A STAR IS BORN

  

A STAR IS BORN

The life of My Role Model – GALILEO x A.P. INDY x STREET CRY

27 STARTS = 14 WINS $2,566,258 (5 G1 WINS) 

Trainer and Breeder– EMINC dual Partnership 

PHAR LAP : How to breed and train a champion race horse ????. Good question you might say. Today we will delve into the life of a Sim champion, from inception to retirement. We will have a look at the breeding, the trainer’s and their thoughts, the performances and maybe there are some lessons to be learnt.

The basics of success may sound simple. Good horse, good trainer and well placed.

Is there a process in getting that good horse ???

  

 

  

 

Let’s have a look at some proven breeding methods.

1. Breed the best to the best and hope for the best.

2 Research successful breeding traits and combinations.

3 I have a small budget so I do the best I can and hope.

4 Seek advice.

5 No idea, throw anything together and hope for a miracle or some luck.

6 Use what has worked for me in the past.

All of the above ideas can work. What about freshman sires ???, not much to go on bar bloodlines, type, stud fee and race performance.

OK, we have used whatever method that fits our personality, likes or experience. Now we have to be up to the task of getting the best out of the animal in our stable.

  Like your chances of success???

 

PHAR LAP : With the horse in question we shall first look at the trainers. This story has an added dimension as it concerns the life of a dual partnership training operation, Mike Baliya and Eliza Nardone. I will let the trainers tell the story.

ELIZA : I think to understand how eminc came about I should give you some of my history in the game. I began playing in the year 2000 but I was always a free player and never a serious one. I would hang in chat in the early years but life kinda took over and I became less active for a while. Late in 2010 I started coming back to chat and hanging out with some of the ‘big time’ players and I became more active in the game. I started writing for the BTB and earning credits and breeding better stock. When 2011 came around I began really revving up.

Now as I became more active I wanted to join a new residency. I had been a part of Ireland for many years but its founder Techranger had left the game and the res fell into disuse. One night I was in chat with Hartack, Mjbfarms and Jetman, all ESR members and they recruited me. The four of us spent a lot of time in chat that year and had a lot of fun.

In addition to earning credits I started claiming well-bred mares to breed – specifically to A.P. Indy and Kingmambo who were both standing their final seasons that year. In the past I had never used many big time sires, but I was going all out on these two before they were gone.

In September of 2011 I was in chat with MJB (Mike), as usual. He wanted to upgrade some of his stock but was looking for a partner in a joint venture to spread out some of the risks. By that time I was getting mare rich and credit poor so it seemed like a logical jump to join him. By October we had a stable with some nice blue bloods in it starting to run. Basically we were looking to compete at the highest levels with the best bred horses.

I continued scouring claims for good mares and I found a jewel named Street Creds for $100k and was lucky enough to win her. She was a GP/SW with a pedigree I fell in love with – Street Cry x Silver Hawk x Strawberry Road. The backend may seem a little obscure but I really liked it and she exuded class. She was the sort of mare who could have run through her starter tag and earned back my bps but it was October and I wanted to send her to A.P. Indy.

At the time you could breed a 5yo+ mare to a sire and get a 3yo foal in one week and a 2yo foal the next. A.P. Indy was only available 3yo only and this was back when people bred in ‘clickfest’. So it took me almost a month before I scored the big sire and produced the colt Time Truth Hearts. The next week I sent her to Galileo and got another colt, Another Heartbreak. Both colts got sent to the new venture eminc. Time Truth Hearts was a disappointment from the start – he broke his maiden in his second start with an 80 speed (remember he was a 3yo and it was November) and he never ran higher than an 87 in his seven starts for eminc. Another Heartbreak on the other hand broke his maiden in his first start with an 81 and showed great promise from the get go.

By June of 2012 we gave up on Time Truth Hearts. Another Heartbreak was running well (he would go on the be a multiple G1 winner in his career) so it seemed like a logical move to send TTH to Galileo for a sire and thus My Role Model was born. My Role Model was named for a line in the Paul Simon song “You Can Call Me Al” –
“A man walks down the street 
He says why am I short of attention 
Got a short little span of attention 
And wo my nights are so long 
Where’s my wife and family 
What if I die here 
Who’ll be my role-model 
Now that my role-model is 
Gone Gone” 

She became the best runner eminc ever had and the first champion both MJB & I ever trained. Now if you want a crazy story about her I will tell you that her first G1 win was an accidental one. We had her entered into an allowance the same week as the Oaks and I saw that the Oaks had a short field so I switched her on a lark and the rest is history. 

