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Wicked Strong

A Dandy of a Win

By | Horizon, Latest News, Wicked Strong

Wicked Strong became Centennial Farms newest millionaire earner on Saturday when he held off Belmont Stakes winner Tonalist and won the Grade 2 Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga. He now has career earnings of $1,244,610 and a record of 3-1-1 out of nine lifetime starts.

From The BloodHorse Online:

After the race Jimmy Jerkens said, “This is great. This is really great. The way he works in the morning, I don’t think Secretariat worked any better than this horse does in the morning,” he said. “I know the talent’s there. It’s just getting him to put it all together.”

Jerkens decided to shake things up a bit, adding a slight blinker. The addition had its desired effect as Wicked Strong showed speed while pressing the pacesetting Legend on the outside before taking the lead leaving the turn for home. Tonalist, ridden by Joel Rosario, presented a formidable challenge in the drive, but Wicked Strong took command in the final furlong to win impressively.

Wicked Strong, who drew the outside post in the field of six, was sweating heavily heading to the post but that was not unusual for the high-strung colt, Jerkens noted.

“We basically had cheaters, just enough to keep him focused,” said Jerkens after his first Jim Dandy win. “They did exactly what we wanted.”

As for Wicked Strong’s pre-race appearance, the trainer added, “He’s always like that. It’s gotten to the point I’d worry if he didn’t sweat. He’s been doing that since he was a 2-year-old.”

“Rajiv took him a couple of horse widths out when he saw Tonalist coming and that discourages a horse that’s coming up from behind you, too,” noted Jerkens. “That’s race riding. That’s what you have to do. It was probably just enough to discourage him a little bit and when we straightened away we kind of kicked away and it made the difference.”

Maragh said he liked the blinkers on Wicked Strong. “He was very aggressive today; he put me in the race, which I was happy about. Tonalist made a bold move, and I thought, ‘It’s going to be a good horse race’ from there and Wicked Strong just dug in and found extra and pulled away at the end.”

“He wasn’t loafing down the backstretch. He was running into a nice rhythm and didn’t go on and off the bridle, which he was doing in his prior starts. He was more focused today and more aggressive.”

Read more on BloodHorse.com.

Courtesy of NYRA – Adam Coglianese

Centennial Farms 2014 Kentucky Derby

By | Horizon, Latest News, Wicked Strong

Centennial Farms would like to congratulate all the Horizon partners with the success of this years’ Kentucky Derby entrant Wicked Strong. He is the epitome of Centennial’s mission to purchase well-bred athletic individuals at the Select Yearling Sales that ultimately provide partners the opportunity to compete in the country’s most prestigious classic races.

Centennial Farms, through its partnership approach, enables investors to fulfill their racing dreams. We invite you to join the 2013 Rising Star, LLC and be part of the exciting journey of thoroughbred ownership.

For further information, please select current offerings from the top menu or email us at info@centennialfarms.com

Wicked Strong Scores Big at Big A

By | Horizon, Latest News, Wicked Strong

Now ranked third in Derby points

Wicked Strong became a Graded Stakes Winner in impressive fashion by winning the G1 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct on April 5. The colt, ridden by Rajiv Maragh, had a perfect trip catching favorites Social Inclusion and Samraat to draw off powerfully and win by three and one-half lengths. He earned a Beyer of 104 and enough points for an invitation to the Kentucky Derby.

Stay tuned for more details as they develop.

Boston Marathon Tragedy Inspires Horse Names

By | Horizon, Latest News, Wicked Strong

by Lynne Snierson (Reprinted with permission Blood-Horse Publications ©)

The Boston Marathon bombings last April were rated by many news organizations as the top story of 2013, and now the New England connections of two 3-year-old colts named in tribute to the victims are hoping they will be the ones making headlines this spring.

Wicked Strong, who carries the colors of Centennial Farms headquartered in Beverly, Mass., is already turning heads and it is hoped that Boston Strong, owned by Sovereign Stable in Manchester, N.H. will follow suit soon.

“Wicked Strong is in Florida with Jimmy Jerkens and he’s been training fabulously. He’s awesome,” said Centennial President Donald Little Jr. “That’s a perfect name for him.”

Originally, the son of Hard Spun out of the Charismatic mare Moyne Abby, a $375,000 purchase out of the 2012 Keeneland September yearling sale, was called Moyne Spun. But the Boston tragedy changed that.

“About a week or 10 days after the bombings, I just woke up and it came to me that he should be renamed Boston Strong,” Little said. “I looked it up, but it was taken by somebody.”

That was Sovereign Stable president Matt Gatsas, who just one week before the bombings on April 15, had signed the ticket on a New York-bred 2-year-old son of Pioneerof the Nile.

“I bought him at Keeneland on a Monday night and usually would have named him right away but I forgot about it because we had rescheduled a family vacation to the Bahamas and were booked for a 6 a.m. flight on Tuesday morning,” Gatsas said. “We were scheduled to come back the following Tuesday and then the bombings happened.”

Three people were killed and another 260 were maimed, dismembered, or otherwise injured near the race’s finish line in the marathon bombing. That is the same spot where Gatsas and his friends would cheer on the runners every year while he attended Babson College from 1995-99.

“I must have walked that (Boylston) street a million times before. I know that area really well and have stood in the area where the bombs exploded,” he recalled. “When we flew back into Boston, the story was all over the news. While unpacking I was watching TV and they were all talking about the slogan ‘boston strong.’ I thought how great it would be to name the horse that. So I logged on to The Jockey Club website, never thinking the name would be available, but it was.”

For the $100 fee, Sovereign’s colt had his name. Shortly thereafter, Centennial’s colt got his moniker.

