LEXINGTON, Ky. - Alysheba is healthy and preparing for his Oct. 31 official Bluegrass reunion.
The 1988 Horse of the Year returned to Kentucky Oct. 17 after an eight-year stay in Saudi Arabia, where he was a breeding stallion at King Abdullah's Janadria Farm. Before that, he had been on the stallion roster at Lane's End in Versailles, Ky., where he started his stud career after retiring from racing as the sport's then leading money earner, with $6,679,242.
Raffie's Majesty is enjoying perhaps his finest year at stud. The 13-year-old son of the outstanding former state sire Cormorant stamped his season when Stud Muffin won the $250,000 Empire Classic on New York Showcase Day.
It was the third straight year a son of Raffie's Majesty won the nine-furlong Empire Classic, the others being the full brothers Organizer in 2006 and Dr. V's Magic in 2007.
All three were bred by the Majesty Stud of Digby Barrios.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - After beginning his stallion career at Shadai Stallion Station in Japan by refusing to breed many mares and having very small crops, War Emblem, winner of the 2002 Kentucky Derby and Preakness, is coming round as a sire.
Not only has the stallion just had a winner of the Shuka Sho, the final Japanese filly classic at 2,000 meters (nearly 1 1/4 miles), but he also has begun to breed relatively normal-sized books of mares.
Gary Capuano didn't have stakes aspirations when he paid $13,000 for a smallish colt at last year's Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's April 2-year-olds in training sale.
"I was just hanging out and I happened to see this colt who was a West Virginia-bred," recalled Capuano, a Maryland-based trainer who over the years has developed the likes of Kentucky Derby runner-up Captain Bodgit and millionaire Cherokee's Boy.
Divine Park, a Grade 1 winner, has retired from racing and will stand in 2009 at Airdrie Stud.
A 4-year-old Chester House colt, Divine Park will stand his initial season for a $17,500 fee.
Divine Park won 6 of his 9 starts, including the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap and Grade 3 Westchester Handicap in 2008 and the Grade 3 Withers Stakes last year. He has earned $612,935. Divine Park last raced in August, when he finished sixth behind Curlin in the Woodward.
Kiaran McLaughlin trained Divine Park for owner James Barry.
Carr de Naskra, the 1984 Travers winner who had been pensioned from stud duty since 2001, was euthanized on Oct. 15. A son of Star de Naskra, he was 27.
Carr de Naskra had been living with 10 other retired horses at owner Virginia Kraft Payson's Florida farm near the Payson Park Training Center in Indiantown, Fla.
Carr de Naskra stood at Payson Stud near Paris, Ky., from 1994 to 2001. Farm manager Anna Colombo said Thursday that, during his retirement, the stallion had ongoing foot problems that were beginning to cause him pain.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - The Fasig-Tipton October yearling sale confirmed the season-long trend of dropping prices for yearlings, ending Wednesday with double-digit declines across the board as compared to last year's auction.
The 2008 sale was extended to three days from 2007's two-day run.
This year's auction sold 553 horses for total receipts of $7,471,900, resulting in an average price of $13,512 and a $5,500 median. The gross fell 29 percent from last year, when 566 yearlings sold. Average fell 28 percent, and the median dropped by 45 percent.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Facing an uncertain economic climate, Fasig-Tipton Kentucky's October yearling sale opened Monday with a larger catalog and a pair of early six-figure sales. But by late afternoon, the first of three sessions looked likely to have more modest achievements in 2008 than in 2007.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - As a versatile and talented athlete who won the 2002 Breeders' Cup Sprint and Eclipse Award as champion sprinter, Orientate has every reason to sire some really fast horses.
And he has.
Two of the quickest are multiple Grade 1 winner Intangaroo and multiple Group 1 winner Lady Sprinter. Both of these 4-year-old fillies are entered in the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint on Friday, and they will be among the favorites.