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Miscellanious
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Breeders' Cup
|Hollywood Futurity|
San Felipe
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Santa Anita Derby
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Kentucky Derby
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Preakness
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Belmont
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Haskell
Golden Ticket rifles bullet for Futurity
Step One to Derby for Point Given
Point Given to Face Charismatic's Half-Brother in Hollywood Futurity
Stubby field, but sharp Point Given
Point Given? Okay, point taken
Point Given Flashes Derby Potential In Futurity Victory
Hollywood Futurity recap: Point Given rebounds from Breeders’ Cup
Point Given: A chip off the old block?
Golden Ticket rifles bullet for Futurity
By Jay Privman INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Golden Ticket, who comes off an overpowering victory against maidens at Hollywood Park Nov. 12, tuned up for Saturday's Grade 1 Hollywood Futurity by working six furlongs Tuesday morning in 1:11, the best time of eight at the distance. Golden Ticket, who is trained by Mike Mitchell, won his race by 4 1/2 lengths while earning a Beyer Speed Figure of 98. Corey Nakatani will ride Golden Ticket. The likely favorite in the Futurity will be Point Given, who most recently finished second in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile. He has never finished worse than second in five starts. Gary Stevens will ride Point Given, who worked five furlongs in 59 seconds Monday at Santa Anita. "He's a big, old, fat horse. He always looks heavy. But he should run well," said Bob Baffert, who trains Point Given. Baffert will be going for his third win in the Futurity in the last four years. He won last year with Captain Steve, and in 1997 with Real Quiet. The only other confirmed starter for the Futurity is Millennium Wind, a half-brother to 1999 Horse of the Year Charismatic who won his lone start here on Nov. 18. Chinook Cat and two colts from D. Wayne Lukas's barn, Signore Pasquale and Unbridled Time, also are possible for the race, but each would have to be supplemented for $20,000. Proud Tower, the winner of the Hollywood Prevue, is going to await Santa Anita's $150,000 California Breeders' Champion Stakes on Dec. 30, a race in which he should be a heavy favorite.
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Step One To Derby for Point Given
By Steve Andersen INGLEWOOD, Calif. - The nose that separated Macho Uno and Point Given at the finish of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Churchill Downs six weeks ago may have been the difference in the 2-year-old male division championship. Considering the winless record of Breeders' Cup Juvenile winners in the Kentucky Derby in the last 16 years, the loss may have been a blessing in disguise for Point Given, who continues on the Triple Crown trail in Saturday's $343,000 Hollywood Futurity. At the least, the Breeders' Cup gave jockey Gary Stevens a chance to gain an impression of Point Given, who will be heavily favored against four others in the Hollywood Futurity, run over 1 1/16 miles. "I learned how good he is," Stevens said. Stevens admits he took Point Given too far off the pace in the Breeders' Cup, and left him with too much to do in the stretch. Last of 14 at the quarter-pole, Point Given rallied very wide through the stretch, closing seven lengths in the final furlong. "He was too far back to overcome it," Stevens said. With a small field in the Futurity, Stevens and Point Given will not be as far back early, and the colt has shown versatility in his five-race career. Point Given led in the Grade 1 Champagne Stakes at Belmont Park in October, but faded in the final sixteenth to finish second to A.P. Valentine. When he won his maiden race at Del Mar on Aug. 26, he was close to the lead throughout the seven-furlong race. "The way this horse runs, he'll be very cooperative," Stevens said. "He does have the speed if you want it." Owned by Ahmed Salman's The Thoroughbred Corp., Point Given is trained by Bob Baffert, who has a strong record in the Futurity. Baffert has won two of the last three runnings, with Captain Steve (1999) and Real Quiet (1997), who later won the Kentucky Derby. Since the Breeders' Cup, Point Given has worked well at Santa Anita, including two bullet workouts. One of Stevens's concerns is that Point Given has not raced at Hollywood Park. "Horses from Santa Anita haven't performed well," Stevens said. "He ran well at Churchill Downs on a looser racetrack." The other four runners are coming off wins and are making their stakes debuts. Millennium Wind, a half-brother to 1999 Kentucky Derby winner Charismatic, Golden Ticket, and Palmeiro were maiden winners at this meeting. Bank Street, claimed for $50,000 on Nov. 3, won an allowance race on Nov. 29.
