VINERY KENTUCKY STALLIONS RELOCATING TO WINSTAR FARM

More Than Ready (USA)
(Photo : Vinery)

WINSTAR FARM
Versailles, USA

Vinery Kentucky’s More Than Ready (Southern Halo) and Congrats (A.P. Indy) headline a group of five stallions who have been relocated to WinStar Farm in Versailles. Kodiak Kowboy (Posse), Pure Prize (Storm Cat) and Street Hero (Street Cry) are also headed to Kenny Troutt’s operation for the 2013 breeding season. It was announced in December that fellow Vinery stallions Pioneerof the Nile (Empire Maker) and Maimonides (Vindication) were also headed to WinStar.

“These are exciting times at WinStar, and we’re thrilled to be able to welcome these terrific stallions to the WinStar family as we get set to open the doors on our new state-of-the-art stallion complex,” said Elliott Walden, President and CEO at WinStar. “We’ve already enjoyed overwhelming response from breeders since adding Maimonides and Pioneerof the Nile, and we’re thankful that the shareholders of these five stallions have shown confidence in WinStar, too.”

More Than Ready, a leading sire in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, has sired 112 stakes winners worldwide, including a trio of Breeders’ Cup winners. He will stand for $60,000. Congrats, already the sire of three Grade 1 winners from his first three crops to race, will stand for $35,000.

“Vinery has done a terrific job with these stallions, and we will strive to be good stewards of all of their careers,” Walden continued. “What a great way to baptize our new stallion facility with proven horses like More Than Ready, Congrats and Pure Prize, as well as promising young stallions like Kodiak Kowboy and Street Hero. They complement our roster extremely well, and we look forward to our greatest days ahead of us.”

Vinery CEO Tom Ludt added, “With the announcement of the selling of the farm earlier this year, we knew this day would come. I am proud of what we accomplished with these stallions, and I am excited to see them continue their careers at a place like WinStar.”

www.winstarfarm.com

Extract from Thoroughbred Daily News

DROSSELMEYER CAPTURES 142ND BELMONT STAKES

Click above to watch
Drosselmeyer winning the 142nd Belmont Stakes (Gr1)
(Photo : NY Daily News - Footage : Belmont Park)

142nd BELMONT STAKES (Gr1)
Belmont Park, 5 June 2010

When Drosselmeyer (Distorted Humor) gave his late surge to post a 13-1 upset over Fly Down (Mineshaft) and First Dude (Stephen Got Even) in yesterday’s third leg of the US Triple Crown, The Belmont Stakes (G1) at Belmont Park, a number of milestones were achieved.

WinStar Farm became the first owner to win two legs of the Triple Crown with different runners since Overbrook Farm accomplished the feat in 1996 with Grindstone and Editor’s Note. Hall of Famer Bill Mott notched his first winner of a Triple Crown race, and fellow Hall of Fame member Mike Smith, who teamed up with Mott earlier on the card to land the Just a Game Stakes (G1) with Proviso, rounded out a Triple Crown career following scores in the 2005 Kentucky Derby (G1) and 1993 Preakness Stakes (G1).

“People don’t know it, but this is the second Belmont winner I’ve saddled,” Bill Mott quipped. “I saddled Victory Gallop (in the 1998 Belmont) for Elliot (Walden, vice president and racing manager of WinStar Farm) when he had a broken leg.” Mike Smith, who called the New York circuit home for much of his career, added, “It was a great trip. It was all about getting into the rhythm and we did it. It worked out. It was incredible. It’s great to come home.”

Drosselmeyer began his career on the grass, finishing third by 3/4 of a length at Saratoga on 16 August, then ran second at even-money to Exhi (Maria’s Mon) on Belmont’s sod on 20 September. Beaten a head on Keeneland’s Polytrack 24 October, the coppery chestnut broke through with six-length triumph in an off-the-turfer at Churchill on 18 November.

Drosselmeyer kicked off his 2010 campaign with a sharp allowance tally at Gulfstream on 31 January and looked like he’d be a major player on the Triple Crown trail, but it took a while for him to fulfill that promise. Fourth as the favorite in the Risen Star Stakes (G2) at Fair Grounds on 20 February, he finished third by a length in the Louisiana Derby (G2) over the same track on 27 March, which meant he did not amass the requisite earnings to contest the Kentucky Derby (G1).

WinStar secured the roses with Super Saver (Maria’s Mon) on 1 May and, a week later, Drosselmeyer re-surfaced with a no-excuse second to Fly Down in the Dwyer Stakes (G2) around this sweeping oval. Kent Desormeaux had been the colt’s pilot since the Churchill maiden win, but found himself replaced by Mike Smith.

Drosselmeyer, who had been training with bar shoes in front, went postward at 13-1 in the 142nd running of the Belmont Stakes. When the gates opened, First Dude cleared the field from post 11 and settled into an easy tempo, with Drosselmeyer sitting about five lengths back and in the clear on the outside. The imposing First Dude slowed it down up front with his splits of 0:24.15, 0:49.19 and 1:14.94, and hit the half-mile pole in 1:40.25. Smith asked his mount to edged a bit closer heading into the far turn and the pair began a steady advance, ranging up to challenge First Dude in front of the grandstand. The big colt dug in inside, but Drosselmeyer had the momentum. Fly Down launched a late run on the outside to nip First Dude for second. “It was Elliot (Walden)’s idea to go to the Dwyer. We thought about wheeling back into either the Arkansas Derby or Blue Grass, but we just said we should stick with our original plan. I got a little nervous when he ran in the Dwyer and looked like he needed some racing, but it turned out to be a good plan.”

RACE RESULTS

#	Horse	Jockey	Trainer
1	DROSSELMEYER	Mike Smith	Bill Mott
2	FLY DOWN	John Velazquez	Nick Zito
3	FIRST DUDE	Ramon Dominguez	Dale Romans
4	GAME ON DUDE	Martin Garcia	Bob baffert
5	STAY PUT	Jamie Theriot	Steve Margolis
6	INTERACTIF	Javier Castellano	Todd Pletcher
7	STATELY VICTOR	Alan Garcia	Mike Maker
8	ICE BOX	Jose Lezcano	Nick Zito
9	MAKE MUSIC FOR ME	Joel Rosario	Alexis Barba
10	DAVE IN DIXIE	Calvin Borel	John Sadler
11	SPANGLED STAR	Garret Gomez	Richard Dutro Jr
12	UPTOWNCHARLYBROWN	Rajiv Maragh	Kiaran McLaughlan

Extract from Thoroughbred Daily News