By Alan Carasso
7th-AQU, $85K, Msw, 2yo, 1m, post time: 3:20 p.m.
While the focus of the Thoroughbred world Saturday afternoon will rightly be on Santa Anita, SIERRA LEONE (Gun Runner), the $2.3-million topper out of the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale, provides ample reason to click over to the Aqueduct feed between the running of the Filly and Mare Turf and Filly and Mare Sprint. The Mar. 31 foal was bred by Debby Oxley and is a son of her homebred 2017 GI Darley Alcibiades S. romper Heavenly Love (Malibu Moon). There was activity in the colt's second dam just Friday, when Forever Young (Jpn) (Real Steel {Jpn}), a 2-year-old son of Heavenly Love's GII Santa Ynez S.-winning half-sister Forever Darling (Congrats), took out the Listed JBC Nisai Yushun at Mombetsu Racecourse in Japan. The Grade I-winning third dam Roamin Rachel (Mining) produced Japanese Horse of the Year Zenno Rob Roy (Jpn) (Sunday Silence). Among the opposition is fellow firster and $600,000 Keeneland September grad Tuscan Gold (Medaglia d'Oro), whose dam Valdorna (Curlin) was second in the 2016 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies and won the 2018 GIII Doubledogdare S. TJCIS PPs
📽️ Watch Hip 202 c. GUN RUNNER o/o Heavenly Love sells for $2,300,000 at The Saratoga Sale! Congratulations to all the connections!#FasigSaratoga @Gainesway @Three_Chimneys @coolmorestud @WhiteBirchFarm_ pic.twitter.com/7R8MJ4IKQG
— Fasig-Tipton (@FasigTiptonCo) August 10, 2022
5th-AQU, $85K, Msw, 2yo, f, 1 1/16mT, 2:00 p.m. ET
JUST JULES (Justify), a $1.05-million KEESEP yearling, is the latest to the races from the Grade II-placed juvenile Fully Living (Unbridled's Song), already the dam of MGSP Untreated (Nyquist) and Ballet Dancing (Medaglia d'Oro), last-out winner of the grassy GIII Santa Ana S. at Santa Anita. Fully Living is a half-sister to this year's GIII Canadian Derby victor Abeliefinthislivin (Arrogate, while champion and GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies heroine Halfbridled (Unbridled) appears in the third dam. A $600,000 FTSAUG purchase, Hollywood Dream (Uncle Mo) is out of Miss Hollywood (Malibu Moon), a stakes-winning daughter of George Krikorian's MGISW Hollywood Story (Wild Rush), whose son Honor A. P. (Honor Code) won the 2020 GI Santa Anita Derby. Public Assembly (More Than Ready), a $100,000 in-utero purchase at KEENOV in 2020 before fetching $300,000 at KEESEP, is out of a full-sister to MGSW Csaba (Kitten's Joy) and SW & GISP Kitten's Queen. TJCIS PPs
7th-CD, $120K, Msw, 2yo, 7f, 4:55 p.m. ET
GIVE ME A REASON (Justify) draws the rail for this first trip to the races and is out of the Grade I-winner and outstanding producer Dream of Summer (Siberian Summer), whose offspring include Grade I-winning juvenile Creative Cause (Giant's Causeway), MGSW and GI Belmont S. runner-up Destin (Giant's Causeway), GISW Vexatious (Giant's Causeway) and GSP Summer Promise (Uncle Mo). Give Me a Reason cost $500,000 at Keeneland last fall. Godolphin's Knightsbridge (Nyquist), a homebred half-brother to GISW Speaker's Corner (Street Sense), is out of an unraced daughter of 2006 GI Breeders' Cup Distaff upsetter Round Pond (Awesome Again). TJCIS PPs
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