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Updates on Griffin Place bred, raised and sold runners and
Stallions that GP has shares in.
12/22/02
12/22/02 Daniel Borislow wanted his homebred Toccet to have a showdown with Bob Baffert’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) winner Vindication in the $406,500 Hollywood Futurity (G1) at Hollywood Park on Saturday, but Baffert gave him all he could ask for with Kafwain instead. Toccet prevailed, however, after coming west from his Maryland base to prove his credentials for possible divisional honors and withstanding an inquiry to notch his sixth victory. The son of Awesome Again blew out of the gate with more speed than he
has previously shown, and pressed the pace set by Roll Hennessey Roll
through early fractions of :46.36 for the half and 1:09.94 for six
furlongs. Kafwain, who appeared to break a step slow, settled at the back of
the six-horse field. Jorge Chavez had Toccet perfectly placed, and when
Victor Espinoza began Kafwain’s move down the backstretch, Toccet was
still relaxed near the front. As the much larger Kafwain loomed wide
around the turn, Toccet took the lead, and Kafwain bumped Coax Kid out
of his way in his eagerness to reach his rival. He stretched his head in
front briefly as he leaned inward but Toccet dug in and when Chavez
switched to a left-handed whip he pushed his nose back in front. Toccet
finished a scant head in front of Kafwain, completing the race in
1:41.26 over a fast track. The inquiry sign was nearly immediate, but the decision took several
minutes before the stewards took Kafwain down and placed him fourth,
behind Coax Kid. Baffert’s other entry, Domestic Dispute, was placed
second, although he had been three lengths behind the leaders. "He got his speed flying in Thursday," trainer John Scanlon said of
Toccet. "He impressed me more than he ever has. He got hooked and he
said, ‘Hey, what do you think you’re doing?’ He just seems to get better
every week. Where are we running next week, boss?" Baffert was philosophical about Kafwain’s loss. "I know when they turned for home and I saw that, I was like, if he’s
gonna win, he’s gonna come down," Baffert said. "I can’t complain. Chop
Chop (Chavez), he’s tough to get by, though. He’s tough. What a race."
Scanlon also has conditioned Toccet to wins at 1 1/16 miles in the
Champagne Stakes (G1) at Belmont Park, and the Laurel Futurity (G3), and
in the 1 1/8 mile Remsen Stakes (G2) at Aqueduct. Toccet’s only finish
worse than third was in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1), the start of an
eight-week blitz that had the colt running every two weeks. Toccet, bred in Kentucky, is the first foal to race from three foals out of the stakes-placed Cozzene mare Cozzene’s Angel. He improved his career earnings to $755,610. 12/22/02 Toccet can add Saturday's
$406,507 Hollywood Futurity (gr. I) to his growing argument for top
juvenile honors in 2002. The Kentucky-bred son of Awesome Again now holds grade one victories
on both coasts – he won the Champagne at Belmont on Oct. 5 – and has
captured six of eight starts, including four graded stakes. He also won
the Laurel Futurity (gr. III) and the Remsen Stakes (gr. II) at Aqueduct
this year. Toccet is the first eastern-based horse to win the Futurity since
Stephan's Odyssey connected for the late Hall of Fame trainer Woody
Stephens in 1984. Of course, with the Eclipse Award voting all but completed, the
argument is mainly academic. Toccet's owner and breeder, Daniel Borislow, had challenged Padua
Stables and trainer Bob Baffert to enter their Breeders' Cup Juvenile
(gr. I) champion Vindication, the probable Eclipse 2-year-old winner, to
run in the Futurity. Instead, Baffert gave him Kafwain, his "second-stringer" who put on a
tremendous stretch battle with Toccet. Toccet, ridden by Jorge Chavez, prevailed by a head over the 6-5
favorite Kafwain, but the latter was disqualified for bumping Coax Kid
turning for home and was placed fourth. The 1 1/16-mile 2-year-old test was run in 1:41.26. Sent off at 8-5, Toccet surprisingly took on Roll Hennessy Roll early
through solid early fractions of :23.08 and :46.36. As Toccet took
control of the lead at the top of the stretch, Kafwain, ridden by Victor
Espinoza, was making a wide move to kick home. Kafwain took the lead by
a head lead briefly in late stretch, but Toccet gamely battled back to
grab a narrow edge in the final 100 yards. Kafwain, the Thoroughbred Corp.'s Breeders' Cup Juvenile runner-up,
was last in the six-horse field going down the backstretch before
closing the gap on the turn. He was four wide coming out of the final
turn when he cut off Coax Kid and Patrick Valenzuela to his inside while
