're the ones that are doing the heavy lifting, causing these horses to have the kind of success that they're having.
00:30:06Well, Ned, when we talk about, you know, Spinthrift's what appears to be a great lineup for the Breeders' Cup, we talk about the five horses that you actually own.
00:30:15But then there's Huida Barrio, who's bred by Spinthrift.
00:30:18There's a Japanese horse named American Stage, who's probably coming over, bred by Spinthrift.
00:30:23I don't know how many.
00:30:24I can't even count them all by Into Mischief, including Sovereignty, of course.
00:30:29Yeah, he's okay, too.
00:30:31He's okay.
00:30:31He's okay.
00:30:32But what I think is so cool about Into Mischief, and it goes back again to the vagaries of the sport, is the humble beginnings that he had as a stallion at Spinthrift.
00:30:45Right.
00:30:45I mean, maybe Wayne was sitting at Cracker Barrel in Lexington when he came up with his plan for Into Mischief, but it's really remarkable where he was and where he is now.
00:30:56It was sort of Cracker Barrel pricing at the beginning.
00:30:59I mean, the remarkable thing is that one of the programs that we're best known for is something called Share the Upside, where if you breed two years at the beginning of a horse's stud career, produce two live foals, pay your stud fees on time, you've earned a lifetime breeding right to that horse.
00:31:21And that's been a great program that breeders really appreciate it, and that program was started because for a number of reasons.
00:31:34One was because it was a time when the economy was tough and breeders were really struggling to be successful, and so Wayne was looking for ways to keep people afloat and keep them successful.
00:31:48But at the same time, it was started because Into Mischief had just completed his first year at stud, had not bred very many mares, and we thought, well, what the heck are we going to do in year two?
00:31:58If that's all we could get in year one, how are we going to get him a decent book in year two?
00:32:05And that's part of where that program came from.
00:32:08So it's really remarkable to think that it was an incentive program to just convince people to breed to a horse that is now doing things that haven't been done since Bold Ruler and Lexington.
00:32:21And what was that fee?
00:32:22It was his first year.
00:32:24He was $12,500, and he dropped down from there.
00:32:28And so to earn a share of the upside breeding right in him, all you had to do was breed two years, or even we did it two mares that first year.
00:32:38It was some variations in it, but it was $6,500.
00:32:42So for $13,000 in stud fees, you could have earned a lifetime breeding right in Into Mischief, who, again, has gone on to do truly, truly historic things.
00:32:56And I think that is as good an illustration of, as you say, of the vagaries of this game.
00:33:02And Wayne Hughes used to love to say about this game, nobody knows.
00:33:05Some people have a better guess, a better opinion than others.
00:33:09But at the end of the day, nobody really knows.
00:33:11And if he isn't proof of it, I don't know who is.
00:33:17Do you still have people that have lifetime breeding shares to Into Mischief that were part of that $6,500 party?
00:33:23I'm glad you asked that because that's the other part of it.
00:33:26You know, a couple of times I've had people from the Darley Flying Star to young people out,
00:33:31and I often will bring Into Mischief out and tell them that story.
00:33:36And, but the second part of the story is that, you know, Lexington is supposed to be a place where all the, well, the experts are.
00:33:46And it's, and so with all the experts who were presented an opportunity to have a lifetime breeding right into the horse at Into Mischief become,
00:33:56only, only 15 people took us up on it.
00:34:03And of those 15 people, seven did not follow through on the program.
00:34:10They dropped out halfway through just deciding it wasn't worth it.
00:34:15And so there were only eight lifetime breeding rights.
00:34:18Now, we would have sold to what we would have at the time probably estimated half his book would have been, you know, 75 mares.
00:34:26So we'd have done 60, 70 of those breeding rights, and only 15 people took us up on it.
00:34:35They, 40 people took us up on a horse named Notional that we were, that came in the same year as Into Mischief.
00:34:41So now Notional is, since gone off in the standing at Stud in Oklahoma, he's, he's, he's hard to find these days.
