Augustin Stable

WINSTAR’S UNBEATEN GEMOLOGIST HOPES TO FOLLOW SUPER SAVER’S FOOTSTEPS IN JOCKEY CLUB – WinStar Farm LLC and trainer Todd Pletcher teamed up to win the 2009 running of the Kentucky Jockey Club (Grade II) with Super Saver, and returned to Churchill Downs with the colt the following spring to capture the $2 million-guaranteed Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (GI).

Those connections hope for similar good fortune with Gemologist, their latest juvenile star who puts an unbeaten record on the line in Saturday’s 85^th running of the $150,000-added Kentucky Jockey Club for 2-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles on the main track beneath the Twin Spires.

“Certainly we’ve had luck in this race before and have had horses run well and then go on to bigger and better things as 3-year-olds,” assistant trainer Michael McCarthy said. “I’m sure we’ll start thinking about it (the Kentucky Derby) after the race Saturday. But you’re always thinking about it – especially in this operation.”

A big, handsome son of Tiznow, Gemologist still has plenty of upside and McCarthy believes he could be able to follow in Super Saver’s footsteps and develop into a 3-year-old of Derby and Triple Crown quality.

“He’s a lot of horse and a fantastic looking animal,” McCarthy said. “I think he’ll get better with racing and I see no reason why he won’t develop into a nice 3-year-old. He’s still got a lot of maturing to do; not so much physically, but mentally.”

Gemologist, purchased as a weanling for $310,000 at the 2009 Keeneland November Sale, cruised to a five-length victory in his career debut over Turfway Park’s Polytrack surface.  He followed that with a two-length allowance victory at the Kentucky Jockey Club distance on Churchill Downs’ Stars of Tomorrow I card.

"He’s two-for-two and has a little bit of a buzz around him,” McCarthy said. “Anytime a horse has won going a distance of ground at this stage of their career it’s good, and to have a win over the racetrack is a feather in your cap.”

Gemologist will break from post nine under Javier Castellano when he faces 10 rivals in the Kentucky Jockey Club. His main competition could come from Augustin Stable’s Ever So Lucky, a flashy 3 ¼-length maiden winner for steeplechase training legend Jonathan Sheppard at Churchill Downs on Nov. 11.  Ever So Lucky, a bay son of Indian Charlie, was supplemented to the Kentucky Jockey Club for a fee of $7,500.

"There are a lot of horses in the race that look like they have a lot of upside,” McCarthy said. “Certainly Jonathan Sheppard’s horse is one of them. He did nothing wrong in his debut and anytime you see Sheppard do something like bring a horse back on short rest, then you definitely need to pay attention.”

Ever So Lucky will break from the rail and is expected to challenge for the early lead, a development McCarthy would welcome.

“I think Gemologist will be fairly forwardly placed,” McCarthy said. “It’d be nice if someone would go to the lead and we could sit off him and have Gemologist learn a little something.”

Named in honor of the holding company that operated Churchill Downs at the time of the race’s inaugural running in 1920, the Kentucky Jockey Club is the co-featured event with the $150,000-added Golden Rod (GII) for 2-year-old fillies on the Stars of Tomorrow II program,.  It will be run as race 11 with a scheduled post time 5:42 p.m. (all times EST).  Post time for the day’s first race is 12:40 p.m.

FLASHY DEBUT WINNER EVER SO LUCKY RETURNS IN KENTUCKY JOCKEY CLUB – Those who watched the impressive 3 ¼-length debut victory by Augustin Stable’s Ever So Lucky at Churchill Downs on Nov. 11 might have been surprised to learn the Indian Charlie colt is trained by Jonathan Sheppard.

Sheppard, who last year became the first trainer to saddle 1,000 steeplechase winners in the United States, is not known for having precocious juveniles in his barn, but finds himself with one of the Fall Meet’s most-discussed horses the colt owned by George Strawbridge’s Augustin Stable. The $600,000 sales topper at Fasig-Tipton’s Mid-Atlantic Selected 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale at Maryland’s Timonium, Ever So Lucky was installed by Churchill Downs oddsmaker Mike Battaglia as the 5-2 morning-line favorite for the Kentucky Jockey Club.

“I was absolutely delighted with his first race,” Sheppard said. “He broke a step slowly and (jockey Julien) Leparoux asked him to move up and it seemed like he took the lead in just a few jumps. He was under pressure on the lead and when Julien asked him to run, he responded and won with a lot left. He ran like an old pro.”

