Wed, 09/01/2004 - 00:00

Juveniles run the show at Calder for a day

LAS VEGAS - Calder has always been a haven for 2-year-old racing, and it now has its own unique racing day - a day devoted strictly to juveniles. Calder will present 13 races, including the Affirmed division of the Florida Stallion Stakes for colts and the Susan's Girl division of the series for fillies.

Tue, 08/31/2004 - 00:00

Texas sale has strong first session

The Fasig-Tipton Texas yearling sale, fresh off a strong opening session on Monday, entered its second and final day Tuesday with a $62,000 Distorted Humor colt the early high price as of 4:30 p.m.

Monday's session sold 132 yearlings for $1,849,900. The average price was $14,014, and the median was $7,750. At last year's auction, which lasted one day and included about 100 fewer horses, the sale sold 219 lots for a total of $2,694,000, for an average price of $12,301 and a $5,300 median.

Tue, 08/31/2004 - 00:00

Attempted comeback by Candy Ride called off

Horsephotos
If a deal is finalized, Candy Ride will stand at Hill 'n' Dale in Kentucky.

DEL MAR, Calif. - After valiantly trying to get Candy Ride back to the races for the past 12 months, trainer Ron McAnally on Monday waved the white flag. He announced that Candy Ride had been retired from racing and would go to stud next year in Kentucky.

"I feel for all purposes he'd be better off at stud," McAnally said at his Del Mar barn. "It looks like he'll be going to John Sikura at Hill 'n' Dale Farm. We're drawing up the papers now."

Candy Ride is owned by Sid and Jenny Craig.

Mon, 08/30/2004 - 00:00

Louisiana-bred leads Texas sale

Fasig-Tipton's Texas yearling sale got under way Monday morning with a $130,000 Tejano Run colt the early session leader in Grand Prairie, Texas.

The auction house cataloged 407 lots to the sale this year, up dramatically from last year, when about 100 fewer horses were in the catalog. The rise in numbers this season was partly attributable to more than 50 Louisiana-bred yearlings.

Fri, 08/27/2004 - 00:00

Ocala has record sale

Records fell nearly across the board at the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's recent four-day yearling sale in Ocala, Florida, with new marks set for gross receipts, average price, and top price.

The sale included one select session, on Monday, and three open sessions, from Tuesday through Thursday. The select session, which broke records for gross receipts, average price, and median price, established momentum for the open sessions, with strength in the market from top to bottom.

Fri, 08/27/2004 - 00:00

McClelland joins inductees

TORONTO, Ontario - The late Don McClelland, who bred several Canadian champion racehorses, was one of five Thoroughbred industry inductees into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame at a ceremony at the Toronto Congress Centre, near Woodbine racetrack in Etobicoke, Ontario, on Thursday night.

"I know my Dad would have been so pleased with this honor," said McClelland's son, Ian. "We would like to thank all the buyers over the years who had the faith to purchase

D.G. McClelland-bred yearlings."

Fri, 08/27/2004 - 00:00

Smart shopping yields Spa victor

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - A business meeting that took place about 15 years ago turned into a successful racing partnership that has produced a very promising New York-bred 2-year-old.

Galloping Grocer, a son of New York-based sire A. P Jet, impressively won a statebred maiden race at Saratoga last Sunday in his career debut. Galloping Grocer, a chestnut colt, won the five-furlong race by 11 3/4 lengths under a hand ride and covered the distance in 56.88 seconds, just .17 seconds off the track record. He earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 95.

Fri, 08/27/2004 - 00:00

Lovely Afternoon puts Two Sisters in spotlight

When the filly Lovely Afternoon shipped back to her home state of Pennsylvania and won the Blue Mountain Juvenile Stakes last fall, her powerful victory as odds-on favorite barely registered as a blip on the radar screen for followers of local 2-year-olds.

That's because all of the attention was focused on the winner of the another stakes for statebred youngsters - a rocket-fast colt named Smarty Jones.

Fri, 08/27/2004 - 00:00

Couple's $2,700 colt brings $220K

The bloodstock equivalent of a home run is to buy low and sell very high. For Benedict Mohit and his wife, Gita, a pair of small-animal veterinarians from Dade City, Fla., their first experience with pin-hooking came last fall when they decided that the time was ripe to invest in Thoroughbreds.

The initial step was for Benedict Mohit to contact a Kentucky veterinary school colleague. This, in turn, led to a network of savvy people in the horse business and to a pair of weanlings, a gray colt by Anet purchased for $4,700 and a bay colt by Pikepass at a cost of $2,700.

Fri, 08/27/2004 - 00:00

Disturbingthepeace, 6, likely to be retired

DEL MAR, Calif. - Disturbingthepeace, the champion California-bred sprinter of 2002, is likely to be retired after running poorly in two starts this summer, trainer Darrell Vienna said Friday.

Wednesday at Del Mar, Disturbingthepeace finished fourth as the 8-5 favorite in an optional claimer at 6 1/2 furlongs. Disturbingthepeace was near the front for the first half-mile but faded through the stretch. He was eligible to be claimed for $40,000, but there were no takers.