Runaway Rumour back in win column in Hettinger

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Runaway Rumour fends off Spungie to win Friday’s John Hettinger Stakes. NYRA Photo.

Runaway Rumour ended a losing streak last fall during the Belmont at the Big A meeting and found Ozone Park again to her liking Friday, putting a stop to another skid with a victory in the $125,000 John Hettinger Stakes for New York-bred fillies and mares on the turf.

Lawrence Goichman’s homebred 5-year-old Flintshire mare won the Hettinger by a neck over Spungie – surviving a jockey’s objection and steward’s inquiry in the process – for her first win since last year’s Ticonderoga Stakes on Empire Showcase Day. The win ended a five-race losing streak for Runaway Rumour, who did place in four stakes during that stretch from April 16 to Aug. 27.

Runaway Rumour also went through two trainer changes during that stretch, going from Jorge Abreu this spring to Horacio De Paz and then to Linda Rice toward the end of the Saratoga Race Course meeting. Two of the losses came at Saratoga – against open company in the restricted De La Rose Stakes and when third in the Yaddo Stakes on Saratoga Showcase Day.

“She’s just a classy mare,” Rice said. “We’ve had her for around six weeks or so. She’s trained very nicely. The Goichmans breed terrific New York-breds. They have a great breeding program, and she’s had a terrific career up to this point with Jorge Abreu and Horacio De Paz. I’m happy to be a part of it.”

The 6-1 fourth choice in the field of six, Runaway Rumour earned $68,750 for her fifth win in 21 starts and boosted her bankroll to $571,305.

Whatlovelookslike set the pace in the 9-furlong Hettinger, carving out slow early fractions of :25.48 and :52.39 over the firm turf course ahead of Spungie and Runaway Rumour, with Yaddo winner and 8-5 favorite New Ginya, Out of Sight and Saratoga Chrome not far back.

Whatlovelookslike continued to lead past 6 furlongs in 1:17.62 before coming under pressure and losing the lead to Runaway Rumour at the quarter-pole. Runaway Rumour and Jose Lezcano kicked on turning for home and opened up, as Spungie and Joel Rosario inched into contention down inside. Runaway Rumour held the lead inside the sixteenth pole as Spungie ran up her inside, found herself in tight quarters and couldn’t get past in deep stretch.

Runaway Rumour won by a neck in 1:51.79. She added the Hettinger to her 2022 win in the Ticonderoga and her 2021 score in the Wild Applause against open company. Rosario claimed foul and steward’s took a look, but didn’t make a change to the delight of the mare’s owner and breeder.

“The track was perfect, the distance was perfect, the ride was perfect, the inquiry was not so perfect, but it was pretty fun,” Goichman said. “You could see on the backstretch that she was wanting to go. Jose didn’t fight with her, he just said ‘You want to go? Let’s go.’ ”

Goichman said Runaway Rumour would target the Ticonderoga again.

“That will be her last race,” he said. “She’s been fun. It’s always hard to replace a horse that always gives you her best. She’s been a nice girl to be around.”

Foaled at Edition Farm in Hyde Park, Runaway Rumour is out of the Elusive Quality mare Elusive Rumour. Goichman bred and raced Elusive Rumour, a stakes-placed multiple winner who is out of the Alleged mare Quiet Rumour that he bought in Europe.

Elusive Rumour is the dam of two other stakes winners bred by Goichman – Myhartblongstodady, whom he owns, and Scuttlebuzz, who sold for $160,000 as a 2-year-old in 2019. She’s also the dam of the Grade 2-placed winner Lachaise and the 2-year-old New York-bred Oscar Performance filly She Is All Business who made her debut Sept. 15 at the Belmont at the Big A meet.

Endnotes:

[Image]: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/runaway-rumour-the-john-hettinger.jpg

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2023/09/22/runaway-rumour-back-in-win-column-in-hettinger/

Instagrand, Higher Power colts highlight Book 5 of Keeneland September sale

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Hip 3552, a colt by Instagrand bred by Forty Oaks and Pug Hart, sold for $105,000 Thursday at the Keeneland September sale. Photo provided by Taylor Made Sales Agency.

New York-bred colts from the first crops of Instagrand and Higher Power highlighted Book 5 of the Keeneland September yearling sale.

Don’t Stop Me Now Stable purchased Hip 3552[2], a colt by the Grade 2-winning Into Mischief stallion Instagrand, for $105,000 during Thursday’s session. Bred by Forty Oaks and Pug Hart and foaled at Waldorf Farm in North Chatham, the colt is the second foal out of the winning More Than Ready mare Sistas Ready.

An RNA for $45,000 at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga fall mixed sale, the colt sold for $15,000 at this year’s Fasig-Tipton Kentucky winter mixed sale. The 14th six-figure New York-bred yearling so far at the sale, he was consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent.

The mare’s first foal, the Divisidero gelding Vote No, ran his record to 2-for-2 with a victory in the Pepsi Juvenile Sprint Stakes Sept. 13 at Kentucky Downs. Forty Oaks Farm purchased Sistas Ready, carrying the Instagrand colt in utero, for $9,000 at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky winter mixed sale. She subsequently sold in foal to Galilean to K.O.I.D. for $3,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga fall mixed sale.

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Hip 2992, a colt by Higher Power bred by Cheryl Prudhomme and Dr. Michael Gallivan, sold for $80,000 Wednesday at the Keeneland September sale. Photo courtesy of Woods Edge Farm.

Saffie Joseph Jr. purchased Hip 2992[4], a colt by Higher Power, for $80,000 during Wednesday’s session. Bred by Cheryl Prudhomme and Dr. Michael Gallivan and foaled at Shamrock Hill Farm in Fort Edward, the colt is the sixth foal out of the winning Freud mare La Condesa.

Originally sold as a weanling for $30,000 at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga fall mixed sale and then as a short yearling for $25,000 at this year’s Keeneland January horses of all ages sale, the colt was consigned by Peter O’Callahan’s Woods Edge Farm, agent.

La Condesa is the dam of a pair of New York-bred winners – the 4-year-old Speightster filly Tough Street, a winner at the recent Saratoga Race Course meeting and earner of $321,103; and Stellwagen Banker, a gelding by Central Banker who won in mid-July at Delaware Park and earner of $23,690. La Condesa is also the dam of the 2-year-old New York-bred Mo Town filly Endless Love, who sold for $160,000 to Hidden Brook, agent, at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic May sale.

Keeneland reported sales on 38 of the 50 New York-breds offered through the first 10 sessions for $4,144,000, an average price of $109,053 and median of $50,000.

The sale continues with the first of two Book 6 sessions at 10 a.m. Friday.

Endnotes:

[Image]: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Hip3552KeeSept2023.jpeg
Hip 3552: http://apps.keeneland.com/sales/k223/pdfs/3552.pdf
[Image]: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Hip2992KeeSept2023.jpeg
Hip 2992: http://apps.keeneland.com/sales/k223/pdfs/2992.pdf

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2023/09/22/instagrand-higher-power-colts-highlight-book-5-of-keeneland-september-sale/