Donato Lanni

$1.8M Win Win Win Filly Leads the Way as Top of the Market Drives Strong March Sale

by Jessica Martini & Christina Bossinakis OCALA, FL - With a $1-million Authentic colt early in the session and a $1.8-million Win Win Win filly late in the day, the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's March Sale of 2-Year-Olds matched its 2023 number of five seven-figure juveniles and the auction concluded its three-day run Thursday with another strong renewal. "Overall, it was a terrific sale and we are looking forward to April," said OBS Director of Sales Tod Wojciechowski. Through three sessions, 446 horses sold for $66,437,600. The average of $148,963...

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Win Win Win Filly Brings $1.8 Million at OBS

A filly from the first crop of Grade I victor Win Win Win brought a sale-topping bid of $1.8 million from bloodstock agent Donato Lanni, bidding on behalf of Amr Zedan, late in Thursday's final session of the OBS March sale. Bred and consigned by the O'Farrell family's Ocala Stud, the bay filly announced her presence at last week's under tack show with a track-record equaling quarter-mile work in :20 1/5. She is out of Unanimity (Union Rags) and from the family of Discreet Cat.

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Breeders' Spotlight: 'Just' Like the Movies, Krikorian Gets a Breeders' Cup Champ

It seems like almost too good of a plot line to believe it now, but Just F Y I (Justify) was never meant to race in George Krikorian's silks. The filly made it all the way to the Keeneland sales grounds before a puncture wound in her shoulder kept her from going through the ring. While it was nothing serious, the minor abrasion became inflamed enough to make walking back and forth for buyers impossible. So she was scratched from the September Sale, sent to Margaux Farm and eventually joined...

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George Krikorian Joins TDN Writers' Room Podcast Breeders' Cup Preview Show

George Krikorian has been around the game of racing for a long time and has owned a lot of good horses. But a win in the Breeders' Cup has eluded him. He's 0-for-11. But he has two strong candidates this year in Just FYI (Justify) in the GI Juvenile Fillies and War Like Goddess (English Channel) in the GI Breeders' Cup Turf, where she will tackle males for the second straight year. Will this be Krikorian's year? Those were among the questions our team asked Krikorian on this week's TDN...

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$725K Justify Colt Vaults to the Top as Action Heats up at Fasig-Tipton October Sale

LEXINGTON, KY-The Fasig-Tipton October Yearlings Sale produced its strongest session of the week Wednesday at Newtown Paddocks, bringing its cumulative figures within striking distance of its 2022 record levels. Through three sessions, 790 yearlings have grossed $38,981,000 for an average of $49,343 and a median of $23,500. The average is down just 4.5% from the same point of last year's sale and the median is down 6%. "It was another solid day," said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning, Jr. "Today the numbers were up over the similar session last year and...

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'Top' of the Market: $2-Million OBS March Graduate Muth Headlines Saturday's American Pharoah

When the GI American Pharoah S. even-money morning-line favorite and 'TDN Rising Star' Muth (Good Magic) brought a sale-topping $2 million at OBS March earlier this year, it wasn't exactly a surprise to see Saudi businessman Amr Zedan and Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert heading back to the Top Line Sales consignment for more. Fellow Top Line graduate and Zedan Racing Stables Inc. colorbearer 'TDN Rising Star' Arabian Knight (Uncle Mo) will line up next as one of the favorites in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic after posting a...

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Good Magic Colt Hammers For $700K During Book 4 Opener at Keeneland

The Keeneland September Sale moved into its second week of trade Monday and the first of two Book 4 sessions demonstrated that there are still plenty of orders to be filled. During the first hour of activity, a Gainesway-consigned son of the in-form Good Magic was knocked down to Donato Lanni, bidding on behalf of SF/Starlight/Madaket Stable, for $700,000. Foaled three days prior to last year's GI Kentucky Derby, the bay is out of Beauty Buzz (Bernardini), whose own dam Orchardof the Nile (Empire Maker) is a full-sister to the...

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$2.3M Into Mischief Filly Leads the Way at Keeneland September

by Jessica Martini & Christina Bossinakis The Keeneland September Yearling Sale opened with a packed pavilion and plenty of bidding from a diverse buying bench ultimately producing eight seven-figure sales led by a $2.3-million daughter of Into Mischief. At the end of the session, numbers were largely in line with the figures from the opening session of last year's record-breaking auction. "We were all biting our nails a little bit thinking about being measured up to last year's sale which was so phenomenal," said Keeneland President Shannon Arvin. "But the...

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Lanni Continues to Build on Canadian Roots with Canuck Racing Club

The name Canuck Racing Club might not be a familiar one to most folks in the horse racing industry, however at least one of the personalities behind it most certainly is. Less than two weeks ago in Saratoga Springs, New York, bloodstock agent Donato Lanni made his presence felt when signing the tickets on five yearlings--led by a pair of sales-topping colts--totaling over $9 million in gross expenditures. Already well established south of the border, the Montreal-raised Lanni decided to forge a deeper stake into the Canadian industry over the...

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Sunday's Racing Insights: Pricey Munnings Filly Spa Debut

5th-SAR, $136K, Msw, 2yo, f, 6f, 3:27 p.m. MUNNY ROCKETTE (Munnings) sold to Champion Equine for $450,000 as a yearling at last year's Fasig-Tipton New York Saratoga Select Yearling Sale and went for $1-million when Donato Lanni signed the ticket for Frank Fletcher Racing Operations on the final day of this year's OBS March Sale. Trained by Bill Mott and with Junior Alvarado in the irons, the bay filly's second dam is a half sister to GI Test S. and GI Ballerina H. winner Chaposa Springs (Baldski) and GI Met...

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Summer Breezes: OBS March Topper Muth Looms Large in Best Pal

Some of the most highly anticipated races during the summer racing season are the 'baby' races during the boutique meetings at both Saratoga and Del Mar and at Ellis Park, which attract its fair share of high-priced offspring from a variety of top national outfits. Summer Breezes highlights debuting 2-year-olds at those meetings that have been sourced at the breeze-up sales earlier in the year, with links to their under-tack previews. To follow are the horses entered for Saturday at Saratoga, Ellis Park and Del Mar and including any already-raced...

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$4-Million Curlin–Beholder Colt Leads 'Magical Night' In Saratoga

by Jessica Martini & Christina Bossinakis SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY - The Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale of Selected Yearlings, which looked to have a tough task to live up to its record-smashing 2022 renewal, proved more than equal to that task and, when a fast and frenetic session concluded Tuesday night, the auction had once again set high-water marks for gross and average and tied its record median. "We have experienced some magical nights in Saratoga in the past and you've heard me talk about the Saratoga magic, but we ain't seen...

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