00:34:51But so it just, it just, it illustrates how just really at the end of the day, nobody knows.
00:34:56And we're just out here really trying to make the, the, the best guesses that, that we all can.
00:35:02And sometimes it works out like it is for us right now, but, you know, next week it may not.
00:35:08And now a lifetime breeding right to Into Mischief.
00:35:10They've, you know, they've traded for, you know, upwards of a million dollars.
00:35:14So it's, yeah, it's, that's cool.
00:35:18It seems to have come full circle to Dick Mandela.
00:35:21What has he meant to spend thrift?
00:35:24I mean, he trained into Mischief.
00:35:25Everything comes through Richard Mandela.
00:35:28What has he meant to spend thrift over the years?
00:35:30Well, yeah, he's, he's meant a lot.
00:35:33I know just from my standpoint, I've, I've, I've learned so much from just, just dealing
00:35:40with Richard.
00:35:42He's just, he's all class.
00:35:44He, he is very much in line with the way we want to do things where he puts the horse first.
00:35:49He's going to do the right thing by the horse.
00:35:52And if that means making a tough phone call and tough decision that we're scratching the
00:35:57day before grade one or the, you know, the breeder's cup or whatever it might be.
00:36:01And we've had plenty of those, but it's Richard putting the horse first and that's what he
00:36:05does.
00:36:06But he's a master horseman.
00:36:07He's a complete horseman.
00:36:10You know, he started as a young guy, breaking a lot of horses.
00:36:14His dad was a blacksmith.
00:36:15He's, he's a great foot guy himself and he, he's, he's a remarkable, remarkable horseman.
00:36:21And he's, he does such a great job and he's done such a great job with us on, for a number
00:36:27of different type of horses.
00:36:28And, um, no, we can't, I can't, can't say enough about, about having him early on.
00:36:34I remember, um, we were at Saratoga and every time I told Wayne, I said, this is really frustrating
00:36:40looking at horses with Richard.
00:36:41Cause every time I want to disagree with him on a horse, somebody stops him and asks
00:36:46him for his autograph.
00:36:46And then he, and then he has to stop and say, oh wait, I have to go back over to the hall
00:36:51of fame.
00:36:52Cause he was in there and all the, you know, former hall of famers are being asked, uh,
00:36:56former inductees were being asked to go over.
00:36:59So I, you know, it gets a little hard to argue with Richard, but, uh, uh, but he, yeah,
00:37:04again, I can't say enough about him, but he's done so much good for us in so many ways.
00:37:09Um, you have a lot of young stallions coming in now, and obviously we'll, we go to the
00:37:15yearling sales and look at the young ones.
00:37:17One that you have standing that actually really surprised me by his progeny that I've loved
00:37:22pretty much everyone I've seen is Mo Donagle.
00:37:25What, what can you tell me about him and your hopes for Mo Donagle?
00:37:28Cause I'm, you know, I, um, I, I, I love Mo Donagle.
00:37:33This is, he's, he kind of feels like a little bit of a throwback horse.
00:37:37He's a, he's a big, powerfully made horse with a lot of bone.
00:37:42Um, was a really talented horse.
00:37:45He, he wasn't the, the, the speed demon, um, that so much of the commercial market loves
00:37:51today.
00:37:52Um, but he was far from a plotter.
00:37:55Um, you know, but he was precocious.
00:37:58He was, uh, uh, uh, uh, accomplished horse at, at, at two and early in his three-year-old
00:38:05year and before going on to, to, to win the Belmont.
00:38:09And, and, uh, so this horse has, has as much talent, um, as good credentials as any horse
00:38:14that we've got.
00:38:15He's really a substantial horse.
00:38:18Um, we, we bred a number of mares to him.
00:38:21I love the idea of supporting him.
00:38:24There's so many speed mares out there in the marketplace.
00:38:27Um, and so I love the idea of trying to, with a classic type horse like him, um, you know,
00:38:37trying to inject a little more speed.
00:38:39Um, and that's what I hope that breeders will do.
