As a long-distance turf star, Point of Entry wouldn’t be expected to rack up the winners as a freshman sire, particularly at this point in the season. So it’s a very encouraging sign for the Adena Springs stallion to come up with three winners within a span of eight days – all in sprints, on three different surfaces, culminating in a stakes victory.
Owner-trainer Mike Doyle’s Glamanation became Point of Entry’s first black-type performer with a maiden-breaking score in Sunday’s $99,689 Shady Well S. at Woodbine. Dispatched as the 7-2 third choice in the Ontario-bred feature, she had finished second in her May 27 debut and fourth in the June 24 My Dear S. Both times, she encountered Dream It Is, who underscored the value of that formline when trouncing last Friday’s Schuylerville (G3) at Saratoga.
Glamanation was unfazed by hitting the gate on her way out here and quickly secured a prominent position, but jockey Davy Moran eased her back just off the pace in fifth. Peeling out widest of all turning for home, she rallied to prevail by a length while finishing 5 1/2 Tapeta furlongs in 1:05.94.
“She ran second to Barb Minshall’s good filly (Dream It Is) the first time out and personally, I think she probably could have won that day,” Moran told Woodbine publicity. “When she went to go by, she started laying in on horses, so today, I tried to swing her out a little bit and she even tried it for a couple of strides. She’s only learning and she’s improving every race. I think there’s better for her to come still.”
“Richard Hogan bought the horse in September,” Doyle said of the bay who was a bargain $10,000 yearling buy at Keeneland. “He called me and I bought her off him. She had a couple of vet issues you had to forgive her for, and I just like the stallion and I kind of liked the way she looked.”
Doyle added that Glamanation logically has turf in her future, with the possibility of a big target.
“I always keep thinking I should be running her on the grass. The way the races keep coming up – I thought she would have won maybe already by now and I could have just gone to turf – but now she’s won a nice race and her next start will hopefully be something headed towards the Natalma (G1).”
The September 17 Natalma serves as a “Win & You’re In” for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1).
Bred by Adena Springs, Glamanation is the first foal from the winning Orientate mare Golden Scarf. Her second dam is multiple stakes victress Bar U Mood, a Saratoga Six half-sister to Canadian Horse of the Year and Triple Crown sweeper With Approval as well as 1997 Belmont S. (G1) and Haskell (G1) hero Touch Gold. Thus Glamanation’s third dam is Passing Mood, who won the Shady Well herself as a juvenile. Her other descendants include Canadian champion Serenading and Grade 1-winning millionaire Brilliant Speed.
Point of Entry was celebrating a weekend double at Woodbine, since Gabe Grossberg’s homebred Moonlight Rain had won at first asking in Saturday’s 3RD race on turf.
The Mark Casse pupil was overlooked as the 11-1 longest shot on the board, raced last in the compact field of six early, and didn’t catch fire until deep stretch. As jockey Patrick Husbands steered her between rivals, Moonlight Rain suddenly lurched into gear and got up in time by a neck. The Kentucky-bred negotiated six furlongs on the firm course in 1:09.95, and like Glamanation, should prosper as the distances increase. Off this evidence, she could be a Natalma prospect as well.
Moonlight Rain is out of the stakes-placed Sweet Sugaree, by Tiznow, who has now produced four winners from five runners. The juvenile’s fourth dam is Lovely Morning, the half-sister to champions Successor and Bold Lad and ancestress of Dispute, Time for a Change, Adjudicating, and Secret Savings. Fifth dam is therefore two-time champion and Broodmare of the Year Misty Morn.
Happy King kicked off the sequence for Point of Entry on July 15, becoming his first winner at Hipodromo de las Americas on the dirt in Mexico City. The first foal from multiple Pennsylvania-bred stakes-placed Amnesian (by Bold N’ Flashy), he brought only $1,000 as a Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October yearling. Happy King debuted in a 5 1/2-furlong maiden claimer June 16, rallying from last in the 10-horse field to take fourth, and graduated over six furlongs in a better maiden.
Point of Entry’s early success was intimated by his progeny’s generally good reception at the sales. His first weanlings included a pair of six-figure purchases, Breakers Point ($100,000 at Keeneland November) and Tejas Ranger (82,000 guineas, or approximately $129,460, at Tattersalls December).
