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Updated: 2 weeks 6 days ago

Resolute Bloodstock Purchases Caravel, To Visit Frankel in 2024

Thu, 2024-02-15 19:09

John Stewart's Resolute Bloodstock has purchased 2022 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint champion Caravel (Mizzen Mast) in a private sale conducted early in 2024. Resolute's breeding director Chelsey Stone said the 7-year-old mare will visit Juddmonte's champion sire Frankel (GB) in 2024.

Bred and initially campaigned and trained by Elizabeth Merryman, Caravel earned nearly $2 million and amassed 15 career victories. In addition to her Breeders' Cup score, she earned a second Grade I win in the 2023 Jaipur S. In her final career start at the 2023 Breeders' Cup, the mare was campaigned by the ownership group of Qatar Racing, Madaket Stables and Marc Detampel. She then RNA'd for $2.4 million at the Keeneland November Sale.

“Chelsey and I are were surprised to find out that both Puca (Big Brown) and Caravel had RNA'd,” Stewart said. “We ended up purchasing Puca that night and the idea of having Caravel too haunted me all year. After the first of the year when we heard Caravel was going to be at Fasig-Tipton in November of 2024, we reached out and were able to purchase her in a private sale. We couldn't be happier to have her joining the other mares on our farm.”

Stone said that Caravel will depart from Resolute Farm in early March to visit Frankel. She will be bred back to a stallion in Europe after she foals there and then return to Kentucky next year.

“John and I visited Frankel just last week at Juddmonte and we are very excited to send her to him,” said Stone. “He's big-boned and the shoulder and hip on him is just so impressive. He's every bit of what he's been hyped up to and we are more than thrilled.”

Resolute Farm has also been in the news as of late with the announcement of the retirement of champion female sprinter Goodnight Olive (Ghostzapper), who will visit Taylor Made's Not This Time in 2024.

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Horse Industry Drives Huge Economic Gains Across California

Thu, 2024-02-15 17:46

Edited Press Release

As California grapples with a budget deficit in the tens of billions of dollars, the horse industry has grown financially for the state over the last five years; responsible for billions of dollars in economic impact and tens of thousands of jobs, according to a report released by the American Horse Council.

In 2023, the equine ecosystem provided a total value of $11.6 billion to California's economy and a direct contribution of $6.5 billion to state GDP, according to the report. This marks a significant increase from the American Horse Council's previous report in 2018, which found a total value of $8.3 billion to the state economy and a direct contribution of $4.5 billion to state GDP.

Through the care of the state's near-500,000 horses, events and recreation, and the ripple effect on other sectors of the economy, the California equine industry generates 132,496 jobs across the state and directly employs 93,467 workers. Five years ago, those numbers were 115,474 and 77,703, respectively.

Horses remain incredibly popular in the state of California. In total, 30.48% of households – 4.1 million in California – have a “horse enthusiast” in their home. No fewer than 220,000 California residents volunteer their time to horses, and the industry generates $6.2 billion in tourism for California.

“The American Horse Council report confirms what those of us in the industry have always known: Horses hold a special place in the hearts and minds of Californians,” said Bill Nader, President and CEO of Thoroughbred Owners of California. “With over 4 million households participating in horse events and activities across the state – 38% of whom are under the age of 18 – it is clear that the equine industry is more than just an impressive economic driver for the state; it is an integral part of California's culture.”

Racing continues to be the greatest contributor to the state in the industry, with a total economic impact of $2.5 billion and a direct value of $1.5 billion to California GDP.

“These data points show that the horse industry's contributions to California are enormous – and growing,” said Amy Zimmerman, of the California Horse Power Coalition. “Our commitment to supporting California's economy and workforce, preserving our state's beautiful land, providing therapeutic services to Californians who need it, and caring for the horses we love has never been greater. We look forward to seeing our industry grow and evolve in the years to come.”

More information and the 2023 Economic Impact Study can be found on the American Horse Council website: https://horsecouncil.org/economic-impact-study/

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Saudi Cup Runners Arrive In Riyadh From Japan, U.S.

Thu, 2024-02-15 16:59

The plane carrying the Japanese contingent to Riyadh for next Saturday's Saudi Cup meeting touched down at King Khalid International Airport, and each of the nation's four entrants for the $20-million G1 Saudi Cup appear to have taken the flight in good order.

Looking to make it back-to-back successes in the world's richest horse race following the stunning all-the-way victory by Panthalassa (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) last February are Japan's champion dirt horse Lemon Pop (Lemon Drop Kid); reigning G1 Dubai World Cup winner Ushba Tesoro (Jpn) (Orfevre {Jpn}); Derma Sotogake (Jpn) (Mind Your Biscuits), last year's G2 UAE Derby hero and runner-up to White Abarrio (Race Day) in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic; and the MGSW/MG1SP Meisho Hario (Jpn) (Pyro).

Lightly raced for a 6-year-old, with just 14 starts under his belt, Lemon Pop won last year's G1 February S. and ventured overseas for the first time for the G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen. An outpaced 10th behind Sibelius (Not This Time), the chestnut successfully stepped up in trip and wired the G1 Champions Cup in his first try over nine furlongs last December. Connections have opted for the path of greater resistance for his seasonal debut a week from Saturday.

“There's going to be plenty of competition there and that nine furlongs will test him now because we're not absolutely sure that's his best distance,” Godolphin Japan President Harry Sweeney told the TDN's Emma Berry in a recent interview. “But anyway, the option really is either to stay at home in Japan and run in the February S….or to go abroad and run in the Saudi Cup. So that's what we're doing.”

 

 

Say hello to four of Team Japan's G1 Saudi Cup contenders!