00:38:42And I've, it's really been kind of my, um, you know, I just, I'm, I'm hoping that
00:38:48breeders will think that way and continue to support him.
00:38:51Um, because I think he's got a heck of a shot.
00:38:54And again, he's, he's shown what kind of, uh, what kind of quality he can, he can throw.
00:39:01Well, Ned, we want to thank you.
00:39:02And I got through this whole thing without screwing up the Ned Toffee, Ted Toffee thing.
00:39:06I'm pretty proud of myself.
00:39:08I don't know if you watched our, uh, one of our previous, uh, podcasts, but I tripped
00:39:12over that name.
00:39:13I did see some outtakes.
00:39:16So, but anyways, Ned, thanks so much for joining us.
00:39:19Best of luck at the Breeders' Cup.
00:39:21And we'll be looking forward to talking to you again soon.
00:39:24Thanks very much.
00:39:26Ned Toffee, our guest of the week here on the TD and Writers Room brought to you by Gainesway,
00:39:31the home of stallions like Cara Conte, one of Cara Conte's top offspring.
00:39:35In the news right now, she feels pretty, who I think is the best North American-based female
00:39:42grass horse being pointed for the Breeders' Cup Philly Ameritur.
00:39:46If we're excited to watch that.
00:39:47But meanwhile, Cara Conte represented by a winner at Keeneland.
00:39:51That would be common defense trained by Kenny McPeak, who beat Shadwell's El Razine at a
00:39:56mile and a half allowance race at Keeneland on Sunday.
00:40:00Cara Conte also had Soleil Valon, who won the Kent Stakes at Delaware Park last month for
00:40:05trainer Graham Motion.
00:40:06Another big month for Cara Conte, who's coming off a Keeneland September yearling sale, where
00:40:10his offering sold for up to $275,000.
00:40:15Gainesway, power, passion, performance.
00:40:19The sun shines bright on Cara Conte.
00:40:22His first crops of racing age are showing brilliance on the racetrack with a high percentage of
00:40:27stakes winners.
00:40:28His versatility is evidenced by winners on all surfaces across the globe.
00:40:32Spanderella could not have been more impressive.
00:40:35She feels more than pretty.
00:40:37She feels fantastic.
00:40:38It is all.
00:40:40She feels pretty.
00:40:42The sun shines bright on this value sire.
00:40:45Cara Conte standing at Gainesway.
00:40:47In this week's edition of First Things First, it's all about Oktoberfest.
00:40:58If you know me, you'll know I love beer.
00:41:01So it's time to raise your steins and strap on your lederhosen as we return to Oktoberfest
00:41:08once again this weekend, Saturday and Sunday.
00:41:12You'll find plenty of beer.
00:41:15You can play some cornhole.
00:41:16Randy, you might like some cornhole.
00:41:18You know we have keg rolling.
00:41:20If you've ever seen that, you just stand at the end of the apron and you roll a beer keg
00:41:25all the way down the grandstand.
00:41:27So that's fun as well.
00:41:28We've got musical chairs and a whole lot of stuff going on.
00:41:31But most importantly, some really good beer at Santa Anita.
00:41:36Don't forget, we have free Fridays at Santa Anita, one o'clock post time, free entry and
00:41:42not quite free beer, but we do have a very good happy hour going on that lasts all day
00:41:47long, which I'm a big fan of as well.
00:41:49And on Saturday, we'll have a 10 race card, a couple of steaks to highlight, the lure steaks
00:41:54and the Enochia steaks on Sunday for the two-year-old fillies.
00:41:58There's lots going on at Santa Anita this weekend.
00:42:01Do you have any lederhosen?
00:42:06We're recording this on Tuesday morning and the news on pioneering female jockey Diane
00:42:13Crump is not good right now.
00:42:15She has a form of aggressive brain cancer and I hope that she can stay around for a while,
00:42:23but I don't think anybody is predicting that she's going to survive this.
00:42:29So you're the perfect person to have on for this.
