After the Auction: Nechez Dawn

As an avid fan of sales with possible aspirations to become an adviser/bloodstock agent, auctions are one of my favorite topics to write about on Past the Grandstand. This is the fourth edition in a blog series called "After the Auction" that will feature horses I selected in sales that have found success after the sale. *Note: If an "After the Auction" features a two-year-old, it will also be listed as a "Juvenile Spotlight."

Her hooves pounded and her breaths came in sync with her stride as her rider asked her for everything she had. Standing along the rail, I watched as the bay filly thundered down the stretch, flying across the wire in a blink of an eye. Little did I know, the two-year-old that had just galloped past me to record a furlong work in 10 2/5 seconds would become a stakes winner at one of the premier summer meets in the nation.

Nechez Dawn
Photo by Terri Cage

The filly that had just galloped past me was one of my top picks for the 2011 Fasig-Tipton Texas Two-Year-Olds In Training Sale. Since Past the Grandstand did not exist at the time, Nechez Dawn was not featured on my blog at the time of the sale, at which she brought $51,000 as the fifth highest-priced horse in the sale, but considering she has become one of my most successful sale selections yet, it is time to feature this talented filly!

Nechez Dawn debuted in March of this year at Gulfstream Park, going five furlongs over the turf. Settling just off the leader, Nechez Dawn aided in setting brisk fractions before drawing clear in the stretch. Despite drifting out severely in the stretch, the bay filly galloped to a three-length victory, posting a final time of 56.82.

The filly suffered her first defeat when going six furlongs over the synthetic track at Keeneland, finishing fifth in allowance. However, she rebounded when she returned to the turf next out in an allowance at Arlington Park. Going straight to the lead, Nechez Dawn battled Zingwella on the front-end, but maintained her advantage throughout the approximate five-furlong race. Despite drifting out in the stretch, Nechez Dawn continued to lead, gamely outdueling her rivals to garner a 1 ¼-length victory.

Nechez Dawn was then entered in the Del Mar Paddock Sale, at which she sold for $125,000 as the second highest-priced horse to successfully sell. Landing in Jeff Bonde’s stable for Ten Broeck Farm, Inc., Nechez Dawn made her southern California debut in Daisycutter Handicap at Del Mar on Friday, August 10.

With a sharp break from the gate, Nechez Dawn united with seven other fillies and mares to embark on the five-furlong journey over Del Mar’s turf course. She was immediately roused to the lead by Edwin Maldonado, quickly forming a two-length lead on the others. The others grew closer to her, but Nechez Dawn maintained her lead, setting brisk fractions while galloping along at odds of 7-1.

Nechez Dawn continued to lead as she swung off the far turn, going wide but still holding her advantage on the others. Despite drifting outwards as the others charged, Nechez Dawn did not let her rivals surpass her and crossed the wire a triumphant half-length ahead of her opponents.

Sired by Indian Charlie, a tremendous sire of principally speedy horses, Nechez Dawn shares the same sire as the champions Fleet Indian, Indian Blessing, and Uncle Mo, as well as such grade one winners as Liaison and Pampered Princess.

Nechez Dawn’s dam is a daughter of Valid Appeal, a stallion well known for producing the productive sires Successful Appeal and Valid Expectations. He is also the broodmare sire of the champion Soy Conquistador, as well as the group one winners Big City Man, Exciting Story, and Splendid Blended.

Nechez Dawn’s pedigree is not one to get you tremendously excited, but despite her tendency to drift in late stretch, her racing ability should get you excited. This is certainly a very talented turf sprinter and following her career has been very rewarding – just as it always is to follow a horse from a sale throughout its racing career.

