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Green hoping to hit the ultimate “Jackpot” with promising juvenile Gulfport

by NYRA Press Office

·    Green hoping to hit the ultimate “Jackpot” with promising juvenile Gulfport

·    Poppy Flower the latest homebred success for Arnmore Thoroughbreds

·    Love Reigns leads Ward trainees breezing for upcoming stakes engagements

·    Brion in search of repeat victory in meaningful G1 Jonathan Sheppard

Owner Terry Green of Jackpot Farm has spent the past several decades in the casino business, having been a driving force in expanded gaming legislation in his native state of Mississippi. On Saturday, Green will hope to hit a different kind of jackpot when ultra-talented 2-year-old Gulfport seeks his first graded stakes victory in the Grade 2, $200,000 Saratoga Special at Saratoga Race Course. 

Named after Green’s hometown in southern Mississippi, Gulfport was an open-lengths winner of both his career starts for Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen. Following a sharp seven-length debut win on June 10 at Churchill Downs, Gulfport displayed an even larger margin of victory in the next-out Bashford Manor on July 4 at the Louisville oval, scoring by 12 1/4 lengths. The astonishing win produced a 91 Beyer Speed Figure, which is the second highest number produced by a 2-year-old so far this year. 

“Time always tells on these things, so you just try to keep both feet on the ground, but he’s shown that he’s a good, strong colt,” Green said. “He’s been very healthy in both races with no problems. Steve and all of us just love the way he travels and the way he covers the ground. We’ve never had anything like him before so it’s extremely exciting.” 

Green, who owns the 200-acre Jackpot Ranch for cutting horses in Weatherford, Texas, said the thoroughbred business provides a different kind of thrill. 

“I enjoy both of them quite a bit, I really enjoy riding the cutting horses. Once I got older, I got introduced to the thoroughbreds, it’s a whole other end of the spectrum,” Green explained. “Cutting horses is up to the judges, you’ve got five judges and three of them make the decision, they throw up a high number, low number. It’s kind of a second-thought situation. In thoroughbred racing, there’s only one thing you have to do and that’s cross the wire first. There’s really no argument to it.” 

Green said he had been saving the namesake of his hometown for an exceptional horse.  

“That’s where I grew up and that’s where my main business is,” said Green, who owns Island View Casino in Gulfport, Mississippi with Rick Carter. “That’s the tough thing about these names. I’ve been kind of saving that name. Sometimes it can be tough to pull the trigger on it because you want that name to go somewhere and be in the record books. I’m very pleased with him so far.” 

Gulfport, by Uncle Mo, is owned by Green in partnership with Asmussen’s longtime clients Bill and Corrine Heiligbrodt and Whispering Oaks Farm. Several days ago, prominent racing and breeding powerhouse Coolmore Stud bought into the horse and will eventually stand him alongside his champion-producing sire at Ashford Stud – Coolmore’s North American stallion division located in Versailles, Kentucky. 

“That was one of the more exciting things when they made that phone call to us,” Green recalled. “We feel like they’re one of the best at what they do. We were excited to be part of their organization.” 

Green and Heiligbrodt decided to join forces during the 2021 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July Sale, where Gulfport was purchased for $275,000 from the Eaton Sales consignment barn. 

“We decided to go to the sale together and when we went down there together, we decided instead of each buying a couple horses, we should just go together and see where we end up. It was very exciting,” Green recalled. 

But even more excitement could be on the horizon for Gulfport’s connections, who remain faithful that the horse’s best days are still to come. Green believes Gulfport’s pedigree could allow him to stretch out further than the Saratoga Special’s 6 1/2-furlong distance. He is out of the Unbridled’s Song mare Fame and Fortune – a full-sister to Grade 1-winner Cross Traffic, who won the 2013 Whitney.

“We leave everything up to Steve as far as the training, distances and things of that nature,” Green said. “I think if you asked [Steve], he’d say there’s a good chance we feel like he’s as good long as he is short. But time will tell on that. If I had that crystal ball, I could pretty much do what I want in the racing business. He seems to have the breeding for it.”

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Poppy Flower the latest homebred success for Arnmore Thoroughbreds 

Arnmore Thoroughbreds, a syndicate that boasts an 8-for-9 on-the-board record this year, added to their stellar record with their first Saratoga Race Course stakes victory when their Kentucky homebred Poppy Flower stormed down the lane to post a one-length victory in Thursday’s Galway against eight rivals in the 5 1/2 furlong Mellon turf sprint for sophomore fillies. The victory garnered a career-best 93 Beyer Speed Figure.

