Thoroughbred Daily News

Trainer Wesley Ward, bidding on behalf of a partnership, signed the ticket at $2.2 million to acquire a colt by Gun Runner (hip 243) from the Taylor Made Sales Agency consignment during the second session of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale Tuesday in Lexington. Bred by Three Chimneys Farm, the bay is a full-brother to GI Preakness Stakes winner Early Voting.

Hip 243 is the sixth yearling by Three Chimneys' Gun Runner to reach seven figures at the auction.

The post Gun Runner Full-Brother to Early Voting Brings $2.2 Million at Keeneland Tuesday appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

A colt by Not This Time out of Wembley (Bernardini) realized a $1.7 million from agent Pedro Lanz early in Tuesday's second session of the Keeneland September Sale in Lexington.

Consigned by Taylor Made Sales, Hip 211 is a grandson of Grade I winner Game Face (Menifee). The Apr. 15 foal is bred by Albaugh Grand Stables.

The post Not This Time Colt Brings $1.7M at KEESEP Day 2 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

It's clear that Stuart Angus touched the lives of many. A one of a kind human being, I don't think he knew a stranger.

I met Stu in November of 2016, probably by complete happenstance, but like many others we met because of horses. I had finished working that summer at Presque Isle Downs and had decided to go back into healthcare. In the grand scheme of things, I had minimal knowledge and no idea what I was getting myself into when I came to Kentucky to work a November Keeneland Sale for Taylor Made. While it was a great experience, what I'm most thankful for from that time is Stu.

One of the other women working the sale introduced me to Stu. Actually she pointed him out and said something along the lines of “that's Stu, you should go to dinner with him. He's great and you'll have a good time.” I'll be honest, I was reluctant, but I'm so glad I went. (Of course we went to Giussepe's that night. Just the start to all the good food Stu would introduce me to over the years.)

If you'd have told me that night that nine years later, Stuart Angus would be one of my dearest friends, I probably would have laughed. But nine years later, I can't even begin to describe how much Stu means to me and how thankful I am to have had him in my life. Others have said it, but Stu really had a way of taking you under his wing. I'm not in the thoroughbred industry, but I wouldn't have landed in Kentucky, or be where I am today if it weren't for Stu.

What started as more or less a blind date turned into years of friendship and years of memories. I returned to PA after that November, but Stu and I never lost touch. I started nursing school and during that time, Stu was one of my biggest supporters and the person I could run to when life was too much. Time with Stu was good for the soul. He was always up for an adventure and a good time.

I ultimately moved to Kentucky and have had amazing opportunities as I've built my career here. Life has been a whirlwind and ever changing since that November in 2016, but the one constant for me was always Stu.

I wish I could pick just one memory, or one story to share that would encompass my time with Stu. It's impossible. I truly could go on and on, from the big adventures we had to the lazy days by the pool. Stu was more than just my friend, he was my person. Time could pass, but we could always pick right back up as if it hadn't.

There was just something about Stu. He was one of a kind. He had a way of believing in others, even when they didn't believe in themselves. He was someone you wanted to know and someone you wanted in your corner. To know him was to love him.

I will forever be thankful for my time with Stu. I only wish there was more.

Editor's note: Stuart Angus, a Senior Thoroughbred Advisor for Taylor Made, passed away Aug. 28 at the age of 60. His friends are encouraging those he touched to submit `Stu stories' to the TDN. Please email suefinley@thetdn.com  if you have a story to share.

The post Letter To The Editor: Stu Story #9 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

by Jessica Martini, Christina Bossinakis and Jill Williams

LEXINGTON, KY – Led by a $3.3-million son of Gun Runner, the Keeneland September Yearling Sale powered through a record-setting opening session Monday in Lexington. When the dust had settled after the first of two elite Book 1 sessions, 106 yearlings had sold for $69,240,000. The average was $653,208–the highest ever at a single September session–and the median was $537,500. With just 28 horses reported not sold, the buy-back rate was 20.90%. Those figures are ahead of last year's opening session, when 98 head grossed $54,795,000 for an average of $559,133 and a median of $450,000. They are also ahead of the 2024 total Book 1 average of $586,103 and median of $475,000.

“It was a fantastic day,” said Keeneland President Shannon Arvin. “It's fun to talk to the auctioneers after and ask how it felt, because it looks different to them up there than it does to us watching from behind. And they said it was just so exciting, so electric, and there were so many new faces. It was really fun to see the pavilion so packed, the back ring so packed. Everywhere people were watching and enjoying and having a really great time. It was an incredible horse sale.”

A total of 15 yearlings sold for seven figures during Monday's session, the highest to reach that threshold during a single session since 2006.

Over the last several years, Keeneland has worked hard to make its boutique Book 1 sessions an event and, beyond the raw figures, the packed pavilion proved the success of concept.

“For the last three or four days, the place has been packed,” said Coolmore's M.V. Magnier, who signed for two of the session's million-dollar yearlings, including the $3.3-million topper. “It's been very busy here. Keeneland does a great job. They have all the right people here and there are good horses here. The sale has only started, but it seems to be going pretty good.”

John Sikura, whose Hill 'n' Dale consigned the session topper, agreed.

“There was a buzz in the ring and there were more people than I've seen here in a decade or more,” Sikura said. “You could just see that everybody was here, they were excited.”

Headley VanMeter | Keeneland photo

Headley VanMeter's VanMeter Sales consigned the auction's first seven-figure yearling in the very first horse the horseman sent through the ring at a Keeneland September sale.

“It feels really strong in here right now,” VanMeter said. “Even just walking through here to talk to [buyer] John Stewart and the Resolute team, I had to bump people out of the way. Someone told me the parking lot is packed to the brim. The atmosphere is great, the energy is great. Hopefully it carries on for the rest of the sale.”

Keeneland's Vice President of Sales Tony Lacy said that while the market was competitive, he still sees it as sustainable.

“There are not strong peaks and valleys,” Lacy said of Monday's action. “You can see the logic in the prices horses are bringing. Even if they are bringing a lot of money, it's logical. I think that's where, as we get into strong markets, we always ask, 'is this overheated?' This doesn't feel overheated. It feels like we are getting a strong, diverse group of buyers that are all looking to buy quality stock. And the breeders are bringing high-quality product to the market. So we are seeing a very high level of horse coming to us and the buyers are excited about what they are seeing.”

Sikura echoed several people around the sales grounds to credit some of the strength of the market on the new tax code.

“Not to talk politics, because it's not about one side or the other, but the bonus depreciation, the tax advantage, it can't be overstated what kind of stimulus that is for the horse business,” Sikura said. “Wealthy people who are taxed at source looking to write off 100% of their expenses–all of your expenses, all of your insurance, and then in the breeding business, all our stud fees. It is permanent, so we can plan for the future. It's a great stimulus on a high-risk speculative venture like this. Essentially half of your losses can be covered legitimately in an active tax code. It's a great incentive.”

The Keeneland September sale continues with a second Book 1 session beginning Tuesday at 1 p.m. Book 2 sessions Wednesday and Thursday begin at 11 a.m. Following a dark day Friday, the auction continues through Sept. 20 with sessions beginning daily at 10 a.m.

Peter Brant, standing out back alongside M.V. Magnier and the team from Coolmore, signed the ticket at a session-topping $3.3 million to acquire a colt by Gun Runner (hip 177) late in Monday's first session of the Keeneland September sale, then sauntered off to leave Magnier to talk to the press.

“He's by Gun Runner and the lads all really liked him,” Magnier said, while adding there will be additional partners on the colt. “We bought his brother last year, the Curlin, and [trainer] Chad [Brown] actually likes him quite a bit. Hopefully, he will run soon enough.”

Magnier and Brant's White Birch Farm paid $1.3 million for the son of Curlin at last year's September sale.

The partners have already enjoyed success with Three Chimneys' Gun Runner, who is the sire of their champion and 'TDN Rising Star' Sierra Leone. Coolmore also stands the stallion's young son Gunite

“We have Gunite at home at Ashford and he covered a big book of mares and he's very popular,” Magnier said. “And Gun Runner is just flying at the moment. He's by the right horse and everybody liked him.”

Closing out Day 1 with a bang! Hip 177, a Gun Runner colt from @HillnDaleFarm, hammers down at $3.3 million to M.V. Magnier/White Birch/Winchell Thoroughbreds. pic.twitter.com/IDsdYLax31

— Keeneland Sales (@keenelandsales) September 8, 2025

Of the colt's session-topping price, Magnier admitted, “It went higher than we expected, but Peter and our partners were all pretty keen on the horse. Let's hope we didn't make a mistake.”

The $3.3-million yearling is out of Thoughfully (Tapit), who won the 2020 GII Adirdonack Stakes for Heider Family Stables. He was bred by Hill n' Dale Equine Holdings and Matt Dorman's Determined Stud and was consigned by Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa.

