‘Playing at All Levels’, Rigney Racing Hopes to Continue the Hot Run

[Wandering Eyes]

At the onset of the 2025 season, Rigney Racing could boast having bred Chancer McPatrick (McKinzie), winner of last year's GI Hopeful and GI Champagne and a 2024 Eclipse Award winning finalist.

Only last month, the Rigney team rolled into Fasig-Tipton with a single yearling to sell at the Saratoga Select Yearling Sale, and its colt by Not This Time out of Rigney's stakes-winning mare Mariah's Princess (Ghostzapper) realized a cool $1.4 million when purchased by the partnership of Repole Stable and Grandview.

Backed by an even larger arsenal this time, Richard Rigney's Rigney Racing will offer a total of 17 yearlings at this week's Keeneland September Sale. Denali Stud will handle the selling duties.

“It's a nice mix between homebreds and weanling purchases,” said Rigney Racing's private trainer, Phil Bauer. “It's fairly even between homebreds and [pinhooks] this year.”

“They both have the physical, which is the main thing and we're excited to see what the public thinks about them.”

Early in Monday's session, Rigney Racing will offer Madison's Freggie, who was purchased by Rigney for $425,000 at Keeneland September in 2021. Unraced, Hip 27 is a half-sister to MGSW Canoodling (Pioneerof the Nile) and her second dam, Miz Kella (Harlan's Holiday), is a full-sister to 2-year-old champion and dual Grade I winner Shanghai Bobby.

“I had [Madison's Freggie] and she showed a ton of ability and got hurt before she ran so that's why we went ahead and kept her,” explained Bauer. “You keep your fingers crossed that they produce pretty foals and for her first foal, she is a great physical and is by Tapit.”

Later in Monday's session, Hip 72, a $190,000 weanling purchase at Keeneland November, is out of another unraced mare, Pioneer Princess (Pioneerof the Nile), who is herself out of a sister to Grade I winner and producer Marylebone (Unbridle's Song).

A full-brother to the Apr. 21 foal brought $250,000 at this venue in 2024.

Hip 72, a filly by Practical Joke selling on Day 1

“She is a beautiful horse and Practical Joke is picking up enough steam that she'll be sought after as well,” Bauer added.

A former assistant to Kenny McPeek, Bauer met Rigney while employed by the Kentucky-based trainer.

After undergoing a few growing pains, the partnership between Rigney and Bauer has flourished into a multi-dimensional breeding/selling/racing operation.

With 20 broodmares based at Denali Stud in Kentucky, and approximately 100 head throughout the operation, Rigney Racing is poised for bigger and better things.

That's high praise for an operation that is already responsible for a seven-figure yearling in Saratoga last month.

“We loved the horse on the farm and felt like it went really well up there. He had all the right people on him,” Bauer said. “It's really the perfect storm of what you need to have when you're selling a horse.”

He added, “[The sale] was Rigney Racing coming full circle. We bought the mare and won a stake with her. She was the beginning of what we hope will be a glimpse of things to come for us with the breeding program.”

According to Bauer, the operation has taken off since bloodstock agent John Moynihan joined the team.

“He's steering the boat and we are fortunate enough to be there,” said Bauer of Moynihan. “We work well together. But he's definitely the driving force behind this.”

Not to be understated, Bauer explained that the pioneering spirit and passion for the game that Rigney possesses is what propels the success of the operation.

“Mr. Rigney is a big-picture kind of guy,” he said. “I think when we're buying these horses as weanlings and yearlings, we anticipate that they will hopefully reach a level where we can bring them to the broodmare band and create a brand that we have worked hard to develop.”

“Rigney Racing has reached that level breeding a horse like Chancer McPatrick. With the graded stakes mares on the farm now producing nice foals by really good stallions, so it's definitely a recipe for success. It's coming together and hopefully it continues to do well.”

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