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Point Given to Face Charismatic's Half Brother in Hollywood Futurity
by Blood-Horse Staff Millennium Wind, a half-brother of Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Charismatic, will likely face Breeders Cup Juvenile (gr. I) runner-up Point Given in the $200,000 Hollywood Futurity (gr. I), Saturday at Hollywood Park. Millennium Wind was a $1.2-million yearling purchase at the 1999 Keeneland September sale. "I was with the Heerenspergers and helped pick him out," said trainer David Hofmans. "He's a pretty tough little horse with his own mind." Millennium Wind won at first asking for trainer Hofmans in a seven-furlong maiden race at Hollywood Park in November. Hofmans says the son of Cryptoclearance doesn't resemble is Classic-winning half-brother. "They're totally different," the trainer said. "Charismatic was a chestnut; this one is a big bay. And hopefully, he will not run for a tag." Point Given is also related to a winner of two Triple Crown races. His sire, Thunder Gulch, won both the Derby and Belmont Stakes. Since finishing second in the Breeders' Cup, Point Given has turned in a pair of bullet works for trainer Bob Baffert. Like Thunder Gulch and Charismatic, Baffert has won two of the three Triple Crown races, accomplishing the feat with both Silver Charm and Real Quiet. Others pointing toward the Futurity include Hollywood Prevue Stakes (gr. III) runner-up Chinook Cat, Golden Ticket, and possibly Signore Pasquale and Unbridled Time.
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Stubby field, but sharp Point Given
By Steve Andersen INGLEWOOD, Calif. - The nose that separated Macho Uno and Point Given at the finish of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Churchill Downs six weeks ago may have been the difference in the 2-year-old male division championship. Considering the winless record of Breeders' Cup Juvenile winners in the Kentucky Derby in the last 16 years, the loss may have been a blessing in disguise for Point Given, who continues on the Triple Crown trail in Saturday's $343,000 Hollywood Futurity. At the least, the Breeders' Cup gave jockey Gary Stevens a chance to gain an impression of Point Given, who will be heavily favored against four others in the Hollywood Futurity, run over 1 1/16 miles. "I learned how good he is," Stevens said. Stevens admits he took Point Given too far off the pace in the Breeders' Cup, and left him with too much to do in the stretch. Last of 14 at the quarter-pole, Point Given rallied very wide through the stretch, closing seven lengths in the final furlong "He was too far back to overcome it," Stevens said. With a small field in the Futurity, Stevens and Point Given will not be as far back early. The colt has shown versatility in his five-race career. Point Given led in the Grade 1 Champagne Stakes at Belmont Park in October, but faded in the final sixteenth to finish second to A.P. Valentine. When he won his maiden race at Del Mar on Aug. 26, he was close to the lead throughout the seven-furlong race. "The way this horse runs, he'll be very cooperative," Stevens said. "He does have the speed if you want it." Owned by Ahmed Salman's The Thoroughbred Corp., Point Given is trained by Bob Baffert, who has a strong record in the Futurity. Baffert has won two of the last three runnings, with Captain Steve (1999) and Real Quiet (1997), who later won the Kentucky Derby. Since the Breeders' Cup, Point Given has worked well at Santa Anita, including two bullet workouts. One of Stevens's concerns is that Point Given has not raced at Hollywood Park. "Horses from Santa Anita haven't performed well," Stevens said. "He ran well at Churchill Downs on a looser racetrack." The other four runners are coming off wins and are making their stakes debuts. Millennium Wind, a half-brother to 1999 Kentucky Derby winner Charismatic, Golden Ticket, and Palmeiro were maiden winners at this meeting. Bank Street, claimed for $50,000 on Nov. 3, won an allowance race on Nov. 29.
