Breeding

Mind Control (Stay Thirsty--Feel That Fire, by Lightnin N Thunder), who closed his career with a battling victory in the GI Cigar Mile H., will anchor the 2023 stallion roster at Rockridge Stud, where he will stand for $8,500 LFSN as a joint venture between Irish Hill/Dutchess View Farm, Waldorf Farm and Hidden Lake Farm. The farm's other stallions with their stud fees (all LFSN) are: Al Khali (Medaglia d'Oro, $2,500); A Shin Forward (Forest Wildcat), $2,500); Disco Partner (Disco Rico, $4,000); Frank Conversation (Quality Road, private); Slumber (GB) (Cacique...

There's a lot that can be gleaned from the freshman sires and leading sires of 2-year-olds lists. Last year, Coolmore America's Practical Joke (Into Mischief) was second to Gun Runner (Candy Ride {Arg}) on the freshman sire list by progeny earnings, $2,339,717 to $4,315,980. Those numbers were good enough to make Gun Runner the leading sire of 2-year-olds and Practical Joke third, with leading sire Into Mischief splitting the newcomers with $2,971,018. That Practical Joke tied Gun Runner by number of black-type winners with six, tops among all freshman sires,...

Keepmeinmind (Laoban--Inclination, by Victory Gallop), a Grade II winner at two and placed three times at Grade I level, will enter stud in 2023 at Sequel New York, where he will cover mares at a fee of $6,500. Bred by Southern Equine Stables, Keepmeinmind was runner-up to future two-time Eclipse Award winner Essential Quality (Tapit) in the GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity and finished third to that rival in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile before breaking his maiden in the GII Kentucky Jockey Club S. Sixth in the GI Kentucky Derby...

Fasig-Tipton has catalogued 143 entries for its December Digital Selected Sale, which may now be viewed at digital.fasigtipton.com. Bidding is open as of Thursday, Dec. 8 at 12 p.m. ET and closes Tuesday, Dec. 13 at 2 p.m. ET. The catalogue features selected horses of racing age, breeding stock, weanlings, and yearlings. There are offerings located throughout the United States, including California, Florida, Kentucky, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. "We have put together a very exciting catalogue for this inaugural December Digital auction," said Leif Aaron,...

by Sue Finley & Katie Petrunyak Since 1958, the Head family has been raising champion Thoroughbreds at Haras du Quesnay, just a few kilometers from the Arqana sales ring. But now, with the passing of the family patriarch, Alec Head, and the sale of the historic nursery, the family's colors will fly for the last time at the December Breeding Stock sale, with the complete dispersal of the Heads' bloodstock interests. Le Quesnay will offer 48 broodmares, fillies and foals during the sale. "It's a big bunch of horses, and...

Champion Will Take Charge (Unbridled's Song--Take Charge Lady, by Dehere), whose 13 black-type winners includes this year's GI Hollywood Gold Cup hero There Goes Harvard, will join the stallion roster at Darley Japan in 2023, according to a post on the nursery's website. Will Take Charge has stood his first eight seasons at stud at Three Chimneys Farm. Campaigned by the late Willis Horton during his first two seasons at the races and trained by D. Wayne Lukas, Will Take Charge won the 2013 GI Travers S. and GII Pennsylvania...

Just a week and a half after GI Longines Breeders' Cup Classic winner Flightline (Tapit) was officially retired and shipped from Keeneland Race Course down the road to his new home at Lane's End Farm, the Versailles-based operation opened its doors to members of the media for an up-close and personal afternoon with their newest superstar addition on Wednesday. With a group of nearly 15 in attendance, along with members of the Lane's End team, Flightline was walked around the stallion complex, displaying how well he has adapted to life...

Space Traveller (GB) (Bated Breath {GB}--Sky Crystal {Ger}, by Galileo {Ire}), successful in group events in England and Ireland and placed three times in Grade I company in North America, will enter stud in 2023 at Joe Foley's Ballyhane Stud, where he will serve mares at an introductory fee of €6,500. Carrying the colours of Clipper Logistics and trained in Europe by Richard Fahey, Space Traveller was Group 3-placed as a juvenile before winning the G3 Jersey S. at Royal Ascot--defeating future multiple top-level scorer Space Blues (Ire)--and was a...

Eclipse Award-winning sprinter Jackie's Warrior (Maclean's Music) and two-time Grade I winner Cyberknife (Gun Runner) are available for inspection at Spendthrift Farm Nov. 9-15 from 1:30-3 p.m. daily. Though Jackie's Warrior made his final career start when third in last weekend's GI Qatar Racing Breeders' Cup Sprint, Gold Square's Cyberknife--the unlucky runner-up in the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile--will return to the barn of trainer Brad Cox Nov. 15. "Jackie's Warrior has settled in nicely at the farm and is such an impressive specimen, especially for a horse coming off...

The Jockey Club (TJC) announced Wednesday that breedings in 2021 have resulted in 18,609 live foals of 2022. At this same time last year, The Jockey Club reported that the breedings had resulted in 19,021 live foals, which marks a year-over-year decline of 2.2%. The foal crop has declined every year since 2015 and was at 35,274 as recently as 2008. The Jockey Club estimated that the number of live foals reported so far is 85-90% complete. In total, 1,303 stallions covered 29,065 mares, according to statistics compiled through Oct....

Donegal Racing and Repole Stable's Mo Donegal (Uncle Mo--Callingmissbrown, by Pulpit), last seen validating favoritism with a three-length victory in the GI Belmont S. presented by NYRA Bets June 11, has been retired from racing and will enter stud for the 2023 breeding season at Spendthrift Farm. He will command a fee of $20,000, stands and nurses terms. Bred in Kentucky by the Lyster family's Ashview Stud in partnership with Richard Santulli's Colts Neck Stables--also the breeders of Belmont S. runner-up and leading 3-year-old filly Nest (Curlin)--Mo Donegal was purchased...

The race is not always to the swift. Pretty old news, by this stage: it's right there in Ecclesiastes and, nearly as long ago now, you could see as much when More Than Ready cut the last corner in the Kentucky Derby. He transparently didn't get home, flattening into fourth behind Fusaichi Pegasus. But the brilliance of that move was instead sustained through his second career, where he just kept on going--whether measured by years, or air miles--and proved a far more potent force than the rest of that Derby...