The Jockey Club projected the 2016 North American registered Thoroughbred foal crop at 22,500 on Saturday. If the projection holds true, it would mark the first year-to-year growth in the North American foal crop since 2005.
The projections for the 2014 and 2015 foal crops were both 22,000. The figure entails foals born in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico.
Multiple Group 1 winner Al Kazeem will return to stud for the 2016 breeding season after being retired due to a suspensory branch injury.
The 7-year-old son of Dubawi will stand at owner/breeder John Deer’s Oakgrove Stud in Chepstow, England. He stood the 2014 season at the Royal Studs in Sandringham, England, where his highly-publicized syndication included Sheikh Joaan Al Thani of Qatar, who sent, among others, two-time Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint winner Mizdirection to be part of Al Kazeem’s first book.
Afleet Alex was among the most celebrated juveniles of the 2004 Saratoga meeting. Just over a decade later, the Gainesway sire is off to a solid start at this summer's meet. Daily Racing Form’s SirePowered Results shows him with two winners at the meet to date, led by Grade 2 Jim Dandy Stakes victor Texas Red.
Epiphaneia, winner of the 2014 Japan Cup, has been retired from racing and will begin his stallion career at Shadai Stallion Station in Hokkaido, Japan in 2016.
The 5-year-old son of Symboli Kris S finished his on-track career with six wins in 14 starts for earnings of $6,693,375. In addition to his Japan Cup victory, Epiphaneia earned wins in the Group 1 Japanese St. Leger, the Group 2 St. Leger Trial, and the Group 3 Nisai Stakes. He made his final start in the 2015 Dubai World Cup.
Epiphaneia was campaigned by U Carrot Farm and trained by Katsuhiko Sumii.
Mr. Big, a winning son of Dynaformer, will relocate to E.A. Ranches in Ramona, Calif., for the 2016 breeding season, where he will stand for a fee to be announced at a later date.
The 12-year-old previously stood at Starwood Farm in Versailles, Ky., for an advertised fee of $2,000.
Mr. Big has been lightly used at stud, with 11 foals of racing age spanning three crops. His three winners from five foals to race include Big Book, winner of the Fleet Treat Stakes at Del Mar, and Big Break, a three-time winner and earner of $112,834.
Monkey Business, a daughter of U.S. sire and record-priced juvenile The Green Monkey, clinched the 2015 Panamanian filly Triple Crown on July 12 when she won the Group 2 Clasico Raúl (Lul) Arango, Raúl (Baby) Arango y Roberto (Bob) Arango Chiari at Hipodromo Presidente Remon.
The 3-year-old became the fourth winner of Panama’s filly Triple Crown, having previously won the Group 1 Clasico Temistocles Diaz Q. by 18 1/4 lengths April 26 and the Group 2 Clasico Tomás G. Duque y Tomás Altamirano Duque on June 7. She was the first filly to accomplish the feat since Marissima in 2004.
As Triple Crown winner American Pharoah’s second act begins with the Haskell Invitational on Sunday, the wheels are already turning on his second career.
It was announced in May, shortly after the Preakness Stakes, that American Pharoah’s breeding rights were sold to Coolmore Stud for an undisclosed amount and that he will begin his stud career at the international operation’s Ashford Stud in Versailles, Ky., upon his retirement.
Multiple Grade 1 winner Real Solution has been sold to Calumet Farm and will take up stud residence there for the 2016 season.
The son of Kitten's Joy began his breeding career this past season at Ramsey Farm in Nicholasville, Ky., the outfit for which he was campaigned. He stood for an advertised fee of $12,500.
Hill ‘n’ Dale Equine Holdings and Elevage II purchased a 20 percent share of Hall of Famer and prominent stallion Curlin in May for $6,218,160, Blood-Horse reported.
The one-fifth interest in Curlin, an 11-year-old son of Smart Strike, was offered as part of the dispersal of disbarred lawyers Shirley Cunningham Jr. and William Gallion’s Midnight Cry Stables, as ordered by the U.S. Justice Department’s U.S. Marshals Service Asset Forfeiture Program.
