Cover image courtesy of Coolmore America
USA
Journalism overcomes trouble to win dramatic Preakness Stakes
By Christina Bossinakis, TDN
Two weeks ago in the Kentucky Derby, Journalism (USA) (Curlin {USA}) endured a difficult trip and had to settle for second behind Sovereignty (USA) (Into Mischief {USA}). The colt's connections–Eclipse Thoroughbreds, Bridlewood Farm, Don Alberto Stable, Bob LaPenta, Elayne Stables, Mrs John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith and trainer Michael McCarthy–waited for more than a week to make the decision to pull the trigger on a start in the G1 Preakness Stakes.
Heading down the Pimlico stretch Saturday evening, it appeared that the G1 Santa Anita Derby winner and jockey Umberto Rispoli were going to have to play the bridesmaid yet again after getting brutally sandwiched between rivals, not to mention having to play catch up on the free-running leader Gosger (USA) (Nyquist {USA}) who didn't appear to be stopping.
However, the intangibles that people often talk about but are somewhat abstract concepts–class and heart–were on full display as both the colt and rider reeled in the front-runner, ultimately nailing that rival by three-quarters-of-a-length at the wire.
“I still can't understand what this horse did today,” said Rispoli, who was winning his first American Classic. “I got in trouble at the quarter pole and, look, he made himself keep going. It's all about him, It's a privilege to ride a horse like him.”
“I still can't understand what this horse did today, I got in trouble at the quarter pole and, look, he (Journalism) made himself keep going. It's all about him, It's a privilege to ride a horse like him.” - Umberto Rispoli
Trainer Michael McCarthy, who had been quietly confident all week in the colt, was hoping for a cleaner trip for his colt in the second jewel in the Triple Crown. While the racing Gods would once again spin the wheel of adversity, Journalism did what few horses do in the face of challenge, dig deep and draw on their tenacity and athleticism to overcome an obstacle.
“It was basically more or less kind of what I thought coming to the 16th pole in the Kentucky Derby when I saw Sovereignty coming to us,” said McCarthy. “I thought it was just another fantastic effort. Couple things didn't work out well for us on Derby Saturday, but this here was a little bit more drastic than just losing some ground at the start and having to deal with an off going on a muddy racetrack. This looked a little bit ugly there for a couple of jumps.
Michael McCarthy | Image courtesy of Michael McCarthy Racing Stables
“When I saw that (mid-stretch bumping), I thought it was another solid effort and, unfortunately, he was going to come up a little short again. For sure, he got the worst of it. Hats off to Umberto and Journalism for persevering, I think today you saw what it takes to be a champion. Today was his day. He had been telling us all along he was sort of ready for an effort like that.
“I think today you saw what it takes to be a champion. Today was his (Journalism) day. He had been telling us all along he was sort of ready for an effort like that.” - Michael McCarthy
“I think his Preakness win says a lot about him,” said McCarthy. “I think it's basically he has validated what we have thought about him all along. Last summer, he was getting ready a little bit faster than your average 2-year-old. We had to stop on him for some little aches and pains. When things got rolling, he was able to go ahead, annex three races in seven weeks, culminating with the Los Alamitos Futurity. I started thinking about the Classics. You certainly need the vehicle and we had it with him.”
Now the winner of five of his seven starts, the US$825,000 (AU$1.28 million) Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select yearling is by one of the elite stallions in the sport, Curlin (USA), who is the sire of eight individual Eclipse champions, 64 graded winners, and 109 black-type winners. A perennial part of the leading sires list, he stands at Hill 'n' Dale near Paris, Kentucky for US$225,000 (AU$350,000). Journalism is Curlin's only stakes winner out of an Uncle Mo (USA) mare, although his top sire son, Good Magic (USA), had multiple Grade 1 winner Muth (USA), who is also out of a mare by the late Ashford sire, and Exaggerator (USA) has graded winner West Saratoga (USA) on the same cross. Uncle Mo's 25 stakes winners out of his daughters include reigning Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna (USA) (Fast Anna {USA}).
Curlin (USA) | Standing at Hill 'n' Dale Farms
Journalism is the first foal for 2018 G2 La Canada Stakes winner and four-time Grade 1-placed Mopotism (USA), who sold publicly as a weanling, a yearling, and a 2-year-old before going through the Fasig-Tipton November ring at the conclusion of her racing career, where she brought US$1.05 million (AU$1.63 million) from Don Alberto Corp., who bred Journalism. Mopotism has an unraced 2-year-old colt named Nitro Tap (USA) (Tapit {USA}), who hammered for US$1.5 million (AU$2.3 million) to Flying Dutchmen at last year's Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale, as well as a yearling filly by Into Mischief (USA).
