Pappacap Takes Russells on Trip to Breeders' Cup

From the onset, TVG Breeders' Cup Juvenile Presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (G1) contender Pappacap has been a horse that has stood apart from the others with his sensible nature, long flowing stride, and an innate willingness to accomplish whatever task is put before him. While COVID-19 turned the world upside down last year, George and Karen Russell found themselves unable to sell the colt that they foaled at their Rustlewood Farm in Reddick, Fla. Pappacap was sent to Mark Casse's nearby training center and began his early paces at the farm. It wasn't long before the trainer convinced the Russells they had something special in the bay son of Gun Runner. Once the colt sizzled to an impressive maiden score at Gulfstream Park, his connections laid out a carefully mapped plan to the Breeders' Cup through California. The Best Pal Stakes (G2) winner will break from post 4 in the Nov. 5 Juvenile, giving the Russells their first starter in the Breeders' Cup World Championships. Russell, spoke with BloodHorse MarketWatch about acquiring Pappacap's dam, the Scat Daddy mare Pappascat, his wife's insistence on breeding to Gun Runner after watching that champion capture the 2018 Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1), and about Pappacap's early days at the farm in Florida. MarketWatch: What does it mean to you to have a starter you not only own, but bred as well in this year's Breeders' Cup? George Russell: We're really excited. This is something we wouldn't normally have, except for some strange events that were outside of our control... We normally breed to sell and we actually had (Pappacap) in last year's Keeneland September Sale, but we didn't think there was enough interest in him or that he would bring what we thought he was worth. So then we pointed him towards the 2-year-old-in training sales. We brought him home (to Rustlewood Farm), gave him a little time here, and then sent him to Mark Casse around the corner. We would go over there and to see how he was developing. After awhile he kept improving so Mark recommended we keep him and race him ourselves, and that's what we did. Obviously we don't regret it at all. MW: I know you and your wife are based in Florida. Will you both be on hand at Del Mar to watch Pappacap run? GR: We'll be there—us and a few of our friends are coming. We've actually been at each of his races. Now that he's in California, we only see him once a month, but we can see the change in him each time we get there. He's maturing and seems to be growing and doing everything in the right direction. He enjoys his work. We're happy and excited and looking forward to the Breeders' Cup. MW: I went back and watched Pappacap's May 14 maiden win at Gulfstream Park. He proved to be very precocious that day and it was a sharp debut win. Being a Florida-bred who broke his maiden in Florida, how did it work out that he went on to run in California? GR: That was all Mark's idea. Before we sent him down to Gulfstream, Mark was really high on the horse and he just kept progressing and seemed to do everything right. He surprised all of us, though, the way he won. We were confident he would be the horse to beat, but we weren't anticipating he would break as sharp as he did and go to the lead. It was a big effort. There was a horse that hooked up with him early but Pappacap just kind of wore him down and then won fairly good. "Pappa" went back to Mark's and Mark thought about it a bit and kind of changed the plan to where we would ship him to Del Mar, mainly because the Breeders' Cup was going to be there. MW: So after Pappacap's maiden win the Breeders' Cup became the end goal? GR: Yes. Mark laid out the races for (Pappacap) and he's done extremely well in all of them. Well, except for in the (Runhappy) Del Mar Futurity (G1). He drew the post 1 in that race and we kind of tossed that race out. Then in his last start (the American Pharoah Stakes, G1) he stumbled pretty good there coming out of the gate and was hung out pretty wide all the way around the track. But he came back after the race good and he's been training good since. We're excited to see what happens in the Breeders' Cup. MW: How does Pappacap compare with the other horses you've bred? GR: We've bred some fairly good ones. We have owned some graded earners but again, we breed to sell. If something occurs and we have to scratch one out of a sale and there's no other road, those are usually the ones we wind up keeping to run for ourselves. I personally believe this is the best one we've ever bred and raced up to this point. You know, (Pappacap) would be out there like they all do in the field, playing around with the other colts. But he looked like he moved across the ground there so easy, just gliding along there. We've had others that do that too, but never any that have amounted to his ability. I think a lot of it comes down to his mindset and determination. A lot of them have the physical ability but not the mentality, and that's what makes him stand out. MW: What was Pappacap like as a young horse? GR: After they're born (my wife and I) go over them once a month and make decisions on what to do next. To me the thing that stood out with this guy more than with any other is, whatever you wanted him to do, he was like "OK, let's do it." He would never fight you. He has a mind of his own, sure, but once he realizes that this is what you want him to do, he would be fine and just get into it. That's certainly been a big plus for him. And he's shown it in each of his races, in the saddling paddock. To me, with the numbers of foals we've had, that's one of the things that stands out for me with this guy. Mark saw that same willingness in him, too, when he began his training. MW: How did you come to acquire Pappacap's dam, Pappascat? GR: We were looking for mares as we always are. And at the time (in 2015) you could buy a fairly good physical mare with some ability at a reasonable price. We picked up some there over the years (at the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale). She fit our criteria but she RNA'd (for $110,00). Francis Vanlangendonck, our agent, checked on it and we made a private offer and wound up with her. And we've been happy with her so far. MW: Why did you choose to breed Pappascat to Gun Runner? GR: My wife was very instrumental in that. She was a Gun Runner fan. We were at his last race, the (2018 Pegasus World Cup). And at the end of that race—well, we all know how that turned out—she said, "I want to breed to Gun Runner." So I told Francis, "We want to breed a mare to Gun Runner," and he recommended we send Pappascat to him, and we see how that worked out. MW: Do you plan to sell Pappascat's current yearling colt by Bolt d' Oro and weanling colt by Omaha Beach? GR: We do. We're not going to change our operation just because of Pappacap. We're certainly not going to give them away. They're both doing well at this point. They will be in the yearling sales and if they bring an amount that meets our expectations then someone else will own them and if not—well, never say never—but our plan has always been to breed and sell. MW: How many mares do you currently have at the farm? GR: We currently have 14 of our own mares and some boarders stay there as well. MW: At one point you were president of the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders' and Owners' Association. What is your take on the Florida breeding industry? Do you believe that the program has work to do or has it shown improvement within the last five years or so? GR: The program always has work to do of course but it's done really well within the parameters that we have. We could always use more assistance from our legislature. We're working with a program that was designed 40 plus years ago. As everybody has, we have a lot more competition now than when that structure was established now with lottery and slots of the like. Our legislature last session seemed to recognize how important the Thoroughbred industry and horse industry is to Florida so we're in hopes that this current legislative session will have more open ears as to what can help the industry. The record for Florida kind of shows for itself. Florida has a lot to be proud of here.