Randy Edwards and his wife, Lucy, hit a home run last week, when Birdbirdistheword, whom they bred, won the Grade 3, $1 million Delta Jackpot at Delta Downs.
"Looks like we may be going to the [Kentucky] Derby," Randy Edwards said the morning after the race.
BUENOS AIRES - During a trip to the heartland of Thoroughbred breeding in Argentina last week, a stop at Haras Santa Ines, the breeding farm of Alessandro Miserocchi, offered an inspection of 9-year-old mare Quendom, dam of Breeders' Cup Classic winner Invasor.
Bred in Argentina on the Southern Hemisphere schedule, Invasor was the unbeaten champion of Uruguay before he was sold to Shadwell, the racing stable of Sheikh Hamdan al-Maktoum. In his five races this year, Invasor finished fourth to Discreet Cat in the UAE Derby in Dubai and won four Grade 1 stakes in the U.S.
Gardiner Farms, one of Canada's top breeding and racing establishments in the 1960's and 1970's, has never won a Sovereign Award as the country's outstanding breeder, but that could change on Dec. 16.
Thanks to the exploits of talented 2-year-old stakes winners Midnight Shadow, Legal Move, and Dancer's Bajan, Gardiner will be favored to capture the Sovereign over perennial winners Sam-Son Farms and Adena Springs.
Questroyal Stud has strengthened its stallion roster with the addition of Jade Hunter for the 2007 breeding season.
A 22-year-old son of Mr. Prospector, Jade Hunter will stand at Liberty Stud in Ghent, N.Y., for a fee of $5,000 live foal under the management of Questroyal.
Jade Hunter is the sire of multiple champion and Horse of the Year Azeri, and has lifetime progeny earnings of more than $34 million.
Azeri, who was champion older female three times, was Horse of the Year in 2002 when she captured the Breeders' Cup Distaff.
Good Journey, who was arguably the best turf miler in the United States in 2002, will stand the 2007 breeding season at Magali Farms in Santa Ynez, Calif., farm manager Tom Hudson said on Thursday.
It will be Good Journey's first season at stud in the United States.
Hudson said that Good Journey arrived in California in November from Australia, where he stood at stud since being retired from racing in 2003.
Leading Charles Town trainer Jeff Runco has developed many local standouts. But none of the others could compare with Dahlgren Hall, the strapping chestnut colt who is all but certain to be named champion West Virginia-bred 2-year-old male of 2006.
Runco not only co-owns and trains Dahlgren Hall, but he and his wife, Susan, also bred and raised him at their 30-acre Coleswood Farm near Charles Town, W. Va.
"Twelve is enough," said Brent Fernung, the general manager of Cloverleaf Farms II. But then he added, "For now, at any rate."
Fernung was referring to Cloverleaf Farm II's latest stallion addition, the freshman sire Gibson County, who moved over from McKathan Farm for the 2007 season. Among other newcomers to Cloverleaf Farms II for the '07 season are stallions Mass Media, Pomeroy, and Congrats, making for a stallion roster of an even dozen.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Badge of Silver, who ended his racing career on Saturday with a second-place finish in Discreet Cat's Cigar Mile, will take up stud duties at Airdrie Stud in 2007 at a fee of $15,000. Badge of Silver arrived at Airdrie, in Midway, Ky., on Monday.
A 6-year-old Silver Deputy horse, Badge of Silver was bred in Kentucky by a partnership that included Liberation Farm, Trackside Farm, and Oratis Thoroughbreds. His dam, Silveroo, is a winning daughter of Silver Hawk.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - An athletic dark brown filly with a star on her forehead, Empiress was a child of destiny from birth.
A daughter of Belmont Stakes winner Empire Maker, Empiress is out of the Dixieland Band mare Regal Band, also the dam of Kentucky Derby winner Monarchos.
With relations of the most exalted stature, there was never any question that this young filly would be a figure of interest among breeders and racing people.