Rock Your World

Percy's Bar (Upstart) set the mark high when she ran home a winner in the Debutante Stakes at Churchill Downs on Sunday. Posting a debut score by four lengths this past spring at Keeneland, the filly came into this race with a strong series of morning works under rider Luan Machado. Made a 3-1 shot with some tough company to contend with here, she watched the race unfold after the break behind a :21.29 opening quarter. Making an eye-catching sweep through the turn, she sailed by her rivals and rolled...

Overcoming a troubled start and getting back in the game before the far turn, first timer Color Comin' In (Rock Your World--Sleepless Dixie, by Dixie Union) handed freshman sire Rock Your World (by Candy Ride {Arg}) an inaugural win on Thursday afternoon at Churchill Downs. The effort netted the filly a 'TDN Rising Star' badge. Off as a 7-1 shot here, Color Comin' In did not have the best beginning, but the Norm Casse trainee was able to resume the chase as short-priced favorite Shez Twisted (Twirling Candy) led up...

Nice and Easy Thoroughbreds isn't the type of operation that rolls into the 2-year-old sales armed with a battalion of juvenile prospects. Such was the case for the 2021 renewal of the OBS March Sale when the consignment led only two head to the venue--a colt by Shaman Ghost who breezed an eighth in :10 flat and a colt by Race Day who completed the task in :10.2. While the former, subsequently named Grave Danger, would never exit the claiming ranks, the Race Day colt, subsequently named White Abarrio, would...

As is the custom, the summer ushers in the yearling sales season, headed by Tuesday's Fasig-Tipton July Sale of Selected Yearlings at Newtown Paddocks. Beginning at 10 a.m., the sale features a trimmed-down catalogue of 286 yearlings, once again highlighted by a selection of first-crop sires, making up roughly a third of the catalog. Featuring 370 head one year ago, this season's offering of yearlings points not only to availability, but to the ongoing drive toward quality. "It's always a function of the type of horses that you're exposed to...

Every year, the Fasig-Tipton July sale offers the first chance for buyers to get a look at a new crop of yearling sires. Many buyers were seeing these sires' yearlings for the first time this week, and while it's admittedly early, we took a little survey to get their first impressions. The group includes: Basin, Beau Liam, By My Standards, Charlatan, Core Beliefs, Essential Quality, Independence Hall, Knicks Go, Known Agenda, Leinster, Lexitonian, Maxfield, Modernist, Raging Bull, Rock Your World, Silver State, Tacitus, Uncle Chuck, and Yaupon. LIZ CROW: Tacitus...

9th-Santa Anita, $57,000, Msw, 4-28, 3, 4,/5yo, f/m, 6fT, 1:09.01, fm, 3/4 length. CHARM YOUR WORLD (f, 3, Candy Ride {Arg}--Charm the Maker {MSW & MGISP, $340,290}, by Empire Maker) debuted with Lasix as a 27-1 longshot here. From the bell, the 3-year-old settled mid-pack as Heart of the Night (City of Light) tried to steal the race up the backstretch. As the pacesetter began to run out of gas around the far turn, it was 3-2 favorite Not A Sinner (GB) (Land Force {Ire}) who took over. Seemingly in...

The 2021 GI Santa Anita Derby winner Rock Your World (Candy Ride {Arg}) was represented by his first reported foal Jan. 9 when a filly was born at Diana Shoop's Gemstone Farm in Lexington. The bay lass is the first foal out of her winning dam, Mrs. O'Connell (American Pharoah), and was bred by Mark and Allison Menscer's Post Rock Farm. "We are thrilled with the filly," said Mark Menscer. "She looks like Rock Your World. He stamped her out. She has tremendous bone and a lot of substance. We...

All five first-season stallions based at Spendthrift Farm have had their first mares reported in foal, the farm announced Sunday evening. Basin (Liam's Map)'s first reported in-foal mare is Littlegreatone (Bernardini), and By My Standards (Goldencents)'s is Danceswithbourbon (Outwork). Known Agenda (Curlin), Rock Your World (Candy Ride {Arg}) and Yaupon (Uncle Mo) each had two mares confirmed as pregnant on the same day. Pink Fizz (Dialed In) and Sunandsea (Henny Hughes) checked in foal to Known Agenda, Hope Lady (Tapiture) and Mrs. O'Connell (American Pharoah) to Rock Your World, and...

With the 2022 breeding season right around the corner, we will feature a series of breeders' mating plans over the coming weeks. Today we have George Adams of Housatonic Bloodstock, who serves as the Director of Stallions and Breeding for Wasabi Ventures Stables. "With a relatively young group of mares, ideally we'd like to send them to a proven stallion at least once or twice in their first few years, just to get a better handle on their ability as producers," said Adams. "At a lower stud fee price point...

With the 2022 breeding season right around the corner, we will feature a series of breeders' mating plans over the coming weeks. Today we have Erin Fisher of Harper Ridge Thoroughbreds. "All my horses are crossed with stallions that I feel will throw appealing and sound horses that can provide second and third careers off the track and provide longevity to the breed," said Fisher. "I look for soundness and attitude with the idea that my foals can have long futures in any discipline after racing." APPEALING WAY (m, 8,...

Back in March of 2009, in the Werk Thoroughbred Consultants blog, the late Jack Werk recounted a wager we'd made years earlier. This is what he wrote: "The year that Elusive Quality went to stud, pedigree expert Sid Fernando and I had a small side bet: Who was the best sleeper or long shot from that crop? Sid picked Distorted Humor, standing for $12,500, a pretty astute choice at the time. I, of course, picked Elusive Quality, who also went to stud very cheap--$10,000. "As it turns out, we both picked wisely! The top two...

Rock Your World (Candy Ride {Arg}--Charm the Maker, by Empire Maker), who defeated GI Kentucky Derby winner and GI Longines Breeders' Cup Classic runner-up Medina Spirit (Protonico) in the GI Runhappy Santa Anita Derby in his first start on the dirt, has been retired from racing and will enter stud in 2022 at Spendthrift Farm. The nursery had previous announced the acquisition in last April. The handy winner of a six-furlong turf sprint on career debut at Santa Anita Jan. 1, the $650,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase took the one-mile...