Curlin's Honor Rallies to Take Artie Schiller

Times are good for the Breeze Easy partnership.

Only a week ago, they collected their biggest win when their undefeated Four Wheel Drive captured the $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G2T) at Santa Anita Park.

Seven days later, the group headed by Mike Hall and Sam Ross won another turf stakes at a major track, as Curlin's Honor prevailed in the more humble but still meaningful Nov. 9 setting of the $150,000 Artie Schiller Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Owned in a partnership with John C. Oxley and trained by Mark Casse, Curlin's Honor flashed the talent that made him a $1,500,000 buy at the 2017 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-Year-Olds In Training Sale as he rallied along the rail from eighth in the field of nine to collar Glen Hill Farm's Caribou Club in the final strides and triumph by a neck in the one-mile turf stakes.

"They've had a heckuva month," Casse said about the Breeze Easy group. "They're doing really well and they deserve it. Like Mr. Oxley, they've put a lot of money up and are being rewarded for it, which is always nice to see."

Aside from teaming with Barber to buy Curlin's Honor from Hartley/DeRenzo consignment, Breeze Easy's list of hefty purchases also includes $1.2 million for Glacier, a Broken Vow  colt, at the 2016 OBS April Sale.

That willingness to dig deep into their pockets at sales paid off Saturday as Curlin's Honor ($17.40) added a second listed stakes win to six second- and third-place finishes in grade 2 and 3 stakes, and lifted his career record to five wins in 16 starts with earnings $349,345. It also gave Casse confidence that the 4-year-old son of Curlin  bred by Miller Racing in Florida could have a highly productive future ahead of him.

"He could end up being a big-name turf horse," Casse said. "We're excited about him. He's getting better and better."

Casse mentioned the $200,000 Seabiscuit Handicap (G2T) at Del Mar Nov. 30 as a possible option for the son of the Stormin Fever mare Franscat, who was exiting an Oct. 6 allowance optional claiming win at Woodbine.

Curlin's Honor was originally purchased by Hartey/DeRenzo for $475,000 from the St George Sales consignment at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Select Yearling Sale. 

Caribou Club, a 5-year-old City Zip gelding and the 7-2 second choice, had three lengths on Klaravich Stables and William H. Lawrence's Frontier Market, the 2-1 favorite who was third.

Barry K. Schwartz's grade 1 winner Voodoo Song, the 9-2 third choice, pressed the pace of 67-1 leader Abiding Star through fractions of :47:09 and 1:11.27, but tired to sixth.

"He got a contested pace and I think he wants longer races," said trainer Linda Rice, who added the 5-year-old New York State-bred son of English Channel  may target 1 1/8-mile and 1 1/4-mile stakes in 2020.

Final time for the mile was 1:35.11 on firm turf.

Atlantic Beach Stakes to Jack and Noah

Casse enjoyed a turf stakes double Saturday at the Big A, taking the $100,000 Atlantic Beach Stakes with Jack and Noah, a 2-year-old son of Bated Breath who is special in more ways than one.

Owner Gary Barber had another name ready for the $179,760 buy at the Arqana May 2-Year-Old Breeze Up Sale until he heard some information from Casse.

"I told Gary I thought this one could be special," the trainer said.

So Barber gave the colt a special name, naming after his twin grandsons, Jack and Noah, who were born prematurely about four months ago.

Both boys are doing well now, as is the colt named after them. 

"He's one fast horse," Casse said. "He's a special horse with a special name."

Jack and Noah rolled to a front-running 1 3/4-length win in the six-furlong Atlantic Beach under Jose Ortiz in what was Plan B for the connections. The original goal was the Juvenile Turf Sprint but a torrid :44.33 opening half-mile in the Futurity Stakes (G3T) caught up with him and a fourth-place finish in that race, won by the Wesley Ward-trained Four Wheel Drive, left Jack and Noah without the necessary points to start in the oversubscribed race at the Breeders' Cup.

"He would have been great at the five furlongs," his trainer said about the Juvenile Turf Sprint.

With his colt's 2-year-old campaign winding down, Casse was unsure of Jack and Noah's next target but he expressed a willingness to stretch out the son of the Mizzen Mast  mare Winter Count next year at age 3.

Dare To Dream Stable's Embolden was second by three-quarters of a length over Runnymede Racing and Stonehedge's So Street.

NK Racing's Freewheeler, the 7-2 favorite off a second in the Futurity, was 10th.

Bred in France by Oceanic Bloodstock and Ariane Gravereaux, Jack and Noah covered the six furlongs in 1:09.11. The 4-1 second choice, he paid $10.60 to win.

Saguaro Row Draws Off in Pumpkin Pie

Newtownanner Stud Farm and Mark D. Breen's Saguaro Row took home the biggest slice of all in the $100,000 Pumpkin Pie Stakes for fillies and mares, the first of the three Saturday stakes.

A 4-year-old filly bred by Breen by Union Rags  out of the Indian Charlie mare Charlie Girl, Saguaro Row ($10.40) pulled way in the final furlong to win by 4 1/4 lengths over the pace-setting 3-2 favorite, Gary and Mary West's Philanthropic.

It was the fourth win in 11 starts for Saguaro Row and boosted her earnings to $214,104.

Trained by Michael Stidham, she was coming off a deja vu third-place finish in the Shine Again Stakes at Laurel Park. Two starts before that, she was third in the Shine Again Stakes at Saratoga Race Course.

Final time for seven furlongs on a fast track was 1:25.36.