breeders

GAIN Equine Nutrition will sponsor a new race series, The Advantage Series, for the Irish Flat Season, Horse Racing Ireland announced on Tuesday. Launched with Ado McGuinness Racing, the eight part series of races will be run for points over a variety of conditions to cater to different trainers and horses throughout the season. For each race, there will be a 40% prizemoney boost. A grand prize of €5,000 worth of GAIN Equine Nutrition products will be awarded to the trainer who tops the GAIN The Advantage Series at the...

Compas Stallions will sponsor four of the eight races on the season Flat opener at Naas on Sunday, Mar. 28, Naas Racecourse announced on Monday. Micheal Orlandi, founder and owner of Compas Stallions, will also recognise breeders by rewarding the winning breeder of each of the Compas Stallions-sponsored races with a free nomination to the named stallion of the race. A trio of handicaps and a maiden race will be named after four Compas Stallions-Cappella Sansevero (GB), Smooth Daddy, Kuroshio (Aus) and Far Above (Ire). Orlandi said, "We are delighted...

A new 2021 breeding initiative for Norman Court Stud's Sixties Icon (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) was announced by the stud on Monday. Priced at £1,000+ VAT payable on or before covering a mare, the sire of 15 black-type winners and three Group 1 winners was £6,000 in 2020. "We realise the coming season is going to be tough for breeders," said Norman Court Stud Manager Keith Evans. "Sixties Icon, who is by Galileo out of Oaks winner, Love Divine (GB) (Diesis {GB}) continues to belt out winners, with a winner to...

The Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association will begin offering grants for breeders, the group announced in a letter Wednesday afternoon. "Thanks to the generosity of Chuck Zacney and Glenn Bennett, along with a contribution from the PHBA, we are happy to announce that we are offering grants to help alleviate some of the financial hardship you are experiencing," the letter read. The grants will be awarded as follows: $250/horse, up to a maximum of $1,000 (four horses). Breeders are asked to submit a letter explaining their financial need, but must meet...

Let's cut to the chase. The recent dictum from The Jockey Club (TJC) that North American stallions born in 2020 and forward will be limited to covering 140 mares in a calendar year is an attempt to divert mares from popular stallions to others not as in demand. It's a simplistic approach to a complex issue, and it's akin to applying a Band-Aid to a cut that requires stitches. These days, stallions that need help the most are third- and fourth-year horses and proven mid-priced bread-and-butter stallions with some age...

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a lot of discussion and reporting on how quarantine, shutdowns, safety protocols and the shift in the sales calendar has affected trainers, backstretch workers, owners and sales companies. However, very little has been said about how it affects the breeders, who are the backbone of the Thoroughbred industry. Only one 2-year-old sale, the OBS March Sale, has been held so far this year with many of the other juvenile sales being postponed or even canceled. Fasig-Tipton has combined their July, Saratoga and New...

There's been a series of conversations in these pages from industry insiders lately about the woes of third- and fourth-year sires, because these stallions don't get the patronage from breeders that first-year (and, in many cases, second-year) horses do, and this has led to all sorts of angst for stallion owners and stud farms. Many have touched on a wide range of issues related to it, but most have not addressed and lingered on the specific mechanisms of why this happens and why it's part of the new normal. This...