Breeding

A total of C$1 million will be distributed to Ontario breeders in 2022, owing to enhancements made by Ontario Racing's Thoroughbred Improvement Program (TIP) Committee in its Mare Purchase and Recruitment Programs for the 2021-2022 sales season. Focusing on the Mare Purchase Program (MPP), the TIP Committee increased the maximum credit available to C$75,000 from C$50,000, lowered the minimum purchase price from US$15,000 to US$10,000 and removed the $100,000 maximum purchase price restriction. We made changes to the Mare Programs to make them less restrictive, but never in our wildest...

Darby Dan Farm's Country House (Lookin At Lucky), winner of the 2019 GI Kentucky Derby, was represented by his first foal when a colt out of the City Zip mare American Values was born Tuesday, Jan. 25 at Scarteen Stud. He was bred by Mrs. J.V. Shields, one of the owners of Country House, who was bred by her late husband. A 'TDN Rising Star', Country House was a good second in the 2019 GII Risen Star S. and crossed the line second behind champion Maximum Security (New Year's Day)...

The Washington Thoroughbred Breeders and Owners Association's annual online stallion season auction began Dec. 15 and runs through Dec. 22. In addition to stallion premiums, this year the WTBOA has added a chance for bidders to receive a bonus. All winning bidders will now be eligible for one of two bonus level amounts, as they will be entered into a drawing to receive a credit of up to $1,000 or the actual bid amount, whichever is less, on their stallion season purchase. The second drawing will be for a $400...

'TDN Rising Star' Shoplifted (Into Mischief--Shopit, by Yes It's True) and Gold Double (Medaglia d'Oro--Fiftyshadesofgold, by My Golden Song) will enter stud for the upcoming breeding season at Valor Farm in Texas. Bred by Machmer Hall, Craig and Carrie Brogden, Shoplifted was a $525,000 Keeneland September yearling turned $800,000 Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream breezer and raced for Robert Clay's Grandview Equine, Everett Dobson's Cheyenne Stable and the Roth family's LNJ Foxwoods. Trained by Steve Asmussen, Shoplifted won his maiden by 4 1/2 lengths at first asking at Saratoga in 2019 and was...

Girvin (Tale of Ekati), whose first yearlings sold for up to $200,000 this season, will remain at $6,000 for his fourth year at Ocala Stud, the farm announced Monday. Winner of the GII Risen Star S. and GII Louisiana Derby in 2017, the Brad Grady colorbearer made that year's GI Haskell Invitational S. the biggest victory of his career. His yearling son of Grade III-winning juvenile filly Gold Edge (Eddington) was purchased by BSW/Crow for $200,000 at Fasig-Tipton this past July, the joint-highest price for a yearling by a first-crop...

Rock Your World (Candy Ride {Arg}--Charm the Maker, by Empire Maker), who defeated GI Kentucky Derby winner and GI Longines Breeders' Cup Classic runner-up Medina Spirit (Protonico) in the GI Runhappy Santa Anita Derby in his first start on the dirt, has been retired from racing and will enter stud in 2022 at Spendthrift Farm. The nursery had previous announced the acquisition in last April. The handy winner of a six-furlong turf sprint on career debut at Santa Anita Jan. 1, the $650,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase took the one-mile...

Knicks Go (Paynter), who capped what is likely to be a Horse of the Year campaign with a front-running victory in the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Classic at Del Mar Nov. 6, will enter stud at Taylor Made Stallions in 2022 for an introductory fee of $30,000, the farm announced Wednesday. The Maryland-bred, owned by the Korea Racing Authority and trained by Brad Cox, finished his 5-year-old season on four-race winning streak and won five of his seven starts overall, including the prestigious GI Whitney S. at Saratoga by 4...

LEXINGTON, KY - The start of the opening session of the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October Yearlings Sale was delayed an hour by heavy rain, but the weather seemed to be the only thing that could hold back the auction once the bidding got started Monday at Newtown Paddocks. "We were very pleased with the opening session of the October sale," Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning said Monday night. "I don't think there was any surprise that there was a lot of demand. We've seen strength in the yearling sales from the start...

Quality Road (Elusive Quality--Kobla, by Strawberry Road {Aus}), whose 'TDN Rising Star' son Corniche figures one of the favorites for the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Nov. 5, will remain at $150,000 for the upcoming breeding season at William S. Farish's Lane's End Farm, which released its stud fees Monday. The 15-year-old stallion is in the midst of another outstanding season, with nine stakes winners to his credit. Three of those have come at the graded level, led by the aforementioned Corniche, who topped this year's OBS April Sale on a...

Caressing (Honour and Glory--Lovin Touch, by Majestic Prince), the dam of Eclipse Award winner West Coast (Flatter), passed away due to laminitic conditions at Hermitage Farm Sept. 14. She was 23 years of age and was laid to rest between the paddocks and next to the foaling barn at the Kentucky nursery. Bred by Brereton C. Jones, Caressing was purchased by Hermitage's Carl Pollard for $180,000 at the 1999 Keeneland September Yearling Sale and was a maiden winner at second asking before adding a seven-length victory in the Bassinet S....

Bill and Corinne Heiligbrodt's Yaupon (Uncle Mo--Modification, by Vindication), who became his sire's ninth Grade I winner with a tenacious victory in the Forego S. at Saratoga Aug. 28, will enter stud at Spendthrift Farm for the 2022 breeding season. The 4-year-old has the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint at Del Mar as his long-term objective before retiring to the stallion barn. Trained by Steve Asmussen, Yaupon was victorious in his first four career trips to the post, including Saratoga's GII Amsterdam S., clocking 1:08.50 for the six furlongs, and the...

Duramente (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}--Admire Groove {Jpn}, by Sunday Silence), Japan's champion 3-year-old colt of 2015 and the country's leading first-crop sire in 2020, passed away Tuesday after being struck by a case of acute colitis. He was just nine years old. Duramente, whose dam was Japan's champion older mare of 2004 and whose granddam Air Groove (Jpn) (Tony Bin {Ire}) took home Horse of the Year honours in 1997, never finished outside the top two in nine career starts, winning five of those, including the 2015 G1 Satsuki Sho...