Four years ago, London Bridge became the first New York-bred to win a Breeders’ Cup race when he won the $500,000 G2 Marathon at Santa Anita. Bred by Patricia S. Purdy and owned by Waratah Thoroughbreds, London Bridge raced in England and France, making his first and only start in the United States that day.
A year later at the same track, New York-bred Dayatthespa went one better, winning the $2 million G1 Filly & Mare Turf, the first New York-bred to win a G1 Breeders’ Cup race.
Bred by Castellare DiCracchiolo Stable, Cracchiolo & Goldsher, she was purchased for $50,000 as a yearling at the 2010 Saratoga sale of New York-breds; four years later and two days after her Breeders’ Cup win, Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings took her home for $1.2 million.
Five New York-breds are possibles for next week’s Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar; though entries won’t be drawn until next week and not all these horses are confirmed to go, should any of them follow in the footsteps of London Bridge and Dayatthespa, it will further raise the profile of New York’s breeding program and the breeder and owner awards system that has transformed the face of the industry in the state.
And, while both London Bridge (Arch) and Dayatthespa (City Zip) were by Kentucky stallions, four of this year’s prospective New York-bred Breeders’ Cup horses were sired by stallions standing in New York.
Click here for full details of the New York awards
Giant Expectations
$1 million Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile
A New York-bred based outside New York State isn’t as rare as it once was, but it’s not exactly common either. Though Giant Expectations has spent most of his career in California, he did venture west to break his maiden at Belmont in his sixth start, following that up with an allowance win at the same track ten days later.
After returning to California, he got his first stakes win in the G2 Pat O’Brien at Del Mar in August.
Bred by Sunrise Stables, he’s by Frost Giant, who stands in New York, and is out of the Is It True mare Sarahisittrue. He was purchased as a yearling for $85,000.
An RNA later that year at the Keeneland September sale, he sold for $135,000 to Ryan Exline and is owned by Exline-Border Racing, Gatto Racing, and Garrett Zubok. A record of 11-3-3-1 has earned his connections just shy of $260,000.
Odds guide: best price with British bookmakers: 25/1
Mind Your Biscuits
$1.5 million TwinSpires Breeders’ Cup Sprint
Early in his career, the chestnut colt looked like he had the makings of a decent New York horse. Competitive in his first few races, he took five starts to break his maiden, and he raced against only fellow New York-breds for his first eight races.
Then came his win in the G2 Amsterdam Stakes at Saratoga last year, and this son of former New York-based stallion Posse has run exclusively in Graded stakes since then, winning the G1 Malibu in California, the G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen, and the G2 Belmont Sprint Championship.
Owned by members of the Summers family, Mind Your Biscuits was trained first by Roderick Rodriguez, then by Robert Falcone, Jr. Chad Summers took over the conditioning responsibilities earlier this year, training his first horse to a win in Dubai and earnings this year of over a million dollars.
Bred by Jumping Jack Stable, this $47,000 purchase has earned $2.2 million. He finished third in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Sprint but was later placed second when the original runner-up, Masochistic, was disqualified due to a drug violation.
Odds guide: general price with British bookmakers: 8/1
Disco Partner
$1 million Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint
Patricia Generazio and her husband Frank have long bred horses in New York, and their horses have won nearly two dozen Graded stakes races. On the Belmont undercard, though, Disco Partner gave them something they’ve never had before: a world record. He ran a sizzling 1:05.67 in the six-furlong Jaipur and has won four of five races this year.
The Jaipur win is his only one in a Graded stakes race. Trained by Christophe Clement, Disco Partner is by the late New York-based stallion Disco Rico out of Lulu’s Number (Numerous) and is the third generation bred by Generazio.
Odds guide: best price with British bookmakers: 8/1
Highway Star
$1 million Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint
Bred by another family long active in the state’s breeding program, Highway Star gave trainer Rodrigo Ubillo his first Graded stakes win in the G3 Go For Wand at Aqueduct last December, and the duo has won three other Graded stakes since then.
Lifetime, this filly bred by Chester and Mary Broman has eight wins in 13 starts, along with a second and two thirds for earning just under $1 million. By Girolamo, who was standing in New York at the time, Highway Star is out of the Cat Thief mare Stolen Star, also bred by the Bromans. Highway Star would be Ubillo’s first Breeders’ Cup contender.
Odds guide: best price with British bookmakers: 12/1
Diversify
$6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic
Until early October, Diversify looked like a useful state-bred horse. He’d won six of nine starts, just one of them against open company, but, thanks to the lucrative New York-bred program, he had racked up quite a bank account, a balance he more than doubled when he won the $750,000 G1 Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont a few weeks ago.
He was purchased as a yearling for $150,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale of preferred New York-breds and made his first two starts, both open-length wins, for Maverick Racing and trainer Rick Violette. When Maverick sold him in November 2016, Violette told his long-time friend Ralph Evans, who purchased the colt for $210,000 to race with his daughter Lauren, to keep the horse in Violette’s barn.
Sired by Bellamy Road (who also stands in New York State) and out of the Street Cry mare Rule One, Diversify has been worse than second only once. He was bred by Fred W. Hertrich III & John D. Fielding.
Odds guide: best price with British bookmakers: 25/1