Industrial Policy: All in the Family

“I never could have known when I wrote down Hip No. 50 in my journal of horses to watch at a nearby Fasig-Tipton sale in 2010 that it would lead to such an incredible journey. Each time I see my beloved Fifty, I know that if I had never had the courage to write Dolphus Morrison, I never would have essentially experienced what it felt like to own a racehorse while I was so young. I never would have led a horse onto the track at Churchill Downs as a young fan or come within inches of the great Zenyatta. And most of all, I know God has blessed me with a tremendous filly that will always be an important part of my life.” – OTTB Spotlight: Miss Fifty, December 2012

Miss Fifty’s racing days are over and with the conclusion of those days comes the end of tracking her workouts and races, replaced with feeding her grain and alfalfa every day – and of course treats that she demands she be given. She is now retired from the racetrack, where she earned $81,917 in 17 starts.

But while her career has come to an end, that of her three-year-old half-sister – Industrial Policy – is just beginning. Born just weeks before I met Miss Fifty, Industrial Policy and Fifty share the same dam in Copa de Oro (by Coronado’s Quest), but, whereas Miss Fifty is sired by Johannesburg, Industrial Policy is a daughter of Harlan’s Holiday.

As a two-year-old, Industrial Policy was purchased by Klaravich Stables for $75,000 at the OBS April Sale. Klaravich Stables, headed by Seth Klarman – the founder and president of one of the world’s largest hedge funds, The Baupost Group – is run in partnership with another successful businessman: William Lawrence, CEO and Chief Investment Officer of one of the world’s most distinguished alternative investment advisers. Like many horses that carry the white and red silks for Klaravich Stables, the daughter of Harlan’s Holiday was given a name with a financial theme.

Placed in the barn of Chad Brown – a young, successful trainer who had previously worked for the late Hall of Fame trainer Bobby Frankel – Industrial Policy made her debut on December 16, 2012 at Aqueduct, encountering a field of five other two-year-old fillies in a maiden special weight going a mile and seventy yards over the inner track. Tracking the pace, Industrial Policy made a rally in the late stages, finishing a good second behind the runaway winner. Although she crossed the wire six lengths behind the winner, she was five lengths clear of the third-place finisher.

Industrial Policy’s respectable debut earned her favoritism in her second start, but the filly could only manage a third-place finish in a five-horse field. After another third-place effort at Aqueduct – this time in just a four-horse contest – Industrial Policy descended to the maiden claiming ranks.

In her first start at the claiming level, Industrial Policy was available for a $65,000 tag in a race that had been initially scheduled for the turf, but had been taken off the grass due to rain. Again, the blaze-faced filly finished third. Competing at the same level in her subsequent start – and this time on the turf – Industrial Policy made her Belmont Park debut, in which she made a notable late rally, only to come up a head short as she finished second.

This game effort earned a return to maiden special weight company, which came two and one-half months later at Saratoga. Remaining on the turf, Industrial Policy faced seven rivals in the mile and one-sixteenth contest. The filly closed from nearly the rear of the field to finish second, separated by the winner by just ¾ of a length.

On August 19, Industrial Policy went to post for her seventh lifetime start. Despite several good performances – she’d never finished worse than third – she’d yet to visit the winner’s circle. Staying in maiden special weight company on the grass, the Chad Brown trainee was extending to a mile and three-sixteenths – a furlong farther than she had ever traveled.

Breaking from the outside in a nine-horse field, Industrial Policy settled into her usual closing position near the back, racing three paths off the rail as the fillies entered the first turn. With five lengths separating her from the leader down the backstretch, Industrial Policy remained off the rail, racing alongside rivals as the horses neared the final bend.

Jose Ortiz, who had ridden the filly in her third start, gradually began to ask Industrial Policy to increase the pace around the far turn. As a contingent of horses battled for the lead at the top of the stretch, forming a wall before the daughter of Harlan’s Holiday, Industrial Policy was forced to swing widest of all in order to find racing room. Charging down the center of the track, Industrial Policy found her best stride at the sixteenth pole, suddenly accelerating impressively as she surpassed her opponents, kicking clear to win by an easy two lengths.

Now that Industrial Policy has finally earned a victory, more difficult battles await, as she will no longer face horses who have never won. But even though it took her seven attempts to break her maiden, she has been a very consistent runner who has never lacked ability. No matter what her future holds, Industrial Policy will have a loyal follower in me.

Pedigree Analysis

The first of Copa de Oro’s offspring to be sired by a stallion other than Johannesburg, Industrial Policy is a daughter of another grandson of Storm Cat, Harlan’s Holiday. A graded stakes winner as a two-year-old and a grade one winner at both three and four, Harlan’s Holiday was an outstanding racehorse, winning two of the most well-known Kentucky Derby (GI) prep races – the Florida Derby (GI) and Blue Grass Stakes (GI) – as a sophomore before capturing the Donn Handicap (GI) as a four-year-old prior to finishing second in the world’s richest race, the Dubai World Cup (GI).

