Aiken trained Honor A P colt brings $300,000 at OBS – Consigned by Cary Frommer

Courtesy of Maryland Thoroughbreds

Nine Maryland-breds went through the ring, with eight selling for an average of $109,625 and a median of $57,500. Those figures represent an increase from last year, when six Maryland-breds sold for an average of $67,333 and a median of $56,000.

A dark bay or brown colt from the first crop of Honor A. P. led the way among both Maryland-breds and Mid-Atlantic breds, fetching $300,000. Consigned by Cary Frommer LLC, Agent I, and bred by Dark Hollow Farm, he sold to Amerman Racing LLC. He breezed an eighth of a mile in 10.1 at the under-tack show the week prior.

A headliner when named Grand Champion of the MHBA Yearling Show last year, the son of the Not For Love mare Flit went through the ring at last fall’s Fasig-Tipton Midlantic yearling sale and listed as sold to Hillwood Stables for $87,000. He’s a half-brother to $222,427-earner Betcha by Golly; his dam is a half-sister to stakes winners O Dionysus (Bodemeister) and Joy (Pure Prize) and stakes-placed Combat Diver. The colt’s third dam, Safe At the Plate (by Double Zeus), is a half-sister to Maryland-bred legend and Racing Hall of Famer Safely Kept and graded stakes winner and sire Partner’s Hero.

 

Private Creed Repeats As Aiken-Trained Horse Of The Year In 2023

The 4-year-old son of Jimmy Creed became the fourth horse to earn the honor in multiple seasons, joining Quality Road (2009 and 2010), Palace Malice (2013 and 2014), and Curalina (2015 and 2016). Private Creed was first given the honor during his 2-year-old season in 2022, and followed up with his sophomore campaign last year.

The winner is decided by the Aiken Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame and Museum’s advisory board. To qualify, candidates must have trained in Aiken, S.C., and won at least one graded stakes race during the year or compiled earnings in excess of $500,000.

Private Creed was purchased by Aiken-based Marcus and Crystal Ryan’s Mason Springs for $45,000 at the 2021 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, and after receiving his initial training in South Carolina, the colt sold to owner Mike McCarthy for $155,000 at the following year’s Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale.

The colt was placed in the barn of trainer Steve Asmussen, for whom he has won five of 12 starts and earned $1,329,166.

In 2023, Private Creed won two of seven starts. His campaign began with a runner-up effort in the Bob Bork Texas Turf Mile Stakes at Sam Houston Race Park, and after a brief detour to test the Kentucky Derby trail in the Grade 2 Risen Star Stakes, he returned to the turf for the remainder of the season.

Private Creed picked up steam once again in the summer, running second in the listed Mahony Stakes at Saratoga Race Course, then finishing the season with wins in the G2 Franklin-Simpson Stakes at Kentucky Downs and a Churchill Downs allowance.

More on new stakes winner CAMARO Z

Courtesy of the Paulick Report

In an all-out slugfest down the Fair Grounds homestretch on Saturday, Camaro Z outfought Count Dracula to win the 66th running of $100,000 Black Gold.

Owned by Terry Stephens, Pravin Patel, and Tagg Team Racing, Camaro Z delivered and overcame multiple blows while battling his outside rival to prevail by a neck.

Trained by Greg Foley, Camaro Z’s pilot was Corey Lanerie. A winner of three races on the day, Lanerie who made the traditional walk to Black Gold’s grave in the infield to lay the ceremonial wreath. Descendants of Black Gold’s owner Rosa Hoots were on hand to celebrate the 100-year anniversary of becoming the first Louisiana Derby champion to go on and win the Kentucky Derby.

