Calumet Farm

Winchell Thoroughbreds' Epicenter (Not This Time) remained on target for Saturday's GI Preakness S. after a 1 1/2-mile gallop at Churchill Downs Sunday morning. "He seems to be pretty sharp," Scott Blasi, who oversees trainer Steve Asmussen's Churchill division, said of the GI Kentucky Derby runner-up and likely Preakness favorite. "I love how he's doing. He galloped today like that was nothing; walked off the track with good energy. We'll put a little work in him and go. Not much to do from here on out.... [but] win." Epicenter had...

Keen Ice, who has been flying under the radar behind some heavy-hitting first-crop sires, has been non-existent at the 2-year-old sales so far this year, but that's about to change when the Calumet stallion has two juveniles catalogued for the upcoming Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale. And the timing couldn't be better following his son Rich Strike's dramatic victory in Saturday's GI Kentucky Derby. Ron Fein of Superfine Farms and partner Juan Centeno will offer the first colt by Keen Ice to sell at a 2-year-old auction when they...

Well, if it was hard enough to make sense of his performance, then don't expect things to appear any more conventional when you look at the pedigree of Rich Strike. His grandsire and dam share the same paternity. His mother was discarded a couple of years ago for $1,700; his half-sister was claimed only last month for $5,000; and his sire's only previous stakes winner had emerged in Puerto Rico. But if communal incredulity over the GI Kentucky Derby must have been flavored with extra piquancy for the breeders of...

LOUISVILLE, KY - Credit the Coach with an assist. Making his way into the field following the late scratch of the D. Wayne Lukas-trained Ethereal Road (Quality Road), also-eligible Rich Strike (Keen Ice) lit up the tote board with an impossible 80-1 upset in Saturday's GI Kentucky Derby. It was three-quarters of a length back to 4-1 favorite Epicenter (Not This Time) in second. Zandon (Upstart) was another three-quarters back in third. "He passed them all," winning trainer Eric Reed said. "I'm elated. I'm happy because this horse trained good...

5th-Gulfstream, $43,000, Msw, 4-24, 3yo, f, 1mT, 1:36.22, fm, 1 length. LINDA'S GIFT (f, 3, Arrogate--Americana {SP}, by Tapit)'s career debut rally fell 2 1/4 lengths short behind heavy favorite Wonka (Twirling Candy) last out Mar. 27 at this venue, but the kick carried her home here despite slightly less real-estate to do it in. As the only horse in said last-out race to go without Lasix, she went to post with the diuretic today, and broke fairly to set up shop from fifth behind the first flight of runners....

Grade I winner Lexitonian (Speightstown--Riviera Romper, by Tapit), new to the Lane's End roster for 2022, has his first mare confirmed in foal, the farm reported Monday. The first mare scanned in foal to the GI Alfred G. Vanderbilt H. hero is Grade I winner Magnificent Song (Unbridled's Song), owned by Calumet Farm. She hails from the immediate family of black-type performers Galileo's Song, Great Barrier Reef, Queen Daenerys and more. An earner of over $700,000 in his racing career, Lexitonian stands for $10,000.

Opalina (Optimizer), the third choice in a wide-open pari-mutuel affair, took the overland route into the final furlong and a half of Saturday's GIII Sweetest Chant S. at Gulfstream Park, but stayed on gamely late to become the first black-type winner for her Calumet Farm-based stallion. One of the first to break the line from her low draw, Opalina ultimately settled just ahead of centerfield and raced with cover down the backstretch as longshot Myfavoritedaughter (Carpe Diem) galloped them along at a decent clip. Given her cue with a bit...

Godolphin topped the list of individual breeders by North American earnings in 2021 at $18,447,150 according to statistics released by The Jockey Club Friday. Godolphin bred 172 starters who won 136 times with 126 seconds and 115 thirds from 804 total starts. Calumet Farm, which topped the individual breeders list in both 2019 and 2020, was second in 2021 with $16,127,515 in earnings and 470 wins from 3,516 starts. Godolphin also led the breeders list that includes partners with $20,705,957 in earnings and 195 wins from 1,297 starts. Calumet was...

Lentenor (Dynaformer--La Ville Rouge, by Carson City), a stakes-winning full-brother to GI Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro, has been purchased from Calumet Farm by Ryan Campbell's RisenStorm Company and will stand the 2022 season at Cabin Creek Farm in Bernville, Pennsylvania for a fee of $1,000 (stands and nurses). The 15-year-old stallion, who previously stood in Indiana, is the sire of stakes-placed Uphold from 33 foals.

Calumet Farm has three new additions to their 2022 stallion roster in Grade I winners Channel Cat (English Channel) and True Timber (Mineshaft), as well as MGSW Hence (Street Boss). The news was originally reported by the Blood-Horse. A Calumet homebred, Channel Cat won this year's GI Man o' War S. and has a lifetime record of 30-6-4-5 with earnings of $1,456,022. He will stand for $7,500. A $170,000 KEENOV buy, True Timber captured last year's GI Cigar Mile. With a record of 29-5-5-9 and earnings of $1,215,150, he will...

Grade I winner Lexitonian (Speightstown--Riviera Romper, by Tapit) will stand the 2022 breeding season at Lane's Farm and will command a fee of $10,000. Winner of the GIII Chick Lang S. as a sophomore in 2019 and beaten a nose I the 2020 GI Bing Crosby S., the Calumet Farm homebred defeated the likes of next-out GII Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix S. winner Special Reserve (Midshipman) and 2020 champion sprinter Whitmore (Pleasantly Perfect) in the prestigious GI Alfred G. Vanderbilt H. at Saratoga this July. "He's a horse who fights",...

Calumet Farm's perennial leading turf sire English Channel (Smart Strike--Belva, by Theatrical {Ire})'s health rapidly declined in the past 24 hours under the care of top equine specialists at Rood and Riddle and he passed away Thursday morning. "English Channel certainly went out on top," a release from Calumet Farm read. "He was the number one turf sire for the past two years and you could consistently find his progeny on the board in the top turf races across the country. English Channel has meant so much to Calumet throughout...