It was a quiet Sunday morning at Churchill Downs Sept. 15, however you might really feel the enjoyment and pleasure on the barn of coach Phil Bauer as Iroquois Stakes (G3) winner Jonathan’s Manner got here out for his morning tub simply after 7 a.m.
Since he had final acquired a morning tub Sept. 14, he streaked his technique to a powerful frontrunning 2 3/4-length victory whereas establishing himself as a number one contender for the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) at Del Mar Nov. 1 and an early favourite on the Street to the Kentucky Derby.
“All good up to now,” Bauer reported of his steady’s latest star Sunday morning. “He ate up final night time and cooled out effectively. We’ll see what the subsequent few days convey, make certain there is no surprises. Nonetheless basking in the efficiency, that was enjoyable.”
Waking up the @KentuckyDerby favourite!#JonathansWay doing effectively at Phil Bauer’s @ChurchillDowns barn the morning after his Iroquois victory.
With the win, he earned 10 Derby factors and a $30k credit score for @BreedersCup Juvenile entry charges due to the Dust Dozen sequence. pic.twitter.com/4zjhSAtY1v
— Sean Collins (@BH_SCollins) September 15, 2024
Ought to no surprises pop up, Bauer is able to begin getting ready the colt for the Breeders’ Cup, an occasion the place he’ll now obtain a $30,000 credit score towards entry charges due to his victory in a Breeders’ Cup Dust Dozen Sequence race.
“This horse has the likelihood to actually make a reputation for himself as a 2-year-old,” Bauer stated. “It could be fairly particular (to win). Each time you usher in a 2-year-old, the objective is to perhaps go to the Breeders’ Cup after which march on to (age) 3. You have got the horse racing bucket record, that is undoubtedly on it.”
Bauer, who trains privately for Richard Rigney, has but to win a World Championship occasion however has began a runner in every of the final two editions. Bauer famous that it could be further particular for the crew to win in California as Rigney is from Pasadena.
The Iroquois was additionally the primary race to supply Kentucky Derby (G1) qualifying factors, for which Jonathan’s Manner earned 10. Though Derby dreaming is inevitable, Bauer stated he is making an attempt to not get too far forward of himself.
“I believe horse racing is at all times a ‘subsequent race’ sort of mentality,” Bauer stated. “When you look too far down the road, it simply clouds your imaginative and prescient.”
Phil Bauer and jockey Joel Rosario rejoice profitable the Iroquois with Jonathan’s Manner
Ought to Jonathan’s Manner put on roses in 230 days, he might want to buck some destructive historical past. No Iroquois runner has ever gained the Derby. As well as, he was bred in Ohio, a state whose lone consultant within the Derby winner’s circle was Wintergreen method again in 1909.
Nonetheless, these historic challenges won’t take any pleasure away from Susan Anderson, who bred and raised the colt.
“My telephone was blowing up, I could not even discuss I used to be so excited,” Anderson stated.
Anderson is a coach herself, primarily based year-round at Turfway Park with a steady that numbers round 20. A Cincinnati native, she began driving at age 4 earlier than taking part in different disciplines like hunter/jumpers. At age 15, her household moved down the road from a coaching middle the place she began galloping and caught the bug for racing.
“I needed to be a jockey as a result of I believed it was so thrilling to breeze horses,” Anderson recalled. “My dad stated, ‘Completely not, you are going to faculty.’ I went to school, however I missed the races a lot.”
As soon as graduating from Virginia Intermont Faculty, Anderson obtained again into racing, taking her coach’s take a look at at age 19. Anderson saddled her first starter in January 1987 at Sunland Park and gained her first race in her fourth begin. The subsequent 12 months, she spent the summer season working for coach Liam Brown on the Curragh in Eire earlier than touring to England to work for John Hills.
Susan Anderson at Belterra Park
In 1991, Anderson moved to Dubai the place she’d spend the subsequent eight years. In Dubai, she spent practically six years as an assistant coach to four-time Dubai champion coach Satish Seemar. Seemar skilled for Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. She was provided a coaching place with His Royal Highness in 1997 and grew to become the primary licensed feminine coach in Dubai.
