Wandering Eyes

The nationally-acclaimed TRF Second Chances Program will be recognized at the American Correctional Association’s 2019 Winter Conference Jan. 14 in New Orleans. The American Correctional Association is a private, non-profit, non-governmental trade association and accrediting body for the corrections industry. Superintendent Catherine M. Jacobsen of the Wallkill Correctional Facility in Wallkill, New York will deliver a case study briefing to an audience of her peers at the annual conference of correctional facility professionals at 4 pm. Superintendent Jacobsen will be joined by Kimberly Weir, Director of Major Gifts and Planned Giving and Chelsea O’Reilly, Program Development Manager from the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation to introduce the TRF Second Chances Program. The conference will take place at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, January 11-15. Celebrating 35 years of service, TRF Second Chances is an innovative Thoroughbred aftercare program that first brought retired racehorses to the Wallkill Correctional Facility in 1984 to teach equine care within the institution’s vocational instruction curriculum. With Wallkill as its model, TRF has expanded the TRF Second Chances Program in partnership with prisons in Virginia, Maryland, South Carolina, Florida, Kentucky, and Illinois. Among the hundreds of graduates from the TRF Second Chances Program, many have found employment within the equine industry as farriers, grooms, and stable foremen. “The TRF Second Chances has been an important and highly beneficial program at the Wallkill Correctional Facility for 35 years,” said Jacobsen. “I am so proud to share the story of this program with my colleagues across the correctional industry, as I have seen the impact on so many men and so many horses over the years. This is the sort of program that truly delivers on the promise of providing ‘Second Chances.'” To learn more about Second Chances and the TRF, call (518) 226-0028 or visit www.trfinc.org. View the full article

Godolphin’s 2018 G1 Melbourne Cup hero Cross Counter (GB) (Teofilo {Ire}) will return to the races in the G2 Dubai Gold Cup on Dubai World Cup night at Meydan on Mar. 30, trainer Charlie Appleby confirmed via the Godolphin website on Wednesday. “Cross Counter has come back from Melbourne stronger and brighter than ever, and he has put on 25 kilos in body weight,” Appleby said. “He looks great. After discussing his program with His Highness Sheikh Mohammed, we have pencilled in the Dubai Gold Cup as a starting point for 2019, and we will see where that takes us. It will be an opportunity for His Highness to see Cross Counter on the big night, and also for Godolphin fans in Dubai to give the horse the ‘home town’ welcome he deserves.” The 4-year-old gelding won the G3 Qatar Gordon S. last August and ran second in the G2 Great Voltieur S. at York later that month to stablemate Old Persian (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) before his successful Flemington raid. Appleby did note that a Melbourne Cup title defense was not out of the question. “A defence of his Melbourne Cup crown is an obvious long-range target but we know he will be getting a lot more weight this time,” he said. The aforementioned Old Persian will point to the G1 Sheema Classic on Mar. 30, with a nomination in the G2 City Of Gold as a prep, while GSW Brundtland (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) is also possible for the Dubai Gold Cup. GSW Loxley (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}) is eyeing a run in the G1 Jebel Hatta before a run in the G1 Dubai Turf, and Blue Point (Ire) (Shamardal) is being aimed at the G1 Al Quoz Sprint after a run in the Meydan Sprint. View the full article

Simply Brilliant (GB) (Frankel {GB}) was the first of his sire’s representatives to make the races in Hong Kong and had performed creditably, with four wins and five minor placings from 11 runs in the lower grades. The recent winner of a Class 1 over 1600 metres, the 5-year-old was allowed to take his chance with no weight on his back in Wednesday’s G3 January Cup H. at Happy Valley and took advantage of a perfect trip before being involved in some post-race drama. The well-backed third betting favourite landed in the box seat as market leader and MG1SW Time Warp (GB) (Archipenko) was pressed along to his outside by Northern Superstar (SAf) (Count Dubois {GB}) through demanding sectionals. Alexis Badel went for Simply Brilliant at the top of the lane, popped off the fence to launch his bid, overtook the 133-pound top-weight Time Warp with half a furlong to race and ran home best. He then stumbled a few strides past the line, dislodging Badel, who was banged up, but otherwise not seriously injured. Simply Brilliant emerged unscathed. Citron Spirit (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) just outfinished the progressive Insayshable (Ire) (Rajj {Ire}) for second. “It was perfect,” Badel said. “The horse showed very good speed, he was very fresh and had plenty of energy, so I could have even led. I was happy behind the favourite, but he was very strong today and gave me a very good turn-of-foot. He kept going impressively–he’s still improving.” Zac Purton was slightly disappointed in the effort from Time Warp, who set an 1800m track record (1:47.61) when last seen at the Valley in June 2017. “It’s never easy carrying that weight against horses like this but to be frank, I thought he’d give me a bit more,” he said of the chestnut, a latest third in defence of his title in the G1 Longines Hong Kong Cup Dec. 9. Pedigree Notes: Bred by Cheveley Park Stud from 2003 G1 Fillies’ Mile victress Red Bloom, Simply Brilliant (ex Senator) won two of five European starts and was a competitive sixth in the 2017 Brittania H. when trained by Richard Fahey. He becomes the 36th black-type winner and 27th group/graded winner for Frankel, who has now sired GSWs in eight different countries (England, France, Ireland, Japan, Australia, United States, UAE and now HK). Red Bloom is a half-sister to SW Red Gala (GB) (Sinndar {Ire}) and is also dam of a 2-year-old colt by Intello (Ger) a yearling filly by Lethal Force (Ire). She is currently in foal to the stud’s Ulysses (Ire). Third dam Cerise Bouquet was a half-sister to champion and G1SW Ibn Bey (GB) (Mill Reef) as well as G1SW Roseate Tern (GB) (Blakeney {GB}). Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Wednesday, Happy Valley, Hong Kong JANUARY CUP H.-G3, HK$3,250,000 (£323,928/€359,421/A$576,762/US$414,616) , Sha Tin, 1-9, 3yo/up, 1800mT, 1:48.83, gd. 1–SIMPLY BRILLIANT (GB), 114, g, 5, by Frankel (GB) 1st Dam: Red Bloom (GB) (G1SW-Eng, MGSW & MG1SP-Ire, MGSP-Fr, $762,557), by Selkirk 2nd Dam: Red Camellia (GB), by Polar Falcon 3rd Dam: Cerise Bouquet (GB), by Mummy’s Pet (GB) *1ST STAKES WIN. 1ST GROUP WIN. O-Simply Brilliant Syndicate; B-Cheveley Park Stud Ltd; T-Frankie Lor; J-Alexis Badel; HK$1,852,500. Lifetime Record: 17-7-3-2, HK$8,812,200. *Formerly Senator (GB). Werk Nick Rating: C. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. 2–Citron Spirit (Ire), 113, g, 7, Invincible Spirit (Ire)–Citron Presse, by Lemon Drop Kid. (€450,000 HRA ’14 ARQARC). O-Lau Ng Mui Chu; B-Mrs E Bifova; T-Ricky Yiu; $715,000. 3–Insayshable (Ire), 115, g, 5, Rajj (Ire)–Imitation (GB), by Darshaan (GB). O-The Hon & Mrs Kenneth Lau Ip Keung; B-Lisheen Stud; T-John Size; $373,750. Margins: 3/4, NK, HF. Odds: 21-5, 48-1, 63-10. Also Ran: Time Warp (GB), Dinozzo (Ire), Southern Legend (Aus), Horse of Fortune (SAf), Gold Mount (GB), Northern Superstar (SAf), Eagle Way (Aus). Click for the HKJC.com chart, PPs and sectional timing. VIDEO. View the full article

