Antony Beck’s Gainesway and Mandy Pope’s Whisper Hill Farm have acquired interests in Belmont Stakes winner Tapwrit, and the colt will stand at Gainesway in Lexington, Ky., upon his retirement from racing.
The 3-year-old son of Gainesway’s cornerstone sire, Tapit, will be raced in partnership with his initial group of owners – Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Bridlewood Farm, and Robert LaPenta. Todd Pletcher trains the colt.
The only thing missing from the burgeoning resume of three-time leading American sire Tapit is a reputation as a sire of sires. At 16 years old, the son of Pulpit has not yet had many opportunities to prove himself on that score, but with more than 30 sons currently at stud, it is highly likely that his eventual success in that sphere is more or less inevitable.
Grade 1 winner Tom’s Tribute will relocate to Rancho San Miguel in San Miguel, Calif., for the 2018 breeding season and will stand for an advertised fee of $2,000.
The 7-year-old son of Lion Heart previously stood at Magali Farms in Santa Ynez, Calif., where he recently completed his second season at stud. He stands as property of DP Racing.
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.
