Multiple Stakes Winner POST TIME wins the Jennings S. at Laurel in a ROMP!

01/30/2024 |

Multiple stakes winner POST TIME (Frosted) got the new year off the a good start winning the Jennings S, by 6 1/2 lengths ridden out. He closed out 2023 with a win in the City of Laurel Stakes. He was trained in Aiken by Cary Frommer.
Trainer: Brittany T. Russell
Owner: Hillwood Stable LLC
Breeder: Dr. & Mrs. Thomas Bowman, Dr. Brooke Bowman & Milton P. Higgins III

Starts	Firsts	Seconds	Thirds	Earnings
7	6	0	1	$297,910

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MENDELSSOHN BAY PROVES TOO STRONG IN UAE 2000 GUINEAS

01/27/2024 |

Courtesy of the TDN

Mendelssohn Bay | Dubai Racing Club

By Alan Carasso

Mendelssohn Bay (Mendelssohn), whose sire won the 2018 G2 UAE Derby by an Arabian desert in track-record time and whose broodmare sire Curlin counts the G1 Dubai World Cup amongst his conquests, stalked a good pace and kept on gamely through the final 200 metres to win Friday’s G3 UAE 2000 Guineas at Meydan Racecourse.

Ridden forward by Pat Cosgrave, the Bhupat Seemar stable’s second string sat just outside of pacesetting Military Artist (Munnings), as that one took the Guineas field along at a decent tempo. Asked to come after the front-runner in the straight, Mendelssohn Bay surged past and continued to find to score comfortably in what is a prep for the Derby, contested over 1900 metres on the World Cup undercard Mar. 30. The winner’s stablemate Killer Collect (Collected), the selection of number one stable jockey Tadhg O’Shea, spotted his rivals a few lengths at the break and was forced to expend a fair bit of energy to be prominent when push came to shove. Wide into the lane, he fought on bravely to be second ahead of Quartier (Uru) (Matterhorn), who was exiting a runner-up effort to the well-regarded Ma Yetal (Flameaway) in the 2000 Guineas Trial last time over the 1400 metres. Mendelssohn Bay was a slow-starting fourth in the same event, having won his maiden going seven furlongs over this surface Nov. 24.

“The further we go the better for this horse,” said Cosgrave, for whom it was a first Meydan winner of the campaign. “He’s a bit immature mentally, he’s still learning, but when I asked him to quicken at the 300 [-metre marker] he put the race to bed quickly.”

Pedigree Notes:

Mendelssohn Bay is the eighth black-type winner and second graded winner for his sire. He is also the 21st stakes winner and eighth group/graded winner from a Curlin dam.

Joe and Debbie McCloskey‘s Cuyathy LLC purchased Reiki Baby for $8,000 at the 2014 Keeneland September Sale, but didn’t make the races until the middle of her 4-year-old season. She made the most of limited opportunities, graduating at first asking and adding a pair of allowance seconds before retiring after four starts. The McCloskeys bought out their partners, Firsthome Thoroughbreds, for $40,000 at that year’s Keeneland November Sale.

The majority of the black-type in the family occurs in the third dam, which features the likes of champion Escena (Strawberry Road {Aus}).

Reiki Baby’s first foal, the 5-year-old Blame mare Lightheart, was unraced, while her second produce is the dual winner Reiquist (Nyquist). Behind Mendelssohn Bay is the juvenile filly Paprika Princess (Practical Joke) and with no foal reported for 2023, she is due to Omaha Beach this term.

Friday, Meydan, Dubai
UAE 2000 GUINEAS PRESENTED BY LONGINES-G3, AED700,000, Meydan, 1-26, 3yo, 8f, 1:38.13, ft.
1–MENDELSSOHN BAY, 121, g, 3, by Mendelssohn
               1st Dam: Reiki Baby, by Curlin
                2nd Dam: Renowned Cat, by Storm Cat
                3rd Dam: Claxton’s Slew, by Seattle Slew
1ST STAKES WIN, 1ST GROUP WIN. ($125,000 Ylg ’22 KEESEP; $85,000 2yo ’23 FTMAY). O-Suited & Booted Racing Syndicate; B-Cuyathy, LLC (KY); T-Bhupat Seemar; J-Pat Cosgrave. AED420,000. Lifetime Record: 3-2-0-0, AED534,000. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & five-cross pedigree.
2–Killer Collect, 121, c, 3, Collected–Comforter, by Nobiz Like Shobiz. 1ST BLACK-TYPE, 1ST GROUP BLACK-TYPE. ($70,000 Ylg ’22 KEEJAN; $75,000 Ylg ’22 KEESEP). O-Michael Hilary Burke & Negar Burke; B-Romar Farm LLC & BRS (KY); T-Bhupat Seemar. AED140,000.
3–Quartier (Uru), 131, c, 3, Matterhorn–Stelatoa (Uru), by Alcorano (Brz). 1ST BLACK-TYPE, 1ST GROUP BLACK-TYPE. O-Haras Bage Do Sul; B-Bage Do Sul (URU); T-Julio Olascoaga. AED70,000.
Margins: 3 3/4, SHD, 1HF.
Also Ran: Turjman, Oasis Boy (Arg), Military Artist, Rasas, Nezeeh (Ire). Click for the ERA chart and

