Midnight Bisou

Nearly four years after Maximum Security (New Year's Day) crossed the wire first in the inaugural Saudi Cup and six months after his trainer Jason Servis was given a four-year prison sentence for doping horses under his care, the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia (JCSA) announced Tuesday that it has concluded its own investigation into the matter and will recommend to a Stewards Committee that it should sanction Servis and disqualify Maximum Security. The final decision will be made by the Stewards Committee, but in the press release it issued...

Verifying (Justify--Diva Delite, by Repent), winner of the GIII Indiana Derby and a half-brother to Eclipse winner Midnight Bisou (Midnight Lute), will stand at Pleasant Acres Stallions in Florida for an introductory fee of $10,000 in 2024. Trained by Brad Cox after selling for $775,000 as a KEESEP yearling, Verifying began his career at two with a win in his first asking at Saratoga before placing in the GI Champagne S. at Belmont at the Big A in his second start. In addition to winning the Indiana Derby, he placed...

The opening session of the Keeneland September Sale picked up considerable steam at its midway stage when a filly by Into Mischief and a colt by Uncle Mo made seven-figure prices back-to-back. The Gainesway-consigned hip 92 is a daughter of Grade III winner Delightful Joy (Tapit), a $700,000 purchase by International Equities Holding at Keeneland January in 2017 and also the dam of Window Shopping (American Pharoah), winner of this year's GIII Summertime Oaks for Perry and Ramona Bass and Richard Mandella. Hip 92 was hammered down to Sheikha Hissa's...

The first reported foal for nine-time GSW Firenze Fire (Poseidon's Warrior) has arrived in Japan, according to a tweet from Yano Farm in Hokkaido. The new filly is a daughter of the 5-year-old mare Wicked Bisou (Wicked Strong), who is out of Diva Delite (Repent) and therefore a half-sister to champion and millionaire Midnight Bisou (Midnight Lute). "I was born small, but the best thing is that I am healthy," the tweet reads. Florida-bred Firenze Fire raced over five seasons and amassed a career line of 38-14-7-3, $2,730,350. He won...

What do these stallions have in common: Competitive Edge, First Samurai, Include, First Dude, Majesticperfection, Midnight Lute and Noble Mission (GB)? Okay, so you could also add A.P. Indy, Into Mischief, Lope de Vega (Ire), Medaglia d'Oro and Quality Road to the mix. But you would hope so, too, if you happen to be one of those highly paid advisors who tell their patrons that the only way to start a breeding program is with most expensive covers around. Because these are the dozen sires responsible for mares that made...

With the Breeders' Cup returning to Lexington for the third time, headlined by the mighty Flightline (Tapit), the buzz in Lexington was electric from late October all the way through the nearly two weeks of breeding stock sales that followed the World Championships. Combine that with a deep and diverse buying bench and high demand and the result was gains in both gross and average for the 10-day Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale, which ran from Nov. 7-16. "With the close of the November Breeding Stock Sale, Keeneland is nearing...

by Jessica Martini, Christie DeBernardis & Christina Bossinakis LEXINGTON, KY - The Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale opened with a jam-packed pavilion and the $4.6-million sale of the fractional interest in superstar Flightline (Tapit) and hit another high late in the day with the $5.5-million sale of champion Midnight Bisou (Midnight Lute) to Katsumi Yoshida Monday in Lexington. By the end of the opening session of the auction, 136 head had grossed $66,980,000. The average of $492,500 was up 14.77% from a year ago, while the median dipped 12.12% to...

Katsumi Yoshida of Northern Farm went on a late session buying spree during the supplemental portion of Keeneland November Monday, purchasing champion Midnight Bisou (Midnight Lute) for $5.5 million as hip 235 and then adding 2022 French two-time Group 1 winner Dreamloper (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) for $2.7 million as hip 239. Midnight Bisou had previously sold for $5 million at the conclusion of her racing career to partner Chuck Allen at the 2020 Fasig-Tipton November sale. Since then she produced a Curlin colt Feb. 12 and was offered...

Champion Midnight Bisou (Midnight Lute--Diva Delite, by Repent), in foal to leading sire Tapit, has been supplemented to the Book 1 section of the upcoming Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale. The 7-year-old will be consigned by Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa. "It's impossible to describe what she's meant to me, my family and my partners," Jeff Bloom of co-owner Bloom Racing Stable said. "She took us on an incredible journey and created so many amazing experiences for us across the globe. All those memories I will treasure the rest of...

1st-Saratoga, $105,000, Msw, 8-27, 2yo, 6f, 1:10.26, ft, 1 3/4 lengths. VERIFYING (c, 2, Justify--Diva Delite {GSW, $300,067}, by Repent), a half to none other than Midnight Bisou (Midnight Lute), Ch. Older Dirt Female, MGISW, $3,971,500, ran to advanced billing to take a typically tough-looking Travers Day maiden as the 3-5 favorite. Debuting with blinkers on, the bay broke well and took a short lead to post splits of :22.90 and :46.04. He turned for home a bit wide, allowing Track Mate (Union Rags--Teammate) to challenge to his inside at...

1st-SAR, $105K, Msw, 2yo, 6f, 11:35 a.m. EDT The star-studded GI Runhappy Travers S. day card kicks off with a pair of juveniles events, starting with this main track sprint. VERIFYING (Justify), a $775,000 KEESEP acquisition by the Coolmore contingent, is one of the most intriguing firsters in this event. The Brad Cox pupil is out of GSW Diva Delite (Repent), who summoned $1.2 million with this colt in utero at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton November Sale. That makes Verifying a half-sibling to champion Midnight Bisou (Midnight Lute), who brought $5-million...

The highly-anticipated first foal out of champion Midnight Bisou (Midnight Lute) arrived on Feb. 12 this year and is now thriving at Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa. Jeff Bloom stopped by the farm in the midst of Triple Crown season to visit the Curlin colt and his Eclipse Award-winning dam. "He is what you would expect to see out of a champion and by a champion," Bloom said after inspecting 'Baby Bisou' for the first time. "I think he takes after his mom quite a bit, but certainly there are...