WORKOUTS:
Juba is back in action in the mornings following his most recent race.
08/30 – 3f:36.67 (Saratoga)
Adulator gave us plenty of reason to be optimistic heading in to his two-turn debut at Saratoga Race Course and every reason to celebrate afterwards! The handsome bay colt entered the race off of a brutally close loss at Belmont Park in which he produced his best speed figure to date. An impressive seven furlong move on the Saratoga main track set him up for a stiff test in both distance and competition at the Spa. Facing a tough field that included several highly regarded prospects and some who had flirted with stakes company, Adulator received a textbook perfect ride from Hall of Famer John Velazquez. The result? An impressive win on a rainy day and dreams of bigger things to come.
You catch watch the replay on NYRA.com (click the camera icon), read about the race in the Saratoga Special (page 32), and enjoy the gallery to the right!
Fasig-Tipton’s Saratoga Select sale had long solidified its status as one of the nation’s premiere yearling sales long before the remarkable 2015 exploits of its graduates. Four alumni of the sale took home Eclipse Awards last year and it ranked at the top of major North American yearling sales by percentage of Grade 1 winners, Graded Stakes Winners, and Stakes Winners produced from horses sold. Centennial’s own Unified, our most recent purchase from the sale, has been a key success story for Fasig-Tipton, with his picture gracing the back of the sales catalogue and our silks displayed at the pavilion’s entrance. We returned to the sales grounds looking for the next big horse to carry the Centennial Farms colors, with Dr. Stephen Carr and Paula Parsons leading the way. Their extensive search of the sale’s colts for prospects who embodied our ideal of an elite athlete with a stallion’s pedigree led us to a truly special prospect. Hip 71, a Ghostzapper colt out of the Vindication mare Lady Hillingdon checked all the right boxes.
We are thrilled to offer the opportunity to share in the future of this outstanding individual. Learn more about him and contact us any time if you’re interesting in joining the partnership to make our dreams your dreams!
Conservationist is back in action in the mornings after his most recent race.
Workouts:
07/15 – 4f:50.01 (Belmont),
Workouts:
Swing Hard is back in action following his most recent race on June 5.
06/27 – 4f:50.05 (Gulfstream Park),
07/04 – 5f:1:04.12 (Gulfstream Park)
Undefeated Unified tackles his biggest test yet on Sunday, June 19, at Monmouth Park. The Grade 3, $150,000 Pegasus Stakes marks the dark colt’s first attempt at two-turns. Though he has already won beyond the race’s 1 1/16-mile distance, his G2 Peter Pan victory came at 1 1/8 miles, that victory came around one turn on Belmont Park’s massive 1 1/2-mile oval. This initial foray in to the different dynamics involved with a two-turn race will go a long way to decide the course of the year.
Read more: Blood-Horse, The Daily Racing Form
On-track victories aren’t the only way to win in thoroughbred racing. We sent forth a trio of horses in the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival and although none won, everyone who attended had a phenomenal time.
Debuting Preservationist got the ball rolling, as his first race kicked off the Friday card at Belmont Park. The big colt finished a closing second to the more experienced Bombs Away, who was making his second career start. Preservationist’s massive gallop-out drew quite a bit of attention from those watching.
@Centennial_Farm Huge effort. Tough post from the rail. Graduation day next out. Saratoga winner. @RACETRACKERS1
— William G. Gotimer (@WilliamGotimer) June 10, 2016
Runner-up Preservationist is a runner as well. We will be hearing good things from both of the first two finishers going forward.
— Andy Serling (@andyserling) June 10, 2016
@Centennial_Farm Exceptional Debut for Preservationist. Sky’s the limit. Looks like a classic type. Still the next coming !
— Matthew J. Ellis (@MatthewJEllis2) June 10, 2016
The form of highly regarded Bombs Away would go on to be further franked. Connect, another touted three-year-old who had defeated Bombs Away in their respective debuts, was an impressive allowance winner on the Belmont Stakes card.
Later on Friday, Adulator made his first start since breaking his maiden at Aqueduct Racetrack in the spring. Unfortunately, the handsome bay stumbled repeatedly exiting the starting gate. While many horses would throw in the towel after such an inauspicious beginning, Adulator demonstrated quite a bit of heart, and ability, to rejoin contention before flattening out to fourth.
Our final starter of the prestigious week’s racing was Securitiz, who made his graded stakes debut in the G2 Brooklyn. A disadvantageous draw in the far outside post meant plenty of lost ground. In fact, Trakus data shows he covered more distance than all but one other horse in the field at a whopping 57 feet more than the winner. Despite that, the big step up on class, and the fairly quick turnaround, Securitiz put up a big performance. He missed second by less than 1 3/4 lengths while finishing fifth to his champion stablemate, the runaway winner Shaman Ghost.
