Richard and Gale Reveley have not stamped a brand on horses bred and raised at their Spring Water Farm in Glen Rock, Pa. But they have found another way to make them instantly recognizable - giving them names that begin with the initials "S W."
Over the past decade, those letters have taken on added meaning at tracks in Pennsylvania and Maryland. They are often the mark of a serious warrior.
Winding Oaks Farm's Graeme Hall, a 9-year-old chestnut stallion by Dehere-Win Crafty Lady, by Crafty Prospector, has moved well to the fore as Florida's leading juvenile sire. Not only does he lead his Florida first-crop peers in number of winners, he has also moved by rival first-crop sire Gibson County in progeny earnings with a little under $200,000.
Twelve from Graeme Hall's first crop of 60 have started and seven have won, including two this past weekend - one at Calder Race Course and the other at Saratoga.
Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro is showing good signs of healing in his broken right hind leg, according to his surgeon, Dr. Dean Richardson.
Richardson, the chief of surgery at the University of Pennsylvania's New Bolton Center, told the Associated Press that the 3-year-old colt might have been out of his right hind cast already if he had not developed laminitis, also called founder, in his left hind leg.
A host of young stallions, including Buddha, Officer, Red Bullet, and Volponi, will be represented by offspring next month in the Fasig-Tipton Texas summer yearling sale at Lone Star Park. In all, 439 yearlings have been cataloged to the sale, which will be held on Aug. 28-29.
Other young stallions with offspring on offer include Aptitude, Cactus Ridge, Exciting Story, Forest Camp, Millennium Wind, Whywhywhy and Zavata. Among the established sires represented are Holy Bull, Meadowlake, Mutakddim, Private Terms, Stephen Got Even, Valid Expectations, and Woodman.
Private Terms, sire of Grade 1 winners Afternoon Deelites and Soul of the Matter, has been pensioned at Claiborne Farm in Paris, Ky.
The 21-year-old Private Terms stood at Northview Stallion Station in Maryland before joining Claiborne's roster in 1996.
Stuart Janney Jr. and his wife, Barbara Phipps Janney, bred Private Terms in Kentucky. His dam, the winning Bold Ruler mare Laughter, was a half-sister to the Janney family's champion Ruffian. She also produced the stakes winners Blue Ensign, Light Spirits, Steel Maiden, and Dover Ridge, all half-siblings to Private Terms.
DEL MAR, Calif. - Don'tsellmeshort, the champion California-bred male of 2003, has been retired after suffering a leg injury. He will be sent to stud in 2007, trainer Dan Hendricks said.
It has not been determined where Don'tsellmeshort will go to stud; he is being housed at Ballena Vista Farm until plans are finalized. Hendricks said that conversations have been held between stud farms and owner Cecil Peacock.
Don'tsellmeshort won four of 18 starts and $402,365. He won three stakes in 2003 and placed second in the Snow Chief Stakes in 2004.
The 17 registered New York-breds sold at the recent Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July yearling sale brought a record gross of $1,479,000 for New York-breds at that auction.
The average price of $87,000, though, was a decline of a little more than 32 percent from 2005. At last year's sale, 10 sold for $1,287,000 for an average of $128,700.
The figures reflect a trend in recent years of more New York-breds consigned to the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July yearling sale, resulting in larger grosses but smaller averages.