SUCCESS SINCE THIS ARTICLE:
Finished 2nd:
Skillful Joy Stakes
Very One Stakes

Juvenile Spotlight: Top Tier Lass and Corail

Todd Pletcher is often crowned the king of two-year-olds at Saratoga. This was further confirmed on both Monday and Wednesday, when two of his juvenile fillies broke their maidens in impressive style: Top Tier Lass and Corail. Both fillies traveled five and one-half furlongs – though over different surfaces – at the Spa, joining many two-year-olds trained by Todd Pletcher to break their maiden at Saratoga in impressive style.


Top Tier Lass

Following a clean break, Top Tier Lass was among a four-horse group that immediately went to the lead. Racing on the outside, the chestnut filly remained among the cluster of the leaders but did not take the lead until shortly after they set an initial quarter of 22 seconds flat. She continued to draw away from there, holding a one-length advantage at the top of the stretch.

Despite rallies from others, Top Tier Lass was not threatened by her rivals as John Velazquez urged her down the stretch. Though she received several reminders from Velazquez, Top Tier Lass had no trouble crossing the wire seven lengths in front. The final time over the grass course labeled good was 1:03.34.

Top Tier Lass is a member of Street Boss’s first crop. On the track, Street Boss – a horse based in Southern California – was a spectacular sprinter, winning three graded stakes – three of which were grade ones – and setting two six-furlong track records. Street Boss is of course a son of Street Cry, a top sire known for producing the great champion Zenyatta, as well as the champion Street Sense and eleven other grade one winners. Street Boss has already proven to be a productive sire in his young career, having already sired not only multiple winners, but a stakes winner.

This filly’s dam, Top Tier, is a half-sister to not only two black-type winners and a stakes-placed runner, but the multiple graded stakes-placed Stopshoppingmaria. In addition to producing Top Tier Lass, Top Tier is the dam of the winners Personal Signal and Show Place. Neither of those horses has won beyond a mile and one-sixteenth.

Top Tier’s broodmare sire is King of Kings, an Irish champion who won the first leg of the English Triple Crown, the 2,000 Guineas (GI), at one mile. King of Kings is a son of the great Sadlers Wells, one of the greatest stallions the industry has ever seen. Sadlers Wells is the damsire of such horses as the group one winners Conduit, Henrythenavigator, Reliable Man, Workforce, and Youmzain.

Top Tier Lass certainly is bred like a speedy turf horse, but could also have a future on surfaces other than grass. Of course, she could go farther than five and a half furlongs, but she definitely is not a classic-distance type of filly. However, this filly displayed in her debut that she is clearly talented and one to keep an eye on.


Corail

Two years ago, a juvenile Thoroughbred sired by Indian Charlie and trained by Pletcher dominated a maiden at Saratoga prior to finishing a two-year-old campaign that saw him be honored as Champion Two-Year-Old Male. That horse was Uncle Mo. On Wednesday, yet another Todd Pletcher-trained Indian Charlie broke it's maiden. This time, however, it was a filly by the name of Corail.

After breaking from the gate, the bay filly went straight to the lead in Wertheimer and Frere's silks – the same silks Goldikova carried to Breeders' Cup Mile (GI) victory three years in a row. She steadily lengthened her lead, holding a one-length advantage as the fillies began to enter the far turn. Following a quarter in 23.16, John Velazquez looked behind him to check the advancement of the others, but found that no one was yet posing a real threat. 

Velazquez began to shake his reins as the curve ended, urging the filly beneath him. Liquid Lunch attempted to rally, but with a strike of the whip, Corail accelerated and began to draw away from the field as Velazquez continued to give her reminders. With ease, Corail flashed under the wire 3 ½ lengths in front, posting a final time of 1:04.52.

Indian Charlie, who was sadly euthanized in December, is also the sire of the champions Fleet Indian and Indian Blessing, as well as such grade one winners as Liaison and Pampered Princess. Indian Charlie has primarily been a sire of speedy horses, but Fleet Indian was capable of winning at ten furlongs.