LEMON POP #レモンポップ
DERMA SOTOGAKE #デルマソトガケ
USHBA TESORO #ウシュバテソーロ
MEISHO HARIO #メイショウハリオ#サウジカップ | #競馬 | @JRA_WorldRacing pic.twitter.com/iloUlALcVU

— The Saudi Cup (@thesaudicup) February 15, 2024

 

A field of 16 will be drawn Friday for Sunday's February S., a 'Win and You're In' challenge race that offers a berth in the field for the 2024 Breeders' Cup Classic at Del Mar. But while the February does not lack for quantity, the racing calendar dictates that the country's stars are elsewhere.

“In truth, [the Saudi Cup] hurts the February S. a little bit, which is only one of two Grade 1 races in the JRA calendar on dirt,” Sweeney opined. So you have horses like Lemon Pop, Ushba Tesoro, Derma Sotogake all going to Saudi. Whereas in a different era they would all run in the February S.”

The Japanese have been major players in the brief history of the Saudi Cup races, and their other main chances include defending champion Bathrat Leon (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}) in the G2 1351 Turf Sprint; Forever Young (Jpn) (Real Steel {Jpn}) in the G3 Saudi Derby; and Remake (Jpn) (Lani), who will try to improve on his third-place effort in the G3 Riyadh Dirt Sprint.

The American representatives also touched down in Riyadh late Wednesday evening, including the Saudi Cup-bound White Abarrio, National Treasure (Quality Road) and Saudi Crown (Always Dreaming).

 

Three of Team USA's G1 Saudi Cup contenders arriving to quarantine at @JCSA_Racing.

SAUDI CROWN
WHITE ABARRIO
NATIONAL TREASURE #TheSaudiCup | – pic.twitter.com/XMtfiinzPl

— The Saudi Cup (@thesaudicup) February 15, 2024

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Lauren Robson Saddles First Winner Thursday at Gulfstream

Thu, 2024-02-15 16:47

Trainer Lauren Robson saddled her first career winner Thursday, bringing a rather extensive resume with her into the Gulfstream Park winner's circle.

“I came over from England in 2004. I worked for various, really good trainers. I was an assistant for Jonathan Sheppard, Wesley Ward and Jerry Hollendorfer,” Robson said. “I galloped for Todd Pletcher. I rode many good horses for him. There were other good trainers I worked for also, like Richard Mandella.”

Robson saddled Jabran to a 3 1/2-length victory under Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez in Race 2, a five-furlong maiden claiming event for 3-year-olds on Tapeta.

“I'm really happy Johnny rode him. He's been a longtime friend, he and his wife Leona,” Robson said. “It's great to get the first one under my name.”

A tragic accident that left her husband, former jockey Rudy Delguidice, paralyzed led Robson into training a small stable at Gulfstream.

“I was in Ocala. We were breaking and training horses, and my husband had an accident and broke his neck in July 2022,” Robson recalled. “So, we came down here for him to do his rehab, and I thought to myself, 'Well, since I have these couple horses, I just may as well train them myself.'”

Following her first training success on her own, Robson doesn't aspire to build a large stable in the future.

“This is fun for me and my husband. He comes out in the morning to watch the horses train. It keeps him involved,” she said. “I'm hoping to get a few more, but I'm not looking to have too many. I'd like to be kind of small and be hands-on, get on my own horses and just do good with what I've got. I'd like young horses. I've learned from some good people. It makes me happy to get the best out of each individual.”

Robson owns Jabran, a son of Munnings, and co-owns British Empress, a 4-year-old maiden daughter of Classic Empire. Jabran was only Robson's 10 starter dating back to Sept. 30.

“When you only have two horses, it seemed to take a while,” Robson said. “I guess if you had 20 horses, it would be a week's worth of runners.”

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Popular Cal-Bred Brickyard Ride Retired

Thu, 2024-02-15 15:42

Popular California-bred Brickyard Ride (h, 7, Clubhouse Ride–Brickyard Helen, by Southern Image) has been retired at age seven after suffering a minor injury in a workout at Santa Anita late last month, trainer Craig Lewis said.

“It was nothing serious,” Lewis said. “But Father Time is catching up with him.”

Brickyard Ride won 13-of-31 starts, including eight stakes, and banked $925,477 for owner-breeder Alfred A. “Sonny” Pais. His resume includes a trio of graded stakes victories–the 2021 GII San Carlos S. and the GIII Kona Gold S. in both 2022 and 2023.

Most recently, Brickyard Ride finished second to The Chosen Vron (Vronsky) in the California Cup Sprint Jan. 13.

“He was a fun horse. A fast horse that won a lot of races,” Lewis said. “All good things come to an end. It sure was fun while he was here.”

Brickyard Ride last week was sent to a farm in nearby Bradbury where he'll remain for the rest of the year.

“He's going to take the year off and then go to stud somewhere next season,” Lewis said.

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Santa Anita’s 54th Annual Charity Basketball Game Set for Monday, Feb. 26

Thu, 2024-02-15 14:54

A time honored tradition dating back more than five decades, the 54th annual Santa Anita Jockeys vs. Holy Angels Middle School Charity Basketball Game will be held Monday, Feb. 26 at La Salle High School in Pasadena, Ca.

The La Salle High gymnasium will open to the public at 6 p.m. and tip-off is set for 7 p.m. Admission tickets will be available on-site and a $5 donation will generate proceeds to the Permanently Disabled Jockey Fund (PDJF) and Holy Angels athletics.

A distinguished group of Hall of Fame jockeys will be on-hand beginning at 6:30 p.m. to sign posters and other memorabilia courtside.

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Breeders’ Cup Tickets On Sale April 22

Thu, 2024-02-15 12:39

Tickets for this year's Breeders' Cup World Championships, held Nov. 1-2 at Del Mar, will go on sale April 22. Featuring 14 Grade I races and over $31m in purses, the 2024 World Championships bring together the world's best horses, jockeys and trainers over two days in Del Mar, CA. Fans can view ticket information here.

