Much needed catch-up after I have not been able to spend much time online because my adapter (battery charger) broke and my laptop battery is completely knackered anyway so was empty quickly. But... I am back and I have an adapter that works properly!!!
In the meantime, my girl Sugar Swirl won the inaugural Scotzanna Stakes at Woodbine on 18 April on her way to the Ballerina Stakes at Saratoga next month. Her connection are considering pointing her to the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Spring at Santa Anita at the end of October.
Her trainer Brian Lynch was quoted as saying: "She's been a lot of fun. She's the best mare I have ever trained."
Very nice to hear. She is a true asset to my stable and is the star of my 2003 crop. A lovely mare to follow.
Showing posts with label Sugar Swirl. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sugar Swirl. Show all posts
Sunday, 27 July 2008
Friday, 2 May 2008
Sugar Swirl After First G1 Win
It's Kentucky Derby day, but all I care about is one race on the undercard on America's most famous race: race 8, the Humana Distaff (G1) over seven furlongs.
In this race Sugar Swirl will take her first crack at a G1 race and she is showing up with tremendous form, touted as the most exciting sprinter in the US at the moment. The powerhouse chestnut filly comes of an impressive win in the G2 Shirley Jones Handicap at Gulfstream Park, in which she conquered the field, including Baroness Thatcher, by 5 1/2 lengths.
Her biggest rival will likely be Hystericalady, who comes off a strong win in the Azeri S (G3).
I have been very keen on Sugar Swirl from very early on. I saw her yearling photos on the Adena Springs website and she just looked like she was built like a tank. That was it, I was sold and it goes to show, if you like the look of a horse, go with your gut feeling!
I am looking forward to her race. She will run well and hopefully she will show she is the top female sprinter in the USA.
The field:
1. Hystericalady (Rafael Bejarano) 120 lbs
2. Change Up (Kent Desormeaux) 118 lbs
3. Graeme Six (Julien Leparoux) 120 lbs
4. Miss Macy Sue (Eddie Razo Jr) 118 lbs
5. Sugar Swirl (Javier Castellano) 122 lbs
6. Windyindy (Calvin Borel) 118 lbs
7. Miraculous Miss (Jeremy Rose) 118 lbs
8. Baroness Thatcher (John Velazquez) 118 lbs
9. Intangaroo (Alanso Quinonez) 124 lbs
In this race Sugar Swirl will take her first crack at a G1 race and she is showing up with tremendous form, touted as the most exciting sprinter in the US at the moment. The powerhouse chestnut filly comes of an impressive win in the G2 Shirley Jones Handicap at Gulfstream Park, in which she conquered the field, including Baroness Thatcher, by 5 1/2 lengths.
Her biggest rival will likely be Hystericalady, who comes off a strong win in the Azeri S (G3).
I have been very keen on Sugar Swirl from very early on. I saw her yearling photos on the Adena Springs website and she just looked like she was built like a tank. That was it, I was sold and it goes to show, if you like the look of a horse, go with your gut feeling!
I am looking forward to her race. She will run well and hopefully she will show she is the top female sprinter in the USA.
The field:
1. Hystericalady (Rafael Bejarano) 120 lbs
2. Change Up (Kent Desormeaux) 118 lbs
3. Graeme Six (Julien Leparoux) 120 lbs
4. Miss Macy Sue (Eddie Razo Jr) 118 lbs
5. Sugar Swirl (Javier Castellano) 122 lbs
6. Windyindy (Calvin Borel) 118 lbs
7. Miraculous Miss (Jeremy Rose) 118 lbs
8. Baroness Thatcher (John Velazquez) 118 lbs
9. Intangaroo (Alanso Quinonez) 124 lbs
Sunday, 30 March 2008
Sugar Swirl: The Sprint Queen
My girl Sugar Swirl did it with style. Yesterday she became the Queen of Gulfstream, as she shone in the Shirley Jones Handicap (G2), winning comfortably by 5 1/2 lengths. She covered the 7 furlongs in 1:22.57, only 1.5 seconds away from the track record. She seems to be getting better and better with every race she runs. She was under restraint, tucked in behind the leaders around the turn. She was angled out and rallied to take over entering the stretch, drawing off when asked. She is a very, very good mare.
