Mike Ryan

When entries were taken the previous Friday for a six-furlong Aqueduct turf maiden scheduled for Thursday, Apr. 8, you can safely assume that owner Larry Goichman wasn't necessarily brimming with confidence. After all, he was pitching his 200,000gns Tattersalls October Book 1 purchase Star Devine (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) in against two well-meant runners from the all-conquering Chad Brown barn, a Godolphin homebred trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott and a second-timer from the always potent Christophe Clement shedrow. Goichman approached the start with a can-do attitude. "You've got...

Dispatched at debut odds of 9-1 in Thursday's fourth race from Aqueduct, Lawrence Goichman's Star Devine (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) gave her rivals a bit of a head start after hopping slightly at the break, but she was handled perfectly thereafter by Trevor McCarthy and stormed home down the center of the track to graduate in sharp time to become a new 'TDN Rising Star.' Spotting the field a couple of lengths after that slow beginning, Star Devine--a 200,000gns purchase by Mike Ryan out of the 2019 Tattersalls October Sale--Book...

by Jessica Martini, Brian DiDonato & Christie DeBernardis LEXINGTON, KY - A dazzling array of race fillies proved demand for high-quality bloodstock remains high during a frenetic renewal of the Fasig-Tipton November Sale at Newtown Paddocks Sunday. Champion Monomoy Girl (Tapizar), who captured her second GI Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff Saturday, topped the sale when bringing a final bid of $9.5 million from B. Wayne Hughes's Spendthrift Farm. The 5-year-old mare, who will return to training with Brad Cox, spearheaded a remarkable night of bidding for the Spendthrift team, which...

LEXINGTON, KY - The Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October Yearlings Sale--and the yearling sales season--concluded Thursday in Lexington with the market continuing to show resilience despite a plethora of worldwide uncertainties. Through four sessions, 961 yearlings grossed $32,743,700. The average of $34,073 was down 10.2% from last year's sale-record mark of $37,955. The median of $15,000 rose 15.4% from the 2019 figure of $13,000. With 265 horses reported not sold, the buy-back rate was 21.6%. It was 24.5% a year ago. "All in all, I think it has to be considered a...

LEXINGTON, KY - The Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October Yearlings Sale opened Monday in Lexington with a day of steady trade and a pair of youngsters by Into Mischief leading the way. "It was a solid start," Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning said Monday evening. "There was solid trade with plenty of activity. There were no dramatic surprises. Certainly lots of horses got traded and there was a legitimate, reasonable marketplace." During Monday's opening session of the October sale, 248 yearlings sold for $8,393,800. The average of $33,846 dipped 14.6% from the 2019...

Late in the session, a filly by Galileo (Ire) brought 1.4 million gns at the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale Book 1 on Thursday. Consigned by Old Mill Stud, lot 510 is a daughter of Vasilia (GB) (Dansili {GB}). The chestnut, a half-sister to G1 Betfair Sprint Cup S. victor Dream of Dreams (Ire) (Dream Ahead), sold to agent Irishman Mike Ryan, who is based in America. Under the second dam is English highweighted juvenile filly and G1 Cheveley Park S. heroine Airwave (GB) (Air Express {Ire}). Airwave in turn is...

LEXINGTON, KY - The Keeneland September Yearling Sale opened its two-session Book 3 with a day of solid trade Friday in Lexington, with bloodstock agent Mike Ryan making the day's highest bid of $625,000 to acquire a colt by red-hot sire Into Mischief (hip 1614). In all, 200 yearlings grossed $21,803,500 during the session for an average of $109,018 and a median of $85,000. With 134 horses reported not sold, the buy-back rate remained elevated at 40.12%. The auction's cumulative buy-back rate stands at 39.72%. Last year's first Book 3...

by Brian DiDonato, Jessica Martini & Christie DeBernardis LEXINGTON, KY--A Tapit filly out of GISW Embellish the Lace (Super Saver) topped the opening session of Keeneland's September yearling sale on a $1.25-million bid by Claiborne Farm's Bernie Sams. The bay was consigned to the auction as hip 149 by Bluewater Sales LLC, Agent XVI, on behalf of breeder China Horse Club. While stringent COVID-19 protocols put in place to allow the world's largest yearling sale to be held at all may have dulled some of the electricity typically felt in...

by Brian DiDonato, Jessica Martini & Christie DeBernardis LEXINGTON, KY--The Fasig-Tipton Selected Yearlings Showcase, a hybrid of the company's July yearling sale, Saratoga sale and New York-bred yearling sale brought about by COVID-19- induced rescheduling, kicked off the 2020 yearling sales season Wednesday with signs of life for the market. A total of 172 yearlings changed hands for gross receipts of $27,166,000--good for an average of $157,942 and median of $100,000. The RNA rate was 34.4%. "At the outset, we had no expectations for the statistics," said Fasig-Tipton president and...

Star turf mare Rushing Fall (More Than Ready) avenged a loss as the favorite in last year's GI Diana S. Sunday at Saratoga, wearing down pacesetting Mean Mary (Scat Daddy) in a thrilling stretch duel to earn her sixth Grade I victory. The win also gave trainer Chad Brown a remarkable fifth consecutive score in the Diana and sixth overall. Named a 'TDN Rising Star' for her impressive debut victory at Belmont three seasons ago, the e Five Racing Thoroughbreds colorbearer backed that up with a victory in the GI...

The Saratoga opener Saturday was one of those vintage events in which virtually every firster was touted as a runner, and it was Klaravich Stables, Inc.'s Reinvestment Risk (Upstart) who emerged as the best of the bunch while becoming his freshman sire (by Flatter)'s third winner and first 'TDN Rising Star'. A $140,000 FTKJUL yearling turned $280,000 OBS March acquisition off a strong :20 4/5 breeze, the bay joined the Chad Brown barn at Payson Park this spring before stints at Monmouth and most recently locally. Off at 4-1, he...

Hunter O'Riley (Tiz Wonderful) last saw the starting gate just over a year ago. Some may remember him blowing up their ticket that day, as it was when he snuck up from the outside to win the GI United Nations S. at odds of 14-1, beating the likes of eventual GI Pegasus World Cup Turf S. winner Zulu Alpha (Street Cry {Ire}), as well as the near-millionaire graded stakes-winning Channel Cat (English Channel). Co-owner Mike Ryan has had his share of pinnacle moments in racing as the bloodstock agent for...