“He was a very smooth, very good horse, by a great sire who had a timely Grade I winner [GI Del Mar Futurity winner Brant] yesterday,” said Hill 'n' Dale's John Sikura. “It's a prolific female family. And you hope for the best. All the major players assess and value these kind of horses and he made the list of important people.”

Thoughtfully is a full-sister to stakes winner Signator and a half to graded winner Annual Report (Harlan's Holiday). Her granddam is Grade I winner Furlough (Easy Goer), a half-sister to Dancing Spree.

Of the session-topping price tag, Sikura added, “After a million dollars, you're just watching and hoping. We never know where they are going to wind up. The good thing is I knew we were strong going in. I knew that there was multiple interest from strong people. After that, you're just a spectator in the process. You hope they all get brave and stay brave. It was a great result.” @JessMartiniTDN

A filly by Not This Time (hip 144), a third generation from Hinkle Farm, provided the operation a second seven-figure yearling out of multiple-stakes placed Stave (Ghostzapper) when selling for $2 million to Scott Heider Monday at Keeneland.

“I really like the Hinkle family,” Heider said after doing his bidding alongside trainer Brendan Walsh and bloodstock agent David Lanigan. “They are good people and they raise very good horses. We looked at a lot of nice fillies in Book 1 and I told Brendan and Ted Durcan and David Lanigan, this is the one we want. I had no idea we would have to wrestle that hard to get it done. But it's a testament to the Hinkle family and what they raise on that farm. We had two stakes fillies we already raced off that page. So I thought that was as good a karma as we could get.”

Hip 144, | Keeneland photo

Hinkle Farm bred and campaigned the yearling's second dam, GII Allaire DuPont Distaff Stakes winner Buy the Barrel (E Dubai). That mare produced Stave, who hit the board in three stakes races in the farm's colors. Stave's second foal, Matenro Hour (Constitution), sold for $1.1 million to Yuichi Fukunaga at last year's September sale.

The Heider family campaigned Hinkle Farm-bred multiple stakes winner Surf N Sand (Boston Harbor), a daughter of the yearling's third dam Affordable Price (Drouilly {Fr}), and bred Surf N Sand to get stakes winner Coco as in Chanel (Awesome Again)

“She's been a favorite on the farm for a while,” Anne Archer Hinkle said of the yearling. “We knew coming up here that she would be our top filly in the sale. She checked all of the boxes. She's a beautiful mover, really great physical. She comes from a great family and Not This Time couldn't be any hotter. We felt good coming into the sale, especially when we got the final set of clean X-rays. She came up here and was incredibly professional the whole time.”

Hinkle said the filly was shown over 300 times at the consignment's barn 18.

“We use a software, TB Sales and we can go back to data from 2019, so for yearlings going back to 2019, we've never had a yearling viewed that many times,” she said. “And we've been fortunate to have some really great sales the past couple of years. Knowing that we had her out over 300 times, I thought there was a chance she could break out and she definitely exceeded our wildest dreams. We are thrilled she has a good home and hopefully she will continue to be a star for her new owners.”

In a memorable few minutes at last year's Keeneland September sale, Hinkle Farm sold two million dollar yearlings. In addition to Stave's Constitution colt, the operation sold a filly by Curlin for $1.2 million. @JessMartiniTDN

A quarter of the way through Monday's first session of Book 1, the top two colts on the leaderboard were both by Lane's End's first-crop yearling sire Flightline. Hip 45, a colt out of the multiple graded stakes producer Mira Alta (Curlin), sold for $1.7 million to Naohiro Sakaguchi and will be shipped to Japan, according to officials at Keeneland. The flaxen-maned chestnut was bred by Rock Ridge Thoroughbreds, LLC in Kentucky.

“That was fantastic. We were very happy,” said Warrendale's Hunter Simms, who initially wasn't sure who had signed the ticket and shook the hands of several bidders to thank them for their efforts. “There were something like seven different interests on him, all from Japan.”

Simms said the chestnut half-brother to GSW Promise Keeper (Constitution) and SW & GSP Wicked Awesome (Awesome Again) represented the only Flightline offering in Warrendale's consignment. Simms was impressed by the February foal's demeanor.

Warrendale Sales's Kitty Taylor | Keeneland

“This is the only one that we're selling at this sale. He was just so relaxed back there the whole time we were showing him. We showed him over 220 times over the last three days and he handled everything with class. He was just such a great individual to be around.”

Rock Ridge purchased the $1.7-million colt's unraced dam at the 2015 Keeneland November sale for $200,000. Their property is located on the former ClassicStar property near Versailles, said Simms, who added: “The horse was raised by Codee Guffey at Rock Ridge and his uncle Kerry [Smith]. They do a great job. They raise a really good horse.

“We've had good sales for them in the past. This is just icing on the cake for everything they put into it over the last few years. They've invested into a lot of mares and stud fees and everything else. I'm glad it paid off for them.”

Much later in the sale, Sakaguchi added a second Flightline–this time a filly (hip 168) out of Taylor S (Medaglia d'Oro) for $1.5 million–to his purchases. As an owner, Sakaguchi's most accomplished runner to date is Poulsen (Into Mischief), a $925,000 OBS April grad and winner of three of his seven starts in Japan. He was most recently unplaced in the G3 Leopard Stakes Aug. 10.   ––JillWilliamsTDN

#KeeSept Book 1, Session 1 Results: Hip 168, a filly from the first crop of Flightline out of Taylor S, sells for $1.5 million to Naohiro Sakaguchi from the @TaylorMadeSales consignment. pic.twitter.com/dcek202qS5

— TDN (@theTDN) September 8, 2025

With Monday's session already in full swing, Hip 66 lit up the board, bringing a cool $1.6 million from Windancer Farms, who was bidding online.

Consigned by Taylor Made Sales, the Apr. 20 foal by Not This Time was bred by Richard Santulli's Colts Neck Stables.

“Based upon the action [on him] we knew that he would sell for a lot of money,” said Santulli. “At that level, that's crazy. But he was a very nice colt.”

Of the final price, the fourth-highest yearling of the session, Santulli added, “We knew he'd make a million, our reserve was set at $500,000. We felt [$500,000] at that price, we'd take home a racehorse [if he didn't sell]. ”

The bay is produced by MSP Out Post (Silver Deputy), herself a $250,000 Keeneland September purchase in 2007. She is already responsible for SW and MGSP Jace's Road (Quality Road).

The colt hails from the family of dual champion and MGISW Silverbulletday (Silver Deputy).

“[The pedigree] goes back to Silverbulletday and Deputy Minister is in there,” Santulli added. “It is a nice page and a nice [physical].”

A dozen yearlings by the Taylor Made Stallion brought $9.175 million, for an average of $764,583 and a median of 650,000. He was also represented by the session's second-highest price, who sold for $2 million to the Heider family.

Asked about his overall impression of the sale early in the day, Santulli didn't mince words.

“This sale is nuts,” he said. “Nice horses are going to bring money.”–CBossTDN

Headley VanMeter, the youngest son of longtime consignor Tom VanMeter, started his inaugural Keeneland September sale consignment off with a bang when his VanMeter Sales sold a colt by Flightline (hip 10) for $1.5 million to John Stewart's Resolute Bloodstock Monday at Keeneland. The result also marked a remarkable first for breeder Randall Lowe, who was selling his first yearling after RNA'ing the colt's half-brothers future Grade I winner Golden Pal (Uncle Mo), for $325,000 in 2019, and Lieutenant General (Omaha Beach) for $385,000 in 2022.

“This is the first yearling I've ever sold,” Lowe confirmed. “I was 0-for-four in the batter's box, including Golden Pal. To do this is a dream come true.”

The yearling is out of Lowe's lone broodmare, the speedy Lady Shipman (Midshipman).

“I wanted to see what was going on in the marketplace because the Flightlines have been so strong,” Lowe said of the decision to offer the colt at Keeneland. “I still have three other racehorses, one getting ready to start at Santa Anita, a half-sister to this horse. I thought for an individual person who doesn't take on partners, two or three horses is more than enough.”

Bidding on the colt had inched over the million-dollar mark and was standing at $1.15 million when Stewart, in the reserved seating area at the back of the pavilion, jumped his bid up to $1.5 million.

“When John Stewart went to $1.5 million, I started to cry,” Lowe admitted.

Lowe did sell Lady Shipman's unraced 3-year-old daughter Luvwhatyoudo (Uncle Mo) for $250,000 during the Fasig-Tipton Digital March sale earlier this year and the mare herself RNA'd for $1.6 million with her Flightline colt in utero at the 2023 Fasig-Tipton November sale.

Lowe has retained the mare's 2-year-old daughter Essential Lady (Essential Quality), who has been working at Del Mar.

“I still own the mother and she is in foal to Not This time,” Lowe said. “I still own the sister. But it's nice to be recognized, especially by someone like John Stewart. He told me this was his number one colt in the auction.”

Of his first Keeneland September offering, VanMeter said, “It's incredible, storybook. We had high expectations coming in here, but we didn't think he was going to do that. The colt was an absolute pro up here for the last four or five days. We are elated to get the sale started off this way.”

