Puca

Saturday's GI Blue Grass S. will be Dornoch's big chance to put away any uncertainty surrounding his true talent. The son of Good Magic beat Blue Grass morning-line favorite Sierra Leone (Gun Runner) last December in the GII Remsen S., but his Chad Brown-trained rival only lost by a nose and has since improved his resume with a definitive win in the GII Risen Star while adding blinkers. Meanwhile Dornoch claimed a scratched-down edition of the GII Fountain of Youth, taking the lead early and breaking away from rivals in...

Statements don't come much bigger than that made by John Stewart in the second half of 2023 when he spent over $25 million at public auction in less than 10 weeks, suddenly announcing himself as an emerging force in racing and bloodstock. Stewart's most costly recruits included the second-top lot at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, an Uncle Mo half-sister to the multiple Grade I winner Shedaresthedevil (Daredevil) who sold for $2.5 million. He then rolled into the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky November Sale where a pair of Breeders' Cup winners headlined...

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...

As the 2024 breeding season is now underway, the TDN staff is sitting down with breeders to find out what stallions they have chosen for their mares, and why. Here we catch up with Chelsey Stone, the Director of Breeding for John Stewart's Resolute Bloodstock. Stewart made a huge splash at the yearling and breeding stock sales in 2023 and he purchased the former Shadwell Stud property in Midway, Kentucky to launch Resolute Farm. "We have such an awesome fleet of mares, but we are always looking to add to...

He'd given himself five years to make it onto Saturday Night Live. But it had now been six years, and Case Clay could see where he might be headed if he wasn't careful. Stick around too much longer, and he could end up like the guy in the comedy club, sitting there on his own every night with a drink at the end of the bar. "He was a fixture, and a beloved fixture," Clay stresses. "Sometimes he'd be on stage with you, performing, but the rest of the time...

After announcing its presence with authority as a first-time seller on day one of the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale, the fledgling Case Clay Thoroughbred Management signed for Friday's top two lots--a pair of last-out maiden winners for $350,000 apiece--at Keeneland's single-session Horses of Racing Age Sale Friday. The co-topping Double Dream (Curlin), a winning 3-year-old half-sister to MGISW Verrazano (More Than Ready), GSW El Padrino (Pulpit), et al, will be heading to Australia for a client of Arrowfield Stud's, Clay said. Consigned by ELiTE, the Peter Brant homebred earned...

by Jessica Martini & Christina Bossinakis LEXINGTON, KY - The Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale gained momentum throughout its opening session and concluded a day of competitive bidding Wednesday evening with 11 seven-figure mares and a median up 30% from its 2022 counterpart. "It was a good day. It was a really good day," said Keeneland President Shannon Arvin. "We were really pleased with the session overall. The theme of the century seems to be that the quality sells and there was really high demand for the quality. There was...

Puca (Big Brown), the dam of GI Kentucky Derby winner Mage (Good Magic), was originally reported as unsold at $2.8 million, but Keeneland President and CEO Shannon Arvin told members of the press in the post-session debrief that John Stewart, who made a giant splash at Fasig-Tipton Tuesday evening, had acquired the 11-year-old mare for $2.9 million post-RNA. Arvin told the press that the sale would not be included in the Book 1 statistics. Consigned by Case Clay Thoroughbred Management and offered carrying a full-sibling to Mage, former 'TDN Rising...

With the Breeders' Cup wrapping up an action-packed weekend at Santa Anita, all eyes turn to Lexington for the nation's preeminent breeding stock sales. Keeneland's November sale gets underway Wednesday, and as has become the custom, offers an enticing selection of mares and foals over the course of its five-book run. "For the long-term plan, we are trying to get the quality is there for the buyers we are recruiting, Keeneland Vice President of Sales Tony Lacy said. "We spend many months throughout the year meeting our potential customers and...

It was almost a year ago that Case Clay stepped away from his position at Three Chimneys Farm to focus full-time on his company, Case Clay Thoroughbred Management. With services including bloodstock auction and private purchases, portfolio management and equine insurance, he has stayed busy since going solo. Clay was in Australia for the Inglis Easter Sale this spring to oversee a successful auction for his clients offering yearlings there. They celebrated several lucrative sales, including a Dundeel (NZ) colt out of Kevikki (Aus) (Smart Missile {Aus})--a mare that Clay...

6th-Keeneland, $99,588, Msw, 10-14, 2yo, 1 1/16m, 1:45, ft, 6 1/2 lengths. DORNOCH (c, 2, Good Magic--Puca {SW & GSP, $299,406}, by Big Brown) had run well in each of his first two career starts, including a runner-up effort in the Sapling S. in his most recent trip to the races Aug. 26, and made good on a promise of 1-2 favoritism to break his maiden in style Saturday at Keeneland. The full-brother to GI Kentucky Derby hero Mage, GISW, $2,507,450; and half to Gunning (Gun Runner), MSP, $278,835,  was...

It's a busy time at Keeneland. The September sale has just ended, the fall race meet is upon us and the November sale is right around the corner. With that in mind, the TDN Writers' Room podcast presented by Keeneland called upon Keeneland Director of Sales Operations Cormac Breathnach to fill us in on the latest from one of America's favorite racetracks. Breathnach was this week's Green Group Guest of the Week. The foal crop keeps dropping every year, but that doesn't seem to affect the September sale. There were...