Despite a slackening economy, soaring feed and transportation prices, and the costly Calder Race Course purse dispute between Florida horsemen and Churchill Downs, this was a good year overall for most consignors to the Ocala Breeders' Sales Co.'s three previous auctions of 2-year-olds in training.
The final sale on the 2008 Florida calendar is set for 10:30oa.m. June 17-18. There are 562 2-year-olds in training cataloged for this OBS auction, along with 29 older horses of racing age.
The 3-year-olds Brookhaven's Money and Study Abroad won their respective divisions in last Sunday's second round of the New York Stallion Stakes series at Belmont Park.
Brookhaven's Money captured the one-mile Spectacular Bid for owners Herbert T. and Carol A. Schwartz. A son of Precise End, Brookhaven's Money was bred by Sez Who Thoroughbreds of Stillwater, N.Y.
Brookhaven's Money won his third consecutive race in the Spectacular Bid, sending his career earnings to $84,288 with a record of 3-1-0 in 5 starts.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - The events of the autumn and winter of 2007-08 will not soon be forgotten at Ballena Vista Farms in Ramona, Calif., and not for good reasons.
The farm's existence was threatened last October when horrible wildfires raged through San Diego County, destroying farm owner Donald Cohn's home, the farm's hay barn, and considerable fencing. Fortunately, none of the horses on the property was injured.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - John Sikura keeps a close eye on Better Than Honour, and with good reason. A 12-year-old Deputy Minister mare, Better Than Honour already is a unique commodity as the only dam to produce back-to-back winners of the Belmont Stakes: the colt Jazil in 2006 and filly Rags to Riches in 2007. If her son Casino Drive takes this year's Belmont, her value, both as a financial and an historical asset, will soar.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - A little more than 23 years ago, Robert Clay stood outside the stallion barn at his Three Chimneys Farm, awaiting the arrival of the undefeated Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew, who came to the Midway, Ky., farm after starting his stud career at Spendthrift. Clay hopes he will be waiting for another undefeated Triple Crown winner in the fairly near future, now that Three Chimneys has secured the right to stand Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Big Brown at stud in a deal that is believed to put the stallion prospect's value at about $50 million.
It paid to keep an open mind in handicapping Monmouth Park's Memorial Day feature, the Open Mind Handicap for New Jersey-bred fillies and mares.
The race looked to be a toss-up between two of last year's New Jersey-bred champions: the reigning horse of the year and champion 3-year-old filly, Talkin About Love, making her first start of 2008 for owner-breeder-trainer Kevin Sleeter, and Patricia Generazio's homebred Pure Disco, who is in the running for another handicap mare title.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Victory in the Metropolitan Handicap brings more than just prize money, it brings an immediate elevation in a colt's prospects as a potential stallion.
This is especially important for a colt such as this year's Met Mile winner Divine Park, a winner in 6 of 8 starts but also a horse who missed the Triple Crown last year, with its immense prestige and high-level of publicity.
It has been a banner year for owner-breeder Richard Lister, who has enjoyed three consecutive stakes wins from his homebred Danceroftherealm and will be cheering on Initforreal, whom he bred and sold, in the June 8 Woodbine Oaks.
"I'm an overnight success after 30 years of being in the business," joked Lister.
Lister's Cinnamont Stable - represented by the light blue silks with the white Pegasus horse - has provided the Ontario industry with dozens of good runners, including 2004 Bison City Stakes winner Touchnow.
Time can move slowly for a stallion manager who awaits the first winner by a freshman stallion, especially one who has had full books since being retired to stud. Declan Doyle was waiting for the first victory from one of the 89 registered 2-year-olds from the first crop of the Vinery stallion Peace Rules. He said back in early April that Peace Rules had several runners ready for the Keeneland meet. He thought one or more of them would get Peace Rules off to a quick start.
