Cross Traffic Shines at Saratoga

Cross Traffic earns his Grade I credentials in the Whitney
Credit: Courtney Heeney, Courtesy NYRA/Coglianese

A week after the untimely death of super sire Unbridled's Song, his son, Cross Traffic, emerged as a shining star today, capturing the prestigious Whitney Handicap-G1 at Saratoga over a stellar field of older handicap horses.  It was the first stakes victory for the four-year-old steely gray colt, and in addition to his trophy and purse monies, Cross Traffic earned an automatic berth in November's Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita.

Cross Traffic grabbed the lead from multimillionaire Mucho Macho Man soon after the start, and seemed to just cruise along in first position until the far turn of the mile-and-an-eighth contest, when he was challenged in earnest by both Mucho Macho Man and last year's Whitney and Breeders' Cup Classic winner, Fort Larned.  Though Fort Larned couldn't sustain his bid, both Successful Dan and Mucho Macho Man appeared to be getting to Cross Traffic in the stretch.  Jockey Johnny Velasquez roused him, and he quickened, then swerved slightly, but it didn't matter.  There was no catching Cross Traffic today.

It wasn't that way in the colt's last two races, when he was narrowly bested after setting the pace in the one mile Westchester-G3 and Metropolitan-G1 at Belmont, grudgingly settling for second both times.  In spite of stretching out today, Cross Traffic didn't appear to be spent at the wire, galloping out with strength and confidence and the admiration of race fans hungry for a new hero.

Unraced at two and three, Cross Traffic broke his maiden in his initial outing at Gulfstream last January, then captured an allowance race at the same track before graduating to stakes company in New York.  Cross Traffic has now won or placed in all of his five starts, while amassing earnings of $681,300.

He was born to be great.  Cross Traffic is at least the 101st stakes winner and 16th grade I stakes winner by sire standout Unbridled's Song, a son of Brilliant-Intermediate Chef-de-Race Unbridled. His dam, the consistent and classy Cure the Blues mare, Stop Traffic, notched Grade I stakes on both coasts, including Saratoga's seven-furlong Ballerina, which she captured by seven widening lengths over Alabama victress Runup the Colors (by A. P. Indy), dam of this year's Louisiana Derby winner Revolutionary (by War Pass).

The sixth foal out of Stop Traffic, Cross Traffic was purchased for $300,000 by his current connections, GoldMark Farm, at the 2010 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale.  He is a full brother to the stakes-placed filly, Bianco Tartufo, and a half-brother to three other winners, including stakes-placed Into My Soul (by Pleasantly Perfect).  Cross Traffic's victory in the Whitney is sure to fuel interest in his yearling half-brother by Medaglia D'Oro, who is slated to be sold as Hip #134 on Tuesday night at Fasig-Tipton's Humphrey S. Finney Pavilion, across the street from the storied racetrack.

Irrefutable Gave It His All

Irrefutale (left) and Amazombie in the Ancient Title
Photo:  Benoit Photo/Santa Anita

Irrefutable came agonizingly close to being a top horse.  He never stopped trying, even when the effort exceeded the apparent capabilities of his cardiovascular system.  He literally ran his heart out, and though no one knew it as he rallied along the rail in pursuit of Pacific Ocean in Saturday’s Vernon O. Underwood Stakes at Hollywood Park, Irrefutable had just run his last race.

To the shock of both fans and connections, the imposing grey colt collapsed in front of the grandstand within seconds after being unsaddled, and when a vet deemed that his body was in extreme cardiac distress, Irrefutable was helped to leave it.  But before he passed, an onsite observer reported that his rider, Mike Smith, touchingly "kissed his hand and then rubbed Irrefutable's head with it as he lay breathing heavily."  It was all he could do.

By Unbridled's Song out of the graded stakes-placed Kingmambo mare, Honestly Darling, five-year-old Irrefutable is from the high-class family of CCA Oaks winner, Cherokee Rose (his fifth dam), Beverly Hills-G1 heroine Reluctant Guest (his second dam), and Horse of the Year and Intermediate/Classic Chef-de-Race Ack Ack.

Irrefutable went through the sales ring twice, initially as a Keeneland September yearling, when he brought $450,000, and then at the Fasig-Tipton Calder Selected Two-Year-Olds-in-Training sale, where he was purchased by Eldon Farm and Gainesway Stable for $600,000, a price that was second only to the $700,000 paid for Zensational among Unbridled's Song juveniles sold in 2008.

It would be almost two years before Irrefutable would make his debut, and by then, he sported the colors of Kaleem Shah.  From the get-go, the patiently handled Bob Baffert trainee signaled he had a ton of talent.  He easily put away six-furlong maiden special weight foes at Santa Anita in his first start, two days after Christmas, 2009, in a final time of 1:08.25.