Three big on-track efforts left us plenty to be proud of as we enjoyed one of the year’s biggest cards of racing. Based out of the exquisite Champagne Room, which offered exclusive access to the Clubhouse apron, family, friends, and partners came together to watch a world-class day. Check out some of the scenes of the day and get in touch if you want to make sure you’re there for the next go-around!
Three-for-three. Sprinting. Routing. Fast. Muddy. Gulfstream. Aqueduct. Belmont. Is there a more exciting three-year-old, with more upwards potential, than Unified? The undefeated colt was dazzling again this weekend, stretching out to 1 1/8 miles for the first time in the G2 Peter Pan.
Unified, exiting a victory going 7 furlongs in the G3 Bay Shore, sat off the pace in his first attempt going long. “I thought he rated as good as you could expect for only having two races,” said Jimmy Jerkens after the race. “I was happy to see that. Jose [Ortiz] did a good job of keeping his hands down and keeping him out off the fence,” he added.
It was an impressive display of professionalism for a lightly raced colt, who kicked clear down the stretch and held stakes winner, and possible Belmont Stakes contender, Governor Malibu at bay under the wire. The victory earned him a spot on the NTRA’s Top Three-Year-Old Poll and opened up a world of possibilities for the future. “He’s a talented horse, he always tries. I think he’s got the competitive spirit you want to see,” said Centennial President Don Little, Jr. after the victory.
The Centennial Farms team was back in force the following afternoon as hard-trying Securitiz made his stakes debut. Exiting a February win at Gulfstream Park, Securitiz stretched out to 1 3/8 miles in the Flat Out Stakes. Facing a tough field, the four-year-old took over the lead, got passed, and re-rallied to narrow the gap on the winner under the line. His second place finish earned him lucrative black-type, designating a top three finish in an elite-level race. In fact, his effort means at least one member of the last three Centennial Farms crops to hit the races has earned that distinction.
Plans for both Unified and Securitiz will be made in coming days as trainer Jimmy Jerkens and racing manager Dr. Stephen Carr evaluate their options. One thing is for certain – their futures look bright!
Just four and a half months in to 2016, Centennial Farms has already exceeded last year’s total wins. We’ll look to keep the success coming with a potentially big weekend coming up at Belmont Park where Unified and Securitiz tackle stakes company on Saturday and Sunday.
Undefeated Unified, brilliant in two starts sprinting, has been installed as the 4-5 morning line favorite in the G2 Peter Pan Stakes. The 1 1/8 mile fixture represents his first attempt at a route distance. Stretching out from 7-furlongs is a big step for a lightly raced horse, but as Don Little, Jr. noted, “Every step that he’s taken has been a big step.” Unified has taken each one thus far with style. “He’s off to a good start, hopefully we can keep the train rolling a little bit,” Little said.
Leading rider Jose Ortiz retains the mount following the duo’s successful partnership in the G3 Bay Shore at Aqueduct.
Securitiz makes his stakes debut in the inaugural edition of the Flat Out Stakes. A marathon at 1 3/8 miles, the race drew a small but tough group. Grade 1-placed stakes winner Elnaawi has been installed as the 8-5 morning line favorite. Securitiz, coming off a game victory at Gulfstream Park in February, is 8-1 with Joel Rosario board.
“He’s been a nice horse. He’s been a very consistent horse for us. He’s only won two but he’s been right in it,” said Little, adding “He tries hard every time.”
The G2 Peter Pan goes as the ninth race of an eleven race card on Saturday at Belmont Park with a scheduled post time of 5:45. Sunday’s Flat Out is the featured eighth race on a nine race card to close out the racing week. Post time is 5:13. Both races can be streamed live on NYRA.com.
Securitiz (inside) and Unified (outside) breeze together on May 8 in preparation for their stakes engagements.
Don Little, Jr. discusses the weekend’s races, Juba, and more, beginning at the 1:27 mark.
What a performance! Performances, really, as ultra-popular Juba delivered in a big way on the track and online. It was the latter that came first. The bidding on “Jubacasso”‘s Moneigh closed at a whopping $1,283.88. The price tag ranks Juba among the Top 5 most expensive artists in ReRun‘s history. His company in the upper echelon includes some of racing’s finest – American Pharoah and Zenyatta. The proceeds for Juba’s art, which he made with After the Finish Line, will be split between the two charities. ReRun’s portion has already directly funded the rescue of two mares from a kill pen.
Just four days later, Juba was at the center of a very different kind of eye-popping result. On Thursday afternoon, Juba found himself facing a tough field off the January layoff. Dismissed at 7-1, by far the longest odds he’s been since his career debut, Juba put forth the biggest performance of his career. The handsome gray received a textbook ride from Hall of Famer John Velazquez and turned it in to a powerhouse effort, drawing off to a 6 1/4 length victory. The Beyer speed figure of 100 marked a new lifetime top and is a mere six points off 2016’s highest number going up to a mile.
Miss the race or just want to relive it? Catch the replay!