engaging a powerful stretch drive. Domestic Dispute, a second Baffert entry, was moved up to second and
Coax Kid awarded third. "We were scared about the track, not knowing whether he would handle
it," Chavez said. "He was slipping on it a little bit, but he still was
fighting, and he was able to come back again in the stretch after the
other one got in front of us. It was amazing. He didn't like the track,
and he still won like that. He's got such a big heart. He's traveled a
lot and he keeps doing it. This is an amazing horse." Trained by John Scanlan, Borislow picked up $243,900 for the victory,
swelling the 2-year-old bay colt's career earnings to $755,610. Toccet
is among the leading contenders for the 2003 Kentucky Derby (gr.I). Real Quiet, the 1997 winner, is the most recent of five Futurity
graduates to go on to glory in the Run for the Roses. Toccet, who has won three straight races since his dull 9th-place
effort in the Breeders' cup Juvenile Oct. 26, was sent west by owner
Daniel Borislow in a last-ditch attempt to snare the 2-year-old
championship from Vindication. While the victory does not figure to be
enough to sway Eclipse Award voters, it definitely enhanced Toccet's
reputation. Scanlan believes Toccet's best days are ahead. "It was a great race today," he said. "He impressed me more than he
ever has. He got hooked and he said, 'Hey, what do you think you're
doing?' He just seems to get better every week." Scanlan borrowed a set of green Hollywood Park silks when he
discovered he forgot Borislow's silks "I left them (silks) in the car," he said. "The Irish clover was in
me. We wanted to ride pure green silks. The biggest race I ever won in
my life was the Seneca and we forgot the silks. Maybe we'll forget the
silks if we make it to the Derby." Baffert gave credit to Chavez and Toccet and had no complaint about
the disqualification of Kafwain. "Chop Chop (Chavez), he's tough to get by," Baffert said. "What a
race." Toccet paid $5.20, $3.80 and $2.40. Domestic Dispute returned $8 and $6.20. Coax Kid paid $5.20. 12/22/02 INGLEWOOD, Calif. - In his years in the National Hockey League, Rick Toccet was known for his tough, aggressive play. In an act of pure karma, the trait has transferred to the colt whose misspelled name carries on that legacy. Saturday's $409,500 Hollywood Futurity put Toccet to the test. On a
track favoring speed, he was asked to chase a quick front-runner, then
hold off a belated charge from the favorite, all while racing over a new
track for the first time. He cleared every hurdle, holding off Kafwain
to win by a head. Kafwain was subsequently disqualified and moved back to fourth, the
stewards ruling he interfered with Coax Kid at the top of the stretch.
Domestic Dispute, who finished four lengths behind Kafwain, was promoted
to second, with Coax Kid, who was another 3 1/2 lengths behind, moved up
to third. Roll Hennessy Roll was fifth, and Logician trailed. Although Toccet's number 6 flashed during the inquiry, he was not in
any way involved in the incident. Toccet, racing over a fast track that played several lengths faster
than par, was timed in 1:41.26 for 1 1/16 miles. The early fractions of
23.08 seconds, :46.36, and 1:09.94 for six furlongs belonged to Roll
Hennessy Roll, but Toccet was always lapped on Roll Hennessy Roll. The victory was the third straight for Toccet -- including the Remsen
Stakes at Aqueduct and the Laurel Futurity -- since his ninth-place
finish in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile, a race in which his outside post
draw severely hindered his chances. He won three straight prior to that,
including the Champagne Stakes at Belmont. All told, Toccet has now won six times in eight starts, twice in
Grade 1 company, while winning stakes at four different racetracks. He
also became the first Eastern-based horse since Stephan's Odyssey in
1984 to win the Futurity. But he's the first to ship in directly and
win. Stephan's Odyssey stuck around for the Futurity after first
capturing an allowance race two weeks earlier at Hollywood Park. "He beat everybody except for one unfortunate race in the Breeders'
Cup," said Toccet's owner, Dan Borislow. "I think he deserves to be the
champion this year." Borislow picked up a first prize of $243,900. In addition, he said he
bet $5,000 to win on Toccet, but cold-punched a one-way exacta of Toccet
over Kafwain. "I was kind of disappointed to see Kafwain come down,"
Borislow said. Borislow made up for that, though, with a head-to-head
bet he made with Kafwain's trainer, Bob Baffert, who chatted up Borislow
in the track's director's room. John Scanlan, Toccet's trainer, called his colt a "superstar in the
making." "He just seems to get better every week," Scanlan said. Toccet ($5.20) was the second choice, behind Kafwain, who was 6-5.
