Army Mule

by Jessica Martini & Christina Bossinakis OCALA, FL - The Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training opened Tuesday with a colt from the first crop of Grade I winner Maxfield (hip 119) leading the way when selling for $1 million to Japanese trainer Mitsu Nakauchida. The colt was consigned by Ciaran Dunne's Wavertree Stables. At the end of the session, 117 juveniles had sold for $15,902,000 for an average of $135,915 and a median of $85,000. At the conclusion of last year's opening session, 152 head...

California Burrito (Army Mule) is the newest player on the 'Road to the Kentucky Derby,' earning 20 points with a gate-to-wire win in Saturday night's John Battaglia Memorial Stakes at Turfway Park. Shaken up for the lead from mid-gate, the 7-2 shot, who came off a 7 1/4-length win going just a 1/16th shorter on the local Tapeta Jan. 24, showed the way along the inside through fractions of :24.50 and :49.41 with 37-1 longshot Maitre D (Game Winner) keeping him honest to the outside and 2-1 race favorite Baby...

George Adams of Housatonic Bloodstock discusses the 2025 mating plans for the Wasabi Ventures' broodmare band. Now with its own Kentucky farm, Serendipity Springs, Wasabi Ventures Stables & Stallions continues to try to improve the quality of its breeding program and the commerciality of its foals. Everyone knows that freshman sires tend to be the most commercial, and Wasabi will be supporting several of them in which we have shares. Specifically, we're sending five mares to Speightstown's only 2-year-old Grade I-winning son, Prince of Monaco at Claiborne. We love Speightstown...

8th-GP, 94K, Msw, 3yo, f, 6f, 3:49 p.m. Debuting for Flying Dutchmen Breeding and Racing and trainer Brian Lynch, SHRED THE GNAR (Into Mischief) is a full-sister to MGSW/MGISP Owendale. Purchased for $610,000 at FTSAUG in 2023, the filly is out of a Bernardini half-sister to GI Lane's End Breeders' Futurity winner Great Hunter (Aptitude). This is the family of champion 3-year-old filly Stellar Wind (Curlin). Just to her outside, Kapoor (Uncle Mo) is a Godolphin homebred out of a Medaglia d'Oro half-sister to Japanese MG1SW Mozu Ascot (Frankel {GB})....

In yesterday's edition of Value Sires for 2025, Chris McGrath profiled the stallions standing between $20,000 and $29,999, awarding the gold medal to Darley's Hard Spun (read more here). Here, we asked the breeders to hand out their top picks for this category. Carrie Brogden Gold: Hard Spun (Danzig x Turkish Tryst, by Turkoman), Darley, $25,000 My top value sire in this bracket is Hard Spun. Even though he doesn't always throw the most commercial physical horses, if you choose your mare wisely, you can get a sales horse that...

This tier of the market, between $20,000 and $29,999, offers particular value through its more established names: horses that have walked the walk sufficiently to clear the basement level, while somehow failing to achieve due commercial prestige. Indeed, our podium is dominated by the two eldest of the eligible stallions, while the only candidates considered for the third step were all in the process of consolidating strong starts. That said, the case for the three young sires at the other end of the spectrum--whose first foals are about to slither...

Two time Horse of the Year Curlin (Smart Strike) remains steady atop the roster at Hill 'n' Dale Farm with a fee of $225,000 LFSN for the 2025 breeding season, the farm announced Monday. The sire of three Eclipse Award Champions last year, he currently has three Grade I winners and five Grade I performers in 2024. Standing alongside his sire, Good Magic's (Curlin) fee also remains unchanged at $125,000 LFSN. Good Magic has three Grade I winners in 2024 including GI Belmont Stakes and GI Haskell Stakes winner Dornoch,...

In a division lacking the star power of previous years, another contender threw his hat in the ring Friday as Federal Judge (Army Mule) wired the field in the GII Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix at Keeneland to earn his spot into the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint. Making his third start of the form cycle off over a year-long layoff, the 4-year-old gelding picked up his second straight win having also taken a field of Saratoga allowance runners gate to wire over nearly this distance Aug. 31. Clearly the speed of...

Leo and Sarah Dooley can tell you a thing or two about the Thoroughbred racing industry. But don't let their youthful appearances fool you--the couple has already forged a most impressive, not to mention broad, resume in the game. And while they can hardly be called newcomers to the sales game, having sold horses through other agencies in the past, the couple will embark on new territory when selling horses for the first time under their own banner, Norevale Farm, at the upcoming Fasig-Tipton July Sale July 9. Explaining the...

She's back, and back with a vengeance. Barbara T (f, 3, Army Mule--Alternative Energy, by Kantharos) disappeared from her foes and made her seasonal debut at Keeneland one worthy of a 'TDN Rising Star' nod. Last seen in her lone juvenile start July 30 at Del Mar, she finished a begrudging second to fellow debuter Chatalas (Gun Runner), who would eventually go on to win the GII Chandelier S. and place in the GII Starlet S. as well as the Blue Norther S. that season. That race would also yield...

by Jessica Martini & Stefanie Grimm OCALA, FL - Without a breakout horse and numerous outs, the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training dutifully marched through its paces Thursday, with a colt by Nyquist attracting the session's highest price of $550,000 late in the day. Bloodstock agent Donato Lanni, bidding on behalf of Zedan Racing Stable, signed the ticket on the session topper for the third straight day. From a catalogue of 302 horses, just 187 went through the ring Thursday and the session, which started...

2nd-Gulfstream, $62,700, Msw, 4-12, 2yo, 4 1/2f, :51.86, ft, 3 lengths. MENSA (c, 2, Complexity--Lady Halite, by Medaglia d'Oro) broke very well from his rail spot to take an easy lead in this unveiling. Never challenged through :22.07 and :45.66 splits, Patrick Husbands only had to keep his mount focused in the lane as the pair came home three lengths best over the filly Unchained Elaine (American Pharoah). Mensa is the first winner for his freshman sire (by Maclean's Music). "He's been extremely professional from day one," said Nick Tomlinson,...