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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2016 WWW.BLOODHORSE.COM

DAILY

'BIGGER' DIVISIDERO READY FOR RETURNBy Ron Mitchell

Hall of Fame jockey Edgar Prado will be aboard

Gunpowder Farms' multiple stakes winner Divi-

sidero when the 4-year-old Kitten's Joy colt ends an

extended hiatus in the one-mile Canadian Turf

(gr. IIIT) Feb. 27 at Gulfstream Park.

Rafael Hernandez, regular rider for the winner of

Churchill Downs' American Turf (gr. IIT) last year, is

sidelined by injury for a minimum of six weeks fol-

lowing a Gulfstream spill Feb. 20.

With a record of 3-0-1 in five starts for trainer

Buff Bradley, Divisidero drew attention in his career

debut, rallying from 11th at the top of the stretch to

win by three-quarters of a length at 25-1 on the Gulf-

stream turf. Divisidero has been away since a disap-

pointing seventh-place finish in last year's Belmont

Derby (gr. IT).

"It was not injury-related, but we just felt like he

was not 100%," Bradley said Feb. 22. "Physically he

got bigger and filled out in the right places. I feel real-

ly bad about Rafael not being able to ride him." BH

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IN TODAY’S EDITION

'CHROME' ENTERED FOR WORLD CUP PREP 2

CANDY RIDE, SONS HAVE BIG WEEKEND 3

SHAMARDAL, 'LOPE' PRODUCTIVE IN DUBAI 4

BILL WOULD REVIVE D.C. INTERNATIONAL 4

ODE ON A BROKE HORSEPLAYER 5

RESULTS 6

LEADING LISTS 7

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Divisidero rallied impressively to take last year's grade II American Turf Stakes at Churchill Downs

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'CHROME' ENTERED FOR WORLD CUP PREPBy Myra Lewyn

California Chrome, 2014 U.S. Horse of the Year,

is entered for a 1 1/4-mile handicap at Meydan

Feb. 25, his first start in Dubai this year and a prep

for the $10 million Dubai World Cup (UAE-I) March

26.

Last year's World Cup runner-up, the son of

Lucky Pulpit has an official rating of 121, making

him the highest-rated horse in the field of 10 when

entries were revealed Feb. 22. Final declarations,

along with jockeys, post positions, and post time

will be announced Feb. 23.

Curlin used this same race to prepare for his

2008 World Cup win.

Winner of the Jan. 9 San Pasqual (gr. II) at Santa

Anita, California Chrome is the 132-pound high-

weight, and will be giving 15 to 27 pounds to his

rivals that could include Think Ahead and Storm

Belt, the next two highest-rated horses at 105, who

will each carry 115 pounds.

Racing at Meydan, Think Ahead won at the

same distance Feb. 4 while Storm Belt was fourth

at the distance Jan. 21. BH

LATEST HEADLINES FROM BLOODHORSE.COM

MIDWEST, NESS SPLIT AFTER SUCCESSFUL RUN One of the most successful partnerships in Thoroughbred racing, that of Midwest Thoroughbreds and trainer Jamie Ness, ended quietly with a phone call the week of Feb. 15.

PARX REOPENS FOR TRAINING; RACING TO RETURN Parx Racing reopened for training the morning of Feb. 22 and took entries for Feb. 27, which will be the first live racing program at the Pennsylvania track since Dec. 22 of last year.

MD HORSE INDUSTRY TO MEET; STUDY PLANNED Maryland horse industry representatives will meet Feb. 23 in Annapolis for a series of meetings and announce plans for an economic impact study.

THREE AQUEDUCT RIDERS FINED BY NYSGC Three jockeys at Aqueduct Racetrack have been fined by the New York State Gaming Commission for "failure to ride in a professional manner" in separate incidents earlier in February.

CHURCHILL, FANATICS SIGN MERCHANDISING DEAL Churchill Downs Feb. 22 announced a multi-year agreement with Fanatics to exclusively operate online and on-site retail for Kentucky Derby (gr. 1) weekend beginning this year.

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California Chrome began 2016 with a victory in the grade II San Pasqual Stakes at Santa Anita Park

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CANDY RIDE, SONS HAVE BIG WEEKENDBy Ron Mitchell

Lane's End stallion Candy Ride had a big Feb. 20-21

weekend: two graded stakes winners, including

Kentucky Derby (gr. I) points leader Gun Runner; a

stakes-placed horse; and two sons represented by

stakes winners.

Gun Runner leaped atop the

Derby leaderboard by winning the

Risen Star (gr. II) at Fair Grounds on

the same Feb. 20 card Candy Ride-

sired Chocolate Ride took the Fair

Grounds Handicap (gr. IIIT) and W.S.