Ever So Lucky’s flashy debut so impressed his connections that they paid $7,500 to make him a supplemental nominee to the Kentucky Jockey Club.

“It was a mutual decision between myself and Mr. Strawbridge,” Sheppard said. “We were trying to decide what to do with him and we decided to give him a second race at the track he was at and seems to like. This also gives him a race going two turns and sets him up nicely to get a breather and then get him ready for the big 3-year-old races next spring.”

One of those “big 3-year-old races” Sheppard was referring to is the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (GI). Sheppard, who will turn 71 on Dec. 2, has never saddled a starter in the Run for the Roses.

“I’m not going to push them and make them do something they’re not ready for,” Sheppard said. “We usually stick to the theory that you can have a good young horse or a good older horse, but you can’t have both. However, I think he (Ever So Lucky) has the disposition to be a good horse next year. He has a very good mind and is a really nice horse. I don’t want to jinx myself though because you really never know.”

Ever So Lucky will break from the rail post in the Kentucky Jockey Club. Some would be nervous about a 2-year-old breaking the inside gate, but Sheppard does not see the post as an issue for Ever So Lucky.

“The rail is not a bad spot if you have a horse with some speed,” Sheppard said. “I think Leparoux will be able to get him out of there fine.”

KENTUCKY OAKS TRAIL FOR CUSTOMER BASE BEGINS WITH THE GOLDEN ROD – Glen Hill Farm’s Customer Base is unbeaten on synthetic surfaces in her young career, but she moves to traditional dirt for Saturday’s 68^th running of the $150,000-added Golden Rod (Grade II) at Churchill Downs in hope that the race will be a first step on a trail to next spring’s $1 million Kentucky Oaks (GI).

“If she can get lucky and win Saturday then she’ll be nominated to the Kentucky Oaks, which is what I want because if she runs well then we’ll definitely point that way with her,” trainer Tom Proctor said.

Customer Base was a winner on debut over synthetic Polytrack footing at Del Mar and improved her record to a perfect two-for-two with a 1 ½-length victory over Keeneland’s Polytrack surface. The only poor effort in her career came Customer Base drew post 13 in a bid for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (GII) on Nov. 4.  She finished 11^th of 14 fillies that day behind the victorious Stephanie’s Kitten.

“She ran so well over the Polytrack that I decided to put her in the Juvenile Fillies Turf,” Proctor said. “I wasn’t sure if she’d like the turf or not, but honestly I still don’t know because she lost all chance with a bad trip. Her pedigree says she can run on the turf or the dirt.”

A 2-year-old daughter of Lemon Drop Kid, Customer Base was installed as the 7-2 second choice for the Golden Rod by Churchill Downs oddsmaker Mike Battaglia.

“If she likes the dirt then she’ll be tough in there,” Proctor said. “I don’t know why she wouldn’t. She’s trained well over it and is doing really good.”

While the Kentucky Oaks is the primary long-term goal for Customer Base, Proctor has a backup plan for his filly if things don’t go as planned Saturday.

“If she doesn’t run well then I’ll take her to Tampa Bay and get her ready for the Florida Oaks (at 1 1/16 miles on turf on Feb.4),” Proctor said.

Customer Base will break from post eight in the field of 11 under leading-rider Julien Leparoux. Post time for the Golden Rod, the co-featured event on the Stars of Tomorrow II program, is 4:42 p.m.

WHO’S HOT – The hottest jockeys over the last five racing days (Nov. 17-23) are Corey Lanerie (8-for-44) and Julien Leparoux (7-for-29). Nick Zito (3-for-4), Eddie Kenneally (3-for-6), Ken McPeek (3-for-9) and Mike Maker (3-for-13) are the hottest trainers over the same period. Carolyn Wilson (2-for-2) and Ken and Sarah Ramsey (2-for-8) are the hottest owners.

BARN TALK – Arena Elvira, winner of Thursday’s Falls City Handicap (GII) at Churchill Downs, exited the race in good order, according to assistant trainer Kenny McCarthy. The 4-year-old daughter of Ghostzapper will be given some time off before she begins a 5-year-old campaign. …

The second and third-place finishers in the Falls City, Afleeting Lady and It’s Tea Time, also came out of the race well.  No firm plans are in place for either filly, but both are expected to run next year. …

A reminder that a memorial service for the late trainer Robert Holthus will be held Saturday, Nov. 26 at 10:30 a.m. (EST) at Christ Chapel on the Churchill Downs backside. 