Europe
Lockinge winner adds to Dubawi’s record
By Tom Frary, TDN Europe
A renewal of Newbury's G1 Lockinge Stakes which read like a baffling puzzle beforehand went the way of Juddmonte's Lead Artist (GB), with the son of Dubawi (Ire) the one with the right mix of readiness and tactical advantage on Saturday. Supported into 17-2 for the mile feature, with the Gosdens fully expecting the regally-connected homebred to leave his latest last-of-eight in the G2 Sandown Mile way behind, the otherwise progressive 4-year-old was positioned near the steady early tempo by Oisin Murphy with the race's main fancies anchored too far back.
As the heat was turned up at halfway, it was the Sandown Mile winner Dancing Gemini (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) who attacked first of the closers and he managed to get in front of Lead Artist inside the final furlong only to pay for his hard effort near the line. There was a neck between the winner and that 2-1 favourite there, with Rosallion (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}) 2.25l away on his return.
“He's got a great deal of talent and it was a beautiful ride,” Gosden Sr said of the winner, whose 3-year-old highlights had come when taking Goodwood's G3 Thoroughbred Stakes and Newmarket's G3 Darley Stakes. “It was dead ground at Sandown and he had been working at home fine, but he just plain blew up and Kieran (Shoemark) looked after him. That race brought him on a lot and he got a peach of a ride from Oisin.”
Lead Artist (GB) winning the G1 Lockinge Stakes | Image courtesy of Newbury Racecourse
Lead Artist is the first foal out of Frankel (GB)'s Obligate (GB), whose career was defined by success in the G2 Prix de Sandringham and a third in the G1 Prix Rothschild over this trip. She is a granddaughter of the operation's outstanding producer Hasili (Ire) (Kahyasi {Ire}), responsible for five top-level winners by Danehill (USA) and one by Green Desert (USA). The latter was the Beverly D. and Matriarch heroine Heat Haze (GB), who produced Group 1 winner Mirage Dancer (GB) (Frankel {GB}) and three progeny by Dubawi including the Group 1-placed Ironclad (GB) and the Grade I-placed Forge (GB). Sadly, Obligate's 3-year-old son of Siyouni (Fr) and 2-year-old colt by No Nay Never (USA) both died but she has a yearling full-sister to Lead Artist to come.
Pinatubo has Oaks contender
By Tom Frary, TDN Europe
Paying a big compliment to her Listed Pretty Polly Stakes conqueror Falakeyah (GB) (New Bay {GB}) on Saturday, TBT Racing's Qilin Queen (Ire) booked her ticket to the G1 Oaks in Newbury's Listed Childwickbury Stud Fillies' Trial Stakes. Quickly placed on the lead by Hollie Doyle, the Ed Walker-trained daughter of Pinatubo (Ire) had to battle late to get to the line in front of the Lawn Stud homebred Revoir (GB) but proved up to the task to score by a short head as the 18-5 second favourite.
The runner-up, a daughter of Study Of Man (Ire) who also holds an Oaks entry and was having only her second start and first of the campaign, was half a length in front of the 100-30 market-leader Sand Gazelle (GB), the daughter of Frankel (GB) who had also finished behind Falakeyah in the Pretty Polly.
“The plan was to go to the Pretty Polly then the Oaks and I was actually really disappointed,” Walker revealed. “Owen Burrows' filly is very good and obviously went strong fractions which we couldn't live with, so I think if all is well we will probably roll the dice at Epsom. She is very game and she will stay well. She is very athletic and she has got speed as well. She is not a dour stayer, so I think tactically she will suit Epsom.
“She (Qilin Queen) is very game and she will stay well. She is very athletic and she has got speed as well. She is not a dour stayer, so I think tactically she will suit Epsom.” - Ed Walker
“She wasn't very good in the preliminaries on 1000 Guineas day and whether it was freshness or whatever, I wanted to bring her to the racetrack again and she was much better today,” he added. “She is still a bit buzzy, but that is her and her at home. Oaks day is quieter than Derby day, so she will be alright.”
Ed Walker | Image courtesy of Ed Walker Racing
Sea The Stars (Ire)'s Seagull (Ire), who has also produced the Australian Listed scorer Monbaher (Ire) (Muhaarar {GB}), is a half to Galileo (Ire)'s G1 Irish 1,000 Guineas heroine Nightime (Ire) who is in turn responsible for the multiple Group 1-winning sire Ghaiyyath (Ire) and the GI Man O'War Stakes heroine Zhukova (Ire). The latter has produced the G2 Al Maktoum Classic winner Imperial Emperor (Ire) by Ghaiyyath's sire Dubawi (Ire), while the family also features the GI Sword Dancer Invitational hero King's Drama (Ire).
