With the flip of the calendar earlier this week, Into Mischief has officially claimed his fifth consecutive leading general sire earnings title in North America.
Into Mischief, by Harlan’s Holiday, stands at Spendthrift Farm in Lexington, Ky. He easily outdistanced Curlin, standing at Hill ‘n’ Dale Farm in Paris, Ky., by 2023 earnings, at $26,126,182 to $18,770,794, according to Daily Racing Form statistics.
Hardly a week of racing went by this year without a horse owned and bred by Larry and Marianne Williams racing at Golden Gate Fields or on the fair circuit.
Over the years, the couple has won stakes with such familiar names as Lady Railrider, Pulpit Rider, Rousing Sermon, Tamarando, and Ward ’n Jerry. They all earned more than $500,000.
This fall, the 2-year-olds Grand Slam Smile and Wild Jewels won stakes for the Williamses at Golden Gate Fields and Santa Anita.
Those successful runners may represent the end of an era for the stable in Northern California.
No one could get close to Bolden at the finish line in his abbreviated racing career in California.
In four starts in sprints from the spring of 2020 until his final race this September, Bolden won by a combined 21 lengths. Bolden won two sprints on dirt at Santa Anita and turf sprints at Del Mar and Santa Anita.
“He’s faster than 99.9 percent of your racehorses,” trainer Phil D’Amato said after Bolden won a five-furlong turf sprint at Del Mar in September. “He’s ultra-talented on dirt and grass.”
It’s difficult for a horse fanatic to keep their eyes on the road when traveling east on California Highway 246 between Buellton and Solvang. There’s too much to see and admire in that stretch of road well north of Santa Barbara.
The journey between the two small towns is barely a few miles, but once past the famous Hitching Post restaurant and Ostrichland USA, the path narrows to a two-lane tree-lined road between horse farms.
Regardless of where in California Grazen resides, it’s a safe bet that he will continue his run at or near the top of the state’s sire charts as he comes off a strong season in 2023.
Grazen, who will stand at Mike and Angie Scully’s Eclipse Thoroughbred Training center for 2024, led this year’s California general sires earnings list through Dec. 14. He has a good chance to hold sway through the end of the year, with total progeny earnings of $4,648,407 to $4,036,340 for Stay Thirsty.
The three finalists for the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association statebred horse of the year award in 2022 were, alphabetically, Fun to Dream, Slow Down Andy, and The Chosen Vron, with the award ultimately going to Fun to Dream.
It would be no surprise if those three runners were again among the finalists when the 2023 honors are presented at the CTBA’s annual meeting and awards dinner in March in Arcadia. Slow Down Andy and The Chosen Vron were among the California-bred Grade 1 winners of 2023, while Fun to Dream was a graded stakes winner.
Pleasant Acres Stallions is pleased to announce the arrival of SIMPLIFICATION (Not This Time / Simply Confection, by Candy Ride) – who will stand in Florida in 2024 for $6,500.
“We are pleased to bring a talented son of NOT THIS TIME into our stallion barn at Pleasant Acres Stallions,” said Director of Stallion Services Christine Jones. “SIMPLIFICATION is a hometown hero for all of us in Florida and we are certain breeders will benefit from breeding to this Champion Horse-of-the-Year, Florida-bred, graded stakes winner.”
Caravel, whose signature victory came in the 2022 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint, has officially been retired, and is expected to be bred to Triple Crown winner Justify in the upcoming breeding season.
The news on Pennsylvania-bred Caravel, first reported by Lancaster Farming, is unsurprising. The 6-year-old Mizzen Mast mare was a $2.4 million buyback at the Keeneland November breeding stock sale, with information on her future plans not immediately available that week.
The Pennsylvania Horse Racing Association (PHRA), an organization dedicated to marketing and promoting thoroughbred and harness racing, as well as both thoroughbred and standardbred breeding, has launched a new podcast, “Hot 2 Trot.” Hosted by Ashley Eisenbeil and Dawnelle Mock, the podcast is seeking to carve out its own niche by offering in-depth, offbeat, and, at times, irreverent interviews with a range of individuals working in all aspects of both thoroughbred and harness racing, as well as thoroughbred and standardbred breeding.
Belmont Stakes winner Palace Malice and dual-surface Grade 1 winner Yoshida will stand the 2024 season at Darley Japan, the farm has announced. Palace Malice formerly stood at Three Chimneys Farm, where he entered stud in 2016. He represents a nascent investment in Curlin’s sireline for Japan. Meanwhile, Yoshida, who entered stud at WinStar Farm in 2020, is a representative of the most prominent sireline in Japan.
