Bombs Away Again for Reddam

Bombs Away Again for Reddam

Just before the running of the Bessemer Trust Breeders' Cup Juvenile (gr. I) at Lone Star Park last year, owner Paul Reddam confided that his horse was a longshot bomb set to explode. A few minutes later, Reddam's Wilko, freshly shipped across the pond from Europe, indeed shocked the racing world by taking the Juvenile at odds of 28-1.

So, if you wish to toss Reddam's 2005 version of the bomb, Ann Summers Gold, from the Alberto VO5 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (gr. I), do so at your own risk. The task facing her is considerable, as she has run but twice, both times in England and over turf. Oh, and for the icing on the cake, she has yet to win.

"I saw the tape of her second-place finish in a group III and she was finishing well," Reddam, 50, said of the six-furlong 32Red.Com Sirenia Stakes Sept. 3. "It looks like she'll appreciate the added distance. And although she hasn't run on dirt, she's bred for it."

Ann Summers Gold was bred in Kentucky by Airdrie Stud's Brereton Jones, and is by Yankee Victor out of the Slew City Slew mare Inoma Slew. A big factor in her corner is trainer Brian Meehan, who will condition her through the Breeders' Cup before handing the lead to Californian Doug O'Neill. Meehan just took down the Champion Stakes (Eng-I) with David Junior, and three weeks ago won the SkyBet Cheveley Park Stakes (Eng-I) with Donna Blini.

"I met Brian last year and respect him greatly," Reddam noted. "He is on a roll right now. We considered running her once more in England, but Brian decided to train her up to the Breeders' Cup. She will arrive one week before the race, and then we'll see if lightning can be captured in a bottle twice."

Jamie McCalmont, who manages the Reddam stable, picked out both Wilko and Ann Summers Gold for Reddam, the founder of Ditech.com and currently the head of Cash Call, a lending company based in California.

Reddam, a native of Canada, is a big believer in Breeders' Cup races yielding high mutuel payouts, so longshot status certainly doesn't faze him. "You're going to see some bombs in these races, and I just hope it's in the juvenile races," he said. Reddam also hopes to start Jealous Profit, who he co-owns, in the Juvenile.

"On Breeders' Cup day, it's all about the trip," Reddam added. "Last year's Breeders' Cup is a day I'll always remember. We started four horses, all longshots except Sharp Lisa, and the first three didn't do much. Then in the Juvenile seeing Wilko start to drop back on the turn I started slumping down. But then out of nowhere he picked up the bit again and stunned everybody."