LEXINGTON, Ky. - Equine Spectrum, an online auction house operated by the Keeneland Association in partnership with some of Kentucky's most influential consignors, has dismissed its staff and will come under more direct Keeneland management.
"Equine Spectrum is still a very viable entity," Keeneland spokeswoman Julie Balog said. "Keeneland has assumed more active management of the company. Keeneland has been the managing partner of Equine Spectrum, but now it will take a more day-to-day role."
ARCADIA, Calif. - There has been little change among the cast of top California-bred turf milers in recent years.
In Sunday's $100,000 Crystal Water Handicap at Santa Anita, the two horses who have won the last three runnings - Hugh Hefner and Road to Slew - are part of an eight-horse field that includes last year's runner-up, Spinelessjellyfish, and the third-place finisher of 2001, Lilys Lad.
The only major player missing is Native Desert, 10, who is nearing a comeback following an injury last summer.
The Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's auction of selected 2-year-olds in training, held Tuesday and Wednesday, posted a gross of $18,196,000 for 273 horses sold - second highest in OBS history. The OBS lists 273 sold compared to 200 last March. The average price of $66,654 reflected a decline of roughly 10 percent from the 2002 sale and the median dipped from $53,500 to $50,000. The buy-back rate also declined from near 38 percent last year to just over 33 percent this year.
Sea Salute had the pedigree to be a brilliant runner, but his racing career turned out to be unremarkable. The 11-year-old Sea Salute, however, has proved to be a useful sire for his owner, Roger L. Toffolon.
Much of the success that Toffolon enjoyed last year as a New York breeder is connected to Sea Salute, a son of Danzig who stands for $5,000 at Liberty Stud in Ghent, N.Y.
Will lightning strike two years in a row?
Thunder is already rolling for the recently acquired Maryland stallion Eastern Echo, who has a 3-year-old making rapid progress on the Triple Crown trail.
The cause of all the commotion is Eastern Echo's son Buddy Gil, winner of back-to-back graded stakes in California. Buddy Gil's most recent victory came in last week's Grade 2, 1-1/16-mile San Felipe, in which he overcame a number of serious roadblocks
to score by a nose over Atswhatimtalknbout, who was in receipt of three pounds.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - The Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's March selected juvenile sale ended Wednesday with an increase in gross revenue from a greater number of lots sold, but the average price dropped 9 percent and the median fell 7 percent from last year.
Topped by a $350,000 American Chance filly, the auction sold a total of 273 horses for gross receipts of $18,196,500, 23 percent above last year's $14,722,000 for 200 lots. The 2003 average price was $66,654, down from last year's record $73,610. The median was $50,000, compared with last year's $53,500.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Good Journey, perhaps the best turf miler based in the United States last year, has been retired and will be sent to stud in Australia this spring.
In the stud arrangement, announced earlier this year, Good Journey was expected to race through May, but the consortium of Australian breeders who will stand him have asked that the 7-year-old be sent to the Southern Hemisphere in May. Good Journey is required to go through a five-week quarantine before he can become an active stallion.
The Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's two-day March select sale of 2-year-olds got under way Tuesday with an early high price of $350,000 for an American Chance filly.
Team Valor bought the filly, a daughter of stakes placed Sweet and Lowdown who was among six juveniles to top the March 17-18 work tab with a quarter-mile breeze in 21.40 seconds. The filly sold as Hip No. 81 from the Moonshadow Farm agency. She is the first registered foal for her dam.