Leslie's Lady, dam of four-time Eclipse Award winner Beholder, has been named the 2016 Broodmare of the Year by the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association and Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders.
Freshman sire Violence was represented by his first winner from his first starter on Thursday, as Buy Sell Hold was a 4 1/2-length winner of a Keeneland maiden.
Baby Zip, dam of Hall of Fame member Ghostzapper and Grade 1 winner City Zip, died from complications stemming from laminitis. She was 26.
Freshman sire Data Link recorded his first winner on Thursday when his daughter Di Maria was a three-length debut winner at Gulfstream Park.
Awesome Patriot, a Grade 3-placed stakes winner, was represented by his first winner at stud on Wednesday when Amberspatriot split horses and got up in time to win a maiden special weight on debut at Keeneland.
Kentucky Derby pedigree analysis: Girvin
Over the last two decades, the two largest racing and breeding operations on the planet have taken distinctly separate tacks. The Coolmore partnership has been all about the Northern Dancer line horses Sadler’s Wells and Danehill, with those two or their sons Danehill Dancer and Galileo leading the English sire list every year since 1992. Godolphin, meanwhile, has been much more eclectic, sprinkling ample doses of Mr. Prospector, Seattle Slew, and even the exotic Monsun into their global stallion rosters.
Ivan Dalos' Tall Oaks Farm was poised to have a big evening Thursday at the Sovereign Awards, with 11 finalist nominations among horses he owns or has bred, plus individual honors. His operation finished the night with three winners.
Multiple Grade 1 winner Flat Out was the first of this year’s freshman sires off the mark with a winner at a major racetrack, as Flat Drunk captured her career debut on Thursday at Keeneland.
The consistent Amis Gizmo helped propel his sire, Giant Gizmo, near the top of Canada's general sire list in 2016 by winning three stakes, including the Prince of Wales Stakes, the middle leg of the Canadian Triple Crown. The colt will keep his sire in the headlines this week as he was a finalist for a Sovereign Award as Canada's outstanding 3-year-old male of 2016.
