Cody's Wish

6th-GP, $84K, Msw, 4yo/up, f&m, 1m, 2:49 p.m. ET. In early June last summer, SPIRIT OF HOPE (Street Sense) worked toward her first start for trainer Bill Mott at Saratoga. The filly was tabbed as a 'main track only' entrant for a maiden special weight, but was unable to draw into the race. Given some more time through the fall, the Godolphin homebred is ready for her unveiling here. Out of highly productive mare Dance Card (Tapit), the first-time starter's half-siblings include Horse of the Year & current sire Cody's...

"Doing matings with my clients is very much a team thing," says Headley Bell, whose Nicoma Bloodstock has been helping clients mate their mares since 1979. "My role is to try to assist in fulfilling dreams." Nicoma got off to a quick start with mating success, and the hits just keep on coming: in late December, George Strawbridge was first and third in the GI American Oaks with Ambaya (Ghostzapper), who was closely followed by Will Then (War Of Will) in third. Previous successes include two Arc de Triomphe winners...

And so we reach the apex of the fee pyramid we've scaled in stages all the way up from the basement. In reality, this final ascent is too extensive to be coherent: we're clearly not comparing like with like, between stallions available at $60,000 and la crème de la crème at $250,000. But since we can hardly reveal to an unsuspecting world that Into Mischief is a pretty good stallion, let's establish our parameters straightaway. Our purpose today is to seek the residual value that lurks even at this rarefied...

The Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale continued Friday into Book 3 with young mares and weanlings by young, exciting stallions bringing a premium. "Today's session exceeded expectations, and it felt more like a continuation of Book 2 than the start of Book 3," Keeneland Vice President of Sales Tony Lacy said. "The energy here has been tremendous, and we continue to see an incredible diversity of buyers eager to reinvest after such a strong year. There's a real sense of optimism and momentum that's carrying through every session and I...

by Jessica Martini & Christina Bossinakis LEXINGTON, KY - The Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale, which opened with a strong Book 1 session Tuesday, continued its momentum with the first of two Book 2 sessions with strong demand for both mares and foals Wednesday. "It was outstanding," Keeneland Vice President of Sales Tony Lacy said of Wednesday's session. "Coming off yesterday, it was really positive across all the metrics. And I think we improved the position today. The gross was up 61% over last year, the scratch rate was down,...

Following a busy week in racing, Keeneland picks up the mantle with its marquee bloodstock auction of the season, the November Breeding Stock Sale. Last week's Keeneland Championship Sale at Del Mar was highlighted by the $3-million final price paid by Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa for a share in hot Taylor Made stallion Not This Time. This week, the attention is directed squarely on broodmares and weanlings, and Keeneland has catalogued over 3,086 spanning eight days of selling. Among the headliners in this year's catalog are GI Derby City...

Blue Grass Farms Charities (BGFC) sixth annual Relics and Rarities from the Bluegrass Region online auction will begin at noon ET Oct. 23 and run until 7:00 p.m. ET Oct. 26 with a preview starting Oct. 16 which will showcase halters worn by top Thoroughbreds, Kentucky Bourbon and other unique items, the organization said in a press release on Thursday. "We are excited about the items for this year's auction, but most especially sterling silver bracelets made with horsehair from seven amazing Thoroughbreds," said BGFC Executive Director Julie Kwasniewski. "Bracelets...

1st-Kentucky Downs, $162,080, Msw, 8-28, 2yo, f, 1mT, 1:35.90, fm, 4 lengths. AGGRESSIVE LIME (f, 2, Authentic--Cool Beans {MGSP, $262,650}, by Candy Ride {Arg}) broke from the middle of the gate as the 9-5 favorite and set a hotly-contested pace push every step by Riotous (Charlatan) through the opening half in :47.30. Those two traded the lead back and forth around the far turn but Aggressive Lime found the long Kentucky Downs straight to her liking and powered clear through the final furlong to graduate first out by four lengths....

Snow Face Princess (Midshipman), Tuesday's Fasig-Tipton August Digital sales topper for Winchell Thoroughbreds, will head to Kentucky Downs, trainer Steve Asmussen confirmed to the TDN Wednesday. The recent winner of the 5 1/2-furlong Bolton Landing Stakes at Saratoga Aug. 17 will stretch out just a bit and target the $1-million Untapable Stakes Sept. 7 going 6 1/2 furlongs for her new connections. Winchell Thoroughbreds, whose Ron Winchell co-owns the unique track in Franklin, KY, bought the 2-year-old daughter of Crusin Alone (Honor Code) for $775,000 Tuesday. Snow Face Princess, who...

Fasig-Tipton has catalogued 225 entries, led by the dam of GI Kentucky Oaks runner up Drexel Hill (Bolt d'Oro), for its August Digital Sale, which may be viewed online here. Bidding is now open and will close Tuesday, August 26, beginning at 2 PM ET. The catalogue offers horses of racing age, breeding stock (including mares with foals at foot), weanlings, yearlings, and a stallion prospect. A substantial portion of the catalogue is comprised of racing stock, including 85 horses of racing age and two-year-old racing prospects. These include recent...

4th-Saratoga, $100,000, Msw, 8-10, 2yo, 1 1/16mT, 1:45.48, fm, 1 3/4 lengths. FINAL SCORE (c, 2, Not This Time--Precious Dixie, by Bernardini) came on from the back on debut and ran second July 13 at this venue in a baby dash that was ultimately taken off the turf. Back on the grass and stretched out here, the 9-5 favorite was quick to the front and controlled the tempo through :24.61, :50.88, and 1:16.61 splits. Under pressure as the field closed ranks for the homeward drive, Final Score was called on...

It's been a magical year so far for jockey Junior Alvarado, who rode Sovereignty (Into Mischief) to victories in the GI Kentucky Derby and the GI Belmont S. They were the first wins in the Triple Crown series for the 39-year-old native of Venezuela, but they surely won't be the last. Alvarado now rides regularly for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, whose stable is loaded with talent. But Alvarado almost missed the Derby assignment. He fractured his shoulder blade in a Mar. 23 spill at Gulfstream. He would definitely...