The yearling was born and raised on the VanMeter family's Stockplace Farm.

“Lady Shipman is on the farm and he was born and raised there and prepped there, so that makes this all the more special,” VanMeter said.

Stewart, celebrating his latest acquisition, said he has been impressed by the offspring of Flightline he has seen.

“We bought Queen Caroline [in foal to Flightline in November 2024],” Stewart said. “She has a nice Flightline filly and I bought a nice Flightline [colt for $875,000] up in Saratoga. So I really like the way those horses are looking, and I think he was the number one colt today.” @JessMartiniTDN

With a Breeders' Cup win under both her first and second dam, the chestnut filly cataloged as hip 115 was guaranteed to turn heads. Add supersire Tapit to the mix and it's no surprise she caught the eye of Mandy Pope, whose multiple graded winner Charge It (Tapit) stood his first season at Gainesway this year.

“There's not going to be many more [Tapits],” said Todd Quast, advisor to Pope's Whisper Hill Farm, who bought the filly–both bred and consigned by Gainesway–for $1.5 million. “Mandy loves Tapit, so when you get that and you get this mare's side and you get the physical, we're very happy.”

Tapit will be 25 next year. His four yearlings to sell Monday averaged $887,500 and included a $1-million filly (hip 118) out of Silver Colors (Mr. Greeley), who was also bred and consigned by Gainesway and went to Kate Sheehan, agent for Tranquility Lake Farm.

Whisper Hill's newest acquisition is a daughter of 'TDN Rising Star' Sharing (Speightstown), who won the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf in 2019. Her dam, Shared Account (Pleasantly Perfect), captured the 2010 GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf.

#KeeSept Book 1, Session 1 Results: Hip 115, a Tapit filly out of Grade I winner SHARING, sells for $1.5 million to @whisper_hill from the @Gainesway consignment. pic.twitter.com/BUbup4G3qH

— TDN (@theTDN) September 8, 2025

A number of the Whisper Hill horses are kept at Gainesway, so Quast was already familiar with the filly. “We had seen her a couple of times and Antony [Beck] wasn't going to sell her. Then, at the last minute he decided to put her in and we got very excited. We're very, very happy to have her. What a family and what a physical.”

Quast added that the March filly stood out on every aspect.

“From my standpoint, it was the physical, and I really liked her as an athlete. Mandy loved her pedigree. When you get those both together, you're going to pay a lot of money. We're very excited about the family. Super-nice filly.”

Quast was busy Monday, with Whisper Hill both on the buying and selling end. Another Gainesway-consigned filly from the same family will also join their racing stable. Hip 108, a daughter of Good Magic out of Secret Jewel (Bernardini), went to Whisper Hill for $775,000. That filly's second dam produced Shared Account. While buying is the fun part, Quast said selling could be bittersweet.

“It's very difficult,” he added. “It's sad to see them go. It's hard, so it's a very emotional, up-and-down time.”

Whisper Hill is no stranger to the selling side, but it's not every day the operation parts with offspring of some of their most beloved mares. Monday they sold a Gun Runner colt (hip 128) out of multiple champion Songbird (Medaglia d'Oro) for $900,000 to Donato Lanni, agent for SF Bloodstock, Starlight, and Madaket, as well as a Flightline colt (hip 129) out of her unraced daughter, Song Gate (Arrogate), for $850,000 to Case Clay Thoroughbred Management.

“To see the Songbird sell, the Song Gate…” trailed off Quast. “They sold very, very well, but it's hard to sell them. In this business, you have to do business. You have to sell some when you get the right price for them and you have to buy them–hopefully at the right price.” ––JillWilliamsTDN

Roughly midway through the initial session, agent Thorostock's Nick Sallusto and Michelle Hemingway, bidding from the front of the main pavilion, withstood a stern barrage to land Hip 105, a filly by Gun Runner.

When the dust had settled, the WinStar-bred yearling realized $1.3 million, the fourth highest-priced filly of Day 1. Hemingway handled the signing duties.

“[The client who] bought [the filly] wants to enjoy racing but is also building a broodmare band,” explained Sallusto, who secured the filly on behalf of an undisclosed client. “She is really partial to Gun Runner. To try to find one that hit all the specifications, she really had to hit all the marks. We are just really excited that we were able to buy her.”

Out of 5-year-old Scribbling Sarah (Freud), the May 5 foal is a half-sister to GI Ashland Stakes winner and GI Kentucky Oaks third Speech (Mr Speaker) in addition to Sam F. Davis Stakes winner John Hancock (Constitution).

“It was hard to find something that we didn't like [about the filly],” underscored Sallusto. “I was the underbidder on Speech as a 2-year-old, so I watched her career and then [the dam] came back with John Hancock last year and it looks like he still has a bright future ahead of him.”

Hip 105, a Gun Runner half-sister to Speech consigned by @DenaliStud, agent for @WinStarFarm, brings $1.3 million at #KeeSept! Purchased by Nick Sallusto, Thorostock. pic.twitter.com/aVcYAFsEFJ

— Keeneland Sales (@keenelandsales) September 8, 2025

One would be hard-pressed to find someone more familiar with the seven-figure Gun Runner filly purchase than WinStar's Yearling Manager Donnie Preston.

“It's a young pedigree,” Preston said moments after her exit from the ring. “We have always liked her and [buyers] liked her too. I'm pretty excited she brought $1.3 million.

“She is really a standout. She has great movement–a big walk.”

Explaining her conformational appeal, Preston explained, “I think everything was put together right on her. She had great balance and I loved her shoulder. Her hind end was that 'dinner plate' look at the top. I knew she'd go over well, but this well, I wasn't sure.”

Pointing out another interesting connection between the filly's breeder and her illustrious sire, Preston explained,”Gun Runner was born on WinStar, not a lot of people know that. He went down to Florida and when he came back [to WinStar] I had him for about 2-3 months. I wouldn't say that she looked like him, but I think the quality of him is there.”

On Monday, a total of 10 yearlings sired by Gun Runner sold for a gross of $10,260,000. Also responsible for the session's $3.3-million topper, yearlings by Gun Runner averaged $1,026,000.

“It's a really strong market and we fought hard to get her,” said Sallusto of his sole purchase Monday. “We hope to see a lot out of her [on the track] and then raise her babies to race them too.”–CBossTDN

Never far from the leaderboard at the sales, Spendthrift sire Into Mischief again figured prominently when Hip 89 realized $1.25 million from the collective of Eclipse, Bridlewood, LaPenta and Warren.

The Mar. 5 foal was consigned by his breeder, Mulholland Springs.

Out of Reina Maria (Songandaprayer), herself a half-sister to GISW Secret Compass (Discreet Cat), the bay is a full sibling to Grade II winner and sire Maximus Mischief.

“He is by Into Mischief and is a full brother to a proven stallion and a big strong physical,” said Bridlewood's George Isaacs.

During Book 1's initial session, 11 yearlings by Into Mischief brought $8.125 million, averaging $738,636. The median was $700,000.

“Into Mischief is king of the sires in North America as we know. We know horses like this are going to bring this kind of money. We've had good success with this partnership. Let's just hope we get lucky.”

Bridlewood Farm, Eclipse Thoroughbreds and Bob LaPenta are among the partners in this season's GI Preakness Stakes and GI Haskell Stakes winner Journalism (Curlin).

Asked about the principal attraction to the yearling, Isaacs explained, “Everybody wants to try to win the Kentucky Derby and play at the top level in the American Classics. That's why we're all here and that's why we're all banging heads [in bidding]. Looks like there is plenty of energy here. The cost of doing business with horses like this is high.”

The colt represented the sole yearling on offer by Mulholland Springs on Monday and the consignor was very well represented.

“The most beautiful thing about him you didn't even see, and that is his wonderful mind,” said Martha Jane Mulholland. “This horse is all class top to bottom and always has been. I believe he's the best horse I've raised in the last 10 years.”

Reflecting on comparisons between the colt and his accomplished brother, Mulholland added, “I would say he's just about 100 pounds heavier. Just that much more man than his brother was at this time as a yearling. I'm just so excited about his prospects.”–CBossTDN

The post ‘An Incredible Horse Sale’: $3.3-Million Gun Runner Colt Leads Keeneland September Opener appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

WinStar Farm's David Hanley has been named 2025 Ted Bates Farm Manager of the Year by the Kentucky Thoroughbred Farm Managers' Club (KTFMC). The award honors individuals 'who exemplify excellence in farm management and service to the community.”

Appointed to the role of farm manager at WinStar in 2013, Hanley has played a key role in the farm's acquisition of new fewer than 11 Grade I winners who have amassed a total of 23 elite-level victories, including Justify, Life Is Good, Improbable, Mullikin and Patch Adams.

“I am honored and grateful to the Kentucky Farm Managers' Club to be selected for this prestigious award,” Hanley said. “It's truly humbling to join the list of past honorees, many of whom are horsemen I have long admired and respected. This recognition reflects the collective hard work of the team at WinStar, and I'm privileged to work alongside Elliott Walden. Our collaborative efforts in selecting yearlings for WinStar's racing stable have been a major factor in the farm's success.”

