Wynstock scores in Grade 2 Los Al Futurity

By Melissa Bauer-Herzog

Wynstock kept Solomini’s big day rolling with his second straight victory and first stakes score in Saturday’s Grade 2 Los Alamitos Futurity at Los Alamitos Race Course.

The 2-year-old son of Solomini came into the 1 1/16-mile Futurity off a 7 1/2-length maiden special weight romp in October. Sent off as the 13-1 second longest price on the board, Wynstock was hustled out of the gate by Kyle Frey and took a short lead on the field around the first turn. Wynstock opened up a length on the field up the backstretch as he galloped comfortably on the lead to register opening fractions of :23.53 and :47.90.

Frey kept his mount well in hand but the field quickly closed his margin to cause a three-way duel for the lead as the field turned into the stretch. Wynstock wasn’t willing to give up but had to dig in deep with Stronghold fighting him every step of the way.

While his other early stretch challenger had quickly given up, Stronghold wasn’t about to do the same and Wynstock’s stablemate Coach Prime was also racing up the outside for his own turn at the leader. Wynstock kept the advantage throughout and started to pull away from Stronghold near the line to win by a half-length in 1:43.53 over the fast track. Coach Prime closed too late to finish third, beaten a length.

Trained by Bob Baffert for Edward Allred and Jack Liebau, Wynstock improved to 2-for-4 and earned $120,000, boosting his bankroll to $162,740.

Bred by Empire Equines LLC, Wynstock was a $50,000 Keeneland September yearling sale purchase by Gerardo Barragan from Hidden Brook in 2022. He returned to the ring at this year’s OBS April sale and brought $700,000 from Allred and Liebau out of the Caliente Thoroughbreds consignment.

Wynstock became the third stakes winner and first graded stakes winner for McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds’ freshman sire Solomini, who also scored another new stakes winner with My Shea D Lady in Saturday’s Fifth Avenue division of the New York Stallion Series Stakes at Aqueduct. Three stakes winners ties Solomini for first among all first-crop sires by stakes winners with the stallion also leading New York freshmen in multiple categories.

Wynstock is the first foal out of the placed Flatter mare Timberlea, who was purchased by McMahon and Hill Bloodstock for $10,500 at the 2020 Keeneland January horses of all ages sale before joining the New York program. She is a half-sister to Grade 3 winner and multiple Grade 2-placed Untrapped and out of a granddaughter of successful broodmare Yarn.

Yarn’s foals included champion Minardi and Grade 2 winner and successful sire Tale of the Cat with her daughters producing European and U.S. champion Johannesburg and the dam of Grade 1 winner Joking.

Timberlea produced a New York-bred Mo Town filly April 5 and returned to Solomini for her 2024 foal.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2023/12/16/wynstock-scores-in-grade-2-los-al-futurity/

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Laoban colt Antonio of Venice improves to take NYSS Great White Way

Antonio of Venice made the lead early in his second try at stakes company last time out and couldn’t last. The son of Laoban and jockey Manny Franco – aboard for that run in the Aspirant at Finger Lakes – employed different tactics in Saturday’s $500,000 Great White Way division of the New York Stallion Series Stakes and came away with a improved result.

Antonio of Venice came from off the pace in the 7-furlong Great White Way and overcame a rough trip to land his first stakes victory for owners Michael Imperio, Robert Cotrone, Hibiscus Stables and Rudy Rodriguez. Rodriguez trains the New York-bred colt out of the Trappe Shot mare Stella Performance and also came away with the runner-up in the Great White Way after a lengthy steward’s inquiry with the Solomini colt and first-time starter Heavyweight Champs.

“It’s one of the bucket list things that we got 1-2 in the $500,000 race,” Rodriguez said. “That’s what we work so hard for. All the credit goes to the help in the barn, they do an amazing job. The grooms, the hotwalkers, my assistants – we have a very good team. I’m so happy to be around in the mornings with them. We have a lot of laughs, a lot of cries, but I’m just so happy to see this happen to us.”

Some of the connections of Antonio of Venice’s beaten foes might have felt a few lumps in their throats after Saturday’s co-feature.

Heavyweight Champs took the lead shortly after the break, just ahead of Solo’s Fury with The Big Torpedo and Antonio of Venice tracking just behind through the opening quarter-mile in :22.49. Heavyweight Champs still led by a half-length from Solo’s Fury around the far turn and to the half in :45.78.

As the field passed the quarter-pole with Heavyweight Champs clinging to his short lead, Brick Ambush made his run about four paths off the fence and Antonio of Venice did the same up the inside. Solo’s Fury and The Big Torpedo wound up squeezed between those Brick Ambush and Antonio of Venice just before straightening for home, dropping a few lengths back.

Brick Ambush came alongside Heavyweight Champs at about the 3/16ths pole, while Franco guided Antonio of Venice toward the middle of the track. Brick Ambush’s lead at the eighth pole didn’t last long, as Antonio of Venice rolled past at the sixteenth pole on the way to a three-quarter-length win. Brick Ambush held second at the finish, 1 ½ lengths ahead of Heavyweight Champs with The Big Torpedo running on well despite his trouble to finish another length back in fourth. Antonio of Venice finished in 1:24.40.

Stewards took a long look at the incident at the top of the lane and eventually disqualified Brick Ambush to 12th and last, a spot behind Solo’s Fury.

“I held my spot inside [at the top of the lane] and the pressure was coming from outside,” Franco said. “I was just trying to hold my spot because [Brick Ambush] is coming, so I knew when he comes I’m going to go around him. I held my spot there.”

