After Messy Start, Emphasis Prevails On Debut

On the morning of July 21, 2-year-old Emphasis was snoozing in his stall at Todd Pletcher’s barn at the Oklahoma training track, getting some well-deserved rest after breaking his maiden at first asking on Saturday afternoon at Saratoga Race Course. The son of first-crop sire Yaupon gutted out a gate-to-wire win under Ricardo Santana Jr., demonstrating an admirable determination that impressed his connections. “He broke well, was pressured almost the entire way, and he fought the entire length of the stretch,” said co-owner Mike Repole. “On the gallop-out, he was ahead of everyone. Nobody was catching him.” “He beat everybody to the punch,” said Ned Toffey, general manager of Spendthrift Farm, which partnered with Repole on the purchase. Yaupon stands at Spendthrift, as do Forte, Vino Rosso, and Mo Donegal, all of which were campaigned by Repole, the latter in partnership with Donegal Racing. Yaupon is also sired by Uncle Mo (Indian Charlie), who won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and the 2011 Eclipse Award for 2-Year-Old Colt. “He established position, and he took pressure the whole way from a horse that had already had a start. He put him away, and some late runners came at him. He held those off. We were very, very pleased.” Repole signed the ticket for $625,000 at the 2024 Keeneland September Yearling sale. “It was a team effort,” said Danielle Bricker of the purchase. The assistant racing manager for Repole Stable, she worked with Eddie Rosen, Jacob West, Jim Martin, Madison Scott, Alex Solis, and the Spendthrift team to select and buy the dark bay colt. “He was broken at Barry Eisaman’s farm near Ocala,” Bricker said. “He always caught our eye going on the track, and he's a beautiful mover. He was an early 2-year-old at Todd’s barn at Palm Beach Downs, and he was doing good there, but once he got to Saratoga, he really blossomed and developed.” Emphasis was bred in Kentucky by Betz/J., Betz/Burns/B, and K Canetti/C. Kidder et al. He’s out of the twice graded stakes placed mare Connie and Michael (Roman Ruler) and is a half-sibling of three six-figure earners. Yaupon’s foals have brought healthy numbers at both yearling and 2-year-old sales, the former averaging $89,571 from 21 sold and the latter $216,200 from 60 sold. “It’s been kind of a joke since his foals started hitting the ground,” Toffey said. “It’s incredible how consistent they all look. They’re all dark bay, very athletic, muscular, fast-looking foals. We joked that if one of them can run, they’ll all run, and if one can’t, none of them will be able to.” It’s early, but for now, Yaupon tops the first-crop North American sire list, with seven winners from 20 runners and progeny earnings of $540,423. Toffey also commented that Yaupon seems to have passed on an unflappable disposition to his offspring. In 2021, Yaupon was savaged by Firenze Fire in the Forego Stakes (G1) at Saratoga, never turning a hair and winning by a head. “It’s been so great to see them act like him,” Toffey said. “Todd has said that Emphasis has been very professional and done everything right.” The break of Saturday’s race was messy; Emphasis broke to the right out of the gate, bumping odds-on favorite Stradale (also by Yaupon). Also squeezed from the inside, Stradale bobbled badly, making an impressive recovery to finish third. “A good horse has to be able to take contact,” Toffey said, crediting Emphasis with remaining unfazed during the chaos. “Ned and I texted each other after the race,” Repole said. “After one race, this looks like a great purchase. He ran as good as he could, and people might make an excuse for the heavy favorite, but that’s why they run the race.”