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Bidding Open For Fasig-Tipton Digital February Sale

Thu, 2024-02-15 12:29

Edited Press Release

Fasig-Tipton has catalogued 139 entries for its February Digital Sale, including phase one of the Ruis Racing LLC Dispersal. Entries may be viewed here and bidding is open now through Tuesday, Feb. 20, beginning at 2 PM ET.

“Fasig-Tipton Digital continues to gather momentum and traction with buyers and sellers, evidenced by the size and quality of this February Digital Sale catalogue,” said Leif Aaron, Fasig-Tipton Director of Digital Sales.

The catalogue includes horses of racing, breeding stock, a 2-year-old, and 22 yearlings.

Offerings include several recent winning and stakes-winning horses of racing age, a group of graded-stakes performing broodmare prospects and a current graded stakes producer in the dam of GIII Sam F. Davis winner No More Time (Not This Time).

Covering sires include Army Mule, Epicenter, Essential Quality, Flameaway, Golden Pal, Mitole, and Not This Time.

Also featured in the catalogue are breeding stock and yearlings from Phase One of the Dispersal of Ruis Racing LLC, which are consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency. The Ruis Racing LLC entries consist of breeding stock and yearlings and all are selling without reserve.

The dispersal features several mares in foal to Bolt d'Oro, as well as Hard Spun, Lexitonian, and Mystic Guide. Sires of broodmares and broodmare prospects include Bolt d'Oro, Elusive Quality, Harlan's Holiday, Into Mischief, and Kingman (GB).

“Phase One of the Ruis Racing LLC Dispersal adds significant interest to this catalogue,” added Aaron.  “His program is truly unique in that it is a family operation that bred and trained their own horses and has had tremendous results doing so. Horses were raised and developed with one goal–to win the sport's biggest races.”

Phase Two of Ruis Racing LLC's Dispersal will be conducted in Fasig-Tipton's April Digital Sale, and includes horses of racing age, two-year-olds, and additional yearlings.

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CTHS Alberta Offers New 2025 Foal Incentive And Open Mare Program

Thu, 2024-02-15 12:17

Current Alberta division members of the CTHS with mares that have not foaled in either 2023 or 2024 will be eligible for additional funding per a release from the CTHS. Members will receive $2,500 if the foal is sired by a stallion standing in Alberta and $1,500 if sired by an out-of-province stallion. Yearlings from the program will be eligible for the 2026 Alberta Thoroughbred Sale with the cost of sales entry fees covered by the CTHS. Members can visit the CTHS Alberta website for additional information.

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Keeneland Spring Meet Tickets On Sale Feb. 20

Thu, 2024-02-15 11:38

Tickets for Keeneland's 16-day Spring Meet, which runs April 5-26, go on sale Feb. 20. Headlined by the 100th running of the GI Toyota Blue Grass S., the meet will award more than $8.1m in purse money over 19 stakes races. Tickets can be purchased in advance here and fans are also welcome to tailgate on The Hill without a ticket or reservation. Keeneland will so also host fans for Kentucky Derby Day with general admission and Equestrian Room dining tickets available along with upgraded tailgate packages.

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2024 RRP Thoroughbred Makeover Welcomes 396 Trainers

Thu, 2024-02-15 10:54

396 trainers have been accepted to the 2024 Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium presented by Thoroughbred Charities of America. Announced in a release from the Retired Racehorse Project, the event, a retraining competition for recently-retired racehorses and broodmares, will be held Oct. 9-12 in Lexington, KY with over $100,000 in available prize money across 10 disciplines.

“We sincerely appreciate the time and dedication it takes to transition Thoroughbreds into their next careers,” said Executive Director of TCA Erin Halliwell. “We're looking forward to October where we'll see hundreds of Thoroughbreds demonstrating their new skills in many different disciplines.”

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Horse Racing Women’s Summit Returns To Santa Anita In 2024

Thu, 2024-02-15 10:42

The third annual Horse Racing Women's Summit will be held at Santa Anita Park Sept. 25-26 the group announced Thursday, with satellite events at Keeneland, Saratoga, Del Mar and the 2024 Global Symposium on Racing and Gaming. The HRWS, founded in 2022, brings speakers, networking opportunities and events together from across the horse racing industry.

“Our executive committee and volunteers are working hard to pull together another series of great events across the country in addition to growing the membership and tackling the other priorities identified at the 2023 Summit,” said HRWS Chair Stephanie Hronis. “We look forward to fostering opportunities to engage, elevate and invest in women to transform our sport of horse racing.”

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No Better Time To Buy A Derby Mare

Thu, 2024-02-15 10:33

Hemp Meats, a beef farm and butcher shop, is a family business now into its sixth generation. In fact, it's the oldest of its type not just in Maryland, but in the whole country. So you could say that Gary Hemp is accustomed to taking the long view. But something remarkable has just happened, really out of nowhere.

“About two weeks ago,” Hemp says. “That's when I got this call from Lexington, Kentucky, which is one I don't see too often.”

The voice on the other end of the line introduced itself as belonging to Steve Castagnola of Taylor Made Farm. He just wanted to draw Hemp's attention to the fact that a foal out of the Speightstown mare he had bought for only $7,000 at Keeneland a couple of winters ago had been given an entry in the GIII Holy Bull S.

Hemp told Castagnola apologetically that he simply hasn't the time to keep on top of all that stuff. Though in his late 70s, he's still working hard to ensure that the Hemp Meats legacy remains as venerable for the next generation as it had been for his own. It was founded way back in 1849, so 2024 brings up its 175th anniversary. A few years ago, another family of butchers made contact: they'd done the research, hoping to prove themselves the oldest in the game, only to discover this outfit in Jefferson that had been at it even longer.

For Hemp, moreover, there's also a sense of heritage about the small Thoroughbred breeding program—currently comprising six mares, and shared with his wife Robin—that has in modern times operated alongside the one raising beef cattle. Because this originated with his father, Bill.