Walden, president, CEO, and racing manager for WinStar Farm, praised Hanley's contributions and talents, saying: “It is a great honor to see David receive such a well-deserved award, and we are delighted for him and his wife, Ann. We are very blessed to have David as part of our team. He is a great friend, and his eye for a young horse is outstanding. He has been an instrumental part of our success for the last 12 years, and we are honored to share in his success. The KTFMC could not have made a better choice.”

A native of Co. Mayo, Ireland, Hanley got involved in the Thoroughbred business managing Murray McDonnell's Whitechurch Farm and later began a training career while with the operation. He trained the likes of champion sprinter Lidana and trained a co-bred Grade I winner Golden Apples (Ire).

The KTFMC will honor David Hanley at its annual Dinner Dance on Friday, Dec. 5, at The Carrick House in Lexington, Kentucky. Details for the 2025 KTFMC Dinner Dance will be announced at a later time.

The post WinStar’s Hanley Named Ted Bates Farm Manager of the Year appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

A Gun Runner son (hip 177) of 'TDN Rising Star' Thoughtfully (Tapit) set off late fireworks just four hips from the end of Monday's opening session at Keeneland September when Peter Brant, signing on behalf of M.V. Magnier & White Birch Farm, outlasted all comers to sign the ticket at $3,300,000.

Bred by Hill n Dale Equine Holdings, Inc & Determined Stud, the colt's dam brought $950,000 herself as a broodmare at FTKNOV in 2019.

M.V. Magnier and White Birch also bought her first foal, a now 2-year-old son of Curlin, for $1,300,000 just one year ago as a yearling at Keeneland.

The dam is a half to fellow 'Rising Stars' Signator (Tapit) and Bugle Notes (Ghostzapper).

The post Gun Runner Colt A Late Session Topper At $3.3m For Brant appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

When Practical Joke and Life Is Good–both by Into Mischief and out of Distorted Humor mares–each racked up multiple Grade I victories and retired to major stallion farms in Central Kentucky, the cross they share surely earned a second look. After three 3-year-olds of 2025–Eclipse champion Citizen Bull, Patch Adams, and Tappan Street–added another five combined Grade I victories to that same cross in the last 11 months, anyone savvy enough to have a yearling on offer at Keeneland's September sale on the 'Midas Touch' nick looks positively inspired.

Three of Into Mischief's Book 1 yearlings are out of Distorted Humor daughters. Warrendale Sales consigns the only colt, hip 90, who is the sole member of the trio slated to go through the ring Monday. Mulholland Springs and Blake-Albina Thoroughbred Services will both send fillies Tuesday (hips 201 and 336, respectively).

“He's a lovely colt,” said Hunter Simms, a partner in Warrendale and the operation's director of bloodstock services, about hip 90. “He's bred on that really good Into Mischief/Distorted Humor cross that's produced a bunch of Grade I winners and he has the physical to boot as well. He's a nice package and we're really excited to offer him here.”

Bred by Pitlochry Partners LLC in Kentucky, the March colt is out of Repartee, who has already produced Canadian champion Munnyfor Ro (Munnings). Repartee's black-type winning dam is a half to GI Ashland Stakes winner Little Belle (A.P. Indy), who produced GI Coolmore Jenny Wiley Stakes winner Dickinson (Medaglia d'Oro). She shares a third dam with this year's GI Gamely Stakes winner Be Your Best (Ire) (Muhaarar {GB}). That third dam is, of course, the tremendous Flagbird, a half to Broodmare of the Year Prospectors Delite, and a daughter of the wonderful Up the Flagpole. This particular branch of the long-time Phipps family became a Farish family and traces directly tail-female to 1961 Broodmare of the Year Striking, who was a granddaughter of La Troienne.

With that stellar family under his girth, what's the physical of the colt like?

“He looks a lot like Into Mischief and has a great walk to him. He's correct,” said Simms. “In trying to match up the physical of the stallion with the physical of the mare, they were well rewarded with the horse that they got. He vets well. It's only Friday afternoon, but he's been well received for the viewers we've had come through here so far.”

Simms said Pitlochry Partners is a group of people with a handful of mares who “like to offer everything for sale. It was always the plan to sell here at Keeneland.”

He added, “They had a good sale up north a little while ago and I think September will be just as strong, if not stronger, with the international participation as well.”

With outs taken into consideration, a group of 303 elite yearlings is currently scheduled to go through the Keeneland sales ring Monday and Tuesday as part of Book 1. It will be no surprise to learn 29 of them–nearly a whooping 10% of Book 1–are by six-time leading sire Into Mischief, who secured his 26th and 27th Grade I winners last weekend at Saratoga and is poised to add another title this year. The upwardly trending Not This Time matches Into Mischief with 29 lots, as does the much-anticipated first-crop yearling sire Flightline, but no other stallion has more.

Knowing Warrendale's offering is bred on Into Mischief's well-proven cross with Distorted Humor gives Simms optimism for the colt's chances to make a little noise in a Book 1 often known for fireworks.

“We have high hopes and hopefully we tick all the boxes for everybody and we have a fun time,” said Simms. “He's a nice horse and we're excited to showcase him here this week. Fingers crossed he jumps through all the hoops for all the buyers in Book 1 and we can have a fun afternoon.”

The Keeneland September sale kicks off Monday at 1 p.m.

The post ‘Excited to Showcase Him’: Warrendale has Only Colt Bred on Red-Hot Cross in Book 1 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

In a continued effort to lure horses from out of state, Santa Anita will once again offer the “Ship and Win” program for the track's Autumn Meet, which kicks off Friday, Sept. 26. With seven 'Win and You're In' events for this year's Breeders' Cup, which will be held at Del Mar Oct. 31-Nov. 1, the five-week meet features increased overnight purses compared to last year and a comprehensive stakes schedule.

“The Ship and Win program has continued to attract significant numbers of horses to the Southern California circuit,” said Santa Anita's Director of Racing and Racing Secretary Jason Egan. “With the best weather and [a] great facility at which to race and train, we feel we've got the best turf racing in the nation. The Ship and Win program provides tremendous incentives for those considering stabling here in California year-round.”

Horses from out of state who made just one start at the Del Mar Summer Meet will remain eligible for the Ship and Win purse bonus provided they did not make an additional start elsewhere. In dirt races, eligible Ship and Win horses who finish first through fifth will receive a 50% purse bonus. In turf races, eligible horses who finish in the top five will receive a 40% purse bonus. These bonuses are applicable for one start only and do not include stakes races. New Ship and Win horses making their initial California starts will also receive a guaranteed $4,000 in addition to the purse bonuses.

Santa Anita's Autumn Meet closes Sunday, Oct. 26. For more information, visit santaanita.com/ship.

The post Santa Anita’s ‘Ship and Win’ Program is Back for Autumn Meet appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

A cool $15.6 million in prize money is up for grabs Saturday afternoon at Kentucky Downs, as a 12-race program features no fewer than five graded events each worth at least $2 million at distances from 6 1/2 to 12 furlongs.

The GII Kentucky Turf Cup wraps up the main events on the afternoon, and a field of 11 will head to the post for a circuit of the undulating turf course, with a berth in the GI Breeders' Cup Turf on the line.

Fort Washington (War Front) is arguably the 'form' horse of the race with three victories from his last four starts, all with Classic-winning jockey Junior Alvarado at the controls. Winner of the GIII Canadian Turf Stakes and GIII Dinner Party Stakes, the 6-year-old entire was too late when dead-heating for fourth in the GII Wise Dan Stakes June 28, but successfully stretched out to 10 furlongs to narrowly defeat Grand Sonata (Medaglia d'Oro) in the GI Arlington Million last time. On pedigree he's a candidate to see this out, but will need a trip from an awkward gate.

Grand Sonata returned 15-1 to those who believed here last year, but is winless in eight tries since, including a second consecutive runner-up effort in the GII United Nations Stakes prior to his effort at Colonial last time.

If it's a class-dropper you're after, perhaps Utah Beach (English Channel) is your animal. Victorious in the GIII Elkhorn Stakes and GIII Louisville Stakes, both over this trip, the gray exits an even fourth to El Cordobes (GB) (Frankel {GB}) in the GI Sword Dancer Stakes Aug. 9. Also coming in from the Sword Dancer are the fifth-placed El Rezeen (English Channel) and Vote No (Divisidero), seventh after uncustomarily making the running at Saratoga.

The $2.5-million GIII Mint Millions Invitational has attracted its defending champ as well, with Goliad (War Front) making the trek in from California for Richard Mandella. The veteran made every pole a winning one beneath Flavien Prat to return a crisp $20 bill to his backers last September, but he's been shut out in his three appearances since.

