Race Analysis:
Timber Bay Farm's Romantic was that easiest kind of winner at Belmont
Park on September 10th, cruising to a 6-length victory as the high-weight
in the $50,000 Grade II Belmont Autumn Handicap. Romantic, a 7-year-old
bay gelding, had been knocking on the door all year in Grade I competition,
having previously finished third in the Carolina Cup and the New
York Turf Writer's Handicap and fourth in Keeneland's Royal Chase.
He covered the 2 and a 1/16th miles distance run over a soft course
during a steady rain in 4:01.66 while giving between two and 18
pounds to his rivals. Ninepins broke on top but was headed by Romantic
as they went under the wire with one circuit of the course left
to go. Romantic has been a consistent jumper for Timber Bay Farm
over the past two years. In addition to his Grade I placings earlier
this year noted above, he just got beat in three Grade I steeplechase
races in 1998: he lost the New York Turf Writer's Handicap by a
neck; the Breeder's Cup Grand National by 1 and 1/4 lengths; and
he was second in the Colonial Cup. His owners, William & Tina Entenmann
of bakery fame, live in Old Westbury which is less than 10 miles
from Belmont Park. Old Westbury is also the birthplace of recently
deceased Hall of Fame trainer Burley Cocks and served as the home
base for Ambrose Clark's formidable steeplechase stable earlier
this century.
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Entries/Results:
|
FP
|
Horse
|
lbs
|
Jockey
|
Trainer
|
Owner
|
| 1 |
Romantic |
154 |
C. Miller |
Sheppard |
Timber Bay Farm |
| 2 |
Hudson Bay |
144 |
Clancy |
Hendricks |
William C. Lickle |
| 3 |
Ninepins |
146 |
Kingsley |
Sheppard |
Hudson River Farm |
| 4 |
Brigade of Guards |
152 |
Kiser |
Voss |
The Fields Stable |
| 5 |
Invest West |
136 |
Boucher |
Sheppard |
Augustin Stable |
| 6 |
Commander's Palace |
140 |
Brown |
Preger, Jr. |
Richard Colton
|
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Pedigree
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Breeding Analysis:
Romantic is by The Cool Virginian out of Romanissimo, by Double
Zeus. He was bred in Pennsylvania by Jonathan Sheppard.
The Cool Virginian was a hard-knocking stake horse who won $335,262
and six stake races at five different tracks during his racing career.
He broke his maiden as a two-year-old at the Meadowlands going 1
and 1/16th miles. As a three-year-old, The Cool Virginian notched
three stake victories all at the mile and a sixteenth distance:
he returned to the Meadowlands to win the Winter Quarters Handicap;
he won the Minuteman Handicap at Keystone as the high-weight; and
he won the Rumson Handicap on the turf at Monmouth Park. As a four-year-old,
The Cool Virginian notched victories in the Jockey Hallow Stakes
(defeating Far Out East) and the Constellation Handicap, both run
at 1 and 1/8th miles, and the Preston M. Burch Handicap where he
defeated Horatius going a mile and a sixteenth. While The Cool Virginian
never won a Graded stake he did finish third in the Grade I Amory
L. Haskell Handicap to Spectacular Bid and the blue hen Glorious
Song. Overall, the Cool Virginian made 37 starts during his racing
career, winning 11 with eight seconds, three third pace finishes
and earnings of $335,262.
The Cool Virginian is by Brilliant and Classic chef-de-race Icecapade,
a stakes winner of 13 races and $256,468. Icecapade has sired the
successful stallion Wild Again as well as Kingsbridge, the champion
turf horse in Canada in 1983, and Ice cool, the champion two-year-old
colt of 1978 in Italy. Icecapade is by Neartic, who is by Brilliant
and Classic chef-de-race Nearco. The Cool Virginian’s first dam,
Virginia Jiggers, was by Royal Jem II, an Australian-bred who was
in-bred 3x3 to Professional chef-de-race Son-in-Law. Virginia Jiggers
produced nine winners from 11 foals. The Cool Virginian’s second
dam was Admiration, by 1937 triple crown winner and Classic chef-de-race
War Admiral, a son of Solid chef-de-race Man O’ War. Admiration
produced six winners from nine foals including multiple steeplechase
stake winner Leaping Frog, a winner of $233,118 and 17 races over
fences from 1976 to 1982. Leaping Frog was trained by Romantic’s
breeder and Hall-of-Fame trainer Jonathan Sheppard. Leaping Frog
won some of the most prestigious steeplechase stakes of his time,
including the Temple Gwathmey, the New York Turf Writers, the Lovely
Night, the Carolina Cup, the Midsummer Hurdle, the Sandhills Cup
and the Pillar Stakes, among others.
As a stallion, The Cool Virginian has sired 16 crops consisting
of a total of 211 foals that have earned $6,315,557. While his percentage
of starters-to-foals and winners-to-foals (80% and 64%, respectively)
are high, The Cool Virginian has not been able to sire a horse that
was as successful on the track as he was, a fact that has hurt him
at stud. His most profitable runner to-date has been The Real Virginian,
a stakes-placed earner of $349,404. Only 2% of his foals have turned
out to be stake winners; they are Ascool, Fancy Equipment, Cool
Fragrance, The Cool Myrrh, and Jac Apollo. However, statistics show
that when one of The Cool Virginian’s foals made it to the races,
they were likely to win and stay sound: he averaged a very high
79% winners from starters, and led the country in this category
one year. In addition, his starters averaged 36 races during their
careers, an impressive figure in this day and age of fragile thoroughbreds.
The Cool Virginian stood this year at Albemarle Stud in Virginia
where he serviced two mares. Unfortunately, The Cool Virginian had
to be euthanized in September of this year after he developed complications
with his stifles.
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Race Analysis | Entries/Results
| Pedigree | Breeding
Analysis