Toccet's silks were not shipped to California for the race, so jockey
Jorge Chavez had to wear hunter green house silks from Hollywood Park.
To add further insult, track announcer Vic Stauffer announced before the
race that Toccet was a gelding, before correcting himself and saying the
2-year-old colt was a "regular Lasix user, not a regular gelding." Borislow said Toccet would return to Maryland on Sunday, and train at Laurel during the winter. [top] 11/30/02
11-30-02 The history of Aqueduct’s Grade 2 Remsen is that it produced horses
that will heavily involved in the three-year-old Classics the following
spring. Saturday afternoon, jockey Jorge Chavez guided Daniel Borislow’s
Toccet to an impressive 2 ¼-length victory over Bham in the 89th renewal
of this $200,000 nine-furlong event for two-year-olds. The victory did not come easy, as Toccet and Bham battled through
fractions of :23 2/5; :46 4/5; 1:11 2/5 and 1:36 4/5, before Toccet
finally drew off under the hard-working Chavez for the win in 1:50 2/5.
He returned $5.30 as the second choice. Toccet, who also won Belmont’s Grade 1 Champagne, has now proven
himself capable of handling the nine-furlong distance and two turns. He
has a big edge over the competition, as his connections will devise a
plan whose intent is to bring Toccet to Churchill Downs on May 3rd, 2003
for the Kentucky Derby. Remsen winners that have become Kentucky Derby
winners are Johnstown, Carry Back, Northern Dancer, Pleasant Colony, Go
for Gin and Thunder Gulch, “This horse can do it all,” said trainer Jon Scanlan of Toccet. “He
can win on the front, back or sideways. I thought he was the best horse
in the race. I was confident he would win when I entered him. He had a
fitness edge in here; this was his seventh start. I don’t know why he
shook his head in the stretch. I’ll have to go back to the barn and
check that out. Maybe he was P.O.’d that they didn’t make him the
favorite.” Actually, Chavez had the answer for Scanlan already. “He showed today how good he is,” Chavez said. “He can come from
behind or he can win just off the win. I wasn’t concerned about (Bham).
I know that I have a nice horse. The rain startled him; that’s why he
was shaking his head. ” According to Scanlan, plans are undecided for Toccet. “Right now, our plans are to have some champagne,” he said. “I don’t like Gulfstream for this horse. Maybe we will go to Dubai, New Orleans or just stay home.”
11-30-02 Racing for the third time in a little more than a month, Toccet kept rolling in his strong two-year-old campaign with a 2¼-length win in the $200,000 Remsen Stakes (G2) for two-year-olds at Aqueduct on Saturday. Juddmonte Farms’ homebred Empire Maker, a maiden winner trained by
Bobby Frankel, was sent off as the 7-to-5 favorite, but an anticipated
duel with the seasoned Toccet never developed in the 1 1/8-mile event.
Empire Maker bobbled coming out of the gate and spent most of the
race making up ground before flattening out in the stretch and finishing
third. Meanwhile, Toccet prompted the pace as Bham led through fractions
of :23.41 for the opening quarter, :46.90 through a half-mile, and
1:11.40 for six furlongs. Toccet moved outside in the backstretch and
overtook Bham in the far turn under jockey Jorge Chavez. He drew clear
while shaking his head a few times in the stretch before stopping the
clock in 1:50.40 over a fast track. Toccet, a son of freshman sire Awesome Again, earned his third career
stakes victory just two weeks after his front-running triumph in the
Laurel Futurity (G3) on November 16, which followed a disappointing
ninth-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) on October 26. "This horse can do it all. He can win on the front, back, or
sideways," trainer John Scanlan said. "I thought he was the best horse
in the race. I was confident he would win when I entered him. He had a
fitness edge in here; this was his seventh start." Toccet, who also won the Champagne Stakes (G1) at Belmont Park on
October 5, picked up his fifth win and improved his bankroll to $511,710
for owner-breeder Daniel Borislow. Bred in Kentucky, Toccet is the only foal to race from three foals out of the winning Cozzene mare Cozzene’s Angel, a half sister to six winners, including stakes winners Courtly Candor, Carson Bay, and Miss Walkie Talkie.