“It was so exciting, and even cooler to do it with a homebred,” said Megan Jones, managing partner of Arnmore Thoroughbreds. “We love racing foals out of mares that we’ve raced.”

Trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, Poppy Flower scored the second stakes win of her career after taking the Stormy Blues earlier this year at Laurel Park. Out of the stakes-placed Excellent Art mare Nisharora, who Arnmore Thoroughbreds also campaigned, Poppy Flower is the product of a carefully selected mating to Claiborne Farm’s Lea that was determined by Jones. 

“It helps when you’ve raced the mare because you know what qualities you’re looking for in a foal. Nisharora is a more European mare and was always very nice, but small and fine,” said Jones. “I wanted a stronger stallion, not to take the turf out of her, but I wanted a stronger turf type. Lea was effective on dirt, too, and with her, the physical is very important.” 

That mating proved to be the perfect match as Poppy Flower has more than recouped the stallion’s 2018 fee of $7,500. Through 10 starts, Poppy Flower has amassed more than $340,000 in earnings with a record of 10-3-4-1. 

“She’s very sound and hard knocking. Since the day she was born, she’s been happy and has never had a bad day,” said Jones. “She comes out of her races like that. She comes out good and seems to always tell you when she’s ready to go. We’ll keep her as a broodmare once she’s ready to come home.”

Jones, who spent eight years working with Team Valor International before going out on her own, said the 20 partners in Arnmore Thoroughbreds came together after previously campaigning graded-stakes-winning mare Tuttipaesi and becoming partners again on her first foal, Snow’s Island. 

“Breeding horses takes patience. We have great camaraderie with everyone who has stayed with me this long,” said Jones. “It makes for an incredible partnership. I would love to just keep developing the homebreds and keep adding fillies from the sales to build the stable a little more.” 

Snow’s Island was a maiden winner on Opening Day at the Spa for trainer Danny Gargan, who also trains Tuttipaesi’s second foal Riot House, a grey Violence colt who is undefeated in two starts this year and will be nominated to Saratoga’s $135,000 Better Talk Now on August 28.

As for Poppy Flower, Jones said she is happy to wait and see what is next for the talented chestnut. 

“We’ll see how she comes out of the race and go from there,” said Jones.

***

Love Reigns leads Ward trainees breezing for upcoming stakes engagements 

Stonestreet Stables' Love Reigns breezed a half-mile in 48.66 seconds Friday over the Oklahoma training turf in preparation for the $150,000 Bolton Landing, a 5 1/2-furlong turf sprint for juvenile fillies on August 21 at Saratoga Race Course. 

Trained by Wesley Ward, the Irish-bred daughter of U S Navy Flag graduated by 9 3/4-lengths in her April debut sprinting 5 1/2-furlongs over the Keeneland turf ahead of a close fourth last out in the Group 2 Queen Mary on June 15 at Royal Ascot. 

Ward noted that Love Reigns lost some time after the Queen Mary due to illness, but has thrived at Saratoga where she has now breezed four times over the Oklahoma training turf. 

"She's doing great," Ward said. "She's had no hiccups since Ascot and we're looking forward to getting her back. She's been up at Saratoga and had several breezes on the grass, including today, and she's ready to go." 

The Ward-trained No Kay Never, also owned by Barbara Banke's Stonestreet Stables, is nominated to both the Bolton Landing and the $150,000 Skidmore, a 5 1/2-furlong turf sprint against the boys on August 19.

No Kay Never was an impressive maiden winner on May 30 at Horseshoe Indianapolis, but Ward said he may try to separate the stablemates. 

"We'll look at both races. She'll breeze Sunday on the grass," Ward said. "Barbara owns them both. We may go against the boys. We'll have a little further discussion." 

Ward trainees Arrest Me Red and Illegal Smile worked five-eighths in 1:00.94 Friday over the Oklahoma training turf. 

Lael Stables' Arrest Me Red is targeting the Grade 2, $1 million Turf Sprint on September 10 at Kentucky Downs, while Hat Creek Racing's Illegal Smile is pointed to the $150,000 Smart N Fancy, a 5 1/2-furlong turf sprint for older fillies and mares on August 20 at Saratoga. 

Arrest Me Red, a 4-year-old Pioneerof the Nile bay, has won 6-of-10 starts, including scores in last year's Grade 3 Belmont Turf Sprint Invitational and the Grade 2 Turf Sprint in May at Churchill Downs. He was a close second last out on June 11 at Belmont in the Grade 1 Jaipur to Casa Creed, who is entered in Saturday's Grade 1, $500,000 Fourstardave here. 