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OPUS FORTY TWO starts 2024 campaign with a stakes win

01/19/2024 |

OPUS FORTY TWO (Mendelssohn) won the Gasparilla S last year and got the 2024 off with a bang winning the Wayward Lass Stake at Tampa Bay. She bided her time close to the pace inside then moved out to clear for the win by 1 3/4. She trained at the Aiken Training Track with Legacy and is now trained by Arnaud Delacour for owner Mark B. Grier.
Breeder: Rose Hill Farm & John Trumbulovic

Starts	Firsts	Seconds	Thirds	Earnings
11	4	4	0	$229,550

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DOUBLE CROWN wins his 6th stakes race!

01/19/2024 |

Graded stakes winner Double Crown (Bourbon Courage) won the Aiken Trials trained by Cary Frommer and then broke his maiden in his first start. Since then he has started 44 times with 9 wins, 6 of them in stakes company including a G2. The 7 year old has started his 2024 campaign with a win in the Robert T. Manfuso Stakes at Laurel earning a 110 Equibase Speed figure.
Trainer: Raymond E. Ginter, Jr. – Owner: Built Wright Stables, LLC.- Breeder: Dr. & Mrs. Thomas Bowman & Rebecca Davis

Starts	Firsts	Seconds	Thirds	Earnings
44	9	10	5	$838,185

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DOUBLE CROWN – NOW THAT’S A RACEHORSE

09/13/2023 |

Graded stakes winner DOUBLE CROWN (Bourbon Courage) trained in Ailken with Cary Frommer. He got his first experience winning the Aiken Trials. With that win under his belt, he broke his maiden first out at 2. Today at 6 in his 39th start he won the Polynesian S at Pimlico with the highest speed rating of his life and paid $15.80. Earnings now $738k. Now that’s a racehorse.
Trainer: Raymond E. Ginter, Jr.
Owner: Built Wright Stables, LLC.
Breeder: Dr. & Mrs. Thomas Bowman & Rebecca Davis

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Dream Shake Gets Dream Result in Connaught Cup G2T

07/24/2023 |

Woodbine: Edited Press Release

Michael Stidham trainee Dream Shake notched his second straight score at Woodbine Racetrack, taking the CA$175,000 Connaught Cup Stakes (G2T) July 23. He was prepared and started at the Aiken Training Track by Cary Frommer.

With Rafael Hernandez in the irons, Dream Shake broke sharply and tracked longshot leader Roaring Forties from second through early opening splits of :22.92 and :45.23 in the seven-furlong trek for 3-year-olds and up over a firm E.P. Taylor Turf, as Bound for Nowhere , supplemented to the race, was positioned third.

The 5-year-old son of Twirling Candy —Even Song was given his cue by Hernandez as the field came off the turn for home and Dream Shake responded by striking front in early stretch, with a host of rivals quickly closing in on from all sides.

Dream Shake, who arrived at the Connaught Cup, off a 1 1/4-length triumph over seven furlongs on the Woodbine Tapeta (the race was originally scheduled for the grass), wouldn’t be denied in the late going, fending off War Bomber to win by a length. Lucky Score , a further head back, bested 2-1 choice Churchtown by a nose for third.

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G3 SW RIDEN WITH BIDEN adds black-type

07/09/2023 |

G3 SW RIDEN WITH BIDEN (Constitution) was trained at the Aiken Training Track by Cary Frommer, He has gone on to win over 1/2 a million to date and today ran 3rd in the BATTERY PARK S at Delaware Park. He has won a placed in 7 stakes including a win in the Greenwood Cup Stakes (Gr. 3) and a 2nd in the Dwyer S (G2).

Starts	Firsts	Seconds	Thirds	Earnings
23	8	5	2	$527,500

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G2 SW PREREQUISITE 2nd in the G1 BELMONT OAKS INVITATIONAL

07/09/2023 |

This is a very exciting filly for the ATT, she jumped from a maiden win to a G2 stakes win and now a 2nd in the G1 BELMONT OAKS INVITATIONAL. She almost had it won, and was nipped close to the wire. She is a HUGE homerun for Aiken’s Mason Springs.