“We bought and sold cattle down the East Coast, and used to have a trucking business too,” Hemp explains. “But we're just a small, family operation, and it got to be stressful. So the doctor said to my dad, 'Why don't you try something a little different?' Well, every so often he would go to the track, and he knew people from buying cattle that had horses, so he started out with two mares. I was the stable boy. That was back in the late '60s. And I'm still doing the same thing today.”

They launched their Thoroughbred stable with the help of family friend S.O. Graham in Virginia.

“He had a lot of horses,” Hemp explains. “So we got a good bloodline from him. My dad did very well. Mostly in Charles Town, but we also did Laurel, Pimlico, Penn National, Delaware. Didn't have any superstars, but he did win a couple of West Virginia Futurities. I'm still trying to catch him, as far as wins, don't know if I ever will or not. He didn't have computers, any of that. He did it all by going through the books. But he was pretty good at it, and he's the reason why I'm able to do it too.”

That said, when his father died in 2003, Hemp pretty well had to start over. The old man had been down to a last mare from the original Graham line: she'd won an allowance and was all set to win another when she broke down on the final turn. So Hemp found a couple of local mares, and started to build up again. Just as his father had been indebted to Graham, so Hemp speaks warmly of succeeding Virginian breeders: O'Sullivan Farm, Cyndy and John McKee, and above all James W. Casey.

“They all treated me so well,” he says. “Mr. Casey helped West Virginia racing like no person I ever knew. He was very kind: helped me out with some broodmares, really kept me going.”

A few years ago, Hemp bought a mare by Speightstown at Keeneland. She produced some good types until unfortunately coming up with a huge colt, and proving unable to survive the complications. So when he looked through the catalogue for the 2021 November Sale, back at Keeneland, his shortlist of replacements included another daughter of Speightstown. Baroness Juliette had only won a maiden claimer at Prairie Meadows, but she was out of a Medaglia d'Oro half-sister to Siphonic (Brz) and had youth on her side, six years old and carrying her third foal (by Mor Spirit).

“I liked that breeding on both ends,” said Hemp. “I work on pedigrees almost every day a little bit, always trying to learn a little more, and I'd picked out about eight or 10 altogether. And actually I didn't even go down there. With this family business, you can't just leave any time. So I was watching the sale online.”

“I was sure that I would get outbid on that mare. I was waiting for somebody to throw something up there [against his $7,000 bid], but they didn't. I thought, 'There's no way…' And then they called and said, 'You got her.' I really couldn't believe it. I guess Mor Spirit wasn't doing much. But I thought it was a deal, personally. I thought I got very lucky.”

Nor did he change his opinion when she stepped off the lorry.

“I loved her right off the bat,” he says. “I have mares from around here, and that's okay. But when you see these mares coming from Kentucky? She stood out straightaway, you could just see the class.”

Hemp liked the colt she delivered, too, and then bred her back locally. She has a yearling filly by Golden Years, and she's now pregnant by a son of Into Mischief named Cancun. That cover may not do a great deal for her value, as a late entry for Fasig-Tipton's current digital sale, where she sells as Hip 40 (click here) in the sale which runs through February 20. But here's where we need to rewind to that call from Lexington.

In fact, we need to go back a good bit farther than that. Because the team at Taylor Made have had a connection to this mare tracing back to 2020, when their young gun Not This Time was hitting that bump in the road nowadays faced by any stallion pending his first runners.

“Yes, he was in that tricky fourth year,” Castagnola explains. “Often we're having to cut deals on stallions even in their second and third years. So Not This Time didn't have a huge book of mares for his fourth.”

Not This Time | Jon Siegel

In the circumstances, then, everyone could be a winner when the Albaugh Family Stable–the Iowa-based program that had raced the horse–donated a Not This Time season to an auction for their home state's Thoroughbred Breeders and Owners Association. The successful bid of $6,850 was made by MAMAS Thoroughbreds, which included ITBOA president Steve Rentfle.

At the time this partnership had custody of Baroness Juliette. They'd bred her first foal, an Outwork colt that never made the track. But after Not This Time's debut crop made a flying start, they were able to sell his Iowa-bred son for $40,000 to Hartley/De Renzo at the 2022 Keeneland September Sale.

He was sent into training with Jose D'Angelo, and Castagnola monitored his progress with interest: second on debut at Gulfstream last September, he then stretched out to win by nearly seven lengths over a mile, earning a crack at the Mucho Macho Man S. on New Year's Day.

“He got a terrible trip, he was hard to handle, I just looked at it as possibly a throw-out race,” Castagnola says. “And so when he entered back in the Holy Bull, that's when I reached out to Gary and just made him aware that, 'Hey, you own the dam of this horse.'

“In the end he scratched that day, because the trainer felt he needed one more work, and kept him for the [GIII] Sam Davis. And he proved correct in making that move.”

Did he ever. For this colt is No More Time, who dominated the race throughout at Tampa Bay Downs last Saturday.

“Gary and I had stayed in touch through the week,” Castagnola says. “He and his wife were actually on vacation, and he literally walked in the door as they'd run the race. I called him up and told him, and he was almost in disbelief.”

Hemp candidly acknowledges his inexperience with this kind of opportunity, and he's grateful for the counsel he has received. Castagnola laid the options before him.

“You could cash in now,” he said. “I can get her supplemented to this Fasig-Tipton digital sale. We have the resources here to execute that late entry and get everything lined up. The second option is maybe to sell 50 percent of the mare, take some chips off the table and stay in for any upside. Or you can just ride it out, breed her back to Not This Time and then offer her in November.”

Hemp pondered for a couple of days and then decided to strike while the iron was hot. Because, actually, it's even hotter than most people will have realized. For Baroness Juliette's dam counts among her siblings not only the Grade I winner Siphonic but also his full-sister Lady Siphonica, who had surfaced just a week previously as second dam of Mystik Dan, winner of the GIII Southwest S.

