Brody's Cause (Giant's Causeway) unleashed a furious final-furlong rally and was along in time to take the GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity, a 'Win and You're In' qualifier for the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile on Halloween. It was the second straight Breeders' Futurity winner for his sire, who was represented by 'TDN Rising Star' Carpe Diem last year.
A $350,000 purchase on behalf of the Albaugh Family Stable at last year's Keeneland September sale, the bay was bet down to 3-1 for an Aug. 1 maiden over the Ellis Park turf course, but was slow away from the stalls and trailed by double digits at every call before finishing five seconds behind the winner in eighth. A maternal grandson of Sweet Roberta, second to Go For Wand in the 1989 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, Brody's Cause was dismissed at odds of 33-1 trying the main track for the first time at Churchill Sept. 11 and came from last off a below-average pace to post a 1 1/4-length victory. The runner-up that day, Conquest Big E (Tapit), was a good-looking maiden winner on Keeneland's opening day Friday, but Brody's Cause floated up to be off at nearly twice his morning line.
Dropped out the back by Corey Lanerie, Brody's Cause had just one beaten leaving the stretch for the first time as impressive Saratoga maiden winner Sheikh of Sheikhs (Discreetly Mine) was pressed along by Rated R Superstar (Kodiak Kowboy) through a lively opening couple of furlongs in :23.41 over the drying-out surface. Still last but one and down on the inside nearing the second turn, he was steered out and around horses and began to catch the eye with a little less than three furlongs to race. Exaggerator (Curlin), prominent throughout for Kent Desormeaux launched his bid between horses at the quarter pole, claimed Sheikh of Sheikhs and went looking for the wire. Rated R Superstar tried to go with the GII Saratoga Special S. hero in the lane, but Brody's Cause was just finding his best stride and whooshed past for a very impressive victory.
“He was awesome,” the winning jockey commented. “[Trainer] Dale [Romans] told me in the paddock every time he does something, second time he does it, he's always better. I watched his race the other day when he won and he looked pretty impressive to me there. So if he got any better today, I thought I had a good shot. What a professional he was. Never even blinked an eye about the dirt. He never even thought about backing out of it. I think the sky is the limit for him. Just the way he does things, he does it so easy.”
Albaugh Family Stables is the nom de course of Iowa-based Dennis Albaugh and Jason Loutsch. Albaugh sold his pesticide company, Albaugh Inc., for $1.3 billion in 2010. The stable has campaigned the likes of GSW Miss Macy Sue (Trippi), and bred recent GI Woodward S. winner and 'TDN Rising Star' Liam's Map (Unbridled's Song) out of her. Liam's Map was an $800,000 Keeneland September yearling in 2012. Through Steve Castagnola's Kempton Bloodstock, the Albaughs signed for 10 yearlings at Keeneland September for $2.91 million.
Sweet Breanna is the dam of a yearling filly by Arch and produced a filly by Uncle Mo this year. She was bred back to Scat Daddy.
Saturday, Keeneland
CLAIBORNE BREEDERS' FUTURITY-GI, $500,000, KEE, 10-3, 2yo, 1 1/16m, 1:43.27, my.
1–#@&BRODY'S CAUSE, 121, c, 2, by Giant's Causeway
1st Dam: Sweet Breanna (MSP, $353,362), by Sahm
2nd Dam: Sweet Roberta, by Roberto
3rd Dam: Candy Bowl, by Majestic Light
($350,000 Ylg '14 KEESEP). O-Albaugh Family
Stable; B-Gabriel Duignan, William Arvin Jr. &
Petaluma Bloodstock (KY); T-Dale L. Romans; J-Corey
J. Lanerie. $300,000. Lifetime Record: 3-2-0-0,
$323,138. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. [bullet ad=”berkelhammer-abracadabra-graduate”][bullet ad=”berkelhammer-shell”][bullet ad=”kempton-bloodstock-auction-purchase”][bullet ad=”kbif-g1″] 2–Exaggerator, 121, c, 2, Curlin">Curlin–Dawn Raid, by
Vindication. ($110,000 Ylg '14 KEESEP). O-Big Chief
Racing LLC; B-Joseph B Murphy (KY); T-J. Keith
Desormeaux. $100,000.
3–Rated R Superstar, 121, c, 2, Kodiak Kowboy–
Wicked Wish, by Gold Case. O-Radar Racing LLC;
B-ThornDale Stable LLC (KY); T-Kenneth G. McPeek.
$50,000.
Margins: 1, 1 3/4, 2 3/4. Odds: 11.80, 2.20, 4.60.
Also Ran: Sticksstatelydude, Uncle Vinny, Sheikh of Sheikhs, Threefiveindia, Uncle Jerry, Gametown, Pinnacle Peak, Wild Man. Scratched: Hawkbill.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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