America's Joy

Clarkland Farm's 2016 Broodmare of the Year Leslie's Lady (Tricky Creek--Crystal Lady, by Stop the Music), whose produce include leading sire Into Mischief (Harlan's Holiday) and four-time Eclipse Award winner Beholder (Henny Hughes), died Jan. 24 at the farm, the Blood-Horse reports. She was 26 years old. Bred in Kentucky by David Hager II, Leslie's Lady was an $8,000 short yearling purchase from Hager's Idle Hour Farm at Keeneland January in 1997 and was acquired by owner James T. Hines for $27,000 from the Margaux Farm draft at the Keeneland...

Everything that top-class racing should be was on display over the last weekend. The six Grade l races at Saratoga on Saturday featured most of the leading horses in each division except older dirt males, and as a group they didn't disappoint, did they? Nor did their trainers. One race after another was dramatically decided at or close to the wire, and some of the runners-ups, including the Steve Asmussen-trained Midnight Bourbon (Tiznow) in the Gl Runhappy Travers S. and the Todd Pletcher-conditioned Life is Good (Into Mischief) in the...

The unraced 3-year-old filly America's Joy (American Pharoah), a half-sister to Into Mischief (Harlan's Holiday), Beholder (Henny Hughes) and Mendelssohn (Scat Daddy), out of the 2016 Broodmare of the year Leslie's Lady suffered a fatal injury Sunday morning during a workout at Saratoga, according to Mandy Pope's Whisper Hill Farm. Pope purchased the filly for a record $8.2 million at the 2019 Keeneland September sale. The news was a severe blow to her connections, who were anxiously awaiting the debut of a filly who appeared to have unlimited potential. Trainer...

"Leslie's Lady is retired," Clarkland Farm's Fred Mitchell reported. "And she is happy, fat and dappled." The 2016 Broodmare of the Year has produced two fillies following America's Joy (American Pharoah), a now three-year-old half-sister to GISWs Into Mischief, Beholder and Mendelssohn and the highest-priced yearling filly in Keeneland sales history. While Leslie's Lady is now 25, a good deal of thought went into the decision to officially retire her this spring. [Elite_video_player id="2" html5videos_hd="https://player.vimeo.com/external/560131973.sd.mp4?s=dd27449f028dc19beaadfc3f379b7aba219b47b6&profile_id=165" html5videos_videoThumbnails_jpg="" html5videos_title="Fred Mitchell and Leslies Lady" prerolls="https://player.vimeo.com/external/488087819.sd.mp4?s=902aa8d5fc7cddb1f9c4423d869f0f3bd1bc6402&profile_id=165"] "Early on in the season she was all...