Breeders' Cup Distaff

Champion filly Pretty Mischievous (Into Mischief) will return to the scene of her greatest triumph when she kicks off her 4-year-old campaign in the May 3 GI La Troienne S. at Churchill Downs. Pretty Mischievous won last year's GI Kentucky Oaks, a win that went a long way toward her earning an Eclipse Award as the nation's outstanding 3-year-old filly. "She's been doing great and working very well," trainer Brendan Walsh said. "We're very happy with the way she has progressed from three to four. We won't know until we...

Last year's champion older female and GI Breeders' Cup Distaff heroine Idiomatic (Curlin), sportingly put back in training for a 5-year-old campaign, could potentially kick off her season in the GI La Troienne S. on the GI Kentucky Oaks undercard May 3. The Juddmonte homebred posted her third workout of 2024 for trainer Brad Cox at Fair Grounds Thursday morning, stopping the clock for four furlongs in :49 (17/43). "For starters, (the late Juddmonte founder) Prince Khalid (bin Abdullah) was never afraid to run horses, colts or fillies," Juddmonte USA...

After an abbreviated three-race campaign in 2023, Nest (Curlin) has returned to training for her 5-year-old season. Mike Repole bought out his partners in the champion 3-year-old filly of 2022--Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Michael House--for a co-topping $6 million at last fall's Fasig-Tipton November sale. "When we put her in the sale, I really went there with a game plan of she might retire as a broodmare," Repole said. "The Japanese were bidding on her and I've seen so many of these horses go to Japan, and, honestly, I didn't...

As the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale continued into its second week Wednesday in Lexington, figures for the auction continued to fall well off 2022 statistics. Through eight sessions, 1,873 horses have sold for $173,925,300 for an average of $92,859 and a median of $40,000. The average is down 17.57% from the corresponding figure from 2022, while the median is down 20.00%. The buy-back rate remained largely steady through eight sessions as 558 horses were reported not sold for a buy-back rate of 22.95%. It was 23.08% a year ago....

In 2022, Hill 'n' Dale's super sire Curlin got a record-setting three winners on Saturday's Breeders' Cup card. In 2023, the remarkable sire equaled that as Juddmonte homebred Idiomatic (Curlin--Lockdown, by First Defence) gave her sire a hard-fought victory in the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff sandwiched between the encore wins by Cody's Wish in the GI Dirt Mile earlier on the card and Elite Power later in the GI Sprint. Idiomatic, who has had a stellar year with eight wins from nine starts, has almost certainly sewn up the Eclipse...

Thousands upon thousands--likely hundreds of thousands--of words have been written about the legendary Zenyatta, who captured the heart and soul of racing during her time on the racetrack and remains just as beloved today, 13 years after her retirement. Winter Quarter Farm's Don Robinson, who foaled her, was kind enough to share his memories of her formative years with TDN. "Zenyatta was the ultimate," said Robinson. "I can't say enough superlatives about her. I could speak endlessly about her. "The real satisfaction is I delivered her mother, too. I had...

Celebrating 40 Years of the Breeders' Cup When Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum passed away early in 2021 after decades of prominence in Thoroughbred racing and breeding, it was unclear in the sport what would happen to his vast bloodstock and farm holdings. Racing needn't have worried. His daughter, Sheikha Hissa, catapulted into the public eye as the head of Shadwell right at the same time the racing stable was seeing a resurgence. The bedrock laid over decades of success by Sheikh Hamdan was the perfect foundation for stunning...

Ever-consistent Grade I-winning millionaire Search Results (Flatter - Co Cola, by Candy Ride {Arg}) figures to be one of the top choices in the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff. A presence in the Chad Brown barn for three years, the 5-year-old's Distaff bid will be her final race sporting the Klaravich Stables silks as she will head to the Fasig-Tipton November Sale following Saturday's championship meet. "Search Results has been such a wonderful horse not only for us to work with, but for Seth and Beth Klarman," said Chad Brown. "In...

John Ferguson acquired Round Pond on behalf of Darley for $5.75 million at Fasig-Tipton's fall sale in 2007. The elegant bay produced two stakes winners for the Darley/Godolphin banner--MSW & GISP Long River (A.P. Indy) and SW & GSP Lake Lucerne (Dubawi {Ire})--while an unraced daughter produced 2022 GI Carter H. winner Speaker's Corner. The latter, a Godolphin homebred by home stallion Street Sense, stood his first season in the Darley stud barn alongside his sire this year. "Round Pond is a sweet girl," said Darley's Gainsborough division farm manager...

Ashado's Breeders' Cup win in 2004 was sandwiched by placings both the year prior and the year after. The grand mare's 11 black-type wins included seven Grade Is, ranging from the Spinaway at two to the Kentucky Oaks at three and the Ogden Phipps at four. No wonder John Ferguson went to $9 million--then a world record--for her at the 2005 Keeneland November sale on behalf of Darley. Her final foal, a Bernardini yearling, is a full-brother to her stakes winner Westwood. "She is the dominant mare in her retired...

Reigning champion sophomore filly Nest (Curlin) will not contest next month's GI Breeders' Cup Distaff, trainer Todd Pletcher confirmed Saturday. Campaigned by Repole Stable, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Michael House, the 4-year-old was last seen finishing fourth in Keeneland's GI Spinster S. Oct. 8. Additionally, plans have yet to be solidified whether the filly will be retired after the sale or will return in 2024. "While Nest has been galloping well since the Spinster, we just don't feel she's at her best for the Breeders' Cup Distaff," Pletcher told TDN...

Celebrating 40 Years of the Breeders' Cup with Living Legends In the nearly 40-year history of the Breeders' Cup, only two sets of full-siblings have won Breeders' Cup races. It's difficult enough for a mare to produce one Breeders' Cup winner, but two individual Breeders' Cup winners? That's such a rarity only six mares have ever done it. And only two of those six have had lightning strike twice as they've produced two Breeders' Cup winners by the same sire. The first set, Juddmonte homebreds Banks Hill (GB) and Intercontinental...