Churchill Downs will host a “Stache Bash” on Saturday during the races to honor and celebrate all of the Mo Bros and Mo Sistas who participated in Movember. Churchill Downs will donate $1 per attendee who is sporting a mustache to the Movember Foundation with a minimum guaranteed pledge of $5,000 given through the Churchill Downs Foundation. The day’s festivities will include between-race live music by popular Cincinnati-based My Sister Sarah in the paddock area and Happy Hour drink specials from 3-5 p.m. …

Churchill Downs will offer free admission to all fans on Sunday, Nov. 27, the closing-day of the 2011 Fall Meet. Also, be sure to bring the kids out to see Santa Claus, who will be in the Paddock Pavilion on Sunday.

WORKTAB – Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC’s Tapizar, winner of the Sham (GIII) in January and fifth to Caleb’s Posse in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (GI) in his most recent start, breezed five furlongs on the fast main track at Churchill Downs on Friday morning in 1:03.20 for trainer Steve Asmussen. The work was the 11^th fastest of 17 at the distance. …

Also working for Asmussen on Friday morning was Thiskyhasnolimit, winner of the Texas Mile (GIII) in April. Owned by Mark Wagner and Bob and Cathy Zollars, the 4-year-old son of Sky Mesa breezed five furlongs in 1:05.40.

GUYS REWARD NEARLY GAVE ROMANS 40-1 SHOCKER IN COMMONWEALTH TURF – As the second-leading trainer in Churchill Downs history with 511 victories, it is rare when Dale Romans sends out a runner in any race beneath the historic Twin Spires at 40-1 odds.

It happened Saturday in the Commonwealth Turf (Grade III) for 3-year-olds and Michael Bruder’s Guys Reward almost delivered at those long odds.  The 3-year-old son of Grand Reward finished second in Saturday’s race, just a length back of favored Yankee Fourtune, who remained unbeaten in five races on grass.

“I think he is going to break through next year,” Romans said Sunday morning. “He is steadily improving and I think he will be a top horse next year. His last two races have been very good.”

Guys Reward returned from a two-month layoff to score an allowance victory at Keeneland in October prior to his run in the Commonwealth Turf. In the spring, he had run third in the Transylvania (GIII) at Keeneland and third in the American Turf (GII) here on Derby Eve.

Romans ranks seventh all time at Churchill Downs with 24 stakes victories and he could add to that total in the final two weeks of the meet that closes Sunday, Nov. 28.

Persuading, fourth in the Valley View (GIII) and the Garden City (GI) in her past two starts, is nominated to Saturday’s Mrs. Revere (GII) and Quiet Temper, a two-time graded stakes winner who has been idle since late June, is nominated to the Thanksgiving Day Falls City Handicap (GII).

“I’m on the fence with both of them,” Romans said. “But the 2-year-olds could both possibly run.”

The juveniles in question are Stormy Story, a six-length maiden winner here Nov. 3, for the Golden Rod (GII) on Nov. 27 and Z Appeal, a maiden winner on the dirt here in June and a stakes winner on turf in July, for the Kentucky Jockey Club (GII) the same day.

Romans also nominated First Dude to the $500,000 Clark Handicap Presented by Norton Healthcare (GI) to be run on Friday, Nov. 26.

"I don’t think he’ll run,” Romans said of the eighth-place finisher in the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic (GI) behind Blame. “He came out of the race good, but we just nominated him to see what was in there.”
Romans’ other Breeders’ Cup Classic starter, fifth-place finisher Paddy O’Prado, is done for the year. “He won’t run again until Gulfstream,” Romans said.

FUGITIVE ANGEL COULD FILL THE SHOES OF FOREVER TOGETHER FOR AUGUSTIN, SHEPPARD – Barry Wiseman, assistant to trainer Jonathan Sheppard, said goodbye on Friday to multiple Grade I winner Forever Together, one of the brightest stars in the roster of horses trained by Sheppard for George Strawbridge Jr.’s Augustin Stable.

“She went to Stone Farm a couple days ago,” Wiseman said of the 6-year-old mare. “She only got beat four necks and a length last week.”