00:42:32You know, by the time you came along, the, you know, Julie Crones of the world were the
00:42:37ones that had kind of opened a lot of doors, but who opened the doors for the Julie Crones
00:42:41of the world?
00:42:42It was this group of pioneering female jockeys.
00:42:46Diane Crump, the first female ever to ride in a parimutuel race, also the first female
00:42:51ever to ride in the Kentucky Derby.
00:42:53I don't know if you knew her personally, ever talked to her, but, you know, what kind of
00:42:57respect do you have for not only just her, but these pioneering women?
00:43:02Well, honestly, I wouldn't be sitting here.
00:43:03There is no way I would be sitting here without Diane Crump.
00:43:081969 was the first woman to ride a parimutuel race.
00:43:131971, she was the first one to ride in the Kentucky Derby.
00:43:16So quite frankly, I wouldn't know Bill.
00:43:19I wouldn't know Randy.
00:43:20I probably would never have left England.
00:43:22So yes, she's 77 years old.
00:43:26She's got brain cancer.
00:43:28I think I was first notified by Donna Brothers.
00:43:31If you go to her Twitter page, you'll find a GoFundMe for Diane Crump on there.
00:43:36Please donate if you can.
00:43:37That's just trying to make her last few months, however long it is, as comfortable as it can.
00:43:44And so, yeah, Diane Crump, a tailblazer.
00:43:48Yes, she did not win thousands and thousands of races.
00:43:51I think she wound up winning 235, which back then was still a lot.
00:43:56And to even ride in the Kentucky Derby, I've not ridden in the Kentucky Derby.
00:44:00I've not even been close.
00:44:02So, yeah, without her, I would not be here today, for sure.
00:44:06Yeah, and some of the things that they had to go through, not just her, there was a situation
00:44:10where there was, who was the jockey that actually got her license before, was it Penny Early
00:44:16got her license before Diane Crump, but then something came up and she wasn't able to ride.
00:44:20But there was male jockeys who were boycotting the races with the females in them.
00:44:24There was one, it wasn't, I don't believe it was Diane, but there was another instance
00:44:27where, you know, they weren't in the normal jockey's room, obviously, and some female
00:44:31jockey was like in a trailer.
00:44:32They threw rocks at the trailer.
00:44:34I mean, really idiotic stuff.
00:44:37And to think today, I mean, nobody even thinks twice about seeing a female on a horse or on
00:44:42any kind of horse, be it a five claimer at parks or in a grade one stakes race.
00:44:46I mean, look at all this, again, all the success that Julie Crone had.
00:44:49So we wish her well.
00:44:51And she, by the way, she has a, she had a book that came out in 2020, which was the 50th
00:44:56anniversary of her ride in the Derby.
00:44:58And if you want to learn more about her, why don't you Google that or go onto Amazon and
00:45:03take a look at that because she's had a phenomenally interesting life.
00:45:08Someone else who is in the news is Steve Asmussen, and he won his 11,000th, yes, 11,000th race
00:45:15Saturday night at Remington Park.
00:45:18And no surprise, I mean, every one of these milestones, you know that they're coming.
00:45:22But the thing about Steve that is so, one of the many things that's so fascinating to
00:45:28me about him, he's a relatively young man.
00:45:32He's 60 years old.
00:45:33He's not going anywhere for a long, long time.
00:45:38Over the last 10 years, he's averaged, he's had 3,825 winners, averaging 382 winners a year.
00:45:45That means if he stays at this pace by age 70, he'll be nearing 14,000 wins.
00:45:51And I would think that the number is going to go even higher than that.
00:45:55There's no slowing him down.
00:45:57Still remarkable how he gets a kick out of winning the fourth at Will Rogers Downs, just
00:46:02as much as he likes to win the Kentucky Derby.
00:46:04But Randy, you've been around Steve Asmussen a lot.
00:46:07I mean, there's nothing, not a whole lot more to say about a guy, but these numbers are just
00:46:11fabulous.
00:46:12I've been around him since he very first got started in the training business.
00:46:15You're going to be hearing from him, by the way.
00:46:16He's not 60 yet.