Irrefutable raced only twice in 2010 and didn't win again until New Year's Day of this year, when he captured an allowance sprint at Santa Anita under regular pilot Mike Smith in 1:07.27, coming whisper close to the track record (1:06.98) set by The Factor just six days earlier.

Stretched out to six and a half furlongs, Irrefutable came home victorious again against Santa Anita allowance company in March, and went on to win a six-furlong allowance optional claimer on the Kentucky Derby undercard at Churchill on the first Saturday in May, in what would be his last triumph.

But though Irrefutable never won another race, his best efforts were yet to come.  He was just a neck behind eventual Vosburgh victor Giant Ryan in the Grade II Smile at Calder in July, and three-quarters of a length shy of future Breeders' Cup Sprint winner Amazombie in the Grade I Ancient Title in October, while defeating Grade I winners The Factor and Square Eddie.

Overmatched in the Breeders' Cup Sprint, he rebounded just three weeks later in the Underwood, getting up for second with a determined late run.  It was because of the way he did it, with a fighting spirit and a fluid stride, that Irrefutable's subsequent collapse on the racetrack was so completely unexpected.  It was inconceivable that he could be gone, just like that.

Irrefutable exits the stage having won or placed in nine of his 13 career starts, with earnings of $286,980.  We will miss him.http://www.pedigreequery.com/irrefutable7

Irrefutable Gave It His All

Irrefutale (left) and Amazombie in the Ancient Title
Photo:  Benoit Photo/Hollywood Park

Irrefutable came agonizingly close to being a top horse.  He never stopped trying, even when the effort exceeded the apparent capabilities of his cardiovascular system.  He literally ran his heart out, and though no one knew it as he rallied along the rail in pursuit of Pacific Ocean in Saturday’s Vernon O. Underwood Stakes at Hollywood Park, Irrefutable had just run his last race.

To the shock of both fans and connections, the imposing grey colt collapsed in front of the grandstand within seconds after being unsaddled, and when a vet deemed that his body was in extreme cardiac distress, Irrefutable was helped to leave it.  But before he passed, an onsite observer reported that his rider, Mike Smith, touchingly "kissed his hand and then rubbed Irrefutable's head with it as he lay breathing heavily."  It was all he could do.

By Unbridled's Song out of the graded stakes-placed Kingmambo mare, Honestly Darling, five-year-old Irrefutable is from the high-class family of CCA Oaks winner, Cherokee Rose (his fifth dam), Beverly Hills-G1 heroine Reluctant Guest (his second dam), and Horse of the Year and Intermediate/Classic Chef-de-Race Ack Ack.

Irrefutable went through the sales ring twice, initially as a Keeneland September yearling, when he brought $450,000, and then at the Fasig-Tipton Calder Selected Two-Year-Olds-in-Training sale, where he was purchased by Eldon Farm and Gainesway Stable for $600,000, a price that was second only to the $700,000 paid for Zensational among Unbridled's Song juveniles sold in 2008.

It would be almost two years before Irrefutable would make his debut, and by then, he sported the colors of Kaleem Shah.  From the get-go, the patiently handled Bob Baffert trainee signaled he had a ton of talent.  He easily put away six-furlong maiden special weight foes at Santa Anita in his first start, two days after Christmas, 2009, in a final time of 1:08.25.

Irrefutable raced only twice in 2010 and didn't win again until New Year's Day of this year, when he captured an allowance sprint at Santa Anita under regular pilot Mike Smith in 1:07.27, coming whisper close to the track record (1:06.98) set by The Factor just six days earlier.

Stretched out to six and a half furlongs, Irrefutable came home victorious again against Santa Anita allowance company in March, and went on to win a six-furlong allowance optional claimer on the Kentucky Derby undercard at Churchill on the first Saturday in May, in what would be his last triumph.

But though Irrefutable never won another race, his best efforts were yet to come.  He was just a neck behind eventual Vosburgh victor Giant Ryan in the Grade II Smile at Calder in July, and three-quarters of a length shy of future Breeders' Cup Sprint winner Amazombie in the Grade I Ancient Title in October, while defeating Grade I winners The Factor and Square Eddie.

Overmatched in the Breeders' Cup Sprint, he rebounded just three weeks later in the Underwood, getting up for second with a determined late run.  It was because of the way he did it, with a fighting spirit and a fluid stride, that Irrefutable's subsequent collapse on the racetrack was so completely unexpected.  It was inconceivable that he could be gone, just like that.

Irrefutable exits the stage having won or placed in nine of his 13 career starts, with earnings of $286,980.  We will miss him.

Broken Vow colt stands out at the Saratoga sale

Hip #103 at the 2011 Saratoga Selected Yearlings Sale
Credit:  Fasig-Tipton

The buzz at the Saratoga Selected Yearlings Sale may be all about the Bernardinis, but if you judge success by a seller's return on investment, and how far a horse exceeds the expected norm, look no further than Hip #103, the Broken Vow colt--the only one by his sire at this venue--who brought $440,000.

