ORANGES AND LEMONS

Churchill Downs
(Photo : Athens)

“The only way you could actually see the race live over here
was on the Internet.”

Bill Oppenheim
Thoroughbred
Daily NewsLet’s begin with Orb, only the fourth Grade 1/Grade 2-winning colt in 10 crops by the amazing Malibu Moon. You bet he’s amazing, he started out at the Pons Brothers’ Country Life Farm in Maryland for a $3,000 fee, as a 3-year-old in the year 2000 (and what a great job they did with him, by the way), and look where he is now. As you might imagine, he’s now the number two sire in North America, with only G1 Dubai World Cup winner Animal Kingdom’s sire, Leroidesanimaux, ahead of him. The gap was $1.9-million yesterday, but with 166 runners this year, compared to 49 for “Leroi”, this is only going to have one outcome. Right now Malibu Moon is a big favourite to become North America’s Leading Sire this year. He must have always shown them a lot as a racing prospect. He was bred by Spendthrift’s now-owner B. Wayne Hughes way before he acquired (and restored) Spendthrift, and made his debut for trainer Mel Stute over 4 1/2 furlongs at Hollywood Park in April as a 2-year-old, finishing second. He then won at five furlongs in :57 2/5 seconds in May.

But a slab fracture ended his career, and the Pons boys rolled the dice and bought half. Good call. Malibu Moon moved to Castleton Lyons in 2004, then over to Spendthrift in 2008. He’s been in the top six on the North American General Sire List the last three years (third in 2010), and all this with a 14-to-3 filly bias among his Grade 1 and Grade 2 winners (combined) through the end of 2012. It may be America’s greatest race, and the best horse did win, I’m pretty sure of that. He figured to get the trip, he handled the conditions, and won with a Beyer 104, which is at least respectable (Animal Kingdom 103, I’ll Have Another 101, before his Preakness 109), but there were some unsatisfactory aspects to the race.

First, it was run in the slop after persistent rain most of the day in Louisville, and several major contenders, including previously unbeaten Verrazano (14th) and Goldencents (17th), might just have hated the going. Second, Palace Malice more or less ran off with Mike Smith in first-time blinkers, setting a suicidal pace (45:1/5, 1:09:4/5). Everything chasing him backed up as well, setting up the race for closers. Of the first five finishers, only Normandy Invasion was closer than 15^th after the first half-mile. Third, and this is really unsatisfactory, from my point of view, Churchill’s infamous hard-bargain negotiating stance meant they priced the feed so high the European racing channels couldn’t justify buying it, so the only way you could actually see the race live over here was on the Internet, and that was only because I borrowed a friend’s TwinSpires account. From reading Michael Bronzino’s letter in the TDN Monday, there were problems in Florida watching Churchill races live, too. Yeah, I get it that Churchill Downs are hard negotiators; and yeah, I get it they’re a public company and slaves only to the almighty dollar. But what I don’t get is why breeders aren’t up in arms. Churchill Downs is not their friend.

When racing was on the ropes in the early 1980s the breeders, led by John Gaines, created the Breeders’ Cup as a vehicle whereby breeders could contribute to the revival of racing, and it worked. Now it’s the breeders who are on the ropes, and don’t let anybody tell you different. North American breeders desperately need to recapture European markets, not just to sell their horses, but to generate investment to become competitive again for top stallion prospects worldwide, which presently they are not. Australia and Japan, please note, are standing the two Kentucky Derby winners before Orb, who will, presumably, stay in America, but only because the owners can afford to keep him.

Yet, prospective customers for America’s breeders cannot even watch America’s so-called greatest race in Europe, because the racetrack company really doesn’t care if it’s free to watch there, or not, just like they don’t care, as the new points system guarantees, that horses trained in Europe are virtually shut out, unless they win the UAE Derby in Dubai. How are prospective buyers going to get excited about American racing, not to mention owners who might actually have horses racing there, like jockey Ryan Moore was when he came back and told Channel 4’s Emma Spencer at Newmarket on Sunday that it was about the greatest buzz he’s ever had as a rider - when they can’t even see the race live? I know nostalgia won’t buy you a ham sandwich, and, honestly, the last thing I think of myself as is a whiner, but I’ll guarantee you one thing, there’s no way this would have happened when Warner Jones, Jr was running the show. Churchill Downs used to work in tandem with Kentucky breeders. Now, they couldn’t care less.

