Antony Beck of Gainesway, which stands new stallions To Honor and Serve and Tapizar , has been shopping at both the Keeneland November breeding stock sale and the Keeneland January horses of all ages sale for mares that would match well with the two grade I victors.
Beck purchased seven mares in November, at least four of which are expressly earmarked to support To Honor and Serve: Church Camp (by Forest Camp), Unaffordable (by Unbridled), Unspoken Fur (by Empire Maker ), and Wildcat Marie (by Wildcat Heir).
At the Keeneland January sale, he acquired Hip No. 17, a 3-year-old daughter of Unbridled's Song named Gravitar, who is out of the stakes-placed Carson City mare Look Upon. Beck bought the mare privately after she failed to meet her reserve.
Through agent Debbie Easter, Beck also purchased Well Deserved (Hip 252), a 5-year-old daughter of Cactus Ridge—Lodden Blue, by Coronado's Quest, for $70,000 from Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent on behalf of VinMar Farm; plus Hip 375, a 7-year-old winning daughter of Speightstown named French Dip, who is out of the grade I-winning mare Mayo on the Side (by French Deputy). In foal to Unbridled's Song, the latter mare was consigned by Three Chimneys Sales, agent, and was purchased for $160,000 in the Gainesway name.
"I am so proud to have formed an association with Charlotte Weber's fine horse To Honor and Serve and Ron Winchell's equally exciting prospect Tapizar," said Beck. "We believe they have all the touchstones that predict a stallion; in fact, To Honor and Serve has a lot of the same qualities that Tapit did at the same stage in his career. And Tapizar, of course, is his best son at stud.
"I have been shopping heavily in both the November sale and here (Keeneland January) to support them both with my own mares. I have already committed almost 40 mares between the two of them and plan on continuing to acquire more."
A 4-year-old from the first crop of Bernardini , To Honor and Serve won two graded stakes in each of his three years of racing. At 2 in 2010, he captured the Nashua Stakes (gr. II) and the Remsen Stakes (gr. II) in consecutive starts.
At 3 To Honor and Serve won the Pennsylvania Derby (gr. II) over Ruler On Ice and beat older horses in the Cigar Mile Handicap (gr. I). He finished third in the Florida Derby (gr. I) and the Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth Stakes (gr. II).
In 2012, To Honor and Serve took the Woodward Stakes (gr. I) and the Westchester Stakes (gr. III) and ran third in the Metropolitan Handicap (gr. I).
Trained by Bill Mott for Weber's Live Oak Plantation, To Honor and Serve exited racing with a record of 8-1-3 from 17 starts and earnings of $1,798,840. He will stand the 2013 season for $30,000 at Gainesway.
Bruce Hill, general manager of Live Oak, said Weber will send several of her top broodmares to To Honor and Serve. Live Oak purchased Big Tiz for $600,000 at Keeneland January and the grade I-placed daughter of Tiznow will be considered for the new stallion, although a final decision had not been made as of Jan. 7.
"We've got some of our own mares going to him and this mare (Big Tiz) has a chance of going to him too," Hill said.
Tapizar captured the 2012 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (gr. I) at Santa Anita Park in dominating fashion by 2 1/4 lengths. Bred and raced by Winchell Thoroughbreds and trained by Steve Asmussen, Tapizar is the first grade I winner by Tapit to stand at Gainesway, where his fee is $15,000 stands and nurses.
Tapizar was retired with a record of 6-1-1 from 14 starts and earnings of $972,632. His victories also include the San Fernando Stakes (gr. II), the Sham Stakes (gr. III), and the West Virginia Governor's Stakes.
