The seasonal debut of Breeders' Cup Sprint (gr. I) champion Cajun Beat and the first $100,000 guaranteed pick three pool in racing history highlights Saturday's opening day program at Gulfstream Park.
Tuesday, December 30, 2003By Martin Stiles -- Improving the breed would be well served by establishing and maintaining a purse structure that disproportionately rewards the winners of the very best races (grade I), and forbids race-day medication in those races. I think Federico Tesio would approve.
Tuesday, December 09, 2003Filling the void left when his half-brother Malibu Moon was recently moved to Castleton Lyons Farm near Lexington, Parker's Storm Cat will enter stud in 2004 at the Pons family's Country Life Farm near Bel Air, Md. The son of Storm Cat's fee will be $3,000.
Friday, November 14, 2003Eugene and Laura Melnyk's Paynes Bay has been retired from racing and will stand the 2004 breeding season at T.C. Westmeath Farm near Shelburne, Ontario. His fee will be $2,500 (Canadian funds).
Friday, November 07, 2003Aldebaran, the leading contender for a sprint championship whose 122 Beyer Speed Figure is the second-highest of any runner this year, arrived for stallion duty the afternoon of Oct. 28 at Darby Dan Farm near Lexington and will be housed in the same stall that once was home to Honor Grades, Sailor, Sword Dancer, and the great farm homebred Roberto.
Wednesday, October 29, 2003Aldebaran, who figures to be the favorite for the Oct. 25 Breeders' Cup Sprint (gr. I) in what will be his final start, will begin his stallion career for $50,000 live foal at Darby Dan Farm near Lexington.
Tuesday, October 14, 2003Hussonet, whose daughter Wild Spirit won the Sept. 13 Ruffian Handicap (gr. I), will stand at Tom Simon's Vinery near Lexington in 2004.
Wednesday, October 01, 2003Gone West, whose yearling filly out of Touch of Greatness brought the top price of $3.8 million at the Keeneland September sale, will stand once again for $125,000.
Tuesday, September 23, 2003A Capote colt who is a brother to grade II stakes winner and grade I producer She's Tops was purchased by J. L. Gladwell for $700,000 to top Wednesday's session of Keeneland's September Yearling Sale.
Wednesday, September 10, 2003Flaxman Stable's Aldebaran flashed his superiority at seven furlongs once again in the Forego Handicap (gr. I) at Saratoga Race Course Sunday, destroying a quality field of sprinters with his patented late run.
Sunday, August 31, 2003Empire Maker, the colt that was supposed to win the 1 1/4-mile Kentucky Derby (gr. I) because of his pedigree, instead won the 1 1/2-mile Belmont Stakes (gr. I) because of his pedigree. That's a lot of pedigree for one horse, even for one from the vast international breeding empire of Khalid Abdullah's Juddmonte Farms.
Wednesday, June 11, 2003Aldeberan, known for his many second-place finishes, did not finish second Saturday in the Churchill Downs Handicap (gr. II). Under Jerry Bailey, he won the seven-furlong stakes as the 6-5 favorite, withstanding an objection from Tony Farina, who rode second-place finisher Pass Rush.
Saturday, May 03, 2003In the movie business, sequels usually don't measure up to the originals. But Thoroughbred breeder Arthur B. Hancock III, owner of Stone Farm near Paris, Ky., is hoping a 2003 foal he has nicknamed Superman II is every bit as successful as a 1997 colt Hancock dubbed Superman, later named Fusaichi Pegasus.
Friday, April 11, 2003Crafty C.T., a consistent sprinter who has finished first, second or third in 11 of 13 career starts, returns to action Sunday in the $200,000 San Carlos Handicap (gr. I) at Santa Anita Park.
Friday, February 28, 2003Under a hold at the wire by jockey Calvin Borel, Belle of Perintown completed a decisive 8 1/4-length victory over Afternoon Dreams in Saturday's $150,000 Silverbulletday Stakes at Fair Grounds.