We were sad to retire her. We had hoped she might make the HOF but it was not to be. Giant’s Causeway seemed like a logical choice for her first mate. He’s one of the best in the game and not getting any younger. Also Street Creds has a SWing 3yo by him. Her foal’s name is Pools of Maroon, again from a song lyric this time from Pearl Jam’s Jeremy. In the song it is describing the blood of Jeremy’s fallen enemies, we are hoping this filly leaves her opponents fallen as well.

MIKE :.Eliza has given a great outline, besides it was pretty simple, Spin and I met in chat and found we had a lot of the same goals and ideas…I was in conference with another player about the dual partnership but was jilted at the alter. In the end Eliza stepped in to form EMINC with me.

 

At the time of writing Win 20% ITM 51.9%. Truly a top class operation.

PHAR LAP : Hi guys, can you give us any insight into your mindset when breeding My Role Model

MIKE :I would guess our mutual love for Galileo was a factor…I give Eliza most of the credit

ELIZA :It was really Another Heartbreak’s potential that sent us to Galileo.  We really felt like he was special and it seemed like a natural progression.

 

OK, let’s have a closer look at the champs bloodlines. Bred to a mare in this case. Time Truth Hearts (7 starts for 1 win). On performance nothing special, but if you look deeper the mare has multiple strains of the legendary influence Nearco. A fantastic pedigree in every respect.

My Role Model – GALILEO x A.P. INDY x STREET CRY

GALILEO – STRONG TURF BIAS, CHAMPION SIRE

 

  DAM – TIME TRUTH HEARTS (breeding below)

 

A.P. INDY – PRODUCES CHAMPIONS ON BOTH SURFACES

STREET CRY – PRODUCES CHAMPIONS ON BOTH SURFACES

Firstly, there is no doubt this is a blue blood breed. Some interesting points to note here. Galileo is quite capable of getting speedy squibs, I have seen many mating’s with him, be major disappointments, so it is not a given you will get a top horse. The backend is plain stunning on paper, the mares dynamic inbreeding to Nearco adds even more potency to a spectacular mating.

The finished product, a stunning bay filly.

The unseen work of the team is put into motion. This filly is one smart cookie, she seems to know what she is here for. The breaking in and education of all facets of the racing game are covered, from trot and canter to pace work and gallops. Barrier practice is completed and the EMINC team is satisfied their unknown filly is ready.

 

Off to the races for her 1^st start.

2012-09-21

IRE

F

2

7

M-50600|L

TURF-frm

1:25 03

72 070

11

3

8 4-3/4

8 7

8 4-3/4

4 2-1/2

After showing good pace she battled on strongly for a pleasing 4^th,. She was noticed by everyone in the saddling paddock and was sent out a 5/4 Fav.

PHAR LAP : Well guys, you must have been pleased with her first outing.

ELIZA :I am never pleased unless we get a win, but I’m just greedy.  I thought it was a fair run and I liked that she closed nicely so I took a more wait and see attitude.

 

2012-11-03

IRE

F

2

8

M-50600

TURF-frm

1:36 87

83 194

10

7

8 4-3/4

8 6-3/4

4 5-3/4

3 4

She was given the right amount of rest to get over her 1^st run and ran well again over the mile. She improved her time and tightened up noticeably after her 2^nd run indicating she had nice ability and would be ready next outing.

 

2012-12-15

IRE

F

2

8

M-Maiden Special

TURF-frm

1:37 14

86 493

10

8

8 4-3/4

7 6-3/4

5 2-1/4

1 1-3/4

She sat in a comfortable spot, and when asked, quickened brilliantly to win as she liked. The jockey was very impressed and stated there was plenty to come. Connections had seen enough and decided to send her to the paddock to develop with the big 3 year old fillies races as her next goal.

PHAR LAP : Very impressive guys, she developed nicely off her last start.

MIKE :Well we knew by pedigree she was going to do much better with the longer races as a 3 yr old and we wanted her rested and ready to go.

ELIZA :It was a solid win and with her pedigree we thought she would get better as a three year old so giving her some time on the farm seemed like a good idea.

After a nice spell she returned to the yard, bigger and stronger, let’s see what we have now.

 

2013-03-16

SWE

F

3

8

A-39000|NW2L

TURF-frm

1:36 68

90 418

4

1

4 4

4 5-3/4

3 2-1/4

1 1-3/4

PHAR LAP : A great win, gee that was impressive !!!!!!!

MIKE :We started to think we might have something at this point.

