Sabbatical is first mare to deliver as part of Foal Patrol project

The blue-blooded Sabbatical has delivered the first foal for the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame's Foal Patrol project, a colt by prominent sire War Front.

Sabbatical, who is owned by Phipps Stable, resides at historic Claiborne Farm in Kentucky and delivered the foal shortly before 6 a.m. Friday. The mare is among eight broodmares in three states participating in the Foal Patrol project, a one-of-a-kind collection of live web cameras where people can view real-time streams of several in-foal mares during their pregnancy through the actual foaling and days following. The live camera feeds, which are optimized for viewing across media platforms, are available from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Eastern daily, with extended hours as the expected foaling dates approach. The website is optimized for viewing across all media platforms, including tablets and smart phones. Video of Sabbatical's foaling and several other clips, in addition to the live feed of the mare and her newborn, can now be viewed at the project's website.

“We’re so excited to see the first foal of Foal Patrol. Congratulations to Phipps Stable and everyone at Claiborne Farm,” Cathy Marino, director of the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, said in a release. “We are thrilled they agreed to be part of this new initiative of the Museum. One of the Museum’s priorities is to make the sport of Thoroughbred racing accessible to as many people as possible, and Foal Patrol is a wonderful way for people to get unprecedented insight into the breeding of a racehorse, one of the most essential components of the sport. We’re looking forward to seeing this colt grow and develop on the way to the racetrack.”

This is the second foal out of Sabbatical, a winning Medaglia d'Oro mare. Out of the Grade 2-winning A.P. Indy mare Daydreaming, Sabbatical is a half-sister to Grade 1 winner Imagining. Her second dam is influential broodmare Get Lucky – a sister to champion Rhythm – who produced Grade 1 winner Girolamo, graded stakes winner Accelerator, stakes winner Harborage, several stakes producers, including the dams of Grade 1 winners Super Saver, Bluegrass Cat, and Got Lucky.

Phipps Stable is allowing followers of Foal Patrol to submit suggested names for the colt as part of an online contest. Naming suggestions will be accepted through Feb. 2, and the winner will receive a prize package including a tour of Claiborne, courtesy of one of the Museum’s partners, Horse Country. Followers for Foal Patrol can sign up for foaling alerts and contests on the website, including a grand prize of box seats for six at the 2018 Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks, courtesy of Marylou Whitney and Museum president John Hendrickson.

The next Foal Patrol mares scheduled to deliver are Breeders' Cup Distaff winner Stopchargingmaria, who is projected to deliver a Pioneerof the Nile foal at Three Chimneys Farm in Kentucky around Feb. 2; and Grade 1 winner Centre Court, expected to a deliver a Medaglia d'Oro foal around Feb. 19 at Shawnee Farm in Kentucky

The other Foal Patrol mares are champion La Verdad (in foal to Tapit) in New York, Memento d'Oro (in foal to Bodemeister) in New York, stakes winner Via Veneto (in foal to Bodemeister) in Florida, Kentucky Oaks winner and champion Bird Town (in foal to Empire Maker) in Kentucky, and Canadian Horse of the Year Arravale (in foal to American Pharoah) in Kentucky.