Sale History
FTMMAY2022 • $350,000 • Consignor: Mason Springs • Buyer: BSW/Crow, agent for First Row Partners.
KEESEP2021 • $47,000 • Consignor: Brereton C. Jones/Airdrie Stud • Buyer: Mason Springs.

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Aiken trained Prerequisite wins G2 Wonder Again

06/12/2023 |

Prerequisite wins the Wonder Again Stakes at Belmont Park

Coglianese Photo

Prerequisite led nearly from the start in the grade 2 turf test at Belmont Park.

By Joe Perez

Trainer Chad Brown didn’t believe there would be enough speed in the field of seven to keep up with Prerequisite in the Wonder Again Stakes (G2T) June 11 at Belmont Park. All she and jockey Flavien Prat had to do was get to the front.

Brown’s belief was justified as Prerequisite led nearly from the start, holding off a late-charging Be Your Best by a neck to win the $200,000, 1 1/8-mile challenge for fillies 3 and up on Belmont’s inner turf course. Prerequisite stopped the clock in 1:47.20.

“I wanted to be (on the lead) if she broke well. (Prat) actually hustled her out of there to make that lead. I didn’t want to leave it in the hands of another horse and possibly a slow pace to deal with in this race,” Brown said. “So we established ourselves on the lead; the plan was to go or if she couldn’t get there, at least attempt to and get the pace going a bit.”

The win was Brown’s fifth in the Wonder Again and second in a row following Consumer Spending ‘s triumph last year. Prerequisite entered the Wonder Again off of a 1 1/4-length win in a maiden special weight race at the same distance and course May 7, her second career start.

Through the first mile of the Wonder Again, it was Spansive who provided the greatest test for Prerequisite with the winner posting fractional times of :23.67, :47.94, 1:11.80, and 1:35.18.

But as the field came around the turn and into the stretch, Be Your Best, who had been as many as sixth lengths back, surged in the upper stretch to challenge Prerequisite only to run out of turf.

It was Be Your Best’s first race in just over two months following a seventh-place finish in the Appalachian Stakes (G2T).

“I had pretty good pace in front of me, so I took my filly a little bit off the pace and she ran well,” said jockey Manny Franco, who was aboard Be Your Best. “I have to give credit to the winner going that pace and going that far, she kept on going. My filly was giving me her all and I’m really happy with the way she ran.”

Brown had two other entries, both French imports: Venencia , who finished seventh, and the 7-5 favorite Revalita , who finished third after a late charge going five wide.

It was Revalita’s first time going 1 1/8 miles after a finishing second by three quarters of a length in the 1 1/16-mile Edgewood Stakes (G3T) May 5 at Churchill Downs. The Wonder Again was her third race in North America after the filly won two out of three starts in her home country. Brown said that shorter distances may be what she needs.

“I’ll have to look at it again,” he said of Revalita. “She did make a nice move there. I’m kind of on the fence. Maybe her kick is a little better going shorter. It’s one of those things where she was coming along but maybe just at the very late stages, she might have flattened just a tick. So, maybe a cutback would actually be in order for her.”

A $2 win ticket on Prerequisite paid $16. Spansive, who was second most of the race, finished fourth.

Prerequisite is owned by First Row Partners and Team Hanley. She was sold twice, most recently for $350,000 at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale out of the Mason Springs consignment. With the win, Prerequisite improves to 2-0-0 from three starts with $163,000 in earnings.

The filly was bred in Kentucky by Brereton Jones. She is by Upstart and out of the Smart Strike mare Etsu. The mare has two starters—both winners—from four foals. Upstart stands at Airdrie Stud for $30,000.

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SACRED WISH stakes placed in the G2 Gulfstream Park Oaks in her 3rd start!

04/02/2023 |

Cary Frommer prepped and sold SACRED WISH (Not This Time) at last spring’s Fasig Tipton Timonium Sale. SACRED WISH broke her maiden at Oaklawn in her 2nd start last month. Stepping up into graded stakes company today, in the G2 Gulfstream Park Oaks, she finished a willing 2nd. The filly is owned by Black Type Thoroughbreds, Swinbank Stables, Steve Adkisson, Christopher T. Dunn and Anthony Spinazzola and was bred by John R. Penn (KY). She iis trained by George Weaver.

Starts	Firsts	Seconds	Thirds	Earnings
3	1	1	1	$96,500

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