Fri, 04/06/2012 - 13:15

Keeneland April select sale: High-end buyers still tend to be picky

Photo by Z/Keeneland
Hip No. 46, a colt sired by Giants Causeway, breezes during Thursday's under-tack show.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – When Keeneland’s April select 2-year-old sale takes place Monday in Lexington, consignors and auction officials hope it will provide more evidence that the boutique juvenile market has emerged from the post-2008 meltdown and is galloping solidly into recovery.

Fri, 04/06/2012 - 12:57

Derby Gold just may live up to his name

ARCADIA, Calif. – Derby Gold was already named when Arnold Zetcher paid $105,000 for the colt at the 2010 Barretts California Cup yearling sale. Judging from the colt’s first two starts, the name may turn out to be appropriate.

On March 31, Derby Gold won his stakes debut in the $200,000 Echo Eddie Stakes for California-bred 3-year-olds at Santa Anita. By Bertrando, Derby Gold will make his two-turn debut in the $300,000 Snow Chief Stakes at Hollywood Park on April 28, California Gold Rush Day.

Thu, 04/05/2012 - 18:26

Fasig-Tipson Texas sale topped by two at $105K

A pair of juveniles brought $105,000 each to top the Fasig-Tipton Texas auction of 2-year-olds in training at Lone Star Park near Dallas on Thursday. Both horses were bred in Louisiana, and both were sold by agent Robert Brewer.

Win for Rob, a colt by Salute the Sarge, was the first to hit the six-figure mark, when he went to Southern Equine. The horse is a half-brother to both Ide Like a Double, a multiple stakes winner of $626,316, and Old Bushmill, a multiple stakes winner of $157,754. Win for Rob was Hip No. 16.

Thu, 04/05/2012 - 17:02

Keeneland April: Seven juveniles work a furlong in 9.80

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Seven 2-year-olds shaded 10 seconds for their one-furlong works in Thursday’s under-tack show for the Keeneland April select 2-year-old auction.

Thu, 04/05/2012 - 13:47

Fasig-Tipton: Boutte scores big with $1.2 million sale

Fasig-Tipton
Lynne Boutte with Price Is Truth, whose $1.2 million price was the second-highest at Fasig-Tipton’s March 26 sale.

Consignor Lynne Boutte has described her yearling-to-juvenile resale prospects as mostly blue-collar, but her recent pinhooking history has been anything but.

Wed, 04/04/2012 - 14:08

Sanan family to auction Padua Stables in Ocala

The Sanan family’s Padua Stables near Ocala, Fla., will go on the auction block May 31.

The Padua property covers more than 760 acres and is a training center and breeding farm. Satish Sanan and his wife, Anne, who have owned the former Silverleaf Farm property since 1997, decided back in 2007 to sell the farm and move their operation’s base to Kentucky as part a renewed emphasis on homebreeding.

Tue, 04/03/2012 - 17:11

Benny the Bull will shuttle to Brazil for stud duty

Barbara D. Livingston
Benny the Bull will shuttle to Brazil for the 2012 and 2013 Southern Hemisphere breeding seasons.

Vinery Florida stallion and 2008 champion sprinter Benny the Bull will shuttle to Brazil for the 2012 and 2013 Southern Hemisphere seasons under an agreement between Albatroz Bloodstock’s Renato Gameiro and the horse’s owner, Greg James.

Benny the Bull, a 9-year-old Lucky Lionel horse, will stand at Haras Santa Tereza do Bom Retiro in Rio Grande do Sul. He will return to Vinery’s Ocala, Fla., division for Northern Hemisphere breeding seasons.

Tue, 04/03/2012 - 17:08

Old Friends benefit to feature comedy of Santorelli

Comedian Frank Santorelli will perform on Monday, April 13, to benefit the Old Friends equine retirement facility. Santorelli, also an actor who appeared in "The Sopranos," will perform at the Midway restaurant 815 Prime at 131 East Main Street in Midway, Ky., in an event presented by the Midway Merchants Association. Tickets for seats are $25 each, with proceeds going to Old Friends. Doors open at 6 p.m., and Santorelli will take the stage at 8 p.m., following a handicapping talk by Brisnet's Tim Holland. The restaurant 815 Prime also will feature a reduced-priced menu for patrons.

Tue, 04/03/2012 - 17:05

Dogwood, Eclipse in new venture

Cot Campbell's Dogwood Stable syndicate and Aron Wellman and Lee Midkiff's California-based Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners have formed a joint venture. Under the arrangement, South Carolina-based Dogwood will be able to offer its members shares in Eclipse runners and establish a California presence, while Eclipse will gain access to Dogwood's training grounds in Aiken, S.C. The venture also will streamline both groups' financial operations under a single chief financial officer, current Dogwood treasurer William Victor.

Tue, 04/03/2012 - 11:53

Giant Ryan takes top New York Thoroughbred Breeders award

Barbara D. Livingston
Giant Ryan, Cornelio Velasquez up, wins the Grade 1 Vosburgh, one of his four stakes victories in 2011.

Giant Ryan took home three awards, including 2011 New York-bred Horse of the year, Monday night when the New York Thoroughbred Breeders announced its statebred champions.