Reddams Aim for More Kentucky Success With Phone Booth

Paul and Zillah Reddam base their Thoroughbred racing and breeding operation out of Southern California, but it is easy to see why they might consider Central Kentucky their second home. The couple's Reddam Racing has enjoyed an inordinate amount of success, not only at Churchill Downs where the owners have earned two Kentucky Derby (G1) trophies, but also at Keeneland. They will hope for further hospitality from the Bluegrass State Oct. 3 when homebred Phone Booth contests the Breeders' Futurity (G1), a Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In event for entry into the Oct. 30 Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) at Keeneland. The decision to ship Phone Booth to Keeneland accomplishes an important goal of getting him away from Hughes, a powerful runner from Bob Baffert's barn, to whom he has finished second in both the Aug. 8 Best Pal Stakes (G3) and the Sept. 6 Del Mar Futurity (G1). It also gives the Reddams a chance to further enhance their already impressive record at Keeneland. They have previously banked a pair of victories in the Breeders' Futurity, courtesy of Great Hunter in 2006 and Square Eddie two years later. Square Eddie subsequently became a standout stallion in California for the Reddams, and the backbone of multiple state breeding titles for them. Pavel, the sire of Phone Booth, has now inherited that position. The son of Creative Cause had an outstanding season at Del Mar's summer meet this year, getting stakes winners such as Free Closer and Net Par. Phone Booth (Pavel—Mandy's Grace, by Bellamy Road) broke his maiden there in July before running second in the two graded stakes to Hughes. Phone Booth, named for the comic-book location where Clark Kent morphed into Superman after changing clothes, is a full brother to Sunland Park Derby winner Pavlovian. Back to Keeneland. In addition to their two previous Breeders' Futurity winners, the Reddams, despite not starting many horses at the Lexington oval, have dominated there. The run of good fortune began in 2003, when Elloluv won the Ashland Stakes (G1). Following the exploits of Great Hunter and Square Eddie, the Reddams' Handsome Mike scored in the 2013 Commonwealth Stakes (G3). In 2015, their Uncle Mo mare Gomo won the Alcibiades Stakes (G1). Later that year, Nyquist dominated the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) at Keeneland on his way to being named champion 2-year-old male. Nyquist returned to Kentucky the following year to win the Kentucky Derby (G1), becoming just the second horse to complete the Juvenile/Derby double. In 2017, it was Tiznow's son Irap who furthered the Reddams' reputation at Keeneland. Sent off at odds of 31-1, Irap became the first maiden to win the Blue Grass Stakes (G2) in the 93 years it had been run to that point. He had lost his first seven races before scoring in the Blue Grass. It may not have resulted in a victory, but Slow Down Andy ran extremely well for the Reddams when he checked in third in the 2022 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) at Keeneland behind two pretty good runners in Cody's Wish and Cyberknife. Asked about his runners' high success rate at Keeneland, Paul Reddam said, "The No. 1 factor is luck. The second factor is actually entering; being willing to bring a horse from the West Coast over there. "Great Hunter won the Futurity on literally the second day of the all-weather track, so we didn't know what we were going to find there. Square Eddie came off the plane and was yawning in his stall three hours before the race, and (trainer) Doug (O'Neill) and I thought, 'Uh, oh.' But in the paddock, he was stomping and snorting and ready to go. "It's exciting and fun to go to Keeneland because the racing is great and they've treated us fantastically. Doug has a base in Kentucky, so it makes sense to send Phone Booth out there. He looks like a two-turn horse, and we're hoping he continues to improve. "Our philosophy through the years has been to start horses in ambitious spots. It's like being a home-run hitter: You're going to strike out more often than you're going to hit a homer, but every so often it goes over the left-field fence, and you're glad you took that approach. And we've had some of those moments, for sure." Given the Reddams' history at Keeneland, there might be a little something extra to like about Phone Booth, who was the only competitor to challenge Hughes when they hooked up at the top of the stretch in the Del Mar Futurity. Hughes is the lone horse to finish in front of Phone Booth in his three races. Perhaps Keeneland will help give Phone Booth superpowers on his way to a possible third shot at Hughes in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile.