Thu, 10/13/2016 - 09:21

Brereton Jones, Old Friends to receive KEEP Industry Vision Award

-- Edited Press Release --
 
The Kentucky Equine Education Project (KEEP) will honor former Kentucky governor and founding KEEP member Brereton Jones and Old Friends Thoroughbred Retirement Farm of Georgetown, Ky., as recipients of the inaugural Industry Vision Award during the KEEP Equine Industry Conference on October 18 at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Lexington, Ky. The award was established to recognize distinguished leadership in Kentucky’s equine industry.

Wed, 10/12/2016 - 17:17

Java's War retired to stand in Ontario at Colebrook Farm

Keeneland/Coady Photography
Java's War was a Grade 1 winner during his 19-race career, taking the 2013 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland.

Grade 1 winner Java’s War has been retired from racing and will stand the 2017 breeding season at Colebrook Farm in Uxbridge, Ontario, for an advertised fee of $3,000 Canadian.

Java’s War, a 6-year-old son of War Pass, finished his on-track career with 3 wins in 19 starts for earnings of $713,807. He raced as an Ontario homebred for Charles Fipke, and was trained by Ken McPeek, Barclay Tagg, and Roger Attfield.

Wed, 10/12/2016 - 13:24

Harry's Holiday, Looking Cool to stand at Justice Farm in Kentucky

Barbara D. Livingston
Looking Cool will stand at Justice Farm in Kentucky in 2017 for $2,000.

Justice Farm in Lexington, Ky., will debut two stallions during the 2017 breeding season – Grade 3 winner Looking Cool and Grade 3-placed stakes winner Harry’s Holiday.

Harry’s Holiday will stand for an advertised fee of $3,000, while Looking Cool will debut for $2,000. Both stallions will eventually be relocated to Indiana for future breeding seasons after starting in Kentucky.

Tue, 10/11/2016 - 15:15

Brody's Cause, Cinco Charlie to stand at Spendthrift

Coady Photography
Jockey Luis Saez celebrates after Brody's Cause, second choice at 4-1, wins the Blue Grass Stakes by 1 3/4 lengths.

Two-time Grade 1 winner Brody's Cause and Grade 3 winner Cinco Charlie will stand at Spendthrift Farm in 2017, and will be available as part of the farm's Share the Upside incentive program.

Tue, 10/11/2016 - 10:14

Sparkman: Practical Joke is Into Mischief's latest serious runner

Barbara D. Livingston
Trainer Chad Brown collects his third graded stakes win of the card when Joel Rosario guides Practical Joke (1) to a narrow win over Syndergaard in the Champagne.

Naming Thoroughbred racehorses is very much an art rather than a science, but one suspects that there is a very good story behind the name of the rapidly rising young sire Into Mischief.

Unlike many well-named horses, there are no strong clues in his pedigree. Into Mischief is by Harlan’s Holiday out of Leslie’s Lady, by Tricky Creek, and exactly how one gets the name Into Mischief out of that remains a mystery to everyone except perhaps B. Wayne Hughes, who purchased him for $180,000 at the 2007 Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company’s March sale of selected 2-year-olds in training.

Mon, 10/10/2016 - 22:45

Leading California sire Unusual Heat pensioned

Unusual Heat, California’s all-time leading sire by progeny earnings, has been pensioned from stud duty at age 26.

The son of Nureyev will reside as a pensioner at Harris Farms in Coalinga, Calif., where he most recently stood.

Unusual Heat has sired 16 crops of racing age, with 399 winners and progeny earnings in excess of $42.4 million. He was California’s leading sire by earnings every year from 2008 to 2013, and finished atop the standings by turf earnings in each of the past 12 years.

Mon, 10/10/2016 - 13:36

Modest buy pays off for Casses

Coady Photography
Keep Quiet wins the Grade 3 Bourbon Stakes on Sunday.

Bloodstock agent Justin Casse went to the 2014 Arqana December breeding stock sale in Deauville, France, and signed tickets for two weanlings and a pair of broodmare prospects.

Keep Quiet, one of those weanlings, confirmed that the voyage was a successful one on Sunday by winning the Grade 3 Bourbon Stakes at Keeneland and earning a berth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf.

Mon, 10/10/2016 - 13:30

Union Rags's first crop off and running

Union Rags is beginning to break the freshman sire race open, as he recorded the second Grade 1 winner of his nascent stud career when Dancing Rags captured the Alcibiades Stakes on opening day at Keeneland. She will now head to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, along with the stallion’s Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante winner, Union Strike.

Mon, 10/10/2016 - 13:16

A. P. Indian boosts Massons homebred program

Coady Photography
A. P. Indian (left) beats Limousine Liberal by a nose to take the Phoenix Stakes on Friday.

Heading into 2016, A. P. Indian was a useful minor stakes winner but certainly nothing approaching a national standout. In his 6-year-old season, however, the gelding has blossomed for trainer Arnaud Delacour, winning six straight stakes races, including a pair of Grade 1 events.

The most recent victory in the streak came in the Grade 2 Phoenix Stakes on opening day at Keeneland, and the gelding will head out to the Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Santa Anita as one of the favorites.

Thu, 10/06/2016 - 22:44

Belmont Stakes winner Creator retired, sold to Japan

Michael Amoruso
Creator, with Irad Ortiz Jr. up, outfinishes Destin to win the Belmont Stakes.

Creator, winner of the 2016 Belmont Stakes, has been sold to the Japan Bloodhorse Breeders’ Association, which intends to retire the colt from racing and stand him at Shizunai Stallion Station in Hokkaido, Japan, for the 2017 breeding season.

The 3-year-old son of Tapit finishes his career with 3 wins in 12 starts for earnings of $1,610,320. He was trained by Steve Asmussen.