00:46:17He's got another five weeks before he turns.
00:46:19He's actually 59.
00:46:22Todd Pletcher's 58, right?
00:46:24So they're both relatively young.
00:46:27And Todd's setting new records in lifetime earnings, and Steve Asmussen's setting new
00:46:32records in races one.
00:46:33It's unbelievable.
00:46:34He's so organized.
00:46:35That's a lot of it, right?
00:46:37It's organization to have so many different wings of the Asmussen stable going on at so
00:46:43many different places, right?
00:46:44I mean, he can be at Churchill Downs while he's got horses running in Sam Houston and
00:46:50all these other places.
00:46:52Great help.
00:46:53Scott Blasey, his number one assistant, has been invaluable.
00:46:57And he's got others, too, around the country that have done exceptionally well.
00:47:02And I mean, he's got a nice pipeline going forward, current and going forward, with his
00:47:07primary owner, Ron Winchell, who owned, of course, you know, he had Tappet.
00:47:13He had Gunrunner, so he's got ends right now to two of those super stallions.
00:47:17And so that kind of helps the available bloodstock that Asmussen has.
00:47:21And it's just he's been fantastic with the way he's handled all this.
00:47:26He is simply amazing.
00:47:27And he literally has a photographic memory.
00:47:32I'm not sure it's all organization.
00:47:34He's got two good assistants, not only Scott Blasey, but Darren Fleming as well, who's been
00:47:38with him just as long as Scott.
00:47:40I remember when they were in a 12-horse barn at the fairgrounds because I used to go and
00:47:44clip their horses.
00:47:46So he's come a long way.
00:47:471986 is when he won his first race.
00:47:51He obviously trained for Vern Winchell, Ron's dad, before that.
00:47:55He's trained Horses of the Year, and he still trains $4,000 claimers.
00:48:00He's won over 1,000 wins for the Highland Brokes alone.
00:48:05Bill and Corrie in Highland Brokes, over 1,000 winners.
00:48:07To this day, he has won 1,527 races as an owner-trainer.
00:48:16He puts his money where his mouth is.
00:48:18So over 1,500 of those wins have come out of his own pocket.
00:48:23He really is incredible.
00:48:242009, he won 650 races that year.
00:48:30Ray Pawlik tweeted out this the other day about his 11,000.
00:48:35If you were to win one race every day, 365 days a year, it would take 30 years and 50
00:48:45days to reach 11,000 wins.
00:48:49That really puts it into perspective.
00:48:52It's amazing.
00:48:53One more thing about Steve that I've noticed over the years, and it's one reason why when
00:48:59we do NBC telecast, Jerry, but even if he doesn't have a horse in the race, Jerry Bailey and
00:49:03I like to go visit with Steve because he's got a great opinions about horses, but he's
00:49:08very realistic about the horses in his barn.
00:49:12He spots them exceptionally well.
00:49:14I can't tell you how many times he's had a horse in a race and we've gone to see him.
00:49:18Um, and you know, well, what about, uh, you know, what about so-and-so and nah, nah, I
00:49:24don't really want to run.
00:49:25And the owner wants me to run.
00:49:26And, you know, we don't say that on the air, but it's, you know, I mean, he doesn't get
00:49:32overly high on his horses unless they, unless they really deserve it.
00:49:37And that lets him spot them properly.
00:49:40And he's made a lot of money and won a lot of races by doing exactly that.
00:49:45The TD and Riders Room also sponsored by the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association, PHBA.
00:49:51When we talk about these Pennsylvania bred horses, a lot of times we're talking about
00:49:54horses that have warrior in their name or have reward in their names.
00:49:58Good reason for that.
00:49:59One of the leading Pennsylvania breeders is Warriors Reward, LLC.
00:50:04And now they've got another one.
00:50:05And last Monday at Presque Isle, Candy Reward won her second straight HBPA Stakes, giving
00:50:10her a fifth win on the year in Pennsylvania.
00:50:15To wit, congratulations to the 17 breeders who now have surpassed $100,000 in total awards
00:50:20through September.