That pattern took greater hold during the 2016 yearling sales, with nine bringing at least $100,000, topped by a colt out of Final Fling who sold to Stephen Carr for $275,000 at Keeneland September. Also attracting attention at that venue were Madaket Sunset ($150,000 to Groth Stable), Tejas Ranger again ($140,000 to Hall of Fame trainer Nick Zito, agent), a colt out of Sacred Feather ($140,000 to Wycombe House), Analyze It ($130,000 to Patrick Hoppel, agent), a colt out of No Setting Sun ($130,000 to J.J. Crupi, agent), Devine Entry ($100,000 to H. Hatch, agent), and The Robert ($100,000 to Brad Anderson). At Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July, Miss Katie Bug commanded $135,000 from F. Thomas Conway.
A few of those turned into successful pinhooks this year. The Sacred Feather colt shipped across the Atlantic to be offered at the Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up (click for video of his work) in April, where Sheikh Hamdan’s Shadwell purchased him for 390,000 guineas ($522,481). He is a half-brother to Shadwell’s Group 2 victor Taareef, most recently successful in the July 16 Prix Messidor (G3). At OBS March, Madaket Sunset went to Jay Hanley for $210,000 at OBS March, and Analyze It sold to Bradley Thoroughbreds, agent, for $190,000.
Leading the Point of Entry auction juveniles was Best My Way, a $675,000 OBS March buy by Narvick International who was exported to Japan. He blasted a quarter in a bullet :20 3/5 at the under tack show. Point of America brought $300,000 from Brittlyn Stables at OBS April, Final Form was snapped up by Tim Kegel, agent, for $100,000 at the same sale, and a filly out of Madam Lagonza went to Ben McElroy, agent, for $110,000 at Fasig-Tipton Midlantic May.
That represents a nifty return on investment, as the nine-year-old stallion stands at Adena Springs near Paris, Kentucky, for $20,000, stands and nurses.
Point of Entry promises to build upon the legacy of Dynaformer sons at stud. While Purim unfortunately died young after siring such high-class performers as Twilight Eclipse and Undrafted, Temple City has picked up the baton with the likes of Miss Temple City and Bolo, and California stallion Mr. Big isn’t so obscure anymore after coming up with Big Score.
A Phipps Stable homebred, Point of Entry is also likely to transmit the depth of talent inherited from his female line. His ill-fated half-sister Pine Island (by another Roberto-line stallion in Arch) was a standout on dirt, capturing the 2006 Alabama (G1) and Gazelle (G1) and placing in the Mother Goose (G1) and Coaching Club American Oaks (G1). Other notable half-siblings are Sail Ahoy (by Bernardini), third in the 2015 Nashua (G2), and stakes-placed Chili Cat (by Storm Cat), dam of 2014 Waya S. winner Cat’s Claw (by Dynaformer and thus a three-quarter sister to Point of Entry).
Point of Entry’s dam, the Seeking the Gold mare Matlacha Pass, is a winning full sister to 2005 Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1) romper Pleasant Home and multiple Grade 2 queen Country Hideaway (dam of multiple Grade 2 scorer Boca Grande). His third dam is multiple Grade 1 star Maplejinsky, who produced Hall of Famer Sky Beauty.
Hailing from this same family are fellow freshman Violence, likewise off to a great start, and multiple Grade 1-winning sire Tale of Ekati.
Given the strong dirt background, Point of Entry understandably began his career on the main track before excelling on turf. The Shug McGaughey trainee reeled off a five-race winning spree in 2012, comprising the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational (G1), Sword Dancer Invitational (G1), Man o’ War (G1), Elkhorn (G2), and a course record-setting Keeneland allowance. His skein was halted by a near-miss to Little Mike in the Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1), after a less than ideal trip.
Point of Entry promptly rebounded in the 2013 Gulfstream Park Turf (G1), upstaging Animal Kingdom in his prep for the Dubai World Cup (G1), and made it seven of his last eight in the Manhattan (G1). Unfortunately exiting with a condylar fracture, he wasn’t ready to return until the Breeders’ Cup Turf. Despite the lack of a tightener, he finished a massive fourth in his career finale and retired with $2,494,490 in earnings from an 18-9-3-1 line.
Considering that Point of Entry reached the peak of his powers as an older horse, the future looks very bright for his youngsters.
