Today's Edition

In the fourth installment of our value sires series, today we will look at stallions with their first 2-year-olds in 2019. Over the past two years, these young horses have already been exposed to the tumultuous rigors of the commercial marketplace, their progeny having been either embraced or already written off at the foal and yearling sales. While many of the early supporters of these sires have already had their fates determined in the ring, those with yearlings or foals to sell this year will hold their collective breaths and...

Royal Marine (Ire) (Raven's Pass), winner of last year's G1 Jean-Luc Lagardere, makes his 3-year-old debut and tries dirt for the first time in a one-mile conditions race at Meydan on Thursday that is a trial for the G3 UAE 2000 Guineas. The Saeed bin Suroor-trained Godolphin colourbearer broke his maiden going seven furlongs at Doncaster last September before taking France's premier juvenile race over this trip. Oisin Murphy was aboard on both of those occasions, but Christophe Soumillon takes the reins on Thursday. If Royal Marine transfers his talents...

Bidding remained competitive throughout the day as the Book 1 portion of the Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale concluded Tuesday in Lexington. David Hanley of WinStar Farm made the highest bid of the day when going to $750,000 to acquire multiple graded stakes winner House Rules (Distorted Humor) from the Blackwood Stables consignment as part of the J. V. Shields's dispersal. "I thought today's session was quite strong all the way through," Keeneland's Director of Sales Operations Geoffrey Russell said at the close of business Tuesday. "It was...

When it was announced that Quality Road's fee would more than double to $150,000 this year, the son of Elusive Quality had justifiably been promoted to the major league of American stallions. Only War Front, Tapit, Medaglia d'Oro and Curlin are priced above him, and Quality Road shares the same fee as Into Mischief and Justify, so he is in exalted company. However, in an industry increasingly prone to knee-jerk reactions, demand for his services have fluctuated quite markedly over the years. For example, his book of mares fell by...

Following a year in which group winners Sistercharlie (Ire) (Myboycharlie {Ire}), Intellogent (Ire) (Intello {Ger}) and Magic Wand (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) continued to advertise internationally the merits of France's leading breeding conglomerate and sales consignor Ecurie des Monceaux, further partners have been introduced to the fold, as well as a number of well credentialed young broodmares. However, we'll start our overview of the farm's 2019 matings plans with members of a family which helped to put Monceaux on the bloodstock map. "We bought Platonic (GB) with Patricia Boutin from Fittocks...

Almond Eye (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}), who swept the Japanese Filly Triple Crown and concluded her season with a world record-setting victory against the boys in the G1 Japan Cup, was named Japan's Horse of the Year and champion 3-year-old filly Tuesday. The first champion for her boom sire, she received each of the 276 votes cast for Horse of the Year, becoming the first unanimous winner of that award since T M Opera O (Jpn) (Opera House {GB}) in 2000. Almond Eye was also unanimously voted champion sophomore filly....

The Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale was off to a strong start Monday in Lexington even before Abel Tasman (Quality Road) strode into the ring, but the fireworks erupted for the Eclipse champion, who ultimately sold for a sales-record $5 million to Coolmore. It was the most ever paid for a broodmare prospect at the January sale and tied the auction's highest-priced offering set by the broodmare Mackie in 2000. "We are very proud and pleased to be able to offer Abel Tasman and to get that result,"...

First-year stallions always create a lot of buzz in January in Kentucky, with farms showing off the new arrivals at open houses to breeders eager to see how they have developed since they left the track, and reminding those breeders of their racing exploits. Sunday, we caught up with Cormac Breathnach, Director of Stallion Nominations for Airdrie Stud, to talk about their new multiple graded stakes-winning son of Ghostzapper, McCraken. TDN: Let's talk a minute about his racing career. CB: McCraken was a top performer. He was an undefeated, graded-stakes-winning...

Dane Street (Street Cry {Ire}-Daneleta {Ire}, by Danehill), the dam of G1 Moyglare Stud S. heroine Skitter Scatter (Scat Daddy), will visit Dubawi (Ire) this year, Airlie Stud's Anthony Rogers confirmed to the TDN on Monday. The 10-year-old mare, who is out of G3 Railway S. third Daneleta, produced More Than Ready filly Data Dependent first up in 2015, and that juvenile winner went on to place second in the GIII Jimmy Durante S. at Del Mar. In addition to Skitter Scatter's Moyglare laurels, that 3-year-old filly also won the...

At the close of 2018, Kitten's Joy (El Prado {Ire}) was crowned America's champion sire for the second time, an achievement made all the more remarkable by the fact that his reputation and progeny earnings have predominantly been hewn through his turf runners. Kitten's Joy's other main accolade of last year was his son Roaring Lion being crowned European champion 3-year-old. Now about to take up covering duties at Tweenhills Farm & Stud, Roaring Lion is joined in the UK by Darley's G1 Eclipse S. winner Hawkbill, but they are...

The Week in Review If you were trying to watch the early races from Gulfstream and Aqueduct on TVG over the weekend, you had a problem. On Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. EST, TVG is airing a sports betting show called "More Ways to Win." One of the hosts is Dave Weaver, who has been part of TVG's racing team. By the time More Ways to Win went off the air on Saturday, two races had been run at Gulfstream, two at Aqueduct and Tampa and...

Coming off a strong November sale, Keeneland looks to pick up 2019 right where they left off with the four-day Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale, which kicks off at 10a.m. Monday. The 1,583-horse catalogue is highlighted by champion Abel Tasman (Quality Road), who sells as Hip 288 during the opening session. There are 709 broodmares/broodmare prospects, 601 yearlings, 258 horses of racing age and six stallions. "I think it starts with the quality offerings the consignors have brought to the sale," said Keeneland's Vice President of Sales Bob...