Following a year of optimism and record returns in nearly every segment of the market, the 2-year-olds in training season of 2016 saw the buyers and sellers become more discriminating with their bids and reserves, while figures generally declined for all but the top offerings.
Three years after Fort Larned won the Grade 1 Stephen Foster Handicap at Churchill Downs, his younger half-sister Walkabout won her maiden in her fourth start, taking a maiden special weight by 4 1/2 lengths on last Saturday’s Foster card.
Holy Bull, the 1994 Horse of the Year who is now a pensioner at Darley, never sired a runner who came close to his own brilliance, although he was represented by 2005 Kentucky Derby winner Giacomo. His true mark has been as a broodmare sire, with 722 winners, including 53 stakes winners and 61 more stakes-placed runners, produced by his daughters.
On an international stage at the renowned Royal Ascot meeting last week, five Kentucky-bred runners emerged victorious to fly the flag for the “Thoroughbred Capital of the World.”
Royal Ascot is widely considered the world’s highest-class Thoroughbred race meeting, and it lived up to its billing once again last week. With six races a day spread over five days of unmatched pageantry and pomp at the Queen of England’s racecourse, 23 of the 30 races earn their winners black type, 18 are group races, and eight are Group 1 races.
Queen's Plate pedigree analysis: Scholar Athlete
Ballena Vista Farm’s freshman sire Calimonco was represented by his first winner when the 2-year-old filly My California scored a 9 1/ 4-length, gate-to-wire victory in a $57,035 maiden special weight on June 16 at Santa Anita in her second start. Her time for the 5 furlongs on a fast track was :58.06.
Multiple Grade 1-winning Get Stormy was represented by his first stakes winner when juvenile filly Get Sassy got up late to win a $34,220 maiden special weight race at Presque Isle Downs on June 16.
Owner-breeder Mike Repole has sold the breeding rights to his Wood Memorial Stakes winner Outwork to WinStar Farm and Woodford Thoroughbred when the horse is eventually retired to stud at WinStar in Versailles, Ky., it was announced today.
The pressure that comes with being a No. 1 draft pick has driven an army of promising athletes into obscurity under the weight of their expectations. Don't count Belmont Stakes winner Creator among that group.
