breeder

Breeders' Spotlight: In Response to Evolving Landscape, Woods Edge Builds Reputation as a Breeder

We know it as a tried-and-true consignment that has been making headlines at the Keeneland September Sale for over 20 years now. And we know its figurehead Peter O'Callaghan as one of the sharpest pinhookers in the game--flipping a $400,000 American Pharoah colt into a $2.2 million Keeneland September yearling in 2018 and before that, pinhooking a $180,000 War Front weanling into a $2.5 million yearling at the same sale back in 2013. But what's relatively new for us, when considering Woods Edge Farm, is finding the operation listed as...

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Letruska the Star of Terrazas Thoroughbreds

Five-time Grade I winner and 2021 Eclipse Champion Older Dirt Female Letruska (Super Saver) produced her first foal, a filly by Curlin, on Feb. 4 at Terrazas Thoroughbreds in Lexington, KY. Farm owner Eduardo Terrazas reported that the foaling was normal and that as the leggy filly has flourished in her first few weeks of life, she seems to have adopted her sire's physical and her dam's personality. "Her mama is a very secure type of mare, very sure of herself, and the baby definitely shows that," he said. "Ever...

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'Start Of A New Legacy' – Jetara Bids To Do Outstanding Family Proud At DRF

Gerry McGrath, breeder of Champion Hurdler Jezki (Ire) (Milan {GB}) and high-class performers Jett (Ire) (Flemensfirth), Jered (Ire) (Presenting {GB}), Jetson (Ire) (Oscar {Ire}) and Jenari (Ire) (Milan {GB}) all out of the outstanding broodmare La Noire (Ire) (Phardante {Fr}), has outlined hopes that the legacy can continue with leading Dublin Racing Festival contender Jetara (Ire) (Walk In The Park {Ire}). A granddaughter of La Noire, the mare who was famously gifted to McGrath by his late father in the nineties, Jetara will take on the boys in the G1...

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'He's Put Us On The Map' – Capital Stud Boss Puts Faith Behind Authorized

Capital Stud boss Ger O'Neill has revealed that Authorized (Ire) will stand for a similar fee to dominant National Hunt stallion Walk In The Park (Ire) and outlined his hopes that the new recruit to the County Kilkenny operation will help raise the relatively new outfit's profile amongst Irish breeders.  O'Neill's perseverance paid off in securing the 20-year-old Derby winner and sire of Tiger Roll (Ire), one of the most famous jumps horses of the modern era, from the Jockey Club of Turkey for what he described as "a frightening"...

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Breeders' Spotlight: 'Just' Like the Movies, Krikorian Gets a Breeders' Cup Champ

It seems like almost too good of a plot line to believe it now, but Just F Y I (Justify) was never meant to race in George Krikorian's silks. The filly made it all the way to the Keeneland sales grounds before a puncture wound in her shoulder kept her from going through the ring. While it was nothing serious, the minor abrasion became inflamed enough to make walking back and forth for buyers impossible. So she was scratched from the September Sale, sent to Margaux Farm and eventually joined...

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Najd Stud Active at First Keeneland Appearance

Najd Stud has become increasingly active on the European sales scene for the past five years and now the operation has made its maiden voyage to American soil for the Keeneland November Sale. The Saudi Arabian breeding and racing operation of HRH Prince Faisal Bin Khaled Bin Abdulaziz collected a sizeable group of weanlings, plus a handful of mares and horses of racing age, to take back to Saudi Arabia. Saud Al Qahtani, who represented Najd Stud at Keeneland throughout the auction, spoke on their decision to expand their buying...

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John Stewart Joins the TDN Writers' Room

On this week's TDN Writers' Room, owner/breeder John Stewart discusses his recent shopping spree at the fall breeding stock sales and reveals the name for his new racing and breeding operation. This week's episode is sponsored by Keeneland, the Green Group, WinStar, the PHBA, Lane's End and West Point Thoroughbreds.

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Keeneland Breeder Spotlight: Humphrey and Arnold: A Connection That Goes Well Beyond Racing

Two Labradors grace the front steps of the main house at Shawnee Farm. Their dark coats glossy in the sunlight, the affable mother-daughter pair are among the eight generations of hunting dogs bred by G. Watts Humphrey Jr. and his wife Sally. As much as the sport of horse racing has been an unwavering passion for the Humphreys throughout their many years together, so too has their shared penchant for bird hunting. In fact, the sport led them into forming a business relationship that evolved into a lifelong friendship--one that...

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Ahead of Fasig November, Amy Moore Bids Queen Caroline a Heartfelt Farewell

The chances might be one in a million. The odds of campaigning a multiple stakes winner from the first yearling you ever purchase are certainly pretty long. But to have that horse go on and produce a champion as her first foal, what are the chances? Amy Moore, the owner of South Gate Farm in Millwood, Virginia, knows better than to take this experience for granted. Besides her childhood family pony, the first horse she ever owned was Queen Caroline. Purchased by Moore for $170,000 as a yearling in 2014,...

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Penn Family Riding High into Book 3 After Seven-Figure Sale

Alex Penn wasn't at Keeneland when his family's Penn Sales sent their first seven-figure yearling through the ring during Book 1 of the September Sale. He was back home in Bourbon County, busy prepping the rest of their consignment's yearlings pointing for the later books. "They were all drinking champagne and I was grooming horses," he said as he jokingly nudged his wife Kendra and laughed, because really, he wouldn't have it any other way. His family's business was founded a century ago as an all-purpose farm--over the years raising...

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Thirty Year Farm On Track to Stamp Its Presence in Saratoga

Not many people have heard of Thirty Year Farm--yet. Kristen Esler hopes that someday soon, it will be a different story. Six years ago, Esler decided that after years of corporate life, she was ready to try something different. She and her husband Matt began looking for a piece of property in Saratoga. They found a farm located just off Fish Creek, less than five miles from the racetrack, and it was love at first sight. On the couple's thirtieth wedding anniversary, they signed the paperwork on their new property...

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Ramspring Farm Hits the Mark with a Top-Class Turfer

The rest of the Patrick family had all come and gone by the time Belle's Finale (Ghostzapper) was preparing to sell at the 2017 Keeneland November Sale, but Mary Leigh Patrick was there to watch as the pretty bay mare stepped into the ring. Mary Leigh had decided to hold out for the rest of the session, hoping to find one last addition for Ramspring Farm's broodmare band ahead of another breeding season. The octogenarian knew she had accomplished the mission when she spotted Belle's Finale, an unraced 3-year-old out...

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