Pope McLean

Sir Winston (Awesome Again--La Gran Bailadora, by Afleet Alex), winner of the 2019 GI Belmont S., was represented by his first foal, a filly out of Pretty Clever (Hard Spun). The foal was bred by Tracy Farmer and born at his Shadowlawn Farm in Midway, Ky., Jan. 30. Pretty Clever is a half-sister to Saratoga stakes winner Can You Diggit (Tiznow). Sir Winston stands at Pope McLean's Crestwood Farm for $7,500 LFSN.

Xtra Heat (Dixieland Heat--Begin, by Hatchet Man), winner of 25 black-type races in an overachieving career that saw her named the Eclipse Award-winning 3-year-old filly of 2001, passed away last December at the age of 24, according to a release from Woodford Thoroughbreds. Bred in Kentucky by Pope McLean, Sr., Pope McLean, Jr., Marc McLean and P. Feringa, the diminutive Xtra Heat sold for less than five figures as a weanling, yearling and 2-year-old, but won her first six races before tasting defeat for the first time in the 2000...

Classic Sir Winston (Awesome Again--La Gran Bailadora, by Afleet Alex) has been retired from racing and will stand stud next year at Pope McLean's Crestwood Farm. The Tracy Farmer homebred is out of the Grade-III winning and Grade-I placed mare La Gran Bailadora. "Sir Winston showed us incredible talent right from the start and we think his progeny will do the same," said Farmer. "We will be supporting him both with mares in the breeding shed as well as in the sales ring down the road." A stakes winner and...

It did not take long for the action to get going during Book 2's opening session Wednesday with Hip 383, a colt by sensational young sire Gun Runner, summoning $1.05 million just minutes into the session. He was purchased by the powerhouse partnership headed by SF, Starlight and Madaket Stables with SF's Tom Ryan doing his bidding on the phone. Bred by Ann Fostock, the Feb. 2 foal was consigned by Pope McLean's Crestwood Farm. The bay hails from a deep Juddmonte family with his second dam being MGISW Flute.

Get Stormy (Stormy Atlantic--Foolish Gal, by Kiri's Clown), a three-time Grade I winner and leading sire at Crestwood Farm, died unexpectedly Sunday at the age of 16 from what is believed to be a cardiac event, Crestwood reported Monday. Bred and owned by Mary A. Sullivan, who races under the name Sullimar Stables, Get Stormy was trained by Tom Bush had a long, successful career that included seven graded stakes wins. Racing until the age of six, Get Stormy captured the GI Maker's Mark Mile S., GI Woodford Reserve Turf...

When this whole thing is over, some kind of reset seems inevitable: certain priorities renewed, others revised. And perhaps, with an abrupt end looming to the relentless bull run in the bloodstock market, commercial breeders might begin to dig slightly deeper foundations for their broodmares. In recent times, they have been increasingly prepared to risk a mare's long-term viability by choosing her mates according to short-term market fads. Once that market plunges, however, it's all downside. The far-sighted breeder, as such, will surely seek to ride out the storm by...