“Obviously being by Speightstown out of a Medaglia d'Oro mare, this mare is herself extremely well-bred,” Castagnola notes. “But it's always nice to see new activity, and her son not only sits sixth on the Derby points list but is virtually tied with a horse right under her second dam. [Mystik Dan has one point extra, on 21, enough to put him third overall.] So that will give two rooting interests for the new owner of this mare.”

No More Time | SV Photography

Whoever that turns out to be, Castagnola is naturally hoping that Baroness Juliette might return to Not This Time this spring.

“And we hope that it turns out that she'd then be carrying a full sibling to a Kentucky Derby winner!” he says.

He emphasizes that Not This Time has elevated his fee tenfold to $150,000 without yet having launched a single runner conceived even at $40,000.

“This is the only active sire with an Eclipse champion on both dirt and turf,” he remarks. “Yet he's done it all from his first four crops, all bred at $15,000 or less. The thing is that he now has both volume and quality. His 2-year-old crop is a really big one, and every year the quality of his mares has just got better and better. Last breeding season, his comparative index was second only to Gun Runner. Having done so much with the sort of mares that we just took to try and fill his book, his future is certainly looking very bright.”

Obviously the Not This Time team are now in a position to pick and choose his partners.

“And we're fortunate that, having seen his first four or five crops, we know what kind of mare fits him physically and genetically,” Castagnola says. “Obviously we're overrun with applications, and we've really focused on getting mares that we think will fit him. Our guys do a lot of recruiting, reaching out to people that have the type of mare that we'd like to get him.”

Not This Time could scarcely have made a more auspicious start to the new season, welcoming none other than Goodnight Olive (Ghostzapper) for her maiden cover on his first day of trade.

He's certainly come a long way since the charity cover that has put an Iowa-bred on the Derby trail. Having stumbled into the slipstream of a stallion turning everything to gold, then, Hemp is feeling as dazed as he is blessed.

“Everybody's trying to help me out here, because nothing like this has ever happened to me,” he marvels. “There's always so much going on with our business here, and I'm getting older, so I can't keep up with everything. I knew she had an Outwork the first time, but when I found out that she had one in a prep race, wow. And then Steve called and said, 'Well, he not only just ran, he won it.' I know he's not mine, but I almost can't describe the feeling of watching that colt go wire to wire, how it gets your adrenaline going.”

Hemp will have another decision to make with the Mor Spirit colt he acquired in utero.

“I'm considering putting him in a 2-year-old sale,” he admits. “But then again, I raised him and I like the racing, too. I only have one other 2-year-old, a filly by a West Virginia sire called Redirect. And I do like this colt. You never know, he could do pretty well.”

But while Baroness Juliette has introduced him to exciting novelties, Hemp has always been at home with an environment that calls for the same instincts of stockmanship as those that underpin the long survival of the family farm.

“The genetics are a big part of both,” he says. “And you always have to upgrade. That's why I try to get these broodmares from Kentucky, when I can. You have to keep moving forward. You just sit in one spot, it'll be done. I'm the fifth generation in our business, and I've upped the level of what we sell.

“We don't gouge prices. We always try to treat customers like we'd want to be treated, and I'm very particular about quality. It's not like we're selling a TV or computer. Mother Nature has the last call in our business. The beef that we buy in, it's the best we can get, to the best of our knowledge; and what we raise on the farm, it's all choice to prime grade. I don't feed growth hormones or antibiotics. Everybody that knows me, knows that we try to do it right.”

Having put three daughters through college, Hemp concedes that “not many girls want to be meat carvers,” but his nephew represents a sixth generation in the business. Not that Hemp or his wife are anywhere near quitting, despite each experiencing significant health hurdles in recent times.

“All those years standing on concrete cutting meat, for six, eight hours, plus doing the cattle on the farm, it pretty much wears on you,” Hemp admits. “I got arthritis, and then I had a fall, broke my neck and back and hip. At the hospital they told my wife I would probably never walk again. I had to learn how to do everything. But I'm up and going, I'm lucky. The last time I had my hip done, they said I could go home next day. The guy looked at me and said, 'You some kind of a freak or something?' I said, 'No, I'm just doing what you told me to.' Because that's just kind of the way we were raised.”

If that ethic has underpinned half a century of working life, it has proved no less useful with the Thoroughbreds that have also been on the scene throughout.

“I was doing actually pretty well with them and then COVID came and, boy, I tell you, I came close to throwing the towel in a couple times,” he says. “I'm still struggling to get things turned around, but this mare now might help me pull it out. I don't know if I deserve it or not, but it's just really nice being able to experience something like this. It makes you feel like you've maybe done a little something correct. My dad was tough. They were all tough, they were hard, they pushed their butts. You didn't back talk or anything. But he would love this. He'd be very proud.”

Castagnola sums it up well. “There's nothing I love more than this kind of story,” he says. “First of all, the kind gesture of the Albaugh family in donating the season. As a result, an Iowa breeder made a $40,000 sale. And then, for Gary and his wife, things have been hard the past couple of years. The racing gods, the universe, however you want to describe the way some things happen in our world, that may not be by chance: I just think it's a beautiful thing. And it couldn't be happening to a nicer guy.”

“I'm just a small-town dude trying to do what I can,” Hemp says. “I do study the pedigrees a lot. And I'm still trying to learn. But this is all new to me. It's pretty overwhelming. She's a good-looking, well-bred mare. But I guess I just got lucky, if you want to know the truth.” He pauses and chuckles. “Some old farm boy got lucky.”

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Churchill Downs To Host 2024 Claiming Crown Event

Thu, 2024-02-15 09:34

Churchill Downs will host the 2024 Claiming Crown Nov. 16, the HBPA announced Thursday. The event, held at Fair Grounds last year, will return to Kentucky for the second time in three years. Created in 1999 by the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association and the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, the Claiming Crown provides claiming horses with a multi-race program to spotlight their importance.

