New York Thoroughbred Breeders

Showcase, winner of last year’s Grade 2 Saratoga Special Stakes, joins the stallion roster for 2026 at McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds. Coglianese Photo.

McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds in Saratoga Springs is proud to announce that Showcase, the brilliantly talented son of Uncle Mo, will stand his first season at stud in 2026 for a fee of $5,000.

A $300,000 Keeneland September yearling, Showcase quickly fulfilled his early promise on the racetrack. Trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, he broke his maiden on debut by open lengths to become a TDN Rising Star. He returned and dominated his second start in the Grade 2 Saratoga Special by 3 1/2 lengths.

Pletcher offered high praise for the colt’s natural talent.

“Showcase had enormous ability combined with an explosive kick of speed,” he said. “He was my best 2-year-old that year. He should be a huge asset to the New York breeding program, returning to Saratoga where he showed so much talent on the racetrack.”

McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds is excited to welcome Showcase for the 2026 season.

Showcase’s talent, pedigree and proven Saratoga form make him a standout addition to the roster. Showcase joins leading stallions Central Banker, Solomini and sophomore Provocateur.

For booking inquiries, contact:

McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds, LLC

180 Fitch Rd Saratoga Springs, NY 12866

Ph: 518-587-3426 | F: 518-587-4393

www.mcmahonthoroughbreds.com

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She’s Country and Javier Castellano in the winner’s circle after Thursday’s Key Cents Stakes at Aqueduct. Coglianese Photo/Susie Raisher.

West Point Thoroughbreds, James Politano and LVD Racing’s She’s Country returned to the win column with a determined victory over Cosmic Candy Girl, Boomington and others in Thursday’s $125,000 Key Cents Stakes at Aqueduct.

Ridden by Javier Castellano, the 2-year-old daughter of the late New York-based sire Combatant won by a head as the 7-2 second choice in the field of nine.

“She was a little keen early but then she settled down on the backstretch and it looked like she was traveling nice and comfortable,” said Peter Gulyas, assistant to winning trainer George Weaver. “She found an opening and really kicked in. She’s only a 2-year-old and still learning – she was a little aggressive in the paddock and then when she went out, she was more settled and relaxed.”

She’s Country left the inside post with a slight hop inward and settled into stalking position as stablemate Fancy Lights set the pace while pressured by Sacred Goddess through an opening quarter-mile in 24.11 seconds over the firm turf.

“The pace was slow. To be honest, I didn’t have the best break. She hopped out of the gate, kind of lose a little momentum,” said Castellano, aboard for the first time. “I see everybody go in the first turn, I don’t want to send out of there, just have a ‘Plan B’ and sit behind the other horse of George Weaver’s.”

She’s Country saved ground down the backside in third position as Cosmic Candy Girl traveled to her outside through the half :49.79. Fancy Lights held sway on the lead on the second turn with Sacred Goddess fading as She’s Country improved to second inside of that rival, while Cosmic Candy Girl went around on the outside as three-quarters elapsed in 1:14.75.

“I was behind and saving all the ground,” Castellano said. “I like the way she developed in the race, beautiful behind the two horses and inside on the rail.”

Fancy Lights led by a half-length past the eighth-pole, but She’s Country and Cosmic Candy Girl reeled her in as the field neared the wire. Cosmic Candy Girl took command narrowly within the final sixteenth, but between her and Fancy Lights was She’s Country, who lunged in the final jumps to put her head in front, in a final time of 1:38.70. Boomington closed for third, a half-length back of Cosmic Candy Girl, with a nose back to Fancy Lights in fourth. Maria Callas, Neshika, Considerate City, Miss Moxee and Sacred Goddess completed the field.

“I see the horse [Cosmic Candy Girl] blew by outside, and said, ‘I’m going to finish second, but [then], my filly’s going to come back again,’” Castellano said. “She fought a little bit and the battle can go either way, but it seemed to me my filly put her head all the way – I said, ‘I think I got lucky this time.’

“It seemed to me like he [Carmouche] had the momentum, like he got the jump. But for some reason, his horse was hanging outside, and my horse fought again to get the bob,” Castellano added.

An $80,000 buy out of the OBS April 2-year-olds in training sale, She’s Country provided immediate returns on her connections when she won a 1 1/16-mile maiden turf maiden for New York-breds Aug. 13 at Saratoga Race Course. Weaver sent her to Maryland for a stakes try against open company Sept. 27 and she finished fourth in the Selima Stakes.

Bred by Twin Oaks Bloodstock LLC and foaled at Stone Bridge Farm in Gansevoort, She’s Country is the second foal out of the Malibu Moon mare Lunar Affair. She’s also the dam of a yearling New York-bred filly by Corniche who sold for $20,000 at this year’s Keeneland September sale and a weanling New York-bred colt by Americanrevolution foaled April 18.

She’s Country earned $68,750 for the Key Cents win and boosted her bankroll to $125,750.

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Chris Bernhard of Hidden Lake Farm has announced the acquisition of two new stallions, brokered by The Stallion Company, to stand at the farm in Stillwater for the 2026 season.

“We are very excited to jump back into the New York stallion arena with graded stakes-winning millionaire by Gun Runner, Disarm, and Grade 2-winning son of Candy Ride (Arg), Confidence Game,” Bernhard said. “Both beautiful colts offer valuable opportunity for breeders in the Empire State.

“Disarm is the first Gun Runner to stand in New York and to date, his other sons are off to a great start in the sales ring including Gunite, Early Voting, Taiba and Cyberknife. Confidence Game is by Candy Ride, perhaps the most prolific sire of sire in the last decade, siring Gun Runner, Twirling Candy and Vekoma. Confidence Game is the Grade 2 Derby prep winner of the Rebel Stakes, out of a Bernardini half-sister to the great racemare Zenyatta. Both horses are graded stakes winners from deep families and poised to enhance the New York-bred program.”

Disarm, fourth behind Mage in the 2023 Kentucky Derby, is an earner of nearly $1.7 million in a 19-race career during which he has posted five triple-digit Beyer numbers. He broke his maiden by 6 1/4 lengths going 7 furlongs at Saratoga Race Course, won the Grade 3 Matt Winn at Ellis Park, finished second in the Grade 1 Travers at Saratoga and Grade 2 Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds.

Disarm was third in two Grade 1’s at Saratoga – the Jockey Club Gold Cup and Whitney – and third in the Grade 3 Lexington at Keeneland Race Course. In his latest effort Sept. 25, he finished second in the Grade 2 Lukas Classic at Churchill Downs.

Disarm’s dam, Easy Tap, is by three-time leading broodmare sire Tapit.

Confidence Game, winner of the Grade 2 Rebel in 2023, will stand for $5,000. Coady Media.

Confidence Game earned $823,962 and won the Grade 2 Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Park and finished third in the Grade 3 Lecomte at Fair Grounds and the Iowa Sprint Stakes at Prairie Meadows. Candy Ride is the sire of nine champions, 116 black-type winners and the earners of more than $160 million. His second dam, Vertigneux, was Broodmare of the Year and dam of Zenyatta, one of the great mares in the history of the sport: a track record-setter and 19-time winner with 14 Grade 1 victories.

Disarm’s stud fee is set at $7,500. Confidence Game will stand for $5,000. Both stallions will stand as property of a syndicate, LFSN terms apply.

For information about acquiring LTBRs or booking seasons, contact Chris Bernhard, Voice/Text: (914) 850-9769 or Email: cjbern@hitmail.com

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Hip 53, New York-bred champion Cara’s Time, sold for $400,000 at Keeneland November. Photo courtesy of Taylor Made Sales Agency.

The eight-day Keeneland November breeding stock sale wrapped Tuesday with its highest gross since 2007 and records in average and median, with New York-breds playing a role in those returns that continue a historic year for the Thoroughbred industry.

Keeneland reported a total of $245.9 million in sales through the ring and post-sale, the best since $340.9 million in 2007 over 15 sessions. Records were established for average price ($125,572) and median ($60,000).

Overall, 60 New York-breds sold for $5,956,700, an average price of $99,279 and median of $80,000. New York-bred weanlings were in demand, with 46 of the 59 through the ring selling for $4,491,200, an average price of $97,635 and median of $80,000.

New York-bred champion Cara’s Time brought the top price for a New York-bred on a bid of $400,000 from Aaron and Marie Jones LLC. Through the ring as Hip 53 out of the Taylor Made Sales Agency consignment, the 4-year-old daughter of Not This Time out of the Macho Uno mare Zindara was offered as a racing or broodmare prospect.

Bred by Stephen Crestani Jr., foaled at The New Hill Farm in Hoosick Falls and a $175,000 purchase by Richard Greeley at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-bred yearling sale, Cara’s Time went through the ring with a record of 4-3-1 in 20 starts and earnings of $387,110.