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Point Given? Okay, Point Taken
By Steve Andersen INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Point Given put aside his playful antics long enough to win the $345,690 Hollywood Futurity at Hollywood Park on Saturday, solidifying his status among the top few hopefuls for the 2001 Triple Crown. Sporting a small wound over one eye from bumping his head in the receiving barn before the race, Point Given justified his role as the 1-5 favorite with an easy win over Millennium Wind in the Futurity. "He got a little stirred up in the receiving barn and reared up," trainer Bob Baffert said. "Things like that, you don't know what will happen. He got a good workout today, and he got paid for it." Ridden by Gary Stevens for Ahmed Salman's The Thoroughbred Corp., Point Given closed from last in a four-horse field to win the Grade 1 Hollywood Futurity by a length, running 1 1/16 miles in 1:42.21. A winner of 3 of 6 starts and $618,500, Point Given was making his first start since he finished second by a nose in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile to Macho Uno. Millennium Wind and Golden Ticket fought for the lead through fractions of 23.08 and 46.86 seconds, while Stevens kept Point Given at the back of the field. On the backstretch, Point Given, racing three wide, joined the two front-runners. "They slowed the pace down on the backside and I was in the race," Stevens said. "I wanted to wait until the eighth pole to make my move, and he was dragging me." Golden Ticket dropped out of contention in early stretch, leaving Point Given and Millennium Wind, who was ridden by Chris McCarron, a head apart at the eighth pole. Racing on the outside, Point Given pulled clear late. "I was still galloping when Chris was asking his horse," Stevens said. "I got in front a little sooner than I wanted to and he got to playing around." The Futurity was the stakes debuts of the other three starters. Millennium Wind, a half-brother to 1999 Kentucky Derby winner Charismatic who is trained by David Hofmans, held second, finishing seven lengths clear of Golden Ticket, who was five lengths in front of Bank Street. "I loved his effort," Hofmans said. "He was hooked all the way, he never got a breather and he ran to the wire. I think we have a little future here. If we take care of the guy, here we come."
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Point Given Flashes Derby Potential In Futurity Victory
Point Given, a troubled second last month in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile, stamped himself as a legitimate Kentucky Derby contender with an impressive one-length victory over Millennium Wind in Saturday's $345,690 Hollywood Futurity at Hollywood Park. Point Given, owned by The Thoroughbred Corp. of Saudi Arabia's Prince Ahmed Salman, staked pacesetters Golden Ticket and Millennium Wind before moving into contention rounding the far turn. He gained command from Millennium Wind at the eighth pole and gradually pulled away to bank the winner's share of $204,300 while covering the 1 1/16 miles in 1:42 3/5. Millennium Wind, a half-brother to 1999 Kentucky Derby winner Charismatic, ran gamely under jockey Chris McCarron to earn second money in only his second career start. Golden Ticket, ridden by Corey Nakatani, was another seven lengths back in third. Bank Street was fourth in the Grade I event for 2-year-olds, which was reduced to four starters with the late scratch of Palmeiro. Point Given, whose presence scared away several nominees to the Futurity, was the odds-on favorite, paying $2.60 and $2.10. The place price on Millennium Wind was $2.10. There was no show wagering. Trainer Bob Baffert has saddled three of the last four winners of the Futurity, a race which has produced five Kentucky Derby champions in its brief 20-year history. The latest Futurity champ to win the Derby was Real Quiet - Baffert's first Futurity winner in 1997. "Point Given reminded me of Real Quiet - big, long-striding horses," Baffert said. "But you can't really compare any of these horses. He's a different type, but he is really pretty awesome. He was just galloping there at the end once he made the lead. I could see what Gary was doing. About the three-eighths pole you could tell he had a lot of horse." Baffert picked the son of Thunder Gulch along with four other horses from The Thoroughbred Corp.'s 2-year-old crop early this year. "I really wasn't a fan of Thunder Gulch at the time, but I saw this huge, big horse and I thought, 'If Thunder Gulch is gonna have a runner, this may be him,'" Baffert said. "He's been a lot of work, he's a handful. Today in the receiving barn he reared