Donato Lanni

Some people only look for difficulties. Others seek solutions. Between those categories, it's not hard to place Joe Pickerrell and his wife Courtney. Having attended a couple of family weddings in South Africa, and been blown away by the venue each time, they struggled to find anywhere remotely comparable when planning their own nuptials back in Florida. Well, they thought, that was not just frustrating. Might it also be a business opportunity? So they found this amazing 1850 barn in Canada, dismantled it, and had it shipped and reassembled, beam...

Adare Manor (Uncle Mo--Brooklynsway, by Gian't Gizmo), a three-time Grade I-winning five-year-old mare who has won 10 of 18 starts over a 4-year campaign which included eight graded stakes wins, will skip a date with the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff and be retired and sold at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale on Nov. 4, according to her trainer, Bob Baffert. She will be offered by Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa as agent. "She is retiring healthy," said Baffert. "It's more a matter of timing than anything else." Adare Manor won three...

The Keeneland September Yearling Sale, which surpassed its record gross Thursday with two sessions still to go, concluded its blockbuster 12-day run Saturday in Lexington with increases across the board over its 2023 renewal. In addition to its record gross, the sale produced its highest-ever average and a tied its record median. "The energy here was at times reminiscent of another era," said Keeneland Vice President of Sales Tony Lacy. "When we were on inspections earlier this year, we saw quality and consistency among the crop, and it gave us...

Bidding on behalf of the SF/Starlight Racing/Madaket partnership, Tom Ryan signed for a colt by Tapit (hip 674) at $1.05 million late in Wednesday's session of the Keeneland September sale. The gray yearling was the second of the day to bring seven figures. The yearling was consigned by Hunter Valley Farm on behalf of breeder Charles Fipke. He is out of Fipke's graded winner Verve's Tale (Tale of Ekati).

There can't be many tracks that that deviate further from the standard American model than Goodwood. Even in Britain nobody today would dream of laying out a racecourse along a twisting ridge of downland, and we remain duly indebted to the militia officers who first eked out a little sport here 223 years ago. Not that the horses themselves share our appreciation for a gorgeous panorama of cornfields and woodland, focused as they are on keeping their balance over the swaying terrain and round sharp right-hand bends. Yet last week...

by Jessica Martini & Christina Bossinakis SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY - The Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale, a record-setter during its last two renewals, opened with a power-packed start-to-finish session Monday evening in the Humphrey S. Finney Pavilion. "We won the first half," said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning, Jr. "It was a really strong start to the opening session of the 2024 Saratoga yearling sale. We averaged over $500,000 tonight and the median was $400,000. Our RNA rate at an elite sale at 20% is pretty remarkable. We always aim for zero, but...

TIMONIUM, MD - The Fasig-Tipton Midlantic May 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale concluded its two-day run at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium Tuesday with a lively session of bidding led by a $1.25-million daughter of Bolt d'Oro. Through two sessions, 343 horses sold for $32,766,500. The average of $95,485--up 2.9% from a year ago--just ticked up from the sale's previous record average of $95,391 set in 2022, while the median of $50,000 tied the sale record set in 2021 and equaled again in 2023. "I thought we had two very...

by Jessica Martini & Stefanie Grimm OCALA, FL - The Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training rushed across the finish line with a lively session of bidding Friday and concluded its four-day run in Central Florida with a new sales record average and median and a gross just off last year's highwater mark. "It certainly felt like it picked up here at the end of the four-day stretch," said OBS Director of Sales Tod Wojciechowski. "It felt good. We were bumping up against a record [gross...

by Jessica Martini & Stefanie Grimm OCALA, FL - Without a breakout horse and numerous outs, the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training dutifully marched through its paces Thursday, with a colt by Nyquist attracting the session's highest price of $550,000 late in the day. Bloodstock agent Donato Lanni, bidding on behalf of Zedan Racing Stable, signed the ticket on the session topper for the third straight day. From a catalogue of 302 horses, just 187 went through the ring Thursday and the session, which started...

by Jessica Martini & Stefanie Grimm OCALA, FL - The action picked up noticeably during the second session of the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training and, with the auction's first seven-figure offering leading the way, figures concluded above 2023 levels Wednesday evening. "It was an excellent day," OBS Director of Sales Tod Wojciechowski said at the close of business Wednesday. "As I said yesterday, there are plenty of good horses left to be sold and obviously that was borne out today. Quality horses sell well...

A filly by Tiz the Law (hip 365) brought a final bid of $1.9 million from bloodstock agent Donato Lanni acting on behalf of Michael Lund Petersen. Consigned by Tom McCrocklin, the filly had worked a quarter-mile last week in :20 1/5. She is out of Moonlight Sky (Sky Mesa), a half-sister to champion Abel Tasman. McCrocklin purchased the bay for $170,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale.

Agent Donato Lanni went to $800,000 to secure hip 351, a gray or roan colt by Bolt d'Oro consigned by Tom McCrocklin for the Three Amigos. The colt, who sold for $160,000 at FTKJUL last year, breezed a quarter in :20.3.