Vekoma

There's a certain buzz that comes with welcoming a Kentucky Derby winner to a stallion roster. Bret Jones knows the feeling from when Mage retired to Airdrie Stud in 2024. This year, they're repeating the milestone with Mystik Dan (Goldencents), who arrived at the Midway, Kentucky farm three weeks ago. "We've been totally busy since we announced that we were showing him," said Jones. "Everybody wants to see a Kentucky Derby winner. Breeders are coming away impressed with not only how well he handles everything, but with what a beautifully...

Sponsored by Pedigrees360. Sorry to do this yet again, but the very fact that the exercise can be repeated every November shows that we're not looking at anything freakish; in other words, that there are valid lessons to learn. Because with daughters of Old Fashioned, Mitole, Big Brown, Ten Sovereigns (Ire) and Outwork among the 10 most valuable mares changing hands at Fasig-Tipton and Keeneland last week, why would anyone trying to seed a breeding program start by spending fortunes on fillies by glamor sires? For most of us, who...

The Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale concluded its two-day Book 3 Saturday, already surpassing the total gross of the 2024 sale with still three days remaining in Lexington, KY. Through five days, the gross for 1,125 horses sold through the ring is up 31.54% from the same period last year when 1,055 horses sold for $163,353,500. Average price rose 23.25% from $154,837 to $190,996. The median of $130,000 increased 36.84% from last year's $95,000. On Saturday, Keeneland sold 259 horses through the ring for $25,328,500, a 29.55% jump from the...

Attfield (Vekoma) played the role of the Fantastic Mr. Fox to perfection as he shot through a hole to swipe the Central Park Stakes at the Big A on Friday afternoon. The Tom Morley trainee, named for the stable's John Attfield, donned cap and gown on debut after sprinting on the grass at the Spa Aug. 29 when he rallied to best eventual stakes winner Schwarzenegger (Not This Time). Attfield tried the Aqueduct turf course in the GIII Futurity Stakes Oct. 3 and improved to make the podium. As a...

7th-Churchill Downs, $116,774, Msw, 10-31, 2yo, f, 7f, 1:24.23, ft, 5 1/4 lengths. PAIGE TURNER (f, 2, Army Mule--Sophia Mia, by Pioneerof the Nile) drew in from the also-eligible list and made the most of the chance here as the 8-5 favorite. Stalking the dueling leaders as Raspberry (Medaglia d'Oro) pushed the tempo through :22.63 and four furlongs in :46.32, Paige Turner was the looming danger via the grandstand side as she swooped in to take command passing the furlong marker. In hand in the final sixteenth, she strolled home...

Did you hear the one about the wrestler who opted for three foals and a submission? Understandably, Jeff Kerber feels a little conflicted about the "submission." In his youth, as Iowa's first high school wrestler unbeaten through four years of varsity competition, everything came down to what he could do with his bare hands. In lately discovering a flair for a second walk of sporting life, however, Kerber had to make a pragmatic concession to the economic odds against him. His entire Kentucky program comprised four mares, and one of...

7th-Churchill Downs, $122,888, Msw, 10-26, 2yo, 6f, 1:10.22, ft, 5 1/2 lengths. STRADALE (c, 2, Yaupon--Twitterpated, by Stormy Atlantic) hit the board twice during his time at Saratoga, running third and second July 19 and Aug. 30, respectively, against maiden company. He bobbled and was knocked around at the start of the GI Champagne Stakes Oct. 4 and ran a flat fifth by 12 lengths as Napoleon Solo (Liam's Map) won by 6 1/2 lengths. Sent off here as the 9-5 favorite, Stradale bumped with an outside rival after tossing...

Six hopefuls pre-entered into their respective Breeders' Cup races turned in final works Saturday morning at Keeneland, and connections are reporting positive prognoses ahead of shipping dates. On the dirt track went Bentornato (Valiant Minister), breezing four furlongs in :49.40 (34/89). Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. was in the irons. The 4-year-old is pre-entered into the GI Cygames Breeders' Cup Sprint and is looking to improve a placing from last year as the runner-up in the 2024 edition. "[I was] looking for a nice, easy workout," trainer Jose D'Angelo said. "We...

2nd-Belmont The Big A, $80,000, (S), Msw, 10-24, 2yo, 6 1/2f, 1:16.77, ft, 2 1/4 lengths. PANTHERIAN (c, 2, Vekoma--Big Thrill, by Big Drama) and Wamo (Yaupon) went at each other for most of this New York-bred maiden, and the Stewards ultimately had to step in to reverse the running order. After a shoe repair in the paddock, Wamo brushed with the off side stall at the jump but recovered well enough to place himself right in the middle of a duel for the lead. Pantherian traveled from four off...

LEXINGTON, KY - The Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October Yearlings Sale blazed through its penultimate session Wednesday in Lexington with frenetic bidding from start to finish producing a $72,127 average that was nearly 47% higher than the figure from the corresponding session a year ago. At the conclusion of the session, the three-day average of $64,772 is 24.1% ahead of the 2024 record figure of $52,206. And with a full session to go, the total gross of $53,177,500 is just $5.398 million off last year's total sale record gross of $58,575,500. "It...

Keeneland has supplemented seven horses--three weanlings, three racing or broodmare prospects and one young broodmare--to Book 1 of the November Breeding Stock Sale on Tuesday, Nov. 4. The session, which has cataloged 220 horses, begins at 2 p.m. ET. The broodmare Roikop, who is consigned by Lane's End, agent, is out of Grade II winner Red Ruby, a daughter of Tiznow and a half-sister to Grade III winner and sire Mo Tom; stakes winner and GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies runner-up Beautician; and stakes winner Bella Castani. Roikop also is...

In its annual Report of Mares Bred (RMBs) released Thursday, The Jockey Club estimates that the 2026 foal crop will be 17,000. That represents a slight decline of 300 from the 2025 crop. The foal crop projection is computed by using RMBs received to date for the 2025 breeding season. RMBs are to be filed by August 1 of each breeding season. The number of mares bred has fallen every year since 2015, when 34,122 mares were bred. Over that ten-year period, the foal crop has dropped by 28%. During...