up and nicked his eye on top. He came in there with a fresh wound on his eye. He got a little bit stirred up there, but we felt real confident about him, that he was gonna handle the track coming from Santa Anita." Stevens, who also rode Keemoon to victory in Saturday's $70,000 Waya Handicap, has always been fond of Thunder Gulch, the runner-up in the 1994 Hollywood Futurity. Stevens didn't ride him that day, but he was aboard the next May when Thunder Gulch became the Hall of Fame jockey's second of three Kentucky Derby winners. "He reminds me a lot in temperament of his daddy," Stevens said. "In fact, he is quite a bit further advanced than Thunder Gulch was at this stage of the game. And Thunder Gulch didn't want to learn. He was a very, very rebellious colt. This colt, he has a little streak in him. I wouldn't say it's mean. It's just a very playful streak. There was a picture on the cover of the Form the other day with him on his hind legs. That's just him." Point Given, who provided Stevens with his first Futurity win after 11 mounts, has not been worse than second while winning three of six starts. Saturday's pot raised his earnings to $618,500 with many lucrative purses in the offing. "I don't think now that he is the type of colt that is going to win his races by 15 lengths," Stevens said. "He's going to win by far enough to get the job done. But he is more willing to run by horses at this stage of the game than his daddy was. As for his future, well, he is very easy on himself. He hits the ground great. As long as he stays in one piece, the sky's the limit." Point Given drew the inside post position for the 14-horse Breeders' Cup Juvenile and rallied from last after three-quarters to finish second to Macho Uno, beaten just a nose. "Post positions killed me in the Breeders' Cup," Baffert said. "You either go, or you can't go from there (inside). Gary decided not to go and he got this wall of horses in front of him and he had to weave his way all the way around. And it's incredible the way that track was . . . he showed us he's something special. I was disappointed in losing, but it was exciting to know, 'Boy, what a horse.' He showed us he is something special." David Hofmans, the trainer of David and Jill Heerensperger's Millennium Wind, had a familiar feeling Saturday as the $1.2-million yearling ran a courageous race just four weeks after breaking his maiden in his first career start. "I loved his effort," Hofmans said. "He was hooked every step, never had a breather, and Chris said he ran all the way to the wire. Point Given is a good horse, we know that. To be beaten by him is no disgrace for this horse's second start. I think we have a little future here."
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Hollywood Futurity recap: Point Given rebounds from Breeders’ Cup
Point Given gave further indications that he is a Kentucky Derby (G1) contender when he won the $345,690 Hollywood Futurity (G1) for two-year-olds at Hollywood Park on Saturday in his first start since a narrow defeat in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) at Churchill Downs on November 4. Point Given outdueled Millennium Wind--who was making his second career start--to gain command in the final sixteenth en route to a one-length victory in a final time of 1:42.21 for the 1 1/16 miles. Gary Stevens rode the 3-to-10 favorite for trainer Bob Baffert and owner-breeder The Thoroughbred Corp. Millennium Wind, a $1.2-million yearling purchase and a half brother to 1999 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes (G1) winner Charismatic, took the lead at the start of the four-horse race and set fractions of :23.08, :46.86, and 1:10.90. Point Given was last early, but was brought up to engage with the frontrunners as the field left the backstretch. Rounding the far turn, Millennium Wind, Point Given, and Golden Ticket were running as a team, but Golden Ticket eventually faded. Point Given and Millennium Wind dueled down the lane, with Point Given finally drawing off despite running greenly. Golden Ticket was another seven lengths back in third with Bank Street another five lengths back to complete the order of finish. In taking home the winner’s share of $204,300, Point Given boosted his bankroll to $618,500 and upped his record to 3-3-0 in six starts. After winning the Kentucky Cup Juvenile Stakes (G3) at Turfway Park and finishing second in the Champagne Stakes (G1) at Belmont Park, the son of Thunder Gulch out of Turko’s Turn, by Turkoman, was sent to Churchill Downs for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile . Far back early, he circled ten wide into the stretch only to miss winning by a nose to Macho Uno.