Specificity (Alleged), the dam of the champion racemare Pride (Fr) (Peintre Celebre), died on New Year’s Eve in France at the age of 30. Bred in Kentucky by Pin Oak Farm, Specificity won the listed George Stubbs S. at Newmarket when trained by John Gosden. She was later bought by Sven and Carina Hanson at Keeneland as an eight-year-old broodmare. Exported once more, this time to France, Specificity produced another 14 foals to add to the three she left in America, with the most notable of her 11 winners being her eighth foal, the Hansons’ treble Group 1 winner Pride. Raced on by her breeders until the age of six, Pride notched her first success in Britain when trained by Gerard Butler and continued to progress once switched to the care of Alain de Royer Dupre, for whom she won the G2 Prix Conseil de Paris and G3 Prix Allez France as a 4-year-old, followed by a brace of Group 2 victories at five. Her annus mirabilis came in 2016 when an ambitious international campaign saw Pride win the G1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, G1 Champion S. and G1 Hong Kong Cup to end her career as the top-rated mare in the world. As a broodmare, Pride’s most notable runner is the dual French Group 2 winner One Foot In Heaven (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), who is now trained in Australia by Chris Waller. Pride was not her dam’s sole Group winner, as her daughter by Teofilo (Ire), born when the mare was 21 and named Fate (Fr), won the G3 Prix de Flore in 2014 and was also third in the G1 Prix Ganay. “Specificity had a classic European pedigree, and we succeeded in buying her at Keeneland in 1996 for just $150,000, as she was in foal to Caller ID,” recalled Carina Hanson. “Her yearling colt [who became the five-time winner Noble Calling] was however probably the most expensive yearling sold by Caller ID when we sold him at Arqana August. He made almost the price of his dam.” She continued, “We mated her to Peintre Celebre as we wanted the Northern Dancer turn of foot, and we got Pride. “Specificity had a fantastic temperament and was so kind. She was boarding with Anna Sundstrom at Haras du Grand Chene, and she was loved and taken care of by her daughter Lillie, who led her in and out from the paddock every day. “She was in good spirits with legs like a yearling until her last days, when her heart started to weaken and she was put to sleep immediately.” Pride, now 19, has a yearling colt by Fastnet Rock—a full-brother to One Foot In Heaven—and was barren to the same stallion last year. She will visit Lope De Vega this season. View the full article

