Conrad Bandoroff

Caitlin Courtney has been named the new Director of Sales at Denali Stud after eleven years working with St George Sales and Brookstone Farm. She succeeds Elizabeth Snellings who held the position for three years. "We are thrilled to have Caitlin join the team at Denali," said Conrad Bandoroff. "She has extensive sales and industry experience, and we're looking forward to her bringing this skillset to Denali and our clients." A native of Lexington, Kentucky, Courtney has grown up around the Thoroughbred industry and started working for St George Sales...

$3.7-Million Lush Lips Tops Book 1 by Jessica Martini, Christina Bossinakis, & Alan Carasso LEXINGTON, KY - The Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale blitzed through its opening session Tuesday with 17 offerings--including a pair of weanlings--selling for $1 million or more and figures up dramatically from the auction's Book 1 session in 2024. "It was a really strong day," said Keeneland President Shannon Arvin. "The broodmare market was very, very strong. We had 15 who brought $1 million or more, seven of those brought $2 million or more. The weanling...

There are few hotter commodities in racing right now than offspring by Three Chimneys sire Gun Runner and Justify, who stands at Ashford Stud. Denali Stud intends to ride both of those waves this fall with a pair of graded-stakes winning mares by the two Horses of the Year. Leading the way on Monday, Nov. 3 at the Fasig-Tipton's November Sale is Gun Song (Gun Runner), who is being presented as a racing or broodmare prospect. Offered as Hip 101, the chestnut is a daughter of GSW and GISP Nicole...

LEXINGTON, KY -- The Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October Yearlings Sale powered through its opening session in Lexington Monday, with figures up significantly from its record-setting 2024 renewal. "It was a great start to the October Yearling Sale in Kentucky," Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning said at the close of business Monday. "All of the statistical categories produced significant increases and we saw a continuation of the trends that we've seen from July carried through August, carried through September and now in October. There was tremendous demand at more levels than we've seen...

The sixth installment in the 2025 OwnerView webinar series was held Aug. 12 and covered buying horses at sales and on digital platforms, according to a press release on Thursday from the series. Guests included Leif Aaron, director of digital sales, Fasig-Tipton; Conrad Bandoroff, vice president of Denali Stud; Cormac Breathnach, director of sales operations, Keeneland; and Jon Green, owner of D.J. Stable LLC. Hosted by The Jockey Club and the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, and presented by Bessemer Trust, Keeneland, and Stoll Keenon Ogden, the panel was sponsored...

Valerie Clement has arguably seen more horses in her lifetime than many of the younger bloodstock agents working this year's Fasig-Tipton New York-Bred Sale. For the past 40 years, she has stood alongside her husband Christophe as he has inspected horses at countless sales, farms and racetracks around the world. Following her husband's passing in May, it would have been understandable if Clement had chosen to step away from the game, but to her that was never an option. In addition to running a thriving stable, Christophe was also involved...

The past few months have been a rollercoaster of emotions for Liliana Solari, Carlos Heller and their team at Don Alberto. In April, the farm's homebred superstar Journalism (Curlin) scored the first of three Grade I victories in the Santa Anita Derby. Three weeks later, his dam Mopotism (Uncle Mo) foaled a picture-perfect Flightline filly. Journalism finished second, first, then second again in the Triple Crown series, taking his ownership group on an unforgettable journey on racing's biggest stage. Then suddenly, the highs gave way to heartbreak when Mopotism passed...

Rigney Racing LLC homebred Buchu (Justify--Flowering Peach {Ire}, by Galileo {Ire}), a graded winner over the Keeneland turf course at two and three, has been retired from racing and will be bred to leading sire Not This Time in 2025, according to a post on X from Denali Stud's Conrad Bandoroff. Third in a pair of tries on the dirt to begin her career under the care of trainer Phil Bauer, Buchu--who was bought back on a bid of $275,000 at Keeneland September in 2022--was a troubled sixth in her...

She is not the oldest living Eclipse Award winner--that honor is believed to belong to 1994 Champion Turf Female Hatoof (Irish River {Fr}), who is still going strong at Darley's Gainsborough Farm at age 36--but she's close. As the hours tick down before the newest class of champions are honored Thursday evening, it's a thrill to remember 1995 Champion 3-Year-Old Filly Serena's Song (Rahy--Imagining, by Northfields), who just turned 33 at the Bandoroff family's Denali Stud near Paris, Kentucky. This year the sport celebrates the 30-year anniversary of her spectacular...

The new Officers and Board Members for the Consignors and Commercial Breeders Association (CBA) were appointed at its most recent meeting. Rob Tribbett of Watercress Farm will move from Vice President to become President, Scott Mallory has been named Vice President and Lakota Gibson will serve as Treasurer. Outgoing President Walker Hancock of Claiborne Farm will continue to serve the organization as Past President. The Board consists of 15 members: eight from the Top 20 consignors and seven from other consignors and commercial breeders. Each year a portion of the...

Noted Kentucky horseman Craig Bandoroff will receive the Uphill Push Award and speak at the 10th annual fundraiser for the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund (PDJF) to be held at Gulfstream Park Jan. 11th, according to a press release from the Jockeys and Jeans organization. Each year the award is given to the person who provides the most meaningful help to the 60 jockeys who suffered career-ending injuries. In December of 1974, Bandoroff was the leading apprentice jockey at Monmouth Park and Garden State Park. In a race his mount bolted...

Every year, the Fasig-Tipton July sale offers the first chance for buyers to get a look at a new crop of yearling sires. Many buyers were seeing these sires' yearlings for the first time this week, and while it's admittedly early, we took a little survey to get their first impressions. The group includes: Basin, Beau Liam, By My Standards, Charlatan, Core Beliefs, Essential Quality, Independence Hall, Knicks Go, Known Agenda, Leinster, Lexitonian, Maxfield, Modernist, Raging Bull, Rock Your World, Silver State, Tacitus, Uncle Chuck, and Yaupon. LIZ CROW: Tacitus...