Mon, 05/11/2026 - 11:20

Good Magic can follow in Curlin's hoofprints with personal Triple Crown

Barbara D. Livingston
Preakness hopeful Talkin can complete his sire Good Magic's personal Triple Crown, a feat accomplished by his sire Curlin.

Hall of Famer Curlin completed his personal Triple Crown as a sire when his son Golden Tempo won the Kentucky Derby earlier this month. Now, Curlin’s champion son Good Magic will try to keep the magic going as he looks to pull the same trick with Talkin in this Saturday’s Preakness Stakes.

Mon, 05/04/2026 - 12:14

Gun Runner fillies sweep Oaks exacta

Barbara D. Livingston
Kentucky Oaks victor Always a Runner is trained by Chad Brown, who also conditioned Sierra Leone and Early Voting.

Gun Runner, one of the nation’s leading sires, swept the Kentucky Oaks exacta on Friday night at Churchill Downs, with daughters Always a Runner and Meaning finishing one-two.

Mon, 05/04/2026 - 12:11

Golden Tempo's Derby win another feather in Phipps's cap

Barbara D. Livingston
Golden Tempo's dam, Carrumba, only missed the board twice in 15 starts as a racemare for Phipps Stable.

Carrumba was a fine racemare, carrying the iconic Phipps Stable black silks with cherry cap to victory four times, highlighted by the Grade 3 Top Flight Invitational Handicap in 2016. She only missed the board twice in 15 starts, and her seven additional graded stakes placings included, fittingly, a third in the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps Stakes in 2016 at Belmont Park.

Mon, 05/04/2026 - 11:11

Curlin completes personal Triple Crown; shows influence with Derby trifecta

Barbara D. Livingston
Curlin sired Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo, with runner-up Renegade being out of a Curlin mare and third-place finisher Ocelli being by Curlin's son Connect.

Not only did the great Curlin complete his personal Triple Crown with Golden Tempo’s victory in the Kentucky Derby, having now sired a winner of each of the Triple Crown races, he had a unique Derby trifecta that showcases his multi-generational influence. Golden Tempo edged Renegade, who is out of a Curlin mare. Third-place finisher Ocelli is by Curlin’s son Connect, as Curlin continues to emerge as a sire of sires.

Mon, 04/27/2026 - 11:22

Spendthrift has lots of fingers in this year's Derby pie

Debra A. Roma
Further Ado will fly the Spendthrift colors in the 152nd Kentucky Derby.

Spendthrift Farm’s orange and purple silks will be carried by just one horse in the Kentucky Derby. But, in addition to focusing on dominant Blue Grass winner Further Ado, the farm’s principals could be forgiven if their eyes stray elsewhere in the big field on Saturday.

Mon, 04/27/2026 - 11:17

First-time Kentucky Derby sires are out in full force

Debra A. Roma
The Puma gives 2021 Belmont winner Essential Quality a big chance to have his first Kentucky Derby winner.

Four Kentucky Derby entrants are from the first crops of their respective sires, which could give a big leg up to young stallions still building their résumés.

The four, all in the main body of the field, from the inside of the gate out, are Albus, by Yaupon (who stands at Spendthrift Farm); Danon Bourbon, by Maxfield (Darley); The Puma, by Essential Quality (Darley); and Silent Tactic, by Tacitus (Taylor Made Farm).

Wed, 04/22/2026 - 18:21

Curlin, 22, taken out of service for remainder of breeding season

Curlin Sept 18 2023
Barbara D. Livingston
Curlin was found to have an ulcer in his stomach, and then spiked a brief temperature. His sperm currently is "subnormal in motility and the number of live semen." The hope is he will recover and can be bred again in 2027.

Two-time Horse of the Year and classic sire Curlin will not cover mares for the remainder of the breeding season after developing an ulcer and a brief illness. The 22-year-old son of Smart Strike stands at Hill 'n' Dale Farm in Paris, Ky., which is hopeful that the stallion will be able to return to service in 2027.

The story was first reported by the Thoroughbred Daily News. Hill 'n' Dale owner John Sikura told the TDN that Curlin exhibited discomfort about 10 days ago, and an ulcer was found outside of his stomach, an unusual location.

Wed, 04/22/2026 - 09:51

Kentucky Derby pedigree profile: Pavlovian

Barbara D. Livingston
Pavlovian is a California-bred son of Pavel, who earned more than $2 million for owner-breeder J. Paul Reddam and trainer Doug O'Neill.

Pavlovian

Pavel – Mandy’s Grace, by Bellamy Road

Bred in California by Reddam Racing

 

J. Paul Reddam and trainer Doug O’Neill have teamed to win the Kentucky Derby twice, in 2012 with I’ll Have Another and 2016 with Nyquist. Their hopeful this year is California-bred homebred Pavlovian, whose sire and dam were both trained by O’Neill for Reddam.

Wed, 04/15/2026 - 19:32

Multiple Grade 1 winner Frosted euthanized at age 14 due to laminitis

Barbara D. Livingston
Frosted, a multiple Grade 1 winner that stood at Darley, was euthanized Wednesday at the age of 14 due to laminitis.

Multiple Grade 1 winner Frosted, whose top-level wins included a dazzling score in the 2016 Metropolitan Handicap, was euthanized Wednesday after developing laminitis. The son of Tapit was 14.

Frosted raced as a homebred for Godolphin and stood under the operation's Darley stallions banner. The farm termed his development of laminitis an “acute episode” in a release issued Wednesday.

Wed, 04/15/2026 - 11:39

Kentucky Derby pedigree profile: Renegade

Tom Keyser
Renegade is by three-time Kentucky Derby-winning sire Into Mischief out of the Curlin mare Spice Is Nice.

Renegade

Into Mischief – Spice Is Nice, by Curlin

Bred in Kentucky by Robert and Lawana Low ($975,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase by West Bloodstock, agent for Repole Stable)

 

Renegade’s performance in the Arkansas Derby made him the early Kentucky Derby favorite. He has a pedigree befitting a Derby favorite, as he is by one of the leading sires in the race’s history and from a strong female family with plenty of two-turn success.