ELIZA :This is what we were looking for after the break, it was a good effort and she had plenty left in the tank.

 

2013-04-20

ITY

F

3

10

ST-Granny Deal Turf Filly Route

TURF-frm

2:03 03

92 368

10

2

8 5-1/4

7 8

4 4-3/4

2 5

PHAR LAP : Another pleasing run, she looked to enjoy the step up in trip and the she didn’t look out of place with class rise, would you agree ???

MIKE :This is where the debate begins about whether or not we go all in and be aggressive or play it safe. There is always the risk of frying a young horse, but that’s why I love this partnership..We both have our riverboat gambler moments where one will keep the other grounded. And there is no ego with us. A good idea is a good idea and where it comes from really doesn’t matter. We decided to look for a softer Graded if we could. And Eliza found one.

ELIZA :Again I’m always looking for a win and I didn’t like that she lost ground in the stretch.  We actually entered her back in an allowance after this run and had it not been the same week as the Adelaide Oaks she likely would have run in the allowance.

 

2013-06-08

QLD

F

3

12

G1-Adelaide Oaks

TURF-frm

2:31 04

101 444

5

5

5 5-1/4

5 7-1/2

2 2-1/2

1 3-3/4

PHAR LAP : She improved big time off her 1^st Stakes try to demoralise a quality field in the G1 Adelaide Oaks over the classic distance of 12F but this field was quite shallow, her next run in the Irish Oaks will tell us more.

MIKE :All in at this point. We thought 12F was what she wanted to run.

ELIZA : As I mentioned before, we had originally entered her in an allowance for this week.  I happened to be looking at the graded stakes entries and saw how short the field was for this race and called an audible, switching her entry to here.  I thought given how weak the field was she had a chance to win or hit the board and get some nice blacktype and was very pleased when she won.  I wasn’t sure she was a legit G1 runner after this race but once you win one no one can take it away from you.

 

2013-07-14

IRE

F

3

12

G1-The Irish Oaks

TURF-frm

2:29 70

109 034

12

5

7 7-3/4

7 11-1/4

5 5-1/4

1 4-1/4

PHAR LAP : WOW, this field was legit and she destroyed them, SHE HAS ARRIVED. Off to France

ELIZA :This was the test of her mettle.  The field was top notch including the division leader and she just demolished them all.  She set the stakes record for the race (although I think it has since been eclipsed) and just showed what a quality runner she was.  This is the point where we really knew we had something special on our hands.

 

2013-08-18

DEA

F

3

13

G3-The Minerve

TURF-frm

2:44 53

110 424

12

12

6 7-1/4

6 10-1/2

4 5-1/4

1 3-3/4

PHAR LAP : Another demolition job, What was going through your heads at this stage of her career ???

MIKE :We had already mapped out the rest of her year heading straight for Breeders Bowl.

ELIZA :This was just a bridge race between G1s. We knew she needed a race, she was tearing the barn down and this one worked out timing wise. At this point we’re obviously thinking she’s got a chance at a championship and the Breeders’ Bowl is never far from our minds but when you’ve got a hot horse on a win streak you don’t take anything for granted. It’s easy to look back and say ‘yeah that was an easy win’ but at the time every race was just as important.

 

2013-09-21

PAR

F

3 PLUS

12

G1-Vermillion Stakes

TURF-frm

2:29 76

108 706

9

5

5 7

5 10-1/4

2 5-1/2

1 3-1/4

PHAR LAP : The Vermillion Stakes was next up, and this time, she also had to take on older mares and one of the greatest mares in the world, Dynawells, and she blitzed them, what an outstanding filly she is.

You must be thinking about the Breeders Bowl F & M Turf now, will we see her in the USA ???

MIKE :This was another moment for debate. Do we run her against older? We really respected Dynawells, but Eliza sealed it when she said we needed to find out BEFORE the Breeders Bowl if she can handle older horses. Great call.

ELIZA :This was a big win and perhaps the biggest of her career.  Dynawells was obviously a very nice mare, a champion the year before but was perhaps over the hill at this point in her career. Our filly was just getting stronger with every race and we really felt like this was a good race.

 

2013-11-02

CA

F

3 PLUS

11

G1-Breeders’ Bowl F&M Turf

TURF-frm

2:15 17

107 542

14

13

10 5-3/4

9 8-3/4

5 6-1/4

3 2-3/4

PHAR LAP : A fantastic 3^rd, the 1^st 3 year old filly home and the world noticed.

MIKE :Truthfully, I wanted to win.

