Mr. Nightlinger, who has long been one of the nation's top turf sprinters, has been retired and will stand stud in Oklahoma in 2010, JEH Stallion Station announced on Wednesday. His fee will be $1,500.
Mr. Nightlinger is a 5-year-old son of Indian Charlie and the Time for a Change mare Timely Quarrel. He retires with a record of 10 wins from 25 starts for earnings of $644,355.
Red Ransom, sire of such champions as Perfect Sting, Electrocutionist, and Red Clubs, has died in Australia after abdominal surgery. A Roberto horse, he was 22.
Red Ransom had been standing the Southern Hemisphere season at Vinery Stud. The farm announces Sunday that he died Saturday because of complications from the surgery.
WinStar Farm became the latest Kentucky stud farm to announce fee reductions for most of its stallions when it issued its 2010 fee roster Monday.
The farm will cut fees for flagship sire Distorted Humor, Bluegrass Cat, Sharp Humor, and Spring at Last. The Versailles, Ky., stallion operation will drop Distorted Humor's price from $150,000 to $100,000, Bluegrass Cat from $40,000 to $25,000, Sharp Humor from $12,500 to $7,500, and Spring at Last from $15,000 to $7,500.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Keeneland's November breeding stock rolled into its second week Monday with young bloodstock still proving popular even as the auction faced continued declines across the board.
The seventh session's top price was the $95,000 stakes winner Champagne Eyes, a 4-year-old Flatter filly. Justin Richardson bought the filly, a half-sister to Grade 2-placed Betty Van. Champagne Eyes, a daughter of the stakes-placed Sensitive Prince mare Corking, won the 2009 Santa Lucia Handicap at Santa Anita and sold as a racing or broodmare prospect.
ARCADIA, Calif. - It took 10 months and a week before the California breeding industry had something to brag about in 2009. Once it started, the success could hardly stop.
Until Nov. 7, no California-bred had won a seven-figure race or a Grade 1 this year. Both of those milestones were accomplished in consecutive races when California Flag won the $1 million Breeders' Turf Sprint and Dancing in Silks won the Grade 1 BC Sprint at Santa Anita.
In keeping with a general trend at Kentucky stud farms, Vinery announced that it will reduce fees for most stallions for the 2010 breeding season.
In Kentucky, More Than Ready will remain the farm's most expensive horse with a $30,000 fee, but that is down from $45,000 this year. Others taking fee cuts are Pure Prize, from $12,500 to $10,000; Purge, from $12,500 to $7,500; Silver Train, from $17,500 to $12,500; Stormello, from $7,500 to $3,500; and Street Hero, from $12,500 to $10,000.
Limehouse will keep his 2009 fee of $10,000 next year.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Overbrook Farm's dispersal brought some excitement back to Keeneland's November breeding stock sale on Wednesday, one day after across-the-board declines confirmed sellers' fears that the Thoroughbred industry recession isn't over yet.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Zayat Stables' multiple Grade 1 winner Zensational has been retired after his fifth-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Sprint and will enter stud at Hill 'n' Dale Farm in Lexington. The 3-year-old Unbridled's Song ridgling will stand for $25,000 stands and nurses.
The farm said that breeders paying the stud fee on or before Nov. 15, 2010, will receive a 10-percent discount.