Farish's 4-year-old colt Eagle was just

a head-bob away from winning the

Mineshaft (gr. III).

Lane's End's Twirling Candy, sec-

ond-leading freshman sire last year,

sired Baffle Stakes winner Iron Rob

while Misremembered, who stands

at Hill 'n' Dale Farms, sired Turf Para-

dise Derby winner Nightly News. The

sire of 56 stakes winners, including

10 at the grade I level, Candy Ride

ranked fifth on the North American general sire list

each of the last two years and stands for $60,000 this

year.

"It's not so surprising to see him do that, but to

see his offspring do it is really amazing," said Bill

Farish of Lane's End. BH

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Wentworth Brochu's Chocolate Ride, by Candy Ride, won the grade III Fair Grounds Handicap on the turf Feb. 20

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SHAMARDAL, 'LOPE' PRODUCTIVE IN DUBAIBy Clive Webb-Carter

February proved notable for Shamardal and his son

Lope de Vega at the Dubai Racing Carnival as both

sired stakes winners for Godolphin.

Very Special, a 4-year-old Lope de Vega filly half

sister to Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (gr. IT)

winner Chriselliam, lived up to her name, running

on strongly to land the Feb. 4 Cape Verdi (UAE-II) by

three lengths. Out of a daughter of Danehill, she is

bred on the same cross as Lope de Vega's Dewhurst

Stakes (Eng-I) winner Belardo.

On Feb. 18 Tryster, a 4-year-old Shamardal geld-

ing, easily won the Dubai Millennium (UAE-III) to earn

a chance in group I company in March.

Lope de Vega also had an eye-catching winner in

Al Hayyah—from a Danehill-line mare—Feb. 20 at

Cagnes-sur-Mer in France. In light of these recent

developments, the Shamardal line appears to be in

store for another strong year.

By Giant's Causeway, Shamardal stands in Ireland

for Darley while Lope de Vega stands at Ballylinch

Stud in Ireland. BH

BILL WOULD REVIVE D.C. INTERNATIONALBy Tom LaMarra

A bill introduced in the Maryland House of Dele-

gates would provide funds for a $500,000 inter-

national turf race at Laurel Park and up to $600,000

in bonuses for Maryland-bred horses competing in

the Preakness (gr. I).

Introduced by Del. Jay Walker, the Maryland Inter-

national and Preakness Stakes Incentive Act of 2016

was sent to the House Ways and Means Committee.

The money would come from the Maryland Lottery

Fund, which already supports the Maryland State Fair

and Maryland Million program.

The "Maryland International" would resurrect the

Washington, D.C., International, a grade I turf stakes

held at Laurel from 1952-1994; Paradise Creek, who

won the final edition, was voted champion grass

horse that year. The goal is to give Laurel, which

is undergoing renovations, a showcase race for its

grass course.

The Preakness provisions would award $500,000

to a Maryland-bred winner of the second leg of the

Triple Crown, and $100,000 to a Maryland-bred that

doesn't win but qualifies for purse money, "based on

the conditions of the race that determine the distri-

bution of purses." BH

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Turf champion Paradise Creek won the last Washington, D.C., Interna-tional in 1994 at Laurel Park

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Tryster (Shamardal) won the group III Dubai Millennium Stakes Feb. 18 at Meydan Racecourse

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RACING

ODE ON A BROKE HORSEPLAYER

In those rare moments when polite society

deigns to think about them at all, horseplayers

tend to be perceived as the poor cousins among

the demimonde that populates the Thorough-

bred racing scene. Even among the so-called

"cultural elites," the thinning herds of racetrack

punters are likelier to recall the booze-soaked

poetry of Charles Bukowski than the contempla-

tive installation art of Robert Irwin.

When one punter amongst the thinning herd

finally taps out for keeps, there is no need for

vultures to come and pick clean the bones. The

broke horseplayer simply disappears, becoming

yet another racetrack ghost or another zero-bal-

ance betting account gone dormant. But if there

are exceptions to every rule, in this case the

exception's name is David Milch.

Racing people may recall Milch as an owner

of Breeders' Cup-winning horses such as Gilded

Time and Val Royale. Many more will remember

him for the darkly vivid characters he created

for television shows such as "NYPD Blue" and

"Deadwood." And now that his staggering debts

have been revealed in last week's expose by the

Hollywood Reporter, Milch is now known as the

guy who made $100 million in Hollywood and

subsequently blew it all on the ponies.

