Grade 2 winner and millionaire Hap will begin his stud career in 2003 at Darby Dan Farm in Lexington, the California-based Narvick International confirmed Wednesday.
Narvick manages bloodstock for Michael Paulson, Hap's owner. Paulson, son of the late Allen Paulson, has overseen his father's estate since the elder Paulson's death in 2000. Hap, a 6-year-old Theatrical horse, will stand as the Allen Paulson Living Trust's property for $5,000.
Hap retired in July after injuring an ankle.
Coolmore Stud's major client, Michael Tabor, who lost his multiple Grade 1 winner Left Bank to complications from colic on Monday, restocked his stable with an $807,428 colt Tuesday at the Goffs Orby yearling sale in Kill, Co. Kildare, Ireland.
Tabor's agent, Demi O'Byrne, bid for the session-topping colt. The session-leading colt is by Coolmore stallion Sadler's Wells and out of the Shirley Heights mare Puck's Castle. Sold as Hip No. 149, the bay yearling is a half-brother to stakes winner Emerald Peace, the mare's sole winner from three foals to date.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Central Kentucky stallions Miesque's Son and Joyeux Danseur will relocate to California for the 2003 season, Three Chimneys Farm in Midway, Ky., announced Monday. Both sires will stand at Carl and Olivia Cannata's Lakeview Thoroughbred Farm, in Lakeview, under a lease agreement.
Days before its flagship selected yearling sale was set to open, Ireland's Goffs auction house in Kill, County Kildare, was the scene of a bizarre crime last weekend when an intruder entered seven yearlings' stalls and cut off most of their mane and tail hair.
As of Monday afternoon, at least one of the yearlings was likely to be withdrawn from the auction. The Goffs Orby sale, one of Europe's premier yearling sales, was to run Tuesday and Wednesday. The Goffs Challenge sale, a yearling sale linked to the Goffs Challenge race for auction graduates, takes place Thursday.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Archers Bay, who won the 1998 Queen's Plate for Toronto's Eugene Melnyk and Iris and Bill Bristow, was euthanized Thursday because of complications from colic surgery.
Archers Bay, a 7-year-old son of Silver Deputy out of Adorned, was stricken on Sept. 11, had an initial operation, and appeared to be making a recovery as recently as this week. But he had another bout with colic on Thursday night and couldn't be saved.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Squirtle Squirt's owner, David Lanzman, signed a private deal with Japanese buyers Friday to send the champion sprinter to stud in Asia.
The Japan Bloodhorse Breeders' Association will take possession of Squirtle Squirt provided a second attempt at a quarantine-related blood test comes back clean.
"I signed the deal this morning," Lanzman said.
There are indications that prices may rise compared to last year at this week's Barretts October Preferred Yearling Sale in Pomona, Calif. Despite declines at major yearling sales in other parts of the country, the California market has done well this year. The Del Mar Yearling Sale in August had slight gains over 2001, finishing with a record average.
The Barretts Sale is the next major sale for the California market, and market conditions leave general manager Gerald McMahon optimistic that bidding will be active for the 321 yearlings that will be sold on Tuesday.
The annual Ocala Breeders' fall mixed sale, which runs Monday through Thursday, is the first of the season's major mixed sales and it could well serve as a market barometer.
"There are a number of popular new stallions represented in this sale, and I think they will create a momentum," said Tom Ventura, OBS general manager and sales director. "Otherwise, I don't anticipate any great changes from last year's sales data."
This year's three-day Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Eastern Fall Yearling Sale proved that demand for middle-market yearlings has remained steady.
Thirty-eight yearlings sold for prices of $50,000 or greater, down slightly from a year ago. Six topped $100,000. The median rose from $8,000 to $9,500, an 18.7 percent jump. And although the average fell just short of last year's ($16,680 compared to $16,919), the number of buybacks was down 14 percent.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Leading at every quarter of the Flower Bowl Invitational at Belmont Park last Saturday, Kazzia served notice to all her competition for the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf. A 3-year-old daughter of the little-known stallion Zinaad, Kazzia brought her tenacity into play from the start and made the 10 furlongs of the Flower Bowl a searching test of stamina over the soft course.