SUPER SAVED

Dinny Phipps, Claude McGaughey and Stuart Janney celebrate Kentucky Derby victory
(Photo : Baltimore Sun)

KENTUCKY DERBY 139

That Orb was the victor in Saturday’s 139^th Kentucky Derby is already a universal truth, and besides reflecting on another outstanding product of the A.P. Indy male line, there’s not much more the scribes haven’t already told you.

What isn’t in broader circulation though, is the anecdotal stuff behind his breeding. Remarkably, for one whose former colour-bearers include Personal Ensign, Buckpasser and Easy Goer, American Jockey Club chairman Dinny Phipps, has never had a winner of America’s marquee horserace. Remembering that his grandmother, Gladys Carneigie Phipps in 1957 bred and raced Bold Ruler to victory under the twin spires of Churchill Downs, it’s been a long and frustrating haul since for the Phipps family, given that they are without peer among America’s most successful owner/breeders of the past fifty years, and that they’ve had any number of near misses. As recently as 2006, Phipps, who maintains a vigilant grip on the quality of his mares, parted with Super Charger (by A.P. Indy) while carrying the 2010 Derby hero, Super Saver, for $160,000 at the Keeneland November Sale. And with Orb, it was very nearly a case of “play it again, Sam”. More about that in a minute, but let’s recall how Orb came about.

First cousins Stuart Janney III and Odgen Mills “Dinny” Phipps teamed up to provide two of thoroughbred racing’s most distinguished families with a coveted first Derby trophy on Saturday. Janney, the Chairman of Bessemer Trust, Trustee of Johns Hopkins University, Vice Chairman of The Jockey Club and a member of the Board of Trustees of NYRA, was introduced to the sport by his parents, who raced the brilliant Ruffian. Orb’s fourth dam Laughter (Bold Ruler) is a half-sister to the ill-fated champion. “This horse’s bloodline goes back to our grandmother, and Dinnys father was instrumental in getting me to take over my parents’ horses 20-some years ago”, Janney commented. “And so I just couldn’t be more delighted that we’re doing this together. I remember when (trainer) Shug (McGaughey) was inducted into the Hall of Fame, that he said at the end of his speech, I really would like to win a Kentucky Derby for Stuart or Dinny, and I thought, well, that’s a good sign because we don’t want him laying down after he gets in the Hall of Fame”. Phipps, a retired American financier was the recipient of the 2003 Eclipse Award of Merit for his contributions to racing. “I think it’s terrific, absolutely wonderful, it’s really the culmination of my horse racing, and I am thrilled to be here today”, Phipps said.

Phipps continued, “I would like to say one thing. I started coming around here in 1957 with my grandmother when she had Bold Ruler, and there was a gentleman who was awfully nice to me, and every time I’ve been here since that time, he was always very nice to me; the last 20 years I’ve seen him at the Masters, and I didn’t see him this year. But Furman Bisher (a celebrated columnist for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution) is one of my favourite people, and Furman covered this race with distinction for many years until he died, and I just wanted to say that”.

Distance was never going to be an issue for Orb. Malibu Moon has already been represented by top runners Ask the Moon, Funny Moon and Life At Ten, all Grade 1 winners at 10 furlongs, and his first three dams are by Unbridled, Cox’s Ridge and Damascus. Orb’s second dam, Mesabi Maiden, captured the 1996 Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes. Orb’s dam Lady Liberty, failed to earn any black-type, but enjoyed a respectable career posting a record of 23-4-4-4 and earnings of $202,045. Orb was the first stakes winner produced by his 14-year-old mother. After slipping in 2011 and 2012, she produced a Flatter colt in 2013.

Phipps admitted that he almost lost another Derby winner. “I wanted to sell her”, he said.

“This mare had a difficult production history, and so Dinny was a little bit impatient about what was going on”, Janney revealed. “But I have to say that Seth Hancock (Claiborne farm, where the Phipps mares reside) was very helpful in taking my side of the argument because he said, ‘Look, she’s a good-looking mare, she’s by Unbridled. Unbridled is getting to be a good broodmare sire, and we need to give her some more chance”. Janney continued, “I certainly was interested in Malibu Moon, and I kept saying to Seth ‘What about Malibu Moon?’ and there was one year where he said ‘Not yet’. And then the next year, I raised Malibu Moon as something we ought to do, and he said ‘I think he has shown he’s a top sire, and we’ve seen that he is, in fact, a top sire’. And with Orb it was pretty clear that you had by far the best-looking offspring from this particular mare. That didn’t mean that we’d be sitting here today, but at least it was a step in the right direction”.

