Northwest Race Series 

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February 22, 2014

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   The 2013 Experimental Free Handicap was released by The Jockey Club on January 29, 2014. A total of 107 colts and geldings and 92 fillies were weighted.

   Topping the list of male runners was Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) winner New Year's Day at 125. Weighted one pound below him at 125 were Havana and champion Shared Belief, both of whom have Washington connections. Havana is out of a sister to Pat and Mullen Chinn's broodmare Follow Your Shot. Unbeaten Shared Belief is owned by a partnership which includes Dr. George Todaro. Others noted were: Northwest Farms LLC-bred Smarty's Echo at 111; Jose Sea View, who is out of a former WTBOA sale graduate, at 109; and Roz Barclay-owned Hi Fashioned at 105.

   Co-highweighted among the fillies were Breeders' Cup Fillies (G1) winner Ria Antonia and national champion She's a Tiger, who was bred by Oregon physician Dr. Rodney Orr and is raced in partnership by Mark Dedomenico, at 123. Others with a connection to the Pacific Northwest include the Dedomenico co-owned Colonel Joan at 116 and Aaron and Marie Jones-bred Bahnah at 114.

   No runners bred in Washington were weighted this year.

WTBOA Sales Graduates in the News

   Fred and Cindy Desimone, Glyn C. Kelly and Anne MacLennon's Saint Lemone, a three-year-old daughter of Lemon Drop Kid-Saintly Slumber, by Saint Ballado, bred in California by Al and Sandee Kirkwood and trained by Dan Markle, finished second in a maiden special weight race at the Albany track, on January 25 in her second start. She had earlier in the month run second in her first outing.

   Writer Fever, a three-year-old California-bred daughter of Stormin Fever, went gate-to-wire to take a maiden $50,000 claiming race by nearly two lengths at Santa Anita on January 26. She is the sixth winner out of 1991 WTBOA sales graduate Poetry Writer, by Staff Writer, a $66,041 stakes-placed full sister to stakes winner Ahwanhee and stakes-placed Stogie and half-sister to stakes-placed Tablet.

   Three-year-old Find Your Spot, a filly from the first crop of 2013 Washington leading freshman sire Nationhood, who stands at Blue Ribbon Farm, out of stakes winner Sudden Departure, by Demons Begone, won a six-furlong starter allowance race at Golden Gate on January 30. The filly races for Where We At, is trained by Jim Penney and was bred by Rick and Debbie Pabst. She improved her record to 2-1-2 from five starts and has earned $27,125.

Other News

   In his first start in 2014, Karl Krieg's homebred 2012 Washington champion older male runner Absolutely Cool finished second to L.A. Weekend in the $35,000 Swift Stakes held at Turf Paradise on January 25. It was the 13th stakes placement for the seven-year-old son of Absolute Harmony-Coup de Foudre, by Basket Weave, who had finished third in the 2013 Swift. Trained by Valorie Lund and ridden by Rocco Bowen, the gelding has earned $160,463. The following day, Krieg-bred and Lund-trained King of the Sky won a 6 1/2-furlong allowance/$25,000 optional claiming race at the Arizona track. The five-year-old Washington-bred gelding by Flying With Eagles-Omnia Vincit Amor, by Tough Knight, has won five races and earned $65,413. Lund-trained distaffers finished in the one-two sports in a mile turf allowance on the same card, as Vonn Nez defeated Krieg's Lady Rosberg. Washington-owned runners also finished in the next three spots: Claire Lein's She's Stella Marie was third; Janice Elliot and Terra Firma Farm's Cu At Sunup ran fourth; and Kama'aina Thoroughbred's Madame Pele - in her first Arizona start - ran fifth in the nine-horse field.

    Mark Dedomenico LLC, Jason Litt, Alex Solis IIand trainer Jerry Hollendorfer's Scherzinger, ridden by Mike Smith, won her first stakes, the $200,000 Santa Monica Stakes (G2) at Santa Anita on January 25, by one length. The four-year-old Kentucky-bred daughter of Tiz Wonderful-Dancinandsingin, by A.P. Indy, improved her race record to 4-1-1 from seven starts and has earned $245,374. On the same card, Dr. George Todaro and Jerry and Janet Hollendorfer's homebred Life Is a Joy, by Globalize, finished third in the $250,000 California Cup Derby, upping the stakes winner's earnings to $158,830 in seven starts.

    2012 Emerald Downs horse of the meeting Class Included, finished third in the $400,000 Houston Ladies Classic Stakes at Sam Houston Race Course on January 25. With the $42,680 she earned in the 1 1/16-mile race, the six-year-old Kentucky-bred daughter of Include-A Classic Life has now earned $594,825.

   Trainer Margo Lloyd reports that 2011 Emerald Downs champion older filly You Me and Ema B "is doing great." The seven-year-old multiple stakes-winning daughter of You and I-Carrie Ann, by  Son of Briartic, who is now owned by Lloyd with Ken Jochimsen and his wife Jenny Webber, is scheduled to be among the first group of mares scheduled to be bred this spring to three-time Grade 1 winner Smiling Tiger.

   In the recently published book Strike a Long Trot, a biography of the early years of extraordinary horsewoman and Tellington TTouch founder Linda Tellington-Jones written by former California Thoroughbred racing industry member Shannon Yewell Weil, is discussion and photos of some of the prominent students who trained at her Pacific Coast Equestrian Research Farm in the early 1970's. Among them is Washington horsewoman, former Thoroughbred trainer and nationally respected artist Pam Parker.

2014 Barretts January Mixed Sale

   Both the average price ($8,683 vs. $8,343) and median ($5,350 vs. $4,500) rose from 2013 to 2014 after 224 horses sold (from 306 cataloged) at the Barretts January Mixed Sale held on January 27, 2014, in Pomona, California.

    Washingtonian Rozamund Barclay purchased two newly turned two-year-olds, including the third highest priced individual, a filly by Old Fashioned - who is also the sire of Barclay's 2013 stakes winner Hi Fashioned - out of Bond Queen for $65,000. Her other buy was a colt by Parading out of Fair Wager for $9,000.

   Peggy Buckley and Sharon Balcom purchased two broodmares, both bred to former Emerald Downs stakes winner Chhaya Dance: Snow Royalty, a 2007 daughter of Grey Memo, and Lee's Tizzy, a 2008 daughter of Cee's Tizzy.

   Others noted selling  with a Pacific Northwest connection include Kent Handicap runner-up Miss Ballard - a half-sister to two Washington champions - bred to Dixie Chatter, and her daughter Ballard Chatter, as a broodmare prospect; 2003 Washington champion No Turbulence, bred to Calimonco; and a Lucky Pulpit yearling colt out of Oregon horse of the year Revillew Slew. 

Russell Baze Scores on Six of Seven Mounts at Golden Gate

   National and Washington Racing Hall of Famer Russell Baze had another banner day at the races when the 55-year-old rider came home first on six of his seven mounts on the eight race card and was third in his other finish at Golden Gate Fields on January 31, 2014.

   Baze, who has recorded 44 wins in this year, won with Iron Joe T. (1st), Uzzeil (3rd), Spanish Sugarr (5th), Relentless Warrior (6th), Barrel Knot (7th) and Bomb Site (8th).

   Baze's overall lifetime record from 51,113 trips is 12,146-9,067-7,457 and his mounts have earned $187,947,973 during his career as a jockey, which began at Yakima Meadows in 1976.