Saturday, February 15, 2003Some of the top turf horses and sprinters on the grounds get their day in the sun at Gulfstream Saturday, as the second day of the 2003 meeting is highlighted by two graded stakes events -- the $150,000 Appleton Handicap (gr. II) and the $100,000 Mr. Prospector Handicap (gr. III).
Thursday, January 02, 2003The most dramatic development in North America's Thoroughbred auction arena in 2002 was the decline at the top of the yearling market, where the horses with the fanciest pedigrees were offered.
Monday, December 30, 2002In a finish that was almost too close to call, Rock Slide nipped Discreet Hero in a thrilling $75,000 Tenacious Handicap at Fair Grounds Sunday.
Sunday, December 08, 2002In a finish that was almost too close to call, Rock Slide nipped Discreet Hero in a thrilling $75,000 Tenacious Handicap at Fair Grounds Sunday.
Sunday, December 08, 2002Canadian champion and millionaire Dancethruthedawn, a Sam-Son homebred, has been retired because of a non-displaced hairline fracture of her right ankle.
Tuesday, October 15, 2002Artist Richard Stone Reeves is donating a portion of the sales of a recent lithograph of Mr. Prospector to the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation.
Friday, September 27, 2002Full of Wonder and jockey Todd Kabel, ran down race favorite Perfect Soul in the final strides to win Saturday's $324,400 Niagara Breeders' Cup Stakes (gr. I-C) at Woodbine.
Saturday, August 31, 2002Australian businessman Dick Karreman has purchased The Oaks Stud in New Zealand and will stand Our Emblem's full brother, Traditionally, there during the southern hemisphere season.
Wednesday, July 10, 2002War Zone, a son of Danzig racing for Prince Khalid Abdullah's Juddmonte Farms, outraced five rivals to win Sunday's Prix de la Porte Maillot (Fr-III) at Longchamp.
Tuesday, June 25, 2002Few stallions in recent memory have enjoyed more of an upswing in their reputation in such a short span as Our Emblem.
Monday, May 20, 2002Serena's Tune, the first foal from champion Serena's Song, won the March 16 Victoria Lass Handicap at Fair Grounds in her last start. She will be bred this spring to Storm Cat.
Sunday, March 17, 2002Mr. Prospector continued his stranglehold on the leading broodmare sire list, racking up his fifth title in a row. And despite the stallion's death in 1999 at the age of 29, he figures to keep a hammerlock on the competition for years to come. At his current pace, there is little reason to believe he can't top the list for another five years.
Tuesday, January 08, 2002The rise of Thunder Gulch from champion 3-year-old male to leading sire has been meteoric to say the least. Just six years removed from a championship season as North America's top sophomore, and with just three crops of racing age, the son of Gulch has made it to the apex of the sire charts.
Tuesday, January 08, 2002Madraar, a half-brother to European champion and 2001 Breeders' Cup Turf (gr. IT) winner Fantastic Light, has been retired and will stand at Gary and Marlene Howard's Hideaway Farm near San Jacinto, Calif.
Thursday, January 03, 2002For those pedigree pundits who worry about the gene pool being concentrated in a few sire lines, here's some more bad news. Half of the select field of 24 stallions entering stud in 2002 descend from the Mr. Prospector male line.
Tuesday, December 04, 2001Came Home is by Gone West, by Mr. Prospector, who was the third-leading sire in the United States in 1995. Gone West's best year on the track was 1987, when he captured the grade I Dwyer Stakes, and a pair of grade II's, the Gotham Stakes and the Withers Stakes. Gone West earned $682,251 from 17 lifetime starts.
Tuesday, September 25, 2001Our Native outlived two of his very famous contemporaries, Mr. Prospector, whom he defeated in the 1973 Calumet Purse, and Secretariat, whom he followed across the finish line in the Kentucky Derby (gr. I) and Preakness Stakes (gr. I) that year. But Our Native's age and health caught up with him on Aug. 26, when the 31-year-old stallion was euthanized at High Point Farm near Lexington.
