Walker Hancock

Jill Gordon and Jacob West have launched Highgate Sales, a new sales company which will make its debut at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Winter Mixed Sale in February. Highgate Sales will offer consignments at breeding stock, yearling, and horses of racing age sales, as well as offering appraisals, private purchases and sales, and portfolio management services. Gordon formerly worked at Claiborne Farm as the Sales and Client Relations Manager for 3 1/2 years after a three-year stint at Warrendale Sales. In her role at Claiborne, she oversaw all aspects of the...

According to Walker Hancock, Silver State (Hard Spun - Supreme, by Empire Maker) has been an easy sell as breeders have stopped by Claiborne Farm in the past few weeks to see the new, Grade I-winning arrival. "Everyone who has come to see him has absolutely loved him," Hancock reported. "They can't get enough of him. We've even sold shares to him just with people who have come out to see him. The comments we get are that people didn't realize how big he is. He's 16'3 and is dappled...

The sales action moves across town Wednesday with bidding on the first session of Keeneland November starting at 1 p.m. The 10-day auction, which runs through Nov. 19, opens with a single-session Book 1 comprised of 229 mares and weanlings, five of which were late supplements. The sale has five books in total and the last half of the final day will be dedicated to 285 Horses of Racing Age. "We have a lot of optimism," said Cormac Breathnach, Keeneland's Director of Sales. "We had an electric atmosphere starting in...

He really had to earn his stripes, his farm resorting to pretty desperate measures to keep him in the game as his early books dwindled along with his fee. But he has long since vindicated (as well as virtually trademarked) that farm's management style, evolving into one of the great stallions of our time--a status on which he set a formal seal last weekend with his 100th stakes winner. And his name is... Into Mischief. Or is it? Hang on a minute. Syllable for syllable, you can say exactly the...

Brant Laue has been re-elected as chairman of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association Board of Trustees, TOBA announced Wednesday. Also joining Laue on the Board of Trustees to serve three-year terms as new members are Barbara Banke, Carrie Brogden and Tim Cohen. Re-elected to three-year terms were current trustees Greg Bensel, Robert Edwards Jr., Tanya Gunther and Walker Hancock. "I thank the trustees for their support," Laue said. "Racing has fared well through the pandemic and some positive trends are continuing in 2021, but the pandemic has created new...

The Kentucky Thoroughbred Association (KTA) and Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders (KTOB) elected officers and members of the Board of Directors. The officers of KTA/KTOB serve two-year terms and are voted on by members of the KTA/KTOB Board of Directors. Members of the KTA/KTOB Board of Directors serve three-year terms and are elected by the full membership of the organization. Elected KTA/KTOB Officers for 2021: President, KTA/KTOB: Joseph Seitz, Director of Sales, Brookdale Farm Vice-President, KTA: Walker Hancock, President, Claiborne Farm. Vice-President, KTOB: Natanya Nieman, D.V.M., Resident Veterinarian, WinStar Farm...

The new lineup of officers and board members of the Consignors and Commercial Breeders Association (CBA) were unveiled at the latest meeting, the organization announced on Tuesday. Lane's End Farm's Allaire Ryan is the new President, replacing outgoing President Gray Lyster, who will continue to serve the CBA as a Past President. Claiborne Farm's Walker Hancock is the new Vice President, while Mark Taylor of Taylor Made Farm is the Treasurer. "The CBA owes a debt of gratitude to outgoing President Gray Lyster for the time and service he dedicated...

LEXINGTON, KY - While the coronavirus pandemic wreaked havoc with sales across the globe from March through August, the calendar will return to some semblance of normalcy when the Keeneland September Yearling Sale kicks off right on schedule in Lexington Sunday at noon. "So many sales companies in the Northern Hemisphere have had to rearrange some things, but we have been very fortunate that the September sale is taking place in September at Keeneland," said Keeneland's Director of Sales Operations Geoffrey Russell. "We are resilient and I think we've had...

Claiborne Farm has purchased an interest in Classic winner War of Will (War Front--Visions of Clarity {Ire}, by Sadlers Wells), who will stand at the Paris, Kentucky farm upon the conclusion of his racing career. The winner of a trio of a trio of graded events at three, including the GI Preakness S., the Gary Barber-campaigned colt most recently scored in the GI Maker's Mark Mile over the Keeneland turf July 10. War of Will's 2021 stud fee will be announced following the Breeders' Cup. "War of Will has an...

The Fasig-Tipton July Horses of Racing Age Sale, which has steadily built momentum through its first seven years, comes smack up against the swirling uncertainty of a global pandemic when it returns for its eighth renewal at the company's Newtown Paddocks Monday afternoon. The catalogue for the one-session auction, bolstered by the late addition of recent stakes winners, includes 182 offerings. Bidding begins at 4 p.m. Consignors seemed eager to get back to business ahead of the auction, but were cautious about expectations. "This sale is getting more popular every...

After being forced to postpone all farm tours at the historic Claiborne Farm, the top Bluegrass attraction and Thoroughbred fan destination announced that they would be conducting a live virtual stallion tour through Instagram beginning Tuesday, Mar. 17. The idea was a huge success, with over 200 fans tuning in live on Instagram and thousands more watching the recording later on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. The recording has already received 12,000 views and 300 shares on Facebook. (Watch the video of the tour below). [tdn_video service="youtube" videoid= "HHhSx031dKg"] "It's normally...