This further rehashing of Milch's troubles is

not entered into lightly. But one reading of Mark

Singer's 2005 New Yorker profile of Milch will

convince you there's nothing unflattering about

the man that he hasn't already publicly acknowl-

edged. "Compulsive, ritualistic behaviors" is

how Milch capsulizes the self-destructive forces

that plagued him throughout his adult life; what

simpler types might dramatically refer to as

"demons."

Civilians reading the Hollywood Reporter story

might reasonably wonder how "a very good

handicapper" who was "very, very good at pick-

ing winners" could end up losing millions at the

races. If many horseplayers struggle with con-

verting plausibly sound opinions into successful

wagers, trouble inevitably ensues when betting

on horses becomes a compulsive, ritualistic

behavior.

Milch described to Singer how he felt after

winning a big bet: "There's no satisfaction. Just a

release of anxiety. There is no joy in the compul-

sive act."

Given Milch's back story—he took a financial

bath as an owner despite two Breeders' Cup

wins and lost untold millions as a bettor with a

psychological profile spectacularly ill-suited for

betting—it's remarkable that he had any desire

to produce the ill-fated racing drama "Luck."

When one of the truly great artists in televi-

sion over the last 35 years finds racing to be so

compelling, it makes you wonder why the herd

keeps getting thinner. And also why polite soci-

ety can't see the things that you and I and David

Milch still see. BH

COMMENTARYwith Bob Barry

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Dustin Hoffman (left) was one of the actors in "Luck," the horseracing drama produced by David Milch

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WATCH RACE REPLAYS OF NORTH AMERICAN RACES BY CLICKING ON THE RACE NAMERACE RESULTS

K Denotes Keeneland Sales Graduate

ALLOWANCE RESULTS

Mahoning Valley Racecourse, Race 2, ALW

2/22, $31,000, 3yo/up, f/m, 8.32f (dirt), 1:52.76, track fast.

1–Deniro's Saint, 124, gr/ro m, 6, Saints n' Sinners–De-niro's Delight, by De Niro, $19,220, O–Joe C. Faulkner, B–Joe C Faulkner (OH), T–Joshua C. Faulkner, J–Luis Antonio Gonzalez

Margin: 2¼, 5 starters. View Equibase Chart

Mahoning Valley Racecourse, Race 3, ALW

2/22, $26,700, 3yo/up, 6f (dirt), 1:17.30, track fast.1–Linda's Luck K, 116, ch c, 3, Lookin At Lucky–Mighty

Cute Girl, by Mighty Adversary, $16,020, O–Thomas L. Holyfield, B–Meadow Springs Stables, LLC (OH), T–Jeffrey A. Radosevich, J–Luis Raul Rivera

Sale History: 2014 FTKJUL, $42,000, 2013 KEENOV, ($37,000 RNA).

Margin: 1, 8 starters. View Equibase Chart

Santa Anita Park, Race 8, AOC

2/21, $58,000, 4yo/up, f/m, 8f (turf), 1:36.77, course good.

1–Diamond Cut, 119, dk b/br f, 4, Unusual Heat–Kat Prin-cess, by El Prado (IRE), $34,800, O–Batchelor Family Trust, B–Donald R. Dizney (CA), T–John W. Sadler, J–Drayden Van Dyke

Margin: neck, 9 starters. View Equibase Chart

MAIDEN RESULTS

Golden Gate Fields, Race 9, MSW

2/21, $26,000, 3yo, 6f (all-weather), 1:10.32, track fast.1–Pat's Gray Ray, 120, gr/ro g, 3, Marino Marini–Insane

Mary Jane, by Sweetsouthernsaint, $20,280, O–Morey, Elizabeth, Nentwig, Michael and Pagano, Ray, B–Mark Tatch (CA), T–William E. Morey, J–Julien Couton

Sale History: 2015 BARJAN, $12,000.Margin: neck, 9 starters. View Equibase Chart

BLOOD-HORSE DAILY PAGE 7 OF 7TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2016Download the FREE smartphone app

