By Denise Steffanus
From nails to supplements to colorful glitter hoof polish befitting the Kardashians, hundreds or even thousands of hoof products are available in tack shops, from farrier supply houses, and through online vendors.
Most farriers shake their heads and back away when asked about all the hoof products out there today.
Spendthrift Farm, one of the key players in the North American Thoroughbred breeding and racing industry, has acquired Yallambee Stud in Victoria, Australia as the home of its new Australian Thoroughbred operation.
The farm, which will be known as Spendthrift Australia, will be involved in breeding, racing, the stallion market, and local sales. The farm’s stallion roster for the upcoming 2015 Southern Hemisphere season will be announced at a later date.
Dayatthespa, already winner of the Eclipse Award as North America’s champion turf female of last year, was named New York’s 2014 Horse of the Year on Monday during the New York Thoroughbred Breeders Inc. annual awards banquet.
Dayatthespa was also named New York’s champion turf female and older female. The daughter of City Zip finished her 2014 campaign with three wins from four starts, earning $1,450,000, highlighted by a victory in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf at Santa Anita.
A big day of racing in the United States became a big day for young sire Blame, as he posted winners at two major tracks.
According to Daily Racing Form’s SirePowered Results, Blame was represented on Saturday by March, winner of the Grade 3 Bay Shore Stakes at Aqueduct with a Beyer Speed Figure of 89; and later, Conquest Archangel, who captured a maiden special weight at Keeneland with a 75.
By Joe Nevills and Nicole Russo
Smart Strike’s death March 25 due to complications from laminitis brought an end to one of the most complete résumés a modern Thoroughbred has known.
A product of Canada’s most prominent modern family, Smart Strike lived up to expectations on the racetrack, becoming a Grade 1 winner in the U.S. He then became a cornerstone member of a deep stallion roster at Lane’s End in Versailles, Ky., where he led the North American sire list twice by earnings and sent out high-level runners in every division laid before him.
For more than five years, there has been no doubt that Galileo is the best sire in Europe and indeed the world. Dubai World Cup day, though, highlighted the stallion many consider the second best in Europe, Dubawi, who sired his second World Cup winner in Prince Bishop and was the only stallion to have two winners on the day.
The Pennsylvania Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association named its year-end award winners for the 2014 season at Parx Racing on Wednesday, highlighted by Horse of the Year Favorite Tale.
Eligibility for the awards was open to Pennsylvania-breds who met the minimum requirement of starts at Parx, of which the PTHA is the certified horsemen’s group.
The Kentucky Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association, Keeneland Race Course, and Churchill Downs have formed a partnership to generate funds for the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance through a per-start donation from participating owners.
The agreement signed by the leaders of the three organizations calls for Kentucky HBPA member owners to contribute $5 to the TAA for each of their horses that start in races at the two tracks. Churchill Downs and Keeneland would then match each contribution generated in their respective races.
Grade 2 winner and sire Sharp Humor was reported to have died March 18 at Let’s Run Stud Farm on Korea’s Jeju Island.
The 12-year-old son of Distorted Humor was in the midst of his fourth season at stud in Korea after beginning his career at WinStar Farm in Versailles, Ky., in 2007. He was sold to the Korean Racing Authority, the country’s governing body for racing and breeding, in 2011 and debuted there the following year. His first Korean-sired foals are 2-year-olds of 2015.