Campaigned by Greeley and trained by Mitch Friedman, Cara’s Time won two of five starts with two seconds as a 2-year-old, including the Joseph A. Gimma Stakes at Aqueduct, to land champion New York-bred 2-year-old filly honors. She later won the 2024 Iroquois Stakes as a 3-year-old on Empire Showcase Day at Aqueduct.

Hip 253, a colt by Gunite and half-brother to stakes winner Shoot It True, sold for $335,000 to finish as the top New York-bred weanling at Keeneland November sale. Photo courtesy of Summerfield.

Hip 253, a colt by Grade 1 winner Gunite and half-brother to New York-bred stakes winner Shoot It True, led all New York-bred weanlings on a bid of $335,000 from Louis Dubois, agent for Wesley Ward. Bred by and foaled at Old Tavern Farm in Saratoga Springs, the colt is out of the Malibu Moon mare To the Moon Alice.

Consigned by Francis and Barbara Vanlangendonck’s Summerfield, agent for Old Tavern Farm, the colt is a half-brother to winners Shoot It True and Two for Charging. Shoot It True, also bred by Old Tavern Farm and a $340,000 purchase out of the 2023 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-bred yearling sale, won the 2024 Notebook Stakes and finished second in the Senator Ken Maddy Stakes on Breeders’ Cup weekend at Del Mar. Trained by Ward, Shoot It True is 4-1-0 in seven starts with $253,011 in earnings.

To the Moon Alice is also the dam of the unraced 2-year-old New York-bred Street Sense colt Aggression, who sold for $120,000 at last year’s Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-bred yearling sale and is in training at Fair Hill Training Center in Maryland.

Hip 812, a daughter of Twirling Candy, brought the sale’s high price for a New York-bred weanling filly at $185,000 from Tracy Farmer. Bred by Jordan Wycoff and Bluewater Farm, foaled at Sequel Stallions New York in Hudson and consigned by Bluewater Sales, agent, the filly is the ninth foal out of the stakes-placed Macho Uno mare Highestmaintenance. She’s the dam of the stakes-placed winner Manasota Sunset and three other winners.

Hip 1260, a colt by New York-bred Horse of the Year Americanrevolution, also landed one of the six-figure bids and brought the sale’s leading price for a weanling by a New York-based stallion. Chad Frederick purchased the colt out of the winning Street Cry mare Judge Lee.

Bred by Matthew Nestor, foaled at Rockridge Stud in Hudson and consigned by Vinery Sales, agent, the colt is a half-brother to multiple stakes winner and $409,420-earner Out On Bail. A son of multiple New York-bred Horse of the Year Tiz the Law, Out On Bail won the recent Carle Place Stakes at Aqueduct and last year’s Skidmore Stakes at Saratoga Race Course.

Americanrevolution, a 7-year-old Grade 1-winning son of Constitution, stands for $12,500 at Rockridge Stud in Hudson.

Eighteen New York-bred weanlings sold for six figures, including the top-priced New York-bred in Book 4.

Hip 2200, a daughter of Taiba, sold for $135,000 to Gap View Stables. Bred by Milfer Farm Inc. and consigned by Legacy Bloodstock, agent, the filly is out of the Into Mischief mare Real Sister. She’s the dam of two winners – One Improbable and Blessed Angel – and a yearling colt by Cyberknife that sold for $125,000 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October yearling sale. Milfer Farm bought Real Sister, carrying the Taiba filly in utero, for $75,000 at last year’s Keeneland November sale.

Keeneland reported sales on 21 of the 27 New York-breds in Book 4 for a total of $770,700, an average price of $36,700 and median of $33,000.

Keeneland closes its 2025 auction slate with the horses of racing age sale at noon Wednesday.

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Muscle Shoals zips through the snow to win Monday’s Tin Cup Chalice Stakes at Finger Lakes. SV Photography.

Stonegate Racing Stables’ homebred Muscle Shoals flexed and proved too good for his six opponents in Monday’s $45,000 Tin Cup Chalice Stakes at Finger Lakes.

The 2-year-old Redesdale gelding stayed unbeaten in two starts with a 5 1/2-length victory over Sunday’s Currency. Muscle Shoals also capped a big afternoon for Stonegate, which also co-bred the winner of Monday’s Shesastonecoldfox Stakes winner Victory Hall.

Luis Perez rode Muscle Shoals to victory for trainer M. Anthony Ferraro. The two also teamed with the gelding in his 2-length debut maiden victory seven days before the Tin Cup Chalice.

Bet down to 8-5 favoritism off that win, Muscle Shoals settled into a tracking spot early behind God’s Angel up the backstretch. God’s Angel opened up a 2-length advantage through the snow flurries that were starting to stick through the opening quarter-mile in :22.58 over the sloppy and sealed track.

God’s Angel, a 15-1 outsider coming off a 3 ¾-length maiden win Oct. 6 at Finger Lakes, opened up by 4 lengths to the half in :45.94. Muscle Shoals stayed in contact with the leader and after coming off the inside turning for home, collared the leader at the eighth pole and powered home. Muscle Shoals won in 1:12.91.

Sunday’s Currency finished 3 lengths clear of Savage State for the runner-up spot, with God’s Angel fourth. Instant Success, Kings Dancer and High Yield Hunk completed the field.

Muscle Shoals picked up $27,000 for the win to boost his bankroll to $46,560.

Foaled at Stonegate Stables in Fort Edward, Muscle Shoals is the first foal out of the winning Maclean’s Music mare Chevy to the Levy. She won eight of 45 starts and earned $188,211. A $240,000 OBS March 2-year-old in 2016, Chevy to the Levy later sold to Stonegate for $25,000 at the 2021 Keeneland November breeding stock sale.

Chevy to the Levy is also the dam of a yearling New York-bred colt by Happy Saver that sold for $15,000 at last year’s Fasig-Tipton Saratoga fall mixed sale.

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Victory Hall edges Honest Reason late to win Monday’s Shesastonecoldfox Stakes at Finger Lakes. SV Photography.

Victory Hall used nearly every inch of the stretch to run down Honest Reason and win Monday’s $45,000 Shesastonecoldfox Stakes for New York-bred 2-year-old fillies at Finger Lakes.

Under Reylu Gutierrez, the daughter of Independence Hall made up 6 lengths in the final furlong to win by a half-length. Victory Hall, third last time out in the $200,000 Maid of the Mist Stakes, improved to 3-for-5 in her career with the victory in 1:12.97 for the 6 furlongs on the sloppy and sealed track.

Bred by Stonegate Stables LLC and Everythings Cricket Racing and foaled at Stonegate Stables in Fort Edward, Victory Hall sold for $30,000 to Twin Sports Racing at last year’s Keeneland September yearling sale. She races for Twin Sports Racing, Cypresshead Racing and Let’s Go Racing.

Victory Hall won two of her first three starts for trainer Carlos David, including a state-bred maiden special weight at Saratoga Race Course in mid-August. Transferred to John Ortiz before the Maid of the Mist, she finished 8 1/4 lengths behind Letmecounttheways in that 1-mile stakes on Empire Showcase Day.

Bet down to even-money in the field of five reduced by the scratches of Lovely Pashyn and Princess Azara, Victory Hall came away well and conceded the early lead from the inside by Honest Reason.

Honest Reason ripped through snowflakes on the backstretch and led by 2 1/2 lengths past the opening quarter in :22.18. Oscar Bound and Victory Hall chased side-by-side up the backstretch and into the far turn. Honest Reason, a daughter of Honest Mischief who won a 5 ½-furlong maiden Oct. 6 at Finger Lakes, widened her advantage around the bend and was up 6 lengths past the half in :45.49.

Victory Hall continued to cut into the lead once the field turned for home and ran down Honest Reason in the final few jumps. Honest Reason held second 2 1/2 lengths ahead of Lifeisbutadream. Mobelladream and Oscar Bound completed the field.

A $45,000 RNA at this year’s OBS April sale, Victory Hall is the first foal out of the winning Into Mischief mare Into Victory. She’s also the dam of a yearling New York-bred filly by Speaker’s Corner.

Victory Hall picked up $27,000 for the Shesastonecoldfox and boosted her bankroll to $161,700.

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Hip 1098, a weanling colt by Practical Joke bred by Greathouse Equine LLC, Clay Scherer, Ryan Scherer and Josh Stevens, sold for $245,000 to highlight Book 3 of the Keeneland November breeding stock sale. Photo courtesy of Four Star Sales.

New York-breds continued to be in demand during the Book 3 sessions of the Keeneland November breeding stock sale, which reached a milestone Saturday with total receipts already surpassing last year’s total for the entire sale.

