On Sunday, Nov. 27, at the north wing of the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's training facilities, the Florida Farm Managers Inc. will conduct its annual stallion review.
The entry list closes Friday, said Debbe Wojack, executive director of the farm managers' group. Wojack added that there is a tendency among the stallion owners and syndicates to wait until the last minute, so the list of stallions is pretty much a work in progress right up to show time.
First Class Guy was the odds-on favorite when he blew away his rivals to score by 6 1/2 lengths in the colts division of the New Jersey Futurity on Nov. 4 at The Meadowlands. Still, his performance came as a surprise to Charles and Marianne Hesse, his breeder-owners, who race as Char-Mari Stable.
"We thought our other horse would win," said Marianne Hesse, who also owns the race's fourth-place finisher, Skip Along Jet, in partnership with Norma Hess.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - One day after posting strong increases, the Keeneland November mixed sale continued to ring up impressive mare prices on Thursday, its fourth day.
By 5:30 p.m., Thursday's top seller was a $650,000 broodmare, Pure Charm, purchased by agent P. F. McCarthy. A 7-year-old Storm Cat mare, Pure Charm is a daughter of stakes winner Testy Trestle, who hails from a prolific family of graded winners, most notably Sports View and Classy Cathy. Mimi's Golden Girl, the dam of Grade 1-placed Noble Causeway, also is in the family.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - After strong selling on Monday and Tuesday, Keeneland's November mixed breeding stock market continued to impress buyers with its high prices for broodmares and weanlings alike.
After Ashado's world-record $9 million sale at Monday's opener and Win's Fair Lady's session-topping $2.2 million price on Tuesday, day three on Wednesday appeared tame to casual spectators. But, for buyers hoping to catch a bargain, the competition was stiff.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - If anyone ever doubted how much money is available for a good mare in today's Thoroughbred market, he surely got the message at Keeneland's November sale on Monday. Sheikh Mohammed al-Maktoum's final bid of $9 million for champion Ashado constituted a world record for a broodmare or broodmare prospect, easily toppling the previous $7.1 million record for Cash Run, set at this sale in 2003.
Fraise, winner of the 1992 Breeders' Cup Turf, who returned from stud duty in Japan in August to be pensioned in Kentucky, has died at age 17.
A son of Strawberry Road, Fraise died on Nov. 6 of a ruptured blood vessel in his abdomen. He had resided at the Old Friends equine retirement home in Midway, Ky., since Aug 16.
The president of Old Friends, Michael Blowen, said Fraise will be cremated and interred at Old Friends in the farm's horse cemetery, where Estrapade, the female turf champion in 1986, also is buried.
Dehere, 1993 champion juvenile and the sire of such runners as Take Charge Lady and Graeme Hall, will return to Kentucky for the 2006 breeding season after standing in Japan. Dehere will stand at Coolmore Stud's American division, Ashford Stud, in Versailles, Ky. His fee has not yet been announced.
LAS VEGAS - With a catchy name and a flamboyant owner in Merv Griffin, Stevie Wonderboy is a public relations dream for the racing industry.
The winner of the , Stevie Wonderboy is worthy of a championship after defeating the best runners of his generation and following his romp in the Del Mar Futurity. Stevie Wonderboy also has a pedigree that suggests he is just getting started and should be even better as a 3-year-old at classic distances.
