Mill Ridge Farm

While 2020 has been a year of hardships for everyone in our industry, many people have said the sport has come together in ways it never has before. As we enter into the holiday season, we spoke with several people who helped make this year a little better. We asked them to reflect on the things that have been particularly difficult to deal with this year; what they have learned because of these struggles and what they hope our industry will take away from this year as we look to...

The fourth season of the National Musem of Racing and Hall of Fame's popular live webcam series Foal Patrol will debut online Dec. 29 at www.foalpatrol.com. The season will feature mares at Mill Ridge Farm, Safari North at Pauls Mill and Three Chimneys in Kentucky and Old Tavern Farm in New York. Season four will also feature leading sire Tapit at Gainesway Farm. The featured mares for season four include:   Janae (Closing Argument), in foal to Malibu Moon and due in April; residing at Safari North;   Miss Always...

Mill Ridge Farm has set the 2021 stud fee for world record turf miler Oscar Performance (Kitten's Joy) at $15,000, LFSN. Bred and raced by Jerry and John Amerman, he won the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf, captured Grade I stakes at 2, 3, and 4, and broke a 20-year track record at Belmont Park at a mile in 1:31.23, all with no Lasix. "We celebrate his third year, for we have seen so many of his foals and they are genuine quality," said Headley Bell. "He has every opportunity...

Price Bell, Jr. has been appointed to the position of general manager at Mill Ridge Farm. Upon completing his MBA from Vanderbilt's Owen School in 2010, Bell returned to Lexington and his life's passion, the Thoroughbred industry. With conviction for the sport and believing in the great opportunity to develop the industry's fan base, he became actively involved with the founding of Horse Country, while assisting as a bloodstock agent for the Mill Ridge affiliate, Nicoma Bloodstock. He serves on the boards of the KTA-KTOB, TOBA, National Museum of Racing,...

We are very lucky. My godfather spent 20 days in the ICU due to COVID-19 and twice was presented DNR papers to sign, giving him 30 minutes to improve his oxygen saturation levels prior to intubating him. He is home--still recovering, but home. He was diagnosed on Mar. 16. We spoke on Mar. 18 and at that time, "it was not as bad as the flu, just more aggravating." On Mar. 20 he was admitted to the hospital, Mar. 22 the ICU and discharged home on Apr. 12. He is...

  The TDN has partnered with Amplify Horse Racing to present "The Next Generation," an ongoing video series featuring young people who were not born into the Thoroughbred business, but are now excelling within the industry. Growing up next to Laurel Park, 24-year-old Shayna Tiller always felt a strong attraction to horse racing. But it wasn't until she was in college that she decided to pursue a career in the industry. On a whim, she applied for an internship with the Saratoga Special. After spending one summer at the Spa,...

Across the world, the economic tsunami triggered by the pandemic has been stemmed, to some degree, by massive government interventions. But these can only go so far, whether in funds, duration or reach. Beyond those margins, many hugely deserving enterprises find themselves perilously exposed--and it will fall onto society, onto each one of us, to help determine which are worth saving. Broadsided by this unaccountable emergency into a sudden, existential crisis, Horse Country is now turning to the community it serves and making its own case for salvation. That's a...

Amplify Horse Racing, a grassroots organization launched in 2019 by second-year Godolphin Flying Start trainee Annise Montplasir and Madison Scott of Solis/Litt Bloodstock as an initiative to welcome and educate newcomers about the Thoroughbred industry, collaborate with existing initiatives, and promote opportunities for involvement, has launched its website at www.amplifyhorseracing.org. "Our goal for Amplify has been to become 'Step One' for newcomers to learn about the Thoroughbred industry," said Montplaisir. "We want this website and the resources we've curated to be a roadmap from basic to technical learning, and how...

About the time 'spring was about to sprung,' we all got hit...and hit very hard. As a way to adapt and hopefully share, about 8:30 each morning I posted short videos on Twitter. The grass was just starting to green and the birds were starting to sing and yes, we were welcoming our first crop of Oscar Performance babies here at Mill Ridge Farm. It made for a very uplifting setting and the response to these videos is heartwarming. At the same time, Horse Country was actively working with their...

Today, I wanted to share some moments that have meant a lot to me these past few weeks. When we started doing virtual tours, it was initiated to continue the mission of Horse Country, and to hope to lessen the blow to fans who wanted to come visit, but were now not able. However, I have been so inspired by giving the virtual tours, because viewers appreciate them so much. I share here a screen shot from one where an ER doctor on the front lines watched, and ambulance workers...

Multiple Grade I winner Oscar Performance (Kitten's Joy--Devine Actress, by Theatrical {Ire}) was represented by his first foal Jan. 15 when a bay filly out of Proud Heroine (Proud Citizen) was born at Starwood Farm. Bred by George Krikorian, the filly is a maternal great-granddaughter of the breeder's MGISW Hollywood Story (Wild Rush). "I'm in love with her," Starwood farm manager Tony Burton said. "She is a beauty." Bred and raced by John and Jerry Amerman, Oscar Performance was a Grade I winner at two, three and four, taking out...