In the fourth installment of our value sires series, today we will look at stallions with their first 2-year-olds in 2019. Over the past two years, these young horses have already been exposed to the tumultuous rigors of the commercial marketplace, their progeny having been either embraced or already written off at the foal and yearling sales. While many of the early supporters of these sires have already had their fates determined in the ring, those with yearlings or foals to sell this year will hold their collective breaths and hope their faith is rewarded with early results. All the same, while a clutch of early winners is likely to help boost figures at this year’s sales, it is far from a guarantee of long-term success. In another year’s time we will be reflecting on who looks like a flash in the pan and who has provided runners that look like training on. But for now, let’s run through the crop and try to pull out some value and, at the end, we’ll select a gold, silver and bronze value sire. The ‘big guns’ of this group have always been Muhaarar (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}), Gleneagles (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Golden Horn (GB) (Cape Cross {Ire}), and interestingly they bring top Group 1 form respectively as a sprinter, a miler and a middle-distance horse. They were the top three first-season sires in 2017 at the foal sales by average and median and the only horses from the sire crop to break six figures in those categories, and they repeated that feat last year at the yearling sales. Muhaarar, the Cartier champion sprinter of 2015 at three, appears to have been well-priced by Shadwell, having been able to hold his fee of £30,000 over his first four years. He has maintained strong books, the past two years covering 128 and 133 mares, respectively. His 55 yearlings sold (66 offered) last year averaged £177,628/€197,050. Shadwell heavily supported the horse at the sales, buying a 925,000gns half-sister to G1 Cheveley Park S. winner Fairyland (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) and a 500,000gns colt out of Alexander Goldrun (Ire), among others, and others to support the horse included Blandford Bloodstock, Peter and Ross Doyle, Roger Varian, Stephen Hillen and Kevin Ryan and Jamie McCalmont. With top-class middle distance influence Linamix (Fr) as his damsire, there should be plenty of hope that the four-time Group 1-winning sprinter and G2 Gimcrack S. winner-who is the highest-rated son of Oasis Dream-can provide sharp horses that last. Gleneagles, out of that dream mare You’resothrilling-producer of two Classic winners and five stakes winners from her first five foals and a full-sister to Giant’s Causeway-started out at €60,000 and is available for €30,000 this year at Coolmore after his first yearlings averaged £119,495/€132,455. That was for 52 sold (67 offered), and supporters at the sales last year included MV Magnier, Blandford Bloodstock, Klaravich Stables, Stroud Coleman and David Redvers. The fee cut should keep his support up in a crucial year after his numbers dipped to 119 last year from 136 in 2017. If there is a safe bet on both pedigree and performance, you’d think it would have to be the three-time Group 1-winning miler-and Group 1-winning 2-year-old–out of a blue hen full-sister to Giant’s Causeway. In the same year that Muhaarar was dominating the sprinting ranks and Gleneagles the miling, Golden Horn was busy taking out Europe’s top middle-distance prizes. His Group 1 haul counted the Derby, Coral-Eclipse, Irish Champion S. and Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. After standing his first three seasons at £60,000 at Darley’s Dalham Hall, Golden Horn is trimmed to £50,000 this year after covering 107 mares in 2018 (down from 126 in 2017). Golden Horn’s unraced dam Fleche d’Or (Dubai Destination) has also produced the stakes-winning Eastern Belle (GB) (Champs Elysees {GB}), and she is a half-sister to the G1 Coronation S. winner Rebecca Sharp (GB) (Machiavellian). Golden Horn had 36 yearlings sold (41 offered) for an average of £152,775/€169,467, and his median of £147,957/€164,318 suggests his progeny were of a consistent quality. Golden Horn raced just once at two, winning a maiden over Storm The Stars (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) in October, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see his progeny follow suit and start to make their mark later in the season. A pair of Group 1 winners sit behind the leading trio by yearling averages: 2000 Guineas and Lockinge S. winner Night Of Thunder (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), and G1 Prince of Wales’s S. winner Free Eagle (Ire) (High Chaparral {Ire}). Night Of Thunder won the Listed Doncaster S. at two before defeating Kingman (GB) and Australia (GB) in one of the deepest Guineas in memory. He would place in three more Group 1s before taking the Lockinge at four. He opened at €30,000 at Kildangan Stud and is now down to €15,000. His 56 yearlings sold (71 offered) averaged £62,352/€69,184 and he was able to maintain good support in years two and three, covering 103 and 111 mares. Alongside Night Of Thunder at Kildangan for €4,000 are the Listed Woodcote S. and G2 Challenge S. winner Fulbright (GB) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}), who packed 30 starts into four seasons and was rated 119 by Timeform, and French Navy (GB), who won four Group 3s from a mile to a mile and a quarter from ages two to seven. Free Eagle is a Moyglare Stud homebred out of one of the family’s prized broodmares, Polished Gem (Ire) (Danehill). His second dam is the G1 Irish 1000 Guineas winner Trusted Partner (Affirmed), and his third dam the dual Grade I-winning 2-year-old Talking Picture (Speak John). Free Eagle had a rather stop-start racing career, but when he was in action he was among the best of his generation; he broke his maiden by 5 1/2 lengths at Leopardstown at first asking at two before finishing second to Australia (GB) in the G3 Juvenile Turf Trial S. Off for a year, he came back to win the G3 KPMG Enterprise S. and finish third to Noble Mission (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) over the heavy going in the G1 Champion S. Going first-up in the G1 Prince of Wales’s S. at four, he finally got his Group 1 and he was later third behind Golden Horn in the Irish Champion. Free Eagle’s yearling average was £50,003/€55,510 off a €20,000 opening fee, and he is down to €12,500 for 2019. One who well outperformed his fee at the yearling sales was Tweenhills’s Hot Streak (Ire) (Iffraaj {GB}), a five furlong group-winning sprinter at two and three who was also placed in the G1 King’s Stand S. at three. He stood for £7,000 in his debut year and dropped to £6,000 the subsequent two, but so good were his yearling sale results that he makes the rare increase (back up to £7,000 in 2019) before having runners. His 51 yearlings sold (61 offered) averaged six times his fee: £43,029/€47,778. Buyers of his yearlings included Shadwell, Australia’s Kingcraft Bloodstock, David Redvers, Rabbah and Phoenix Thoroughbreds. There are plenty of indicators of class in his pedigree, too: Hot Streak’s second dam is a half-sister to sires Nashwan, Nayef and Unfuwain. Gutaifan (Ire) stands alongside his sire Dark Angel (Ire) at Yeomanstown Stud, and he was the busiest of this sire crop at the yearling sales with 107 sold from 128 offered. His average of £42,512/€47,208 was 3.7x his opening fee of €12,500, and he stands for the third straight season this year at €10,000. Gutaifan was retired to stud after a 2-year-old season that included wins in the G2 Prix Robert Papin and G2 Flying Childers S., so how his class would have carried on we can only speculate about, but he does have a G2 Ribblesdale S. and G2 Lancashire Oaks winner, as well as a dual G2 Hardwicke S. winner, under his second dam. Also there is last year’s G2 Park S. and G2 Joel S. winner Mustashry (GB) (Tamayuz {GB}), as well as G1 Premio del Jockey Club and G2 Moonee Valley S. winner Ventura Storm (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}). Cable Bay (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire})’s first crop of yearlings returned an average 3.2x the £6,500 fee he commands at Highclere Stud. His 57 sold (72 offered) averaged £21,205/€23,564, and were headed by a pair that made £150,000 and £100,000 at Goffs UK’s Premier Yearling Sale. By Invincible Spirit, who is building an enviable record as a sire of sires, Cable Bay is a grandson of the G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest and G1 Sprint Cup winner Cherokee Rose (Ire) (Dancing Brave), who is also the second dam of Group 1 winners Mastery (GB) and Kirklees (Ire), and the third dam of Mukhadram (GB). Cable Bay was placed in a handful of the most important 2-year-old races, including the G1 Dewhurst, and at four he recorded a pair of wins over seven furlongs in the G3 John of Gaunt S. and the G2 Challenge S. Perhaps European buyers are tuned in to the remarkable record Brazen Beau (Aus)‘s sire I Am Invincible (Aus) is compiling Down Under, or perhaps they just appreciate how good a sprinter the horse actually was. Either way, buyers responded to the Dalham Hall shuttler last year, and his yearlings averaged 3.7x his opening £10,000 fee at £37,574/€41,739. Brazen Beau is down to £7,000 this year after covering 95 mares last year, and that looks like pretty good value for a horse that was the second-best 3-year-old sprinter in the world in 2015, behind only Muhaarar. Brazen Beau was a head shy of winning a Group 1 at two, but came roaring back at three to win one of Australia’s most important ‘sire making’ races: the G1 Coolmore Stud S.-that’s the same key race won by Zoustar (Aus), who Brazen Beau was rated four points higher than on the World Thoroughbred Rankings. Brazen Beau beat the elder champion sprinter Chautauqua (Aus) (Encosta de Lago {Aus}) in the G1 Newmarket H. four months later before traveling to Royal Ascot and finishing second in the G1 Diamond Jubilee S. After the first half of the racing season in Australia, Brazen Beau sits second on the first season sires’ table with two winners and one stakes winner. Considering Brazen Beau himself didn’t start until Feb. 5, that should bode well for what the second half of the season and beyond holds. Also making a promising start from Dalham Hall with his first yearlings is the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf and G2 Champagne S. winner Outstrip (GB) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}), whose 60 yearlings sold (75 offered) averaged 3.5x his £5,000 fee at £17,804/€19,780). It bodes very well for the son of Grade I winner Asi Siempre (El Prado {Ire}) that, after his first foals hit the market in 2017, Outstrip covered 21 more mares in 2018 than the previous year (145). And, he has held his £5,000 fee through his first four years. Outstrip has certainly passed the first commercial test, now let’s see if he can follow up on the racecourse. Make Believe (GB) (Makfi {GB}), a grandson of the G1 Cheveley Park S. and G1 Irish 1000 Guineas-placed My Branch (GB) (Distant Relative {Ire}) and himself a dual Group 1 winner, stands at Ballylinch Stud for €12,000 this year, down from an opening €20,000. The winner of both starts at two, Make Believe bested subsequent G1 Prix du Jockey Club winner New Bay (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) to win the G1 Poule d’Essai des Poulains. Two starts later he beat older horses dropping back a furlong in the G1 Prix de la Foret. Make Believe, who is a three-quarter brother to the dual Grade I-winning mare Dubawi Heights (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), had 46 yearlings (65 offered) average £40,072/€44,508. Whitsbury Manor Stud, the farm that brought you Showcasing (GB), this year has the G1 Diamond Jubilee-placed Due Diligence (War Front) with his first runners. Due Diligence was a debut winner at Saratoga for Todd Pletcher at two, and for his 3-year-old campaign was transferred to Aidan O’Brien. He won the Listed Lacken S. over six furlongs before finishing second to Slade Power (Ire) (Dutch Art {GB}) in the Diamond Jubilee. Due Diligence’s first-crop yearlings (62 offered, 44 sold) averaged £16,723/€18,582, and he is down to £4,000 this year. Cappella Sansevero (GB)‘s yearling average of £22,759/€25,271 is distorted by the fact that he had a half-brother to champion sprinter Harry Angel (Ire) sell to Roger Varian for 140,000gns at Tattersalls Book 1, but nonetheless the horse is a son of the in-form sire Showcasing who was a stakes-winner and Royal Ascot and Group 1-placed at two. He is down to €4,000 at Bridge House Stud. Rathasker Stud last year unveiled Bungle Inthejungle (Ire) to be a leading first-season sire, and this year they bring us Anjaal (Ire) (Bahamian Bounty {GB}). The G2 July S. winner has been held at €5,000, and his first yearlings averaged £14,596/€16,213. Coolmore has the following year’s July S. winner, Ivawood (Ire) (Zebedee {GB}), with his first juveniles this year. Ivawood also won the G2 Richmond S. and was second by a nose in the G1 Middle Park S., and at three he was third behind Gleneagles (Ire) in both the English and Irish 2000 Guineas. His yearlings averaged £18,963/€21,059, and after starting out at €9,000 he is down to €5,000 in 2019. Coolmore has already relegated Kingston Hill (GB) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) to its National Hunt ranks, but that doesn’t preclude him from a siring a good horse on the flat, like he himself was. He won the G3 Autumn S. and G1 Racing Post Trophy at two and the G1 St Leger at three, and was second to Australia in the G1 Investec Derby as well as being fourth in both the Coral-Eclipse and the Arc. After covering 74 mares in 2017 he proved much more profitable after switching codes last year, covering 180 mares. Nonetheless, his yearlings were relatively well-received, averaging £14,465/€16,083. In France, Galileo’s Galiway (GB) certainly made a good impression with his five yearlings to sell. They averaged £24,519/€27,284, with a median of £24,743/€27,362 off a €3,000 stud fee. The Wertheimer-bred stands at Haras de Colleville, which has already brought us the rags-to-riches Kendargent (Fr). He was a winner and group-placed at two before winning a listed race at three. Galiway is a half-brother to Silent Name (Jpn) (Sunday Silence), a leading sire in Canada, and his dam, Danzigaway (Danehill), is a half-sister to multiple group winner and sire Gold Away (Ire) (Goldneyev). Galiway represents the Galileo over Danehill cross of established sires Frankel (GB) and Teofilo (Ire). The 18-year-old Elvstroem (Aus) (Danehill) relocated to Haras de Petit Tellier in 2016, leaving behind 12 lifetime stakes winners in Australia. It should help his cause that he is from the immediate family of Starspangledbanner (Aus) and Highland Reel (Ire), and his first Northern Hemisphere yearlings had their admirers, realizing up to €100,000 at Arqana’s October yearling sale. He is available for €5,000 in 2019. While Sidestep (Aus) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}) did well with his first yearlings averaging 5.5x his stud fee, he has been moved on to Telemon Stud in Australia and does not return to Haras du Logis in 2019. So, the Darley team relies on Hunter’s Light (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) to carry the baton. The chestnut is a triple Group 1 winner-in Italy and Dubai-and is from the family of Darshaan (GB) and that excellent racemare and producer Dar Re Mi (GB), who has given us Too Darn Hot (GB), Lah Ti Dar (GB) and So Mi Dar (GB). His first yearlings averaged £11,859/€13,102 off a €4,000 stud fee. Another Group 1 winner available at a minuscule price in France is Haras de Montaigu’s Prince Gibraltar (Fr) (Rock of Gibraltar {Ire}), who stands for €3,000. Winner of the G1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud at two, he won the G2 Prix Greffulhe at three before placing in the G1 Prix du Jockey Club and G1 Grand Prix de Paris. He added the G1 Grosser Preis von Baden at four. His 19 yearlings sold averaged £11,848/€13,102. Click for parts one, two and three of the value sires series. Value Sires Podium Gold – Muhaarar (£30,000): if the hype from the sales is fulfilled on the racecourse, Shadwell will be rewarded for pricing him correctly from the start and he’ll never stand for this little again. Silver – Free Eagle (€12,500): One of this crop’s best racehorses from a world-class pedigree has dipped to a bargain fee. Bronze – Brazen Beau (£7,000): a world-class sprinter, from the Invincible Spirit line, rated higher than Zoustar on the track. View the full article