Monday, August 27, 2001As the first horse entered the ring for the final session of the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling sale Thursday evening, the power went out. Auxiliary generators quickly restored the blacked-out conditions to the sales pavilion, but it was four big-priced horses in the ring as the evening progressed that knocked the lights out of all previous sale records for gross and average.
Friday, August 10, 2001Keeneland has announced it will catalog 4,483 horses for its 13-day September Yearling Sale. That total includes 2,372 colts, 2,110 fillies, and one gelding.
Friday, July 27, 2001While only two of the six yearlings from the late Mr. Prospector's final crop of foals exceeded their reserve price, the two that did sell on Tuesday night in the final session of the Keeneland July select yearling sale pushed the legendary sire over the $200-million mark in career revenue for yearlings sold at public auction. With $5,500,000 in receipts at this year's July sale, the son of Raise a Native now has $202,884,728 in lifetime yearling sale revenue.
Wednesday, July 18, 2001He was shut out on several big lots early at the second session of the Keeneland July sale Tuesday, but Reynolds Bell, bidding for Jayeff B Stable, got the one he really wanted, a Seeking the Gold filly named Scene Seeker. Bell actually dropped out of the bidding, but then jumped back in and secured the filly for $3.7 million.
Tuesday, July 17, 2001There won't be a bell signifying the opening round in the battle to acquire one of Mr. Prospector's last yearlings, but that doesn't mean buyers won't be ready to rumble when it comes time to bid on them.
Sunday, July 15, 2001Though the signals are mixed, on the face of pedigree alone it is hard to see many reasons why Street Cry should be able to handle 1 1/4 miles on the first Saturday in May. His sire was a sprinter on grass, albeit a good one; his dam, though a group I winner in Ireland going 12 furlongs, has yet to pass that distance ability on to her offspring; he has a Dosage Index and profile slanted toward speed; and he has yet to win around two turns.
Friday, March 30, 2001By Ray Paulick -- Some Western Hemisphere breeders worry about the heavy concentration of Northern Dancer and Mr. Prospector blood in the modern-day Thoroughbred. They're not alone in their concerns over a limited gene pool. A similar predicament is developing in Japan, where Sunday Silence reigns supreme.
Tuesday, March 06, 2001From Thunder Gulch's second crop, Point Given appears poised to make a run at the 2001 Derby, giving the Mr. Prospector line another strong player to extend the dynasty. If successful, Thunder Gulch would join Unbridled (Grindstone) as the most recent Derby winner to sire a Derby winner.
Tuesday, February 20, 2001Serena’s Song’s first foal -- Serena’s Tune, by Mr. Prospector -- won her debut race Sunday at Del Mar. Under Kent Desormeaux, the Neil Drysdale trainee, owned by James A. and Alice Sapara, led at every call en route to a seven-length victory over three other maiden juvenile fillies, completing the 5 ½ furlongs in 1:05.31.
Monday, August 28, 2000Guided by jockey Jerry Bailey for the first time, Juddmonte Farms' homebred Chester House unleashed a powerful rally along the rail through the stretch to earn a 3 1/4-length victory in the $2-million Arlington Million Stakes (gr. IT) Saturday at Arlington International.
Sunday, August 20, 2000Sam-Son Farms' homebred 3-year-old colt Scatter the Gold won the $283,800 Prince of Wales Stakes--the second jewel in the Canadian Triple Crown-- Sunday at Fort Erie. Scatter the Gold won for the first time last month when he won the first leg of the Triple Crown, the Queen's Plate Stakes.
Sunday, July 23, 2000Fusaichi Pegasus is scheduled to resume serious training again next week.
Wednesday, June 28, 2000Irish-based Coolmore has a tentative agreement to purchase Kentucky Derby (gr. I) winner Fusaichi Pegasus for stud duty, beginning in 2001.
Monday, June 26, 2000Sam-Son Farm's Scatter the Gold, winless in four previous races, rallied for a 4 1/4-length victory in the $1-million Queen's Plate Sunday at Woodbine.
Monday, June 26, 2000