ELIZA :She ran a great race. I felt like the distance just wasn’t enough for her but the top two were older mares who both ran really strong races that day. It just wasn’t to be for us.

 

PHAR LAP : A brief freshen up and a prep race for the all important Equinics, next up

 

2014-01-03

BC

F

4 PLUS

12

A-67500

TURF-frm

2:31 52

98 736

4

2

3 2-1/2

3 3/4

1 1

1 4

PHAR LAP : I see you decided to show her off to the Canadians ??? A stroll in the park. Looked the perfect lead up for the big race ????

ELIZA :Yeah we gave her time off after the Breeders’ Bowl and just needed an easy race back to prep for Equinics. We were very lucky to have her chosen to represent Blazing Saddles in the Equinics and we wanted to put forth a best effort.

 

2014-02-08

VT

F

4 PLUS

14

G1-Equinics – Grade I Winner

TURF-frm

2:59 49

110 824

15

8

7 7-1/4

7 10-3/4

2 6-3/4

1 1/2

PHAR LAP : What a win, everyone knows the importance of the Equinics to the Sim family, to win her division must have been a memorable highlight to you both ????

 

MIKE :I was thrilled of course. But Equinics is bitter-sweet for me because I had won one previously and the filly was never the same after that. That race really took a lot out of her. So I was concerned.

ELIZA :This was really memorable. It was our first Equinics with Blazing Saddles and they chose I think four of our horses to represent and we brought home two wins so that was very special. We were most worried about Bristolred’s fantastic filly Canterbury Queen who had out-kicked Role Model in the Breeders’ Bowl but the extra distance favoured our filly and she won in a tight finish over Canterbury Queen.

 

 

2014-03-29

UAE

OP

4 PLUS

12

G1-Sand Castle Golden Turf Classic

TURF-frm

2:28 84

108 574

14

7

6 7-1/4

6 11

5 10-1/4

8 6-1/4

PHAR LAP : Her 1^st try against the boys results in fine 8^th against some of biggest stars the Sim had to offer

 

ELIZA :It was a great run but she came up short.  Perhaps if we had chosen an easier spot to battle males we would have seen a better result but we wanted to measure her against the best available and she lost nothing in defeat.  At the time we were in negotiations with Bristolred for a grudge match series between our filly and Canterbury Queen.  They had faced each other twice in the past and split the decisions so we purchased two races to settle the grudge.

 

2014-05-10

KY

F

4 PLUS

12

G1-Seasoned Biscuit Special

TURF-frm

2:30 03

106 227

7

5

5 8-1/4

5 12-3/4

3 9-3/4

2 3/4

PHAR LAP : Returning to her own sex, she charged home to finish a meritorious 2^nd in the Seasoned Biscuit Special, Daenerys Dragon, a very good horse in her own right, got out to a huge lead and My Role Model absolutely flew but came up just a tad short. Great run.

 

MIKE :I wanted that one because the race was named after my filly!

ELIZA :This was our purchased race in the series, we named it after mjb’s fine filly and Equinics winner Seasoned Biscuit. We did what we wanted which was to beat Canterbury Queen but this loss stings the most because we were further back early than planned and to lose by such a close margin was just hard. Had the race been 100 yards further we would have a Hall of Famer on our hands today.

 

 

2014-06-21

BRK

F

4 PLUS

14

G1-Botwisted Special

TURF-frm

3:00 04

108 087

14

5

6 6-1/2

6 9-1/4

3 3

1 1/2

PHAR LAP : The G1 Botwisted Special was to become this wonderful mares last big race win. She went on to win 5 more races. She finished her stellar career with hard charging head 2^nd. She will be remembered and revered in the Sim as one of best, good on you girl, you were very special to many people. Her legacy doesn’t finish there folks, off to the breeding shed where she has been bred to the mighty Giants Causeway (Pools Of Maroon) and has been tentatively booked to Dubawi for the 2016 breeding season. If that doesn’t get your juices flowing you don’t have a pulse.

 

MIKE :Thanks Phar Lap, I really love her but it’s on to see what kind of mare she will be.

ELIZA :This race Bristolred named after the Hall of Fame broodmare Botwisted. We again beat Canterbury Queen, settling the rivalry at 3-1.

GIANTS CAUSEWAY

 

 

POOLS OF MAROON

 

PHAR LAP : I would like to thank Mike and Eliza for letting me tell the My Role Model story, I just hope I have done her justice. On behalf of the Sim family we wish you both continued success and luck with this grand mare for years to come.

 

Cheers to the EMINC team

   

GIDDEY UP from PHAR LAP (gcliffo)