In 2000, she moved again dwelling to Cincinnati to be nearer to household and bought Level Of View Farm close to Milford, Ohio, as an funding, planning to transform and flip the home. As an alternative, it become an important piece of land to lay-up her horses that wanted time away from the monitor.
At all times a lover of pedigrees and breeding—having bred her first Ohio-bred at age 16—she determined so as to add a number of broodmares to the farm. Jonathan Manner’s dam Feminine Drama is certainly one of solely three members of Anderson’s broodmare band.
“To have a colt like this out of a small broodmare band is unbelievable,” Anderson stated.
Feminine Drama, by Indian Charlie, gained the 2009 Wings of Jove Stakes at Belmont Park for coach Todd Pletcher and house owners Larry Byer, Omar Trevino, and Anthony Cecil.
Byer, who operated Byerpatch Farm in Lebanon, Ohio, saved the mare when she retired. After his passing in 2016, his kids held a dispersal of his bloodstock the place Anderson bought her.
“After I noticed her, I used to be like, ‘Wow.’ She was simply massive and exquisite. Huge and exquisite mares have massive and exquisite infants,” Anderson stated. “She’s been a very good mare to me. I’ve performed fairly effectively out of her.”
Anderson stated she tries to breed her mares to first-year stallions to be extra commercially interesting on the gross sales. Something she does not promote, she’ll hold and prepare herself. Jonathan’s Manner is the primary graded winner by Spendthrift Farm’s two-time grade 1-winning stallion Vekoma .
“He was such an important racehorse,” Anderson stated of the stallion. “I watched him run and I believed he was going to be business as a result of he was very quick. He was an A++ nick along with her pedigree.
“(Jonathan’s Manner) was at all times a simple colt to deal with. He had an important thoughts, he did every thing proper from day one.”
Jonathan’s Manner along with his dam, Feminine Drama
Pairing with Joe Seitz and Brookdale Gross sales as consignors, Anderson introduced the colt as a weanling to the 2022 Keeneland November Breeding Inventory Sale anticipating to obtain about $70,000, perhaps $100,000. As an alternative, the profitable bid got here in at $290,000.
“(Brookdale) did an important job. Joe Seitz, I believe the world of him,” Anderson stated. “I did not have the expectation that he would convey that sort of cash.”
The profitable bidder was Oreo Racing, a reputation Anderson nor Seitz acknowledged. Seitz requested round and, as soon as studying the true id as Rigney, Anderson was thrilled.
“When he instructed me it was Rigney Racing, I used to be like, ‘Thank God it isn’t a pinhooker,'” Anderson stated. “I needed any individual to have him and provides him loads of time and race him. That was the proper place for him.”
Rigney was equally thrilled with the colt chosen by agent John Moynihan.
“We have been considering massive, excessive issues for this horse from the very starting,” Rigney stated. “One of many great issues about John is he isn’t taking a look at what the web page appears like, he is trying on the physicals. He is taking a look at who’re the athletes.”
“He is a pure cruiser,” Bauer stated. “We have been very excessive on him. We went to see him in Ocala and there have been a pair colts that have been separating themselves. You continue to need to see in the event that they’re actual, however every thing we did with him he continued to progress. He by no means gave us any doubt.”
The total extent of Jonathan Manner’s affect on the race monitor is but to be decided, however backing him alongside the journey would be the complete state of Ohio. Based on the Jockey Membership, 356 foals have been registered in Ohio in 2022, 2.1% of the USA foal crop. Anderson is a board member of the Ohio Benevolent and Safety Affiliation.
“It could imply the world to me,” Anderson stated of the colt representing Ohio on the largest levels. “All people is worked up, I’ve had extra texts and calls from folks. All people’s excited to have an Ohio-bred win a grade 3 and presumably go on to do extra.”
On dreaming of a Kentucky Derby victory, Anderson stated, “I do not even know what to say. That may be my wildest dream.”