Ward credited the winner for a superior effort on the day. 

"He got a beautiful trip following us around there and then it kind of parted where he got a ground saving trip and got out. He was the best horse on the day," Ward said. 

Ward said Andrew Farm and For the People Racing's No Nay Hudson, a juvenile No Nay Never colt, will make his turf debut in the Skidmore. The $190,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase graduated on debut in April in a 4 1/2-furlong maiden special weight at Keeneland ahead of a fourth-place finish in the Tremont in June at Belmont where he was compromised at the break. 

Ward, 54, is enjoying a tremendous Saratoga meet with a record of 20-5-5-4 led by graded scores from Chi Town Lady in the Grade 1 Longines Test, Golden Pal in the Grade 3 Troy and Kimari in the Grade 2 Honorable Miss Handicap. He noted that Chi Town Lady is already back at his Keeneland base with Golden Pal set to arrive later today. 

The veteran conditioner, who was named Outstanding Apprentice Jockey in 1984, said putting good horses in the right spots is the key to his Spa success. 

"I'm older now and have some white hair and I'm just trying to pick my spots and enter the horses that are doing very, very good and trying not to enter just to enter," Ward said. "A lot of owners like to have runners up there, but I'm at the stage of my career where I'm bluntly honest with them and will tell them it's fun to have a run, but it's not fun to not run so well."

***

Brion in search of repeat victory in meaningful G1 Jonathan Sheppard 

Trainer Keri Brion, who went out on her own last year after working as an assistant to Hall of Fame trainer Jonathan Sheppard for 11 years, is hopeful she can score a second consecutive victory in her mentor’s namesake Grade 1 event on Wednesday at Saratoga Race Course. 

Brion brings a pair of talented geldings to the 2 3/8-mile hurdle test in Historic Heart, a dual stakes-winner in America; and Going Country, third in two of his three stakes attempts this year. 

Returning to the Sheppard is a full-circle moment for Brion, who took last year’s edition with Buttonwood Farm’s subsequent Champion Steeplechaser The Mean Queen. It was the first year the race, previously run as the New York Turf Writers Cup, was named for the legendary conditioner who retired from training in early 2021 after winning at least one race at Saratoga for 47 consecutive years from 1968 to 2015.

Brion said having success in this event is beyond anything she could imagine as she carries on the training duties for many of Sheppard’s clients. 

“Considering I’ve taken over a lot of his owners, I always said it was the race I wanted to win, and I did it last year,” said Brion. “I couldn’t script it and better. It would mean so much to me to win it again and I wish he could be here for it.” 

Prior to starting her own training operation, Brion spent more than a decade learning as much as she could from Sheppard, whose top horses include Eclipse Award Champions Forever Together [2008 Champion Grass Mare] and Informed Decision [2009 Champion Female Sprinter]. Recounting the lessons taken from Sheppard, Brion said the horse always came first.

“There’s so much I learned, but the biggest thing was to let them be horses. Happy horses run faster,” said Brion. “The other thing I took from him didn’t come to me until this year: listening to the horses and not the pressure from the owners. I have more horses now and I’ve had to put my foot down a few times. He was always so good at that.” 

Brion said listening to the horse is the most important aspect of her job. Going Country, who enters the Sheppard on two week’s rest, is telling her that he’s ready to run a big one in his second start off the layoff. 

The son of Yeats showed his ability to run well on short rest when posting maiden and allowance victories in the span of one week earlier this year. He was last seen finishing third in the Jonathan Kiser Memorial on August 3 after a two-month respite. 

“Being lightly raced helps when you get to big days, because while he doesn’t have as much experience, he’s not a tired horse,” said Brion. “I’m not entering him just to fill the race – I think he has a good chance. He’s very sound.”  

While The Mean Queen is not entered to attempt a title defense in the Sheppard, the 6-year-old daughter of Doyen is in fine order following a 10-month vacation and will make her return to the races soon, though Brion is unsure exactly where. 

Brion said she will look for a trip to Cheltenham in March and work backwards from there to map out The Mean Queen’s schedule for the rest of the year. 

“She’s doing great and mean as ever,” Brion said, with a laugh. “She was never pointed here because of the weight she’d carry coming off the layoff. Cheltenham is in March, so how we get there is the question. I would love to run her in New York, but with these handicaps the weight is not great for the superstars and it’s a lot of weight to carry. It’s tricky. She has great owners though and I trust we’ll make the right decision.”