Harlan’s Holiday has carried his brilliance into his stud career, which began at Airdrie Stud in Kentucky. Now standing at one of the nation’s premier farms, WinStar Farm, Harlan’s Holiday’s progeny have found success both in the sales ring and on the track since the earner of $3.6 million entered stud in 2004. In just his first crop, Harlan’s Holiday produced nine stakes winners, including the grade one-winning juvenile Into Mischief – who has blossomed into a successful sire himself.

Harlan’s Holiday has sired ten grade one horses to date, including the 2012 Champion Two-Year-Old Male Shanghai Bobby, the grade one-winning Majesticperfection, and Denis of Cork – who finished second in the Belmont Stakes (GI) and third in the Kentucky Derby. Harlan’s Holiday is currently ninth on this year’s list of leading sires in North America, on which he finished eleventh last year in terms of earnings. He ranked eighth among sires of stakes winners in 2012, for which he currently stands in sixth.

The sire of Harlan’s Holiday, Harlan, was a grade one-winning sprinter whose success as a sire – though respectable – does not match his own son’s achievements, although Harlan’s Holiday has not yet sired an equivalent to himself. Also the sire of the multiple grade one-winning Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes (GI) runner-up Menifee, Harlan is a son of the legendary Storm Cat. This of course makes Harlan’s Holiday a grandson of the tremendous sire, allowing him to share that status with several other notable stallions, including not only Johannesburg, but also First Samurai, Shamardal, and Wiseman’s Ferry.

The successful Storm Cat/Mr. Prospector sire line cross was brought to life with Industrial Policy. Ann and Jerry Moss of Zenyatta fame chose to keep their mare, Copa de Oro, with a sire from the Storm Cat line, choosing Harlan’s Holiday. This cross has produced many of Harlan’s Holiday’s graded stakes winners, including Denis of Cork, General Election, Mendip, Notacatbutallama, and Willcox Inn. The Storm Cat/Mr. Prospector cross in general has been incredibly productive, yielding the likes of the grade one winners Aragorn, Book Review, Denebola, Finder’s Fee, Ghanaati, Mani Bhavan, and One Cool Cat.

Copa de Oro is a daughter of Coronado’s Quest, a multiple grade one-winning son of champion Forty Niner. Coronado’s Quest, a homebred for Stuart S. Janney III, has also served as the broodmare sire of the grade one winners Boys at Tosconova and Mani Bhavan, as well as the additional graded stakes winners Delaunay and Mendip.

Although winless in her six starts, all three of Copa de Oro’s foals that have raced have found the winner’s circle, each of them earning at least $60,000. Her first foal, a Johannesburg colt named Gold Cup Kid, won four of his twelve starts, earning $61,530 while only once running outside the claiming or starter allowance ranks. Miss Fifty, her second foal, garnered $81,917 in her seventeen-race career, capturing five of those starts.

Industrial Policy, although she has only won once thus far, is arguably Copa de Oro’s best foal yet, having earned $100,000 while only running for a tag twice. With a win at America’s most prestigious meet, Industrial Policy has shown perhaps the most class of any of Copa de Oro’s offspring.

Copa de Oro’s dam is the multiple stakes-winning Slide Show, who produced the graded stakes-winning, multiple grade one-placed Voodoo. Slide Show, a daughter of the stakes-placed Screen Landing, is a half-sister to the black-type winner Goodie Good Girl and the black-type-placed runners Boomer Land and Western Flick.

Through her dam, Industrial Policy is a direct descendant of the Reine De Course mare Astrology, a stakes-placed English-bred mare who produced the stakes-winning leading sire Star Shoot, who sired the first American Triple Crown winner, Sir Barton. As a descendant of female family nine, Industrial Policy is a member of the same family as Alydar, Bull Lea, Mahmoud, Shergar, Urban Sea, and Upset.

Derby Hopeful: Hear the Ghost

Derby Hopefuls feature the horses I view as the best contenders leading up to the Kentucky Derby. Each horse spotlighted in a Derby Hopeful will join the 2013 PTG Derby Hopeful roster, found on the right side of the blog. Horses will be listed in an order that corresponds to how highly I think of them, with the horse I think most highly of ranking at the top. A horse featured in a Derby Hopeful may be taken off the roster if its performances after its article are published are not up to par or if that horse is taken off the Triple Crown trail, though those articles will remain on my blog.

The Triple Crown trail is made for upsets and surprises, for dethroning top contenders. It is a place for “buzz horses.” It’s a journey made of ups and downs. It’s a path abounding with chances for underdogs to shine. It’s a rollercoaster ride, but it’s certainly among the most exciting times in Thoroughbred racing.

Hear the Ghost had his chance to shine in the San Felipe Stakes (GII) on March 9 at Santa Anita. The gelding had become a “buzz horse,” garnering much talk prior to the graded stakes event. But it wasn’t as if the Jerry Hollendorfer trainee had never shown promise.