Corail's dam, Meteor Miracle, is a black-type-winning half-sister to the grade one winners A Phenomenon and Seattle Meteor. In addition to producing Corail, Meteor Miracle has yielded Meteore, who won the La Jolla Handicap (GII) over Del Mar's turf course in 2009. Meteor Miracle is a daughter of Forty Niner's graded stakes-winning son Twining. Forty Niner was a successful broodmare sire himself, having sired the dams of such grade one winners as Albertus Maximus, Island Sand, and Lady of Venice.

Interestingly, Corail's third dam, Patelin, is Kentucky Derby (GI) and Preakness Stakes (GI) victor I'll Have Another's fifth dam. Patelin, a stakes-winning daughter of the Reine De Course mare Pontivy, was a half-sister to the multiple stakes-winning horses Jaikyl and Pontiflex, as well as the graded stakes-placed Pontoise. Other direct descendants of Patelin include the grade/group one winners Class Play and Reenact.

Though there are traces of stamina in Corail's pedigree, she, like stablemate Top Tier Lass, appears to be more suited for distances under nine furlongs. She is among many talented two-year-olds in Pletchers barn and will need to prove that she can be competitive against tougher company, but she is without a doubt a gifted filly.

Fighting for Mo

Cholangiohepatitis. For most people, it’s just a big word. For Uncle Mo, it was a big problem. Cholangiohepatitis is a liver disease which causes inflammation of the bile passages and liver, irregularly causing hepatic failure.

Uncle Mo
Photo: Terri Cage

Two days before the Kentucky Derby, Uncle Mo was scratched from the prestigious race and was sent to WinStar Farm in Versailles, Kentucky for recovery. For over two months, he stayed at the renowned farm, recovering from his illness while gaining about one hundred pounds. After some galloping at WinStar, the bay son of Indian Charlie returned to trainer Todd Pletcher’s barn at Saratoga Race Course on July 11.

 

After three steady workouts, Uncle Mo fired two consecutive bullets and a near-bullet in preparation for the Foxwoods King’s Bishop Stakes (GI). Many doubted his connection’s decision to enter him in such a tough race for his comeback, but he was entered in the prominent seven furlong race regardless. He wasn’t the only talented horse in the field. Graded stakes winners Flashpoint, Caleb’s Posse, Dominus, and Justin Phillip were entered, as well as stakes winner Poseidon’s Warrior and graded stakes-placed horses Runflatout and Cool Blue Red Hot.

Sent off as the favorite, Uncle Mo broke from post seven, sitting a few lengths off the leaders down the backstretch before John Velazquez urged him to catch the front-runners around the far turn. On a track that was favoring inside runners, Uncle Mo surged on the far outside, taking the lead just before the eighth pole.

However, Caleb’s Posse was coming with his run on the outside. Uncle Mo was all out up front, but Caleb’s Posse caught him right at the wire, winning by a nose. Yet the 2010 Two-Year-Old Champion Male galloped out past the winner after the wire. It was an incredible comeback for Mike Repole’s champion, especially when you throw in the fact that he lost a shoe during the race.

Uncle Mo winning the the 2010
Breeders' Cup Juvenile.
Photo: Terri Cage

Nonetheless, Mike Repole – who won the Travers Stakes (GI) with Stay Thirsty in the next race – has since mentioned that the King’s Bishop might have been Uncle Mo’s last race. On the other hand, Todd Pletcher has made statements concerning the colt hinting at either the Kelso Handicap (GII) on October 1 or the Pennsylvania Derby (GII) on September 24. Stay Thirsty is also possible for the Pennsylvania Derby, but his connections seem to be leaning towards the Jockey Club Gold Cup (GI) on October 1. Plans are to keep the two separated.

Fans across the country hope that Uncle Mo will remain in training with hopes of making it to the Breeders’ Cup World Championships this November at Churchill Downs. After all, the colt obviously loves running and has already made it this far. Why not just keep running?

Of course, the well-being of Uncle Mo should be the first priority. However, if he remains healthy, it seems that the son of Indian Charlie should remain doing what he loves and was bred to do: race.

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