America
Grade 1 winner number eight for Not This Time
By TDN
Donamire Farm homebred Troubleshooting (USA) (Not This Time {USA}), a smart winner of the Dade Park Dash S. at Ellis Park July 4, was along in time to post a narrow victory in Saturday's GI Ainsworth Franklin-Simpson S. going 6 1/2 furlongs at Kentucky Downs. He becomes the eighth Grade I winner for leading young sire Not This Time.
Of at odds of 5-1, he raced within striking distance in fifth through fast fractions of :22 and :44.17. He was guided out five wide at the quarter pole and came charging on the outside in the stretch to defeat Golden Afternoon (Goldencents) by a half-length and provide veteran trainer Greg Foley with a landmark victory. Governor Sam(Improbable) was third.
“It's been a long time trying to get a Grade I. It feels good,” said Foley, a second-generation horseman who had 10 prior graded stakes wins. “We've won Grade IIs, Grade IIIs, all that, but that is the first. Anyway, got that done.”
He continued, “When you have a very good horse, you can be pretty confident. He fit for sure. It was just if you can get in there and get lucky. For $2 million, you know it's going to be the best there is around right now, a couple of horses that came from Saratoga and that. But this horse has been running against good horses, too. Ellis isn't any picnic anymore.”
Foley concluded, “He's just a big, handsome horse.”
Pedigree Notes: Not This Time is now represented by 28 graded/group stakes winners worldwide. Troubleshooting becomes the third Grade I winner for broodmare sire Into Mischief, joining White Abarrio (Race Day) and Alva Starr (Lord Nelson). Into Mischief is also the broodmare sire of Shisospicy (Mitole), who won the GII Ags Music City S. one race earlier on the same card.
The stakes-winning Into Trouble, a US$180,000 (AU$273,000) Keeneland September yearling purchase by the Ball family's operation, is also responsible for the multiple stakes-placed Big Trouble (Kantharos), the unraced 2-year-old colt Trouble Calling (Dialed In), a yearling filly by Nashville and a colt by Nashville of this year. Into Trouble was bred back to Kantharos.
“We bred the mare to Not This Time back when he was just getting started out, and he was having a lot of nice 2-year-olds,” said Mike Ball, son of Donamire Farm owner Mira Ball. “We were lucky enough to get in on the ground floor with this guy. We were very fortunate.”
Vino Rosso filly upsets G1 Del Mar Debutante
By Alan Carasso, TDN
The betting public had Saturday's GI Del Mar Debutante down to a battle of Bob Baffert-trained juveniles Explora (Blame) and Himika (Curlin), but Jill Baffert's Bottle of Rouge (Vino Rosso)–easily the least-fancied of a trio from that barn–proved best on the afternoon, causing a 9-1 upset.
Veering in at the break, the US$60,000 (AU$91,000) Keeneland November weanling and US$100,000 (AU$152,000) Keeneland September yearling took up a mid-field berth in the early stages as 3-5 Explora rolled up at the fence to take up the running, while Himika sat a good trip just in behind those.
At the quarter pole, it was a Baffert 1-2-3, with any of the trio in with a chance. Himika was first to hoist the white flag and Explora began to feel the pinch of a decent early gallop, and that allowed Mike Smith and Bottle of Rouge to race over the top and cause a pretty significant upset. Explora settled for second ahead of longshot Mark Glatt-trained La Wally (Constitution) in third. Baffert was unsaddling his 12th Debutante winner dating back to 1995.
“The way the race set up, they were moving right along up front so it doesn't surprise me that's the way we ended up finishing,” said assistant trainer Jimmy Barnes. “They're all lightly raced fillies. That's her third start so that helps. We'll take a one-two finish anytime. We're just very proud of her.”
Pedigree Notes: Bottle of Rouge is the seventh stakes winner and first at the Grade I level for Spendthrift Farm's Vino Rosso, who shuttled to Australia for two seasons. The April 8 foal is one of two winners from three to race from Blues Corner (Bluegrass Cat), a half-sister to graded winner San Pablo (Jump Start) and stakes placed Slider (Prenup), who is also responsible for Bottle of Rouge's yearling full-sister and a weanling filly by Yaupon.