She has now won 4 stakes raced in a row. She is on route to be the first Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint in the autumn if you ask me. For some reason I do well with sprinters, with Lost In The Fog and Thor's Echo before her.
She might be pointed at the Humana Distaff (G1) at Churchill Downs on 3 May, but a decision has not been made yet.
She is owned by Stronach Stables and trained by Brian Lynch. She was bred by Adena Springs in Canada.
(Sugar Swirl (CAN) - 2003 chestnut mare - Touch Gold x Astrapi, by Distinctive Pro)
She has now won 4 stakes raced in a row. She is on route to be the first Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint in the autumn if you ask me. For some reason I do well with sprinters, with Lost In The Fog and Thor's Echo before her.
She might be pointed at the Humana Distaff (G1) at Churchill Downs on 3 May, but a decision has not been made yet.
She is owned by Stronach Stables and trained by Brian Lynch. She was bred by Adena Springs in Canada.
(Sugar Swirl (CAN) - 2003 chestnut mare - Touch Gold x Astrapi, by Distinctive Pro)
Wednesday, 26 March 2008
ToF Tidbits - 26 March 08
The Shirley Jones Handicap (G2) has been rescheduled for Saturday 29 March, so Sugar Swirl will have her chance for queendom after all!
2007 Champion Sprinter Thor's Echo is back on the worktab with a workout at Hollywood Park. It took him 37.20 secs to cover the 3f distance over a fast all weather track. He had not worked from 6 August last year. He has undergone surgery to remove a bone chip from a hind ankle. It;s good to see him back! Looking forward to a good 2008 from him.
(Sugar Swirl (CAN) - 2003 chestnut mare - Touch Gold x Astrapi, by Distinctive Pro)
(Thor's Echo (USA) - 2002 chestnut gelding - Swiss Yodeler x Helen Of Troy, by Mr Integrity)
2007 Champion Sprinter Thor's Echo is back on the worktab with a workout at Hollywood Park. It took him 37.20 secs to cover the 3f distance over a fast all weather track. He had not worked from 6 August last year. He has undergone surgery to remove a bone chip from a hind ankle. It;s good to see him back! Looking forward to a good 2008 from him.
(Sugar Swirl (CAN) - 2003 chestnut mare - Touch Gold x Astrapi, by Distinctive Pro)
(Thor's Echo (USA) - 2002 chestnut gelding - Swiss Yodeler x Helen Of Troy, by Mr Integrity)
Sunday, 23 March 2008
ToF Tidbits - 23 March 08
Flashy Flyer, daughter of 2001 ToF horse Wood Duck, had her first workout on 20 March at El Primero Training Center, where she worked 3f out of the gate in 40.60. Flashy Flyer is included in my 2006 crop.
Bonfire was the third horse part of my 2006 crop that worked. He worked 3f in 40.00 at Laurel Park on Saturday (22 March).
Sugar Swirl was denied the chance to claim queendom as after the sixth race racing was cancelled at Gulfstrea. A daylong deluge compromised the safety of the horses. A decision on rescheduling the Shirley Jones Handicap has not yet been announced.
(Flashy Flyer (USA) - 2006 bay filly - Valid Expectations x Wood Duck, by Kingmambo)
(Wood Duck (USA) - 2001 bay mare - Kingmambo x Duck Trap, by Affirmed)
(Bonfire (USA) - 2006 dkbr colt - Runaway Groom x Tenacite, by Seattle Slew)
(Sugar Swirl (USA) - 2003 ch mare - Touch Gold x Astrapi, by Distinctive Pro)
Bonfire was the third horse part of my 2006 crop that worked. He worked 3f in 40.00 at Laurel Park on Saturday (22 March).
Sugar Swirl was denied the chance to claim queendom as after the sixth race racing was cancelled at Gulfstrea. A daylong deluge compromised the safety of the horses. A decision on rescheduling the Shirley Jones Handicap has not yet been announced.
