Sean Tugel

Summer Anthem (Temple City), impressive winner of Friday's fourth race at Keeneland, has been added to the Keeneland April Horses of All Ages Sale, to be held following the conclusion of the closing-day program at 6:30 p.m. The 3-year-old gelding will be consigned by Gainesway, agent, as hip 104. Trained by Rodolphe Brisset for September Farm LLC and Black Fern LLC, the dark bay gelding was making his first start on turf Friday after just being beaten on the wire in a one-mile maiden allowance over the Turfway synthetic track...

Fresh off a season in which he earned the mantle of Europe's leading sire of 2-year-olds, it would seem that Dark Angel (Ire)'s legacy as a sire of precocious and classy sprinter/milers is set. The question inevitably becomes, then, who is next in line to carry on his branch of the Acclamation (GB) sireline? The 17-year-old Dark Angel already has a Group 1-producing sire son in his G1 Diamond Jubilee S. and G1 July Cup-winning Lethal Force (Ire), whose Golden Horde (Ire) also won at the Royal meeting when he...

Afleet Alex (Northern Afleet--Maggy Hawk, by Hawkster), perhaps best known for his dramatic win in the 2005 GI Preakness S. after he stumbled in the stretch, has been pensioned after 16 years of stud duty at Gainesway, the farm announced today. Afleet Alex, who went on to win the GI Belmont S. in the same year, turned 20 this year. "Gainesway has officially pensioned Afleet Alex from stallion duties," said Sean Tugel, Gainesway's director of stallion sales and recruitment. "He is in great health currently and will remain at Gainesway...

It can be a daunting task, bringing a horse untried on dirt to a stallion barn in Kentucky. But Gainesway Farm has nothing but confidence in their new addition, believing Raging Bull (FR) (Dark Angel {Ire} -Rosa Bonheur, by Mr. Greeley) has a unique combination of characteristics that will prove irresistible to American breeders. "We're very excited to have Raging Bull," said Gainesway Farm's Sean Tugel. "Gainesway was really established on bringing turf milers over here from Europe, so we're kind of going back to our roots. Turf racing in...

Pop a Choc, a daughter of the increasingly influential broodmare sire Bernardini, was hammered down for $265,000 as the last few grains of sand were passing through the hourglass during Monday's opening session of Book 4 at the Keeneland November Sale in Lexington. The 4-year-old filly was consigned to the sale by Meg Levy's Bluewater Sales LLC and topped yet another day of exceptional trade in the Bluegrass. A total of 271 horses sold for $10,507,100 Monday, an increase of 67.4% over last year's COVID-affected sale, while the average of...

After 'TDN Rising Star' Essential Quality's sound victory in the GI Belmont S., his sire Tapit became one of only two stallions in history to produce four winners of the Classic test. In doing so, the champion sire did one of his other Belmont-winning sons, this one also a fellow Gainesway stallion, a favor by reinforcing the market's every-growing esteem for Tapit bloodlines. The achievements of Essential Quality and Tapit came at just the right time for Tapwrit (Tapit -Appealing Zophie, by Successful Appeal), who will have his first crop...

In a crowded and often fickle stallion landscape, one North American sire at Gainesway Farm has stood out above all the rest for over a decade strong now. He may not win the general sires title every year, but no stallion in this country has produced the consistent excellence of Tapit since he went to stud in 2005, and Saturday was yet another elite-level reminder when his champion son Essential Quality streaked across the wire as his remarkable fourth GI Belmont S. winner. Wednesday morning, Gainesway's director of stallion sales...

Gainesway's Sean Tugel joins this week's TDN Writers' Room to talk on the growing legend of Tapit after he became the second sire in history to produce four Belmont S. winners.

In just its first 14 years of running, the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile has emerged as a stallion-making race and in recent years, its winners are making top headlines as they kick off their stud careers. Goldencents (Into Mischief), winner of both the 2013 and 2014 edition, now leads his class of third-crop sires. The following year's winner, Liam's Map (Unbridled's Song), is already a two-time Grade I producer with his first crop of 3-year-olds while 2016 champion Tamarkuz (Speightstown) now has a Grade III winner in his first...

Since his maiden-breaking 'TDN Rising Star'-worthy juvenile debut, McKinzie had caught the eye of Gainesway Farm. But according to Gainesway's Director of Stallion Sales and Recruitment Sean Tugel, the son of Street Sense had the attention of nearly every top stud farm in the country. "He was on everybody's radar from the very beginning," he said. "Any time you see one win first time out from Bob Baffert's barn, you have to recognize it." [tdn_vimeo_embed title="McKinzie at Gainesway Farm" admp4="https://player.vimeo.com/external/454078835.sd.mp4?s=e4abccf474c464c025df68f2a109c29ca8402ae7&profile_id=165" videomp4= "https://player.vimeo.com/external/481849258.sd.mp4?s=b0108e0717b96d50a0ed06578fa2458c02f1f51e&profile_id=165" thumbnail= ""] McKinzie's resume only improved from there...

Spun to Run (Hard Spun--Yawkey Way, by Grand Slam), winner of last year's GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, will enter stud at Gainesway next season, the farm announced Sunday. The 4-year-old was also third in last year's GI TVG.com Haskell Invitational S. and he captured the GIII Smarty Jones S. He ended his career with a runner-up effort behind champion 3-year-old Maximum Security (New Year's Day) in the GI Cigar Mile H. On the board in 10 of 12 starts, Spun to Run won five times and earned $1,160,520. "Great...

With Tapit again leading its roster, Gainesway released its 2021 stud fees Wednesday. The gray super-sire, North America's leading stallion by lifetime graded stakes winners (84), Grade I winners (27), and progeny earnings ($159,714,395) will stand for $185,000 next year. He stood the 2020 season at $200,000. Four-time Grade I winner McKinzie (Street Sense) will begin his stud career next season at a fee of $30,000. (Click to view McKinzie's digital Flipbook). "I am excited about beginning this new chapter in the Gainesway stallions with McKinzie," said Gainesway CEO Antony...