Cairo (Ire) (Quality Road) never truly factored in the Arlington Million a few weeks ago, but he was a cracking third when last seen over the mile in the G1 Queen Anne Stakes, the traditional opener of the Royal Ascot meeting on June 16. Yes, he was 100-1 that day, but he encounters nothing the quality of Docklands (GB) (Massaat {Ire}) or Rosallion (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}) in this bunch.

Brilliant Berti (Noble Mission {GB}) would be an auto-include at anything near his 8-1 morning line and arguably even at half that price. Winner of last year's valuable and age-restricted Gun Runner Stakes at this meeting, the Klein runner is two-for-four this term, including a defeat of the reliable Lagynos (Kantharos) in the May 1 Opening Verse Stakes and a last-out success in the Wise Dan.

Sophomore males and fillies run for $2-million pots in the GI Franklin-Simpson Stakes and GII Music City Stakes, respectively.

The former features Round 2 of the head-to-head battle between Juddmonte's Spiced Up (Quality Road) and Governor Sam (Improbable), after the Bill Mott trainee flashed home to defeat Governor Sam on the square in the GIII Mahony Stakes over 5 1/2 furlongs at Saratoga Aug. 10. 'TDN Rising Star' Shisospicy (Mitole) is the 3-1 pick in the Music City as she looks to bounce back from a down-the-field finish when pitched in against the boys in the G1 Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot June 20. Tabiti (GB) (Kingman {GB}) was third in the 25-runner Sandringham Handicap at the Royal Meeting on June 20 and came out of that to share the spoils in the G3 Oak Tree Stakes at Goodwood July 30. Kilwin (Twirling Candy) heads back to the grass after winning the June 8 Leslie's Lady Stakes and GI Test Stakes on the main track.

Also on the program is the GIII Ladies' Marathon Stakes over the not-so-marathon distance of one mile, 2 1/2 furlongs.

Where it comes to 2-year-old racing, it's perennially an embarrassment of richest for trainer Bob Baffert, who will field three of the seven runners in Saturday's GI Del Mar Debutante,a race he's already won on 11 occasions since Batroyale in 1995.

Baoma Corp's Himika (Curlin) really has no business being this effective at abbreviated trips, but the $900,000 OBS April purchase became a 'TDN Rising Star' when galloping by six on five-furlong debut June 12 and she barely broke a sweat when sailing home by better than four lengths in the GIII Sorrento Stakes going three-quarters of a mile Aug. 10.

Juan Hernandez rode Himika in those two starts, but opts for fellow 'Rising Star' Explora (Blame) in the Debutante. The $350,000 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic breezer also has a pedigree that screams the farther, the better, but she was electric in graudating by 4 3/4 lengths going 5 1/2 furlongs here on Aug. 17. The quick-ish back-up might feel like a negative, but she won the debut with a minimum of fuss and has worked twice since.

Richard Mandella won this two years ago with Beholder (Henny Hughes)'s 'Rising Star' daughter Tamara (Bolt d'Oro) and gives it another go with the same stallion's Bourbon and Ginger, who carried Mirco Demuro and the Spendthrift silks to a half-length debut score over Grandma Mary (Bolt d'Oro) going 5 1/2 panels here on Aug. 2.

In the afternoon's other graded event at Del Mar, Medoro (Honor Code) , who returned from a December layoff to win the July 20 Osunitas Stakes, looks very tough to go past in the GII John C. Mabee Stakes, though Graham Motion's East Coast shipper Gimme A Nother (SAf) (Gimmethegreenlight {Aus}) is in with a puncher's chance.

World Beater (Oscar Performance) helped make for a very successful Saratoga meeting for Jim and Dana Bernhard's Pin Oak Stud, and having given last weekend's GIII Nashville Derby a miss, looms the one to beat in Saturday's GIII Old Dominion Derby. The nine-furlong contest takes the place on the calendar previously occupied by the Virginia Derby, which was relocated to this track's March meeting as a Kentucky Derby points race.

A $105,000 Keeneland September graduate, World Beater has amassed a record of 3-2-1 from six starts on the turf, including the May 31 Audubon Stakes at Churchill and the GI Saratoga Derby Invitational either side of a runner-up effort to Nashville Derby fourth Test Score (Lookin At Lucky) in the GI Belmont Derby.

The appropriately named Thirteen Colonies (Hit It a Bomb) merits a small look off a second in Saratoga allowance company behind Simulate (Kitten's Joy), who returned to complete the exacta in the GII Secretariat Stakes here Aug. 9.

The afternoon's ninth and final graded stakes is the GIII Singspiel Stakes at Woodbine.

The post Breeders’ Cup Berth On The Line In Kentucky Turf Cup appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

As I begin my tenure as chair of The Jockey Club, I look to the future with optimism and gratitude for the work already done by so many in our sport. Together, we have elevated safety, strengthened aftercare, and built partnerships that once seemed unlikely. Now, we have the opportunity to take the next step: ending horse slaughter, so that the pipeline that undermines public trust and jeopardizes our horses is finally closed.

Long before this conversation reached industry headlines, The Jockey Club was working with animal-welfare experts to raise standards. The creation of the National Horse Racing Advisory Council in 2016 with Humane World for Animals (then the Humane Society of the United States) provided a bridge between racing professionals and advocates. That collaboration sent a clear signal: We are prepared to lead, to evolve, and to ensure our practices reflect the dignity of the horse. It was a forward-looking effort then, and that spirit of leadership and collaboration continues to guide us today.

Yet the challenge of the slaughter pipeline has persisted. While we have made significant progress in caring for Thoroughbreds during and after their racing careers, the existence of this pipeline puts horses at unnecessary risk, undermines our progress, and clouds perceptions of our commitment to the animals at the very heart of our sport.

The Jockey Club has long supported the SAFE Act (see Chris Heyde's op-ed in the TDN), legislation that would permanently ban horse slaughter in the United States and end the export of horses for slaughter abroad. With our guidance, many leaders across racing have joined in this call from racetracks, breeders, jockeys, owners and beyond demonstrating that this is not a divisive issue but a unifying one, rooted in our respect for the Thoroughbred.

As chair of The Jockey Club, I will continue and deepen this commitment. Our industry can thrive only when it reflects the values of care, integrity, and accountability. By ending slaughter, we will remove a shadow that has lingered for too long and allow our investments in aftercare and second careers to reach their full potential.

This is a moment to celebrate how far we have come and to finish the work together. Passing the SAFE Act will honor the horses who define our sport and strengthen the foundation for racing's future.

–Everett Dobson became The Jockey Club of America's 11th chairman this summer.

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Wagering increased compared to a year ago in August despite a reduction in the number of race days during the month, according to information released by Equibase on Friday.

Total wagering of $1,204,428,838 on races during the month represented a 3.13% increase over the same period from 2024, while available purses of over $153 million were higher by 7.24%. The figure of over $145 million for paid purses in August was also up by 6.33%. As for the total number of race days, they decreased from 416 to 400 (-3.85%) and the number of U.S. races was lower from 3,232 in August 2024 to last month's tally of 3,181 (-1.58%).

Average field size in August was down a touch from over a year ago when it was 7.21, and checked in at an average of 7.19 runners, a decrease of 0.28%. However, average daily wagering increased by 7.25% to $3,011,072, and the average available purse number per race day was up 11.53% to $382,641 from the figure of $343,072 in 2024.

When it comes to the year-to-date figures, through August of 2024 wagering on U.S. races came in at $8.082-billion, while this year the amount is $7.942-billion (-1.73%). Those numbers include worldwide commingled wagering on U.S. races.

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The bargain purchase of a Blame filly 10 years ago has yielded Ron and Barbara Perry's Cicero Farms a pair of GI Ballerina Stakes victories, but when Marley's Freedom produced a colt in 2024, the Perrys made the decision to go to market. The yearling by Uncle Mo (hip 34) will go through the sales ring during the first session of the Keeneland September Sale Monday with the VanMeter Sales consignment.

“I want to be sure he has the best opportunity to be a superstar,” Barbara Perry said of the decision to put the colt in the sale. “Plus, it's what I promised my husband I would do. I did tell him, if he let me keep Marley, I would sell the first boy. I should probably couch that with, 'But it has to be at the price I want.'”

Cicero Farms purchased Marley's Freedom for $35,000 at the 2015 Keeneland September sale, but Perry admitted she hadn't been shopping for a dirt sprinter when she made the final bid on the Blame filly.

“I had wanted a Blame filly for a while,” she explained. “The Blame fillies were running very, very well on the turf. And I love turf racing. I am learning to love dirt racing, as well. But from the time I was young, I've always been fascinated by the turf races. When I was very young, my dad took me back East. I don't remember where we went–I think it was Belmont–and I remember standing on the rail and hearing the horses run by. The grass was six or seven inches long and they were just swooshing through it. It was so amazing. I thought I want one of them.”

In 18 lifetime starts, Marley's Freedom never raced on the turf, but she was a six-time graded stakes winner while sprinting on the main track. Her biggest victory came in the 2018 GI Ballerina Stakes.

