Never Retreat works at Keeneland 10/24/2011.
Photo: Anne M. Eberhardt
Never Retreat wins the 2011 First Lady.
Photo: Anne M. Eberhardt
Never Retreat wins the 2011 First Lady.
Photo: Mark Mahan
Never Retreat wins the 2011 First Lady.
Photo: Mark Mahan
Never Retreat wins the 2011 First Lady.
Photo: Mark Mahan
Never Retreat wins the 2011 First Lady.
Photo: Mathea Kelley
Never Retreat wins the 2011 First Lady.
Photo: Mark Mahan
Never Retreat wins the 2011 First Lady.
Photo: Mathea Kelley
Never Retreat wins the 2011 First Lady.
Photo: Mathea Kelley
Never Retreat wins the 2011 First Lady.
Photo: Keeneland/Coady Photography
Never Retreat wins the 2011 First Lady.
Photo: Keeneland/Coady Photography
Never Retreat wins the 2011 First Lady.
Photo: Keeneland/Coady Photography
Never Retreat wins the 2011 First Lady.
Photo: Keeneland/Coady Photography
Never Retreat wins the 2011 First Lady.
Photo: Anne M. Eberhardt
Never Retreat wins the Dance Smartly Stakes.
Photo: Michael Burns
Never Retreat wins the 2011 Jenny Wiley.
Photo: Keeneland/Coady Photography
Never Retreat wins the 2011 Jenny Wiley.
Photo: Keeneland/Coady Photography
Never Retreat wins the 2011 Jenny Wiley.
Photo: Mathea Kelley
Never Retreat wins the 2011 Honey Fox.
Photo: Coglianese Photos
Never Retreat wins the 2011 Honey Fox.
Photo: Coglianese Photos
Never Retreat wins the 2011 Honey Fox.
Photo: Coglianese Photos
Trainer Chris Block was represented by his 1,000th winner Jan. 12 at Gulfstream Park, when 5-year-old All for Thee rallied through the stretch to score a hard-fought neck victory at odds of 12-1 in the second race of the day.
Team Block's Never Retreat narrowly beat out a pair of 3-year old champions in Inglorious and Pender Harbour to be named Canada's Horse of the Year for 2011 at the 37th Sovereign Awards.
Team Block's Never Retreat, who had been scheduled to make her final start in the Jan. 7 Marshua's River Stakes (gr. IIIT) at Gulfstream Park, has been retired from racing.
Star Billing, advancing along the inside for Victor Espinoza, edged away from front-running Summer Soiree for her first grade I victory in the $250,000 Matriarch Stakes (gr. IT) at Hollywood Park Nov. 25.
Trainer Graham Motion, fresh off a grade I win in the Hollywood Turf Cup, guns for another at Hollywood Park when he sends out three entrants in the $250,000 Matriarch Stakes on the turf Nov. 25.
Breeders' Cup contender works and arrivals. view slideshow
Hopefuls for the Breeders' Cup World Championships were on the work tab Oct. 24 at Keeneland and Santa Anita Park, including Euroears, who scorched five furlongs in :56 3/5 at the Southern California racetrack.
Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, and Derrick Smith's Together, who rallied to finish second in the Oct. 8 First Lady (gr. IT), will remain at Keeneland this week for a run in the Oct. 15 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup.
Never Retreat, ridden by the red-hot Julien Leparoux, overcame the far outside post to capture the $350,000 First Lady Stakes (gr. IT) on the Keeneland turf Oct. 8.
German-bred Daveron, C.S. Silk, and Never Retreat, all graded stakes winners in 2011, headline an overflow field of 12 fillies and mares, plus two also-eligibles for the Oct. 8 First Lady Stakes (gr. IT) at Keeneland.
Never Retreat picked up her second grade II win of the season on the Woodbine turf when she outlasted a deep field to capture the Canadian Stakes (Can-IIT) Sept. 18.
Shared Account, last year's winner of the Emirates Airline Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (gr. IT), figures to draw a good deal of interest in the Canadian Stakes (Can-IIT) at Woodbine Sept 18.
Third in her American debut in the United Nations Stakes (gr. IT) last month, French-bred Stacelita heads a strong field of 11 older fillies and mares in the $750,000 Beverly D. Stakes (gr. IT) at Arlington Park Aug. 13.
Never Retreat, beaten as the favorite when second to Bay to Bay in last month's Nassau Stakes (Can-IIT), turned the tables on her rival at Woodbine in the $313,395 Dance Smartly Stakes (Can-IIT) July 10.
Bay to Bay, convincing winner of the Nassau Stakes (Can-IIT) on a yielding Woodbine turf course last month, returns to head a field of 10 older fillies and mares in the $300,000 Dance Smartly Stakes (Can-IIT) July 10.
In her first start over the Woodbine turf course since she won the Natalma Stakes (Can-IIIT) as a 2-year-old in 2009, Bay to Bay ran away at 6-1 odds over yielding ground in the Nassau Stakes (Can-IIT) June 4.
Never Retreat, upset winner of the Jenny Wiley Stakes (gr. IIT) at Keeneland in April, faces a triple threat from the Roger Attfield barn in the $300,000 Nassau Stakes (Can-IIT) on the Woodbine turf course June 4.
Juddmonte Farms' Aviate, with one U.S. race under her belt, rallied strongly in the stretch and pulled away for an easy victory in the $227,800 Churchill Downs Distaff Turf Mile (gr. IIT) for fillies and mares May 7.
Frank L. Jones' Tapitsfly, winner of the 2009 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Santa Anita, drew favoritism in the $200,000-added Churchill Distaff Turf Mile Presented by American Commercial Lines (gr. IIT).
Never Retreat found a yielding turf to her liking when she swept past the leaders in the stretch and cleared off for a 1 3/4-length win in the $200,000 Jenny Wiley Stakes (gr. IIT) at Keeneland April 16.
Equestrio beats Dialed In, Turbulent Descent and Dubai racing. View Slideshow
Team Block's Never Retreat, trained by Chris Block and ridden by Julien Leparoux, took over from Persuading at the top of the stretch and went on to win the $100,000 Honey Fox (gr. IIIT) by a length March 5 at Gulfstream.
Cherokee Queen and Justaroundmidnight each have won a graded stakes over the Gulfstream Park turf course at the current meet, and should be among the favorites in a field of 13 drawn for the March 5 Honey Fox Stakes (gr. III)
Cherokee Queen found the right trip under Alex Solis and used it to bag her first graded stakes victory, taking the $150,000 Suwannee River (gr. IIIT) by two lengths Feb. 5 at Gulfstream Park.
Never Retreat and Cherokee Queen were listed as the 119-pound high weights for the $150,000 Suwannee River Stakes (gr. IIIT) Feb. 5 at Gulfstream Park.
Jockey Joe Bravo made it clean sweep of the Gulfstream Park stakes Jan. 9, as he guided 26-1 longshot Justaroundmidnight to victory in the $100,000 Marshua's River (gr. IIIT) one race after scoring the Ft. Lauderdale.
Eleven-time winner Jessica Is Back, coming off a nine-length romp in the Ocala Stakes at Gulfstream Park one month ago, is the 5-2 morning line favorite in the $200,000 Sixty Sails Handicap (gr. III) April 17.
Champion filly Indian Blessing, whose flashy three-race winning streak was ended by Ventura in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint at Santa Anita two months ago, returns to the track for the $250,000 La Brea Stakes (gr. I) Dec. 27.
On Sept. 20, Proud Spell will shoot for her biggest payday to date, as she takes on six rivals in the $750,000 Fitz Dixon Cotillion (gr. II) at Philadelphia Park Casino & Racetrack. On paper, the 1 1/16-mile dirt event is a significant step down in class for the Proud Citizen filly, who has won four times this season, including the Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) and Alabama Stakes (gr. I).
Godolphin Racing's Music Note put on an awesome display in the $300,000 Coaching Club American Oaks (gr. I) July 19 Belmont, taking over at the quarter-pole and romping to an 11-length win for her second consecutive grade I score.
The coupled entry of Music Note and Little Belle, both grade I winners trained by Saeed bin Suroor, head a short field of five in the $300,000 Coaching Club American Oaks (gr. I) July 19 at Belmont, but don't count out Acoma, a good-looking Empire Maker filly who enters off a three-race win streak.
In her first start since winning the Kentucky Oaks (gr. I), Proud Spell had a horrible trip that ended with being disqualified from second to third as Music Note won the Mother Goose Stakes (gr. I) at Belmont Park June 28.
A three-time graded stakes winner, including a dominating five-length triumph in the $500,000 Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) last month, Brereton Jones' Proud Spell will face just three fillies in the $250,000 Mother Goose Stakes (gr. I) June 28 at Belmont Park none of them with any more than an allowance win to their credit.
| Trainer | Chris M. Block |
|---|---|
| Jockey | Julien R. Leparoux |
| Owner | Team Block |
| Breeder | Gerry O'Meara & Stanley Inman |
| Never Retreat View Five-Cross Pedigree | Smart Strike | Mr. Prospector |
| Classy 'n Smart | ||
| Lisieux | Steady Growth | |
| Gay Sonnet |
| Sale / Hip | Type | Buyer | Consignor | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FTKJUL2006 Hip 339 |
Yearling | Joseph Brocklebank, agent | Mulholland Springs | $410,000 |
| California Chrome |
| Rachel Alexandra |
| Upstart |
| Bodemeister |
| Texas Red |
| International Star |
| Far Right |
| Main Sequence |
| Buddy's Saint |
| Calculator |
