LEXINGTON, Ky. - Bill Farish, general manager of his family's Lane's End Farm in Versailles, Ky., is taking the drive to recruit new Thoroughbred owners personally.
The Woodford Racing partnership he founded in 2005 is fairly low-key; it generally does not advertise, for example. But the syndicate quietly has brought about 90 owners to the sport, most of them first-time racehorse investors, with the goal of maximizing partners' action and their chances to break even.
Steve Warner, whose involvement in racing evolved from that of a fan to the owner of a backstretch feed company business and later to the breeder of a Breeders' Cup winner, died April 25 after a bout with cancer.
A native of Philadelphia, Warner was 65. He was a fixture on the backstretches of Southern California in recent years, making the rounds on behalf of Steve Warner Thoroughbred Maintenance, his feed company.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - The sires of this year's Kentucky Derby field are rich in Triple Crown experience of their own, either as runners themselves or as sires of previous classic winners. Several are high-priced stallions who won races at 1 1/4 mile and beyond, evidence that breeders hoping to get Derby winners are injecting doses of class and stamina. That runs contrary to some criticism leveled at breeders last year, when Eight Belles's fatal breakdown after the Derby prompted some commentators to theorize that breeders were focusing too much on speed at the expense of soundness.
Peppers Pride, the New Mexico-bred mare who in January retired undefeated in 19 starts, has been confirmed in foal to the 2000 Horse of the Year, Tiznow, on a March 23 cover, according to Nathan Fox, president of Richland Hills Farm in Midway, Ky.
Peppers Pride, who owns the longest winning streak in modern North American history, is scheduled to foal out at Richland Hills next year. She is owned by her breeder, Joe Allen.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Sky Mesa is enjoying something of a comeback in the breeding world lately. Having survived a slump in the auction ring after his first 2-year-olds hit the track in 2007, the Pulpit horse came to prominence last year as the leading second-crop sire. Now, he leads the nation's third-crop sire list and has a Kentucky Derby hopeful in Blue Grass winner General Quarters.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Vertigineux's new Broodmare of the Year title has a distinctly California flavor. The Kris S. mare is the dam of two outstanding runners based in California, multiple Grade 1 winner Balance and, more recently, champion older mare Zenyatta. All of Balance's five stakes victories were in California, and Zenyatta is still based there with trainer John Shirreffs.
The Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's spring 2-year-old auction ended four days' selling Thursday with declines, but not as severe as had been feared.
The auction sold 809 horses for $20,194,300, down 11 percent from last year's total for 772 horses, for an average price of $24,962, down 17 percent. The median also fell 17 percent, from $18,000 last year to $16,000 in 2009.
But buy-backs improved from last year's figure of 28 percent to 23 percent.
The Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's spring 2-year-old auction ended its third of four sessions Wednesday losses in average and gross and a $170,000 session-topper. That was what Roger Dreyer paid for Hip No. 859, a bay Stormy Atlantic filly out of the Mr. Greeley mare Virginia Miss. Randy Miles, agent, was the consignor.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Vertigineux, dam of 2008 champion older female Zenyatta and Grade 1 winner Balance, has been elected Broodmare of the Year by the Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders and Kentucky Thoroughbred Association.
Eric Kronfeld bred the Kris S. mare from For the Flag (Forli) and initially tried to sell her as a yearling. But he bought her back at the 1996 Keeneland September sale on a final hammer price of $120,000.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - One day after his session-topping $675,000 purchase helped lift the Ocala Breeders Sales Company s spring 2-year-old, Sheikh Mohammed al-Maktoum dipped into the market again. But, unlike Monday, the Tuesday session posted losses across the board.
