News and Notes for November 2, 2016

ttastar150HIGH HOPES FOR TEXAS CHROME
The entry of Texas Chrome in Friday’s $1 million Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1) has the interest of a crowd of Texas fans.

Like Breeders’ Cup Classic favorite and 2014 Kentucky Derby winner California Chrome, who subsequently inspired the state-plus-chrome formula for naming racehorses, Texas Chrome began his racing career with modest expectations as a $10,000 yearling purchase by Danny Keene’s Keene Thoroughbreds at the October 2014 Texas yearling sale. Following victories in a maiden race and the Texas Thoroughbred Association Sales Futurity at Lone Star Park, Texas Chrome’s first venture outside the Lone Star State was a 2 1/2-length victory in the six-furlong, $100,000 Gold Rush Futurity at Arapahoe Park on August 16, 2015.

“He’s just learning how to run,” Deshawn Parker, his jockey in Colorado, said after that race. “Going longer, he’ll be alright.” 

Parker’s words have proven to be prophetic as Texas Chrome has continued to blossom as a 3-year-old and while racing over longer distances. Texas Chrome and jockey C.J. McMahon will enter the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile on a three-race win streak following victories in the $100,000 Super Derby Prelude and $500,000 Super Derby (G3) at Louisiana Downs and the $400,000 Oklahoma Derby at Remington Park. Texas Chrome’s grit in squeezing through a tight opening on the rail during a furious stretch duel in the Oklahoma Derby drew praise from racing pundits and prompted his connections to give the $10,000 colt who has gone on to earn $842,462 a shot on horse racing’s biggest stage.

“There’s nothing any person has ever done in his career to make that horse do what he did in that situation,” Texas Chrome’s trainer, J.R. Caldwell, said in a profile of the horse in Thoroughbred Daily News by Joe Bianca. “It’s just amazing. He’d given it all he had to get to that point, and to be able to dig down and find more to get him past and get the win, it’s awesome for racing because you live for those moments.”

We wish Texas Chrome all the best!  Go Texas-breds!

TEXAS CONNECTIONS IN BREEDERS’ CUP RACES
Other Texas connections to cheer for in Breeders’ Cup races include Bowies Hero, owned in part by Agave Racing Stable (Mark Martinez) in the Juvenile Turf; Runhappy, owned by James McIngvale and Gun Runner, trained by Steve Asmussen, both in the Dirt Mile; Avenge, owned by Ramona Bass, in the Filly/Mare Turf; Lookin at Lee, trained by Steve Asmussen in the Juvenile; Gloryzapper, owned in part by Agave Racing Stable (Mark Martinez) and Irish Jasper, owned in part by W. S. Farish, both in the Filly/Mare Sprint.

TEXAS STALLION STAKES AT RETAMA THIS WEEKEND
Both divisions of the Clarence Scharbauer Jr. Texas Stallion Stakes will be run at Retama Park on Saturday evening, with purses of $65,000 each.

Carded as race 6, the Darby’s Daughter division for 2-year-old fillies going 6 furlongs has drawn a field of five Accredited Texas-breds, led by Keene Thoroughbreds LLC’s stakes winner Country Candy (Intimidator – Trifolium), trained by J. R. Caldwell.  Keene purchased the filly for $65,000 from the consignment of Asmussen Horse Center at the April Texas 2-Year-Old Sale.  She broke her maiden with an amazing 9 ½ length win in a 5-furlong race at Lone Star Park on May 6.  She then finished a solid third in the $100,000 Debutante Stakes at Churchill Downs on July 2 and placed second in the $65,000 Prairie Gold Lassie at Prairie Meadows three weeks later.  Country Candy went on to win the $60,000 Evangeline Downs Princess Stakes on August 27 and took second in the $50,000 E. L. Gaylord Memorial Stakes at Remington in October.  She is the high earner in the field with $80,780. 

Providing some tough competition is Douglas Scharbauer’s multiple stakes-placed Gold Shock (My Golden Song – Shocktime), trained by Bret Calhoun.  She finished right behind Country Candy in the E. L. Gaylord Memorial last month, and has earnings of $56,921.

Also a graduate of the Texas April Texas 2-Year-Old Sale is Pure Grey (Too Much Bling – Folksy) bred by W. S. Farish and trained by Steve Asmussen, who owns the filly in partnership with Clark Brewster.

Stakes-placed Colonial Kendra (Intimidator – Kendras Jones) is trained by Isal V. Gonzalez for David Albert, who purchased the filly from the consignment of Inside Move, Inc. at the Texas sale.  She was also bred by Keith Asmussen.

Trainer Danny Pish purchased Ostentatious (Too Much Bling – Red Cell) from the Texas sale consignment of Asmussen Horse Center and owns her in partnership with Victory Cigar Racing Stables LLC.

With a field of nine colts and geldings going six furlongs, the My Dandy Division of the Texas Stallion Stakes is carded as race 8, with a field of nine Accredited Texas-breds.

The 5/2 favorite is undefeated Rogue Arrow (Crossbow – Wild Ditty), a gelding trained by Danny Pish for owner/breeder John Silverthorne Ranch, Inc.

Steve Asmussen will send out Shaded (Too Much Bling – Fast Find) for owner Clark Brewster.  The colt broke his maiden by 3 ¾ lengths at Lone Star Park in June before taking first place in the $90,000 Texas Thoroughbred Futurity at Lone Star in July.  Shaded was also bred by W. S Farish and a graduate of the Texas 2-Year-Old Sale, purchased from the consignment of Asmussen Horse Center.

Karl Broberg will saddle Larry S. Huntsinger and Phil Head’s homebred Singing Aces (Sing Baby Sing – Castelli’s Ace) who finished a close third in the Texas Thoroughbred Futurity.

Completing the field are: Get Loud (Oratory – Sexy Librarian), bred by Eureka Thoroughbred Farm, owned by Tim Cook and trained by Joyce Salisbury; Imma Wild Bling (Too Much Bling – Imma Be a Wildcat), bred by Hall Family Trust, owned by Chuck Fisher and trained by Charles Haverkamp; Fletcher Properties, Inc.’s homebred Rumpole (Too Much Bling – Dehere’s Dream), trained by Robert A. Young; Southwestern Racing LLC’s homebred Unbridled Encore (Sing Baby Sing – Mysterious Light), trained by Allen Dupuy; Sir Papa John (Oratory – Detonate), a homebred for Champion Equine Performance Horses, trained by Karl Broberg; and Angie’s Bling (Too Much Bling – Penny Lake), bred by Jim Taylor and Jeanne Bruce, owned by Thomas Tiller and trained by Christie Grisham.

TTA BOARD OF DIRECTORS ELECTION
Ballots were mailed today to all current TTA members for Board of Directors election, with a deadline of December 16 for receipt of all ballots.  There are eight candidates running for five at-large positions to serve three year terms.

NOTES: The first round of bidding in TTA’s online auction of 2017 stallion breedings will end at 5pm Central on TOMORROW, November 3rd.  To place your bid, go to https://texasthoroughbred.com/stallion-register/online-stallion-auction/ …Make plans to attend The Paddock Foundation’s Roses to Ribbons event at Retama Park on Saturday, November 12.  See https://www.facebook.com/events/1379899958695141/ for more info…The next meeting of the Texas Racing Commission is set for Tuesday, November 15th in Austin…Exercise your right to vote in the November 8th state and federal elections!