Hear the Ghost broke his maiden at first asking, a six-furlong maiden special weight over Hollywood Park’s synthetic track. Facing ten rivals, only one of which had raced before, Hear the Ghost stalked the rapid pace set by Let Em Shine, who would win his following two starts by wide margins. Rounding the turn, Hear the Ghost cut into the large lead Let Em Shine had formed. With impressive determination, Hear the Ghost ate up ground, running down the winner with ease to coast to a 3 ¼-length victory. Finishing behind him were not only Let Em Shine, but also the eventual stakes-placed Brokered and the future impressive maiden winner Tiz the Truth.

In his three-year-old and stakes debut, Hear the Ghost settled a handful of lengths off the leader amidst a small four-horse field in the six-furlong San Pedro Stakes at Santa Anita. The gelding made a steady drive around the curve, but at the top of the stretch, it appeared as if the chestnut would not fire. Once he changed leads, however, Hear the Ghost gradually began to gain ground on the leaders, accelerating even more impressively in the final sixteenth to miss by 1 ½ lengths.

Sent off as the third choice in his subsequent start, the San Felipe Stakes (GII), Hear the Ghost faced a competitive field of seven other rivals in his first try around two turns. Among his adversaries were the graded stakes winners Flashback and Goldencents, as well as several other stakes horses. Breaking in fairly good order, Hear the Ghost immediately found a position off the leaders, rating a few lengths behind the pacesetters as the field rounded the clubhouse turn.

Flashback and Goldencents overtook Salutos Amigos down the backstretch, contesting in a blistering speed duel. Hear the Ghost remained several lengths off the lead as the two top guns set a half-mile time of 45.95 seconds, but kicked into gear around the far turn, impressively making up ground as the three-year-olds rounded the bend. The gelding swung wide under Corey Nakatani, appearing to flatten out. But as the pace crumbled, Hear the Ghost continued to grow closer to the leaders alongside Tiz a Minister. Catching Flashback in the final strides, Hear the Ghost soared under the wire to triumph by a half-length.

Though Hear the Ghost will need to prove that he does not need a fast pace that dissipates in the late stages of a race to prevail, he is certainly a very gifted colt. Though the gelding’s ancestry does not scream distance, Hear the Ghost’s bloodlines are laced with stamina influences, insinuating that classic distances will likely not be a problem for the gelding.

Hear the Ghost's pedigree
From pedigreequery.com

Hear the Ghost’s sire, Ghostzapper, was a successful sprinter but proved to be effective at long distances as well, as evident in his dominant victory in the 2004 Breeders’ Cup Classic (GI). The Hall of Famer has also yielded several routers, such as Ghost Cat, Ghost Honour, Hunters Bay, Mystical Star, Promo Guest, and Stately Victor.

Ghostzapper’s sire, Awesome Again, also won the ten-furlong Breeders’ Cup Classic, as well as the first leg of Canada’s Triple Crown, the Queen’s Plate, at the same distance. Awesome Again has sired an abundance of distance horses, including Awesome Gem, Game On Dude, and Ginger Punch. Hear the Ghost should inherit stamina from Awesome Again’s sire, Deputy Minister, who has appeared within the first three generations of the likes of successful routers like Curlin, Paynter, and Rags to Riches.

Out of the Coronado’s Quest mare Rehear, Hear the Ghost is a half-brother to the grade one-winning Mani Bhavan, as well as the black-type-placed Dattt Echo. Never winning beyond age two, Mani Bhavan never won at a distance longer than seven furlongs, though she was sired by a stallion that was more sprint-oriented than Ghostzapper. Dattt Echo, too, was sired by a sprinter and was primarily successful as a sprinter. However, Rehear is a half-sister to Turkappeal, who won beyond one mile several times.

Though his dam does not suggest that Hear the Ghost is a classic distance horse, especially with the presence of Coronado’s Quest – who, though he won the ten-furlong Travers Stakes (GI) over Belmont Stakes (GI) winner Victory Gallop, was mostly productive with sprinters and milers – as Rehear’s sire, Hear the Ghost may find stamina through his third dam, Silken Doll. This mare produced Juyush, a successful steeplechaser that won beyond nineteen furlongs, and the Canadian champion Silken Cat.

In addition, the sire of Hear the Ghost’s fourth dam, Buckpasser, gives Hear the Ghost hope in the distance department. A legendary racehorse and sire, Buckpasser was effective at a large range of distances and was a successful router, taking races like the Travers, Jockey Club Gold Cup, and the Brooklyn Handicap. Buckpasser can be found on the broodmare side of many prosperous distance horses, including A.P. Indy, Aptitude, Bluegrass Cat, Super Saver, and Touch Gold.

Hear the Ghost’s fourth dam, Insilca, was a terrific broodmare, producing the likes of Turk Passer, a grade one winner at twelve furlongs. Hear the Ghost is a direct descendant of the great broodmare Hildene, a Reine de Course mare and 1950 Broodmare of the Year. The mare – who went completely blind like her Kentucky Derby-winning sire, Bubbling Over – produced not only the Hall of Fame Preakness winner Hill Prince, but the champion First Landing, who was successful at classic distances and produced Derby and Belmont champion Riva Ridge, and Third Brother, who was a stakes winner at twelve furlongs.