The win was Simply Brilliant, the stumble after the line was simply scary. Frankie Lor Fu-chuen’s rising star showed what he is capable of with a strong win in the Group Three January Cup, but the ecstasy of victory turned to concern in a matter of strides when the five-year-old knuckled, sending jockey Alexis Badel tumbling to the turf. The Frenchman was lucky not to be clipped by the trailing Northern Superstar on the way through and while he was able to walk back to scale, he looked... View the full article

The prep season for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) is fully underway as the new year unfolds, with key preps scheduled for nearly every weekend going forward until the first Saturday in May. View the full article

Royal Marine (Ire) (Raven’s Pass), winner of last year’s G1 Jean-Luc Lagardere, makes his 3-year-old debut and tries dirt for the first time in a one-mile conditions race at Meydan on Thursday that is a trial for the G3 UAE 2000 Guineas. The Saeed bin Suroor-trained Godolphin colourbearer broke his maiden going seven furlongs at Doncaster last September before taking France’s premier juvenile race over this trip. Oisin Murphy was aboard on both of those occasions, but Christophe Soumillon takes the reins on Thursday. If Royal Marine transfers his talents to the dirt he will be tough to beat, but there are a few other lightly raced colts with last-out wins that could threaten. The Phoenix Ladies Syndicate’s Walking Thunder (Violence) is unbeaten in two tries over this course, the most recent a 4 1/2-length score going this trip on Dec. 6. Giant Hero (Giant’s Causeway) has run just once, back in July, but that was a four-length victory going five furlongs for trainer Steve Asmussen at Ellis Park. Al Seel Legacy’s (Uncaptured) was a debut winner over 1400 metres at Meydan on Dec. 20 for trainer Doug Watson. While all of the aforementioned are looking to earn the crown as the UAE’s best 3-year-old, one who was in that position last year, Godolphin’s Gold Town (GB) (Street Cry {Ire}), returns from defeat by Mendelssohn (Scat Daddy) when fourth in the G2 UAE Derby in the G2 Al Maktoum Challenge Round 1 over a mile. Prior to that, he had romped in both the UAE 2000 Guineas and its trial. Heavy Metal (GB) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}) won this last year and closed out the season with a victory in the G2 Godolphin Mile over Muntazah (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}). North America (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) placed last year in this race and Round 2 before winning the G1 Al Maktoum Challenge R3, but he’ll have to bounce back from a heavy defeat in the G1 Dubai World Cup when last seen. Kimbear (Temple City) was also well beaten on World Cup night when sixth in the Godolphin Mile, but he has a win over this track and trip in last season’s G3 Burj Nahaar and could have a fitness advantage over some of these, having been third in a listed race at Meydan on Dec. 12. Earlier on the card, Simon Crisford’s G3 Prix Eclipse winner Sporting Chance (GB) (Kodiac {GB}) makes his seasonal debut in a 1400 metre turf conditions race. In the evening’s final race, a mile turf handicap, Joseph O’Brien sends out his first Dubai runners, King’s Field (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) and Equitant (GB) (Equiano {GB}), who were 1-2 last out in a 1600 metre Dundalk handicap on Dec. 7. View the full article

