Courtesy of the TDN

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CUSTOMER BASE, f, 2, by Lemon Drop Kid
1st Dam: Little Cat Feet, by Tale of the Cat
2nd Dam: Sheba’s Step, by Alysheba
3rd Dam: Pattern Step, by Nureyev

In the final work ahead of her Sept. 3 debut at Del Mar, Customer Base went out in the company of stable companion Emerald Gold (War Front), herself an impressive maiden winner at the seaside oval who was tuning up for a start in the GI Del Mar Debutante, also on the 3rd. The duo was awarded the same time of 1:12 4/5–a bullet–and Customer Base was sent off at debut odds of 2-1. Held up near the tail of the field for the opening halfmile, she switched out at the furlong grounds and was along late for a half-length score.

Connections would have preferred to remain in California, but two races at Santa Anita did not fill, and she was flown to the country’s midsection for this entry-level allowance. Favored at 11-10, Customer Base rode the rails into the backstretch and was sixth, but in touch, entering the turn. Committed to an inside run on the bend, she was shifted off the fence at the quarter pole and was six wide into the lane, but closed her final sixteenth in :06 flat for a 1 1/2-length victory over Dream Pegasus (Fusaichi Pegasus). Customer Base is a half-sister to Hyperlink (Toccet), SW, $200,720.

Sales history: $170,000 yrl ’10 FTKJUL.
Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $69,000.

O-Glen Hill Farm.
B-Edward Seltzer & Beverly Anderson
(KY). T-Thomas F Proctor.

TDN IN SHARPER FOCUS
By Alan Carasso

CUSTOMER BASE (f, 2, Lemon Drop Kid)
At the 2010 Fasig-Tipton July Sale, the collective braintrust of Leonard Lavin’s Glen Hill Farm signed tickets on three horses, all fillies, for a total of $400,000. Suffice to say that has been money well spent. The first is an as-yet unraced Candy Ride (Arg) filly named My Candy, a $100,000 half-sister to GSW Bickersons (Silver Deputy), while the second was Emerald Gold (War Front), a $130,000 purchase who was third in the GI Del Mar Debutante and in Keeneland’s GIII Jessamine S.

The last and most expensive of the trio turned out to be Customer Base, and Glen Hill President Craig Bernick says it’s quality over quantity when he and his team go shopping. [Hill ‘n’ Dale Farm’s] Donato Lanni and I look at the horses and get it down to the ones we like, and [Glen Hill trainer] Tom Proctor casts a vote and we try to buy the ones we like,” explained Bernick, the grandson of owner Leonard Lavin.

“We don’t like too, too many and only try to buy the ones we have to have. We’ve sort of been lucky the in last little while.” He continued, “[Customer Base] and the War Front [Emerald Gold] were our two favorite fillies. Customer Base was a really classy filly, and she was always out when we went by. She acted professionally and never turned a hair. She had a beautiful neck and shoulder and was extremely balanced.” Connections always thought a lot of Customer Base, but it was that final pre-race breeze that got the attention of all involved, including Emerald Gold.

“Customer Base started four lengths in front and held her own, and we really thought Emerald Gold would be competitive in the Grade I,” Bernick recollected. “We were extremely impressed that a filly that had never run would hang in there that well with a filly like Emerald Gold. We knew she could run, but hers isn’ t really a great first-out pedigree, and Tom usually doesn’ t ask much first time out either. We thought she was special.”

Having celebrated graduation day, plan A was to stay in the Golden State for the balance of the season. But anyone who deals with races and race selection knows that it’s wise to have plan B and sometimes C and D. “Unfortunately there were just two races in California for her in California that didn’t go and we had to fly her to Kentucky,” he said. AThankfully we found an allowance race here.”And what does the future hold for the newest “TDN Rising Star”? “If she had stayed in California, the plan was to run in and win the allowance and run in the GIII Miesque S. [on turf] and then the GI Hollywood Starlet at the end of the meet,” Bernick offered.”But I really don’t think we’ll take her back to California, at least by design. It’s not good to ship young horses around all the time, so I don’t know exactly what’s next. We’ ll think about the Juvenile Fillies Turf, but it’s pretty quick back and I haven’t even talked to Tom yet.

She’s got a lot of ability and we’ll just make the call down the road.” Ultimately, Bernick believes Customer Base will be best on the turf since Aher family says turf and she looks like a grass horse.”She will winter in Florida, and is a candidate for races like the Florida Oaks at Tampa and the GIII Herecomesthebride S. at Gulfstream. But given her ability on the Poly, a race like the GI Ashland S. in April is not out of the question, Bernick said.

“She looks like she has a world of ability and relaxes really well on the track,” he stated. “She did it going one turn and now at two turns. To win first at Del Mar and now at Keeneland, I’d say that’s a pretty exciting way to kick off the career.”