A dozen New York-breds, including nine weanlings, sold for $100,000 or more during Book 3. Keeneland reported sales on 21 of the 28 New York-breds in Book 3 for $2,176,000, an average price of $103,620 and median of $105,000. Overeall, 17 New York-bred weanlings sold in Book 3 for $1,795,000, an average price of $105,589 and median of $100,000.

Those totals, plus strong returns from Books 1 and 2, helped Keeneland record cumulative through-the-ring sales of $214,871,000 through five sessions. That surpassed last year’s total of $187 million for the nine sessions.

Hip 1098, a weanling colt by Practical Joke, led the way in Book 3 on a bid of $245,000 from Big Bear Bloodstock.

Bred by Greathouse Equine LLC, Clay Scherer, Ryan Scherer and Josh Stevens and consigned by Four Star Sales, agent, the colt is out of the Malibu Moon mare As the Snow Flies. A full-sister to Grade 2-placed Enchantress, As the Snow Flies is the dam of the winner Moion.

That colt is the third highest-priced New York-bred and one of six to sell for $200,000 or more. Through five sessions, 29 of the 36 New York-bred weanlings through the ring at the sale have sold for $3,795,000, an average price of $130,863 and median of $115,000.

Hip 1564, a filly from the first crop of multiple Grade 1 winner Taiba, commanded the high price for a New York-bred weanling filly in Book 3 on a bid of $150,000 from Belmont Horizons.

Bred by Stonegate Stables LLC and Everythings Cricket Racing and consigned by Turning Point Bloodstock, agent, the filly is out of the Scat Daddy mare Daddysneverready. She’s the dam of the winning New York-bred Enticed gelding Ez Roll, a 2-year-old Yaupon filly that sold for $60,000 at last year’s Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-bred yearling sale and a New York-bred Speaker’s Corner yearling filly that brought $30,000 at the recent Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October sale.

Currane, a half-sister to multiple New York-bred stakes winner Sea Foam, sold for $140,000 at Keeneland November. Photo courtesy of Winter Quarter Farm.

Fred Hertrich III purchased the top-priced New York-bred broodmare, broodmare prospect or racing prospect out of Book 3, going to $140,000 for Currane.

Offered as Hip 1160 out of the Winter Quarter Farm consignment, the 3-year-old daughter of Authentic is out of the Grade 3-winning Unbridled’s Song mare Strike It Rich. Bred and raced by Waterville Lake Stables, Currane placed once in three starts.

Strike It Rich is the dam of multiple New York-bred stakes winner and $856,103-earner Sea Foam, stakes-placed $223,900-earner Straw Into Gold and the placed Giant’s Causeway mare Gaelic Gold, the dam of Grade 1 winner Fionn. Strike It Rich is also the dam of the unraced Medaglia d’Oro New York-bred filly Nebu

Hip 1260, a colt by New York-bred Horse of the Year Americanrevolution, also landed one of the six-figure bids and brought the top price for a weanling by a New York-based stallion. Chad Frederick purchased the colt out of the winning Street Cry mare Judge Lee.

Bred by Matthew Nestor and consigned by Vinery Sales, agent, the colt is a half-brother to multiple stakes winner and $409,420-earner Out On Bail. A son of multiple New York-bred Horse of the Year Tiz the Law, Out On Bail won the recent Carle Place Stakes at Aqueduct and last year’s Skidmore Stakes at Saratoga Race Course.

The sale continues with the first of three Book 4 sessions at 10 a.m. Sunday.

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Hip 253, a colt by Gunite and half-brother to stakes winner Shoot It True bred by Old Tavern Farm, sold for $335,000 to highlight Book 2 of the Keeneland November sale. Photo courtesy of Summerfield.

Seven New York-bred weanlings sold for $100,000 or more during the two Book 2 sessions at the Keeneland November breeding stock sale Wednesday and Thursday.

Hip 253, a half-brother to New York-bred stakes winner Shoot It True, led the way on a bid of $335,000 from Louis Dubois, agent for Wesley Ward. Bred by and foaled at Old Tavern Farm in Saratoga Springs, the colt from the first crop of Grade 1 winner Gunite is out of the Malibu Moon mare To the Moon Alice.

Consigned by Francis and Barbara Vanlangendonck’s Summerfield, agent for Old Tavern Farm, the colt is a half-brother to winners Shoot It True and Two for Charging. Shoot It True, also bred by Old Tavern Farm and a $340,000 purchase out of the 2023 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-bred yearling sale, won the 2024 Notebook Stakes and finished second in the Senator Ken Maddy Stakes on Breeders’ Cup weekend at Del Mar. Trained by Ward, Shoot It True is 4-1-0 in seven starts with $253,011 in earnings.

To the Moon Alice is also the dam of the unraced 2-year-old New York-bred Street Sense colt Aggression, who sold for $120,000 at last year’s Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-bred yearling sale and is in training at Fair Hill Training Center in Maryland.

Keeneland reported sales on 11 of the 12 New York-bred weanlings offered in Book 2 for a total of $1,790,000, an average price of $162,728 and median of $130,000. Overall, 12 New York-bred weanlings have sold thus far at the sale for $2 million, an average of $166,667 and median of $157,500.

Hip 934, a colt by Twirling Candy out of the winning Pioneerof the Nile mare Princess Coco, brought the second highest price for a New York-bred weanling in Book 2 on a bid of $290,000 from Clover Leaf Bloodstock.

Bred by Pine Ridge Stables LTD and consigned by Paramount Sales, agent, the colt is a half-brother to three winners including $135,844-earner Let It Ride.

Hip 812, a filly by Twirling Candy bred by Jordan Wycoff and Bluewater Farm, sold for $185,000 Thursday at Keeneland. Photo courtesy of Bluewater Sales.

Hip 812, a daughter of Twirling Candy, brought the top price for a New York-bred weanling filly at $185,000 from Tracy Farmer.

Bred by Jordan Wycoff and Bluewater Farm and consigned by Bluewater Sales, agent, the filly is the ninth foal out of the stakes-placed Macho Uno mare Highestmaintenance. She’s the dam of the stakes-placed winner Manasota Sunset and three other winners.

Book 2 also featured the sale of the stakes-placed Arrogate mare Elliptic (Hip 764) for $130,000 to Tiago Bloodstock. Offered as a broodmare prospect and consigned by Denali Stud, agent, the 5-year-old is out of the winning Big Brown mare Redheads Rule.

Bred by Stable 63 LLC, Elliptic won five of 15 starts and earned $231,356. She finished third in the Top Flight Stakes in her final start April 12 at Aqueduct.

The sale continues with the first of two Book 3 sessions at 10 a.m. Friday.

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Hip 53, Cara’s Time, commanded the top price for a New York-bred during Book 1 of the Keeneland November breeding stock sale at $400,000 from Aaron and Marie Jones LLC. Photo courtesy of Taylor Made Sales Agency.

New York-bred champion Cara’s Time sold for $400,000 to lead a trio of New York-breds that sold for $298,334 and highlighted Book 1 of the nine-day Keeneland November breeding stock sale that opened Tuesday in Lexington.

Aaron and Marie Jones LLC purchased Cara’s Time, Hip 53, out of the Taylor Made Sales Agency consignment. The 4-year-old daughter of Not This Time out of the Macho Uno mare Zindara was offered as a racing or broodmare prospect.

Bred by Stephen Crestani Jr., foaled at The New Hill Farm in Hoosick Falls and a $175,000 purchase by Richard Greeley at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-bred yearling sale, Cara’s Time went through the ring with a record of 4-3-1 in 20 starts and earnings of $387,110.

Campaigned by Greeley and trained by Mitch Friedman, Cara’s Time won two of five starts with two seconds as a 2-year-old, including the Joseph A. Gimma Stakes at Aqueduct, to land champion New York-bred 2-year-old filly honors. She later won the 2024 Iroquois Stakes as a 3-year-old on Empire Showcase Day at Aqueduct.

Cara’s Time won the 2023 Joseph A. Gimma Stakes during her championship campaign. Coglianese Photo/Susie Raisher.

Cara’s Time was one of three New York-breds cataloged for Book 1 and all three were reported sold for a total of $895,000 and a median of $285,000.

The trio also included August Bloom, a 5-year-old daughter of Arrogate in foal to Vekoma who brought $285,000 from New York-based breeder and owner Richard Nicolai’s Fortune Farm. Offered as Hip 36 by Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent, August Bloom is out of the stakes-winning Freud mare Mighty Eros. She’s a half-sister to stakes winner and Grade 1-placed Faypien and three other winners.

Bred by Off The Hook LLC and foaled at Song Hill Thoroughbreds in Mechanicville, August Bloom originally sold for $22,000 at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October yearling sale. She was unplaced in one start in 2022 at Saratoga Race Course and produced her first foal, a colt by Vekoma, in 2025. That colt was cataloged for the Keeneland November sale as Hip 35 but was scratched.

