12/11 - Two year old LEEDLE DEE daughter of ,Distinctive Pro—Artiste, by Norquestor.won the EASTVIEW S. for owner Jaz Kids Stable and Lawrence Klein; breeder, Robert Losey & Paul McGinty (N.Y.); trainer, Robert Barbara; jockey, Charles C. Lopez. Lifetime: 6-2-0-1, $84,820. $30,000 2002 KEESEP.

Leedle Dee is the 43rd stakes winner for Distinctive Pro. She opened
up on the field in the far turn on her way to a gate-to-wire effort in her stakes
debut. The daughter of Distinctive Pro was clear by five lengths as she
reached the six-furlong mark in 1:14.06 and continued to draw free
under Chuck Lopez for a 5 1/4-length win. Stretching out to 11/16 miles
for the first time, Leedle Dee earned the second victory of her career
after breaking her maiden by 43/4 lengths at Belmont Park on
October 18.

“I wanted [Lopez] to ride her because I wanted her on the lead,”
winning trainer Bobby Barbara said. “She could have been on the lead
in the last race, but [Edgar] Prado just kept her lying second or third.
She has enough gas, so we just sent her. I couldn’t wait to get her
around two turns.”

11/8 - Distinctive Pro made his presence felt again on NY Showcase Day 2003 as his filly Delia’s Gone f. 01, out of Stacey’s Magic, by Magesterial ran third in the NY Stallion Stakes Fifth Avenue.

4/27 - GREY COMET, Gr/Ro. c. 3, Distinctive Pro—Jack Betta Be Rite, by Jacques Who won the $150,000 NY Stallion Stakes Times Square increasing his earnings to over $350,00 for his connections: Owner, Star Track Farms; breeder, Star Track Farms (N.Y.); trainer, Gary C. Contessa.

(outside)

3/16 - GREY COMET ran a game second in the $200,000 Gotham S. (G3) at Aqueduct and raised his earnings to $265,455

3/2 - IMPEACHTHEPRO, g. 6, Distinctive Pro - Flagrance ran second in the Hollie HughesH (3up) StBred at Aqueduct and increased his earnings to $481,589. The chart reads: IMPEACHTHEPRO raced with the pace along the inside and finished gamely on the rail.

3/1 - GREY COMET third in the $100,000 Batagglia S. at Turfway Park. His earnings stand at $225,455. The chart reads: GREY COMET vied for the early lead along the inside, moved off the rail on the backstretch, continued well to the quarter mile marker, angled out once in the stretch and tired.

2/8 - GREY COMET second n the Whirlaway Stakes at Aqueduct after the winner got away with very slow early fractions on the lead. He raised his earnings to $215,455.

1/4- Game Grey Comet Prevails in Muddy Count Fleet
Courtesy of the Blood Horse

New York-bred Grey Comet remained perfect in his young four-race career when he held off the persistent challenge of Mustang Jock to win the $81,350 Count Fleet Handicap on Saturday at Aqueduct.

"He was in stride and comfortable right out of the gate," said winning rider Aaron Gryder, who has won three races with Grey Comet. "I thought this was his best race today. He showed a lot of grit and fought back."

The victory was worth $48,810 for New York breeders and owners Star Track Farms.

"This was his first start against open company, so hope springs eternal," said winning trainer Gary Contessa. "He seems to rise to whatever level of competition you throw at him."

Grey Comet, a 3-year-old New York-bred gray colt by Distinctive Pro, improved his earnings of $199,185. After breaking his maiden on Oct. 12 over a sloppy track at Belmont, Grey Comet won two restricted stakes races at Aqueduct: the New York Stallion Stakes on Nov. 10 and the Damon Runyon Stakes on Dec. 15.

Grey Comet took the lead out of the starting gate in the six-horse stakes-race for 3-year-old colts and geldings. Mustang Jock, under Luis Chavez, was a constant pressure on the outside. Both horses were even at the top of the stretch, but Grey Comet, after falling behind briefly, was able to pull away for the length victory. Penobscot Bay, under Shaun Bridgmohan, finished third.

"I didn't think it would be that close," Contessa said. "I really didn't want him to be on the lead, but he kind of inherited it. He's a much better horse with speed to run at. There just wasn't any true speed in this race. He dug in and opened up. He showed them what he's made of."

The winning time for 1 mile and 70 yards was 1:42 over the muddy track. Grey Comet paid $3.40 to win.

2002

See the NY Breeders' Awards a NY Bred can earn for you!

12/15 - Grey Comet now 3-for-3 with Damon Runyon win: Courtesy of www.nybreds.com
Photo by Adam Coglianese

Showing he can win stakes from off the pace as well as on the front end, Star Track Farm's homebred GREY COMET broke alertly from the outside post position against seven in Aqueduct's $82,625 Damon Runyon Stakes for New York-bred two-year-olds going a two-turn mile and a sixteenth on Sunday.