00:50:21At the top, Warriors Reward, LLC, fighting it out with Uptown Charlie Brown's stud.
00:50:27Warriors Reward currently leads with 671K.
00:50:31It's possible they could be the first Pennsylvania breeder to hit the $1 million mark.
00:50:35That Pennsylvania program has paid 303 breeders with awards so far in 2025.
00:50:44For more information about that program, go to PABread.com or call Brian Sanfrontello, 610-444-1050.
00:50:51The Pennsylvania Breeding Program is the best program in the country.
00:50:56The stallion awards, the owner bonuses, also the restrictive races and the stakes races for
00:51:02Pennsylvania breeds.
00:51:03This year, eight breeders are on track to earn over $200,000 in breeders awards and two could
00:51:10hit the million dollar mark.
00:51:13We have the best program in the country.
00:51:16Take advantage of the fantastic program that we have.
00:51:19Learn more at PABread.com.
00:51:22With some of the fullest fields in the country and quality racing year-round, there's never
00:51:28been a better time to reap the rewards of breeding and racing in Kentucky.
00:51:33Purse money in Kentucky is at an all-time high.
00:51:36As in average purse per race, outpacing California, Florida, and New York.
00:51:42Kentucky Breads.
00:51:44Breed them.
00:51:45Raise them.
00:51:46Race them.
00:51:47We all win.
00:51:51The TD and Riders Room, sponsored by Kentucky Breads.
00:51:55That casts a pretty wide net.
00:51:58But here are just a few of the latest grade one winners bred in Kentucky.
00:52:03Intrepido, American Pharaoh winner.
00:52:05Jen Jen, Calumet Farm, won the spinster.
00:52:09She's headed for the Breeders' Cup Distaff.
00:52:10Simply in front, who won the first lady stakes.
00:52:12Ted Noffi, undefeated winner of the Breeders' Futurity, Breeders' Cup Juvenile.
00:52:16Tommy Joe, we've talked about those already with Ned.
00:52:19Undefeated winner of the grade one Alcibiades, headed to the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Phillies.
00:52:22Now, let's go back in time a little bit.
00:52:24Kentucky Downs.
00:52:25We like to talk about all that money.
00:52:27Kentucky Downs continues its growth trajectory with this year's meet, seeing a surge in not
00:52:32just purses, but also in wagering.
00:52:34The total purse is almost $42 million.
00:52:36That's a 12% increase over 2024's insane numbers.
00:52:40And an eye-popping 162% jump since 2021.
00:52:46Keep popping those HHR machines, Kentucky Downs.
00:52:49Kentucky Breads also captured 16 of 19 stakes races during the Kentucky Downs meet.
00:52:55Kentucky Breads, breed them, raise them, race them.
00:52:58We all win, especially Kentucky Downs.
00:53:01Well, it's a quiet time on the racetrack as everybody with the top horses is basically
00:53:05getting them ready for the Breeders' Cup Classic and all the other Breeders' Cup races.
00:53:09There was one grade one race run last year.
00:53:12And I always liked this race.
00:53:13The Queen Elizabeth II at Keeneland, restricted to three-year-old Phillies on the grass.
00:53:19And the lineup was really good.
00:53:21A horse by the name of Laurelund was undefeated coming into it.
00:53:25Fiona, Fion, F-I-O-N-N, was six for eight lifetime and had beaten Nitrogen, a really good
00:53:32DJ Stables horse on the turf, on the square, the one time they met up.
00:53:37The winner was kind of the third horse everybody was looking at, a horse by the name of Lush
00:53:43Lips, trained by Brendan Walsh, who, by the way, is having a great meet at Keeneland.
00:53:46He's seven for 26.
00:53:48Again, this is Tuesday before they start this week's racing.
00:53:51But he's seven for 26, winning at 27% and is the leading trainer.
00:53:56But on his heels, Todd Pletcher, six for 13, 46%.
00:54:02But anyways, Brendan Walsh has a nice filly on his hands and it'll be interesting to see
00:54:07what he does from here, Zoe.
00:54:09Yeah, she was very impressive.
00:54:11Terrific ride she got.
00:54:13Brendan did say it's unlikely she'll head to the Breeders' Cup in three weeks, just a
00:54:18little bit close for her.
00:54:20So, you know, one thing about the Breeders' Cup being at Del Mar, you've got an awful lot
00:54:25of good races after Breeders' Cup as well.
00:54:28Like you have the grade one matriarch that a lot of East Coast trainers point to as well.
00:54:33So not sure where she's going, but she looked very good.
00:54:36And Brendan's having a heck of a meet.
00:54:38Top in the trainer standings.
00:54:40That's a first for Brendan.
00:54:41So kudos to him and his team.
00:54:44Now, Fionn, the favorite in there, got a little bit of a rough trip.
00:54:47She got a bad start, wound up, I think, finishing fourth.
00:54:50Brad Cox was strongly considering the filly and mare turf before that race.
00:54:55You know, probably not now.
00:54:58And I think it's even more than just the three weeks, the turnaround from the QE2 to the filly
00:55:03and mare turf.
00:55:04I think I mentioned this last week.
00:55:06Six different times European-based three-year-old fillies have been shipped over for the Breeders'
00:55:13Cup, have run against older fillies and mares, and have won.
00:55:15But U.S.-based, North American-based three-year-old fillies are 0 for 37 in the Breeders' Cup.
00:55:24None of them have even finished second, and only three of them have hit the board.
00:55:29So for whatever reason, three-year-old American fillies, you know, have really been up against
00:55:36the eight ball, probably primarily because they got to run against the Europeans.
00:55:40But anyway, that's another reason, I think, why the reluctance to bring a three-year-old
00:55:47filly back from the QE2 to the filly mare turf.
00:55:50I just wish more people – those are some pretty important stats, no doubt.
00:55:53But I just wish more people would try it.
00:55:56So it looks like everybody's – maybe because of what the stats you've already thrown out,
00:56:00it looks like most trainers have just given up on the idea.
00:56:02So we will see what happens in the future.
00:56:06But this is a nice horse.
00:56:07All three of them are nice horses, and we'll see what happens with them then.
00:56:11So out of your way, Zoe, California flagged the stakes.
00:56:14The star of the show was Lovesick Blues.
00:56:17And how do you pronounce Liberato's name?
00:56:21Brogio.
00:56:22Brogio, yeah.
00:56:23He's a delightful thing.
00:56:24Yeah.
00:56:24He was delightful when we had him on the podcast.
00:56:28But he's certainly thinking outside the box thinking.
00:56:33He won the grade one Bing Crosby with Lovesick Blues, a winning year in for the Breeders' Cup sprint.
00:56:38How does he prep?
00:56:40He takes this horse onto a turf race against California breads.
00:56:45And he didn't even win, but I don't think that that is all that relevant.
00:56:48It was obviously just his way of getting some – you know, a little bit – the horse a little bit fitter,
00:56:53a little bit tighter, but it was something you don't see every day of the week for sure.
00:56:58It was really, really cool.
00:56:59Let's not take anything away from the winner.
00:57:01Man of Rose for Mullins, five-year-old gelding.
00:57:04Very good horse.
00:57:06He wins by a nose.
00:57:07But the story really was Lovesick Blues.
00:57:10He went very wide.
00:57:12He came down the lane.
00:57:13I thought he was going to get there for a moment.
00:57:16And he'll run dirt or turf.
00:57:18Like, he's just a cool dude.
00:57:20He came in with one of the best works that I think you could possibly see on a horse.
00:57:25It was only, like, 51.
00:57:26I don't think he's the best workhorse on dirt in the mornings.
00:57:29And one thing you have to remember out here in Southern California is that we don't work horses on the turf course.
00:57:36So he works on the dirt.
00:57:37He's a dirt horse.
00:57:38He's a turf horse.
00:57:39But that work was fantastic.
00:57:41But it was in 51.