11-16-02 Racing on an off-track for the first time in his six-race career proved to be no problem for Toccet as he forged to the lead along the inside on the far turn of the sloppy Laurel Park track, took command at the top of the stretch, and drew off to a 6 1/4-length victory in the $100,000 Laurel Futurity (G3) on Saturday. Toccet was bumped at the start of the 1 1/16-mile race but regained
his footing and found room on the inside on the backstretch, where he
challenged early leader Ironton through a half-mile in :48.44 before
putting a head in front in six furlongs in 1:13.33. Toccet took command from that point, opening a 3 1/2-length lead at
the top of the stretch, before being ridden out to the victory achieved
in 1:46.10. Ironton, who finished second in the Marlyand Million Nursery
Stakes at Pimlico Race Course on September 21, held second, one length
in front of Nursery winner Cherokee’s Boy in third. Trainer John Scanlan said Toccet had trained well on off tracks. "He did fine. He’s been training really well and it’s been muddy
lately and he showed me that he likes it in the morning, so I just
assumed he’d like it in the afternoon," Scanlan said. The victory had Chavez looking forward to next season with Toccet.
"Now we know this horse loves the slop, too," Chavez said. "This will
definitely be a Derby-type horse." Toccet bounced back from a ninth-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup
Juvenile (G1) in his previous start on October 26 at Arlington Park. In
that 1 1/8-mile race, Toccet broke from the outside post in the field of
13. Toccet, who won the Champagne Stakes (G1) on October 5 at Belmont
Park, earned the second graded stakes victory of his career. The son of
Awesome Again has won four of six starts and placed third once and has
earned $391,710 for owner-breeder Dan Borislow. Toccet is the only foal to race out of the Cozzene mare Cozzene’s Angel, a stakes-placed winner. Cozzene’s Angel was sold in foal to Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) winner Awesome Again, at the 1999 Adena Springs broodmare sale at Fasig-Tipton Kentucky, and the resulting foal was Toccet. Cozzene’s Angel was purchased for $200,000 by Buzz Chace, agent for Borislow. [top]
10-27-02 Click here to see the the Breeders' Cup Juvenile G1 results. (Requires Adobe Acrobat)
10-7-02
Toccet is out of Griffin Place mare,
Cozzene's Angel Daniel Borislow’s homebred Toccet scored his third straight win and
carved himself a spot in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) with a game
1½-length win in the $500,000 Champagne Stakes (G1) at Belmont Park on
Saturday. Sent off at odds of 9.10-to-1, Toccet seemed to stall after moving
into striking position at the rail just behind Icecoldbeeratreds, who
led a field of nine from two wide at the top of the stretch. But under
strong urging from jockey Jorge Chavez, Toccet dug in at midstretch to
shoot past Icecoldbeeratreds and drive clear in the 1 1/16-mile event,
stopping the clock in 1:44.45. "I was very impressed by him coming up the rail, especially after I
told Jorge to stay off the rail," trainer John Scanlan said. "I didn’t
want any part of the fence. The horse never seems to get tired. The
farther he goes, the better he goes. He’ll work at Arlington a week
before the [Juvenile] to get a work over the track." Icecoldbeeratreds, who shipped in after winning the Del Mar Futurity
(G2) at Del Mar on September 11, held for second. Erinsouthernman
followed three lengths back in third. Pretty Wild, the 1.30-to-1
favorite, followed another 2½ lengths back in fourth. After finishing third in his career debut at Colonial Downs in a
six-furlong maiden special weight contest on July 7, Toccet scored a
ten-length win at Laurel Park on August 16 in a seven-furlong maiden
special weight event. He followed with an 8½-length triumph in a 1
1/16-mile allowance at Pimlico Race Course on September 6 in his start
before the Champagne. He has earned $331,710. Bred in Kentucky, Toccet is by freshman sire Awesome Again and is the
only foal to race from three foals out of the winning Cozzene mare
Cozzene’s Angel. Please see chart courtesy of Equibase at http://www.equibase.com
10-7-02 By DAVID GRENING, The Daily Racing Form ELMONT, N.Y. - Toccet joined the list of contenders for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile on Saturday by rallying up the rail past a tiring Icecoldbeeratreds to win the Grade 1, $500,000 Champagne Stakes by 1 1/2 lengths at Belmont Park. Icecoldbeeratreds, who opened up a 1 1/2-length lead at the eighth
pole, finished second, three lengths ahead of Erinsouthernman. Pretty
Wild, the 6-5 favorite, never threatened in finishing fourth. Cape Good
Hope, Brancusi, Outer Reef, Desert Warrior, and Risky Cat completed the
order of finish. Toccet is named after Rick Tocchet, who plays for the Philadelphia
Flyers of the National Hockey League. Daniel Borislow, the owner and
breeder of Toccet, blamed the misspelling on his bookkeeper. It's not the only mistake Borislow made. Eighteen months ago,
Borislow sold Cozzene's Angel, the dam of Toccet, for a relatively cheap
price. "I've been trying to buy her back for three months," Borislow
said. For the moment, Borislow will have to settle for having a Breeders'
Cup Juvenile contender. "We're going," he said. "As long as he comes out
of it in good shape." Under Jorge Chavez, Toccet settled in fourth position down the
backstretch while Desert Warrior set the pace chased by
Icecoldbeeratreds. Desert Warrior began to tire at the three-eighths
pole, and Chavez had to guide Toccet around him. Meanwhile,
Icecoldbeeratreds opened up a lengthy advantage in upper stretch. Inside the sixteenth pole, Icecoldbeeratreds began to tire and Chavez
rallied him up the rail to victory. Toccet covered the 1 1/16 miles in
1:44.45 - .25 of a second slower than Storm Flag Flying in the Frizette.
