Friendly Island the latest open victor

With his victory in the Grade 3 Maryland Breeders' Cup Sprint Handicap on Preakness Day, Friendly Island became the 11th New York-bred winner of an open stakes race in 2006.

A 5-year-old horse by Crafty Friend, owned by the Anstu Stables of Stuart and Anita Subotnick and trained by Todd Pletcher, Friendly Island won his first graded-stakes race after a succession of fine efforts in top company.

He sent his earnings to $426,214 with a record of 7-1-1 from 13 starts, defeating graded-stakes winners Kazoo and Gaff in the process.

Friendly Island was coming off a sharp second-place finish to Bordonaro, one of the nation's top sprinters, in the Grade 3 Count Fleet Sprint Handicap at Oaklawn Park.

Bred by Kildare Stud and Adrian Regan, Friendly Island is also the winner of the Hudson Handicap in 2004 and 2005. He is out of the Ogygian mare Island Queen, whose dam, Regal Peace, is a stakes winner in England and also the mother of stakes-placed Royal Mistress.

Friendly Island's third dam, Tarvie, produced Stalker, winner of the Group 1 Middle Park Stakes and placed in several other group events.

The Subotnicks, of New York City, own Anstu Farm in Millbrook, N.Y. Stuart Subotnick is a general partner and executive vice president of Metromedia Company and a trustee of the New York Racing Association.

The Maryland Breeders' Cup Sprint made Friendly Island the seventh New York-bred winner of a graded-stakes race in 2006.

The others are Behaving Badly, winner of the Grade 1 Santa Monica and Grade 3 Las Flores handicaps; Sharp Humor, winner of the Grade 2 Swale Stakes; Fleet Indian, winner of the Next Move and Sixty Sails, both Grade 3 handicaps; West Virginia, winner of the Grade 3 Excelsior Handicap; Foreverness, winner of the Grade 3 Fort Marcy Handicap; and Magnolia Jackson, winner of the Grade 2 Bed o' Roses Handicap.

Overall, New York-breds have won 15 open stakes races in six states in 2006.

Another six-figure sale for Millennium Wind

New York stallion Millennium Wind had another high-priced auction juvenile recently when his daughter Meggie was purchased for $260,000 at the Barretts 2-year-olds in training sale on May 15 and 16 in Pomona, Calif.

The figure was the fourth-highest price among 200 juveniles sold at the auction, and Meggie was the only member of the sale's 10 most expensive purchases by a sire whose advertised fee is less than $10,000.

Meggie, consigned by Cash Asmussen's Cashmark Farm, was purchased by Bruno DeBerdt, agent.

She is a half-sister to Don't Tell Mommy, winner of a juvenile stakes race at Louisiana Downs in 2005, and is out of Texas stakes winner My Meggie Meg, by French Deputy.

Millennium Wind stands for a fee of $5,000 at Highcliff Farm in Delanson, N.Y.

At Fasig-Tipton's 2-year-old sale on Feb. 28 at Calder, a colt by Millennium Wind named Exhale sold for $800,000.

Millennium Wind, by multiple Grade 1 winner Cryptoclearance, captured the Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes in 2001 and is a half-brother to Horse of the Year Charismatic, winner of the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, and to multiple graded-stakes winner Tossofthecoin, who earned more than $800,000.

Lycius has reputation grow

Lycius, who stands at Mill Creek Farm in Stillwater, gained more recognition as a broodmare sire when Mirabilis won the Grade 3 Churchill Downs Distaff Turf Mile on May 6.

Mirabilis, a Juddmonte Farms runner, is out of Media Nox, a daughter of Lycius who won the Grade 2 Buena Vista Handicap during her racing days.

Lycius is the broodmare sire of Flower Alley, winner of the Travers Stakes in 2005 and second that year in the Breeders' Cup Classic to Horse of the Year Saint Liam.

Lycius is also the broodmare sire of Group 1 winner Nebraska Tornado, unbeaten graded-stakes winner and young sire Cactus Ridge, and graded-stakes winner Shining Energy.

Lycius, by Mr. Prospector, also sired Palladio, winner of the Grade 2 Ohio Derby and Canada's champion 3-year-old male in 2005.

Lycius stands for a fee of $5,000. He ranked 11th among New York sires in 2005, with progeny earnings of $1,663,767 and is also the sire of 10 group or graded stakes winners in addition to Palladio, including champions Hello and Slap Shot.