“It was very, very cool,” Perry said of the couple's first top-level victory. “It was amazing. And I remember saying to [trainer] Bob [Baffert], 'I don't know how to pick a horse.' And he said, 'What are you talking about?' I said, 'I bought a turf router that became a dirt sprinter. People shouldn't ask me what I think.'”

Marley's Freedom attracted her share of admirers, forcing the Perrys to decide whether to add her to their fledgling breeding operation or sell the future broodmare to the highest bidder. It was an easy decision for Barbara, but it took a little convincing for Ron.

“My husband was very excited about having people talk about our horse and selling her at auction,” Perry recalled. “And I had a meltdown on him. I said, 'I am going to tell you what. You need to prove to me that whatever we would sell that filly for, it would make a difference in your daily life. And if you can't do that, then you need to shut up and let me have my filly. I did all the research. Most dirt sprinters sell for around a million and a half dollars and they go to Japan. And at a million and a half, you are not going to buy a new house, nothing is going to change in your daily life, Ron. We were already breeders. So why would we sell the best broodmare prospect we have. That doesn't make any sense.”

Marley's Freedom | Sarah Andrew

Perry chose Quality Road for Marley's Freedom's first mating.

“I asked Bob to critique Marley and he said, 'If she had more leg, she'd be perfect,'” Perry said. “So one of the reasons I picked Quality Road was because he was slightly taller than her and had a nice leg underneath him. And I thought if he can put that leg under the baby, then I would get a horse that would be built similarly to Marley with some leg.”

The resulting foal was the now 4-year-old filly Hope Road and, with help from a global pandemic, the Perrys had a very close bond with the filly.

“During COVID, we drove across country in our SUV with the cat,” Perry said. “We stayed in a bed and breakfast where we would have them deliver our meals to the porch and then bring it in our little room. We spent a whole month there so we could be with Marley and her baby. I have pictures of my husband sleeping with Hope in the stall as a foal. I held her in my lap when she was born.”

Despite the connection, the couple decided they should test the market–and do a trial run for future sales offerings–with their Grade I-winning mare's first foal.

“The idea of selling her was not high on my list, but I also thought we had to see what it was like,” Perry admitted. “We really hadn't tried to sell. We had always in the past bred to race. We had some here and there that we would sell, but we really didn't have the experience of selling a quality horse. So in a way, it was putting our training wheels on and seeing what it was like. Even though you have a trusted group that you are working with in your sales guy and prep people, until you experience it and go through it, you really don't know.”

The test run failed to result in a sale when Hope Road RNA'd for $575,000 at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale.

“She didn't ship well to Saratoga, so I didn't think she showed that well,” Perry said. “She was thin–she had lost weight. It happens with some fillies, they don't handle that Saratoga trip. And everyone had told me, 'If you don't get what you think she's worth as a broodmare out of a Grade I winner, you shouldn't undersell her.'”

Hope Road joined the Cicero Farms racing stable and soon proved the decision to keep her was a sound one. She won a pair of graded races last year and hit the board in three straight graded races this winter and spring before retracing her dam's hoofsteps to Saratoga to earn her own Ballerina Stakes victory by two lengths Aug. 23. The filly was the third daughter of a Ballerina winner to take the Saratoga event.

“I am normally a super statistical person and if I would have looked at the fact that Marley is the third mare in 47 years that's produced a filly to win the Ballerina, and the first one in 20 years, I am pretty sure I would have said, 'Oh no. Let's not do that. That's just a dumb idea.' But because I didn't have the opportunity to do that, it really didn't dawn on me how special it was. Then I really started to look at the statistics when I got home. And to have it be the same trainer and same owner, that didn't happen with the other two. That's unbelievable.”

Marley's Freedom's daughter Freedom Song (Medaglia d'Oro), now three, was injured as a yearling and will join the Cicero broodmare band next year. The 11-year-old mare produced a colt by Violence this year and was bred back to Not This Time, but all eyes will be on her yearling colt next Monday at Keeneland.

“He is, I think, well put together,” Perry said of the yearling. “A lot of Uncle Mos are really big bodied. He has a big body, but he has substantial bone underneath him. He's got really nice legs on him. He's a typical Uncle Mo. He moves very, very well. He's not super big. He's a nice medium sized horse. To me, he looks like a lot of the nice Uncle Mos that I see that are good, quality racehorses. When I am talking about quality racehorses, I am talking about graded stakes racehorses.”

Hip 34 | Amy Lanigan

Perry admitted it won't be easy to watch Marley's Freedom's colt go through the sales ring next week.

“Ron might have to lock me in the women's restroom,” she said with a laugh. “It's going to be pretty difficult because it's going to be like selling part of the family. But we have already told [consignor] Headley [VanMeter] that we would be happy to stay in for a leg. So if that happens, we wouldn't lose.”

While Cicero Farms is now old hat at campaigning Grade I-winning fillies, Perry said the prospect of orchestrating the career of a potential stallion was intimidating.

“What happens after he wins that first big race? I don't know all of the things that those guys who consistently go to the Derby know,” she said. “Like WinStar, Spendthrift, Starlight, SF Racing, Zedan, all of those. They have been doing it a long time. They know how to handle a stallion and know when to make that deal. These guys do this for a living. I am not competition for them.”

Perry, a student of Federico Tesio, is content to continue to cultivate the success she sees possible with Marley's Freedom and her daughters.

“I am breeding Marley to make her a blue-hen mare,” Perry said. “That has been my goal since the day I got her.”

Pointing to Blame's blue-hen dam Liable, Perry added, “If you take a look at the big blue-hen mares, in time, thank you Mr. Tesio, you will find they end up being the ones that produce more blue hen mares.”

So, while still spending long hours at the couple's Commercial Energy, Perry has developed her own detailed system of determining matings.

“I spend hours, days, of obsessing over female family pedigree and how it matches up,” Perry said. “And what the female family produced and what did those lineages look like and if I can find those same lineages that are prominent in the sire. And then I look for that sire and have it match up physically with the horse. So, yes. I go down a massive rabbit hole. My goal is always to breed a good racehorse, a graded stakes racehorse.”

While the Perrys might be about to part with Marley's Freedom's first colt, Barbara said there are two mares she has no plans to part with. Ever.

“I don't think I could ever sell Hope,” she said. “Hope, Marley and I might be in the same little nursing home together.”

The Keeneland September sale begins with the first of two Book 1 sessions Monday starting at 1 p.m. Book 2 sessions Wednesday and Thursday begin at 11 a.m. Following a dark day Friday, the auction continues through Sept. 20 with sessions beginning daily at 10 a.m.

The post Perrys Pirouette into Keeneland September with Uncle Mo Half-Brother to Ballerina Winner Hope Road appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Edited Press Release

New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program has officially launched the Phase 2 Capital Campaign to expand operations at its Lexington, Kentucky facility at Mereworth Farm. In August, construction began on a new barn and office expansion, a project that will enable New Vocations to serve more retired racehorses as they transition into second careers.

New Vocations has set a $1-million goal for the campaign, which will cover the expansion costs as well as additional capital improvements to the facility. The campaign was jump-started by a generous $300,000 lead gift from prominent and longtime Thoroughbred owner Margaret Smith, who enjoyed ownership in numerous successful horses including notable runners such as Cotton Blossom and Belmont Stakes winner Palace Malice with Dogwood Stables and is currently a partner with Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners.

“Earlier this year, I had the pleasure of visiting the New Vocations facility in Lexington, Kentucky, where I met founder Dot Morgan and her daughter Anna Ford,” Smith said. “I could not have been more impressed with the organization and the care provided at the facility. I'm honored to support their mission with a lead gift for the Phase 2 Capital Campaign and encourage other owners to join me in supporting this critical work of rehabilitation, retraining, and rehoming our equine athletes.”

Added Ford, New Vocations' Thoroughbred Program Director: “We are so grateful for the incredible generosity of Mrs. Smith and for her commitment to aftercare. In less than a decade, thanks to the support of the Susan Donaldson Foundation and the Thoroughbred racing industry, our Lexington facility at Mereworth Farm has grown from 85 acres to more than 150. With a continual waiting list of horses in need, this expansion will allow us to meet the growing demand and provide even more Thoroughbreds with the care and transitional training they need to thrive in their next careers.”

New Vocations currently serves over 600 racehorses annually from more than 70 racetracks and training centers nationwide. With this expansion, the organization aims to increase its capacity and provide critical rehabilitation, retraining, and rehoming services to even more horses.

Supporters have a variety of opportunities to contribute, including naming rights for stalls and paddocks, dedication bricks along the facility's walkway, and other giving levels that directly support the expansion.

For more information or to contribute to the campaign, click here.

The post New Vocations Kicks Off Capital Campaign For Lexington Expansion appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Rigney Racing's Jonathan's Way (Vekoma–Female Drama, by Indian Charle), impressive winner of his first two career starts, including the GIII Iroquois Stakes, has been retired from racing and will enter stud for the 2026 breeding season at Airdrie Stud, the Lexington nursery said in a release Friday morning.

