Ken and Sarah Ramsey led all individual North American breeders by earnings for a third consecutive year in 2015, with horses bred solely by their operation earning $9,399,425.
Based in Nicholasville, Ky., the Ramseys were represented by the winners of 202 races from 1,667 starts. The Ramseys are finalists to earn Eclipse Awards for the third consecutive year, having swept both the owner and breeder awards during the previous two seasons.
Advertised fees for the eight-horse roster of Pleasant Acres Stallions in Morriston, Fla. will remain largely unchanged in 2016, as the operation unveils its new stallion facility for the coming breeding season.
The only Pleasant Acres stallion to stand for a fee different from his 2015 rate will be Grade 2 winner Handsome Mike, who rises from $4,000 to $5,000. The 7-year-old son of Scat Daddy’s first foals will arrive in 2016.
Jacob West has been appointed director of bloodstock services for Three Chimneys Farm of Midway, Ky.
Bloodstock services is a new division created to expand the Three Chimneys’s commercial reach for its growing customer base. West has been tasked with duties including sales representation, portfolio management, and private bloodstock purchasing.
West joins Three Chimneys after a seven-year stint with Taylor Made, where he served as buyer account manager.
The California Retirement Management Account (CARMA) has awarded more than $500,000 to 25 separate aftercare organizations that care for retired California racehorses in its 2015 grant cycle.
On Jan. 30, CARMA will present the charities with a ceremonial check at Santa Anita Park during a winner’s circle presentation.
“We are extremely proud of the work we have done over the past year,” said CARMA founder Madeline Auerbach. “These funds will help buy much needed hay, feed and medications, etc. Hopefully this will give a financial cushion to each of the charities.”
Sol Kumin, co-owner of Grade 1-winning runners Lady Eli and Wavell Avenue, has been named New Owner of the Year by the industry-led OwnerView.
The award honors a Thoroughbred owner with less than three years in the business who has been successful in the sport and has had a positive impact on the industry. It will be presented at the Thoroughbred Owner Conference at Gulfstream Park later this month.
Added Edge, a perennial leading sire in Iowa, was purchased by Raimonde Farms in Wooster, Ohio, and will stand the 2016 breeding season for $1,500.
The 16-year-old son of Smart Strike entered stud in 2007 at Special K Stables in Runnells, Iowa, and had spent his entire stallion career there. He was Iowa’s overall leading sire by earnings from 2012 to 2014, and was the leader among those with state-sired runners in 2015.
Hampton Court, a Group 1 winner in Australia, will shuttle to Spendthrift Farm in Lexington, Ky., for the 2016 breeding season, where he will stand for an advertised fee of $6,000.
The 5-year-old son of Redoute’s Choice stood his first Southern Hemisphere season in 2015 at the newly opened Spendthrift Australia, and this will be his debut season in the Northern Hemisphere.
Grade 3 winner Elusive Bluff will relocate to Southern Indiana Equine in Austin, Ind., for the 2016 breeding season and will stand for an advertised fee of $1,500.
The 10-year-old son of Elusive Quality previously resided at E.A. Ranches in California after beginning stud duty in 2010 at Red River Farms in Louisiana.
Elusive Bluff has sired four crops of racing age, led by Grade 3 winner C. Zee and multiple stakes winner A M Milky Way.
Bridlewood Farm in Ocala, Fla., released the advertised 2016 fees for its seven-horse stallion roster, led by champion sprinter Big Drama.
The 9-year-old son of Montbrook was represented on the track by his first crop of 2-year-olds in 2015, led by stakes winner Tribal Drama and stakes-placed runners Mr. Kisses, Save the Drama, Rontos Lily, and Knight of Drama. His fee increased from $10,000 for the 2015 breeding season to $15,000 in 2016.
DRF Breeding sales editor Joe Nevills makes his selections for the 2015 Eclipse Awards in the form of haiku; a Japanese poem of 17 syllables, in three lines of five, seven, and five.
Ballots for the Eclipse Awards are due Saturday, Jan. 2, with the finalists being announced shortly thereafter. The awards will be presented on Saturday, Jan. 16 at Gulfstream Park.
2-Year-Old Male
No assists needed
Nyquist takes his division
On a breakaway
