Hill 'n' Dale

Stormy Atlantic (Storm Cat--Hail Atlantis, by Seattle Slew) has passed away from the infirmities of old age at 32. Retired from the track with 15 starts, six wins and earnings of over $148,000, Stormy Atlantic initially stood stud in Florida at Bridlewood Farm in 1999 where he would become Florida's champion freshman sire. His success in Florida ultimately gave him a chance in Kentucky and Stormy Atlantic joined the roster at John Sikura's Hill 'n' Dale in 2003 where he stood until pensioned at the age of 27 in 2021....

The first six out of seven mares bred checked in foal to Hill 'n' Dale Farms stallion Barnes (Into Mischief), a multiple graded stakes winner and $3.2-million Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Yearling. The first mare bred and checked in foal to Barnes was Private Collection (Curlin). Her second dam is GISW Madcap Escapade (Hennessy). This is also the family of GISW Mi Sueno (Pulpit). Barnes stands at Hill 'n' Dale for $15,000.

Elle Sueno (Street Cry {Ire}), already the dam of GSW/GISP Dream Lith (Medaglia d'Oro), sold to Tropical Racing for $800,000. Consigned by Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa, the mare was offered in foal to leading sire Curlin. Her 2-year-old of this year, an Into Mischief filly named Mardigras Mischief, is already part of the Tropical Racing stable as they picked her up for $500,000 as a weanling at the 2024 Fasig-Tipton November Sale.

Marc Gunderson picked up both GISP Ava's Grace (Laoban) and her yearling Into Mischief filly during Monday's Fasig-Tipton Winter Mixed Sale, going to $950,000 for Ava's Grace who is in foal to Curlin, and $625,000 for her filly just one hip later. Mother and daughter were both consigned by by Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa. The $950,000 paid for Ava's Grace already eclipses the top price of the 2025 Winter Mixed Sale when a colt by Curlin sold for $775,000.   Stakes placed AVA'S GRACE and her yearling filly by...

The 2026 Fasig-Tipton Winter Mixed Sale opens for a single-day session in a frigid Lexington, Kentucky, Monday at Newtown Paddocks with bidding set to begin at 10 a.m. on 411 catalogued entries. And while temperatures have failed to eclipse the freezing mark for days and wind chills below zero have left buyers and consignors alike with the shivers, there was an overwhelming sense of optimism headed into Monday's action. "We've got a very good catalogue," said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning. "There's literally something for everybody in here. There's some really...

From a small commercial broodmare band, which currently numbers just six mares, Vincent Colbert has had a remarkable amount of success in a short amount of time, breeding Grade I winners Callback and Chocolate Gelato, as well as Grade III winner Shotgun Hottie. The Massachusetts native had success almost right from the start of his breeding operation with the purchase of Quickest (Forest Wildcat) for $40,000 as a 2-year-old at the 2007 Keeneland January sale--three years before her half-brother Super Saver (Maria's Mon) won the GI Kentucky Derby. The bay...

A short yearling colt by Gun Runner (hip 114) jumped to the top of the leader board in the early going of the Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale Monday when bringing a final bid of $800,000 from Marc Gunderson. The colt, consigned by Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa, is out of graded winner Deceptive Vision (A.P. Indy), a full-sister to Canadian champion Eye of the Leopard. The colt is a half-brother to multiple graded-placed Ancient Peace (War Front), who topped the 2023 Keeneland January sale when selling for...

On Wednesday's TDN Writers' Room podcast, Hill 'n' Dale Farm at Xalapa owner John Sikura challenged the Breeders' Cup to use some of their estimated $98.5 million endowment to shore up California racing and help to ensure its future. "I've always been a huge critic of the fact that the Breeders' Cup keeps $100 million of nominators' awards for a rainy day fund," Sikura told hosts Bill Finley, Randy Moss, and Zoe Cadman. "In order to have a rainy day fund that needs a hundred million dollars, there will have...

Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna), the 2024 Horse of the Year, will be bred during the upcoming season to sire Gun Runner (Candy Ride {Arg}), it was announced by the superstar filly's majority owner, John Sikura, the owner of Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa. Sikura and the others in the Thorpedo Anna ownership have already chosen who she will be bred to in 2027, and that is Curlin (Smart Strike). Curlin stands at Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa, while Gun Runner stands at Three Chimneys Farm. "We usually take this one...

On 'Future Stars Friday' at the Del Mar Breeders' Cup World Championships, there was a special twinkling in the eye of Reagan Swinbank, the co-owner of 2-year-old Cy Fair (Not This Time--Remarqued, by Arch). The Texan had just watched his filly take the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint and become only the second female to accomplish that feat in this race. An OBS April grad, Cy Fair was named a 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard', after being unveiled a winner by 3 1/4 lengths while sprinting over the...

DEL MAR, CA - As Breeders' Cup hopefuls continue their final preparations in the early morning hours for racing on Friday and Saturday, the Del Mar paddock will transform into an auction ring for the second annual Keeneland Championship Sale on Wednesday evening. Last year, a share in Horse of the Year Flightline (by Tapit) was the headliner when it went for $2.5-million. Once again looking to create a high-energy atmosphere, Keeneland has put together a robust slate of offerings, which include fractional interests in three racehorses currently in-training--two are...

Modest to a fault, breeder and former chairman of the Breeders' Cup Fred Hertrich likes to talk about how lucky he has been. "I've been very fortunate, very lucky," he said. He also said, "If you're not lucky, things won't fall your way in this business." Perhaps. But there's a lot more to it than that. Luck is not the reason Hertrich became the youngest Ford dealer in the United States, forming Frederick Ford Mercury in Seaford, Delaware. Today, he is the President of the Hertrich Family of Automobile Dealerships,...