Alastair Donald, the British bloodstock agent responsible for finding Glorious Forever and Time Warp, boasts the extraordinary feat of having sourced half of Wednesday night’s Group Three January Cup field on behalf of Hong Kong clients. As well as the latter of these two Hong Kong Cup-winning brothers, who will break from barrier 10, Donald brokered the deals for Simply Brilliant, Insayshable, Dinozzo and Citron Spirit to move to the territory. Having established a link-up with John... View the full article

They saved the best for last Jan. 8 at the Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale, as the 8-year-old Distorted Humor mare House Rules was purchased by WinStar Farm for $750,000 during the waning stages of the 6 1/2-hour second session. View the full article

They saved the best for last Jan. 8 at the Keeneland Horses of All Ages Sale, as the 8-year-old Distorted Humor mare House Rules was purchased by WinStar Farm for $750,000 during the waning stages of the 6 1/2-hour second session. View the full article

They saved the best for last during the Jan. 8 second session of the Keeneland Horses of All Ages Sale as the 8-year-old mare House Rules was bought by WinStar Farm for $750,000 during the waning stages of the 6 1/2-hour session. View the full article

Leading Australian rider Hugh Bowman has been booked to ride BMW Hong Kong Derby contender Furore in the first leg of the upcoming four-year-old series later this month. In a coup for second season trainer Frankie Lor Fu-chuen, he was able to fend off a host of other trainers to secure the booking, saying he hoped Bowman would stay on the horse throughout the three-race series. As the jockey of champion mare Winx, Bowman has gained worldwide recognition and boasts a phenomenal record in Hong... View the full article

They saved the best for last during the Jan. 8 second session of the Keeneland Horses of All Ages Sale as the 8-year-old mare House Rules was bought by WinStar Farm for $750,000 during the waning stages of the 6 1/2-hour session. View the full article

They saved the best for last during the Jan. 8 second session of the Keeneland Horses of All Ages Sale as the 8-year-old mare House Rules was bought by WinStar Farm for $750,000 during the waning stages of the 6 1/2-hour session. View the full article