“On the second night after the bombings, my wife, Holly, was at the (Boston) Bruins game with (Bruins and Delaware North Companies principal) Charlie Jacobs and his wife, Kim, and was telling them the story. Kim said to call the horse ‘wicked strong’ because everybody will know what that means. Holly texted me with the idea and that was how our horse got his name,” Little explained.

In New England, ‘wicked’ has long been used as the operative adverb. It precedes any and all adjectives and is considered the perfect modifier. Wicked good, wicked bad, wicked cool, wicked tough, and even wicked strong are part of the vernacular.

Now ‘boston strong’ is as well, and the term remains a rallying cry for those residing in the City of Boston and across the six states in the region.

“It’s really neat how his name has caught on all over. The partners have really taken to him,” said Gatsas. “He’s a New York-bred, which is kind of funny given the sports rivalry between Boston and New York.”

Boston Strong spent all summer in the Saratoga barn of John Terranova but was sidelined by a fever and then was working toward his first start in New York before suffering another setback with a leg injury in December. He has recovered and is currently back with his trainer, who will gallop him and resume breezing when he’s ready.

Wicked Strong, who has a first, second and third in three 2013 starts, worked a mile Jan. 11 in 1:40.05 at Palm Meadows Training Center in preparation for the Jan. 25 Holy Bull Stakes (gr. II) at Gulfstream Park.

“He was closing and was beaten only a half-length behind Honor Code and Cairo Prince in the Remsen (gr. II) in his last start,” said Little. “A couple of more strides and his nose is in front. We’re getting Javier Castellano to ride for the first time and he’s already earned two points for inclusion in the Kentucky Derby (Presented by Yum! Brands, gr. I). His Wynn future odds have dropped from 200-1 to 40-1 so there’s excitement about him.”

Some may think Centennial Farms and Sovereign Stable, which both syndicate racing partnerships, intended to capitalize on the marathon tragedy. They would be grossly mistaken.

All 12 of the partners in Wicked Strong agreed to send 1% of the colt’s earnings, already $1,500, to the One Fund, which was established to benefit the victims most affected by the bombings. The partners in Boston Strong made an initial contribution of $1,000 and will donate 5% of any future earnings to the One Fund.

Even Suffolk Downs, which raised $25,000 for the One Fund, chipped in by sending specially designed Boston Strong apparel featuring a Suffolk Downs logo adapted in honor of the Boston Marathon to Gatsas.

“The outpouring of support that we saw throughout New England following the tragic events of April 15 was truly remarkable and everyone found their own unique way of expressing it,” said Suffolk Downs chief operating officer Chip Tuttle, who completed the Marathon shortly before the tragedy struck. “As longtime respected members of the New England racing community, it certainly comes as no surprise that both the Gatsas and the Littles have made their own tributes by naming these horses as they did and we wish them the best of luck on the track.”

Gatsas thinks Boston Strong, who is out of the Danehill Dancer (IRE) mare Truly Enchanting and is a half brother to Infinite Magic, winner of the 2013 American Derby (gr. IIIT), will develop into a good grass horse. Wicked Strong is being kept on the dirt and at this stage is a Triple Crown contender.

“If he gets to the Kentucky Derby, we’ll try to invite one or two of the people who are victims of the bombings to come along with us,” said Little. “But we want to only go if we’re one of the contenders. We don’t have Derby fever here and he’s not going to run unless he’s legitimate.”

Gatsas said that he hasn’t connected directly with any of the victims either, but would welcome the opportunity should the colt progress as expected.

“He’s got potential and hopefully, he’ll be a good one and can run a little bit. Can you imagine Boston Strong and Wicked Strong running in the same race somewhere?” Gatsas said. “That would be really neat, and it would be ironic, too.”

Reprinted with permission of Blood-Horse Publications © 2014 Read more on BloodHorse.com

Wicked Exciting Future?

By | Horizon, Latest News, Wicked Strong

Wicked Strong now Graded Stakes Placed

Our Hard Spun colt, Wicked Strong, made an impressive closing effort on Saturday, November 30 to finish third missing by half a length for victory in the G2 Remsen Stakes at Aqueduct.

What was most encouraging is the way he closed on current Derby favorite Honor Code and second choice Cairo Prince after slow fractions early on. The Remsen is considered one of the first prep races for the Kentucky Derby each year; Wicked Strong earned two points towards the eligibility of the 2014 Derby and is currently ranked 24th. His efforts were also reflected in the Wynn Las Vegas Kentucky Derby odds which began at 200-1 and are now 40-1 putting him in the top 12.

Both Trainer Jimmy Jerkens and Jockey Rajiv Maragh had only positive and encouraging things to say about this exceptional two-year-old.

Wicked Strong’s next start could possibly be in the G3 Holy Bull Stakes on January 25 at Gulfstream Park. The Holy Bull is a 1 1/16 mile race with a purse of $400,000.

Wicked Success

By | Horizon, Latest News, Wicked Strong

First win for 2012 Horizon, LLC partners

Our aptly named Hard Spun colt, Wicked Strong, proved to be just that beating a strong field in Maiden Allowance company on Saturday, October 26 at Belmont Park. He settled in along the rail behind the front of the pack, swung three wide to take the lead in the stretch and won by two lengths earning a Beyer of 80. The two-year-old colt scored the win on his second career start after finishing second on September 21 at Belmont.

He came out of the race in good order and we could not have been more pleased with how he handled every aspect of the race. Trainer Jimmy Jerkens is considering the $400,000 G2 Remsen at Aqueduct on Saturday, November 30 but won’t make the final decision for a week or two. Jimmy said after the race, “Wicked Strong didn’t do a thing wrong. I thought his race was perfect, really.”