The colt had previously sold as a Keeneland November weanling for $165,000 (more than six times his $25,000 stud fee), by far outshining the other members of his crop, who as a group averaged $62,600.

Consigned at Saratoga by Gainesway, as agent, and purchased by Mark Casse, as agent, the dark bay or brown colt out of the graded stakes-placed Copelan mare, Copelan's Angel, must be a physical standout to command these prices.  In 2010, Broken Vow's 47 sale yearlings averaged $44,964, with a filly out of the stakes-winning Cat Thief mare, Cohiba Miss, fetching the highest price--$240,000--at last year's Keeneland September sale.  Subsequently named, "Lady Cohiba," the now two-year-old filly, purchased by Live Oak Plantation, is currently in training at Belmont.

Trainer Mark Casse knows Copelan's Angel well, having consigned her to two OBS Two-Year-Old-in-Training sales back in 1997, where she was sold for $55,000.  She went on to win or place in eight of her 11 starts, including a third in the Grade III Selima, while earning $134,195.

Copelan's Angel's previous foal, a 2009 colt by Corinthian (who stands for $25,000), had caught the eye of EQB's Patrice Miller, who bought him at last September's Keeneland sale for $100,000.  In order to qualify under EQB's stringent selection criteria, a yearling must have an excellent cardiovascular system, and meet other rigid biomechanical benchmarks, so it certainly appears that Copelan's Angel is producing some athletic-looking foals.

But her foals don't just look good, they run well, too.  Five of the mare's eight foals of racing age are winners, including the stakes winning Skip Away filly Fly Away Angel, and stakes-placed In the Paint (by Tiznow).

Broken Vow, a multiple graded stakes-winning son of Champion Unbridled, out of the Nijinsky II mare, Wedding Vow, is perhaps best known for his outstanding fillies, having sired Grade I winners Unbridled Belle, Sassy Image, Cotton Blossom, and Panamanian Champion Broken Wedding.

The colt by Broken Vow out of Copelan's Angel is bred on a pattern similar to that which produced Grade II stakes winner Rockport Harbor (by Unbridled's Song out of a Copelan mare).  The match merits an A+ TrueNicks rating.  With a solid record of performance in the sales arena, and the pedigree and conformation to match, this free-striding colt will be one to watch when he hits the racetrack.

Unrivaled Belle retired too soon

Unrivaled Belle preparing for the 2010 Breeders' Cup Distaff
at Churchill Downs
Photo: Reed Palmer Photography/Churchill Downs

Unrivaled Belle, the late-developing filly who made racing fans take notice when she upset Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra in last year's La Troienne-G2 at Churchill Downs, was retired today after flipping in the Belmont paddock prior to the Ogden Phipps-G1, in which she had been second choice in a field of five other handicap mares, including eventual victor Awesome Maria and Life at Ten, who won last year's running.  She fractured her withers in the unfortunate accident, but was able to walk back to trainer Bill Mott's barn under her own power.

When Unrivaled Belle recovers, she'll bring power and an enviable pedigree to the breeding shed.  She exits the racing stage with a bankroll of $1,854,706, with six wins in 14 starts, including the 2010 Breeders' Cup Ladies Classic-G1, in which she defeated Champion Three-Year-Old Filly Blind Luck and the highly regarded Saint Liam filly, Havre de Grace.  Though she was winless in her two starts this year, she had placed to Blind Luck in the La Troienne on the Kentucky Derby undercard, and was third to Awesome Maria in the Rampart-G3 at Gulfstream.  All in all, Unrivaled Belle was a model of consistency, hitting the board in 13 of her 14 starts; her lone miss was in her sole start over synthetics, when she was fourth in the La Canada-G2 at Santa Anita.

The second foal out of the multiple graded stakes-winning Bertrando mare, Queenie Belle, Unrivaled Belle was listed as a $260,000 sale at the 2007 Keeneland September sale, but she subsequently raced in the colors of her breeders, Peter Vegso and Gary Seidler.  With more than $1.6 million in earnings during her four-year-old season, she was the top earner for her sire, Unbridled's Song, in 2010, and his second best earner (behind Japanese stakes winner La Verita) ever, from 12 crops to race.

Interestingly, both Unrivaled Belle and Unbridled Elaine, another Breeders' Cup Distaff-winning daughter of Unbridled's Song, were produced from In Reality-line mares.  The cross also produced the Peter Vegso-raced Splendid Blended, who captured the Grade I Hollywood Starlet at two and the Vanity Handicap at three.  All three fillies are inbred to In Reality, a Brilliant/Classic Chef-de-Race who is the sire of Unbridled's second dam, Charedi.