Hip 128, a colt by McKinzie bred by Cheryl Prudhomme and Dr. Michael Gallivan, sold for $210,000 Wednesday. Photo courtesy of Vinery Sales.

Hip 128, the lone New York-bred weanling cataloged for Book 1 and a colt by McKinzie, sold for $210,000 to Carlos Morales, agent for Osiris Racing Stable.

Bred by Cheryl Prudhomme and Dr. Michael Gallivan, foaled at Shamrock Hill Farm in Fort Edward and consigned by Vinery Sales, agent, the colt is the second foal out of the Malibu Moon mare Luna Clock.

A half-sister to graded stakes winners Iliad and Melmich, Luna Clock is the dam of a yearling colt by Aloha West that sold for $18,000 at this year’s Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-bred yearling sale.

The November sale continues at 10 a.m. Wednesday with the first session of the two-day Book 2. The auction runs through Tuesday, Nov. 11 with all remaining sessions beginning at 10 a.m.

The Keeneland November horses of racing age sale is at noon Wednesday, Nov. 12.

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Summer Sweet, a New York-bred daughter of More Than Ready and the dam of multiple Grade 1 winner She Feels Pretty, sold for $3 million Monday at the Night of the Stars. Fasig-Tipton Photo.

Summer Sweet, the dam of multiple Grade 1 winner She Feels Pretty, and multiple graded stakes winner My Mane Squeeze landed seven-figure bids to lead a small and select group of New York-breds that sold during Tuesday’s “Night of the Stars” at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky November mixed sale.

Hugo Lescelles, agent, purchased Summer Sweet, an 11-year-old daughter of More Than Ready offered as Hip 161, for $3 million.

Consigned by Gainesway, agent, Summer Sweet was not offered in foal. She’s the dam of three winners led by $2,003,178-earner She Feels Pretty, runner-up in last weekend’s Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf at Del Mar. She Feels Pretty won last year’s Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Stakes and Grade 1 American Oaks, along with this year’s Grade 1 New York Stakes.

Bred by Sarah J. Leigh, foaled at Berkshire Stud in Pine Plains and out of the Caerleon mare Summer Solstice, Summer Sweet originally sold to Payson Stud for $550,000 at the 2016 Keeneland January horses of all ages sale. Campaigned by Virginia Kraft Payson, she won three of 22 starts and earned $117,548. She Feels Pretty is Summer Sweet’s second foal and she was purchased by Lael Stable for $240,000 at the 2022 Keeneland September yearling sale.

Summer Sweet finished the night as the co-seventh most expensive horse sold at the sale, which recorded massive gains in total receipts ($102,027,000), average price ($739,326) and median ($300,000).

New York-bred Horse of the Year and multiple graded stakes winner My Mane Squeeze sold for $1.6 million Monday night. Fasig-Tipton Photo.

New York-breds contributed to those returns with five of the seven through the ring sold for $5,405,000, an average price of $1,081,000 and median of $650,000.

Fasig-Tipton reported 27 seven-figure purchases on the night, including 2024 New York-bred Horse of the Year and multiple divisional champion My Mane Squeeze for $1.6 million.

WinStar Farm and GMP Stables purchased the 4-year-old Audible filly, offered as Hip 122 by Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent. WinStar previously campaigned My Mane Squeeze in partnership with the filly’s breeder, William “Buck” Butler. Foaled at Keane Stud in Amenia, My Mane Squeeze went through the ring as a racing or broodmare prospect with a record of 7-2-6 in 19 starts and earnings of $1,231,785.

A half-sister to stakes winners Rotknee and Mama’s Gold and stakes-placed Lookin for Trouble out of the Speightstown mare In Spite of Mama, My Mane Squeeze won the Grade 2 Eight Belles and Grade 3 Dogwood Stakes last season at Churchill Downs. She’s won six stakes overall, including this year’s Johnstone at Saratoga Race Course.

Hip 2, a colt by Arcangelo bred by Blue Rose Farm, sold for $80,000 Monday at the Fasig-Tipton November sale. Photo courtesy of Taylor Made Sales Agency.

Hip 2, a colt by Arcangelo out of the Bellamy Road mare Electric Boots, sold for $80,000 as the lone New York-bred weanling through the ring. Tami Bobo purchased the colt, who is a half sibling to three winners out of the full sister to Grade 3 winner Georgie’s Angel.

Bred by John Ebbert’s Blue Rose Farm LLC and foaled at Sequel Stallions New York in Hudson, the colt was consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent.

The fall mixed sales season rolls on this week with Book 1 and the first of nine sessions of the Keeneland November breeding stock sale at 2 p.m. Tuesday. The Book 2-4 sessions start at 10 a.m. daily and run through Tuesday, Nov. 11. The Keeneland November horses of racing age sale follows at noon Wednesday, Nov. 12.

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Newtown Anner’s homebred Playful, a New York-bred daughter of Violence, wins the Freedom of the City at Century Downs. Coady Photo.

By Tom Law

Century Downs in Rocky View County in Alberta, Canada, more than 2,400 miles from New York’s horse-centric communities upstate and downstate, feels like another world away from the Empire State.

Just not in the eyes of the folks from Newtown Anner Stud.

Newtown Anner’s homebred New York-bred Playful came away with a victory in the $32,154 Freedom of the City Stakes late last month at Century Downs, located just about a half-hour drive north of the center of Calgary. The 2-year-old daughter of Violence, bred by Newtown Anner and foaled at their Jack’s on the Hill Farm in Millbrook, won the 7 1/2-furlong event by 6 1/2 lengths and prompted what seemed like an obvious question. How exactly does a New York-bred filly end up in Western Canada?

“End up?” Newtown Anner’s Hanzly Albina joked last week, the day before heading to Del Mar to watch two runners with direct and indirect ties to the Regan family’s breeding and racing operation compete in the Breeders’ Cup. “That’s the location. It’s my new go-to spot.”

Playful, a $39,000 RNA at last year’s Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October yearling sale, won the Freedom of the City in her fifth start. The previous four came at Century Mile about 2 1/2 hours north and just outside Edmonton.

Albina, a veteran bloodstock agent and sales consignor based in Lexington, Kentucky, used his business connections in Calgary and Western Canada to find outlets for potential runners from the Newtown Anner breeding program that might not fit in places like New York or Kentucky.

Albina did something similar for client Highfield Investment Group with Attack, a 3-year-old gelding by Munnings bought for $70,000 out of a Fasig-Tipton Digital sale in May before going north to win the Manitoba Derby at Assiniboia Downs and finish third in the Grade 3 Canadian Derby. Attack races for Highfield and other partners.

“I developed some friendships up there, some really good friendships,” Albina said. “I got tired of having these yearlings left over from the sales that were well-bred, good horses but we just couldn’t get them sold. You couldn’t justify putting 60 grand into them for training for a year, right? We’d do that and then you wind up going against some buzzsaws in New York at Saratoga, Belmont and Churchill.

“So it became a question of where are you going to race? I know that now there are these great sales and auction maidens and stuff like that, but it’s also a carry cost thing. I said, ‘is there a way that I can have some fun and also keep these horses?’ I looked at the numbers up there and it made sense. We sent a few up there, the ones that we could keep and didn’t want to race down here.”

Playful, who is out of the winning Bernardini mare Pleased from the family of Canadian graded stakes winner Delegation and Grade 1 winners Fourty Niners Son and Arklow, competed against males in her first three starts. She won her second start via disqualification July 12 then finished fifth in the $35,901 Kindergarten Stakes in early August.

Trained by Gonzalo Anderson, Playful completed a New York-bred exacta with a runner-up finish behind Wecanonlyimagine in the $34,866 Princess Margaret Stakes Aug. 22. She then defeated her two opponents in the Freedom of the City to improve to 2-1-1 in five starts and boost her bankroll to $43,675.

“Now every year, we’re going to send one or two, just have a good time and see what happens,” Albina said. “That race the other day, that was a fun win, right? Look, I’m not saying we’re out there making a ton of money. We’re probably going to break even on training, but we placed and won a stakes race. This year they weren’t black-type stakes races, but next year there will be black-type opportunities. It’s just a way to have fun and it’s an alternative to the claiming ranks.”

“It’s a pretty good experiment that I was having fun with. Especially for my owners, who are very tied down to New York in their business, most races we watch on TV anyway. (Newtown Anner’s owner Maurice Regan), he’s up late at night and he’ll call me and be like, ‘that’s a good win.” You have a good time with it. Sometimes it doesn’t matter if it was in Western Canada on a bull ring.”

Playful is one of three winners out of Pleased. She’s the dam of Wanna Winna, a three-time gelding by Blame who sold for $125,000 at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-bred yearling sale; Mischief Motion, a winning daughter of Into Mischief and $390,000 yearling RNA in 2020; and the 4-year-old in-training Speightstown filly I’ll Take Perfect. Pleased, who sold for $30,000 at the 2024 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky winter mixed sale, is also the dam of a weanling colt by Arcangelo.

