Annapolis

When her many friends think of Ramona Bass, the first thing they picture is a smile as wide as all outdoors. And if you're used to the wide skies of South Texas, that is saying plenty. No country for old men, they call it, but from girlhood onward it has suited Bass just fine-and her own border story has instead been one that savors All The Pretty Horses. Its latest chapter concerns her "beautiful boy" Annapolis, who entered her life as the bonus in the package with the $4 million...

Claiborne Farm Feb. 29 reported the first mare has checked in foal to Annapolis (War Front), the operation said in a release Thursday. The 5-year-old was bred to St Claude (Tiznow), who is owned by Pete and Martha Williams and is boarded at Nicky Drion Thoroughbreds. She is from the family of Horse of the Year Flightline and tallied her first registered colt Jan. 12 by Army Mule. A graded stakes winner at 2 and 3 as a homebred for Bass Racing under trainer Todd Pletcher, Annapolis set a new...

The TDN's popular annual series 'Mating Plans, presented by Spendthrift,' continues today in a conversation with Erin Fisher of Harper Ridge Thoroughbreds. "We have been working on upgrading our bloodstock over the last several years with a focus on good-running mares that might not have a Kentucky commercial pedigree up front, but still have the ability to create excellent racehorses and future stallion prospects. If you look at the current stallions in Kentucky, you will see that around half are out of mares with non -commercial Kentucky sires. My personal...

by Jessica Martini & Stefanie Grimm LEXINGTON, KY - The Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale, which hadn't had a million-dollar mare since 2019, had two reach seven figures during its opening session Monday in Lexington, with 19-year-old Tom Wachman making the day's highest bid of $1.6-million to acquire the broodmare prospect Prank (Into Mischief) on behalf of his grandfather, John Magnier's Coolmore. Late in the session, Tomoyuki Nakamura of K I Farm purchased Curlin's Voyage (Curlin) for $1 million. "I think we've got to be very happy with...

'TDN Rising Star' Annapolis (War Front--My Miss Sophia, by Unbridled's Song), winner of the 2022 GI Coolmore Turf Mile S. in a stakes-record time of 1:33.29 at Keeneland, has been retired from racing and will enter stud at Claiborne Farm in Paris, Ky., for the 2024 breeding season. A graded stakes winner at two and three in the barn of Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, Annapolis earned over $1.5 million as a homebred for Bass Racing. Annapolis was produced by My Miss Sophia, winner of the GII Gazelle S....

At the conclusion of racing on Monday, Saratoga will have handled about $800 million for the meet, the third highest handle figure ever for the track. On-track attendance once again topped one million, and was officially at 1,055,543 after Saturday's GI Jockey Club Gold Cup Day card with two racing days to go. Yet, by just about any measure, it was not a good meet. Saratoga came into 2023 with the wind at its back. Every year the racing seemed to get bigger, the handle would grow and more and...

1st-DMR, $82K, Msw, 2yo, 5fT, 5:00 p.m. EISENHOWER (War Front), a juvenile homebred colt for Ramona S. Bass and Perry R. Bass II, debuts for Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella in the Del Mar opener. Ridden by Ramon Vazquez, the bay is out of GSW and MGISP My Miss Sophia (Unbridled's Song), who counts GI Florida Derby champ Materiality (Afleet Alex) as a half brother. In addition to Eisenhower, she is also responsible for his full brothers: GISW Annapolis, who is also campaigned by Bass Racing and Alpha Delta...

He came, he saw, he conquered. Thursday's TDN featured a story on Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, who brought a barn littered with high-class stakes winners to Saratoga this year. CASA CREED (h, 7, Jimmy Creed--Achalaya, by Bellamy Road) certainly did his part as both Mott's first stakes entrant of the meet and first stakes winner of the meet, taking the GIII Kelso S.--formerly the Forbidden Apple--with ease in his first visit to the winner's circle since last year's GI Fourstardave S. over course and distance. "It's very rewarding," said...

How's your Saratoga opening weekend stakes knowledge? You probably already knew that the Sanford S. is the only race that the legendary Man o' War ever lost. Or that over a five-year span in the '60s, the great Kelso amassed a staggering record of 63-39-12-2. You also knew that the late '80s warrior Quick Call, who lived to the ripe old age of 35, was denied a third consecutive GII Forego H. by a nose to Lay Down. And if you are pretty sharp, then you have it down pat...

Barring his disastrous start in the GI Breeders' Cup Mile last fall, Annapolis has been the picture of consistency throughout his career--never placing worse than second in seven prior starts dating back to Sept. 2021. The 'TDN Rising Star' earned success at the highest level with his win in the GI Coolmore Turf Mile S. leading into that Breeders' Cup, where a missed break derailed his race. Despite an awkward beginning to Thursday's feature race at Churchill, Annapolis was able to establish good stalking position in sixth, content to sit...

Unbeaten sensation and guaranteed GI Breeders' Cup Classic favorite Flightline (Tapit) put in his final prep for the World Championships at Keeneland Saturday. The 'TDN Rising Star' covered five furlongs solo in 1:00.60 (4/62) shortly after 7:30 a.m. under assistant trainer Juan Leyva. "I told Juan to go in a minute and change and out [seven-eighths] in 1:26, and that's what he did," trainer John Sadler said. "Juan's a great work rider. It was not about going fast today, just getting around there happy today." Flightline arrived at Keeneland Sunday...

While life may provide only a handful of certainties, trainer Todd Pletcher showing up with a powerful battalion of runners on Breeders' Cup Day can be counted on to be one of them. The 2022 renewal of the World Championships, slated for Nov. 4-5 at Keeneland, is shaping up to be no different. Since the beginning of the month, the Hall of Famer has annexed seven Grade I or Grade II races, highlighted by Life Is Good (Into Mischief), winner of the Oct. 1 GI Woodward S. Undefeated in four...