ARCADIA, Calif. - Get ready for an encore. The seven California-breds that won Grade 1 races in 2005 are scheduled to race in 2006.
The presence of Brother Derek, Dream of Summer, Greg's Gold, Lava Man, Leave Me Alone, Proud Tower Too, and Unfurl the Flag in 2006 major stakes could further raise the profile of the state's breeding program.
Georgia is an overall red state with pockets of blue. The majority of those who live in the red zones are not proponents of parimutuel horse racing. Those living in the bluish cities of Atlanta and Savannah would likely vote for Thoroughbred racing if given a chance, said Bob Mier, member of the board of governors of the Georgia Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association.
In a change of plans, Catienus will stay at Highcliff Farm in New York for the 2006 breeding season rather than move to Ramsey Farm in Kentucky, the farms announced Thursday. Catienus (Storm Cat-Diamond City, by Mr. Prospector) will stand for a fee of $6,500, live foal.
In November, Ramsey Farm announced that Catienus, a top 10 second-crop sire, would stand at Ramsey Farm for a fee of $10,000 in 2006.
Handicappers differ in their estimation of the way a tough race affects a horse. The majority seem to consider it a negative that usually moves a horse backward in condition or readiness to compete again soon.
In some cases, however, a hard effort has clearly moved a young horse forward. In looking back at the Breeders' Cup Juvenile, for instance, both Point Given in 2000 and Afleet Alex last year ran game races in defeat and bounced back to become better horses.
California breeders have an interesting selection of new stallions to choose from in 2006. Some are stakes winners just off the racetrack - such as Our New Recruit, Ministers Wild Cat, and Singletary - while others have been relocated from other states, including Crafty C. T., Gentlemen, and Salt Lake. This year, there are fewer newcomers than in previous years.
Here is a glance at the seven first-year stallions for 2006 as well as six stallions that were relocated to the state since the conclusion of the 2005 breeding season.
First-year stallions
Last winter, Tom Stull was in the market for a new stallion for his breeding farm, Tommy Town Thoroughbreds in Santa Ynez, Calif. Stull came close to purchasing one stallion, but when the financial aspects could not be finalized, he decided to wait a year.
What Stull found for Tommy Town for the 2006 breeding season has more than satisfied his goals.
Ministers Wild Cat, a stakes winner in California and Canada, enters stud in February for a stud fee of $7,500, live foal.
ARCADIA, Calif. - In a cruel twist, Southern California had one of its driest falls on record, yet there could be no turf racing at Hollywood Park because its new course was declared unsatisfactory. As a result, there has not been any turf racing on this circuit since the Oak Tree meeting ended on Nov. 6.
LAS VEGAS - This is the third installment on the 2006 freshman stallions, featured alphabetically from M through P with particular emphasis on how to bet their offspring. The sires' names are followed by their pedigree, where they stand, the stud fee, and their designation (SP means speed; ST stamina; T turf; HT hidden turf).
A bit of Christmas magic has swirled around Patricia Runyon ever since she first made the huge leap to become a horse owner back in 1998. And the magic blew in again when the Runyon-bred 2-year-old filly Christmas Stocking shipped to Calder Race Course on Dec. 10 and rallied for her first stakes victory, in the $100,000 Cherokee Frolic Stakes.
Christmas Stocking is the first stakes winner out of the first horse Runyon ever owned.
Read the Footnotes is coming home.
A brilliant New York-bred runner in 2003 and 2004, Read the Footnotes will move from Becky Thomas's Sequel Stallions in Ocala, Fla., to her companion New York farm at Lakland North in Hudson, where he will stand his second season at stud in 2006. Read the Footnotes's fee remains at $8,500.