(Flashy Flyer (USA) - 2006 bay filly - Valid Expectations x Wood Duck, by Kingmambo)
(Wood Duck (USA) - 2001 bay mare - Kingmambo x Duck Trap, by Affirmed)
(Bonfire (USA) - 2006 dkbr colt - Runaway Groom x Tenacite, by Seattle Slew)
(Sugar Swirl (USA) - 2003 ch mare - Touch Gold x Astrapi, by Distinctive Pro)
Friday, 21 March 2008
Sugar Swirl Ready To Reign
Sugar Swirl is currently the horse in form and she could be crowned the Sprint Queen of Gulfstream this Saturday went she will be contesting the G2 Shirley Jones Handicap there. The 7f race for older fillies and mares carries a purse of $200,000.
She already won the First Lady Handicap (G3) and Hurricane Bertie Handicap (G3) at Gulfstream this year and the Shirley Jones would provide her with an impressive hattrick. However, the other fillies and mares in the race have a weight advantage of 6 to 9 lbs to Sugar Swirl's 124 lbs and they will all be out to get her. The field includes the G1 placed Shaggy Mane and Baroness Thatcher, though neither of those come into the race with the form that Sugar Swirl has showed this winter. The biggest danger is likely to be Lady Marlboro, who also comes off a graded stakes victory at Gulfstream. She has not raced for two months, but is coming into the race fit and ready.
Javier Castellano will be on board once again, as he was in her last two wins. He has ridden her five times in the past and won four with her, so he must be feeling confident in the five-year-old Touch Gold mare.
Despite the weight disadvantage Sugar Swirl is the likely short priced favourite, as she should be. She is a fast powerful mare who is in the form of her life. She won authoritatively in both her starts this year for Brian Lynch and she obviously likes Gulfstream. She has an outstanding chance.
Come on Sugar!
(Sugar Swirl (CAN) - 2003 ch mare - Touch Gold x Astrapi, by Distinctive Pro)
She already won the First Lady Handicap (G3) and Hurricane Bertie Handicap (G3) at Gulfstream this year and the Shirley Jones would provide her with an impressive hattrick. However, the other fillies and mares in the race have a weight advantage of 6 to 9 lbs to Sugar Swirl's 124 lbs and they will all be out to get her. The field includes the G1 placed Shaggy Mane and Baroness Thatcher, though neither of those come into the race with the form that Sugar Swirl has showed this winter. The biggest danger is likely to be Lady Marlboro, who also comes off a graded stakes victory at Gulfstream. She has not raced for two months, but is coming into the race fit and ready.
Javier Castellano will be on board once again, as he was in her last two wins. He has ridden her five times in the past and won four with her, so he must be feeling confident in the five-year-old Touch Gold mare.
Despite the weight disadvantage Sugar Swirl is the likely short priced favourite, as she should be. She is a fast powerful mare who is in the form of her life. She won authoritatively in both her starts this year for Brian Lynch and she obviously likes Gulfstream. She has an outstanding chance.
Come on Sugar!
(Sugar Swirl (CAN) - 2003 ch mare - Touch Gold x Astrapi, by Distinctive Pro)
Monday, 18 February 2008
Sugar Swirl Romps
Sugar Swirl did me proud yesterday. Despite the fact her main rival Lady Marlboro scratched she definitely made people turn heads. She made decisive move around the turn to draw off to a eight-and-three-quarters length win over Change Up, with Silver Knockers back in third. She recorded a time of 1.22.77 under a hand ride.
Her jockey Javier Castellano said: "She was primed and ready. There's no question about her being able to go longer based on the way she ran today. I had a ton of horse going for home."
Her next target is likely the Shirley Jones H (G2) on 22 March.
Mr Golden Ruler unfortunately finished last in the Borderland Derby
(Sugar Swirl - 2003 chestnut mare - Touch Gold x Astrapi, by Distinctive Pro)
Her jockey Javier Castellano said: "She was primed and ready. There's no question about her being able to go longer based on the way she ran today. I had a ton of horse going for home."
Her next target is likely the Shirley Jones H (G2) on 22 March.
