Vinnie Viola

It's been a long time coming for Jacob West. Watching 'TDN Rising Star presented by Hagyard' Mindframe make it to the famed stallion barn at Claiborne Farm and settle into the stall once home to the likes of Bold Ruler, Secretariat, Easy Goer and Unbridled marks a full-circle moment years in the making. One year after West joined Claiborne as their Stallion Seasons and Bloodstock Manager, the farm announced this summer that Mindframe would soon be headed to Claiborne. Weeks later, West was at Churchill Downs celebrating as the son...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - As the 2-year-old colt Soldier N Diplomat (Army Mule) was charging down the stretch at Saratoga Race Course Saturday afternoon, his owner, Vinnie Viola, up in his clubhouse box, was eyeballing him and the finish line at the same time. "I was holding my breath the whole way down," Viola said. Soldier N Diplomat had to hold off a late charge by Accost (MacLean's Music) to win the second race, a $100,000 maiden special event weight for 2-year-olds. At the end of the six furlongs, Soldier...

by Jessica Martini & Stefanie Grimm LEXINGTON, KY - The Keeneland January of All Ages Sale produced its third $700,000 mare when Love to Shop (Violence), consigned by Claiborne Farm, brought that co-sale topping bid from Pin Oak Stud Tuesday. During the second session of the three-day auction, 242 horses sold for $10,854,300. The average was $44,852 and the median was $20,000. With 89 horses reported not sold, the buy-back rate was 26.89%. Through two sessions, 442 head have grossed $28,941,300, for an average of $65,478 and a median of...

St. Elias Stables homebred Rated by Merit (c, 2, Battalion Runner--Banner Waving, by Speightstown), featured in TDN nearly six weeks ago as Vinnie Viola's "unlikely Derby contender," showed again why he ranks at or near the top of the promising 2-year-olds for the powerful stable. The undefeated colt won Saturday's FTBOA Florida Sire In Reality Stakes at Gulfstream to sweep the Florida Sires series. With the In Reality his first try around two turns, Rated by Merit broke smoothly from the rail to set an easy :24.13 and :48.92 pace....

There's virtually no chance that Vinnie Viola would have bought a horse like Rated by Merit (Battalion Runner) at the sales. That's where he goes every year to spend big bucks in search of a star. At this year's Keeneland September sale alone, Viola bought 18 horses for $9.1 million. Rated by Merit is undefeated at 3-for-3 after winning Saturday's Affirmed S., the second leg in Gulfstream's series for 2-year-olds by Florida-based sires. An overachiever, he is by a stallion who stands for $2,500 and out a mare who was...

Timberlake (Into Mischief), a 'TDN Rising Star' and Grade I winner at two, will stand the upcoming breeding season at WinStar Farm and his stud fee will be set at $20,000 S&N, according to a press release from the company on Thursday morning. "Being an attractive and imposing son of top sire Into Mischief, Timberlake showed tremendous precocity in winning the GI Champagne and being second in the GI Hopeful at two," said David Hanley, senior vice president/bloodstock services for WinStar Farm. "With his exceptional physical and his unique depth...

Monique Delk, bidding on behalf of Vinnie Viola's St. Elias Stable, went to $900,000 to acquire a colt by Practical Joke (hip 1361) from the Gainesway consignment midway through Saturday's session of the Keeneland September sale. The colt is out of Ridingwiththedevil (Candy Ride {Arg}) and is a half-brother to multiple Grade I placed Reinvestment Risk (Upstart). The yearling was bred by Whisper Hill Farm, Gainesway Thoroughbreds, and Brian Graves.

The Jockey Club has elected new stewards and members to its rolls, the organization said in a release on Thursday morning. The new stewards are Gary Fenton, David O'Farrell, Everrett R. Dobson and Vincent Viola. William S. Farish Jr. (vice chair) was re-elected. The remaining stewards are Stuart S. Janney III (chair), Ian D. Highet (treasurer), William M. Lear (secretary), Barbara Banke, Louis A. Cella, Terry Finley and R. Alex Rankin. The new members who were added include, Joseph Appelbaum, John Ballantyne Ph.D., Rick Gold, Marshall Gramm Ph.D., M.V. Magnier,...

The National Hockey League's Stanley Cup--one of the most celebrated trophies in sports--will travel to Saratoga Race Course Aug. 31. Fans of hockey and horse racing will have an opportunity to take photos with the Stanley Cup at no charge when it is on display from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Jockey Silks Porch. Awarded annually to the National Hockey League's championship team, the Stanley Cup currently resides with the Florida Panthers, whose principal owner is Vinnie Viola of St. Elias Stable. "We are grateful to Vinnie Viola...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY -- Given his choice, trainer Brendan Walsh would rather not see it wet on Saturday at Saratoga Race Course. That's because the big horse in his barn, Pretty Mischievous (Into Mischief) is scheduled to run in the GI Ogden Phipps S. on the GI Belmont S. undercard at Saratoga Race Course. "The less rain we get, the better," Walsh said while sitting in his office at his barn at the Oklahoma Training Track. Owned by Godolphin LLC. Pretty Mischievous has seen off-tracks before and has run okay....

LEXINGTON, KY - The Keeneland September Yearling Sale, which produced gangbuster results in 2022, returns for its 2023 renewal Monday in Lexington. Perennially a bellwether of the industry's sales market, the 12-day auction opens with a pair of elite Book 1 sessions beginning at 1 p.m. and, with the Keeneland barns awash with activity Sunday, both sales officials and consignors were heading into the sale with plenty of optimism. "The traffic has been incredibly positive," said Keeneland Vice President of Sales Tony Lacy. "There are quite a few buyers here....

It wasn't that Deterministic (Liam's Map) blew away the field in Saturday's fifth race at Saratoga, enroute to earning 'TDN Rising Star' honors. The $625,000 Keeneland September purchase won by just a half-length over 24-1 shot Hurricane Nelson (Khozan). But considering who he beat and how he did it, Deterministic very well may have a bright future. "There's so much promise when you win a race like this," said co-owner and NYRA Board member Steven Duncker. "This was a war out there today. Everybody liked their horses and they ran...