Decarchy, a Grade 2 winner and California-based stallion, died due to complications of laminitis. He was 20.
The son of Distant View stood at Magali Farms in Santa Ynez, Calif., for an advertised fee of $3,000.
“Decarchy passed many wonderful qualities on to his progeny: his individualism, athleticism, willing heart, drive, and kind disposition,” said Magali Farms manager Tom Hudson. “It was an honor to be a part of his life. He will be truly missed.”
The Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association will once again offer the highest possible breeder and stallion awards authorized under state law in 2018.
The FTBOA’s board approved the proposal during its August meeting. Under the awards program, 20 percent of announced gross purses will be available for both breeder and stallion awards, with breeder awards distributed across first, second, and third place. The move continues the award levels established by the board for 2017, the highest in the history of the Florida Thoroughbred industry.
Bob and Alice Austin have mostly retired from the Thoroughbred breeding business, but some of their biggest résumé boosts are coming just now with the success of Girvin.
The 3-year-old colt continued that trend with a heart-stopping triumph by a nose over McCraken in the Grade 1 Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park last Sunday.
Straight Fire, a multiple Grade 1-placed runner, has been retired from racing and will debut in 2018 at Legacy Ranch in Clements, Calif., for an advertised fee of $3,500.
The 3-year-old son of Dominus finished his career with one win in four career starts for earnings of $146,400. He raced for the partnership of Jim Rome’s Jungle Racing, LNJ Foxwoods, KMN Racing, J. Davenport, and Andrew Molasky, and he was trained by Keith Desormeaux.
Although he was a three-time Grade 1 winner, the racing career of Harlan’s Holiday was defined more by the races he did not win than by those he did. Favored for the 2002 Kentucky Derby after consecutive wins in the Grade 1 Florida Derby and Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes, Harlan’s Holiday finished seventh behind 20.50-1 winner War Emblem. After winning the Grade 1 Donn Handicap the following spring, he was the only proven dirt horse in the Group 1 Dubai World Cup, but could never threaten the front-running Moon Ballad and finished second, beaten five lengths.
Stakes races restricted to graduates of a certain auction are nothing new. Local breed organizations often facilitate the races to incentivize entry in their sales, and the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co. fashions an entire card around its graduates in January.
What’s more unusual is an allowance race written for auction alumni.
The Keeneland November breeding stock sale is often where the dominos are set for racing trends in the coming years, but rarely does it have the kind impact that Bernard and Karen McCormack of Mapleshade Farm created with their purchases during the 2011 renewal, especially at their price point.
The McCormacks bought the dams of two eventual Canadian classic winners – 2016 Queen’s Plate winner Sir Dudley Digges and this year’s Prince of Wales Stakes winner, Cool Catomine – at the same November sale for a combined $70,000.
Bodemeister and Maclean’s Music, both brilliant runners in their own right, broke out with first-crop classic winners this spring, represented by Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming and Preakness winner Cloud Computing, respectively. But far from being one-hit wonders, both stallions also figure prominently in various metrics in Daily Racing Form’s Beyer Sire Performance Standings, unveiled earlier this year.
Triple Crown winner American Pharoah and two-time Horse of the Year California Chrome have arrived in the Southern Hemisphere for the upcoming breeding seasons in Australia and Chile, respectively.
American Pharoah, who has stood the past two Northern Hemisphere seasons at Coolmore’s Ashford Stud in Kentucky, will debut at Coolmore Australia for the breeding season beginning Sept. 1 and will return to Kentucky in December.