Bred in Ohio by Susan Anderson, the dark bay was knocked down to John Moynihan on behalf of Rigney Racing for $290,000 as a weanling at Keeneland November in 2022, which would prove to be the highest-priced Vekoma offering of the sales season. The colt turned in a spectacular debut effort for trainer Phil Bauer going six furlongs at Saratoga in August 2024, overcoming trouble at the start and looping rivals en route to a 4 1/4-length victory and 'TDN Rising Star' honors.

His racing tactics changed in his next start as he led at every call of Churchill Downs's GIII Iroquois Stakes when drawing away to a 2 3/4-length victory over leading performers Sandman (Tapit), Magnitude (Not This Time) and Owen Almighty (Speightstown)–all of which went on to be respective Derby winners at three. Jonathan's Way stopped the timer in 1:36 flat, more than a second-and-a-half faster than subsequent multiple Grade I winner La Cara had recorded two races prior in the GIII Pocahontas S. In his final start of his 2-year-old year, Jonathan's Way closed to be second in Churchill Downs's GII Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes, besting eventual GII Louisiana Derby winner Tiztastic (Tiz the Law). As a result of his juvenile exploits, Jonathan's Way was assigned the second-shortest odds of any colt in Pool 1 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager.

The day before he was set to make his sophomore debut in the GII Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds–won by Magnitude–Bauer alerted the media that Jonathan's Way would have to be scratched from the race due to an “unsatisfactory blood count.” The infection was treated but the colt developed life-threatening colitis that set him back for several months and contributed to further complications that ultimately led to the decision to retire him from racing.

“As a racehorse, Jonathan's Way was a very special talent that, honestly, exceeded the ability of the best horses I have ever been around,” said Bauer. “He is an absolutely beautifully made horse and he translated that beauty to the way he moved on the track. He was poetry in motion. He was also the gold standard of class every day in the barn and as he battled through his illness.  I don't believe we got to see the best of Jonathan's Way, but I do believe he has a great chance to show everyone how special he was through his stallion career.”

Added Airdrie Stud's Bret Jones: “In our opinion, there is no ceiling on Johnathan's Way's potential at stud. Everyone who has spent time with this horse reveres him and anyone who has watched his races has to recognize his immense talent. Because of bad luck, he never had a chance to showcase that talent as a 3-year-old, but that fits the description of some of the most important stallions to stand at stud; from Not This Time and Dark Angel (Ire) today on back to Hail to Reason and Raise a Native.

“He's by one of the most highly regarded young stallions in the world in Vekoma, out of an Indian Charlie mare who was an undefeated 2-year-old stakes winner and he was hand-picked by one of the best judges in the industry in John Moynihan,” Jones continued. “We made a commitment to Richard Rigney and his team that we would give him the support he deserves with our broodmare band and we can't wait to get started in honoring that commitment.”

“Jonathan's Way has been very special to our family and our racing team,” concluded Richard Rigney. “We really believed we had a Derby horse, but it just wasn't meant to be. We are equal partners with Airdrie and we are so happy to partner with a team that believes in him as much as we do. We will both be supporting him strongly and I really believe he will repay our faith for many years to come.”

Out of the Indian Charlie mare Female Drama, an undefeated juvenile stakes-winner for trainer Todd Pletcher, Jonathan's Way comes from a deep female family cultivated by, amongst others, Joseph Allen and Darby Dan Farm and responsible for producing such notable influences as perennial leading sire Dynaformer, Memories of Silver and no less than 23 individual Grade I/Group 1 winners through his first six dams.

Jonathan's Way is available for viewing at Airdrie Stud throughout the Keeneland September Sale. His stud fee will be announced, along with the entirety of the Airdrie roster, at the sale's conclusion.

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“Robby, why don't we just take one?”

After a long delay sitting on a tarmac leaving Kentucky for the Timonium 2-year-old sale, Stuart Angus and I arrived to find an understaffed rental car counter, with a line that appeared to be hours long. He figured we could short-circuit the process by getting in a car and bluffing our way through the gate agent. It nearly worked; the agent's hand hovered over the button to raise the gate, before she said, “Oh, you need a rental agreement, not just a reservation.” Undeterred, as I sheepishly returned the car to where we found it, Stuart found a passing lot agent, put his arm around him, and practically dragged him to the preferred desk.

“My man Robby just needs a car. You can do it for us.”

Sure enough, we were soon on our way. It perfectly encapsulates Stuart: a little mischievous, but with the salesmanship to get any deal done.

What started out as a professional relationship, as Stuart was our account manager at Taylor Made, soon developed into something much deeper, as Stuart and I quickly bonded over our East Coast upbringings, interest in great food, and mostly importantly, a shared affection for good-natured ribbing. All of the mornings spent looking at horses at Watercress, shedrow observations at sales, and back-ring strategy sessions made me a better horseman, but it was the car rides, dinners on the road, and post-sale beers by the popcorn machine that made me a better man. I took every chance I could to introduce Stuart to my friends from outside of the thoroughbred business, who all were as captivated as I was. He became part of our family, joining us last Thanksgiving and serving as my daughter's emergency contact at school. He was a larger-than-life figure, one of those guys that whatever story you heard about him, you just assumed it was true.

On that same Maryland trip, I got to see Stuart not in his traditional Taylor Made role, but as a civilian. Walking around the sale grounds, it felt like I was with royalty. Pinhookers, agents, and barn staff alike, all were thrilled to see Stuart. It was because he had a way of making everyone feel like the most important person in the room when he talked with them. It's the same reason that his passing has not just affected those of us closest to him, but our spouses, children, and friends outside the business.

I am going to try to hold on to that piece of Stuart the most, especially when having a beer by the popcorn machine.

Editor's note: Stuart Angus, a Senior Thoroughbred Advisor for Taylor Made, passed away Aug. 28 at the age of 60. His friends are encouraging those he touched to submit `Stu stories' to the TDN. Please email suefinley@thetdn.com if you have a story to share. 

The post Letter to the Editor: Stu Story #5 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Kelsey Danner probably didn't look at the tote board prior to Thursday's first race at Kentucky Downs. She's not a bettor, she says. But she thought her starter, Repentless (Violence), could run a bit, something the bettors obviously didn't pick up on. They sent the first-time starter off at 25-1. With Adam Beschizza aboard, the colt won by three lengths and paid $52.08.

It was not her longest priced winner at the meet. Fellow first-time starter Ground Support (Army Mule) won Saturday's second race for the Danner Stable and paid $203.20.

The day didn't end perfectly as Danner's first time starter, Cove Spring (Preservationist), finished fourth in the fifth race.

“Probably,” she said when asked if she tends to fly under the radar at meet like Kentucky Downs because she is facing some of the biggest names in the sport. “I'm obviously not a big name and neither is Adam. We don't get that much attention. I don't know why bettors do what they do. It's always a crap shoot at Kentucky Downs anyway.”

Normally, when a first-time starter pays that much to win they are trained by low-profile trainers who rarely win anything. But that's not the case with Danner. She's been training since 2017 and has won 246 races while batting 14%. She finished second in the standings at the most recent Turfway Park meet with 17 winners, finishing two behind Mike Maker.

“My last few years have definitely been my best years,” she told the TDN's Katie Petrunyak. “I'm a bit more content with where I'm at as far as the clientele and the horses I have. For the last three years, I got to have some nicer, young stock and they're still in my barn now, so it has been nice to watch them develop and I've gotten to win a few stakes races.”

Though she says she points for the Kentucky Downs meet each year, Danner came close to not running either winner. She was talked into it by their owner John Ballantyne, a transplanted New Zealander living in Fargo, North Dakota.

Kelsey Danner | Sarah Andrew

“[Ground Support] had been working really nice,” Danner said. “She's a big classy filly. I bought her for $80,000 at the Fasig-Tipton 2-Year-Olds In-Training sale. She's a Florida-bred so I talked to the owners about a month ago because she was ready to run. I asked them if they wanted to wait for Kentucky Downs, even though we'd be running for less money than the Kentucky-breds. The other option was to run in Florida. She had been showing talent and I didn't think she needed a prep race. John wanted to wait for Kentucky Downs, because he likes that track so much. I have no idea why she was 99-1. She had had some nice breezes.”

Repentless was purchased for $275,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling sale. Starting with May 15, he had 12 workouts, and was clearly ready for his first assignment.

“We had bought him at the Saratoga sale last year,” Danner said. “We spent good money on him. He is a beautiful colt and he had been working very well, on both the Tapeta and the dirt. I was kind of questioning what surface we should start him out on, but John wanted to run here. I wanted to start her off at seven-eighths, so, thankfully, we got the distance we wanted. This was all good. You never complain when you win any race at Kentucy Downs. Even the horses who haven't won for us are running nice races.”

You might have one more chance to bet on a Danner-trained 2-year-old. Windy Houston (Munnings) may run in Saturday's first race. She is the first also-eligible listed. If she doesn't get in she will run the next day. But the filly ran second in her debut at Ellis Park, which means she's not going to sneak up on anyone like her two stablemates did.