“In a year when Churchill Downs celebrates the 150th [GI] Kentucky Derby, we are honored to host the Claiming Crown on center stage in the same historic venue,” said TOBA president Dan Metzger.

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Frank Taylor Joins TDN Writers’ Room Podcast

Wed, 2024-02-14 15:55

Frank Taylor, the director of new business and development for Taylor Made, knew that there was an acute labor shortage in Kentucky, with farms unable to find reliable help. But Taylor thought he had a solution. Identify those who were struggling with substance abuse problems, put them into a recovery program and, when they are ready, teach them horsemanship skills that can make them candidates for jobs throughout the industry. Thus, Taylor created Stable Recovery, a rehabilitation program, and the Taylor Made School of Horsemanship.

What he didn't know at the time was whether or not farms would be willing to take a chance on individuals that had been in prison and/or struggled with drug addiction. He soon found out. His programs have been embraced in the Lexington area and several graduates have landed steady jobs and have moved on to meaningful lives.

Taylor joined this week's TDN Writers' Room podcast presented by Keeneland to talk about his programs and their many success stories. He was this week's Green Group Guest of the week.

Taylor said he arrived at the idea of starting the program when confronting his own alcoholism.

“Once I did it and quit, I started feeling better,” he said. “I was having more fun than I've ever had. It was that that kind of spurred me on to start the School of Horsemanship. It was going to be a 90-day program to teach the basics of horsemanship, to get people started off at, say, a groom level, either for Taylor Made or another farm. I had kind of a tough sales job. I went to my brothers and said, 'I've got this idea, I want to bring in a bunch of heroin addicts and alcoholics and felons in here to work with these horses.' They were looking at me like I had two heads. I just wanted a chance to make it work. They were reluctant because there were a lot of concerns. But here we are, 3 1/2 years into it. We have had a hiccup here or there, but not many. I really think we have changed a lot of lives. We've introduced a lot of people to the horse business and trained a lot of people. The results have been amazing.”

The program has been so successful that Taylor would like to expand, but, for now, it's a matter of one step at a time.

“If we wanted to have 500 people in this program by the end of the year, that wouldn't be a problem,” he said. “We need the space, money and management. The need for something like this is way beyond what we can serve at this point and always will be. It's just such a crisis and a terrible situation. It's destroying society, is destroying families. It's just absolutely one of the worst epidemics in the history of mankind. The beautiful thing is, is we have that huge problem and that we have a huge problem with labor in this country. If you blend those two together, they can help solve each other.”

It's been proven that working with horses can solve all kinds of problems for people, whether that be soldiers suffering from PTSD or individuals with drug issues. Taylor knows that the horses deserve a lot of the credit for the success of these programs.

“The horses, they are like the secret sauce for stable recovery,” Taylor said. “That's something we have that other recovery places don't have. I was born into the horse business and I love horses and they're my passion. But I didn't really realize how therapeutic horses were or understand that part of it until I started seeing people that are broken interacting with those horses and seeing the peace and joy that comes to them immediately. It's just an amazing thing.”

In the stallion spotlight segments, the podcast featured Coolmore's Corniche, who stands for just $15,000. The focus was also on Improbable, who stands at WinStar Farm for a fee of $15,000.

Elsewhere on the podcast, which is also sponsored by the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association, Coolmore, the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association,https://www.kentuckybred.org/https://www.nyrabets.com/ 1/ST Racing, West Point Thoroughbreds, https://www.winstarfarm.com/and XBTV.com, the team of Randy Moss, Bill Finley and Zoe Cadman delved back into the Bob Baffert ban at Churchill Downs, which also extends to the GI Kentucky Oaks, which means the impressive winner of the GIII Las Virgenes S. Kinza (Carpe Diem) will be shut out. Moss agreed that the Derby week races might deserve an asterisk if Baffert's horses are all banned, but he argued that it's not too late for Churchill to change its mind and to lift the Baffert ban. The team took a look at the GII Risen Star S., to be run this Saturday at the Fair Grounds and all agreed it will be by far the deepest Derby prep run so far this year.

For the podcast video, click here. For audio only, click here.

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NYRA’s O’Rourke Chairs All-Weather Surfaces Committee

Wed, 2024-02-14 13:49

The New York Racing Association has announced the formation of an All-Weather Surfaces Committee to study the impact of various racing surfaces on equine injury rates. According to a Wednesday NYRA press release, the committee, which first met last October, will evaluate safety metrics from tracks utilizing all-weather racing surfaces, as well as study the feasibility of broader adoption of all-weather surfaces nationally.

The committee, chaired by NYRA CEO and President David O'Rourke, was formed at the request of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, as part of HISA's strategic response to several clusters of equine fatalities in 2023.

In addition to O'Rourke, members of the committee also include Keeneland Vice President of Racing Gatewood Bell, Breeders' Cup President and CEO Drew Fleming, 1/ST Racing and Gaming Executive Vice Chairman Craig Fravel, and Del Mar Thoroughbred Club President  Josh Rubinstein.

“Embracing science and technology will ensure the continued success of Thoroughbred racing in the United States,” said O'Rourke. “All-weather racing surfaces can play an important role in our collective efforts to improve safety, and I thank Lisa Lazarus and HISA for the opportunity to advance this discussion among decision makers in the sport.”

The committee is expected to convene regularly in the coming months and will share its findings and recommendations with HISA's Racetrack Safety Committee and with other stakeholders across the sport when complete.

“HISA is grateful to NYRA and to David O'Rourke for leading this effort, and to all the members of the committee for their dedication to equine safety,” said HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus. “This committee's work will be essential in deepening our understanding of all-weather surfaces, and we look forward to reviewing the results when complete.”