Jockey Aaron Gryder immediately guided the gray/roan colt towards the rail, and he cleared three rivals before being steered further inside to settle behind the early leaders in fifth place while racing around the first turn. Grey Comet's stablemate, David Cassidy's and Andrew Farm's favored Unswept (.90-to-1), broke from the number one post position and -- as expected -- out-sprinted everyone for the early lead, getting a two-length margin with an opening quarter in 23.45. On the backstretch, Grey Comet advanced from fourth to second, and at the top of the second turn he wrested a short lead from Unswept, who hung on while still running on his left lead until about mid-stretch, where he skimmed the inside rail before switching leads and veering outside. In the final furlong, Grey Comet extended his margin over Unswept to 3 3/4 lengths at the wire, finishing in 1:44.25 under top weight of 122 pounds while spotting six pounds to each of the other seven Damon Runyon starters. As the 3.65-to-1 second choice, Grey Comet clocked a winning time that was only one one-hundredth of a second off Bluesbreaker's 2000 stakes record -- set under 115 pounds. The Damon Runyon has been run at a mile and a sixteenth on Aqueduct's winterized inner track for its last nine renewals.

"I wasn't concerned about the post position," pointed out Gryder, who had ridden Bluesbreaker to the Damon Runyon stakes record in 2000 and had piloted Grey Comet to a first-out maiden victory at Belmont on October 12. "I actually punched at him a little earlier than I normally would move because I know Unswept is a nice horse, and he was going easy. He finished very well." Prior to the Damon Runyon, Gryder was given the option by trainer Gary Contessa to choose between riding Grey Comet or Unswept. "It wasn't an easy decision," Gryder recalled. "Unswept won so handily (when Gryder had ridden him to a 7 1/2-length allowance victory at Aqueduct on November 29), but Grey Comet worked very well for me, and it seemed like he would get the two turns. In this game, we have to make decisions like this. It wasn't something I wanted to be thrown into. You could either look smart or silly..."

Trainer Contessa, who won the 1997 Damon Runyon with Undaunted Mettle, was complimentary about both of the top two finishers that he saddled for the 2002 running: "These are two very nice New York-breds. Grey Comet worked so well going a mile, he finished up the last quarter in 24, and I thought he'd handle the distance. Unswept showed his good early speed and went comfortable fractions, but just couldn't hold off Grey Comet. "Unswept has more natural speed than Grey Comet, and he's a faster breaker," Contessa explained. "Grey Comet is more relaxed. He made the lead in his last race (the Great White Way division of the New York Stallion Stakes) because I told (Jose) Santos he was the best horse in the race. Grey Comet could be placed anywhere."

For his third victory in three starts and first win at beyond six furlongs, Grey Comet boosted his earnings by $49,575 to $150,375 and also qualified his owners and breeders, the Star Track Farms of Peter and Marshall Winston of North Bergen, New Jersey, for a $9,915 breeder award. He scored his first stakes victory in Aqueduct's $125,000 Great White Way division of the New York Stallion Stakes on November 10, winning by a length and a half. The colt is the fifth offspring and fifth winner produced from 1990 Champion New York-Bred Three-Year-Old Filly Jack Betta Be Rite ($350,399), a daughter of the late New York stallion Jacques Who that Star Track Farms purchased for $6,000 at Fasig-Tipton Midlantic's 1988 October yearling sale in Timonium, Maryland. Grey Comet is the 42nd stakes winner sired by ageless New York wonder stallion Distinctive Pro (Mr. Prospector - Well Done, by Distinctive), pushing that stallion's 2002 progeny earnings to just under $2,270,000 and qualifying Distinctive Pro's syndicate owners for a $3,470.25 stallion award. Distinctive Pro, who stands at Howard Kaskel's Sugar Maple Farm in Poughquag, also is the sire of 2002 New York-bred open stakes winner Impeachthepro ($458,634), and his son Kirtons set a stakes record in the 1999 Damon Runyon.

11/10 - GREY COMET wires field in Great White Way
Courtesy of www.nybreds.com

As formidable as he appeared while winning his debut by two lengths in the slop at Belmont on October 12, Star Track Farm's homebred GREY COMET looked even better wiring the field in Aqueduct's $125,000 Great White Way division of the New York Stallion Stakes on Sunday. Sent off the 2.10-to-1 second choice among seven wagering interests (10 starters) in the six-furlong event for New York-sired two-year-old colts and geldings, the gray/roan broke on top and was never headed, setting fractions of 22.66, 45.82 and 58.15 and winning by a length and a half. Finishing second and third, respectively, were the two halves of the favored 1.75-to-1 entry, Ruby's Pro and Polish Jewel.

