On Sunday November 16, Macho Uno was represented by a pair of new stakes winners.

At Philadelphia Park, the two-year-old filly Oh So Clever lead nearly all the way in the Donna Freyer Stakes. It was the second career start and first victory for the Larry Jones-trained filly. She races for owner/breeder Diane Harrington.

Less than 20 minutes after Oh So Clever got her picture taken, the three-year-old colt National Pride scored in the Pass the Tab Stakes at Aqueduct. Picked as a TDN Rising Star after his impressive maiden romp last fall was, he was sold to Godolphin soon after that victory.

National Pride makes it 7% first crop stakes winners for Macho Uno so far.

Ginger Brew recorded her first victory going past a mile for the first time on the grass at Gulfstream Mar. 15 before scoring in the nine-furlong Calder Oaks
Apr. 26. A stylish six-length winner on the Polytrack in the Woodbine Oaks against Canadian-bred fillies June 8, the chestnut was sent off the 9-5 choice for Canada's premier event, the Queen's Plate, but had to settle for second--beaten only a head by winner Not
Bourbon--in the restricted event June 22 last out. Favored once again for this one, the Adena homebred held a narrow advantage throughout, and when challenged at the head of the stretch by Authenicat, the filly hit another gear and cruised home the easy winner.
                                                                        
                                                                      -Thoroughbred Daily News

Spritely began her career with two straight wins in Kentucky last season... She hit the board in each of three prior attempts this term, including a pair of third-place finishes in the Miss Woodford S. at Monmouth Aug. 24 and the Missile Belle S. at Belmont last out Sept. 20. Making her first start around two turns since the Hollywood Starlet, she was sent to the lead by Mike Luzzi and splashed her way home to an easy victory in the Honey Bee Stakes. She is Touch Gold's 8th stakes winner of 2008. The following day in California, Brushed Gold earned blacktype for the first time with a second place run in the 1 1/2 mile Hermosa Beach S. at Hollywood Park.
         
                                                                   -edited from Thoroughbred Daily News

Maryilyn Fazio Seltzer's Amazing scored the biggest victory of her young career in the $200,000 Elmer Huebeck Distaff H. at Calder Racecourse on November 8. Sent to the lead soon after the start, Amazing coasted through easy fractions and courageously held off Annabill to gain the victory. The 3yo daughter of Greatness was coming off a victory in the Sunny Issues S. just two weeks earlier.

John Henry set the standard for geldings in American racing, winning four Grade 1 races at age nine and retiring as the all-time leading money earner in North America. So it was only fitting that Awesome Again’s 8-year-old gelded son Hotstufandthensome won the John Henry Stakes at The Meadowlands on November 1. He dominated the 1 3/8 turf contest by 6 lengths, increasing his earnings to over $720,000.

Already a multiple graded stakes winner, Hotstufandthensome is among the 9 stakes winners and 20 total stakes runners for Awesome Again in 2008.

Amazing, a three-year-old daughter of Greatness, took the lead soon after the start and was never seriously challenged en route to wire-to-wire 1 1/4 length victory in the Sunny Issues Stakes at Calder on October 25.

Bred by owner Marilyn Seltzer, Amazing is the newest stakes winner for Greatness, a son of Mr. Prospector. The Sunny Issues was the third career victory for Amazing who increased her earnings to $81,935. She is also the first stakes winner out of a daughter of Adena's Springs top stallion Awesome Again.

Successful in a Chantilly conditions event on debut July 28, Article Rare followed up with a fourth in the Aug. 23 G3 Prix du Calvados at this track before running second in the G3 Prix d'Aumale back at Chantilly last time Sept. 15. Up for the lead from the break in this third pattern go, she was roused with 300 meters to go and kept on strongly under urging inside the final furlong to comfortably assert superiority.

"She made all when she won first time, but I made a mistake by changing to waiting tactics in the Calvados," admitted trainer Elie Lellouche. "We changed back to forcing tactics and she was beaten narrowly last time, so she fully deserved to win this one. She comes from a great family and we will now put her away until next year."

The nicely bred filly was produced by group stakes winner Action Francaise, herself a daughter of the brilliant racemare and Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe heroine Allez France. Article Rare becomes her dam's fifth stakes winner.

-Thoroughbred Daily News

High Mist remained undefeated in three starts with her  2 ½ length win in the $150,000 Fanfreluche Stakes at Woodbine on October 18. The daughter of Olmodavor and the Petionville mare High Humidity, had previously won a maiden special and an entry level allowance for trainer Reade Baker and owners N. C. Stable and Wendy Anderson.

High Mist, who was purchased earlier this year at the Adena Springs Two-Year-Old in Training sale, covered the six furlongs in an impressive 1:09.78. She is the second stakes winner for first crop sire Olmodavor, a multiple graded stakes-winning son of A. P. Indy.

Moujane became Alphabet Soup’s 35th lifetime stakes winner with her easy wire-to-wire victory in the Swingtime Stakes at Santa Anita on October 4.  A Florida-bred filly out of the Persian Bold mare Melina Mou, Moujane was never seriously challenged in the one mile turf event.

She has now earned $229,858 for owner Jane Field and trainer Rafael Beccerra. Moujane is also among the four stakes winners and 12 total stakes runners sired by the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) winner Alphabet Soup.

Bear Stables’ Fatal Bullet left no questions unanswered Sept. 27 with an authoritative track-record victory in the $100,000 Kentucky Cup Sprint (gr. III) for 3-year-olds at Turfway Park and appears headed to the Breeders’ Cup Sprint (gr. I) at Santa Anita Park.

Carrying Eurico Rosa Da Silva, who was in from Canada to ride for Woodbine-based trainer Reade Baker, Fatal Bullet broke a step slowly but quickly recovered to grab the lead through an opening quarter-mile in :21.71. The gelding got what his jockey called “a breather” through a half-mile in :44.44, then drew away with ease to win by 7 3/4 lengths in 1:08.03, a Polytrack record for the distance.

“I think he won quite easily,” said Danny Dion of Bear Stables. “He broke a step slow. He’s the best he has ever looked today.”

When asked if Fatal Bullet, who has shown an affinity for synthetic surfaces, is Breeders’ Cup bound, Dion said: “Breeders’ Cup—we’re coming.”

Da Silva, who has ridden Fatal Bullet to victory in his last three races, said: “He was just running easy. When we got the breather on the turn, I knew he’d be very hard to catch.”
Fatal Bullet, a Florida-bred by Red Bullet out of the Regal Classic mare Sararegal, won one race as a 2-year-old. He is now six-for-seven this year.

-edited from Bloodhorse.com

Peach Brew surged to the lead in the final yards to win the Oklahoma Classics Lassie Stakes at Remington Park on September 27.  Winner of a maiden special event in late June, Peach Brew has now finished first or second in all but one of her four career starts. The juvenile filly races for her breeder Robert H. Zoellner.

Peach Brew is among the four 2008 stakes winners sired by Milwaukee Brew, Florida’s leading second crop sire. In fact, no U. S. second crop sire has more North American stakes winners this year than the two-time Santa Anita Handicap (G1) winner.

A $400,000 colt by Macho Uno topped the first Sunday session of the 2008 Keeneland September Sale on September 14. Consigned by Hidden Brook, agent for the colt’s breeder Adena Springs, he was purchased by Venezuelan businessman Jose Castro’s Paula C Racing Stable.

“We’ve been here all week trying to buy this sort of horse for Mr. Castro,” explained agent Joe Applebaum. “but they kept going for $3 million and $1 million, but we were finally able to do it. We’re excited for him.”

The colt is not the first sales success for Macho Uno in 2008. He is also the sire of a $200,000 sales-topping filly at the OBS August Selected Yearling sale.

Miss Dixie Dancer showed good quality when she set a new track record in her debut at Golden Gate Fields in Northern California. She confirmed that quality with a win in her second start in Southern California. The juvenile filly by freshman sire Olmodavor is now a stakes winner after her nice score in the $129,000 Barretts Debutante at Fairplex on September 13.

Bred by Diamond A Racing out of the Dixieland Band mare Dixie Dancer, Miss Dixie Dancer is the first stakes winner for her sire, a multiple graded stakes winner by Champion Sire A. P. Indy.

Among Olmodavor’s other early winners is High Mist who ran her record to a perfect two-for-two with an easy wire-to-wire win in allowance company at Woodbine in mid-September.