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Manny Wah, who joins the roster at Irish Hill & Dutchess Views Stallions for 2026, competed in two editions of the Breeders’ Cup Sprint. Susie Raisher Photo.

Susan Naylor’s Manny Wah, a Grade 1 caliber sprinter and winner of the Grade 2 Phoenix Stakes at Keeneland Race Course, will stand the 2026 season under the management of Irish Hill & Dutchess Views Stallions LLC in Stillwater. The 9-year-old son of Will Take Charge will stand for a private fee in 2026.

Manny Wah earned black type placings in 14 other races beside his Phoenix score in 2022. He competed in two editions of the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Sprint, finishing fourth and fifth in two tries as the world’s top sprinters. He proved himself to be a durable, top-quality sprinter over seven seasons of racing, amassing earnings $1,012,499

Manny Wah’s other graded stakes placings include runner up performances in Aqueduct’s Grade 3 Toboggan Stakes and Grade 3 Tom Fool Handicap. As a 3-year-old he kept top company, finishing third in the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes at Santa Anita Park and the Grade 3 LeComte Sakes at Fair Grounds. Manny Way broke his maiden at second asking and would earn black type in his 2-year old year. He earned stakes placings every season on the track.

Manny Wah is out of the winning, Grade 1-placed Proud Citizen mare Battlefield Angel,  who is the half-sister to Kentucky Derby runner-up Lookin At Lee and multiple Grade 3 winner Blended Citizen.

Manny Wah will be available for inspection by breeders starting Dec. 1. For more information on Manny Wah, including special incentives for New York breeders, or to book your mare, please contact Rick Burke (rick@IrishHillCenturyFarm.com) or Moe Scavullo (info@IHDVstallions.com).

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Dancing Buck hangs on to win Saturday’s Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship Stakes. Coglianese Photo.

J and N Stables and Diamond M Stable’s Dancing Buck returned off a weeks’ rest to win the third stakes of his career in Saturday’s $150,000 Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship at Aqueduct.

Luis Rivera Jr. put the 7-year-old War Dancer gelding on the lead from the start and stayed there through the 6-furlong stakes, winning by a half-length from Fierce and Strong. Trained by Michelle Nevin, Dancing Buck won in 1:09.45.

“It’s so great. He’s an older horse now and he’s been so much fun for everybody,” Nevin said. “It’s nice to see him back in the winner’s circle. He broke so sharp and him and Luis get along well. He did a great job.”

Bred by co-owner J & N Stables and out of the multiple stakes-placed Catienus mare Frivolous Buck, Dancing Buck improved to 8-for-26 and picked up $82,500 to boost his bankroll to $699,588.

Rivera, aboard Dancing Buck for the first time, liked the way the race shaped up for the veteran gelding who went off as the fourth choice in the field of seven.

“I was a little bit worried about the speed in the race, but I know my horse has a lot of speed,” Rivera said. “He likes the soft turf – it’s been raining a lot lately – so, I said, ‘let’s just go the lead.’ He managed to keep it up until the end. At the quarter-pole, I could feel the horses coming to me but he was in-hand and when I asked him, he was still there for me.”

Fourth last time out in the New York Turf Sprint Championship on Empire Showcase Day Oct. 25 at Aqueduct, Dancing Buck broke sharp from post 6 and overtook the sharp-starting Knockanara to grab the lead while taking pressure from Outlaw Kid through the opening quarter-mile in 23.25 seconds on the firm turf.

Dancing Buck was tracked by Outlaw Kid in the turn with Knockanara saving ground in behind while Fierce and Strong improved along the rail through the half-mile in :46.30. At the stretch call, Dancing Buck fended off Outlaw Kid while Knockanara dove to the inside of that pair to launch his bid.

Dancing Buck defended his spot from Knockanara who then tried again back to his outside as Fierce and Strong closed along the rail. With rivals gaining headway on each side of him, Dancing Buck held on to win by a half. Fierce and Strong finished second by a nose over Knockanara, with Outlaw Kid fourth.

A third-generation New York-bred, Dancing Buck is one of our winners out of Frivolous Buck. He’s a full brother to stakes winner and $283,225-earner Mz Big Bucks and winners Brockmoninoff and Buckortwo. Frivolous Buck is also the dam of the unraced 2-year-old Shenanigans Buck, a full brother Dancing Buck bred in New York by Elizabeth Jameson; and a weanling full brother to Dancing Buck born April 23 in New York and bred by J&N Stables.

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Breeders Karen and Mallory Mort visit with Breeders’ Cup Mile second choice Rhetorical Thursday at Del Mar. Susie Raisher Photo.

By Tom Law

Mallory and Karen Mort arrived in Southern California Wednesday feeling quite a bit different than their first venture to the Breeders’ Cup as the breeders of an entrant at the World Championships.

“In 2022 we were just happy to be there,” Mallory Mort said Thursday afternoon, looking back at Sterling Silver’s run in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint at Keeneland. “We were a longshot and we knew we were up against it. Obviously, it was only in Lexington and we’re very familiar with Lexington and Keeneland so it was an easy trip.

“This time is a little different. We’d never been to Del Mar before and now we’re coming here with a horse with a real chance. It’s all very exciting.”

Rhetorical, a 4-year-old gelding by Not This Time bred by the Morts, provides much of that excitement. He comes into the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Mile off back-to-back victories in the West Point Stakes against New York-breds at Saratoga Race Course and the $1,038,750, Grade 1 Coolmore Turf Mile Stakes at Keeneland Race Course.

Rhetorical, a half-brother to Sterling Silver out of the Distorted Humor mare Sheet Humor, earned an automatic spot in the Mile field off the Coolmore Turf Mile victory through the Breeders’ Cup Challenge.

The 5-1 second choice in the international field behind multiple Group/Grade 1 winner Notable Speech is far from an ordinary automatic bid mid-major college basketball team hoping and praying to win a game or two in the NCAA tournament. Trained by Will Walden, Rhetorical brings a 5-for-6 record to the Mile.

“We didn’t see him out of the stall or anything today, but he seems to be his usual self,” Mort said. “They say he’s a sweetheart in the barn and that’s certainly the way he was this morning. My wife was loving on him and he was enjoying it.

“They say he’s a sweetheart, and that’s certainly the way he was this morning. My wife was loving on him and he was enjoying it. But he’s all business when it comes to putting the saddle and bridle on in the mornings.”

Rhetorical trains early Thursday morning at Del Mar, two days before he flies the flag for the New York breeding program in the Breeders’ Cup Mile. Susie Raisher Photo.

The Morts settled into their rental house in Encinitas Wednesday and Thursday, dealt with some logistics, picked up family and friends with some plans to visit the San Diego Botanical Garden, the Breeders’ Cup Call to the Post party for participants and of course, the beach. They’ll be out bright and early Friday to see Rhetorical go through his morning training before sunrise.

“It’s incredible to be here, really,” Mort said. “Considering we only breed one or two mares a year. We keep thinking how lucky you have to be to get to this point. We were here with Sterling Silver three years ago and now we’re here again. My wife keeps asking, ‘when is this going to end?’ We’re enjoying it and hoping for the best.”

Walden feels equally honored to participate in his first Breeders’ Cup. He trains Rhetorical for owners Gary Barber, Everett Dobson’s Cheyenne Stable and Adam Wachtel’s Wachtel Stable. Rhetorical was foaled at Marlene Brody’s Gallagher’s Stud in Ghent, where Mallory Mort has worked since 1979 and managed the entire farm operation since 2005.

Walden will make his Breeders’ Cup debut during Future Stars Friday when he runs Gordon Pass in the $1 million Juvenile Turf. He’s fast approaching 100 wins for his career that started in 2022 – he sits at 91 heading into Thursday – and is excited for the opportunity to run Rhetorical against some of the world’s best.

“This is why we are in the game,” Walden said this week. “We want to compete at the highest level with the best horses. That is what the team is centered around doing. We are privileged to be here, and we are excited, also.”

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Victor Espinoza takes New York-bred Dialed In gelding Whatchatalkinabout through his morning training Wednesday at Del Mar before this week’s Breeders’ Cup Sprint. Susie Raisher Photo.

By Tom Law

Hanzly Albina ran into Wesley Ward one morning last spring and inquired about a newly turned 4-year-old gelding who was a stakes winner in 2023 yet went fairly under the radar in 2024.

“Hey, how about Whatchatalkinabout,” Albina asked.

“He’s great,” Ward said. “That’s my Breeders’ Cup horse.”

Albina, general manager of the Maurice and Samantha Regan’s Newtown Anner Stud, walked away from the conversation and didn’t quite know what to think.