The moral of the story? Patience, patience, and more patience.

ORB WINS KENTUCKY DERBY 139

Watch Orb winning the Kentucky Derby
(Image : AJC - Footage : Intangedous)

KENTUCKY DERBY (Grade 1)
Churchill Downs, Dirt, 2000m
4 May 2013

Hovering around as the second choice for most of the betting leading up to Saturday’s 139th Grade 1 Kentucky Derby, Stuart S. Janney III and Phipps Stable homebred Orb (Malibu Moon) garnered a flurry of late support to go off the public’s choice. That money proved the smart money as the 5-1 shot roared home in the slop to earn the roses by 2 1/2 lengths and provide Hall of Fame conditioner and Kentucky native Shug McGaughey with a first Derby. Unheralded 34-1 longshot Golden Soul (Perfect Soul) got up for a surprising second, while second choice Revolutionary (War Pass) got up for third under a patented rail-skimming ride from Calvin Borel to fill out the trifecta.

All besides Java’s War (War Pass) were away well, and Orb settled into rhythm well off the pace and in the two or three path. Meanwhile, Palace Malice (Curlin), a surprising pacesetter with first-time blinkers, zipped clear to set hot opening splits of :22.57 and :45.33 with a slew of horses in hot pursuit, including Palace Malice’s stablemate Verrazano (More Than Ready), Vyjack (Into Mischief), Goldencents (Into Mischief) and Oxbow (Awesome Again).

The leader started to come under a ride entering the home bend, and Normandy Invasion (Tapit) was the first to catch the eye with a sharp sweeping move. That runner hit the straight with the lead, but Orb was winding up after tipping into the six or seven path. He angled in slightly as Joel Rosario provided right-handed reminders, and drifted back out a bit as he blew by Normandy Invasion at the eighth pole. Nobody was getting to Orb at that point, and he bounded clear without having to empty the tank.

Golden Soul and Revolutionary also came from a similar place to Orb in the pack, with the latter leading the former up the inside turning for home. Robby Albarado on Golden Soul opted to come off the rail while Revolutionary stayed inside, but that additional ground covered by the runner-up didn’t cost him the placing.

Extract from Thoroughbred Daily News

PROPHETIC?

Watch “Winning the Kentucky Derby My Way”
(Image and Footage : Team Valor International)

www.teamvalor.com

DARLEY INVESTS IN ANIMAL KINGDOM

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed
(Darley America)

ANIMAL KINGDOM
Leroidesanimaux (Brz) - Dalcia (Ger)

Darley has acquired a 29% interest in Dubai World Cup and Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom, Arrowfield Stud and Team Valor International announced earlier this week.

As a result, Animal Kingdom will stand in the Northern Hemisphere at Darley’s Jonabell Farm in Lexington, Kentucky. The son of Leroidesanimaux will stand in the Southern Hemisphere at John Messara’s Arrowfield Stud in Australia.

“Animal Kingdom is outstanding,” said Darley’s COO Oliver Tait. “Not only is he immensely talented, he has shown a rare ability to excel on turf, synthetic, and dirt, and win at a range of distances up to the mile and a quarter of the Kentucky Derby and the Dubai World Cup. His win at Meydan last Saturday was all class.”

Added Arrowfield’s chairman John Messara, “We are delighted to partner with Darley in the ownership of Animal Kingdom and management of his future international stud career. We have always had a great working relationship with Darley and have the utmost respect for His Highness Sheikh Mohammed and the Darley management team. “With our unprecedented combined support, Animal Kingdom will have every opportunity to develop from a champion racehorse into a champion sire.”

Current plans call for Animal Kingdom to travel to England to race, with the Queen Anne Stakes or the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot as possible engagements.

Animal Kingdom’s majestic two-length victory in the March 30 Dubai World Cup over 2,000 meters was the first US-trained success in the race since it has been held on the synthetic Tapeta surface at Meydan. The win took his career earnings to $8.3 million.

Extract from Bloodhorse