Showing Up, a millionaire and multiple grade I winner for Roy and Gretchen Jackson’s Lael Stables, has been retired from racing and will stand in 2009 at Frank Stronach’s Adena Springs South near Williston, Fla. The 5-year-old son of Strategic Mission out of the winning T. V. Commercial mare Miss Alethia will stand for a fee of $7,500 as the property of Adena Springs and Lael.

Trained by Barclay Tagg, Showing Up won seven of 10 races and earned $1,660,500.  At 3, he won his first three starts, all on the dirt, including the Coolmore Lexington Stakes (gr. II) at Keeneland and a mile allowance in track-record time at Gulfstream Park. Following a sixth-place effort in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), won by stablemate Barbaro, Showing Up raced exclusively on the grass.

He made his turf debut a winning one in the $1-million Colonial Turf Cup Stakes, setting a course-record while defeating subsequent NetJets Breeders’ Cup Mile (gr, IT) winner Kip Deville. In his next start, he wired the field in the Secretariat Stakes (gr. IT) at Arlington under 126 pounds in 2:00.09, which was the second-fastest running of the 10-furlong event. After a third-place effort in the Man o’ War Stakes (gr. IT) at Belmont Park, he won the Jamaica Breeders’ Cup Handicap (gr. IIT) at Belmont and the Hollywood Derby (gr. IT), setting a stakes-record of 1:59.35 for 1 1/4 miles in the latter.
Showing Up raced once last year, finishing a neck behind Kip Deville in a runner-up effort in the Maker’s Mark Mile Stakes (gr. IIT) at Keeneland in what was his final start.

“Showing Up is a very appropriately named horse,” said Stronach.  “He campaigned against the best of his generation and showed up each and every time he stepped on the track, regardless of the surface.”

Bred in Kentucky by Nellie M. Cox and Rose Retreat Farm, Showing Up is a half-brother to stakes winner Gimmeawink. Roy Jackson bought Showing Up for $60,000 at the 2005 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic sale 2-year-olds in training sale.

-from Bloodhorse.com

Yearlings by Horse of the Year Ghostzapper were in high demand during the first two days of the Keeneland September Yearling sale. Southern Equine Stables went to $925,000 for a Ghostzapper colt out of graded stakes winner Victory Ride. 

Ghostzapper yearlings also brought $450,000, $425,000, $400,000, $350,000, $350,000, etc. His overall Book 1 average of $310,227 was by far the best among the stallions in his sire crop

Epsom Derby winner North Light made a great first impression on the buyers at the Keeneland September sale. The very first North Light yearling offered at the historic venue was purchased for $450,000.

John Ferguson signed the ticket for Hip #411, a colt out multiple graded stakes winner Critikola (Arg), who is also the dam of Kentucky Oaks (G1) winner Lemons Forever.

Hip #317, a yearling by Champion Sire El Prado, brought $1,000,000 on day two of the Keeneland September Sale. The colt is out of the stakes-winning and multiple stakes-producing Clever Trick mare Swift and Classy. He was purchased by Legends Racing.

Later on day two, an El Prado yearling filly brought top dollar when Hip #375 was hammered down for $825,000. Stud TNT was the winning bidder for the filly out of multiple Grade 1-winning Theatrical mare Astra.

Bear’s Artiste coasted to an easy 2 ¼ length score in the Three Year Old Filly Sales Stakes on September 5. The sophomore filly increased her earnings to nearly $140,000 while taking her second stakes event.

She also capped off a big week for Alphabet Soup, who was represented by the new stakes winner Media Play just four days earlier. The four-year-old gelding surged to victory in the $75,000 Labor Day Stakes at Mountaineer Park, becoming Alphabet Soup’s 34th lifetime stakes winners.

Bear Stables’ Fatal Bullet is quickly emerging as one of the North America’s top three-year-old sprinters after another easy stakes victory in the $100,000 Tom Ridge Labor Day Stakes at Presque Isle Downs on September 1.

The 3YO son of Preakness winner Red Bullet coasted to a facile wire-to-wire win in the Labor Day feature yet still stopped the timer at 1:08 3/5, just two ticks off the track record. Fatal Bullet has set a track record in his previous start, the $150,000 Bold Venture Stakes at Woodbine, where he earned a 105 Beyer Speed Figure.