CAMARO Z a new stakes horse

CAMARO Z broke his maiden, was second in an allowance race and jumped right into stakes company in the Black Gold S at the Fair Grounds. He had to forge a path through tight quarters but he got the job done to win by a neck.  He was purchased for the Cary Frommer consignments by his trainer Gregory D. Foley. He is owned by  Terry Stephens, Pravin Patel, and Tagg Team Racing. Breeder: Al Shaqab Racing

POST TIME wins the General George Stakes G3

Started and conditioned for racing at the Aiken Taring Track by Cary Frommer
Courtesy of the BloodHorse

Post Time  made the leap to graded company in stylish fashion, taking the $200,000 General George Stakes (G3) in a powerful late-rallying victory. The win gave trainer Brittany Russell and her husband, jockey Sheldon Russell, back-to-back stakes scores Feb. 17 at Laurel Park following their win in the Barbara Fritchie Stakes (G3).

A Maryland-bred son of Frosted  , Post Time had garnered some attention on the Midlantic circuit with his 6 1/2-length romp in the one-mile Jennings Stakes against state-breds Jan. 28 at Laurel Park. The 4-year-old was no secret to the railbirds around Laurel, as the colt headed into the General George a perfect 6-for-6 over the Maryland oval, with his lone career defeat being a third-place finish in Keeneland‘s Perryville Stakes last October.

Sheldon Russell kept Post Time calm and collected in fifth position early as fellow Maryland-bred Seven’s Eleven  rolled through fractions of :23.81 and :46.61. Circling five-wide around the final turn, Post Time ignited a relentless drive to the wire, tearing into Seven’s Eleven’s lead with every stride.

Barreling past the pacesetter at the sixteenth pole, Post Time surged to the finish three lengths in front in 1:23.33 for seven furlongs on a fast main track. The final time was nearly two seconds faster than it took older fillies and mares to run in the Barbara Fritchie Stakes earlier on the card.

Seven’s Eleven, second to Post Time in the Jennings, played the bridesmaid once again with a runner-up finish over 24-1 shot Tenebris  in third.

Running for the colors of Hillwood Stable, who were winning their third General George following Bandbox  (2014) and Cordmaker  (2022) Post Time ($2.60) upped his bankroll to $417,910 with his fourth black-type win.

“I’d say we were a little worried shortening back up to the seven-eighths. There wasn’t a whole lot of lightning-fast speed in the race, so my goal was to keep him close enough. I felt like he traveled good. If anything, I felt like we had to rush him a little bit but once I got him clear at the eighth pole he spurted clear and showed his true class,” said Sheldon Russell

Maryland Star Post Time Attempts First Graded Win

Hillwood Stable’s Maryland-bred star Post Time  looks to remain undefeated in his home state in the seven-furlong $200,000 General George Stakes (G3) at Laurel Park Feb. 17.

Maryland’s top juvenile of 2022, the son of Frosted is now a three-time stakes winner. His lone loss in seven starts came in the Perryville Stakes at Keeneland Oct. 21, finishing third beaten 1 1/4 lengths by Raise Cain  and Dr. Venkman  in his only start outside of Maryland.

Post Time enters on three weeks rest from a 6 1/2-length win in the Jennings Stakes while posting a career-high 116 Equibase Speed Figure, improving his Laurel record to 5-for-5.

VIDEO: JENNINGS S. (BT)

“He’s doing so well right now,” trainer Brittany Russell said. “He came bouncing out of his last race. This is a horse that I’m always very excited to walk over.”

Also entering off three weeks rest is Qatar Racing, Black Type Thoroughbreds, Swinbank Stables, Steve Adkisson, and Campeche Stables’ Nimitz Class , who has a record of 4-2-0 from seven starts at Laurel.

Nimitz Class defeated grade 1 winner Gunite   three starts back in the Parx Dirt Mile Stakes at Parx Racing Sep. 23. The 5-year-old son of Munnings   was last seen finishing eighth for his new owners and new trainer George Weaver in the Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (G1) at Gulfstream Park Jan. 27.

The General George is race 9 with a post time of 4:33 p.m. ET.

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

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

MENDELSSOHN BAY PROVES TOO STRONG IN UAE 2000 GUINEAS

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

OPUS FORTY TWO starts 2024 campaign with a stakes win

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