Mr Golden Ruler unfortunately finished last in the Borderland Derby
(Sugar Swirl - 2003 chestnut mare - Touch Gold x Astrapi, by Distinctive Pro)
Saturday, 16 February 2008
The Weekend's ToF Stakes Action
Today (Saturday) Mr Golden Ruler, son of my 2001 mare Nature's Gold, is contesting the Borderland Derby at Sunland Park. He was not included in my 2005 crop, but nonetheless, being by one of my mares, I keep a close eye on him. Nature's Gold, a Valiant Nature mare, raced a few times without hitting the board, but her three-year-old son broke his maiden in his second start and placed in his last of three starts, an allowance race. The Arizona-bred Tribal Rule colt is likely to be the longest shot of the field. Poni Colada looks to go off a short-odds favourite. The Borderland Derby is over the trip of 1 1/16 miles and carries a purse of $100,000. It is an enormous step up for him, but who knows!
Sunday it is Sugar Swirl's turn, from my 2003 crop. She is taking her place in the $150,000 Hurricane Bertie Handicap (G3) at Gulfstream Park. Her biggest rival in the seven furlong race will be Lady Marlboro, who finished in a a dead heat in the Sabin Handicap (G3) back at the beginning of January. Of course Sugar Swirl is a G3 winner now and she has been quite consistent so far in her career. I give her a big chance of winning another one. She should be able to stretch out to 7f, as she seemed to have something left to give in her last race. She has actually won over 1 mile before, though that was 'only' an allowance race. Maybe the fact that Javier Castellano chose to ride her over Lady Marlboro is enough. Sugar Swirl is on a roll and I hope she keeps on rolling. I would love to see her in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint at the end of the year. She could be my American flagbearer for 2008!
(Sugar Swirl - 2003 chestnut mare - Touch Gold x Astrapi, by Distinctive Pro)
(Mr Golden Ruler - 2005 dark bay colt - Tribal Rule x NATURE'S GOLD, by Valiant Nature)
Sunday it is Sugar Swirl's turn, from my 2003 crop. She is taking her place in the $150,000 Hurricane Bertie Handicap (G3) at Gulfstream Park. Her biggest rival in the seven furlong race will be Lady Marlboro, who finished in a a dead heat in the Sabin Handicap (G3) back at the beginning of January. Of course Sugar Swirl is a G3 winner now and she has been quite consistent so far in her career. I give her a big chance of winning another one. She should be able to stretch out to 7f, as she seemed to have something left to give in her last race. She has actually won over 1 mile before, though that was 'only' an allowance race. Maybe the fact that Javier Castellano chose to ride her over Lady Marlboro is enough. Sugar Swirl is on a roll and I hope she keeps on rolling. I would love to see her in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint at the end of the year. She could be my American flagbearer for 2008!
(Sugar Swirl - 2003 chestnut mare - Touch Gold x Astrapi, by Distinctive Pro)
(Mr Golden Ruler - 2005 dark bay colt - Tribal Rule x NATURE'S GOLD, by Valiant Nature)
Wednesday, 16 January 2008
Sugar Swirl Lands The First Lady
My first Stakes winner of the year - Sugar Swirl, a sturdy chestnut mare, started the year in good form, finally landing her long over due Graded win. Her win came in the $100,000 First Lady Handicap (G3) on Sunday 14 January.
She was held up on the sloppy Gulfstream Park as Rgirldoesn'tbluff set the pace. Sugar Swirl was ridden by Javier Castellano, who angled her out on the turn as she found another gear. She gamely conquered her foes in good style and came home in 1.10.06 in the slop.
The pacesetter Rgirldoesn'tbluff held secon, comfortably clear of Bereba, who finished in third.
She is trained by Brian Lynch for Stronach Stables.
(Sugar Swirl - 2003 chestnut mare - Touch Gold x Astrapi, by Distinctive Pro)
She was held up on the sloppy Gulfstream Park as Rgirldoesn'tbluff set the pace. Sugar Swirl was ridden by Javier Castellano, who angled her out on the turn as she found another gear. She gamely conquered her foes in good style and came home in 1.10.06 in the slop.
The pacesetter Rgirldoesn'tbluff held secon, comfortably clear of Bereba, who finished in third.
She is trained by Brian Lynch for Stronach Stables.
(Sugar Swirl - 2003 chestnut mare - Touch Gold x Astrapi, by Distinctive Pro)
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