Bred by Adena Springs and trained by Sovereign Award winner Reade Baker, Fatal Bullet has now earned in excess of $300,000.

Despite her debutante status, Maoineach was the model of professionalism as she disposed of experienced rivals in a filly-dominated renewal of this contest. Settled wide without cover throughout the early stages, the chestnut quickened to take over at the furlong marker and assert in convincing fashion.

"She will handle any ground and did a furlong in 10.1 seconds on soft ground at the breeze-ups," trainer Jim Bolger commented. "She is in the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac [at Longchamp Oct. 5]..."

Congaree is the co-leading first crop sire of stakes winners. He has already sired stakes winners on turf and dirt.

-Thorougbred Daily News

Phil the Power cruised to a wire-to-wire victory in the $100,000 Kelso Stakes at Delaware Park on August 23. The four-year-old gelding is the newest stakes winner for Preakness Stakes (G1) winner Red Bullet and his second new stakes winner in the past month.

Out of the Deputy Minister mare Miss Amy R, Phil the Power is quickly becoming a major contender for the inaugural Breeders' Cup Marathon for owner John R. Perrota and trainer Joe Orseno. Before his easy win in the mile and one half Kelso, he ran a strong second to Grade 1 winner Black Tie Affair in the Greenwood Cup Stakes, also at 12 furlongs.

Phil the Power has now finished first or second in 10 of his 19 starts and has earned $215,550.

There were many who questioned whether champion mare Ginger Punch would be able to stretch out to 10 furlongs—something she had never done before. In the $400,000 Personal Ensign Stakes (gr. I) Aug. 22 at Saratoga, the 5-year-old daughter of Awesome Again was grateful for the added distance, as she needed every last stride to pass Lemon Drop Mom, getting up in the final head bob to win by the narrowest of margins.

Coming four-wide into the stretch under Rafael Bejarano, Ginger Punch came to take on Lemon Drop Mom and Jose Caraballo, who, after receiving a perfect ground-saving trip, struck the lead at the eighth-pole. Those two began their fierce stretch duel at the top of the lane, but Lemon Drop Mom always kept a narrow advantage. It wasn’t until the final stride that Ginger Punch nailed the 10-1 longshot, as she put her head down perfectly at the wire.

“For me, she is a super filly," Bejarano said. "She tries all the time. As soon as I got to the turn, she was kind of tired, but as soon as she saw the other filly pass me in the final furlong, she kept coming back again. This race was very close and very scary. The other horse tried hard, too, but my horse doesn’t quit. She runs ’til the end.”    

Going off as the 4-5 choice in a field of six, Ginger Punch won for the fourth consecutive time and recorded her sixth career grade I victory. She stayed a perfect 3-for-3 on the Saratoga dirt, as she entered off a 1 1/4-length triumph in the Go for Wand (gr. I), a race she also won in 2007. Owned and bred by Frank Stronach, Ginger Punch is now a remarkable 12-5-2 from 20 lifetime starts and has earned $2,945,603.

-from Bloodhorse.com

Consequence was pegged as the 5-2 favorite on Eric Donovan's morning line, but drifted in the wagering to jump at a debut quote of 6-1. Not surprising for a barn not renowned for getting them cranked at first asking, but Consequence belied those statistics.

Bumped and checked slightly at the start, the Phipps homebred half-sister to Strategy (A.P. Indy), SW, $220,945, angled in to save ground as Such Flash (Forest Camp) showed the sharpest early speed. Consequence caught the eye with an inside move in upper stretch, shifted out while gaining past the eighth pole and thundered home a three-length winner over the pacesetter.

The juvenile filly is out of Grade 1-winning millionaire Educated Risk and is the second TDN Rising Star of the summer for Champion Sire El Prado. Discreet Treasure, a 12 1/4 length debut winner on July 6, also earned accolades from the TDN. The three-year-old colt is a half brother to a pair of stakes winners, including Grade 1 winner Discreet Cat.

-edited from the Thoroughbred Daily News

A filly by Macho Uno sold for $200,000 as the top-selling hip at the OBS August Selected Sale of Yearlings on August 18. The filly, consigned by Hidden Brook, agent for Adena Springs, was purchased by veteran owner Dr. Robert Fishman.

