There are good years for stallion operations, and then there are the “three of the state’s top four sires” kind of good years. Swifty Farms in Seymour, Ind., had the latter.
A pair of relocated horses standing their first seasons at Swifty Farms took Indiana’s top two spots by earnings, while a veteran to the state’s sire ranks came in fourth.
The Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society (Ontario Division) Canadian premier yearling sale posted a higher gross on Thursday from a significantly larger catalog compared with 2016, but the average and median prices saw mild declines. A trio of yearlings topped the auction, each selling for 85,000 Canadian dollars.
The single-day auction closed with 204 horses sold for $3,630,000, up 4 percent from last year’s gross of $3,481,800 for 181 horses. However, the average sale price dropped 7 percent to $17,794 from $19,236, while the median declined 9 percent to $10,000 from $11,000.
Park Stud in Orangeville, Ontario, concluded its breeding season slightly ahead of schedule in response to the recent outbreak of the equine herpesvirus at Woodbine.
A pair of 64-horse barns at Woodbine were placed under quarantine by the Ontario Racing Commission on Wednesday after five horses tested positive for the virus. The ORC also implemented a seven-day restriction on horses shipping out of the track without approval, with further action depending on how the situation has progressed.
B. Wayne Hughes’ Spendthrift Farm has expanded its "Breed Secure" program to include Grade 1-winning stallions Court Vision and Victor's Cry, both standing their second seasons at Park Stud in Orangeville, Ont.
Victor’s Cry, winner of last year’s Shoemaker Mile, and 2011 Indiana Derby winner Wilburn have retired from racing and will enter stud next year. B. Wayne Hughes’s Spendthrift Farm in Lexington, Ky., has bought both. Hughes will stand Wilburn at his farm but will stand Victor’s Cry at Michael Byrne’s Park Stud in Canada.
Their fees will be announced later.
Victor’s Cry, the winner of the Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile in 2010, has been retired to stud because of concern over the condition of his ankles, trainer Eoin Harty said on Monday.
Stallion plans have not been finalized, Harty said. Victor’s Cry, 6, won 6 of 24 starts and $762,021.
“He’s showing some wear and tear on those ankles,” Harty said. “I didn’t want to jeopardize his future career.”
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ARCADIA, Calif. – The $100,000 Thunder Road Handicap on turf at Santa Anita on Saturday will determine Victor’s Cry’s March itinerary.
A win could lead to a start in the $5 million Dubai Duty Free at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai on March 26. Anything else would likely lead to a start in the $300,000 Frank Kilroe Mile at Santa Anita on March 5.
Trainer Eoin Harty is thinking of Dubai but has yet to pack a bag.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Victor’s Cry won the Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile here in May in a career-defining win. Unfortunately for owners Bob and Michele Billings and trainer Eoin Harty, Victor’s Cry’s three subsequent starts have been less satisfying.
After a decent second in the Grade 1 Eddie Read Stakes at Del Mar, Victor’s Cry was ninth in the Grade 1 Woodbine Mile and fifth in the Grade 2 Oak Tree Mile at Hollywood Park last month. Those results will make him an outsider in an ultra-competitive running of the $250,000 Citation Handicap on turf next Saturday.