Bidding remained competitive throughout the day as the Book 1 portion of the Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale concluded Tuesday in Lexington. David Hanley of WinStar Farm made the highest bid of the day when going to $750,000 to acquire multiple graded stakes winner House Rules (Distorted Humor) from the Blackwood Stables consignment as part of the J. V. Shields’s dispersal. “I thought today’s session was quite strong all the way through,” Keeneland’s Director of Sales Operations Geoffrey Russell said at the close of business Tuesday. “It was a continuation of yesterday, with the short yearlings selling exceptionally well and the mares stepped up to the plate, too.” Through the first two sessions of the four-day auction, Keeneland sold 465 horses for a total of $38,857,300. The average was $83,564 and the median was $37,000. Nineteen horses sold for $300,000 or more during Book 1, up from 14 during the 2018 Book 1. During Book 1 at the 2018 auction, 415 horses sold for $28,302,000. The average was $68,198 and the median was $37,000. Two horses sold for seven figures in the book, led by the $1.6-million Mrs McDougal (Medaglia d’Oro). While Tuesday’s second session of the January auction lacked the fireworks provided by Monday’s $5-million sale of champion Abel Tasman (Quality Road), competition for young, well-covered mares remained high. “Obviously, we didn’t have an Abel Tasman today, but the mares that were here sold very well,” Russell said. “House Rules, in foal to Quality Road, is the complete package–a graded stakes winner in foal to one of the hottest stallions in the world. I thought she was very well sold at that price and she goes to a good home in WinStar. We’re sorry for the circumstances for the sale. Mr. Shields was a good friend.” After signing the ticket on Tuesday’s session topper, Hanley admitted, “For the mares you want, it’s tough. There aren’t that many of them and they all are landing on the same ones. But she’s the one we wanted to get today. So we’re really happy.” Tuesday’s buy-back rate was 21.68%, bringing the two-day figure to 25.60%. It was 32.41% at the same point last year. Russell credited the high clearance rate on consignors setting realistic reserves. “These are very professional people,” he said of the sellers. “They have a good gauge on the market, they know what sells. The market is bringing the prices. So I would throw the credit back to the consignors who have adjusted to the market and have priced their horses correctly.” Quality continued to be key in the selective marketplace, according to bloodstock agent David Ingordo. “People want quality and if you have quality, you are going to get rewarded,” Ingordo said. “There are nice horses right below that that, if you give up this or that, you get good value. There are some horses that just aren’t worth it and that is reflected in their sales price. If you are honest with yourself about what your horse is worth, you will do fine.” The Keeneland January sale continues through Thursday with sessions beginning daily at 10 a.m. WinStar Makes the House Rules WinStar Farm General Manager David Hanley struck late in Tuesday’s second session of the Keeneland January sale to acquire multiple graded stakes winner House Rules (Distorted Humor) (hip 779) for a session-topping $750,000. The 8-year-old mare, in foal to Quality Road, was consigned by Blackwood Stables as agent for the dispersal of the bloodstock of the late J V Shields, Jr. “First of all, Distorted Humor,” Hanley answered when asked about the mare’s appeal. “She has a ton of quality. She’s a really beautiful mare and was obviously a really top runner. And we loved the cover. We are excited to see the Quality Road out of her, we think that’s a great mating for her. We’ve been waiting for her all day and we’re delighted to get her.” House Rules, co-bred by WinStar and El Catorce Inc., was purchased for $90,000 as a Keeneland September Yearling in 2012. She won the 2015 GIII Top Flight H. and GIII Rampart S. in Shields’s colors. Out of Grade I placed Teamgeist (Arg) (Mutakddim), House Rules is a half-sister to Grade I placed Win the Space (Pulpit). Longtime owner and breeder Shields passed away last October. During his time in racing, Shields served as Director of the New York Racing Association, Director of the Breeders’ Cup, Trustee of the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation and Trustee of the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. He was a founding member of the National Thoroughbred Association and a member of The Jockey Club. Blackwood Stables sold five horses on behalf of the phase 1 of the Shields’ dispersal Tuesday at Keeneland. In addition to House Rules, the dispersal also included multiple graded stakes winner Classic Point (Flatter) (hip 672), who sold for $370,000 to Catherine Parke on behalf of Marc Keller and graded stakes placed Full House (Discreetly Mine) (hip 739), who brought a final bid of $240,000 from Atlantic Bloodstock. “It is a very bittersweet moment, but we are glad the market appreciated all of Jerry Shields’s horses,” said Katey Caddel, director of client relations and bloodstock for Blackwood Stables. “He was an avid supporter of the sport and truly loved this game and that is reflected in his horses. We are proud to sell them here, but obviously it’s a bittersweet moment.” @JessMartiniTDN Three Chimneys Holds Out For the ‘Best’ Though Three Chimneys Farm was the underbidder on a few horses earlier in the sale, the historic operation held out for one they really wanted with the farm’s COO Chris Baker fending off all comers late in Tuesday’s session to take home GISP Best Performance (Broken Vow) for $560,000. “She is by a stallion we have a lot of respect for,” said a smiling Baker after signing the ticket on hip 795A. “She is very good looking and she can run. In this day and age, if you like them, or like that many things about them, you have to stretch to get them. We are happy to have her.” As for future plans, he said, “We will breed her in 2019. We don’t know to who yet.” A $185,000 KEESEP buy turned $300,000 FTFMAR juvenile purchase, Best Performance retired with a record of 10-1-5-0 and earnings of $398,448. Campaigned by West Point Thoroughbreds, Tango Uniform Racing and Robert Masiello, the Christophe Clement trainee completed the exacta in five black-type events during her 2017 juvenile campaign, including the GIII Schuylerville S. on the dirt, and in the GIII Miss Grillo S. and GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf on that surface. The chestnut made her final start in November. “I think if you look at the stakes placings she had, in the Breeders’ Cup, a Grade I, as a 2-year-old, it is probably more ability–even though it didn’t show up on the catalogue page–for us, that she had Grade I class,” Baker said.” Out of the Smart Strike mare Give My Regards, Best Performance is a half to SP My California (Calimonco) and hails from the family of GSW Broadway Empire (Empire Maker). She was consigned by Lane’s End, who was the session’s leading consignor by gross receipts, with 22 horses selling for $2,429,000–an average of $110,409. West Point Thoroughbreds was also represented by SW Lavender Chrissie (Scat Daddy), who sold to David Ingordo on behalf of Montia Holdings LLC for $400,000 carrying her first foal by Union Rags. —@CDeBernardisTDN Media Mischief to Springhouse Farm Media Mischief (Into Mischief) (hip 440) will be joining the broodmare band at Springhouse Farm after Gabriel Duignan signed the ticket at $450,000 to acquire the 5-year-old mare in foal to Pioneerof the Nile. “She is a nice mare with a nice page,” Duignan said of the mare, who was consigned by Eaton Sales. “There is a lot to like about her.” Out of Media Nox (GB), Media Mischief is a half-sister to multiple Group 1 winner Nebraska Tornado (Storm Cat) and group winners Burning Sun (Danzig) and Mirabilis (Lear Fan). Bred by Juddmonte Farms, Media Mischief made two starts in Khalid Abdullah’s colors in 2017 before selling for 250,000gns to Mercer Bloodstock at the Tattersalls December sale. In foal to Pioneerof the Nile, she RNA’d for $475,000 at last year’s Keeneland November sale. The pedigree has been active in the U.S. recently. Media Nox’s daughter Imprecation (First Defence) is the dam of 3-year-old Anothertwistafate (Scat Daddy), who has impressed in a pair of wins at Golden Gate Fields and is expected to head towards the Feb. 16 El Camino Real Derby. Duignan acknowledged that colt’s Northern California exploits added to Media Mischief’s appeal. “He could be very good,” Duignan said of Anothertwistafate. “I know it’s Golden Gate, but he could be very, very good. He’s not your ordinary Golden Gate horse.” @JessMartiniTDN ‘Sweet’ Buy for Hyde Breeder Tim Hyde added one of Tuesday’s more popular mares to his band when going to $420,000 to secure Sweet Dreams (Candy Ride {Arg}), who was the only mare in foal to Tapit offered at Keeneland January. “I thought she was very pretty,” Hyde said of hip 568. “Her foal was very nice that was here in November. She is a good-looking mare and she is carrying a Tapit. We will probably resell the baby as a yearling.” Bred by Courtlandt Farm, Sweet Dreams is out of SW & GSP Cat Charmer (Storm Cat) and is a half-sister to MGSW Strike Charmer (Smart Strike). Gail Cox purchased the dark bay for $67,000 at the 2013 Keeneland September Sale and she won one of three starts. Sweet Dreams RNA’d for $220,000 at Keeneland November in 2015 carrying a foal by Animal Kingdom. The resulting foal, a filly named Bentley’s Dream was a $65,000 KEENOV weanling turned $325,000 FTSAUG yearling and she won on debut for Lothenbach Stables at Churchill Downs in November. Sweet Dreams was purchased by McMahon and Hill Bloodstock on behalf of Buscar Stable for $180,000 at the 2016 KEENOV sale in foal to Street Sense and that colt brought $210,000 from Japanese interests at the following year’s November sale. That operation sold her 2018 Tapit colt this past November to Alex Solis and Jason Litt for $380,000. “She was a standout as the only mare in foal to Tapit,” said Sergio de Sousa of Hidden Brook, who consigned the mare. “Her broodmare career got started off on a good note with her first foal winning first time out. Mission accomplished for us. Well done to the owners and good luck to the new connections.” —@CDeBernardisTDN Ingordo Strikes for Lavender Chrissie Stakes winner Lavender Chrissie (Scat Daddy) (hip 410) got things rolling early in Tuesday’s session when selling for $400,000 to bloodstock agent David Ingordo, who was acting on behalf of a longtime client. Consigned by Lane’s End, the 7-year-old mare sold in foal to Union Rags. “She was a lovely yearling,” Ingordo said after signing the ticket out back. “We knew her from a yearling. She is in foal to Union Rags. Scat Daddy needs no introduction. He is going to be a super broodmare sire. She was, on physical, as pretty of a mare as was going to walk up here.” He continued, “This client is going to build a commercial racing/broodmare band. He knows I work at Lane’s End and he knew the mare was there, so he said if you like her, buy her. She will probably go to one of our stallions at Lane’s End.” A $185,000 KEESEP yearling purchase by West Point Thoroughbreds, Lavender Chrissie won four of her eight starts for trainer Dale Romans, highlighted by a victory in the 2015 Zia Park Oaks. She RNA’d for $290,000 at the 2016 Fasig-Tipton November Sale, after which she was put back in training. The gray made just one more start in April of 2017 before being officially retired with earnings of $281,093. A full-sister to MGSP Gossamer Wings, Lavender Chrissie is a half-sister to GSW Baby J (J Be K) and SW & GISP Laureate Conductor (Bernstein). —@CDeBernardisTDN Union Rags Colt Proves Popular at KEEJAN A yearling colt by Union Rags (hip 621) was a hot commodity at Keeneland January Tuesday and ultimately sold to Gerry Dilger for $390,000. Bred by Kinnickinnic Stables, the bay is the first foal out of Zondaq (Bernardini), a half-sister to GSW & GISP Discreet Dancer (Discreet Cat); GSW Travelin Man (Trippi); and SW & GSP Sweet N Discreet (Discreet Cat). Zondaq, a $425,000 KEESEP yearling, was purchased by New Providence Bloodstock for $190,000 at the 2016 Fasig-Tipton February Sale and made two starts for Mike Ryan and trainer Rudy Rodriguez before retiring in the fall of 2016. The colt was consigned here by Indian Creek. “He was really well received,” said Indian Creek’s Shack Parrish. “It was a little bit above what we expected, but we loved it. Credit should go, I must say, to our former farm manager, who left on the 31st and did the majority of the prep on this guy.” Indian Creek sold another pricey short yearling later in the sale in hip 795F, a colt by Kitten’s Joy out of Illegal Search (Officer), who summoned $250,000 from Dudley Racing. The bay was bred by Susan King in partnership with Ken and Sarah Ramsey. —@CDeBernardisTDN McMahon Gets Happy Bloodstock agent Mike McMahon wasn’t able to acquire a weanling from the first crop of Runhappy at the November sales, but he rectified that Tuesday at Keeneland when purchasing a son of the sprint champion for $250,000. “Runhappy is really a sire that we wanted to buy a colt by and this was the best colt here,” McMahon said. “He stacked up really high with the colts we tried to buy in November. We’ve been after a Runhappy for a while.” Hip 560 is out of multiple stakes winner Summer Cruise (Vicar) and is a half-brother to graded stakes winner Sandbar (War Pass) and stakes placed Cruzette (War Pass). He was bred by Matthew Ernst and Martha Buckner and was consigned by her family’s Clarkland Farm. Clarkland purchased Summer Cruise, in foal to Lea, for $100,000 at the 2016 Keeneland November sale. Her filly by Lea sold for $110,000 at the 2017 Keeneland November sale and resold for $150,000 at the 2018 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October sale. Runhappy had 14 weanlings sell at the Keeneland November sale for an average of $149,643 and a median of $145,000. The stallion stands at Claiborne Farm for $25,000. Asked what has impressed about the champion’s first crop of foals, McMahon said, “They have lots of quality. They are forward horses, bright and good-shaped. They have great hind legs and conformation.” Hip 560 is likely destined for a return engagement in the sales ring later in the year. “He’ll pinhook,” McMahon said. “Probably at [Fasig-Tipton] Saratoga, but not necessarily. It could be Keeneland, too. We’ll just play it by ear and see how he develops. He’ll get every chance.” @JessMartiniTDN View the full article