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Point Given: A chip off the old block?
by Frank Mitchell LEXINGTON, Ky. - By winning the Hollywood Futurity, the last Grade 1 stakes of the year for 2-year-old colts, Point Given made his case for being one of the better prospects for next season's classic races. Along with Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Macho Uno, Champagne winner A.P. Valentine, and a handful of others such as Hollywood Futurity runner-up Millennium Wind, Point Given has shown very good athletic ability, and his racing style seems well suited to a distance. In fact, both in racing aptitude and in his development as an athlete, Point Given is very similar to his sire, multiple classic winner Thunder Gulch. A half-dozen years ago, Thunder Gulch finished second in the Hollywood Futurity for owner Michael Tabor. The next year, the chestnut son of Gulch proceeded to win the Florida Derby, Kentucky Derby, Belmont, and Travers and was the champion 3-year-old colt. Thunder Gulch retired to Coolmore's North American farm, Ashford Stud near Versailles, Ky., and the horse has shuttled between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres each year. After standing his first three seasons at Ashford, Thunder Gulch was leased to stand at the East Stud, a Japanese breeding operation that has a long-standing relationship with Coolmore. Coolmore, in addition to owning stallion farms in Ireland, Kentucky, and Australia, has arranged a number of single-year leases for its stallions to East Stud, including the highly successful Danehill, Thunder Gulch in 1999, Spinning World in 2000, and Hennessy for 2001. Sired before Thunder Gulch's trip to Japan, Point Given is one of the stallion's second crop of 88 named foals, following a first crop of 87. The leader among his first-crop racers is the filly Spain, winner of this year's Breeders' Cup Distaff. Like Point Given, Spain was bred by Ahmed Salman's The Thoroughbred Corp., which also races both of them. Point Given is the second foal of the stakes-winning Turkoman mare Turko's Turn. The Thoroughbred Corp. purchased the mare in foal to Dehere at the 1996 Keeneland November sale for $130,000, but then sold her at the November sale two years later. Ironwood Farm bought Turko's Turn for $160,000, carrying a filly by Hennessy. Richard Mulhall, who is the racing manager and general manager for The Thoroughbred Corp., said, "We were cutting back on some mares, and she was one of those we cut back." For Ironwood, Turko's Turn produced a Hennessy filly who sold for $120,000 at the Keeneland November sale last year and then a filly by Tale of the Cat who was sold to John Oxley for $975,000 at this year's November sale. The buyer did very well with Turko's Turn, but The Thoroughbred Corp. realized that selling the mare was a mistake when Point Given went into training. Earlier this summer, however, "I did buy the mare back," Mulhall said. "After Point Given started the first time and was second, we could see he had some talent, and then I bought the mare again." Since the purchase, Point Given has won the Kentucky Cup Juvenile, placed second in the Champagne and Breeders' Cup Juvenile, and won the Dec. 16 Hollywood Futurity. As a result, his dam's value has appreciated, and she is now one of the most valuable daughters of champion Turkoman, who is making a very respectable start as a broodmare sire. Turko's Turn is in foal to Charismatic and due early, Mulhall said. She is probably going to return to Thunder Gulch in 2001. Once again a member of The Thoroughbred Corp. broodmare band, Turko's Turn is a good-sized mare, and her son takes after the female side of the pedigree for size. Mulhall said, "I just talked to Bob Baffert, and he weighed the colt after the race. Point Given weighs about 1,280 pounds. And he stands about 16.3 hands." That's big. As a frame of reference, Forego was a little taller, at slightly more than 17 hands, but he weighed less at 1,225 pounds. Horse of the Year for three consecutive seasons, Forego was generally considered to the best big horse in many years. With his career in front of him, Point Given has miles to go before reaching the status of Forego, but he has made a good start. Racing fans will get an idea of how well Point Given has progressed toward classic standard as he races in the preps leading to the Kentucky Derby next May. According to Mulhall, Point Given probably will have only two races before the classics, with a start in either the San Rafael or the San Felipe leading to the Santa Anita Derby, if the colt stays in California for his Triple Crown preparation.
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The music on this page is "Nothing Compares 2 U", by Sinead O'Connor.
