ARCADIA, Calif. - The list of ailments that Rio Oro has overcome sounds more like a set of injuries that could plague an entire barn.
At one time or another, the 6-year-old Rio Oro has fought problems with tendons, ankles, knees, and feet.
Fortunately, his heart appears to be intact.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Tiznow, the two-time Breeders' Cup Classic winner now standing at WinStar Farm near Versailles, Ky., has attracted more than 200 applications from mare owners.
Duncan Taylor, whose family's Taylor Made Farm manages Tiznow in a partnership with WinStar and Cee's Stable, said Wednesday that Tiznow has been booked to between 75 and 80 mares. Tiznow, a 4-year-old by Cee's Tizzy, will stand in 2002 for a $30,000 stud fee.
"We're being really selective," Taylor said. "There are plenty of mares to choose from."
LEXINGTON, Ky. - The younger stallion corps had plenty to cheer about with the results of the Hollywood Futurity and Starlet. In the Futurity, Siphonic, a son of freshman sire Siphon, defeated Fonz's and Officer, who are by the relatively young Out of Place and Bertrando. In the Starlet, daughters of Tabasco Cat, You and I, and Delineator took the first three places, with Habibti defeating You by a head in a result that seemed a better assessment of their abilities than the outcome of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies.
LAS VEGAS - This is the third article in a series on the freshman stallions of 2002 (sires whose first crop will be 2-year-olds next year), with particular emphasis on how to bet their offspring.
Elusive Quality (Gone West). There are many stallions in the $10,000 stud fee range, but one of the most attractive freshman sires at this fee is Elusive Quality. Although he didn't win a stakes until age 5, he always showed ability, finishing second to Honour and Glory in the King's Bishop Stakes at 3 and finishing third in the Tom Fool Handicap at 4.
ARCADIA, Calif. - In six months, trainers Henry Moreno and Blane Schvaneveldt will learn if a three-year gamble has paid off.
Since 1999, the two men have been partners on the young stallion Red, who stands at Schvaneveldt Ranch in Romoland, Calif.
This spring and summer, Moreno and Schvaneveldt will be cheering for Red's first crop of 2-year-olds to succeed in the two-furlong races at Santa Anita and at 4 1/2 furlongs at Hollywood Park. They will also be closely watching the results of the 2-year-old maiden races for Quarter Horses at Los Alamitos.
ARCADIA, Calif. - While Dixie Dot Com may be the best known of the new stallions in California this year, there are a number of others, with bloodlines and fees to suit just about any breeder. Most are entering stud for the first time this year, with a handful of others, including the stakes winner Comic Strip, arriving in the state after beginning their stallion careers elsewhere.
New at stud for 2002
ARCADIA, Calif. - He might not have been the best horse to race in California the last five years, but he wasn't far from it. And he was certainly among the most popular. What set Dixie Dot Com apart was his courage, consistency, and ability to bounce back repeatedly from injuries, qualities that Stephen Sahadi hopes will make Dixie Dot Com as big a hit in the breeding shed as he was on the racetrack.
John Harris is chairman and chief executive of Harris Farms, which with both Thoroughbreds and beef cattle is one of California's largest livestock operations. He is a member of the California Horse Racing Board, a director and past president of the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association, and served as chairman of Bay Meadows. Harris recently spoke with Chuck Dybdal of Daily Racing Form about the challenges facing the Thoroughbred industry in California.
Daily Racing Form: What is the state of the California breeding industry today?