A night to celebrate our stars at the Racing Appreciation Night 2018 View the full article

Thompson ready for the real deal after 'surreal' first visit View the full article

Simon Kok off the mark in Tasmania View the full article

Amirul suspended two days View the full article

The winner of the Filly Triple Crown in Japan was unanimously named Horse of the Year in her native country Jan. 8. View the full article

Stephen Got Even (A.P. Indy-Immerse, by Cox’s Ridge), millionaire and winner of the 2000 GI Donn H., has died at age 23 at Lane’s End Farm. Stephen Got Even stood at Lane’s End from 2001 through 2015 and retired from stud alongside his sire. He is the sire of champion 2-year-old colt Stevie Wonderboy and Grade I winners First Dude and I Want Revenge. He sired no fewer than 38 black-type stakes winners; his progeny have earned more than $50.5 million. Bred by W. S. Farish and W. S. Kilroy, Stephen Got Even was foaled at Lane’s End Farm and sold to Stephen and Tomisue Hilbert for $325,000 at the 1997 Keeneland July Yearling Sale. He will be buried in the cemetery at Lane’s End. “Stephen Got Even will be greatly missed at the farm and will be remembered for his kind disposition,” a press release from Lane’s End read. View the full article

Wondering what a model of consistency looks like? Look no further than Joel Rosario, a perennial presence at the top of the jockey tree. Even so, 2018 proved to be an annus mirabilis for Rosario, whose recent win in the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic applied the polish to an already gilded season. In this “Last Word,” Rosario talks presidents, baseball, and role models. TDN: Where does your Breeders’ Cup Classic win for John Sadler fit into your career, taking into account your Dubai World Cup and Kentucky Derby wins? JR: John and I go way back, starting with my time in California. He gave me many opportunities. I feel really grateful. And I think it’s another step forward in my career–a big step for me. I used to watch the Breeders’ Cup and races like that [as a kid]. I never thought in my life I’d be in this position. TDN: Talking of the Kentucky Derby, I hear the president of the Dominican Republic called you after your Derby win. What did you talk about? Did you think it was a hoax? JR: Yeah, I did to begin with. It was a complete surprise. He just congratulated me for winning the Kentucky Derby. TDN: You’re the most successful jockey to come out of the Dominican Republic. Do you think your achievements have influenced the kids back there? JR: I think so–there’s not many jockeys who come out of the Dominican Republic. Everybody growing up there, they want to play baseball. For me, being so successful, winning all those races, definitely gives the kids something to look up to. TDN: Who has been your biggest role model in life and why? JR: In life, I think I’m going to say my role model is my mom. She’s a very special person. She’s amazing. She’s the kind of person who likes to help people–she likes to care for everybody. TDN: Is she proud of your career? JR: I think she is, yes, very proud of me. She watches the races every day, always watching where I am, seeing how I’m doing. She’s always been very supportive. TDN: Who has been the most influential person in your career and why? JR: A lot of people have helped me be where I am now, starting in the Dominican Republic all the way to the United States. Lots of people have given me lots of opportunities. I couldn’t single one person out. TDN: Let’s talk about your early years in the Dominican Republic. How did the racing industry there prepare you for your career in America? JR: I went to jockey school. It was a little hard to get in because I was so young, well under the age of 18. My mom and dad had to be responsible for me. I got my jockey’s license at the age of 13. It was competitive, the racing there. It’s tough no matter what–even a two-horse race is tough to win. TDN: You won four jockey championships over there. Were you a bit of a superstar? JR: Yeah, I was! Television, magazines. They follow racing closely over there. TDN: What do you miss most about the Dominican Republic? Do you go back often? JR: I have a big family there still. I miss the people, the food, everything. That’s where I grew up. I go back when I have time–I’m always so busy here. Not much vacation. When I have a few days off I go back. TDN: I’ve read you said you would be a baseball player if you weren’t a jockey. Is that right? If so, what position do you play? JR: I love horses, but I love baseball, too. I can play any position. I love playing third base the most. Click here to read the rest of this story in the January TDN Weekend. View the full article

