Page 8 - March 2008 The Game

8 The Game, March 2008
The Waiting Game
Stallion Impeachment
Stallion Tejano Run
Canada’s Thoroughbred Racing Newspaper
Owning stallions can be a game of waiting. Waiting for offspring to show their stuff on the racetrack takes a rm commitment and a lot of
“We tried to claim her at Laurel in her rst start in 2007.” laughs Chris, “We were out shook.”
patience.
The offspring of Ascot Stud stallions, Tejano Run
“The runners Impeachment has produced in the US are winning in open company. Each year his foals have improved. I can’t wait until his rst Ontario foals run. I think the quality of the foals he has running now speak for themselves.” says Chris.
and Impeachment are already running and doing well south of the border however Canadians will have to wait one more year to see their Ontario-breds running on home soil. Their progeny success in the US should have driven interest in the stallions which are standing their third season at the farm in Port Colborne however the waiting game continues.
Chris bought out the lease for Impeachment this year and he currently has 18 foals in Ontario who are yearlings of 2008 who will make their debut next year. However Chris rescued a couple of Florida- bred Impeachment 2-year-olds who will hopefully represent their stallion at Woodbine this year.
Chris is in no way disappointed with the number of mares visiting his stallions, he just knows that they have the potential for more.
Tejano Run moved to Ascot Stud in 2006 and is standing for owner Roy Monroe who has owned the 16-year-old horse since he was a yearling.
Brothers Chris & Michael Blake are the
owners of Ascot Stud and they have had an interest in race horses since their early teens. Michael, with a degree in political science, is the statistician and can realm off race records and pedigrees as easily as the alphabet.
During his racing career Tejano Run had won or placed in 16 Stakes. He was a 5 time Graded stakes winner and had 5 G1 placings. He recorded thirteen 100+ Beyers with his best Beyer at 123.
Chris, who has a degree in art and art history became interested in racing after his brother claimed his rst racehorse, Showtina, who proved to be a hard-knocking winner.
Tejano Run originally stood at Hill ‘n’ Dale in Kentucky for 8 seasons before Roy moved him to his own farm to stand him himself.
Michael also completed an internship at the University of Kentucky for Equine Management after which gaining employment at Ashford Stud working with the mares and foals.
Tejano Run has consistently produced hard knock- ing runners and has quite a few successful Canadian- breds including Champion millionaire One For Rose, Shaw’s Creek and Anglian Prince.
Meanwhile Chris was looking for a stallion to stand in Ontario and fresh out of university he purchased Ecetera. Unfortunately he was sold a bill of goods because it turned out the stallion could not perform and thus was retired to teaser.
“I contacted Roy about bringing the stallion
to Ontario because I felt he would get a lot more respect here than in Kentucky based on the success of his Canadian runners.” explained Chris, “He has a great race record and ran until he was 5.”
Impeachment came to stand at Ascot Stud on a lease in October 2005 after a slow start to his stud career in Florida. “He was involved in a barn re in Florida which interrupted his rst season,” explained Chris, “He only bred a few mares the rst year.”
Chris Blake with 2-year-old fillies by Najran (right) and a Florida-bred Impeachment (left).
Tejano Run’s most recent Stakes winner was Fleet Caroline, a 4-year-old lly who won the $50,000 Sun City H. at Turf Paradise on February 16. She had been Graded Stakes placed previously.
Impeachment was syndicated to stud at Mead- owbrook Farm in 2001 at age 4 after breaking his maiden in his rst start at age 2 and competing in ve consecutive G1 races at age 3 which included a third place nish in the Kentucky Derby.
As a 2-year-old last season, lly Nook and Granny, broke the track record at Hollywood in her rst start and was second in a Stakes race to an undefeated lly.
“His horses have run well in the States and Internationally, so they should do well in Ontario.” says Chris, again emphasizing the fact that he’ll have to wait until next year.
From a small crop of foals his most accomplished progeny is a lly, Scooter Girl, who had three
Filly President’s Intern was and 8 time winner in 2007 and tied for fourth for the most wins in North America.
“Both of the stallions don’t have Ontario runners. We like the Ontario program and we know that they will do well here.”
wins last season at age 3 and was second in the G3 Monmouth Breeders’ Cup Oaks.
Tejano Run currently has 32 Ontario foals who are yearlings in 2008.
Did You Know....
That Santa Anita President Ron Charles
con rmed during a dialogue at a conference regard- ing California’s track surfaces that the troubled synthetic surface will be replaced at the end of the meet. Drainage problems with the Cushion Track has caused the cancellation of 11 days of racing. The California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) required all major tracks in the state to have a synthetic surface in place by the start of 2008.
The day-long conference was organized by CHRB
which included a panel of jockeys, synthetic
track manufacturers, trainers, veterinarians, track maintenance of cials, racing secretaries, owners, handicappers and track executives.
Although statistics presented showed that
fatalities have decreased by 60% on synthetic tracks, trainers Bob Baffert, John Shirreffs and Julio Canani were among the trainers who voiced their staunch opposition to the synthetic tracks.
“I bought into it,” Baffert was quoted as saying in Thoroughbred Times Today, “Right now they seem like an experiment and a work in progress. I feel
that it is hurting the business. These vendors...have sold us a bill of goods. They sold us these track that didn’t do what they were supposed to do. They disrespect the ability of a horse and the contest of horse racing, where the best horse is supposed to win or the fastest horse is supposed to win.”
Did You Know....
That Santa Anita Park payed out a record $3,120,256 pick-six on February 18 to one ticket holder from the Meadowlands.
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