“Did I hear him right?” he asked himself. “That can’t be what he said. I was like, ‘Really?’ But he was very strong on this horse the entire time. I give him credit. He really believes in the horse.”

Ward’s prediction proved correct, as the New York-bred gelding finds himself as one of the 14 runners in Saturday’s $2 million, Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Del Mar. The winner of the Grade 3 John A. Nerud in May at Aqueduct comes into the 6-furlong Sprint off a third in the Grade 2 Phoenix Stakes at Keeneland Race Course, behind stablemate and fellow Sprint runner Nakatomi and Durante.

Whatchatalkinabout is 30-1 on the morning line from post 14 in the strong Sprint field that also includes defending champ Straight No Chaser, Grade 1 winner Mullikin, last year’s runner-up Bentornato, Grade 1-winning filly Kopion and others.

Albina, headed to Southern California Thursday to watch Whatchtalkinabout and the Newtown Anner-owned Praying in Saturday’s Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint, looks back at that conversation and finds encouragement in Ward’s bullish statement.

“I was just asking, we’re neighbors and we see each other a lot,” Albina said. “You just ask, but I thought about it again after he was entered (in the Nerud), ‘did I just hear what I thought I heard?’ I paid attention to when the horse was entered in the Sprint. I’m like, ‘this guy, he is building him up to make a run. His goal has been this race the entire time.’ I know he’s run multiple horses, say in the Phoenix and so on and so forth, but he’s been thinking about the Spring for a long time with Whatchatalkinabout. It’s pretty cool.”

Foaled at Newtown Anner’s Jack’s Farm on the Hill in Millbrook and out of the unraced Super Saver mare Super Savvy, Whatchatalkinabout sports a 4-3-2 record in 10 starts with earnings of $388,853. He’s won two of five starts heading into the Sprint – the Nerud and an allowance at Aqueduct – along with a third in the Grade 2 Phoenix Stakes Oct. 3 at Keeneland.

Ward and Ben McIlroy purchased Whatchatalkinabout for $82,000 for owners Ice Wine Stable out of the Black-Albina Thoroughbred Services consignment at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October yearling sale. The then colt had been offered as a short yearling, but not sold on a bid of $38,000 at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky winter mixed sale.

“We’re breeding right holders in Dialed In and have been for a long time,” Albina said. “We always like to breed to him and we liked to make them New York-breds. I think they do well enough at the sales. He’s a journeyman stallion, a good utility stallion and if you have a good horse by him no one is surprised.

“Whatchatalkinabout was a really good-looking horse. Those guys made a pretty smart buy. We tried to sell him at an earlier sale, and no one was home, but we liked him enough to bring him back in October. Every now and they we’ll try that. That October sale has become so strong. It has. You don’t really need to go anywhere else. You can do your Saratoga New York-bred horses, your September horses and then wait for October for the rest of them.”

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Iron Orchard stands for trainer Danny Gargan during her bath at Del Mar this week. Breeders’ Cup Photo/Eclipse Sportswire

By Mary Eddy/Breeders’ Cup Notes Team

Grade 1-winning juvenile filly Iron Orchard learned early in life how to stay the course. The daughter of Authentic lost her mother at just four months of age but persevered through tragedy to display that tenacity on the racetrack and put together three flawless starts to begin her career.

Bred by Marty Zaretsky’s Pine Ridge Stables, Iron Orchard is out of the dual stakes-placed Brethren mare Onebrethatatime and was born April 22, 2023. The foaling was routine and uneventful, and about one month later, the filly and Onebrethatatime were sent to Kentucky for the mare to be bred again. The two returned to Pine Ridge shortly thereafter, and that’s when things took a turn for the worse.

“They came back and everything was normal for the most part, but then the mare started getting sick,” said Kenny Toye, farm manager for Pine Ridge Stables. “She kept deteriorating and passed away. You’re dealing with the death of the mare, but you have to focus on what you can save.”

The clock began to tick for the filly, who called out for her mother and would never receive an answer. Toye and his team immediately sprung into action, and contacted Laura Phoenix’s Heavensent Nursemares to find a surrogate for Iron Orchard. Luckily, the farm had a lactating Thoroughbred named Spiteful Love that was ready for a foal, and the two were introduced within 24 hours of Onebrethatatime’s untimely passing.

“It’s a very stressful time for the baby, and the most critical time is when the mare and the baby get introduced,” Toye said. “Their connection was pretty immediate and simple. You think, ‘why would a baby accept a new mom?’ To see that happen is magical, it sticks, and it’s very powerful.”

Iron Orchard flourished with her adoptive mother, and despite concerns that a filly who went through such an ordeal would be behind in her development, she impressed enough as a weanling to sell for $140,000.

“You couldn’t even tell there was any kind of rift,” Toye said. “Around the summertime, consignors will come to look at our breeding stock and we decide who is ready to sell as a weanling and who needs to wait – she was a standout physical. We entered her in the (Keeneland) November sale, knowing that anything can happen and that we would scratch her if we needed to. It never happened, and she kept moving forward every single day.”

Iron Orchard wins stakes debut in the Seeking the Ante at Saratoga. Coglianese Photo/Susie Raisher.

The filly would subsequently sell to Bill Childs and Mark Stanton for $500,000 at this year’s OBS April sale of 2-year-olds in training, and was sent to the barn of trainer Danny Gargan to begin her racing career. A winning debut against maiden auction company this summer at Saratoga Race Course led to a successful stakes debut against fellow New York-breds in Saratoga’s Seeking the Ante Stakes, and a triumph at the highest level in the Grade 1 Frizette Stakes Oct. 4 at Aqueduct.

With her score in the Frizette, part of the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Dozen Bonus Series, Iron Orchard earned her way into the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies. While Gargan will still be the one to saddle her at Del Mar, a new owner will look to claim the floral blanket after she sold to KatieRich Stables for $2.5 million in a Fasig-Tipton Digital auction in mid-October.

“It’s a miracle to even get them to the next day. So many things can go wrong, and for this filly to make it to the races, period, is a miracle,” Toye said. “When she was in that Grade 1, she pinned her ears when horses passed her, and to see her dig in like that, it gives you chills.”

Now, Iron Orchard is facing her toughest task on the racetrack to date, and is here thanks to her doting adoptive mother and a team surrounding her with equal care and attention on both the farm and the track.

“There’s so many things you can say to describe the feeling, but to know that she came from our efforts as a team gives us a lot of confidence in what we’re doing,” Toye said. “We know how special it is to get there to the Breeders’ Cup, and knowing that she came from the farm and that we had that special time with her, you get emotional.”

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Fields were drawn for the 2025 Breeders’ Cup in the Del Mar paddock Monday. Breeders’ Cup Photo/Eclipse Sportswire

The New York breeding program will be represented by three runners on this weekend’s Breeders’ Cup World Championship program at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club.

Post positions for the 14-race Breeders’ Cup card were drawn Monday at Del Mar and Rhetorical, Whatchatalkinabout and Iron Orchard were slotted into their respective fields.

Gary Barber, Cheyenne Stable and Wachtel Stable’s Rhetorical drew post 11 for the $2 million, Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Mile. Irad Ortiz Jr. will ride the 4-year-old son of Not This Time in the near full field of 13 for trainer Will Walden.

Bred by Mallory and Karen Mort and foaled at Gallagher’s Stud in Ghent, Rhetorical earned an automatic berth in the Mile as a Breeders’ Cup Challenge winner in the Grade 1 Coolmore Turf Mile Oct. 4 at Keeneland Race Course. Out of the Distorted Humor mare Sheet Humor, Rhetorical is a half-brother to multiple stakes winner and 2022 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint competitor Sterling Silver.

Rhetorical brings a 5-for-6 record, including the Coolmore Turf Mile and West Point Stakes at Saratoga Race Course, with earnings of $824,700 in to the Mile. He’s the 5-1 second choice on the morning line behind 5-2 favorite Notable Speech.

The Mile goes as the 10th race on the Championship Saturday card with post time of 7:05 p.m. ET.

Ice Wine Stable’s Whatchatalkinabout drew the extreme outside post 14 for Saturday’s $2 million, Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Sprint. Trained by Wesley Ward, the 4-year-old Grade 3-winning Dialed In gelding will be ridden by Emisael Jaramillo in the 6-furlong Sprint. He’s 30-1 on the morning line.

Bred by Newtown Anner Stud, foaled at Jack’s Farm on the Hill in Millbrook and out of the unraced Super Saver mare Super Savvy, Whatchatalkinabout sports a 4-3-2 record in 10 starts with earnings of $388,853. He’s won two of five starts this year – the Grade 3 John A. Nerud and an allowance at Aqueduct – along with a third in the Grade 2 Phoenix Stakes Oct. 3 at Keeneland.

The Sprint goes as the sixth race Saturday at 4:21 p.m. ET.

