Peter Blum

MGISW National Treasure Retires To Spendthrift, Will Stand For $40,000

National Treasure, the three-time Grade I-winning son of Quality Road, has been retired from racing and will take up residence at Eric & Tamara Gustavson's Spendthrift Farm in Lexington, Kentucky, where he will stand stud in 2025 for an introductory fee of $40,000 S&N, according to a post on the farm's website. A classic winner of the GI Preakness Stakes and victor in this year's GI Pegasus World Cup and GI Metropolitan Handicap, National Treasure is now available for inspection by appointment. Spendthrift acquired the breeding rights to the colt,...

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Breeding Digest: Joke Gets Serious Sprinting at the Spa

However obvious it may now appear that the "real" Fierceness didn't show up for the GIII Holy Bull Stakes back in February, he was keeping tougher company than many assumed at the time. Of the pair, in fact, things went rather more blatantly wrong for Domestic Product, bumped early before wasting energy against a slow pace and coming home wide. Domestic Product still managed to get closer to the winner than did the juvenile champion, and even in scrambling home in the GIII Tampa Bay Derby next time left a...

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Thursday Insights: Lukas Sends Out Priciest First-Crop Authentic Yearling

5th-CD, $120k, Msw, 2yo, 5 1/2f, post time: 6:56 p.m. ET Some 120 members of the first-crop of Horse of the Year Authentic went under the hammer at public auction in 2023, and the most expensive of them, INNOVATOR, debuts for BC Stables and trainer D. Wayne Lukas Thursday beneath the same Twin Spires where the sire won the 2020 GI Kentucky Derby. Bred by Peter Blum, also the breeder of Authentic, the dark bay colt was hammered down for $900,000 at the Keeneland September Sale, the dearest of the...

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National Treasure Romps in Hill 'n' Dale Met Mile

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY--The morning-line odds may have suggested that a showdown between Classic winning National Treasure (Quality Road) and GI Breeders' Cup Classic winner White Abarrio (Race Day) could be in the offing in the GI Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan H., a 'Win and You're In' for the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile. After the dust had settled, however, it proved to be more of a procession for the Bob Baffert runner, who streaked home a much-the-best 6 1/4-length winner over Post Time (Frosted). Getting away in good order, the 6-5...

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Breeding Digest: Another Week Full of Mischief

The racing year is only just doing up its laces, but already Into Mischief is on the march. Last week we examined the GI Kentucky Derby candidature of his son Timberlake and now, with a little help from the evergreen Dettori, he has a 19th Grade I scorer in Newgate. I must admit that my heart went out to connections of Subsanador (Arg) (Fortify), who led every step bar the last, and would have been John Sadler's fourth winner of the storied Santa Anita Handicap-still dearly cherished by some of...

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National Treasure to Stand at Spendthrift Farm Upon Retirement

Spendthrift Farm has acquired the breeding rights to MGISW National Treasure (Quality Road-- Treasure, by Medaglia D'oro), last year's GI Preakness S. hero and a thrilling winner of Saturday's GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational at Gulfstream. "National Treasure is the kind of stallion prospect we all look for because he possesses every quality that excites you about his potential to become an important sire," said Ned Toffey, Spendthrift general manager. "He was precocious enough to place in a very good Breeders' Cup Juvenile, he's an American Classic winner at three...

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Saturday Insights: Pricey Liam's Map Colt Debuts for St. Elias

6th-GP, $89k, Msw, 3yo, 6f, post time: 2:39 p.m. ET TURN UP THE TREES (Liam's Map) cost $100,000 as a foal at the 2021 Keeneland November Sale before St. Elias Stable paid $500,000 for the bay at Keeneland September less than a year later, the fourth-priciest of 58 of his sire's yearlings sold in 2022. A son of the Grade III-placed Clearbrook (Smart Strike), Turn Up the Trees descends from the family of stallions Sky Mesa and Bernstein. Sicilian Defense (Uncle Mo) is a maternal grandson of GSW/GISP Molto Vita...

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Friday Insights: Pricey OBS Grad Makes Turf Debut At Del Mar

1st-DMR, $82K, Msw, 2yo, f, 5fT, 7:00 p.m. Picked up for $550,000 at the OBS April Sale earlier this year following a sharp :21.1 breeze, SHE IS ROMANTIC (Blame) debuts Friday out of the Peter Eurton barn for owner C R K Stable. Already a half-sister to a pair of stakes-placed horses, the filly is out of a full-sister to MSW Frolic's Revenge and a half to GSW/MGISP Super Frolic (Pine Bluff) and MSW/GSP Stormy Frolic (Summer Squall). TJCIS PPS 4th-MTH, $57K, Msw, 2yo, 5 1/2f, 3:24 p.m. Debuting on...

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Occult Dominates Rivals in Monmouth Oaks

It was a Halloween exacta come early as Occult (Into Mischief) dominated the GIII Monmouth Oaks over a determined Foggy Night (Khozan), giving jockey Feargal Lynch the black-type double in New Jersey. Steadied last out in the GI Acorn at Big Sandy, but recovering well enough to finish third, the 7-5 favorite had already tasted success early this year in New York as the Busanda S. victress at Aqueduct before running fifth in the GIII Gazelle behind Promiseher America (American Pharoah). Racing four wide after the jump and settling well...

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A 'Pirate's Life For Him: Son Of Omaha Beach Is Newest 'TDN Rising Star'

Few Todd Pletcher first-time starters fail to live up to their billing if they break as 1-5 favorites and Pirate (Omaha Beach) kept that trend rolling with a three-length win to graduate at Saratoga and become the Spa's first 2023 'TDN Rising Star' and the first for his freshman sire (by War Front). Never under the radar, the 2-year-old half-brother to GI Preakness S. winner National Treasure (Quality Road) took all the money and quickly silenced any doubt about his inside draw with a quick beginning under jockey Irad Ortiz,...

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Saturday Insights: Well-Related Pirate Figures Tough On Debut

1st-Saratoga, $136K, Msw, 2yo, 5 1/2f, post time: 1:10 p.m. ET PIRATE (Omaha Beach) has been made the 4-5 morning-line favorite in the Saturday opener from the Spa and is bred to be any kind. The $350,000 Keeneland September acquisition by Starlight Racing and Harrell Ventures is the latest foal from Peter Blum's Treasure (Medaglia d'Oro), herself a debut second going this distance on Saratoga debut for Jimmy Jerkens in August 2014, who has since gone on to become a prized member of the Blum broodmare band. A mid-march foal,...

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Society Runs Them Off Their Feet In the Chicago

Few horses in training could have matched motors Saturday with Peter Blum's Society (Gun Runner), who took the GIII Chicago S. by the scruff of the neck a few strides away from the gates and never gave any of her five rivals a chance, streaking home to score in new track-record time. Drawn one from the outside, the 2-1 second favorite hit the ground running and led narrowly through the opening stages from Drifaros (Kantharos) as odds-on Matareya (Pioneerof the Nile) was content enough to sit third behind the speed....

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