Famed geologist Charles Fipke, whose adventurous nature has taken him to remote locations the world over in pursuit of his profession, is unafraid to take risks.
Geologists had unsuccessfully searched for diamond deposits in North America for more than a century. Fipke, with only a shoestring budget, did not relent in prospecting his native Canada, and in 1991 made the groundbreaking discovery of what would become the Ekati diamond mine.
Few horses have been better named than Saturday’s Tenacious Handicap winner Honorable Duty. I normally prefer names that manage to evoke both the name of the sire and the dam, and since Honorable Duty is by Distorted Humor out of Mesmeric, by A.P. Indy, his does neither. But Honorable Duty is a perfect description of the stud career of his sire and of the service his female family has provided for his breeder, Juddmonte Farms.
Breeders’ Cup Distaff winner Stopchargingmaria has been booked to Pioneerof the Nile for her first season as a broodmare, joining an outstanding book of mares committed to the young classic sire.
Stopchargingmaria, by Tale of the Cat, sold for $2.8 million to Goncalo Torrealba of Three Chimneys Farm as a broodmare prospect last month at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky fall selected mixed sale.
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Curlin’s book for the 2017 breeding season will include a pair of Grade 1-winning daughters of Bernardini from the Stonestreet Farm broodmare band – Rachel’s Valentina and Cavorting.
John G. Sikura, president of Hill ‘n’ Dale Farm, where Curlin stands, confirmed the plans for the two mares.
Curlin relocated to Hill ‘n’ Dale from Lane’s End for the 2016 breeding season and covered 141 mares in his first year at the new residence. He will stand the upcoming season for an advertised fee of $150,000.
Western Reserve and Honorable Duty may have crossed paths on their way to and from the racetrack Saturday at Fair Grounds. The two geldings scored in back-to-back stakes, taking the Buddy Diliberto Memorial Stakes and Tenacious Stakes, respectively.
Laoban, a Grade 2 winner whose retirement due to a soft-tissue injury was announced this week, will begin his stallion career at Sequel Stallions in New York in 2017. The 3-year-old son of Uncle Mo will debut for an advertised fee of $7,500.
Laoban will be syndicated in a joint venture involving Sequel, co-owner Southern Equine Stables, McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds, and Woodford Thoroughbreds.
Swipe, runner-up to champion Nyquist in the 2015 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, has been purchased for stallion duty by Ivan Sjoberg’s Ravdansen Stud of Sweden.
The 3-year-old son of Birdstone is expected to arrive in Sweden in early 2017, after undergoing quarantine. The colt was originally entered to sell as a stallion prospect at the Keeneland November breeding stock sale, but was scratched from the sale and privately purchased by Ravdansen. The farm is located in Arla, a roughly 70-minute drive west of Stockholm.
The Grade 3 stakes-winning turf sprinter Lady Shipman has been retired, owner Randall Lowe announced Wednesday.
Lady Shipman, a 4-year-old daughter of Midshipman, will be bred to standout young sire Uncle Mo in 2017. Lowe then plans to sell her in foal next November at one of Kentucky’s major mixed auctions. In the meantime, she will be boarded at Taylor Made Farm in Kentucky.
“Lady Shipman retires as one of the greatest American female turf sprinters ever,” Taylor Made president Duncan Taylor said. “She is an outstanding broodmare prospect.”
Love the Chase, the dam of 2014 Horse of the Year California Chrome, has been booked to classic sire Pioneerof the Nile for 2017.
The Not For Love mare sold for $1.95 million to bloodstock agent John McCormack, on behalf of undisclosed domestic clients, during last month’s Fasig-Tipton Kentucky fall selected mixed sale. SF Bloodstock representative Tom Ryan was the one to confirm the 2017 appointment for the mare via social media.
“Love the Chase will visit Pioneerof the Nile. They will complement each other in every possible way,” Ryan wrote.
With less than three weeks remaining in 2016, the freshman sire race is too close to call, with Dialed In and Union Rags separated by a narrow margin atop the earnings list.
Dialed In, who stands at Darby Dan Farm, is represented by 19 winners, including two stakes winners, for earnings of $1,459,957 through Sunday, according to Equineline statistics. Just behind is Lane’s End stallion Union Rags with a bankroll of $1,424,665, generated by 17 winners, including three stakes winners.