Iron Orchard, recently purchased out of a Fasig-Tipton digital flash sale for $2.5 million by KatieRich Stables, drew post one for the $2 million, Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies. Trained by Danny Gargan, the 2-year-old daughter of Authentic will be ridden by Joel Rosario on the field of nine. She’s the 6-1 fifth choice on the early line.

Bred by Pine Ridge Stable and foaled at Waldorf Farm in North Chatham, Iron Orchard brings a 3-for-3 record to the Juvenile Fillies after victories over state-breds in a 5 ½-furlong maiden and the 6-furlong Seeking the Ante Stakes at Saratoga Race Course before a nose victory in the Grade 1 Frizette Stakes at Aqueduct.

The 1 1/16-mile Juvenile Fillies goes as the seventh race on the Future Stars Friday card at 6:25 p.m. ET.

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Bank Frenzy guts out another victory in Saturday’s Empire Classic at Aqueduct. Coglianese Photo.

You don’t win half of your career starts unless you’re willing to throw it down when necessary.

Bank Frenzy showed he was up for a fight in Saturday’s Empire Classic Stakes on Empire Showcase Day at Aqueduct, coming back to beat Doc Sullivan by a neck after losing the lead late in the stretch.

“When I saw Joel (Rosario, on Doc Sullivan) going inside, I thought we were in good shape because he’s a fighter,” winning trainer Rudy Rodriguez said. “He’s a very special horse for us and he fights every fight. This is very special for all of us – we’re New York guys. We try to support everything as much as we can.”

Bank Frenzy, who won for the 10th time in 20 starts to go with five seconds, dogged pacesetter Iron Dome all the way down the backstretch through a quarter-mile in :24.80 and a half in :49.35, as Doc Sullivan and Dr. Kraft ran in tandem behind the leading pair. Manny Franco pulled even with Iron Dome on the far turn and snuck a quick look behind him as he guided Bank Frenzy to the lead at the quarter pole.

He may have dispatched Iron Dome, but there was an imminent threat coming from Doc Sullivan, and when Franco drifted out slightly, Rosario ducked to the inside with Doc Sullivan and actually stuck his head in front in the final 100 yards. That’s when Bank Frenzy’s competitive fire kicked in and he surged in the final strides to win the $250,000 stakes. A 5-year-old by four-time leading New York sire Central Banker, Bank Frenzy ran the 1 1/8 miles in 1:50.08 on the fast track.

“He was tugging on me,” Franco said. “I knew the pace was slow, so I said, ‘I’m going to go.’ The Asmussen horse (Iron Dome) was on the lead easy and my horse was taking me, so I was happy where I was. My horse likes to wait when he makes the front, but I knew that he had more under him and when the horse engaged him to the inside, he gave me the effort that he has.”

Bred by Chester and the late Mary Broman and foaled at their Chestertown Farm in Chestertown, Bank Frenzy is out of the Tiznow mare Storm Now. He originally sold for $110,000 at the 2022 OBS April sale of 2-year-olds in training. Randy Sarf of LSU Stables purchased Bank Frenzy privately from Phil’s Racing Stable in the spring of 2024 and has watched him win seven times in 11 starts while wearing the gold and purple silks.

In capturing his fifth state-bred stakes, Bank Frenzy, who has run nine furlongs only four times, with three wins and a second, increased his earnings to $839,420. He came into the Empire Classic off a fifth-place finish in the John Morrissey Stakes July 31 at Saratoga Race Course after winning three straight New York-bred stakes prior to that. He ran second in last year’s Empire Classic to Mama’s Gold, a loss he avenged in this year’s Commentator. – Paul Halloran

Valtellina scores mild upset in Saturday’s Empire Distaff at Aqueduct. Coglianese Photo/Chelsea Durand.

• Valtellina notched her second career win on the big stage in Saturday’s $250,000 Empire Distaff Stakes, the co-feature of the Empire Showcase Day card going 1 1/8 miles on Aqueduct’s main track.

After overcoming an awkward stumble at the start, the 3-year-old Complexity filly settled in at the rear of the field as Bernietakescharge and Vehemente took the early lead. The frontrunning pair led by 5 lengths over Sweetest Princess and favored Kay Cup while Valtellina made steady progress along the backstretch.

Under Dylan Davis, Valtellina saved ground around the turn before angling three wide at the top of the stretch, sprinting past a tiring Vehemente to challenge Bernietakescharge for the lead. Valtellina charged past the frontrunner in the final sixteenth to score by 2 1/4 lengths in 1:50.03 for trainer Ray Handal.

“She was a little antsy [in the gate] and [Bernietakescharge] moving around got her going a little bit,” Davis said. “She mistimed the break and made a quick, little stumble. I was hoping she would get her feet in time, but the break wasn’t as important for me today because there was enough speed in here and she’s not a speed horse. I was just hoping she could get her legs going and get me back up and into the race and get going. She did that well.”

Valtellina’s only prior win came on debut at Saratoga Race Course in 2024. She followed the effort with a second in the 2024 running of the Joseph A. Gimma Stakes, closing out her 2-year-old season with a fifth in the Maid of the Mist Stakes and a sixth in the Key Cent Stakes. After four unsuccessful starts in allowance company to begin her 3-year-old year, Valtellina returned to stakes company in June with a fourth in the Bouwerie and a second in the New York Oaks at Finger Lakes in July. She came into the Empire Distaff off a third in the Fleet Indian Stakes Aug. 21 at Saratoga.

Despite the dry spell, her connections never had any doubts about Valtellina’s ability.

“I was a little concerned when she went down like that, but Dylan did a great job getting her back into the race,” said owner Vincent Clerico of Pavillion Racing. “She tries hard every single race. This time we finally caught the break and she got home. It was great.”

Bred by Thorostock LLC and a $67,000 purchase at the 2023 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-bred yearling sale, Valtellina is the third foal out of the winning Take Charge Indy mare Take Charge Sue.

Take Charge Sue is also the dam of winning 5-year-old New York-bred Carpe Diem gelding Hot Rod Lincoln, winning 4-year-old New York-bred Yoshida filly Good Enough For Me and the unraced New York-bred 2-year-old Violence colt Violin. Thorostock also bred Take Charge Sue’s yearling New York-bred colt by Mind Control. – Darby O’Brien

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Awesome Czech holds off Gallant Greta to win Saturday’s Ticonderoga Stakes on Empire Showcase Day at Aqueduct. Coglianese Photo.

Barry Schwartz’s homebred Awesome Czech will head to some well-earned rest and relaxation after winning for the third time in her last four starts in Saturday’s $200,000 Ticonderoga Stakes on Empire Showcase Day at Aqueduct.

“She’s been an awesome mare,” said Horacio De Paz, who trains the 4-year-old daughter of Mendelssohn. “To be consistent all throughout the year is not the easiest, so she’ll get a good little vacation now and it’s well deserved.”

Awesome Czech earned that break after she settled early and split foes in the stretch to win the 1 1/16-mile Ticonderoga by a neck over Gallant Greta. Ricardo Santana Jr., aboard for Awesome Czech’s previous five starts, rode the filly again and couldn’t say enough after her sixth win in 18 starts.

“I love this filly,” Santana said. “She was working good, and we had a lot of confidence in her. She’s been running in stakes and running hard. Today, I wanted to be patient and follow [Spinning Colors.] She sat behind them and when we turned for home, the hole opened, and I go on from there. She’s a really classy filly.”

Santana landed the mount on Awesome Czech for her first start of 2025, a narrow defeat in an open-company optional claimer May 3 at Aqueduct. After a third in the Mount Vernon Stakes on New York Showcase Day to open the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, Awesome Czech won back-to-back starts at Saratoga Race Course in an open allowance and the Yaddow Stakes. She came into the Ticonderoga off a third, again against open company, in the Athenia Stakes Sept. 14 at Aqueduct.

“She’s more mature and Santana knows her well,” De Paz said.

The 7-5 favorite in the field of nine off that Athenia effort, Awesome Czech raced in third early as Spinning Colors and longshot and Mid-Atlantic shipper Golden Rocket led through opening splits of :24.10 and :47.91 over the firm turf. Spinning Colors, fourth in the Athenia and third in the Yaddo, continued to lead around the far turn as last year’s Moonage Daydream gained ground after recovering from a terrible start.

Santana sent Awesome Czech between the tiring Spinning Colors and Golden Rocket in the stretch and braced for the challenge of Gallant Greta inside the eighth pole. Gallant Greta, making her stakes debut for trainer Mike Maker, made it a race inside the sixteenth pole but came up a neck short. Moonage Daydream finished another 2 lengths back in third, a neck ahead of Golden Rocket. Awesome Czech won in 1:41.41.

Foaled at Schwartz’s Stonewall Farm in Granite Springs, Awesome Czech is the first foal out of the Awesome Again mare Marvelous Martina.