WinStar Farm LLC topped the individual breeders list in North America in 2018 with $8,765,757 in earnings, according to statistics released Tuesday by The Jockey Club Information Systems. WinStar Farm LLC bred 219 starters with 204 wins, 164 seconds, and 144 thirds out of 1,216 starts. WinStar Farm LLC also led the individual breeders list in 2016. Calumet Farm was second with earnings of $8,572,959 with 211 wins out of 1,787 starts. In addition, WinStar Farm LLC topped the breeders list that includes partners with $11,817,080 in earnings and 319 wins from 2,020 starts. Calumet Farm came in second with $8,630,379 in earnings and 213 wins out of 1,812 starts. Rounding out the top 10 individual breeders were Besilu Stables LLC, $7,764,896 (20 wins/100 starts); Brereton C. Jones, $7,584,838 (228/1,477); Kenneth L. & Sarah K. Ramsey, $7,037,007 (238/1,680); Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings LLC, $6,938,655 (113/665); Adena Springs, $6,462,689 (167/1,013); Mike Abraham, $6,416,972 (62/491); Woodford Thoroughbreds, LLC, $5,955,327 (137/982); and Gainesway Thoroughbreds Ltd., $5,747,427 (92/556). Completing the list of the top 10 breeders including partnerships were Brereton C. Jones, $8,576,043 (246 wins/ 1,641 starts); Besilu Stables LLC, $7,862,435 (23/116); Kenneth L. & Sarah K. Ramsey, $7,167,593 (243/1,734); Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings LLC, $7,149,383 (122/724); Adena Springs, $6,911,399 (183/1154); Fred W. Hertrich III, $6,692,104 (136/864); and Mike Abraham, $6,587,070 (70/528). View the full article

When it was announced that Quality Road’s fee would more than double to $150,000 this year, the son of Elusive Quality had justifiably been promoted to the major league of American stallions. Only War Front, Tapit, Medaglia d’Oro and Curlin are priced above him, and Quality Road shares the same fee as Into Mischief and Justify, so he is in exalted company. However, in an industry increasingly prone to knee-jerk reactions, demand for his services have fluctuated quite markedly over the years. For example, his book of mares fell by around a third between his first and second seasons, from 149 mares in 2011 to 91 in 2012. After a reduction of his fee to $25,000, his book revived to 136 mares in his third year, only to fall back to 110 in 2014. That was the year Quality Road’s first crop came out with all guns blazing, with his sons Hootenanny and Blofeld respectively ranking joint-third and joint-eighth among the colts on the Experimental Free Handicap. Understandably, this earned him a book of 152 mares in 2015, with his fee restored to $35,000, but 2015 wasn’t a banner year for Quality Road’s progeny. They failed to win a graded stake and, as a consequence, his book fell by 40 mares in 2016, leaving him with a crop of 81 2-year-olds to race this year. Fortunately, his early crops have done so well that they have smoothed out any further bumps in the road and the stallion is enjoying a well-deserved spell of popularity, during which his fee has gone from $35,000 to $70,000 and now to $150,000. Needless to say, he needed to achieve something fairly extraordinary to fuel these latest increases. The bare facts are that he was represented by no fewer than 11 graded stakes winners in 2017, even though his total number of starters–207– was markedly smaller than those of some of his rivals. He went close to equalling that feat last year, when he had 10 graded winners among his 221 starters. As many as five of them scored at the highest level, and one of them, City of Light, took the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile to follow Hootenanny (Juvenile Turf) and Caledonia Road (Juvenile Fillies) as his third Breeders’ Cup winner from his first five crops of racing age. He hadn’t fallen far short of a fourth Breeders’ Cup winner when his champion daughter Abel Tasman narrowed Forever Unbridled’s winning margin to half a length in the 2017 Distaff. Quality Road’s squad of 2018 graded winners underlined his versatility, in addition to his unusual ability. They included members of his first, third, fourth and fifth crops, with the first being represented by Spring Quality (GI Manhattan S. over a mile and a quarter on turf) and Great Stuff (GIII Toboggan S. over seven furlongs). At the other end of the age scale came Lonely Road (GIII Matron S. over six furlongs on turf) and the high-class Bellafina (three graded wins, including Grade I victories in the Del Mar Debutante over seven furlongs and the Chandelier S. over 1 1/16 miles). Bellafina showed that she has lost none of her speed or ability when she easily gave weight and a beating to four opponents in the GII Santa Ynez S. over the weekend. Quality Road himself raced only once as a 2-year-old, for a maiden special weight win at Aqueduct, and his sire Elusive Quality was unraced at two. That hasn’t stopped him siring plenty of good juveniles, with Bellafina, Abel Tasman, Caledonia Road, Hootenanny, Klimt, Blofeld, Lonely Road and Road To Victory all becoming graded winners at two. Similarly, the fact that Quality Road was a dirt specialist hasn’t stopped him siring plenty of good turf performers, as did his sire Elusive Quality and grandsires Gone West and Strawberry Road. Hootenanny, Spring Quality and Illuminant have all enjoyed Grade I success on turf, while Paved, Frank Conversation, Lonely Road and Cowboy Culture are other Graded winners on turf. Perhaps the time has come for Europeans to give him more than a cursory look, as his sire enjoyed Group 1 success in Europe with Raven’s Pass, Elusive City, Elusive Kate and Certify. An interesting aspect of Bellafina’s pedigree is that she is out of a Malibu Moon mare, the stakes-placed Akron Moon. Bellafina is comfortably the best winner sired so far by Quality Road from mares by sons of A.P. Indy, but there are also Grade III-placed performers out of daughters of Congrats and Bernardini, as well as Bellafina’s brother Diamond King, who has been second or third in three GIIIs at up to nine furlongs. Bellafina ranks alongside Stellar Wind, Girvin, By The Moon and My Conquestadory as one of five Grade I winners produced by daughters of Malibu Moon. Bearing in mind that Malibu Moon spent his first four years as a stallion at a very modest fee in Maryland, he had every right to make a slowish start as a broodmare sire with his eldest daughters. All five of his Grade I winners are out of mares sired after his move to Kentucky, following his eye-catching start with his first runners in 2003. Not For Love, the non-stakes-winning stallion responsible for Bellafina’s second dam Akronism, is another well-connected horse who gave Maryland breeders access to some first-rate bloodlines. Akronism took the Maryland Million Distaff H. over seven furlongs as a 3-year-old and later took the GIII Royal North S. over six furlongs on turf and the GIII Seaway S. on all-weather. Bellafina has almost single-handedly raised this family’s profile. As recently as November 2016, Akron Moon failed to find a buyer at $47,000. Two years later, after Bellafina’s two Grade I successes, she was back under the hammer. Although she again failed to sell, she was RNA’d at $2,700,000, again in foal to Quality Road. View the full article