Carpe Diem

MGSW Unified (Candy Ride {Arg}) will relocate to Lacer at Aztec Equine in Sunset, Louisiana after being acquired from Lane's End Farm, David Tillson and his partners said in a release Saturday. "Unified has settled in well, he is in wonderful shape and is acclimating to his new home," Tillson said. The stallion, who celebrated his fourth stakes winner on Friday at Saratoga when Unified Alliance won the Coronation Cup S., will join leading general sire in Louisiana, MGISW Carpe Diem (Giant's Causeway) and first-crop yearling sire GISP Bobby's Wicked...

Salute the Stars continued his rise through the ranks here with a determined victory in the Pegasus S. at Monmouth Park. Coming into the race riding a two race win-streak which began when he wrapped his juvenile season with a victory against maidens at Ellis on the grass, he moved from John Ortiz to Brad Cox before his seasonal bow last out May 14 in an off-turf allowance. Winning there by a neck, he was made the 5-2 second choice behind Kingsbarns, who was reappearing for the first time since...

New York-bred Fingal's Cave (Carpe Diem), perfect in four career starts in the Big Apple, takes on graded stakes company for the first time in Saturday's GII Lexus Raven Run S. at Keeneland. The bay cuts back in distance to seven furlongs after capturing her stakes debut in Saratoga's Fleet Indian S. versus state-breds going 1 1/8 miles in the mud Aug. 26. "At some point, we will challenge her and this seems to be a good spot," trainer David Donk said. "The Raven Run is for straight 3-year-olds, it's...

When The Great Maybe (Upstart) left the blocks at Saratoga and strolled in eight lengths ahead of a lively-met field of fillies, she carried not only the silks of Lael Stables--whose name invokes great nostalgia and respect in the halls of the Thoroughbred community--but also the dreams of a small breeding operation an hour north of Lexington, run by Monica Egger. Now, that farm in Piner, Kentucky, has a 'TDN Rising Star' to add to their list of accomplishments. "I have really enjoyed my short foray into Thoroughbreds and have...

WinStar stallions Carpe Diem (Giant's Causeway--Rebridled Dreams, by Unbridled's Song) and Exaggerator (Curlin--Dawn Raid, by Vindication) have been sold and will take up stud duty in new locations for 2022, the farm announced Thursday. Carpe Diem will be syndicated by a group led by Dawn and Jeff Picard's Picard Racing and David Tillson and he will stand the upcoming breeding season at Acadiana Equine at Copper Crowne in Louisiana. Campaigned by WinStar and Stonestreet Stables, the $1.6 million OBSMAR buy woon the GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity in 2014 and the...

Speightstown will head the roster at WinStar Farm in 2022 with a fee of $90,000, stands and nurses, the same fee for which he stood in 2021. Right behind the chestnut is Constitution, North America's second-leading third-crop sire, who will stand for $85,000 S&N, also the same as 2021. Among notable changes on the 18-horse roster, More Than Ready gets a trim from $65,000 to $50,000. "Our 2022 roster is suited for breeders at every level," said Elliott Walden, WinStar's president, CEO, and racing manager. "Speightstown, Constitution, and More Than...

In this continuing series, we take a look ahead at US-bred and/or conceived runners entered for the upcoming weekend at the tracks on the Japan Racing Association circuit, with a focus on pedigree and/or performance in the sales ring. Here are the horses of interest for this Sunday running at Kokura and Niigata Racecourses: Sunday, August 29, 2021 5th-KOK, ¥13,400,000 ($122k), Newcomers, 2yo, 2000mT PEACE FINE (c, 2, Gun Runner--Status Pending, by Tale of the Cat) is out of a stakes-winning half-sister to MSW & GSP Rock Candy (Mineshaft), GSP...

2nd-Saratoga, $85,000, (S), Msw, 8-20, 2yo, f, 6f, 1:10.92, gd, 12 1/2 lengths. MAKIN MY MOVE (f, 2, Carpe Diem--Hard to Stay Notgo {MSW, $212,440}, by More Than Ready), bought back for $190,000 at OBS March after breezing in a bullet :9 4/5, likely left her breeders pleased with that outcome after running up the score impressively Friday. Backed down to 5-4 with some upbeat works and with leading rider Luis Saez taking the mount, the bay broke on top with Silver Fist (Iron Fist) and Trinity Titoli (Lord Nelson)...

On this side of the Atlantic, Gulfstream 2-year-old winner O CAPTAIN (c, 2, Carpe Diem--Mama Nadine {SW}, by A.P. Indy) connects Walt Whitman's most famous poem ("O Captain, My Captain," on the death of President Lincoln) with Roman bard Horace's "Carpe Diem/Seize The Day," probably via the 1989 movie "Dead Poets Society," where an English lit teacher played by Robin Williams inspires his students to great ambitions with the help of both poets. On the other side of the pond, Thirsk juvenile winner LEOPOLD BLOOM (c, 2, Ulysses {Ire}--Zuhoor Baynoona...

As for intriguing names of winning horses, that was the week that was. Let's start with the seminal power of those two immortal little words Carpe Diem ('Seize The Day'} from Ancient Rome prince of poets Horace (65-8 BC)--also responsible for Dulce Et Decorum Est Pro Patria Mori ('It is sweet and fitting to die for the homeland'), written only a few years after having run away, throwing the shield on the ground, at the battle of Philippi (42 BC). Two horses creatively honored the WinStar stallion Carpe Diem (by...

Four more juveniles breezed in a bullet :9 4/5 and two stopped the clock in :20 4/5 at the final day of the OBS March Breeze Show Saturday. The first :9 4/5 breezer of the day was a Blame filly (Hip 439) out of the unraced Cry Value (Street Cry {Ire}). A $17,000 FTKFEB purchase, she was acquired by King's Equine for $28,000 at Keeneland September. A colt from the first crop of Gormley (Hip 531) stopped the clock in :9 4/5 for consignor Eddie Woods, who purchased him for...

This is the second half of the latest instalment in our ongoing series examining stallion options for the new breeding season, featuring sires about to launch their third crop of juveniles. The first part, dealing with the likes of American Pharoah and Constitution, can be read here.  We wrapped up yesterday with the first two of three horses retired to Lane's End after filling the frame in an epic race for the GI Whitney S. in 2015. The third, Tonalist (Tapit--Settling Mist, by Pleasant Colony), has somehow always seemed to...