Beau Liam

Taking the waters proved a fairly literal recreation through opening week at the Spa. Despite short fields and soggy turf, however, there were one or two sunbeams for those who relish a pedigree. 'TDN Rising Star' Far Bridge (English Channel) was scarcely a revelation in outclassing three rivals for the GII Bowling Green Stakes, his fifth graded success in his last seven starts. But his overall body of work and deeper family together demand the opportunity, someday, to extend his sire's legacy at stud. Admittedly Far Bridge's page features little...

Airdrie Stud's Beau Liam (by Liam's Map) got his second black-type winner in his first crop of 2-year-olds--and second in a week--Saturday when Border Czar sailed under the wire in the My Dear Stakes at Woodbine. Beau Liam's juvenile filly Lanaluah had captured the Texas Thoroughbred Association Futurity July 5. Sent as a 6-1 choice on the all-weather surface, Border Czar broke smartly and settled between horses in the second flight but well behind the :22.17 pace. With rider Rafael Hernandez sitting quietly confident until the turn, the bay tipped...

A colt from the initial crop of runners from the Airdrie Stud-based one-time 'TDN Rising Star' Beau Liam (Liam's Map) covered a quarter-mile in :20 1/5 during Saturday's fifth and final breeze show ahead of next week's OBS June 2-Year-Olds and Horses of Racing Age Sale. The Mar. 20 foal becomes the first horse to achieve that particular clocking since a pair accomplished the feat at last year's OBS April Sale. One of those was Cash Call (McKinzie), recent winner of the GIII Summertime Oaks at Santa Anita. Hip 829...

1st-Santa Anita, $63,600, Msw, 5-30, 2yo, f, 5fT, :58.31, fm, 2 1/4 lengths. QUEEN BAY (f, 2, Charlatan--Queen Medb {Ire} {SW, $147,062}, by Kodiac {GB}) wrapped up with a bow the second win for her freshman sire on Friday afternoon. Charlatan collected his inaugural score at Gulfstream Park May 2. Unveiled at 40 cents on the dollar here, the filly exited the gate cleanly, but appeared to take a misstep as a pair hooked up on the engine along the backstretch. The juvenile recovered easily and around the far turn...

With the first major 2-year-old sale, OBS March, now in the books, it's time for some predictions. We asked the experts who their pick is for leading freshman sire and also asked them for a "sleeper pick" or a stallion that will perform beyond expectations. Here's what they had to say: Jimbo Gladwell Top Pick: Charlatan, Standing for $50,000 in 2025 at Hill 'n' Dale Ten percent of the horses I've had on the farm are by Charlatan, so I am a Charlatan fan. They are really smart horses that...

Having dealt with the rookies separately, we now start our quest for value among those stallions already at stud. We'll be going through the pyramid by price band, and today kick off at the level most accessible to breeders on a budget. But do not be deceived that we must be scraping the barrel here. If anything, candidly, there are more horses standing at four figures that one could trust--above all, for a breed-to-race program--than among far more expensive newcomers featured in the first instalment. Whether one could also recommend...

Airdrie Stud's 2025 stallion roster will be headlined by four young stallions all being offered for a fee of $25,000, according to a press release from Airdrie Friday. The quartet includes breakout freshman sire Complexity. Currently ranked fourth in earnings according to TDN's Sire List, Complexity has three stakes winners--including two graded winners--and five stakes horses from his first crop of 2-year-olds. The 8-year-old stallion joins GI Kentucky Derby winner Mage (Good Magic), as well as Girvin (Tale of Ekati) and Upstart (Flatter), who all come in at the price...

With two days of selling in Book 6 yet to come, the 2024 Keeneland September Yearling Sale became the highest-grossing sale in the history of the auction house. When the gavel fell on hip 3634 not long after 6 p.m. Thursday evening, gross receipts totaled $405,519,500 (not including post-sale transactions) for the first 10 days of trade, breaking the previous high-water mark of $405,495,700 set in 2022. The cumulative average of $174,342 represented a healthy 7.3% bump over the corresponding figure from 2023, while the median price of $95,000 was...

Every year, the Fasig-Tipton July sale offers the first chance for buyers to get a look at a new crop of yearling sires. Many buyers were seeing these sires' yearlings for the first time this week, and while it's admittedly early, we took a little survey to get their first impressions. The group includes: Basin, Beau Liam, By My Standards, Charlatan, Core Beliefs, Essential Quality, Independence Hall, Knicks Go, Known Agenda, Leinster, Lexitonian, Maxfield, Modernist, Raging Bull, Rock Your World, Silver State, Tacitus, Uncle Chuck, and Yaupon. LIZ CROW: Tacitus...

2nd-Churchill Downs, $117,525, Msw, 5-24, 2yo, 5f, :58.09, gd, 3/4 length. THREE ECHOES (c, 2, Echo Town--Bayou Miss, by Dixie Union) broke outwardly and had to overcome a brief round of bumper cars but recovered well to track from third in this unveiling. Set on the inland route as the early leaders stayed together entering the home stretch, Three Echoes scraped the paint as he squeezed through a narrow opening passing the furlong pole, and had to muscle his way to racing room when brushing with Charlie Tolu (Cinco Charlie)....

Royal Breeze Racing, a racing and breeding operation located in Harvard, Massachusetts, owns two Mass-breds, a yearling by Frosted and a weanling by Beau Liam. That may not seem like a lot but when you consider that only five horses were foaled in the state between 2021 and 2023, Royal Breeze has become a leader in an industry still trying to figure out how to stay afloat when there are no racetracks in the state. The last one left was Suffolk Downs, which has not raced since 2019. "We'd rather...

Girvin (Tale of Ekati), the sire of three graded stakes winners including Grade I winner Faiza, and Upstart (Flatter), the sire of GI Toyota Blue Grass S. winner Zandon, will both stand for a stud fee of $30,000 at Airdrie Farm in Midway, Kentucky, for the 2024 season, Airdrie announced Wednesday. "We couldn't be looking more forward to the 2024 season as we continue to build momentum in our stallion barn," said Airdrie's Bret Jones. "We believe we have two very special stallions in Girvin and Upstart headlining our roster...