Grey Comet's winning time, 1:11.01, was 1.49 seconds faster than his winning time 29 days earlier when he broke his maiden. For jockey Jose Santos, who was riding the colt for the first time, Grey Comet's victory marked the first of two winning rides in New York Stallion Stakes events on Sunday. "Gary (trainer Gary Contessa) told me to ride him like a good horse, and I did," reported Santos. "He broke so good, and I didn't want to take anything away from him, so I let him run. He wasn't going to let anyone by him." Jockey Shaun Bridgmohan, rider of second-place Ruby's Pro, confirmed Santos' observation about Grey Comet's competitiveness: "He (Ruby's Pro) had aim on that horse, but couldn't get by. He was very game." Winning trainer Gary Contessa labeled Grey Comet as "special," prior to the Great White Way, saying that the colt: "did everything right coming up to his debut, and he's done everything right since. He's got a good amount of speed and should only improve. I've got him as good as he can be right now. He's the consummate professional. "I told Santos to do whatever was comfortable," Contessa said after the race. "I really think he's the real deal. He'll run next in the Damon Runyon ($75,000 added for New York-bred two-year-olds at a mile and a sixteenth on Aqueduct's inner track on Sunday, December 15)." For his second victory in two starts, Grey Comet boosted his earnings by $75,000 to $100,800 and also qualified his owners and breeders, the Star Track Farms of Peter and Marshall Winston of North Bergen, New Jersey, for the maximum $10,000 breeder award. The colt is the fifth offspring and fifth winner produced by 1990 Champion New York-Bred Three-Year-Old Filly Jack Betta Be Rite ($350,399), a daughter of the late New York stallion Jacques Who purchased by Star Track Farms for $6,000 at Fasig-Tipton Midlantic's 1988 October yearling sale in Timonium, Maryland. Grey Comet is the 42nd stakes winner sired by ageless New York wonder stallion Distinctive Pro (Mr. Prospector - Well Done, by Distinctive), pushing that stallion's 2002 progeny earnings over $2-million and qualifying Distinctive Pro's syndicate owners for a $5,250 stallion award. Distinctive Pro, who stands at Howard Kaskel's Sugar Maple Farm in Poughquag, also is the sire of 2002 New York-bred open stakes winner Impeachthepro. The 2002 Great White Way was the 10th New York Showcase or New York Stallion Stakes won by an offspring of Distinctive Pro, who sired three winners of those events in 2001.

10/20 - 3 Year old filly, Messinger, runs third in the Louisiana Breeders' (3yoF) StBred on the Lousiana Bred showcase day at Louisaina Downs.

9/5 - Veteran IMPEACHTHEPRO runs a nice third in the GenDMacArthH at Belmont. His earnings now stand at $435,759 for owners N. Laneve, W. Warner & owner trainer M. A. Ferraro.

8/17 - Two year old fillies Distinctive Kitten and Pretty Pro run 3rd and 4th in The Lady Fingers at Finger Lakes.

8/7 - Private Practice wins again George McEwen's PRIVATE PRACTICE stepped up in company but was much the best beating state-bred allowance horses in a non-winners of 2X condition. Trained by Gary Contessa and ridden by Javier Castellano, Private Practice was one of six horses contesting the one and one-eighth mile over the main track at Saratoga Race Course.

Bred by John Caputo and Dominick Schettino, the three year-old dark bay gelding was purchased for $105,000 at the 2001 April OBS two year-old in training sale by Mr. McEwen. Private Practice is by Distinctive Pro, out of the Personal Flag mare, Personal Nurse, a half-sister to Clark Cottage (General Assembly) who finished third in the Grade I - Matron Stakes at Belmont Park

8/3 PERSONAL PRO AND IMPEACHTHEPRO ran 2nd and 3rd in the Genessee Valley Breeders' H at Finger Lakes increasing their earnings to $234,944 and $394,672 respectively.

7/4 IMPEACHTHEPRO was third in the Wine Country H. at Finger Lakes. He raised his earnings to $390,272.

6/16 IMPEACHTHEPRO won the $50,000 Longfellow Handicap at Monmouth Park defeating the heavy favorite Wrangler. He increased his earnings to $386,422 for owners N. Laneve, W. Warner & owner trainer M. A. Ferraro. The chart reads ...well placed from the outside, lodged a bid nearing the top of the lane then responded gamely to left handed pressure.

Spectacularspencer - $286,347
Distinctive Bid $276,105
Pro Motion Days -$278,885
Beau Tie - $236,176
Personal Pro -$222,055
Jazz Pro - $141,180
Lyndsey Love - $151,720