Social Inclusion's Success Pleases Orseno
Social Inclusion turned a number of heads when he ran away from respectable group of maidens at Gulfstream Park on the undercard of the Besilu Stables Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) on Feb. 22. The 3-year-old son of Pioneerof the Nile earned a 93 Beyer Speed Figure for his 7 1/2-length success that afternoon, and that effort also caught the attention of trainer Joe Orseno. Together with partner Brian Miller of Silly Goose Racing, Orseno owns an 8-year-old mare named Saint Midas, who like Social Inclusion was produced by the graded stakes placed Saint Bernadette.
"I was at the races and saw him break his maiden," Orseno said. "He was very impressive, but I waited for him to run back before I got too excited. Then he ran back and won so well, and then I let it be known that I had the sister."
Social Inclusion, owned by Rontos Racing Stable and trained by Manny Azpurua, was one of four rivals pitted against the highly regarded Honor Code in a $75,000 allowance at Gulfstream on Wednesday. Sent off as the 7-5 second choice, the bay colt extended his advantage at every call and romped by 10 lengths under a hand ride. He established a new track record of 1:40.97 for 8 1/2 furlongs, and has reportedly been the subject of several seven-figure offers.
Orseno snagged Saint Midas, a daughter of Touch Gold and Saint Bernadette, for a bargain sum in 2009 at Monmouth Park.
"I claimed a filly by Touch Gold, because I knew Touch Gold and she was in for $5,000 at Monmouth," Orseno recalled. "I claimed her just to have a cheap filly to run for my partner Brian Miller and me. She had some issues and we got a couple of races out of her, but we just thought it would be best to retire her. It looked like it wasn't a good claim, but I owned some shares in a stallion named Señor Swinger. We bred her to him two years in a row and got two fillies out of her. I decided I wanted to get a New York-bred out of her, so we sent her up there and bred her to Frost Giant. She's getting ready to drop that foal in the next week or 10 days."
Frost Giant is a Grade 1-winning son of Giant's Causeway. Saint Midas is currently boarded at Irish Hill Farm near Saratoga Springs.
"It's a funny business," Orseno added. "I'm in the process of trying to get a season to Pioneerof the Nile and breed her to him so that she could have a three-quarters (sibling) to Social Inclusion. It could be a little fun. We're entertaining some offers for her."
Decision Due this Weekend on Social Inclusion
Owner Ron Sanchez is continuing to field offers to purchase 3-year-old sensation Social Inclusion following his record-setting allowance win over Honor Code at Gulfstream Park on Wednesday.
Sanchez, who runs under the stable name Rontos Racing Stable Corp., said Friday morning that he hoped to have a decision made this weekend.
“We haven’t made a decision yet,” Sanchez said. “We are still receiving a couple of good offers, one comes from the Middle East and the other one is here. They are bidding, so we are going to wait at least 24 hours.”
Originally in training with Jeff Bonde in California, Social Inclusion was moved to 85-year-old trainer Manny Azpurura’s barn at Gulfstream in mid-December and had seven local works before a 7 ½-length debut victory on Feb. 22.
He returned with a 10-length triumph over highly regarded Remsen (G2) winner Honor Code in 1:40.97, topping the 1 1/16-mile track record of 1:41 set by Devil’s Cave on Feb. 16.
Sanchez said part of the negotiations include his keeping partial ownership as well as retaining Azpurua as trainer. Azpurua won more than 3,500 races in his native Venezuela before moving permanently to the U.S. in 1978. He has never started a horse in the Kentucky Derby (G1), but brought Set ‘n Go to the race in 1974 on behalf of his brother, Leo.
“That is something that we are working out,” Sanchez said. “We are definitely going to keep a piece of the horse. We won’t sell the whole horse.”