Speightstown

Lugan Knight (Goldencents) was not going to be denied as he matched strides down the lane with Arctic Arrogance (Frosted) in the $150,000 Jerome S. at Aqueduct Racetrack on Saturday afternoon. With 10-4-3-2-1 points available to the top 5 finishers on the Road to the 149th running of the Kentucky Derby, it was Lugan Knight's day to shine. Sent off as the second choice at 7-2, the colt set front-end fractions of :23.41 at the quarter-mile marker and :47.70 for the half-mile, all as the favorite Arctic Arrogance dogged his...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 6th-AQU, $85k, Msw, 2yo, f, 1m, 2:14p.m. ET Manzanita Stables LLC went to $300,000 at KEESEP in 2021 to acquire LUCKY COMBINATION (Ghostzapper), a price tag likely aided by her dam being out of a half-sister to GISW & MGISP Girolamo (A.P. Indy) and his full-siblings MGISP & MGSW Daydreaming and GISP Accelerator. Dam Lucky Number herself claims GISW Got Lucky (A.P. Indy)--responsible for MGSP Overtook (Curlin)--as a half-relation and has produced two other winning fillies. This is the female family of GISW Chocolate Gelato...

The Thoroughbred is certainly more versatile than we sometimes give it credit for. There is always the capacity to surprise, particularly when it comes to predicting stallion success. For instance, despite examples showing otherwise, it remains tempting to box sires as 'dirt' and 'turf' and 'American' and 'European' when actually some of them will prove capable of crossing the differing racing jurisdictions quite easily. Had all breeders and buyers remained on 'the straight and narrow', the chance to appreciate the likes of Scat Daddy, Medaglia d'Oro, More Than Ready and...

The Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale ended its eighth session Monday with cumulative sales of $205 million, surpassing total sales of $203 million recorded for last year's entire 10-day auction. On Monday, 260 head sold for $4,313,300, down from the corresponding session in 2021 when 260 generated $4,363,200. Average dipped slightly from $16,782 to $16,590. The median of $11,000 decreased 8.33% from last year's $12,000. Late in Monday's session, a daughter of Mshawish led the way during the first day of Book. Offered as Hip 2975, Taylor Avenue was secured...

by Jessica Martini & Christie DeBernardis LEXINGTON, KY - The Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale moved into the first of two Book 3 sesssions Thursday with continued competitive bidding and figures through four days of the auction still tracking ahead of 2021 statistics. For the session, 248 head grossed $20,988,500. The average of $84,631 was up 6.7% from the opening session of the 2021 Book 3 section, while the median remained constant at $65,000. The session's buy-back rate was 26.63%. It was 23.64% a year ago. Jody Huckabay, bidding on...

1st-Aqueduct, $82,450, Msw, 11-10, 2yo, f, 6f, 1:13.31, ft, 8 1/4 lengths. UNDERVALUED ASSET (f, 2, Speightstown--Hard Headed Temper, by Hard Spun), dispatched as the popular 3-5 choice for her afternoon debut, broke into second after briefly losing her footing, pressing the early speed of Pardon Moi (Not This Time) as the leading pair ran the opening quarter in :23.33. With no visible move from jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr., Undervalued Asset took over under her own power around the turn and dashed clear of Risk Free (American Freedom) at the...

Olympiad (Speightstown--Tokyo Time, by Medaglia d'Oro), a five-time graded stakes winner, led by the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup S., and most recently second in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic, has been retired to Gainesway Farm. The $700,000 Keeneland September graduate will stand for an advertised fee of $35,000 LFSN. One of North America's top older males of 2022, Olympiad posted eight wins in 13 career starts for earnings of $3,027,560 for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott and owners Grandview Equine, Cheyenne Stables and LNJ Foxwoods. Olympiad's year started...

Sparkle Blue proved she was aptly named when she kicked home from the nine post to brilliantly take the GIII Rubicon Valley View S. in her first career graded victory ahead of a blanket charge for the minors. After capping her 2021 season a distant 10th in the GIII Jimmy Durante S. Nov. 27 at Del Mar, her connections gave her some time away and brought their filly back July 2 in Delaware's Christiana S. sporting first-time blinkers. Gamely overcoming contact in the stretch, she held on to win by...

6th-Keeneland, $99,588, Msw, 10-27, 2yo, f, 5 1/2f, 1:05.38, ft, 3 3/4 lengths. RARIFY (f, 2, Justify--Bella Jolie, by Broken Vow) opened her account with a pair of seconds at Saratoga earlier this summer, trying both 6 and 6 1/2 furlongs. The half-sister to Runhappy (Super Saver), Ch. Sprinter, MGISW, $1,496,250, Thursday's 2-5 chalk, raced with blinkers for the first time over her shortest distance yet and settled into a stalking position early while racing in the three path into the far turn. Fanned out wider still, Rarify loomed outside...

Grandview Equine, Cheyenne Stable and LNJ Foxwoods' Olympiad (Speightstown--Tokyo Time, Medaglia d'Oro) will take up stallion duties at Gainesway Farm upon his retirement from racing. To date, Olympiad has won eight of 12 career starts, including five graded stakes victories, highlighted by the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup. Having already amassed over $2-million in earnings, the 4-year-old is expected to make his next start in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic at Keeneland next month. Trained by Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, Olympiad captured five graded victories this season, beginning...

GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile winner Tamarkuz (Speightstown--Without You Babe, by Lemon Drop Kid) and GISW Collusion Illusion (Twirling Candy--Natalie Grace, by First Dude) will stand at Ballcroy Bloodstock in Ontario for 2023. Collusion Illusion captured five of 13 races with three of those wins coming in graded events. His career high was a win in the GI Bing Crosby S. and he earned over $480,000. He will stand for $6,000. "Collusion Illusion is an exciting stallion prospect, and we are thrilled to have him standing in Ontario," said Ballycroy...

With Constitution leading the way at $110,000, WinStar Farm has released the 2023 stud fees for its stallion roster. Constitution, the sire of eight individual runners who have earned 100+ Beyers in 2022, has been represented this year by GIII Peter Pan S. winner 'TDN Rising Star' We the People, GIII Distaff H. winner Glass Ceiling, GIII Greenwood Cup S. winner Ridin With Biden and GIII San Juan Capistrano S. winner Breakpoint (Chi). He was also responsible for a pair of seven-figure yearlings at the Keeneland September sale. Constitution stood...