Spiced Perfection Always in Control in Go for Wand Handicap

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By DRF.com OZONE PARK, N.Y. (Dec. 7, 2019) – The connections of Spiced Perfection were torn whether to put the multiple Grade 1 winner through the ring at the Keeneland November sale last month. When the filly failed to meet her reserve – the bidding stopped at $1.35 million – owners Adam Wachtel and Peter Deutsch and partners were not overly disappointed.

“I’m not unhappy that we didn’t sell her, let’s put it that way,” Wachtel said.

Wachtel spoke Saturday from the Aqueduct winner’s circle after Spiced Perfection cruised to a front-running, 2 1/4-length victory in the Grade 3, $250,000 Go for Wand Handicap. Saguaro Row finished second, 1 1/4 lengths clear of Our Super Nova. Need Supervision, Another Broad, and Espresso Shot completed the order of finish as the field basically ran positions unchanged from start to finish.

In a race void of speed, Javier Castellano put Spiced Perfection on the lead soon after the start. Going into the wind at Aqueduct, Spiced Perfection maintained a measured advantage over Saguaro Row through posted fractions of 24.74 seconds for the quarter, 49.09 for the half, and 1:14.03 for six furlongs. Turning for home, Castellano had more than enough horse to finish the job, getting to the wire well clear of Saguaro Row.

Spiced Perfection, a 4-year-old California-bred daughter of Smiling Tiger, covered the one mile in 1:39.11 and returned $4.80 as the 7-5 favorite.

Castellano said he spoke with trainer Peter Miller about trying to nurse his filly’s speed on the lead in an attempt to get the mile, a distance at which she had not previously won.

“We took advantage today, there was no speed in the race, to dictate the pace, set slow fractions and that was the key to win the race,” Castellano said. “She did it very easy the first part of the race and we were able to let her finish.”

Spiced Perfection improved her record to nine wins from 20 starts and increased her career earnings to $1,214,405. The Go for Wand was her sixth stakes victory. Spiced Perfection won the Grade 1 La Brea last December at Santa Anita and the Grade 1 Madison in April at Keeneland.

Spiced Perfection was coming out of a fourth-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint. She went into that race having missed some time due to a foot injury sustained in her victory in the Thoroughbred Club of America at Keeneland in October.

Wachtel and Deutsch both said the plan for 2020 would be to get Spiced Perfection to Keeneland for next year’s Breeders’ Cup.

In the interim, Spiced Perfection would return to Miller’s barn in Southern California, though she could come back East in February for the Barbara Fritchie Handicap at Laurel, a race in which she finished second earlier this year.

Fashionably Fast Wins Cary Grant Stakes

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by DMTC.com
Del Mar, CA (November 24, 2019)-Scoring his fourth consecutive victory, even-money favored Fashionably Fast resisted the stretch challenge of Oliver to register a half-length triumph in the featured $100,000 Cary Grant Stakes Sunday at Del Mar.

Always prominent under regular pilot Tiago Pereira, Fashionably Fast took the lead in upper stretch and prevailed gamely in 1:22.13 for the seven furlongs. Oliver, the lone three-year-old in a field of five older California-bred runners, was a clear second, a length and one-half ahead of third-place Ultimate Bango, with Grinning Tiger fourth and longshot Shades of Victory fifth and last. Withdrawn from the sprint was Rick’s Dream.

Fashionably Fast, a four-year-old gelded son of Lucky Pulpit, was bred by the Harris Farms of John Harris who co-owns the horse with partners Per Antonsen and Paul Nicoletti. Dean Pederson is the trainer.

Fashionably Fast was a two-time winner last summer at Del Mar and in October won the Harris Farms Stakes at the Fresno Fair.

He returned $4.20, $2.40 and $2.10 to his backers Sunday and first money of $60,000 increased his earnings to $302,745. It was his fifth win in 14 career starts. Runner-up Oliver paid $3 and $2.20, while Ultimate Bango returned $2.40 to show.

There were no perfect tickets in the Pick Six Sunday, so a carryover of $51,254 will be in effect when racing resumes Friday with a first post of 12:30 p.m.

TIAGO PEREIRA (Fashionably Fast, winner) – “I thought I’d be laying about third. I thought the 5 (Oliver) would go. But we came out of there really well and he’s plenty fast and he went to the front. Then he was running so easy I wasn’t going to take him back. I just let him go. I know this horse (he’s ridden him in nine of his last 10 starts) and I know how good he can be. Four in a row. That’s good.”

DEAN PEDERSON (Fashionably Fast, winner) – “Him maturing quite a bit has played a big roll (in his four straight wins), and obviously taking the blinkers off has helped. It helps him feel a little more relaxed in his running style. He’s a handy horse you can place where you want to and he has been a godsend to us. He has been a remarkable horse over a short period of time for us.”

FRACTIONS: :22.59 :44.99 1:09.49 1:22.13

The stakes win was the first of the meet for rider Pereira and his first in the Cary Grant. He now has six stakes wins at Del Mar.

The stakes win was the first ever at Del Mar for trainer Pederson.

The winning owners are John Harris of Sanger, CA, and Per Antonsen and Paul Nicoletti. Harris also bred the winner.

Harris Farms Sets Om’s 2020 Fee at $7,500

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By Bloodhorse.com
Coalinga, CA (November 21, 2019)-Harris Farms has set stud fees for its 2020 stallion roster, which includes multiple grade 1-placed, grade 2 winner Om .