"I was looking for this one particular jewel," said Dr. Fishman after the sale. "I’ve looked at the Keeneland September (yearling sale) catalog, and none of the horses in there raised my eyebrow like this one did.”

The sale topper is out of the winning Lite the Fuse mare Top of the League. The same Macho Uno-Lite the Fuse cross has already produced the stakes winner Swifty Victress.

Macho Uno is also the sire of a $300,000 yearling filly at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select sale earlier in August.

High Mist, picked up for just $22,000 at the Adena Springs March Two-Year-Old sale earlier this year, went postward as the 7-5 chalk on the strength of several sharp drills. The Ontario-bred bay quickly sprinted to the lead and never looked back as she was hand-ridden to a 5 3/4-length score.

High Mist marks the fifth winner for her freshman sire Olmodavor (by A.P. Indy). Among Olmodavor's other winners is Miss Dixie Dreamer, who set a track record in her debut in California.

-edited from the TDN

Return to Paradise stalked a moderate early pace before surging to the lead at the top of the stretch and drawing off to a 2 ¼ length tally in the first division of the Hatoof Stakes at Arlington Park on August 9. It was the first stakes victory for the three-year-old daughter of El Prado who is out of the Seeking the Gold mare Winner’s Edge. Return to Paradise was bred by Highfield Farm and races in the colors of Sam B. Pollock.

Return to Paradise’s victory comes only five days after Wesley became El Prado’s latest Graded stakes winner with his win in the Hall of Fame Stakes (G2) at Saratoga. During the week of August 4, El Prado was also represented by 2008 multiple stakes winner Lady Raj, who upped her career earnings to nearly $200,000 with a second place run in the British Columbia Cup Distaff and 2008 stakes winner Spanish Moon, who picked Group blacktype in the Rose of Lancaster Stakes (G3) in England.

Champion Sire El Prado, is once again among North America’s Leading Sire in 2008 with 9 stakes winners.

Trainer Mark Hennig was getting a little nervous as he watched a series of slow fractions posted on the tote board while Wesley was still "looking at all of them" after the opening six furlongs of Monday's National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame Stakes at Saratoga.

Not to worry.

Despite the soft pace, Wesley was able to close steadily down the middle of the course to run down game pacesetter Thou Swell to post a half-length victory in the Grade 2, $150,000 Hall of Fame. The win was the second in as many starts on turf for Wesley, a son of El Prado, who paid $8.70.

Wesley and jockey Javier Castellano dropped to the rear of the seven-horse field as Thou Swell cut out fractions of 24.17 seconds, 49.38, and 1:14.77 for the opening six furlongs of the Hall of Fame. Castellano angled Wesley out five wide entering the stretch, after which the pair came on strong to wear down the leader in the final strides.

Thou Swell held off a bid from Willsboro Point near midstretch, before ultimately succumbing to the winner at the end. Thou Swell did hang on tenaciously to finish second by a nose over Deal Making, who came on strongly after taking up sharply and getting jostled when lacking racing room near midstretch.

Adriano rallied belatedly under jockey Edgar Prado after escaping traffic near the sixteenth pole to finish fourth as the even-money favorite. Prado was inducted into the Hall of Fame earlier in the day.

"Once he moved up on even terms with Adriano, and we had momentum going around the second turn, I was relieved," said Hennig, who trains Wesley for the Willmott Stable. "He always trained like a graded stakes winner..."

Hennig mentioned the Grade 3 Saranac here Aug. 31 as an option for Wesley's next start.

-edited from DRF.com

The connections of Ready Set were rewarded for their patience Aug. 2 when the colt earned his first career stakes victory in a big way—the $750,000 West Virginia Derby (gr. III) at Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack & Resort.

Ready Set, owned by Roy and Gretchen Jackson’s Lael Stables, had banked $146,040 in his previous 10 starts. In the West Virginia Derby, the colt, an $800,000 purchase by the Jacksons at the 2006 Keeneland September yearling sale, earned $450,000.

Gretchen Jackson said she and her husband always were high on Ready Set, who raced in the Breeders’ Futurity (gr. I) last year in his third career start. They had to wait a while for him to begin to reach his potential, as did trainer Michael Matz.

“Michael always encouraged us to think like that,” Gretchen Jackson said. “It took a while, but he’s starting