Spendthrift

by Jessica Martini & Stefanie Grimm OCALA, FL - While it took some time to find its stride, the first session of the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training gained momentum throughout the day and concluded with figures in line with the first session of its record-setting 2023 renewal. "I thought it was a good day," said OBS Director of Sales Tod Wojciechowski. "A good horse sells well and I thought we had a lot of nice horses today. Holding true to last year, that's a...

1st-Keeneland, $74,144, Msw, 4-7, 2yo, f, 4 1/2f, :52.44, ft, head. THE QUEENS M G (f, 2, Thousand Words--Show Queen, by Grindstone) became her freshman sire's first winner Sunday. One of the longest shots on the board at 45-1, she flashed early speed from the far outside gate but was quickly confronted by West Memorial (Caracaro) to her inside on the run around the far turn. That pair opened up a sizable gap to the rest of the field with The Queens M G just getting the better of the...

The TDN's popular annual series 'Mating Plans, presented by Spendthrift,' continues today in a conversation with Hanzly Albina of Newtownanner Stud. "I don't take this lightly at all," said Albina, who is both general manager of Newtownanner's Kentucky farm and North American bloodstock manager of the operation. "It's a ton of fun when it works out. For me, the physical is what I'm shooting for as I can't predict performance. We want to produce what we would buy in a sales ring, want to produce as nice a horse as...

Ruby Nell (Bolt d'Oro) returned from her trip to Florida like many do--refreshed and ready to get back to work. And back to work she went, wiring the field impressively as the 4-5 favorite in the GII Buena Vista S. at Santa Anita. Shipped East by Richard Mandella for Pegasus weekend, the daughter of Bolt d'Oro did well to race against her normal style in coming off the pace to  finish third beaten just 1 3/4 lengths in the GII Pegasus World Cup Filly and Mare Turf Invitational Jan. 27....

7th-GP, $89K, MSW, 3yo, f, 7f, 3:09 p.m. Owned in partnership by Woodford Racing, West Point Thoroughbreds and Chris Larsen, SEDONA (Curlin) debuts Sunday at Gulfstream Park for trainer Shug McGaughey. The full-sister to MGSW/GISP and $1.5m FTSAUG yearling First Captain nearly topped 2022's Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale when selling for $2,000,000. Dam America, herself a graded stakes winner and dual Grade-I placed, last went through the auction ring late last year at FTKNOV but failed to meet her reserve at $1,200,000. She also RNA'd for $3.1m at FTKNOV...

1st-Aqueduct, $80,000, Msw, 1-13, 3yo, 6f, 1:10.51, my, 5 1/4 lengths. TUSCAN SKY (c, 3, Vino Rosso--South Andros {SW, $207,125}, by Sky Mesa), a clear 7-2 second choice on debut taking on the three-start maiden, but 3-4 chalk Have You Heard (Hard Spun), found his best stride entering the final furlong and streaked home to open his account impressively at first asking in the Saturday opener from Aqueduct. Tuscan Sky won the break and took his four rivals along through the opening furlong, but Have You Heard wrested command before...

Spendthrift stallion Omaha Beach got the first graded win of his nascent sire career with a blowout victory by Kopion (f, 3, Omaha Beach--Galloping Ami, by Victory Gallop) in Santa Anita's GIII Santa Ynez S. Sunday. Three of the four fillies in the gate were by first-crop sires, but it was the least experienced of the newly minted sophomore fillies whom the public pegged at 1-5 and who put herself firmly in the early GI Kentucky Oaks conversation. The Santa Ynez was worth 10 points on the Oaks trail on...

After upsetting his maiden field at 5-1 odds Nov. 24, Otello shipped south from Aqueduct to Gulfstream to make a successful jump into stakes company Monday, taking the Mucho Macho Man S. under Luis Saez. Favored this time around at 8-5 for Christophe Clement, the newly-turned 3-year-old executed a very similar race plan than that of his debut, sitting off the pace in fifth as longshot Everdoit (Gary D) was intent on the early lead. In a field that remained rather tightly bunched, Otello sat patiently through a :46.63 half...

By this stage, we can really talk about living in "the Into Mischief era." Not just because the Spendthrift phenomenon ends 2023 by sealing a fifth consecutive general sires' title, but also because he has become the definitive stallion of our times. In some respects, New Year's Day is a more literal turning point for our sport than other walks of life. For bureaucratic purposes, the weanlings of today become the short yearlings of tomorrow; and Into Mischief himself takes one step closer to veteran status, as he enters his...

Today we'll consider some of the sires standing between $10,001 and $19,999. For a long time, I called this the Lookin At Lucky zone. But don't worry, we won't be deploring his neglect yet again: he's staying in Chile, where they evidently appreciate him rather more. Plenty of horses in this bracket have recently relinquished their brief window of commercial opportunity, and are now hanging around to discover whether they might join the very small group whose first runners generate a fresh vogue. Even with the newcomers out of the...

As 2023 draws to a close, the TDN is asking industry members to name their favorite moment of the year. Send yours to [email protected].  There are so many great moments from 2023. It really is hard to choose. I would say that from a "Taylor Made'' perspective it has to be selling the highest-priced yearling in North America. The Curlin colt out of the legendary Beholder was raised and prepped beautifully by the team at Spendthrift. Having the opportunity to represent Spendthrift on a horse of that quality was a...

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...