Whisper Hill Farm

In the Hanshin Stakes at Churchill Downs on Sunday, Will Take It (Tapit) was up in the nick of time to take the race for owners Willis Horton and Mandy Pope. Since coming over from the care of trainer Eddie Milligan, Will Take It has become a mark of consistency. His 2025 campaign has included clearing an allowance condition at Fair Grounds Jan. 4 and a runner-up finish against optional claimers in New Orleans Feb. 1. The colt then won at that level next out at the track Mar. 8...

7th-BAQ, $85k, Msw, 3yo/up, 1m, 4:10p.m. ET On the far outside for this maiden contest is ALIDADE (Tapit), a $350,000 KEESEP purchase by Harrell Ventures and trained by Todd Pletcher. A full-sister to GSW Iron First and MGSW & GISP Anchor Down, Alidade also claims GISW Sweet Lulu (Mr. Greeley) as a half-sister and hails from the female family of GISP Rhiana. On the polar opposite end of the field is Danzit (Tapit) on the rail, a $1.1-million KEESEP purchase by Whisper Hill Farm who debuted in early spring last...

1st-Churchill Downs, $131,055, Alw (C), Opt. Clm ($100,000), 5-22, 3yo/up, 1m, 1:34.09, ft, 1/2 length. WILL TAKE IT (c, 4, Tapit--Lady Take Charge, by War Front) was the third fiddle from a pari-mutuel perspective, but was the recipient of a cerebral ride from Brian Hernandez, Jr. to spoil the return to action of dual Grade III winner and heavily favored Dragoon Guard (Arrogate). Off at odds just under 7-1, the $700,000 Keeneland September graduate was content to sit fifth down the back in the slipstream of Juddmonte's gray colt as...

5th-FG, $58K, Msw, 3yo, f, 1 1/16mT, 4:15 p.m. ET. Whisper Hill homebred STRAIGHT FORWARD (American Pharoah) makes her first start for Mandy Pope and trainer Steve Asmussen. The filly's dam, Aloof (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), was acquired by the farm at the 2014 Keeneland November Sale for a cool $3.9 million. Herself out of English Group 1 winner Airwave (GB) (Air Express {Ire}), Aloof is a half-sister to the dam of full-siblings MG1SW Churchill (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and G1SW Clemmie. Set for her unveiling is another homebred, Good Going (Mendelssohn),...

5th-GP, $94K, Msw, 3yo, f, 1mT, 2:14 p.m. ET. JUST SILVIA (Justify) is set for her unveiling under Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher. A Whisper Hill homebred, Mandy Pope went to $1.4 million at the 2016 Keeneland November Sale to acquire the filly's dam Princesa Silvia (Medaglian d'Oro), who is a full-sister to MGISP Miss Besilu. Pope's buy has purple bloodlines that do not stop there. She hails from a strong female family which includes her half-brothers, Horse of the Year Saint Liam (Saint Ballado) and GISW Funtastic (More...

Staton Flurry wanted to park that trophy on his shelf. He wanted to win the Oaklawn Park owner's title so badly he could taste it. The hometown product who calls Hot Springs his backyard and sports that wide grin, knew the race was going to be a good old-fashioned Arkansas throwdown. Flurry sweated it, stayed up late strategizing and for months did everything humanly within the rules to secure the prize. Let's put it this way, if he had a jockey's license he might have donned his distinctive black and...

The Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale concluded its nine-day run in Lexington Wednesday with vibrant trade from a diverse buying bench leading to across-the-board increases where were highlighted by a new sales record median. "Overall, this was a very strong, fair market from start to finish," Keeneland Vice President of Sales Tony Lacy said. "Book 1 gross jumped nearly 15% from last year with a much-improved clearance rate and that momentum powered the sale through the final days." For the nine days, 2,158 horses sold for $196,442,900. The average of...

by Jessica Martini, Christina Bossinakis, & Jill Williams LEXINGTON, KY - The Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale opened Tuesday in Lexington with a solid Book 1 session punctuated by nine million-dollar mares purchased by a diverse, international buying bench. Mandy Pope's Whisper Hill Farm made the session's highest bid when purchasing graded-stakes winner Roses For Debra (Liam's Map) for $2.4 million from the Candy Meadows Sales consignment. "It was a very solid, vibrant marketplace," said Keeneland President and CEO Shannon Arvin. "It was a really diverse buying bench. We had...

1st-BAQ , 90K, Msw, 2yo, 1m, 12:10 p.m. UNCLE HULKA (Uncle Mo), a $750,000 OBS March grad who worked in :10.2, debuts Sunday to open the closing day card at Belmont's Aqueduct meet for trainer Chad Brown and the partnership group of Spendthrift Farm, Big Easy Racing, Titletown Racing Stables, Rick Kanter, Golconda Stable, Ali Goodrich and Mark Parkinson. Bred by White Birch Farm, the colt is the second foal out of a winning Candy Ride (Arg) first dam who has already produced one winner from one to race. Making...

4th-CD, $120K, Msw, 2yo, 6f, 7:26 p.m. ET. Well-bred MISCHIEVOUS TIME (Not This Time) makes his first start for trainer Steve Asmussen. The Whisper Hill homebred is from unraced dam Daisy Mason (Orientate), who Mandy Pope and Gainesway acquired for $475,000 during the Keeneland November Sale while Mischievous Time was in-utero. This dam is herself out of Broodmare of the Year Leslie's Lady (Tricky Creek) who prolifically produced all-conquering sire Into Mischief (Harlan's Holiday), current sire Mendelssohn (Scat Daddy) and the multiple Eclipse winning Beholder (Henny Hughes). Also set for...

Whisper Hill Farm's multiple graded stakes winner Charge It (Tapit--I'll Take Charge, by Indian Charlie) has been retired from racing and will begin his stud career next season at Gainesway. Charge It followed a 'TDN Rising Star' maiden victory with a runner-up effort in the 2022 GI Florida Derby. He demolished the field with a 23-length victory in the GIII Dwyer Stakes and returned as a 4-year-old to win the GII Suburban Stakes. "Winning any graded race by 23 lengths, as Charge It did in the Dwyer, takes an immensely...

The Keeneland September Yearling Sale, which surpassed its record gross Thursday with two sessions still to go, concluded its blockbuster 12-day run Saturday in Lexington with increases across the board over its 2023 renewal. In addition to its record gross, the sale produced its highest-ever average and a tied its record median. "The energy here was at times reminiscent of another era," said Keeneland Vice President of Sales Tony Lacy. "When we were on inspections earlier this year, we saw quality and consistency among the crop, and it gave us...