Bret Jones

Klaravich Stables's multiple track-record setter Highly Motivated (Into Mischief--Strong Incentive, by Warrior's Reward) will join the Airdrie Stud stallion roster for the upcoming 2023 breeding season, the farm announced Tuesday. He will stand for a fee of $7,500 LFSN. A son of perennial leading sire Into Mischief, Highly Motivated was purchased by Mike Ryan as a weanling on behalf of his owner for $240,000 at the 2018 Keeneland November Sale. Entrusted to trainer Chad Brown, Highly Motivated broke his maiden as the 3-5 favorite in September of his 2-year-old year...

Led by top three third-crop sire Upstart, whose fee has risen from $10,000 to $30,000 for the upcoming year, Airdrie Stud has released the stud fees for the farm's 2023 stallion roster. New stallion Happy Saver, a Grade I winner who will retire after an expected start in the Nov. 5 GI Breeders' Cup Classic, and Girvin, a top freshman sire whose three stakes winners include GII Saratoga Special S. winner Damon's Mound and who has been relocated from Ocala Stud, will stand for $12,500 and $20,000, respectively. "These are...

Wertheimer and Frere's homebred Grade I winner and 'TDN Rising Star' Happy Saver (Super Saver--Happy Week, by Distorted Humor) will retire to Airdrie Stud in Midway, Kentucky following this year's GI Breeders' Cup Classic, Airdrie Stud announced Friday. He will stand for an initial fee of $12,500 LFSN. Undefeated in his first five starts, Happy Saver's signature victory came in the historic GI Jockey Club Gold Cup, where he won the race as a 3-year-old in his fourth career start. Most recently, Happy Saver has finished second in each of...

What do an award-winning chef, a rising young country music star and a reigning champion trainer have in common? All three are featured in the Common Wealth of Kentucky Project, an exhibit going on now through Oct. 1 at LexArts Gallery in Lexington, Kentucky. Along with chef Ouita Michel and singer Walker Montgomery, trainer Brad Cox is one of 70 Kentuckians who shared their life story for the collection, which is the culmination of a year-long project for impressionist painter Kelly Brewer and partner Beth Pride, a writer and digital...

Fast-starting freshman sire Girvin (Tale of Ekati--Catch the Moon, by Malibu Moon) will relocate to Airdrie Stud for the 2023 breeding season. The 8-year-old stallion, who began his stud career at the O'Farrell family's Ocala Stud, is already the sire of 12 winners from 23 starters, including the GII Saratoga Special S. winner Damon's Mound and Astoria S. winner Devious Dame. Girvin, who raced in the silks of Brad Grady for trainer Joe Sharp, won the 2017 GI Betfair.com Haskell Invitational, as well as that year's GII Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby...

Grade I winner Include (Broad Brush—Illeria, by Stop the Music) was euthanized July 18 at Airdrie Stud, the farm he called home for the past 19 years, due to a worsening heart condition. He was 25 years old. The Airdrie team were made aware of the stallion's heart condition last year and he was pensioned from stud duty shortly thereafter, in the fall of 2021. "His condition worsened to where he was showing us that there was potentially going to be an unhappy ending and we weren't going to let...

A lot of you will know the feeling. Day three of the January Sale, back ring, and your horse is coming back out after a matter of seconds. The digital board had stalled at $2,500, and then cleared. Bret Jones exchanged a grimace with farm manager Ben Henley. Pretty terrible, no getting away from it. But what can you do? It wasn't the first time Airdrie has had to cut its losses on a horse, and nor would it be the last. As his father has always told Bret: "Better...

Offered as the final hip at Friday's Keeneland April Horses of Racing Age Sale in Lexington, a share (2.5% fractional interest) in Airdrie Stud's Upstart (Flatter--Party Silks, by Touch Gold) was hammered down for $450,000 to Mike Freeny, who operates Dunquin Farm in nearby Paris, Kentucky, with his wife Pat. A Grade II winner and placed no fewer than six times in Grade I company at distances between eight and nine furlongs, Upstart has been represented by three winners at the graded level, with two representatives from his second crop...

Nobody has missed the explosive impact of Not This Time's second crop of sophomores on the Classic trail this year. But the fact remains that it's actually another stallion in his own intake that we find flirting most plausibly with an elusive distinction, with a chance of joining King Alfonso (1885), McGee (1918), Bull Lea (1952) and Native Dancer (1966) in siring the winners of both the GI Kentucky Derby and GI Kentucky Oaks. Okay, so we're getting way ahead of ourselves here. With nearly two months to go, it...

Cairo Prince (Pioneerof the Nile) and Collected (City Zip) top Airdrie's 2022 roster, each standing for $15,000. Cairo Prince, who stood for the same price last year, has the most 2-year-old winners of any stallion this year and has a Breeders' Cup contender in Cairo Memories. Offered for a fee of $17,500 last term, Collected was represented by his first yearlings this season with several six-figure sellers. GI Champagne S. winner Complexity (Maclean's Music) remains at $12,500 for his second season at stud. Divisidero (Kitten's Joy) and Preservationist (Arch) are...

Keeneland has four new additions to its Advisory Board of Directors: prominent horsewoman Julie Cauthen, Three Chimneys Farm Chief Commercial Officer Case Clay, Airdrie Stud Vice President Bret Jones and LNJ Foxwoods' Jaime Roth. Longtime Directors Seth Hancock of Claiborne Farm and Will Farish of Lane's End will move to Emeritus roles on the Advisory Board. All four new Directors will begin their service at the Advisory Board meeting in October. "Each of our new directors--Julie, Case, Bret and Jaime--bring a wealth of experience and a fresh perspective on the...

Jocelyn Brooks, the former Chief of Staff for Sagamore Racing, will become the new Director of Sales for Brereton C. Jones's Airdrie Stud, the Midway, Kentucky nursery announced Friday morning. She will fill the role formerly held by Cormac Breathnach, who was recently named Keeneland's Director of Sales. The farm said that in her new role, Jocelyn will work directly with Airdrie's breeders and clients in helping with all aspects of their mating plans as well as being a leading presence for the Brereton C. Jones consignments at the major...