Rank Stallion Sire, YOB ’16 Stud Fee Farm Chief Earner (Earnings) ’16 Earnings

1 Bluegrass Cat Storm Cat, ’03 $7,500 Ballena Vista Farm, CA Flexibility ($132,500) $665,078

2 Unusual Heat Nureyev, ’90 $20,000 Harris Farms, CA Pacific Heat ($110,000) $603,724

3 Tribal Rule Storm Cat, ’96 Died N/A Sunday Rules ($90,000) $563,520

4 Lucky Pulpit Pulpit, ’01 $7,500 Harris Farms, CA California Chrome ($120,000) $342,252

5 Southern Image Halo's Image, ’00 $2,500 Rancho San Miguel, CA Smokey Image ($137,500) $338,262

6 Vronsky Danzig, ’99 $6,500 Old English Rancho, CA What a View ($137,500) $331,940

7 Papa Clem Smart Strike, ’06 $5,000 Legacy Ranch, CA Tale of Papa Nick ($45,240) $244,080

8 Square Eddie Smart Strike, ’06 $25,000 Ocean Breeze Ranch, CA Moonie ($37,080) $196,849

9 Grazen Benchmark, ’06 $2,500 Tommy Town Thoroughbreds, CA Tough It Out ($47,500) $188,715

10 Kafwain Cherokee Run, ’00 $5,000 Tommy Town Thoroughbreds, CA Kafister ($48,000) $166,719

2016 LEADING SIRES IN CALIFORNIA

2016 LEADING SIRES IN FLORIDA

2016 LEADING SIRES IN LOUISIANA

Rank Stallion Sire, YOB ’16 Stud Fee Farm Chief Earner (Earnings) ’16 Earnings

1 Wildcat Heir Forest Wildcat, ’00 Died N/A My Dear Venezuela ($26,762) $449,356

2 Awesome of Course Awesome Again, ’00 $5,000 Ocala Stud Farm, FL Awesome Banner ($183,520) $417,269

3 With Distinction Storm Cat, ’01 $7,500 Hartley/De Renzo Thoroughbreds, LLC, FL Too Clever by Half ($43,860) $390,321

4 Kantharos Lion Heart, ’08 $5,000 Ocala Stud Farm, FL X Y Jet ($90,210) $361,315

5 In Summation Put It Back, ’03 $2,500 Ocala Stud Farm, FL R Girls a Charmer ($91,000) $356,473

6 High Cotton Dixie Union, ’03 $5,000 Ocala Stud Farm, FL Karen's Silk ($49,500) $286,373

7 First Dude Stephen Got Even, ’07 $7,500 Double Diamond Farm, FL Flora Dora ($60,000) $252,535

8 Two Step Salsa Petionville, ’05 $7,500 Get Away Farm, FL Two Step Time ($41,500) $241,149

9 Montbrook Buckaroo, ’90 Died N/A A Colt Following ($26,900) $206,916

10 Exclusive Quality Elusive Quality, ’03 $2,500 Journeyman Stud, FL Dreaming of Neno ($28,800) $205,102

Rank Stallion Sire, YOB ’16 Stud Fee Farm Chief Earner (Earnings) ’16 Earnings

1 Yankee Gentleman Storm Cat, ’99 $3,500 Le Mesa Stallions, LA Icy Gentleman ($75,000) $501,861

2 Half Ours Unbridled's Song, ’03 $5,000 Clear Creek Stud, LLC, LA Smittys Cougar ($75,000) $402,603

3 D'wildcat Forest Wildcat, ’98 $3,500 Whispering Oaks Farm, LA Amelia's Wild Ride ($102,150) $353,448

4 Songandaprayer Unbridled's Song, ’98 $4,500 The Stallion Station @ Copper Crowne, LA Pearl de Vere ($58,200) $268,160

5 My Pal Charlie Indian Charlie, ’05 $2,500 Elite Thoroughbreds, LA Vendeuse ($36,050) $230,463

6 E Dubai Mr. Prospector, ’98 $3,500 Elite Thoroughbreds, LA American Dubai ($57,000) $223,514

7 Closing Argument Successful Appeal, ’02 $4,000 Whispering Oaks Farm, LA American Pride ($42,000) $212,873

8 Good and Tough Carson City, ’95 Died N/A Tough Jeans ($55,500) $197,830

9 Run Production Saint Ballado, ’00 $2,500 Whispering Oaks Farm, LA Run Ranger ($16,600) $188,607

10 Forefathers Gone West, ’04 $2,000 Red River Farms, LA Over Yonder ($32,000) $174,437

Listed below are the top 10 leading sires in California by 2016 Northern Hemisphere earnings through February 21, 2016. Only stallions that stand, will stand, or stood in North America (excluding stallions that died or were exported prior to the 2011 breeding season), and have runners in North America are included. Racing statistics are 2016 Northern Hemisphere only.

Listed below are the top 10 leading sires in Florida by 2016 Northern Hemisphere earnings through February 21, 2016. Only stallions that stand, will stand, or stood in North America (excluding stallions that died or were exported prior to the 2011 breeding season), and have runners in North America are included. Racing statistics are 2016 Northern Hemisphere only.

Listed below are the top 10 leading sires in Louisiana by 2016 Northern Hemisphere earnings through February 21, 2016. Only stallions that stand, will stand, or stood in North America (excluding stallions that died or were exported prior to the 2011 breeding season), and have runners in North America are included. Racing statistics are 2016 Northern Hemisphere only.