00:57:42So are you going to get your horse fit going 51?
00:57:45Or are you going to give him a soft race down the hill and hope he wins?
00:57:50Well, he almost won.
00:57:52And that was a very good prep.
00:57:54He's a really cool old horse.
00:57:56And I'm looking forward to seeing him run over a track that he's a grade one winner at and he's proven at.
00:58:02And he could not be doing any better.
00:58:05A seven-year-old gelding.
00:58:06We talked about him, of course, back on the podcast when Lee joined us, a part-time movie producer as well as a horse trainer.
00:58:13The horse really has kind of turned things around in his seven-year-old season when Lee got him, when they bought him.
00:58:21He's an owner as well as the breeder.
00:58:23I think the horse is better on dirt than on turf now.
00:58:26Yeah, he is.
00:58:27I mean, he got a 105 buyer when he won the Bing Crosby.
00:58:29And there was not a thing fluky about it.
00:58:32And to me, that makes him at Del Mar again, at six furlongs again, one of the leading contenders for the Breeders' Cup sprint.
00:58:39I thought it was an inspired choice for a prep race.
00:58:42They were initially going to just train him right up to the Breeders' Cup.
00:58:45And he said the horse was tearing the barn down.
00:58:48So, and I thought he ran sensationally to finish second.
00:58:51So, I'm looking forward to watching him run in the Breeders' Cup.
00:58:54Yeah, and the better sort of read into the situation.
00:58:56He wasn't even the favorite, which is shocking, coming off a grade one win into a Calvert race.
00:59:02But it'll be interesting to see how he does in the Breeders' Cup sprint.
00:59:06It's time for the First TV Work of the Week.
00:59:09The Work of the Week is brought to you by First TV.
00:59:11And this week, it's Nysos, who breezed six furlongs in 1-11-1 on Sunday at Santa Anita.
00:59:18Bob Baffert said afterwards he was very happy with the work.
00:59:21But Nysos is, of course, coming off wins in the Grade 3 Triple Bend Stakes and Grade 2 San Diego Handicap as he prepares for the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile.
00:59:31And I can attest, he looks as good as ever here, Randy.
00:59:34If we were running the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile today, would Nysos be on top for you?
00:59:41Well, he's going to be, I think, the likely favorite.
00:59:44What a tough race that is.
00:59:45If you look at it from time, even though Rated by Merit is not running, which surprises me, but Full Serrano, right, the defending champ, you know, who ran really well in defeat in the Goodwood.
00:59:56But I think Nysos, yeah, I think he would be the favorite right now if the race were run this weekend.
01:00:04Be a Smarter Better with First TV, the best horses.
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01:00:55West Point Thoroughbreds.
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01:00:59Visit westpointtv.com.
01:01:03And the TDN Riders Room brought to you by West Point Thoroughbreds.
01:01:06Boy, West Point and Miguel Clement together.
01:01:09One and one A, bread and butter.
01:01:10They've been on a roll.
01:01:12They teamed up for their third graded stakes win in four weeks.
01:01:16And not only that, won two when Larray and Gal in a Rush ran in the Ontario Fashion Stakes at Woodbine on Saturday.
01:01:24Meanwhile, Gal in a Rush, a go-sapper mare that captured the grade two Masters Stakes, the Presque Isle Masters, last month.
01:01:31We'll now move on to the Caneland November breeding stock sale.
01:01:36Well, that's a wrap on this week's show.
01:01:38I want to thank my partners, Zoe Cadman and Randy Moss.
01:01:41I want to thank our Gainsway guest of the week, Ned Toffee.
01:01:44And also the people that work behind the scenes on our podcast, Sue Finley, Katie Petruniak, Anthony LaRocca, and Leo LaRocca.
01:01:53Bill finishes on a strong note.
01:01:54He got Ned Toffee right again.
01:01:56Again.
01:01:57Again.
01:01:58You must be an early bird.
01:02:00Early morning's a good thing, Bill.
01:02:02We'll remember this.
01:02:035 a.m. next week, Eastern.
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