Sagamore Farm

And so we begin anew. The GIII Lecomte S. always warms the heart: it's like noticing the first buds on the bare trees, as the quiet midwinter promise--familiar, expected, miraculous--of another spring to come. In trees, each new cycle is nourished by past decay: by roots extending into soil enriched by the leaves discarded at the end of the previous one. And actually it's not dissimilar with selective breeding, so that each generation can recycle its speed, stamina, beauty, bravery. The world may be a very different place, on and...

It's not like you just add water. For the very possibility of reaping the ultimate harvest with Instant Coffee (Bolt d'Oro), on the first Saturday in May, has only been able to take root because the ending of even the longest stories, in this game, can always prove the start of a new chapter. Having already demonstrated an aptitude for the Churchill surface in winning the GII Kentucky Jockey Club S., Instant Coffee resumes the Derby trail in the GIII Lecomte S. at the Fair Grounds on Saturday. And while...

Located in the heart of historic Reisterstown, Md., just down the road from Sagamore Farm, Hall of Fame steeplechase trainer Jack Fisher's Kingfisher Farm, and GreenMount Farm, the birthplace of 2021 Horse of the Year Knicks Go (Paynter), sits the newly opened Maryland Horse Library and Education Center. The one-of-a-kind facility, honoring the robust history of horses in Maryland and serving as a hub for educating the next generation, is housed in the Maryland Horse Breeders Association (MHBA)'s building. The stately brick structure with large, white columns, was originally built...

8th-Saratoga, $105,000, Msw, 9-3, 2yo, 7f, 1:22.77, ft, 3/4 length. INSTANT COFFEE (c, 2, Bolt d'Oro--Follow No One {SP}, by Uncle Mo), let go at a tick under 15-1 while breaking from the rail, had to be coaxed from the gate, but he chased along well from sixth from the inside down the backstretch. Just off that fence coming through the bend and three wide into upper stretch, he took a narrow advantage just inside the eighth pole, brushing with Arthur's Ride (Tapit) as the pair battled to the wire....

The Maryland Horse Library and Education Center was designated by the Maryland Horse Industry Board (MHIB) as the Educational and Cultural Center of the Maryland Horse Park System. The new, multi-faceted facility will honor the history and importance of Maryland's horse industry. "Maryland is home to over 100,000 horses, more horses per square mile than any other state," said Secretary Joe Bartenfelder. "With over 40 equine disciplines practiced right here in Maryland and premiere horse events held year-round, our state's equestrian industry is world-renowned. This center will teach Marylanders and...

Jocelyn Brooks, the former Chief of Staff for Sagamore Racing, will become the new Director of Sales for Brereton C. Jones's Airdrie Stud, the Midway, Kentucky nursery announced Friday morning. She will fill the role formerly held by Cormac Breathnach, who was recently named Keeneland's Director of Sales. The farm said that in her new role, Jocelyn will work directly with Airdrie's breeders and clients in helping with all aspects of their mating plans as well as being a leading presence for the Brereton C. Jones consignments at the major...

7th-Ellis, $51,080, Msw, 7-3, 3yo/up, f/m, 6f, 1:10.05, ft, 1/2 length. PALM COTTAGE (f, 3, American Pharoah--Walkwithapurpose {MSW & GSP, $297,210}, by Candy Ride {Arg}), installed the 4-5 top choice in this first go, broke a step slow, but quickly put her self into a close-up third as Upandcomingstar (Into Mischief), prompted by Strong Silent (Wicked Strong), led through an opening quarter mile in :22.53. Hemmed in along the rail exiting the far turn, Palm Cottage swung out three wide turning for home, ground her way to the fore with...

Hunter Rankin has been hired as Senior Director of Racing for Churchill Downs Incorporated, CDI announced Tuesday. The role was recently vacated following Mike Ziegler's promotion to General Manager of Churchill Downs Racetrack in December 2020. As CDI's Senior Director of Racing, Rankin will act as a representative and liaison to the U.S. Thoroughbred racing and breeding industry and focus on the implementation of standards and processes outlined in the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act ("HISA") across all of CDI's racing properties. "Hunter brings to this role a breadth of...

Sharing (Speightstown--Shared Account, by Pleasantly Perfect), winner of the 2019 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, has been retired from racing after suffering an injury in a paddock mishap, according to an Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners release. Bred by Sagamore Farm, 4-year-old is out of the 2010 GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf heroine, Shared Account, and was purchased as a yearling by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners for $350,000 at the 2018 Fasig-Tipton Select Sale in Saratoga. Campaigned by Eclipse and Gainesway Farm, she was trained by Graham Motion throughout her...

Scars Are Cool (Malibu Moon), a $175,000 purchase at Fasig-Tipton's 2020 July Horses of Racing Age Sale, won a US$27,000 open race for imported horses Friday at King Abdullaziz Racecourse in Riyadh, which moved him one step closer to a possible start in the $20-million Saudi Cup. It was the second start in Saudi Arabia for the 5-year-old, who was campaigned by Sagamore Farm when racing in the U.S. He was unplaced in a Dec. 26 race before winning Friday's 1,600-meter event by three-quarters of a length. He broke his...

What is it, beyond our obvious bond in the Thoroughbred, that most vitally comprises the fabric of the Turf? It's a question answerable in too many ways, requiring definition of too many intangibles, to be easily condensed. But I think we'll get somewhere close if we ponder the retirement this week of Stan Hough, an old-school horseman of a type largely overwhelmed in the era of the super-trainer. And especially because his departure from the stage coincides with the removal of two key features of the scenery: Calder Race Course,...

'TDN Rising Star' Global Campaign (Curlin--Globe Trot, by A.P. Indy), an excellent third when last seen in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic, will not resume training and has been retired from racing. He will enter stud for the 2021 breeding season at WinStar Farm. "We considered bringing him back for a final start in the [GI] Pegasus World Cup Invitational S. because he ran so well in the Breeders' Cup," said Elliott Walden, WinStar's president, CEO, and racing manager. "He shed his frog in that race and the timing of...