A son of Munnings out of Tabasco Cat’s winning daughter and multiple stakes producer Rare Cat, Om will stand for $7,500 with a live-foal guarantee.

Bred by partners Lavin Bloodstock, Bernie Sams, and Bill Farish, Om was bought as a juvenile at the Barretts March Select 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale by trainer Dan Hendricks for $125,000 out of Niall Brennan’s consignment. The colt broke his maiden in his second start at 2 and continued to excel at 3, when he won the Del Mar Derby (G2T), Twilight Derby (G2T), and Mathis Brothers Mile Stakes (G2T) for the Sareen Family Trust.

Om contested the 2016 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G1T) when the race was run at 6 1/2 furlongs on Santa Anita Park’s downhill turf course. He closed with a furious rally to catch frontrunner and favorite Obviously, but jockey Gary Stevens lost his whip a sixteenth of a mile from the wire and Om just missed by a nose. He was back in this year’s Turf Sprint, run at five furlongs on Santa Anita’s main turf course, with trainer Peter Miller. He was second again, this time to Belvoir Bay. Om was also runner-up in this year’s Jaipur Invitational Stakes (G1T).

Now 7, Om retired with a 7-7-6 record out of 31 starts and earnings of $1,354,731. He was first or second in 11 graded stakes from 3 to 7 and has four graded stakes wins to his credit.

Munnings is having an exceptionally good year with 10 black-type winners that include graded winner Fancy Dress Party. Overall, the son of Speightstown has sired 35 black-type winners so far, including 12 graded stakes winners.

Baja Sur Sizzles to Oakland Stakes Win

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ALBANY, Calif. (Nov. 16, 2019) – Multiple stakes winner Baja Sur, a Washington-bred sophomore son of California stallion Smiling Tiger, sizzled to a 4 and 1/4 length win in Saturday’s $52,150 Oakland Stakes at Golden Gate.

Baja Sur is out of the Supremo mare Premo Copy and ran the six furlongs in 1:08.68. He has six wins and a second in six starts with earnings of $136,800. His second place finish, the only blemish on his record, was in the Harris Farms Stakes at Fresno.

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Harris Farms Thoroughbred Rewards Program

Harris Farms Adoption Program Graduates
Desperate Times and Freedom Quest enjoying success as jumpers in the show world

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Harris Farms Seen at the Farm

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Seen at the farm in the past few weeks are:

April 1, 2019-Debbie Winick, Kim and Sean McCarthy, Per Antonsen, John Harris and Dean Pederson

 

January 9, 2018-Sharon Pasko and Timely Bet vising at the River Ranch.

April 13, 2017-We were happy to have the owners of Smiling Tiger visit the farm yesterday along with some friends. We look forward to having them back soon.

Andrea Thatcher and her father, Warren Thatcher with Andrea’s drawing of Horse of the Year California Chrome.

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Joe and Brandi Becerra touring the farm on their one year anniversary.

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California Chrome’s Breeders/Owners Visit Harris Farms

May 11, 2014-Steve and Carolyn Coburn, the breeders and owners of California Chrome, with John and Carol Harris visited Harris Farms.

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Jerry Hawthorne, John Harris and Gary Gray visiting the farm on April 8.

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California Chrome’s Breeders/Owners Visit Harris Farms

February 12, 2014-Steve and Carolyn Coburn, Perry and Denise Martin the breeders and owners of California Chrome visited Harris Farms.

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Team Unusual Heat Visits Harris Farms

January 8, 2014-Madeline and Harris Auerbach, Team Unusual Heat, visited Harris Farms this past Tuesday and Wednesday.

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Charles Cooke Visits Harris Farms

November 19, 2013-National Review columnist Charles Cooke was a recent visitor to Harris Farms– shown here left to right Dave McGlothlin, Charles Cooke, John Harris, William Bourdeau and Steve Ozuna.

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Farmers from England as part of Bay Farm Tours visit Harris Farms Horse Division while touring agriculture related industries in California October 9th.

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September 18, 2013-Milas and Diana Russell visiting Thorn Song

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July 11, 2013-John Harris, David McGlothlin, Ulises Olquin , Donald Valpredo, Per Antonsen and Dr. Jeanne Bowers-Lepore visit the Farm.

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June 26, 2013-Dr Craig Shoemaker and Ken West from Boeheinger-Ingelheim  are seen here with Dave McGlothlin during a recent visit at Harris Farms. They were here to introduce a new equine vaccine.

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Ron Trentler/ Robomar Racing Stable came by the farm today to check on his broodmare Moonlight Tizzy and her 2013 Giacomo Filly

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Harris, Robin, Allison and Jamie Auerbach visit the farm June 20, 2013

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Terry Knight and Dru Rucker visit Harris Farms and the River Ranch on June 17, 2013.

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Trainer Sean McCarthy, John Harris, and Ron Beegle visiting Harris Farms June 5, 2013.

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Madeline Auerbach and Harris Auerbach visiting Gervinho.

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A recent visitor to Harris Farms was Catherine Parke, who operates Valkyre Stud in Kentucky.  She sold Harris Farms’ yearling by Unusual Heat-Freedom Dance, by Moscow Ballet at last year’s Keeneland September Sale for $400,000.  She is  shown here with resident Harris Farms vet,  Dr. Jeanne Bowers.

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Harris Auerbach, Madeline Auerbach, David McGlothlin,  Catherine Parke, Dr. Mike Tannyhill and Sandy McGlothlin.

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Don Valpredo, Michael Valpredo, John Harris and Doug Burge.

Earlier editions of seen at the farm