NYRA is in the process of constructing a one-mile Tapeta track to serve as the fourth racing surface at the new Belmont Park. Previously, NYRA installed a Tapeta pony track at Belmont to provide an additional training option in inclement weather, while also providing NYRA with information on the performance of a synthetic surface in the Long Island climate.

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In Sierra Leone, Brown May Have Best Chance Yet to Win a Derby

Wed, 2024-02-14 13:24

Chad Brown's barn includes a lot of fillies and is dominated by turf horses, which makes winning the GI Kentucky Derby more challenging than it is for trainers like Todd Pletcher, Brad Cox and Bob Baffert, who seem to have an almost endless supply of ammunition. The future Hall of Famer has started just seven horses in the Derby and the best he has to show for it is a second-place finish in 2018 with Good Magic (Curlin). But that doesn't mean the right horse won't come his way, and this year may be the year.

Brown may have the favorite in Saturday's GII Risen Star S. at Fair Grounds in 'TDN Rising Star' Sierra Leone (Gun Runner), who checks a lot of boxes. Sold for $2.3 million, he was the sales topper at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale and has since given every indication that he can compete at the highest level of the sport. He broke his maiden in November at Aqueduct and then ran second in the GII Remsen S., losing by just a nose. The Risen Star will mark his 3-year-old debut.

“The Derby, it's one of the few races we haven't won and it's definitely right there at the top of the list,” Brown said. “We have a very diverse group of horses to work with. There's a big split between fillies and colts and within those groups are the turf horses. What it boils down to is we don't have many horses in that division. I have plenty of nice horses to work with. I'm not complaining by any means. Any one would love to have the horses I get sent. Once you start paring them down, to see what dirt colts you have that can run two turns and have ability, well, for us, the group isn't huge. If we end up with two or three horses that are on the trail by the first of the year, we are lucky.”

Brown will probably always focus primarily on turf horses, but that obviously didn't bother the Coolmore team. They arrived at the 2022 Saratoga sale eager to spend money. Not only did they buy Sierra Leone, they also paid $1.4 million for Hall of Fame (Gun Runner), who will also start in the Risen Star for trainer Steve Asmussen. If Coolmore continues to support Brown with expensive yearling purchases that will make his chances of winning a Derby all that much easier.

“Will Coolmore keep supporting me, I think that has to be determined,” Brown said. “A lot depends on how these relationships unfold and how successful we are or aren't with this particular horse. I've had horses from them in the past. Not many, but nice horses. Minorette (Smart Strike) was one of the first horses they sent me and we won the Belmont Oaks on the turf with her. I've done a lot of business with Coolmore. I have several stallions standing there: Jack Christopher, Practical Joke. I've always had a great business relationship with them and, occasionally, they have sent a horse or two my way. They like to spread things out and use top trainers all over the country. I'm just happy I'm in that group of trainers.”

After the maiden win, Brown thought Sierra Leone was ready for a challenge. He entered him in the Remsen, knowing the competition would include Dornoch (Good Magic), the full-brother to 2023 Derby winner Mage. For Sierra Leone, it was on oddly run race. On what was a speed-favoring track, he dropped far back early, trailing the field for most of the way before he started to roll on the far turn and set his sights on Dornoch. Inside the sixteenth pole, he put his head in front of Dornoch and it looked like race was over. But Dornoch came again and came back for the win.

“I was a little disappointed,” Brown said. “I thought the second time out he'd show a little more speed. You also have to factor in that sloppy track. He had never been on a track like that and maybe he was caught off guard by that. He was the only horse that day that made up any ground and that's an important thing to note. He really wasn't unlucky. He had every chance to win. He just lost some focus and allowed that other horse, who is a nice horse in his own right, to re-rally on him. I was pleased with the effort though disappointed by the outcome.”

Because Sierra Leone appeared to lose his focus in the Remsen in deep stretch, Brown will equip him with blinkers on Saturday.

With Brown based in Florida over the winter, the most logical spots for Sierra Leone's return may have been the GIII Holy Bull S. or the GII Fountain of Youth S. But Brown feels that the Gulfstream racing surface is a bad fit for Sierra Leone and that's why he has shipped him to Fair Grounds.

“I didn't like the short distance and short stretch of those two races at Gulfstream,” he said. “I had Blazing Sevens (Good Magic) for example. He was a nice horse and nearly won the Preakness, but he ran terrible at Gulfstream. He didn't like the kickback. The kickback at Gulfstream, according to a couple of jockeys I really trust, is that it is a very challenging kickback for a horse to run through. That probably contributes to the appearance that it is a speed-favoring track. Even if they slow the track down, so to speak, it still seems like it's dominated more by front-running horses. I think the kickback has something to do with that. It's just not anything I'm interested in putting this horse through.”

The Risen Star will be the first step in what Brown hopes is a progression that will have his horse at his very best come Derby Day.

“We decided to use just two preps, which is always risky,” Brown said. “I thought, all things considered, like his running style, I feel like his third race of the year will be his best race. And that is a big if because there is a lot of training and racing to still overcome.”

Brown's best two Derby horses have been Good Magic and Zandon (Upstart), who was third in the 2022 Derby. Does Sierra Leone represent his best chance yet?

“I won't say that he's my best threat yet,” Brown said. “Those two horses were really good horses to take into the race. I'd say he belongs in their group, but he's got a ways to go to get to the point where we know he's going to be one of the first two choices in the Derby. I think he can get there. He has the potential to do it. He's training great and he's the right kind of horse. We are really excited about him.”

Brown has a few other horses that could get him to the Derby. Domestic Product (Practical Joke) was second in the Holy Bull. Good Money (Good Magic) broke his maiden at Tampa Bay Downs in his lone start. Tuscan Gold (Medaglia d'Oro) is coming off a maiden win at Gulfstream. But none, at least at this point, compare to Sierra Leone.

“When they give you a horse that cost $2.3 million at the sales, yes, there's a little bit more pressure,” Brown said. “The expectations are certainly high, being that he was a sale-topping yearling at the prestigious Saratoga sale, and rightfully so. The expectations should be high.”

