Bloodstock

For about a decade and a half, Mike Pender punched well above his weight as a trainer on the ultra-competitive Southern California circuit, winning Grade I races with modestly bred and moderately priced runners like Ultimate Eagle (Mizzen Mast) and Jeranimo (Congaree), each acquired for $70,000 out of the breeze-up sales on behalf of his client B.J. Wright. About a year after saddling Lombo (Graydar) to an 8-1 upset in the 2018 GIII Robert B. Lewis Stakes, Pender switched gears and entered the bloodstock arena, but without the same level...

Horses seem to always be at the center of Brent and Sharilyn Gasaway's life. As the story goes, the day Brent proposed he ran late because, of course, he was at the racetrack. Even though she was none too pleased, Sharilyn confirmed the end result was an affirmative one. By now you have probably heard how their ownership group 4 G Racing--which includes the couple and their twin son and daughter, Brent's cousin Lance Gasaway, and Daniel Hamby III--paired with Valley View Farm to reach one of the apogees in...

Growing up in the Thoroughbred industry, Headley VanMeter has always dreamed of starting his own consignment. Now, he is doing it by going out on his own this summer under the banner of VanMeter Sales. "Starting a consignment has always been a goal of mine," said VanMeter. "Everything I have done to this point has been to build a strong foundation as a horsemen. I feel like now is a great time to try to start my own business. I've been really fortunate to be surrounded by a lot of...

The Jockey Club has rolled out a new pilot project, the Mare Incentive Program, that waives registration fees for certain 2026 foals of mares that meet certain criteria in order to assist breeders with their mating plans, the organization said in a press release early Friday. "The Jockey Club is waiving registration fees for any 2026 foals of mares that are listed and that are introduced or returned to the breeding population in 2025 in an effort to stimulate interest in this group that appear to have left production," said...

Keeneland has supplemented 10 horses to its Horses of Racing Age Sale scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 14, the sales company said in a Thursday press release. A total of 234 horses have been cataloged to the single-session auction, which will begin at noon ET. Additional supplements will be considered until the day of the sale. Trained by Kevin Attard and owned by X-Men Racing, Madaket and SF Racing, Tripolina is a 3-year-old by Constitution. The filly won the Display Stakes and was the runner-up in the GIII Mazarine Stakes to...

Keeneland has supplemented 10 horses, including two-time winning juvenile Delightful Flame (Flameaway), to its Horses of Racing Age Sale which begins at noon ET on Thursday, Nov. 14, the auction company said in a release Thursday. A total of 221 horses have been catalogued to the single-session auction and most will be stabled at Keeneland in Barns 18-26 with some being offered remotely from their training locations. Additional supplements will be considered until the day of the sale. Internet and phone bidding will be available. Delightful Flame is a 2-year-old...

Harris Auerbach, a long-time Thoroughbred industry stakeholder who campaigned California's all-time leading sire Unusual Heat, is rolling out a new breeding and sales operation called HorsePAUER Enterprises, the owner of PAUER Consulting said in a release Tuesday. HorsePAUER will operate as a subsidiary of Auerbach's main company and offerings include stakeholder development, breeding stock portfolio management and bloodstock/matings consultations. Auerbach launched PAUER Consulting earlier this year which brought together a wide-array of services under the umbrella of strategy and special projects expertise. PAUER's clients include major universities, charitable organizations and...

It's early, but maybe not too early to start dreaming of the GI Kentucky Derby. At least it's not for owner Richard Rigney. Rigney is the owner of 'TDN Rising Star' Jonathan's Way (Vekoma), the winner of last Saturday's GIII Iroquois Stakes at Churchill Downs, the first of many races that award Derby points to the top five finishers. Making his second career start after overcoming trouble to win a maiden at Saratoga, Jonathan's Way was an impressive winner, suggesting there could be bigger and better triumphs in his future....

According to a Wednesday press release, the 2024 Wanamaker's April Sale catalogue is now available, which includes yearlings, horses of racing age, open broodmares, and broodmares in-foal. Bidding will open at 9:00 a.m. ET on Thursday, Apr. 25, with the first listing set to close at 2:00 p.m. Subsequent listings will close in three-minute increments.   Highlights of the catalogue include: Nyquist filly, Deck of Cards, who has won her last three starts at Keeneland and Turfway Park and has earnings of over $125,000. Ligeia, a Florida-bred filly with two...

Today we'll consider some of the sires standing between $10,001 and $19,999. For a long time, I called this the Lookin At Lucky zone. But don't worry, we won't be deploring his neglect yet again: he's staying in Chile, where they evidently appreciate him rather more. Plenty of horses in this bracket have recently relinquished their brief window of commercial opportunity, and are now hanging around to discover whether they might join the very small group whose first runners generate a fresh vogue. Even with the newcomers out of the...

Playing chess with nature. That's what Jean-Luc Lagardère called it, and the analogy has always resonated with Alberto Figueiredo. How, for instance, do we account for the sheer size of King Of Steel (Wootton Bassett {GB}), who sealed his place among the elite sophomores of Europe with his Group 1 success at Ascot last Saturday? You don't particularly see that bulk in the sire; and, tragically, it wasn't in the dam either. In her case, the disparity proved fatal. "She was a good, medium-sized mare but he was so big...

West Point's Terry Finley, leading trainer Kenny McPeek and others have been announced as speakers for the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association's Pedigree & Conformation Clinic on Monday, Oct. 23 at Fasig-Tipton in Lexington, Kentucky. The day-long clinic will take place on the first day of Fasig Tipton's Kentucky October Yearling sale. Attendees will learn insights on different aspects of Thoroughbred auctions, bloodstock, pedigree, and conformation analysis, and more from industry professionals as well as enjoy a day at the sales. The topics and speakers at the clinic include: •...