Schwartz purchased the now 9-year-old mare carrying Awesome Czech in utero for $25,000 at the 2020 Keeneland November breeding stock sale. Marvelous Martina is also the dam of the 3-year-old Central Banker filly Rare Society, who finished sixth in a New York-bred maiden race Oct. 9 at Aqueduct.

Marvelous Martina is also the dam of a yearling New York-bred colt by Honest Mischief and a New York-bred full sister to Awesome Czech born Feb. 24. Both are bred by Schwartz’s Stonewall Farm.

Awesome Czech picked up $110,000 for the Ticonderoga victory to boost her bankroll to $573,990. – Tom Law

Manny Franco rallies Slapintheface to victory in the Mohawk Stakes on Empire Showcase Day at Aqueduct. Coglianese Photo/Chelsea Durand.

• After closing from 11th to win his last start, Slapintheface only had to come from third to win Saturday’s $200,000 Mohawk Stakes, a 1 1/16-mile affair for New York-breds on the turf, on Aqueduct’s Empire Showcase Day card.

A homebred for Niall Brennan, Slapintheface broke well and took a spot sitting third on the rail early, behind lukewarm fractions of :24.44 and :50.17 set by Itsallcomintogetha. With less than a quarter-mile to run, the gelded son of Oscar Performance tipped out to the three-path under Manny Franco and came with a furious late rally to run down Itsallcomintogetha and a game Sounds Like A Plan by a half-length in 1:43.33 for trainer Anthony Dutrow. George Briggs, the even-money favorite, finished fourth. Slapintheface paid $15.44 for the victory.

“I knew we were going to be closer today, there wasn’t much speed in the race,” Franco said. “I played it by ear and he broke good out of there, so I just let him have that spot. After that, I was comfortable. He was traveling so well and when I tipped out, he was running for me.

“He always closes. It takes him a little bit to get going, but when he gets going, he’s good.”

Franco earned his third consecutive win in the Mohawk Stakes after he won the last two editions of the Empire Showcase Day fixture for older horses on the grass aboard Grade 1 winner Spirit Of St. Louis.

Slapintheface improved to 4-for-15 lifetime with earnings of $364,320 by winning the Mohawk, the first stakes victory of his career.

The 5-year-old is the first foal out of the winning Lookin At Lucky mare Lost Innocence, who finished her racing career with one win in three starts for owner Brennan and trainer Ralph Nicks nearly a decade ago. She has also produced West Seventeenth, an unraced 2-year-old filly by Mendelssohn. – Alec DiConza

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Sterling Silver secures her 10th career win with victory in the Iroquois Stakes on Empire Showcase Day at Aqueduct. Coglianese Photo.

Sterling Silver all but guaranteed a spot among the finalists for champion New York-bred female sprinter with another solid season in 2025. Her victory in Saturday’s $200,000 Iroquois Stakes on Empire Showcase Day might just land her the title.

Mark Anderson’s 6-year-old Cupid mare improved to 2-for-7 with two seconds and two thirds this season with a widening 2-length victory over Stonewall Star in the 6 ½-furlong Iroquois. Defending New York-bred Horse of the Year and champion female sprinter finished third as the 4-5 favorite in the field of nine. Trained by Bill Mott and ridden by Junior Alvarado, Sterling Silver won in 1:15.09.

“Normally, she has a good kick and then steady at the end,” Alvarado said. “Today, she was all energy.”

An older half-sister to the Breeders’ Cup Mile-bound Rhetorical, Sterling Silver picked up another $110,000 to boost her bankroll to $1,253,051.

Mallory and Karen Mort bred both Sterling Silver and Rhetorical out of the Distorted Humor mare Sheet Humor. Sterling Silver earned New York-bred championship consideration in the female sprinter category in 2022, 2023 and 2024, along with a finalist nod in the 3-year-old filly division in 2022.

The Iroquois provided a sixth stakes victory for Sterling Silver, who also won this year’s Biogio’s Rose over New York-breds in early April at Aqueduct. She placed in two other New York-bred stakes and finished third last time out in the Grade 2 Gallant Bloom Stakes in late September at Aqueduct.

The 2-1 second choice behind My Mane Squeeze, Sterling Silver came away well from the gate and settled toward the back of the pack per her usual style. Stone Smuggler and Sunday Girl came away quickest from the gate before longshot Cara’s Time split those two to take the lead. Cara’s Time led Sunday Girl by a half-length through the opening quarter-mile in :22.42.

Sunday Girl took over on the far turn and led Cara’s Time by a half-length through the half in :45.31, with Khali Magic just a half-length back. Alvarado angled Sterling Silver several paths off the rail turning for home and she accelerated after the leaders. Sunday Girl continued on approaching the eighth pole and led by 1 ½ lengths over Stonewall Star in midstretch with Sterling Silver continuing to gain on the outside.

Sterling Silver took the lead about 70 yards from home and widened her advantage from there. Multiple stakes winner Stonewall Star, off since winning the Bay Ridge in late December, held second by a half-length from My Mane Squeeze. Sunday Girl finished fourth.

“She was very good,” Alvarado said. “She always tries but today she was finally able to get it done. I had a good trip. I got to cut the corner at the end and when I put her outside, she really kicked on today better than a couple other times before where I felt she kicked on and then was just steady at the end. … She kept running through the wire.”

Sterling Silver and My Mane Squeeze are both entered in the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky’s “Night of the Stars” at the November mixed sale. Sterling Silver, cataloged as Hip 157 and consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent, is one of three winners out of Sheet Humor. Foaled at Gallagher’s Stud in Ghent, Sterling Silver has compiled a record of 10-7-7 from her 35 starts with Mott and former trainer Tom Albertrani.

My Mane Squeeze, also consigned by Taylor Made as Hip 122, suffered her second straight defeat after winning the Johnstone Stakes in late July at Saratoga. She’s 7-for-19 with a pair of graded stakes wins, and earnings of $1,231,785. – Tom Law

The Wine Steward powers home to win the Hudson on Empire Showcase Day at Aqueduct. Coglianese Photo/Chelsea Durand.

• The Wine Steward returned to his winning ways in the $200,000 Hudson Stakes on Saturday’s Empire Showcase Day card at Aqueduct.

The 4-year-old son of Vino Rosso notched his second win in five starts this year. Coming off a lackluster sixth Sept. 19 in the 1 1/16-mile Presque Isle Mile Stakes on synthetic, The Wine Steward dominated going 6 1/2 furlongs on the dirt under Ricardo Santana Jr. for the first time.

Breaking sharp from post five, The Wine Steward settled into second early, a half-length behind frontrunner Vettriano for an opening quarter in :22.46. Biding his time as they headed into the turn, The Wine Steward challenged a stubborn Vettriano at the top of the stretch. The Wine Steward put a neck in front deep in the stretch and kept rolling, finishing 2 1/4 lengths ahead of Vettriano for a final time of 1:14.80 for trainer Mike Maker. Acoustic Ave rallied for third.

“It was impressive how he kicked today. I knew we were rolling,” said Santana. “I was chasing [Vettriano] all race, and I couldn’t let him go easy because I knew that was the horse I had to beat. I wanted to put a little pressure on, and I know I’m going fast, and then in the stretch I switched my stick to the left, hit him one time, and he gave me another gear.”

The Wine Steward began his career in 2023 with a three-race win streak, following his maiden win at Belmont Park with triumphs in the Bashford Manor Stakes at Ellis Park and the Funny Cide Stakes at Saratoga Race Course. He finished second in his three subsequent starts, going winless as a 3-year-old. He broke that streak with his triumph in the Fifth Season Stakes at Oaklawn Park, the first start of his 4-year-old season, in late January. He followed it up with a third in the Grade 3 Oaklawn Mile in March, a ninth in the Grade 3 Steve Sexton Mile in May at Lone Star Park and a head loss in the John Morrissey Stakes in July at Saratoga.

“We were always high on this horse,” said Peter Proscia of Paradise Farms, co-owner of The Wine Steward with David Staudacher. “We tried a few different things – going long, out of town – but truth be told, he loves New York. We love New York, and he made it happen today. It’s Showcase Day and we’re very happy about his effort today.”

Bred by Sequel Thoroughbreds, Lakland Farm and Mark Toothaker, The Wine Steward sold for $70,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-bred yearling sale in 2022 before selling for $340,000 at the 2023 OBS March 2-year-old sale.

The Wine Steward is the first of three foals, and lone New York-bred, out of the To Honor and Serve mare Call To Service. Call To Service is also the dam of 3-year-old Authentic gelding Acknowledge, who sold for $310,000 to Repole Stable at the 2024 OBS March sale, and 2-year-old Curlin filly Lady On Call.

The Wine Steward improved to 5-4-1 in 13 starts, boosting his earnings to $745,260. – Darby O’Brien

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