Antonio of Venice, fourth in the Aspirant and sixth in the off-the-turf Skidmore Stakes against open company two starts back, improved to 2-1-1 in six starts and boosted his bankroll to $350,744 winning the co-richest race for 2-year-olds on the NYRA circuit.

“He [Antonio of Venice] ran unbelievable,” Rodriguez said. “I’m just very, very happy with the way he was. He got pinched right away out of there. I thought he was going to be close to the lead and then he got pinched pretty hard. The other horse [Heavyweight Champs] went, so I was just rooting for any of my horses. I saw him coming up the outside and thought, ‘Oh, it’s the other one!’ We’re very excited and very happy with the way they ran.

“Maybe he wants to run from behind. He got a lot of kickback along the rail and then was able to come outside. I don’t know [what’s next]. These guys want to bet him in the pool for the Derby.”

Bred by Cypress Creek Equine LLC, Antonio of Venice sold for $35,000 at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October yearling sale and for the same price at this year’s OBS March sale. Antonio of Venice is the third foal out of Stella Performance, who also produced winning full siblings to the Great White Way winner in New York-breds Modern Midas and I’m Wide Awake. Stella Performance also produced a weanling colt by McKinzie foaled February 25 in New York.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2023/12/16/laoban-colt-antonio-of-venice-improves-to-take-nyss-great-white-way/

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Solomini filly My Shea D Lady wins NYSS Fifth Avenue

My Shea D Lady came into Saturday’s $500,000 Fifth Avenue division of the New York Stallion Series Stakes stakes-placed and her sire’s second leading earner. The daughter of Solomini came out a stakes winner and $275,000 richer, after riding the inside most of the 7-furlong trip en route to victory under Javier Castellano.

My Shea D Lady won the Fifth Avenue by 2 1/2 lengths over Walk With Me, who made a long and sustained rally to finish second and give McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds a 1-2 finish by offspring of the Saratoga Springs’ farm’s stallions in the richest race for 2-year-olds on the NYRA circuit.

Solomini, the leading freshman sire in New York, stands for $6,500; while Central Banker, the sire of Walk With Me and two-time defending leading sire in the Empire State, stands for $7,500.

“We’ve liked him [Solomini] all along and we were lucky to get him in the first place,” McMahon of Saratoga’s Joe McMahon said. “He won a Grade 1 and they took him down. If they gave him that Grade 1, he’d be in Kentucky for a lot more money. We were very fortunate that way. [My Shea D Lady] was my absolute favorite foal.”

Bred by and foaled at McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds and out of the Teuflesberg mare Ladyberg, My Shea D Lady was purchased for $100,000 by Shea D Boy’s Stable at the OBS April sale. Campaigned by that group and trained by Carlos Davis, My Shea D Lady came into the Fifth Avenue off back-to-back fourth-place finishes in the Joseph A. Gimma and Key Cents after a third in the Seeking the Ante Stakes at Saratoga Race Course in her second start.

The 5-2 favorite in the field of 12, My Shea D Lady raced in the middle of the pack under Castellano up the backstretch as fellow Solomini filly Soloshot set the pace ahead of the Freud filly Sun and Wind through splits of :22.99 and :46.91.

Castellano stayed on the inside around the far turn as My Shea D Lady raced into third approaching the quarter-pole, just 1 1/2 lengths behind Soloshot. My Shea D Lady took the lead just outside the eighth pole and drew off to win going away in 1:25.91 over the fast track. Walk With Me, 4 1/2 lengths back turning for home, rallied under Dylan Davis for the place spot and 2 1/2 lengths clear of the Big Brown filly and first-time starter Elite Status in third. Sun and Wind finished fourth.

My Shea D Lady survived an inquiry after a trainer’s objection from Rudy Rodriguez – the trainer of Sun and Wind – for the win.

“My filly was just a little bit intimidated along the rail behind horses,” Castellano said. “It was really tight and she don’t want to go, but as soon as she got through, she took off. She started getting tired a little bit at the end. I had to keep her straight but I didn’t interfere with nobody else. You could see I was clear and I didn’t bother nobody in the race. The horse was much the best in the race.”

My Shea D Lady earned $275,000 for the victory and boosted her bankroll to $336,500.

David was happy to give a leg up to Castellano for the first time aboard My Shea D Lady.

“They’re still babies. They’re still trying to figure it out,” he said. “I know it’s another month and they’ll be 3, but she’s only run five times and there’s been a couple races where she just kind of hangs.

“The jockeys weren’t as aggressive as I wanted them to be, and I told Javier, ‘I think it’s a great spot and if she doesn’t get in trouble, we should be able to come through; don’t feel scared to just kind of push a little bit and encourage her to get in the spot.’ ”

My Shea D Lady is the first foal out of Ladyberg. A half-sister to New York-bred stakes winner Hoosick Falls and stakes-placed Manor Prospect, Ladyberg is also the dam of a Solomini colt who was a $37,000 RNA at this year’s OBS October yearling sale and a weanling colt by Solomini born May 9. McMahon of Saratoga bred each of Ladyberg’s foals.

David said My Shea D Lady would likely receive a refresher after her second win in five starts.

“I kind of want to give her a little bit of time off. She’s been running good,” he said. “I’m going to talk to the guys and maybe send her to the warm weather for a couple of months. I’ll leave it up to them. She’s great and has done good for us. I always like to give them a little break, maybe run her one time in Florida. She’s a New York-bred, but after a race like this, maybe we just give her a couple months off and let her refresh.”

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2023/12/16/solomini-filly-my-shea-d-lady-wins-nyss-fifth-avenue/

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