Springhouse Farm

Dilger Scholarship Winners Reflect On Kentucky Experiences

The Gerry Dilger Equine Scholarship Foundation was established in 2020 in memory of Gerry Dilger, the beloved and well-respected breeder and pinhooker of such horses as GI Kentucky Derby winners Nyquist and Always Dreaming, who passed away on Feb. 24, 2020. The Foundation awarded three scholarships for 2024 for the Kentucky farm experience to Sean Berns and Sara Pepper to go to Springhouse Farm in Lexington, and to Larry Mulvaney, who was placed at Hunter Valley Farm. A pair of 2023 scholarship recipients--Ivanna Dempsey and Elle Sorensen--who did their farm...

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Dilger Foundation Announces Scholarship Recipients

Sean Berns, Sarah Pepper and Larry Mulvany are the recipients of the Gerry Dilger Equine Foundation Kentucky Experience scholarship, which places the winners on Kentucky farms for a period of one year beginning in January 2024. Like the late and beloved Dilger, Berns graduated from the prestigious Irish National Stud and will be placed in Kentucky at Springhouse Farm. Though not originally from a horse background, Berns has studied equine business at Maynooth College and has worked at Derrinstown Stud and Coolmore in Ireland and at Newgate Stud in Australia....

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Trio Share Top Billing During Vibrant Saratoga Sale

A trio of weanlings shared top price of $150,000 during a day of vibrant trade at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Fall Sale Monday in upstate New York. By the close of business, 136 horses had sold for $4,533,200. The average of $33,332 jumped 48.5% from the 2021 auction and the median doubled to $20,000. With 46 horses reported not sold, the buy-back rate was 25.3%. It was 29.7% a year ago when 163 horses grossed $3,657,800 for an average of $22,440 and a median of $10,000. "The market up here was...

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'We Were Willing To Work – And To Take A Risk'

Year after year, the thread of his horsemanship snags another big prize in the web of his many different interests. And this spring Gabriel Duignan is back on the GI Kentucky Derby trail—this time as breeder, his Springhouse Farm near Lexington having started Forbidden Kingdom (American Pharoah) along the road that has already taken in two of the big Californian trials, latterly the GII San Felipe S. at Santa Anita last weekend.  Before you ask: disappointingly, there's no real story behind the nickname. When he started as a kid at...

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Forbidden Kingdom One to Celebrate at Springhouse

Foaling season is already underway at Springhouse Farm, where breeder Gabriel "Spider" Duignan says they are expecting to see around 50 new foals on the ground this year. On Saturday, Duignan enjoyed a brief respite from his work on the farm to celebrate a successful day on the racetrack. Forbidden Kingdom, a son of American Pharoah bred by Springhouse Farm, stamped himself as one to watch on the Triple Crown trail after he upset a trio of Bob Baffert runners in the GII San Vicente S. at Santa Anita. Trained...

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Gerry Dilger Equine Scholarship News

The board of the Gerry Dilger Equine Scholarship Foundation announced the recipient of a one-time scholarship, with Shelby DeVita, a senior majoring in Equine Science and Management at the University of Kentucky, receiving a grant of a semester's tuition. DeVita has worked for Calumet Farm and is currently working as a tech at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital. She is Vice President of the UK rodeo team and participates in roping and barrel racing competitions. In addition, the board announced a one-time scholarship to the Irish National Stud. Full tuition...

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Classic Empire Filly Sets Quarter-Mile Mark at OBS

The under-tack show for next week's Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training continued Tuesday with a livelier track that saw six horses break the :10 flat mark and a filly by Classic Empire turn in the fastest quarter-mile work of the week so far. Working early in the day's first set Tuesday, a chestnut filly from the first crop of juvenile champion Classic Empire (hip 317) zipped her quarter-mile in :20 2/5. The juvenile is consigned by Keiber Rengifo's Golden Rock Thoroughbreds on behalf of breeders...

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Dilger Equine Scholarship Foundation Announces Two Further Scholarships

The Board of the Gerry Dilger Equine Scholarship Foundation has awarded two further scholarships for 2021 to a pair of Irish students studying Animal Science Equine at University College Dublin. Rachel Doran and Ciara Russell have each been awarded with placements at Gabriel and Aisling Duignan's Springhouse Farm in Lexington. "I am honored to have been chosen alongside Ciara for this scholarship and it is a once in a lifetime opportunity to get something like this," said Doran, who works in a racing yard while studying towards her degree. "I...

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