Bill Mott described Unrivaled Belle as "a very talented race horse," and said that she will be sound for breeding.  We wish her the best.

Embur's Song makes the grade in the Doubledogdare at Keeneland

Embur's Song defeats Check the Label in Keeneland's Doubledogdare
Photo: Keeneland/Coady Photography

Returning to the scene of her 13-length maiden triumph last spring, synthetic specialist Embur's Song grabbed the lead at the start of the mile and a sixteenth Hillard Lyons Doubledogdare Stakes-G3 at Keeneland on Friday and never looked back, holding on to win--and in the process set new track and stakes records--even as stretch-running Check the Label breathed down her neck.

The victory was Embur's Song's first in graded stakes company, and the lightly raced four-year-old filly looks like she's getting better all the time.

The Todd Pletcher trainee, an Ontario-bred daughter of Unbridled's Song, has never been off the board on synthetic surfaces, and after her winning performance in the Doubledogdare, in which she stopped the timer in 1:41.62, she's now won three of her seven lifetime starts,and amassed earnings of $244,940.

The eighth foal out of the stakes-placed, stakes-producing Bold Ruckus mare, Embur Sunshine, Embur's Song was purchased for $170,000 by Fares Farm at the 2008 Keeneland September sale.  She is a half-sister to four Canadian winners, including stakes winner Ten Flat (by Meadowlake), who won the Silver Deputy at Woodbine.

Embur's Song became the 88th stakes winner for her sire, Unbridled's Song, sire also of last year's Breeders' Cup Ladies Classic-G1 heroine, Unrivaled Belle.  She is bred along the same pattern as Grade I winner First Defence (out of a mare by Seattle Slew), who won the Forego and now stands for $7500 at Juddmonte Farms.   Both are from Boldnesian-line mares.

Daughters of Embur's Song's maternal grandsire, Intermediate/Classic Chef-de-Race Bold Ruckus, have produced at least 70 stakes winners, including Canadian Three-Year-Old Champion Bolulight and Set Play, who won the Del Mar Debutante-G1.  According to Dr. Steven Roman's website, the average winning distance (AWD) of the open stakes races won by sons and daughters of Bold Ruckus mares is 6.95 furlongs.  With her tenacious victory in the Doubledogdare at 8.5 furlongs, Embur's Song demonstrated that she's a lot more than a one-run sprinter, and that makes her future seem bright, indeed.

Unbridled's Song colt makes an early arrival at Keeneland January sale

Highland Torree and her new Unbridled's Song colt
at Keeneland on January 9, 2011
Photo: Coady Photography/Keeneland

The Keeneland January sale isn't scheduled to start until tomorrow, but the excitement came a bit early, when one of the mares who had been listed as "pregnant" arrived at the sales grounds with her five-day-old Unbridled's Song colt in tow.  Both mare and foal are doing great.  


The robust bay colt is the first foal from the six-year-old Menifee mare, Highland Torree, a stakes winning earner of $205,922, who was bred to Unbridled's Song on February 17th, 2010.  She is catalogued as Hip 31 in the sale, and will be auctioned with her colt by her side, under the auspices of consignor Bedouin Bloodstock.

Highland Torree is a half-sister to six winners, including the good fillies Cape Town Lass (by Horse Chestnut (SAF)), who established the course record for a mile and a half on the turf at Keeneland (2:29.18) on April 9th, 2005, retiring with earnings of $215,142, and High Code (by Lost Code), a stakes-placed winner of $110,360.

Highland Torree's sire, Menifee, won or placed in 10 of his 11 starts, capturing the Grade I Haskell and Toyota Blue Grass, and placing in the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Travers.  He stood at Stone Farm in Kentucky through the 2006 breeding season, when he was exported to Korea, where he currently stands as the property of the Korea Racing Authority.  Menifee has sired the graded stakes-winning fillies Game Face and Just Jenda, and is the broodmare sire of stakes winners William's Kitten (by Kitten's Joy) andDancinginherdreams (by Tapit), who is undefeated in two career starts, including last year's Pocahontas Stakes-G2 for two-year-old fillies at Churchill Downs.

The eighth leading active sire by worldwide earnings in 2010, Unbridled's Song is the sire of Unrivaled Belle, who captured last year's Breeders' Cup Ladies Classic-G1, 2008 Champion Two-Year-Old Colt Midshipman, who enters stud this year, and crack sprinter Zensational, whose first foals arrive this season.  Unbridled's Song stands at Taylor Made Stallions in Kentucky for a fee of $100,000.

Highland Torree had previously been catalogued for sale in foal to Unbridled's Song at the 2009 Keeneland November and 2010 Keeneland January sales, but she subsequently aborted the foal she was carrying then.  With that in mind, her new colt's healthy arrival is cause for celebration, indeed.