Catholic Boy

Constitution Son of Mirth Makes Stakes Debut at Tokyo

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 Saturday running at Kyoto and Tokyo Racecourses. A quartet of American-conceived juveniles running on Sunday at Tokyo will appear in Saturday's paper: Saturday, November 18, 2023 5th-KYO, ¥13,720,000 ($91k), Newcomers, 2yo, 1200mT EVEN NOW (f, 2, Catholic Boy--Evening Call, by Tapit), a $385,000...

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War Front Leads the Way for Claiborne in 2024 Stud Fees

War Front (Danzig) will again lead the way at Claiborne Farm among their nine-stallion roster for 2024, with a fee of $100,000, the same price for which he stood in 2023. In 2023, War Front's yearlings sold for up to $800,000, and he is among the top 10 North American-based sires this season by percentage of black-type winners from starters (6.9%), black-type performers from starters (11.8%) and total graded stakes winners (six). War Front's GI Preakness S.-winning son War of Will will stand for $25,000. His first yearlings sold at...

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Freshman Sire Catholic Boy Gets His First Winner

Lady d'Oro (Catholic Boy) is freshman sire Catholic Boy's first winner with her grass victory at Monmouth Park on Sunday afternoon. The filly was 49-1 in her debut when she finished sixth over a sealed track June 16 at the New Jersey track. Still overlooked at the windows at 14-1 here, the bay filly avoided Momma Kim (Noble Mission {GB})'s fall, who stumbled up the backstretch after clipping heels with Gold Alliance (Goldencents), which also caused Bingo's Girl (Yoshida {Jpn}) to go down. Rounding the far turn, Lady d'Oro made...

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Who is Most Likely to be Leading Freshman Sire of 2023?

With the 2-year-old sales season having kicked off and the first 'baby' races of the year ready to get going in a few weeks, laser focus will be placed on the up-and-coming first-crop stallions. Rightfully so, as we all hunt in earnest for the next breakout young sire. Could there possibly be another Gun Runner in the freshman class of 2023? A total of 16 young guns in North America have 50 or more current 2-year-olds resulting from their first covers in 2020. A great many more have fewer than...

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Seven Juveniles Supplemented To April TTA Sale

Seven juveniles have been supplemented to the Texas Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale, adding to an already record-setting number of horses cataloged. HIP 187--a filly by Dialed In who is a half to a stakes winner and from the family of MSW Gray Attempt. Consigned by 1880 Bloodstock. HIP 188--a filly by freshman stallion Catholic Boy who is from the family of MGSW Tax, MGSW Yell, and MGIW Elate. Consigned by 1880 Bloodstock. HIP 189--a filly by Tapwrit who is a half to two winners and from the family of GSW...

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War Front Leads Claiborne's 2023 Roster

International sire War Front leads Claiborne's stallion roster yet again, remaining at a fee of $100,000 for 2023. His son War of Will, whose first weanlings will be on offer at the upcoming breeding stock sales, will stand for $25,000. Champion Blame will have his fee increased for 2023 from $20,000 to $25,000. Fellow Eclipse winner Runhappy's fee also went up from $12,500 to $15,000. GI Met Mile victor Silver State will stand his second season for $20,000. MGISW Catholic Boy's fee was decreased from $20,000 to $15,000 and Demarchelier...

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Claiborne's First-Crop Sires Send Strong Contingent to Keeneland

Following the passing of world-renowned international stallion More Than Ready this summer, four of his sons now stand in Kentucky in the hopes of carrying the torch for their accomplished sire. Among them, Catholic Boy holds the distinction of earning Grade I victories on two surfaces. After collecting six graded wins over his three-year racing campaign, Catholic Boy launched his stud career at Claiborne Farm in 2020. The farm's Walker Hancock said that the $2.1 million earner, who is out a daughter of productive broodmare sire Bernardini, has all the...

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Twin Creeks Banner Unfurled at Keeneland September

The Twin Creeks Farm name is a very familiar one in horse racing. Having been associated with a host of big-name horses in the past as both a breeder and owner, the operation will now venture into new terrain, offering it's first draft of yearlings on Day 4 of this season's Keeneland September Sale. The initial seven-horse draft on offer is highlighted by five yearlings by WinStar sire Constitution. "Overall, we thought this was a very solid group and these individuals were very similar," Twin Creeks' Randy Gullatt said. "And...

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Flightline Ready For More Altitude

The race is not always to the swift. Pretty old news, by this stage: it's right there in Ecclesiastes and, nearly as long ago now, you could see as much when More Than Ready cut the last corner in the Kentucky Derby. He transparently didn't get home, flattening into fourth behind Fusaichi Pegasus.

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Record-Setting International Sire More Than Ready Dies

More Than Ready (Southern Halo--Woodman's Girl, by Woodman), whose 216 worldwide stakes winners is the fourth highest total of all time, was euthanized the morning of Aug. 26 at WinStar Farm due to the cumulative effects of old age. He was 25 years old. "More Than Ready was an amazing horse who touched everyone he came in contact with," said Elliott Walden, president, CEO, and racing manager of WinStar Farm. "He may not have been the biggest horse in the barn, but he more than made up for it in...

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Mating Plans: Randy Gullatt of Twin Creeks Farm

With the 2022 breeding season right around the corner, we will feature a series of breeders' mating plans over the coming weeks. Today we have Randy Gullatt of Twin Creeks Farm. INTO MYSTIC (m, 6, Into Mischief--Loveofalifetime, by Medaglia d'Oro), to be bred to Constitution She's a multiple stakes winner and multiple graded stakes-placed maiden mare with earnings of $448,623, and will be bred to Constitution. Constitution, purchased out of the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling sale by Twin Creeks Racing and WinStar Farm, is loaded in the pipeline with a tremendous...

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This Side Up: Using the Full Genetic Orchestra

Though in most respects I only grow older, and no wiser, I do try nowadays not to get so cross about things. If I think people are breeding to the wrong horses, that's their prerogative. It's a difficult game; a still harder business. The Thoroughbred is reliable only as a vehicle of humility. We're all wrong far more often than we're right. And the beauty is that we have a proving ground out there, with a wooden post at the end. If you really are right, and I'm wrong, that's...

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