Europe
Teasdales add another Group 1 winning sprinter
By Tom Frary, TDN Europe
Everybody had a fair crack at Saturday's Betfair Sprint Cup at Haydock and it was the 16-1 shot Big Mojo (Ire) (Mohaather {GB}) who proved the quickest and toughest to register another Group 1 success for some very lucky owners. Following the example of Paul and Rachael Teasdale's Breeders' Cup-winning fairytale story Big Evs, the Mick Appleby-trained 3-year-old forged his own day in the limelight as he grafted on the front end for William Buick throughout en route to a 1.25 length success.
Last year's runner-up Kind Of Blue (GB) (Blue Point {Ire}) was in that spot again, nosing out fellow Wathnan runner Flora Of Bermuda (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) while the even-money favourite Lazzat (Territories) was only fifth. “The hardest job was getting him to the start and pulling him up,” Buick said. “He's just a real sprinter, he's got two speeds and he was lovely and smooth throughout the race. He's very genuine and I didn't have a moment's worry. They all turned up, it was a big field and this was well-deserved.”
After the exploits of Big Evs, it was something of a surprise that the Teasdales were able to pull another rabbit out of the hat as Big Mojo took Goodwood's G3 Molecomb Stakes at 25-1 last July. Proving that was no fluke, he rounded off his campaign with a close fourth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint and returned with a win in Ascot's G3 Commonwealth Cup Trial.
Remaining at this six-furlong trip after that reintroduction, he looked as if it could be a shade too far when outstayed in the July Cup but back at five for Goodwood's G2 King George Stakes he was below-par and out of the frame. This was a step forward as he kept his group racing stand's side honest and, while he obviously benefitted from a bias on that rail, the way he piled on the pressure late suggests any stamina doubts can be put to bed.
Paul Teasdale is looking at another Breeders' Cup raid. “We knew he was capable and we knew this was a Group 1 horse and it was just a case of getting it right on the day,” he said. “He came fourth at the Breeders' Cup last year and we wouldn't be scared to go back. We think he's equally good at five or six furlongs and he handled Del Mar really well last year. We've got an entry at Ascot on Champions Day and we might even consider the Prix de l'Abbaye. Let's enjoy today and we'll think about it.”
There has been a big question mark hanging over Kind Of Blue all season and James Fanshawe was happy to see him back to near his best ahead of a bid for back-to-back British Champions Sprint wins. “He ran really well and I am just really pleased to see him run well again,” he said. “He loves it at Ascot, so we look forward to going back there again with him.”
Pedigree Notes: Big Mojo, who becomes the first Group 1 winner for his second-crop sire, is the first foal out of the Listed National Stakes runner-up JM Jackson (No Nay Never) who is a full-sister to the Listed scorer Singforthemoment. From the family of Selkirk's dual Group-winning sire Trans Island, the GII Belmont Gold Cup winner Baron Samedi (Harbour Watch) and the champion sprinter College Chapel, her 2-year-old filly by Bungle Inthejungle sadly died while she has a colt foal by Showcasing to come.
Hong Kong Vase winner adds Group 3
By Tom Frary, TDN Europe
Considered by most to be mere understudy to Kalpana (GB) (Study Of Man {Ire}) in Saturday's G3 September Stakes at Kempton, last year's Hong Kong Vase hero Giavellotto (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) had other ideas as he registered a minor upset. Always comfortable tracking the pacemaker for Juddmonte's 1-2 market-leader, the 9-4 second favourite outstayed her under Oisin Murphy in the closing stages to score by 1.5 lengths.
While Kalpana's Arc bid may have been derailed here, all roads lead back to Sha Tin for the winner according to Marco Botti. “He is still lightly-raced for an older horse and there is definitely still more mileage on the clock,” he said. “He idled a little bit in front and just does enough. He is not a horse that would just quicken away. I don't see much for him in the couple of months before Hong Kong and we don't really want to jeopardise our chances for that.”
“He has an entry in the Arc and I'm sure the owners will say we have beaten the favourite, so why don't we take our chance, but personally I think the ground will be too soft for him,” he added. “I would only run him in it on good ground, but that is very unlikely to happen as Longchamp has often been soft ground in October. At that level, he needs good ground.”
Pedigree Notes: Giavellotto, who is now the winner of five Group races having captured two editions of the Yorkshire Cup and a Princess of Wales's Stakes, is out of Gerika (Galileo) who is kin to three Listed winners including the G3 Premio Dormello runner-up Donoma (Beat Hollow). From the family of the G3 St Leger Italiano winner and G1 Gran Premio d'Italia-placed Green Senor (El Gran Senor), her 2-year-old colt by St Mark's Basilica is named Gioco Di Squadra.
