Country House, who was last seen in the winner's circle at Churchill Downs after being declared the winner of the Kentucky Derby via an unprecedented disqualification, has been retired following a bout with laminitis, according to a statement issued by his connections on Friday evening.
There are always surprises along the Kentucky Derby trail – and this year's Derby Watch coverage kicks off fresh with one of those – Sole Volante
Alittlebitearly, the dam of Breeders' Cup Classic winner Bayern, has died at Helen Alexander's Middlebrook Farm in Kentucky after delivering a healthy filly by Nyquist. The Thunder Gulch mare was 18.
Breeding sheds officially open this week across Kentucky, with farms looking to get their new young stallions off to a strong start with the best mares possible in what has become an increasingly competitive landscape.
New York-bred Friend Or Foe is fashioning an unconventional stallion career in his adopted state of Virginia, with his offspring continuing to flourish back in his home state to make him a leading sire.
European Horse of the Year and perennial leading North American sire Giant's Causeway died in 2018 – but the legacy of his family is very much alive.
In a national breeding market marked by a slow decline in activity the past decade or so, Pennsylvania has been holding fairly well.
The Maryland bloodstock industry has shown strength in recent years, with strong results at Fasig-Tipton's regional sales, prominent runners emerging from the state such as Kentucky Oaks winner Cathryn Sophia, and solid young stallions recruited to stand in the state. That was evident in 2019, as a competitive class of freshman sires dueled in their adopted home state and made some impact on a strong national freshman sire list.
Khozan never got a chance to show what he may have been truly capable of on the racetrack. The $1 million purchase, a half-brother to Hall of Fame racemare Royal Delta, won his two starts in dominant fashion, but was injured while preparing for his stakes debut, forcing his retirement. Still, he was well received upon arriving at Journeyman Stud in Florida.
First foals for stallions, as they have been reported by their respective stud farms.