A $2 win parlay on the two Danner winners would have paid $5,364.00. Maybe she should rethink this no betting thing.

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After a record number of applications in 2025, Thoroughbred Charities of America grants to 98 organizations totaling over $1.1-million were recently awarded, according to a press release from the non-profit on Thursday afternoon.

The TCA said that 63 aftercare organizations, 24 backstretch and farm worker programs, seven equine-assisted therapy organizations, three Thoroughbred incentive programs, and one research organization comprised this year's tally.

The TCA release added that their grant committee established clear funding priorities with emphasis placed on approved organizations working to serve the backstretch and farm employee communities as well as non-traditional aftercare organizations. The group defined non-traditional aftercare organizations as those that are either working to provide on-track placement services to retiring Thoroughbreds or organizations that are working to incentivize equine enthusiasts to choose a horse as their next mount.

“Our annual grants reflect both the generosity of our donors and the strength of the organizations we are privileged to support,” said Erin Halliwell, executive director of TCA. “We take our responsibility as stewards of donor contributions very seriously because it is these donations that allow us to make a real impact via our grants. Every dollar entrusted to TCA helps us invest in organizations that are making an impact on Thoroughbreds and their caretakers.”

The post TCA’s Annual Grants To 98 Organizations Total Over $1.1 Million In 2025 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Woodbine Entertainment plans to partner with 1/ST Racing and turn the GII bet365 Dance Smartly Stakes into a qualifying race for the GII Pegasus World Cup Filly & Mare Turf Invitational Stakes, the Canadian track said via a press release on Thursday.

The winner of the Dance Smartly at Woodbine will receive an automatic invitation to the 2026 $500,000 race at Gulfstream Park in January.

The Dance Smartly is carded for Saturday, Oct. 4 and will be contested at 1 1/16 miles on the inner turf.

“We're pleased to partner with the team at 1/ST Racing to add this unique bonus to the Dance Smartly,” said Vice-President of Thoroughbred Racing for Woodbine Tim Lawson. “Pegasus World Cup Day has become an outstanding showcase of our sport and it's exciting that the opportunity to be part of it will be connected to a prominent race on one of our biggest days of the season.”

The post Woodbine, 1/ST To Offer Pegasus World Cup Filly And Mare Turf Qualifier appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

A native Kentuckian, Brendan Jacobson always knew his heart would lead him into racing, but he wasn't quite sure how until he purchased his first broodmare in 2019. Now six years on and 20 broodmares in, Jacobson is looking forward to offering a City of Light half-sister (hip 357) to Grade I winner Vahva (Gun Runner) through the Warrendale Sales consignment during the second session of Book 1 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale next Tuesday.

“She is a quality individual,” Jacobson said of the yearling. “She's been a queen since she was born. She's got a good head on her shoulders, her demeanor is top notch. I have had confidence in her from the beginning. The mare is that way, too. She is just very, very classy.”

The mare is Grade I-placed Holiday Soiree (Harlan's Holiday), who has produced not only Vahva, but also graded-placed Ahavah (City of Light) and Signal from Noise (Arrogate).

Under his Wimberley Bloodstock banner, Jacobson purchased Holiday Soiree, with the now yearling in utero, for $300,000 at the 2023 Keeneland November sale. Vahva had won the GII Raven Run Stakes just weeks before her dam went through the sales ring at Keeneland, but Jacobson said he was just as impressed with the mare's pedigree as her graded-stakes winning daughter.

“Her female family is pretty prolific, if you study it,” Jacobson said. “Governor [Brereton] Jones bred Holiday Soiree and she really goes back to a Ned Evans family, which goes to Intentional Move and her dam, the mare Lunar Dancer born in 1968. Mr. Evans worked with this family for years and built upon it for years and took care of it and then Governor Jones went on to do it. And hopefully I can carry that on.”

Hip 357 | Megan Devine

The cultivation of decades old families is a part of the breeding industry that sings to Jacobson.

“Trying to find these deep female families that have been curated over time is something that interests me,” he said. “And if those families have produced winners, then that interests me even more. And I think your probability of success keeps going up as all of those things keep happening.”

Holiday Soiree also had some promising young foals in the pipeline, giving Jacobson even more confidence in the purchase. The mare's City of Light filly had just sold for $400,000 to Cherie DeVaux and Belladonna Racing–the same connections who purchased Vahva in 2021. Named Ahavah, she finished second in the GII Fair Ground Oaks earlier this year. The mare's Nyquist filly sold for $725,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale.

“I just saw this kind of a loaded track coming,” Jacobson said. “I thought, 'Well, why not?' The mare was getting a little bit older and she failed to meet her reserve and I remember walking over to Hunter Simms at Warrendale and I said, 'Hunter, I'd like to buy her, but I can't pay what you guys are asking for her.' We ended up making a deal and we got her bought. Luckily, it all worked out.”

Jacobson is founder and CEO of Walbrook Capital and quietly pleads guilty to being “a numbers guy,” before stressing that he grew up, first and foremost, with a love of racing and the land.

“I was born and raised here in Bourbon County, so I am a native Kentuckian,” Jacobson said. “My grandfather was a professor at UK in agriculture. My dad was raised on a farm behind Mt. Brilliant off Huffman Mill Pike. He's told me he used to go pick field corn and sell it to the tourists that were visiting the Man o'War statue.”

The connection to the land only deepened when he married Chelsea, another native of Bourbon County he had first met in middle school.

“My wife's side of the family are farmers in Bourbon County, so they raise hay, cattle, corn, soy beans, etc,” Jacobson said. “My father in law is a really good producer of high-quality hay. He provides hay to a few farms, one of them was Ann Marie Farms who raised City of Light and it comes full circle that we now have a filly by City of Light. The same hay was fed to Good Cheer, who Ahavah finished second to in the Fair Grounds Oaks. We are just intertwined into the business and the area. It's part of our life.”

Ahavah | Hodges Photography

Jacobson credited Tom Hinkle with his first involvement in the industry six years ago.

“Tom Hinkle is a good friend of mine,” he said. “He and I got talking about the breeding side of the business. And so, with his guidance and advice, I kind of dove in.”

Since 2019, Wimberley Bloodstock has steadily added to its numbers. At last year's Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale, the operation's five purchases included graded-placed Unsung Melody (Maclean's Music) (hip 1260), who was acquired for $375,000.

“I am a believer that in order to learn something, you have to dive head first into it,” Jacobson said. “And you learn through experience. So over the last six years, I've learned a lot about the horse, I've learned a lot about the business, I've learned a lot about matings. I spend an inordinate amount of time during mating season picking the stallions, who we are going to breed the mares to, consulting with different people. There is a lot of time and effort and energy that goes into what we are doing.”

Wimberley Bloodstock's 20 broodmares are divided between Margaux Farm and Lane's End.

“We breed racehorses,” Jacobson said. “We don't breed sales darlings that don't go on and do anything. We want to breed a good sturdy, correct horse.”

If timing is everything at the horse sales, Holiday Soiree's yearling filly will enter the Keeneland sales ring Tuesday in fine shape. Vahva added a Grade I win to her resume in last year's Derby City Distaff, a race in which her dam finished third in 2013. City of Light, meanwhile, had a pair of graded winners just last weekend when Fierceness won the GI Pacific Classic and Formidable Man captured the GII Del Mar Mile.

“I think we will have potential buyers from all over the world look at her,” Jacobson said of the yearling. “If somebody is looking to build a broodmare band, I don't know why they wouldn't want to have this filly on their short list.”

As Wimberley Bloodstock inches through its first decade, Jacobson said his goals for the breeding operation are pretty standard.

“Obviously, I want to run a good business,” he said. “I want to raise healthy, good horses. And I would like for those horses to win graded stakes races, Grade Is. That's the goal of every breeder, right? To get a horse into the right hands and watch them go on and be successful.”

The Keeneland September sale begins Monday with the first of two Book 1 sessions beginning at 1 p.m. Book 2 sessions on Wednesday and Thursday begin at 11 a.m. Following a dark day on Friday, the September sale continues through Sept. 20 with sessions beginning daily at 10 a.m.

The post ‘Probability of Success’: Jacobson Bullish on Half-Sis to Vahva Heading into Keeneland September appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Zack Gillham has been promoted to the position of Vice President of Racing and Wagering at Oaklawn Park, officials at the Hot Springs, Arkansas, racetrack said in a release on Thursday. Jason Milligan will also transition from his current role to assume the position of the Director of Racing.

Gillham, who has been with Oaklawn for over eight years, will oversee all aspects of racing and sports wagering operations at the track. He was most recently employed as the Executive Director of Wagering, where he played a key role in expanding Oaklawn's wagering initiatives. He has also served as Director of Sports and Mutuel Manager.

“Zack's deep knowledge of both racing and wagering, along with his proven leadership, makes him the ideal choice to take on this expanded role,” said Oaklawn President Louis Cella. “We are excited to see him lead these key areas of our business and help guide the continued success of Oaklawn's racing and wagering programs.”

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