Toccet returned $20.20 to win. "When he moved into third down the backside he looked to me like he
was the only one still running," trainer John Scanlan said. "I was only
concerned about the fence. The fence was horrible today.'' This year's Breeders' Cup Juvenile will be run at 1 1/8 miles.
Scanlan said he wishes it was further. "I wish it was a mile and a half," he said. Icecoldbeeratreds, the Del Mar Futurity winner, appeared to fail in
his test to show his connections he could get a distance. "It's the first time going this far, so you've got to give him at
least one more chance," jockey David Flores said. "He's only a
2-year-old. Hopefully, you'll see him in the Breeders' Cup." Pretty Wild most likely will not run in the Breeders' Cup. After two
solid efforts in the Hopeful and Futurity, Pretty Wild was beaten seven
lengths in the Champagne. "He didn't quite have anything today," jockey Shaun Bridgmohan said. "I called upon him down the backside and there was just no response. He was flat today." 10/5/02
[top] 9-13-02 Gottstein Draws Full Field The 1 1/16-mile race is the highlight of the meet for two-year olds at Emerald, and could well determine the state's champion in that division. 9/13/02
[top] 08-18-02 Madame Commish (Demons Begone-Bold Magestrate) 3-year filly owned by Ron Crockett won her race at Emerald Downs MCL 25,000. [top] 07-04-02 07-03-02
[top] 6-30-02
[top] 5-5-02
[top] 04-12-02
[top]
[top] 03-14-02 Horse name: Where's Will WHERE'S WILL set all of the pace from just off the rail, resisted the winner briefly in the upper stretch then could not match strides but held well for the place. [top] 02-12-02 Track: Turf Paradise MR BULLDOG settled early to stalk the lead trio for the half, gained ground into the far turn, came to striking position at the quarter pole, responded typically, and closed well to end second while no threat to FORMAL MEETING. But he still won $2440. 2-10-02 Emerald Downs to offer stakes program worth in excess of $2-million
Emerald Downs opens its 91-day meeting on April 19 and will feature a
schedule of 35 stakes worth at total of $2,070,000 and highlighted by
the 67th running of e $250,000 Longacres Mile (G3) on August 25. The Barbara Shinpoch Stakes for two-year-old fillies at one-mile on
August 24 eceived a significant boost and is now worth $75,000. "We've really made an effort to improve the juvenile filly series," said Grant Holcomb, Emerald Downs director of racing. "We wanted a championship two-year-old filly race that would rival the [$100,000] Gottstein [Futurity], and I believe with the increased purse, we've moved towards that." Other stakes include the $100,000 Washington Breeders' Cup Oaks for three-year-old fillies at 1 1/8 miles on August 18; the $125,000 Emerald Downs Breeders' Cup Derby for three-year-olds at 1 1/8 miles on September 2; and the Gottstein Futurity for two-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles on September 15; "This is a stakes schedule that will showcase the best Thoroughbreds in the Northwest," Holcomb said. "Each of the divisions work up to championship races in August and September. And we're excited about the continued participation from the Breeders' Cup." The meeting will continue through September 16. 02-10-02 Campanita went back into training on 2/7/02. We hope she improves this year. She has plenty of speed, the trick will be to get her to relax and use the speed when it counts! She needs to R&R in England to learn the ropes! [top] 1/12/02 Thunder Zoot won at Portland Meadows over the weekend going a mile. He is a GP bred out of Zoot de Zoot by Demons Begone. It's snowing this morning for the first time this year. [top] |
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