That was in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf (GI), a race she won in 2008 and finished third in last year before dead-heating for sixth here on Nov. 5.

But Augustin could have another grass filly waiting in the wings in Fugitive Angel, a Pennsylvania-bred by 1996 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Alphabet Soup who is pointing toward Saturday’s $175,000-added Mrs. Revere (GII) for 3-year-old fillies on turf.

"Now, wouldn’t that be nice,” Wiseman said of the prospect of another Forever Together in the barn. “Jonathan really likes her. She has been training well and is a very mature 3-year-old.”

Fugitive Angel, who is expected to work on the turf here Tuesday, is four-for-four this year including three stakes victories. Two of the stakes wins came in Pennsylvania-bred races with the third a 3 ¾-length romp in the Valley View (GIII) at Keeneland on Oct. 22.

“The Keeneland win was nice,” Wiseman said. “She keeps improving, but you just never know when they will stop improving.”

Fugitive Angel already has accomplished more as a 3-year-old than Forever Together could.

"Forever Together won right off the bat, but it wasn’t until we put her on the grass that she showed her true form,” Wiseman said. “She went to Chicago (in May 2008 as a 4-year-old) and won the Reluctant Guest with Earlie Fires and then ran third in the Just A Game (GI). After that race he (Sheppard) said ‘I think we can go places with this filly.’ ”

And go places they did. Forever Together raced on both coasts and in Canada and earned an Eclipse Award as top female grass performer in 2008. She closed her career with a record on the turf of 18-6-4-6 and earnings on the grass of $2,754,499.

FLAT OUT NEARLY READY TO RETURN TO THE RACES FOR DICKEY – As days at the track go, Saturday was a pretty good one for trainer Scooter Dickey.
    He won the first race with his initial starter of Fall Meet, She’s an Alpha Gam, a horse that Dickey owns. Earlier in the day, he watched Flat Out turn in his second work of the month.

Owned by Oxbow Racing, Flat Out was on the Kentucky Derby trail in 2009 after a victory in the Smarty Jones at Oaklawn Park until being sidelined by injury less than two weeks before the Run for the Roses.

Initially a stress fracture in a shoulder put Flat Out on the shelf and then it was a problem with quarter cracks.

“The way he won the Smarty Jones, I expected him to be really good because he won that race very easy,” Dickey said. “Then he got hurt. It has been a long wait, 18 months. We had him back in training and then he had the foot issue.

“We had to cut the foot away in the spring and let it grow back. Everything has grown back on the foot and he wants to run.”

After galloping on the farm in the summer, Flat Out was moved to the Thoroughbred Training Center in Lexington where he began working in late August.

“They made sure everything was all right and then I got him back when I came in from Monmouth,” Dickey said. “He is ready to run here if there is a race for him.”

WORK TAB – Giant Oak, who was placed fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Marathon (GIII) and is nominated to the Clark Handicap Presented by Norton Healthcare (GI), worked a half-mile in :47.60 after the break on a track labeled as “good” for trainer Chris Block. The move was the best of 31 at the distance. … Sassy Image, who swept the Pocahontas (GII) and Golden Rod last year, had the second-quickest half-mile of the morning (:47.80) for Romans.

Helen Alexander and Helen Groves’ Acoma, a two-time graded-stakes winner over the Matt Winn Turf Course and unbeaten in four races on turf and dirt at Churchill Downs, will concede 2-6 pounds to eight rivals in Saturday’s 36th running of the $100,000-added Cardinal Handicap (Grade III) for fillies and mares.

The Cardinal, run at 1 1/8 miles on the grass, will be the ninth race on Saturday’s 10-race card with an approximate post time of 4:37 p.m. (all times EST). First post time Saturday is 12:40 p.m.

Trained by David Carroll, Acoma will carry top weight of 121 pounds and be ridden by Jesus Castanon. She is unbeaten in two races over the Churchill Downs turf after closing out her 3-year-old campaign with a victory in the Mrs. Revere (GII) and this spring won the Mint Julep Handicap (GIII). The regally bred daughter of Empire Maker also owns a pair of dirt wins at Churchill Downs that include the 2008 Dogwood Stakes (GIII). Acoma will break from post position three on Saturday.