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Research on Remaining Land Inside Lexington’s USB to be Presented March 5

Wed, 2024-02-14 09:10

The Fayette Alliance will release two new research studies that analyze the remaining land inside of the Urban Services Boundary in Lexington, Kentucky at an open meeting March 5.

“Grow Smart: Land Use Analysis and Recommendations” and “Lexington-Fayette County Housing Growth Analysis” will be presented on Tuesday, March 5 at 5:30 p.m. ET in Lexington's Central Library Branch's Farish Theatre, 140 E. Main Street in Lexington.

Expanding development outside of the Urban Service Boundary–the circle around the downtown area of Lexington–has been a contentious issue for years in the city as some fight to preserve Lexington's historic horse farms while others argue that some need to be developed in order to accommodate a growing population.

The research studies will be presented and released at an event titled “Mapped: Analyzing Land and Housing Trends in Lexington. ” Attendees will hear from two different urban planning and land-use experts: Stan Harvey–Director of Urban Planning and Design at Lord Aeck Sargent, and Geoff Koski–President of KB Advisory Group, a real estate and economic development advisory firm.

The first presentation, titled “Grow Smart: Land Use Analysis and Recommendations,” will provide a detailed map of the land we have left within the Urban Services Boundary and its
current zoning and acreage. The second presentation, titled “Lexington-Fayette County Housing Growth Analysis,” will focus on how the community might most efficiently utilize our land and reshape development patterns to better accommodate a growing population.

Fayette Alliance is a nonprofit dedicated to achieving smart, sustainable, and equitable growth in Lexington-Fayette County through land-use advocacy, education, and research,

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Pretty Ana, a Half-Sister to Gun Runner, Game in Fair Grounds Maiden Breaker

Tue, 2024-02-13 19:03

9th-Fair Grounds, $57,000, Msw, 2-13, 3yo, f, 1 1/16m, 1:45.53, ft, 3/4 length.
PRETTY ANA (f, 3, Quality Road–Quiet Giant {GSW, $405,389}, by Giant's Causeway), a half-sister to leading young sire Gun Runner (Candy Ride {Arg}), Horse Of The Year, Ch. Older Dirt Male MGISW-USA, G1SP-UAE, $15,988,500, dug down gamely to earn her diploma at second asking here. Pretty Ana was previously third, beaten 5 1/4 lengths, as the even-money favorite after an eventful trip over this same course and distance on debut Jan. 18. Favored at that same price once again this time, the Three Chimneys homebred broke on top and took the field of nine to the backstretch. She was hounded by Mischievousness (Maximus Mischief) through a half mile in :49.23 and appeared to be in deep water as that one looked to be going the better of the two approaching the quarter pole. Mischievousness enjoyed a narrow advantage in the stretch, but Pretty Ana battled back gamely along the inside to turn back that foe and win by 3/4 of a length. Quiet Giant, a half-sister to Horse of the Year Saint Liam (Saint Ballado) and GISW Funtastic (More Than Ready), produced a colt by Quality Road in 2023. She was not bred for the 2024 season. The Quality Road x Giant's Causeway cross is also responsible for GSW Friar's Road. Lifetime Record: 2-1-0-1, $39,920. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
O/B-Three Chimneys Farm, LLC (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen.

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Mo Town’s Doncho Earns ‘TDN Rising Star’ Badge at Fair Grounds

Tue, 2024-02-13 17:37

JAL Racing's Doncho (g, 3, Mo Town–Sassy Redhead, by Henny Hughes) backed up his big figure debut win with another eye-catching performance for trainer Michelle Lovell, this time for 'TDN Rising Star' honors in an optional claimer in the Big Easy on the Mardi Gras Tuesday program.

The even-money favorite forced the issue from an outside second, poked his head in front approaching the quarter pole and blasted off for home to win by an impressive 4 1/2 lengths while stopping the clock for six furlongs in a very sharp 1:09.52. Cats By Five (Audible) was second.

The 3-year-old gelding earned a 94 Beyer Speed Figure in a front-running, five-length debut score at odds of 21-1 at Fair Grounds Dec. 30.

Doncho, a $32,000 Keeneland September yearling turned $72,000 OBS June bullet breezer (:9 4/5), is the first 'TDN Rising Star' for young sire Mo Town. The 2016 GII Remsen S. winner and 2017 GI Hollywood Derby winner also received the 'Rising Star' nod in his second career start.

Doncho's unraced dam Sassy Redhead, a $14,000 RNA most recently at the 2019 KEENOV sale, is also represented by a 2-year-old filly by Lord Nelson. Sassy Redhead was bred to Idol for 2024. This is the extended female family of GISWs Madcap Escapade (Hennessy), Mi Sueno (Pulpit) and Dubai Escapade (Awesome Again).

7th-Fair Grounds, $58,000, Alw (NW1X)/Opt. Clm ($100,000), 2-13, 3yo, 6f, 1:09.52, ft, 4 1/2 lengths.
DONCHO, g, 3, by Mo Town
                1st Dam: Sassy Redhead, by Henny Hughes
                2nd Dam: Sass Me, by Carson City
                3rd Dam: Sassy Pants, by Saratoga Six
Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $66,000. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV and for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
O-JAL Racing; B-Susan Young (KY); T-Michelle Lovell. *$12,000 RNA Ylg '22 KEEJAN; $32,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP; $72,000 2yo '23 OBSOPN.

Wow! A star could be in the making as #6 DONCHO ($4) was impressive again in race 7 at the Fair Grounds and is now 2 for 2 in his young career. The 3yo son of Mo Town was ridden by @jaimetorresjcky and is trained by @MichelleLovell.

Watch more on @FanDuelTV. pic.twitter.com/1ro4nZYU8D

— TVG (@TVG) February 13, 2024

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