Peter Blum

A filly from the first crop of GI Belmont Stakes winner Mo Donegal (hip 177) brought top price of $240,000 during the first session of the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's October Yearlings Sale Tuesday in Central Florida. The bay filly--one of three to bring $200,000 or more during the session--was bred by Peter E. Blum Thoroughbreds LLC and was consigned by Richard Kent's Kaizen Sales. Christophe Nouvellet, bidding on behalf of Dream With Me Florida, LLC, made the winning bid. "She was a standout in the back ring," Nouvellet said....

What is the common denominator between the last three runnings of the second jewel of the U.S. Triple Crown and Fasig-Tipton's Saratoga Select Yearling Sale? When Journalism (Curlin) crossed the wire first in the GI Preakness Stakes last May, it marked the third consecutive year that a yearling sold at Fasig-Tipton's Saratoga venue brought home the blanket of Black-Eyed Susans. Beginning in 2023, National Treasure (Quality Road), a $500,000 Saratoga buy, won for trainer Bob Baffert and a partnership consisting of SF Racing, Starlight, Madaket Stables, Robert Masterson, Jay Schoenfarber,...

Seth Hancock recommended Christophe Clement when he went out on his own in 1991 and I sent horses to him. Christophe worked extremely hard to become one of the most successful trainers in New York. We were friends for many years. I appreciated a text from him on May 4, but could only think about how hard this battle had to be. Christophe will be remembered by what he achieved in his career. He leaves a large, loving family behind to relish his accomplishments and honor his memory by building...

Okay, so the top price at Fasig-Tipton last week was paid for a mare by Frankel (GB), followed by daughters of Justify and his damsire Ghostzapper. But next, at $3.6 million, came a daughter of Flintshire (GB), Surge Capacity, while her own dam Strong Incentive made $2.75 million, despite also being by a Kentucky reject in Warrior's Reward. Other seven-figure sales included mares by Speightster, Frac Daddy and Marking, while the first such transactions at Keeneland next day concerned daughters of Mastery and Bird Song. It's the same every year....

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,...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...