Sharing second high weight of 119 pounds are Brian Kahn and the Richard O’Neill Trust’s Tizfiz, Hickory Tree Stable’s Leamington and Ron Beegle’s Lemon Chiffon.

Tizfiz, who ran sixth in her most recent start against males over Polytrack in the Fayette (GIII) at Keeneland on Oct. 31, will break from post position two under E.T. Baird. Leamington, fifth in the Grade I Flower Bowl in her most recent start, and Lemon Chiffon, fourth in the Grade I Yellow Ribbon last out, will start from posts eight and nine under Calvin Borel and Jon Court, respectively.

    Augustin Stable’s Long Approach, runner-up to Indescribable in last year’s renewal of the Cardinal, returns Saturday in her first start since April. Kent Desormeaux will ride Long Approach, who will carry 116 pounds and break from post position five.

    The field for the Cardinal, from the hedge out, is as follows: You Go West Girl (J. Lezcano, 117 pounds), Tizfiz (E. Baird, 119), Acoma (J. Castanon, 121), Zaskar (GB) (S. Bridgmohan, 115), Long Approach (K. Desormeaux, 116), Social Queen (M. Mena, 118), My Baby Baby (R. Albarado, 116), Leamington (C. Borel, 119) and Lemon Chiffon (J. Court, 119).

Augustin Stable’s Informed Decision caught pacesetting Dubai Majesty in deep stretch and then held off 32-1 shot Temple Street by three-quarters of a length to win the 23rd running of the $335,400 Humana Distaff (Grade I) for fillies and mares 4-years-old and up on Saturday afternoon at Churchill Downs.

Ridden by Julien Leparoux and trained by Jonathan Sheppard, Informed Decision ran the seven furlongs on a “sloppy” main track in 1:23.69.

Dubai Majesty, ridden by Kent Desormeaux, shot to the lead out of the gate and raced on an unopposed lead through fractions of :22.38 and :44.86. Dubai Majesty opened a daylight light leaving the far turn and was still comfortably in front at the eighth pole in 1:09.84 as Leparoux began to weave through traffic on Informed Decision.

Informed Decision, a 4-year-old Kentucky-bred daughter of 2001 Kentucky Derby winner Monarchos, put her head in front with about 40 yards to go as Dubai Majesty grudgingly gave way to eventually finish in a dead heat for third another half-length back with Modification, ridden by Ramon Dominguez.

Informed Decision returned $8.40, $4.80 and $3.40. Temple Street, ridden by Jon Court, provided payoffs of $24 and $10. Dubai Majesty paid $4.20 to show and Modification $5.80.

The victory, the seventh in nine career starts, was worth $199,630 to increase Informed Decision’s earnings to $722,217.

HUMANA DISTAFF QUOTES

JULIEN LEPAROUX (rider of winner Informed Decision) – “At the quarter pole I said, there is no way she (Dubai Majesty) is going to come back. They were ahead and they kind of had the jump on me. I almost had to stop her and I thought there is no way she’s going to get back in there. She actually did. At the eighth pole she really kicked in for me. She’s amazing. She’s a very nice filly. She’s obviously a multiple Grade I winner and she deserves it.”

JONATHAN SHEPPARD (trainer of winner Informed Decision) – “I was a little concerned. It didn’t look like she was running very well on the turn. I started to lose confidence in her, but once he (jockey Julien Leparoux) eased out and finally got in the clear, she started to run. I started to feel better about our chances.

“I was (concerned about the wet track) because she had never run on it. But she’s such an aggressive, forward acting filly, I thought she might handle it. If we were going to find out if she could handle it, this was a good race to find out. I wouldn’t have her if the track wasn’t safe.

“I’ve got a couple of races picked out, but we’ll take some time to think about it. I think she can run longer, but she’s so good at this distance, I’m not sure I want to change anything.”

JON COURT (rider of second-place finisher Temple Street) – “I had to come out to go around; lost some ground. But I’ve come out and gone around with her before and won. Not today. We were second best.”

KENT DESORMEAUX (rider of third-place finisher Dubai Majesty) – “I tried to give her every chance to win. She’s got a heart of gold and she tried as hard as she could. We just couldn’t get there.”

GARRETT GOMEZ (rider of sixth-place finisher and favored Game Face) – “They were flying up front and I knew it. I was just trying to keep my filly in a position she was comfortable in. We got outrun there at the end.”