Catholic Boy

Though in most respects I only grow older, and no wiser, I do try nowadays not to get so cross about things. If I think people are breeding to the wrong horses, that's their prerogative. It's a difficult game; a still harder business. The Thoroughbred is reliable only as a vehicle of humility. We're all wrong far more often than we're right. And the beauty is that we have a proving ground out there, with a wooden post at the end. If you really are right, and I'm wrong, that's...

War Front (Danzig--Starry Dreamer, by Rubiano) heads all Claiborne stallions in 2022 with a stud fee of $100,000. The 19-year-old stallion, who stood for $150,000 in 2021, was represented by 10 stakes winners, led by Group 1-winner Homesman and four other Grade I/Group 1 performers worldwide. He is the sire of 29 seven-figure yearlings over his career, and again showed his prowess in 2021 with a a $1.2 million filly. Standing alongside his sire at Claiborne is War of Will (War Front--Visions of Clarity {Ire}, by Sadler's Wells)), a winner...

What an interesting crossroads we reach with the next group of young stallions in our survey. On the one hand, you have this new dynamic in the marketplace, with Spendthrift increasingly welcoming blue-chip prospects to build on its blue-collar successes. Yes, these may be looking to build more conventional, fee-based careers, as opposed to relying on the type of innovative promotions that helped Into Mischief evolve from a source of cheap commercial speed into the champion sire of a Kentucky Derby winner (who has himself now joined the roster, of...

Surrender (Stormy Atlantic), dam of recent GIII Bob Hope S. winner Red Flag (Tamarkuz) who is in foal to Catholic Boy; Red Flag's half-brother foaled in 2020; and Exotic Notion (Lemon Drop Kid), a half-sister to multiple Grade I winner City of Light who is in foal to Quality Road, are among the nine horses supplemented to Book 1 of the 2021 Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale, which covers four sessions from Jan. 11-14. Keeneland will continue to accept approved supplements until the January Sale begins. Supplemented to...

Claiborne Farm has released stud fees for the majority of its stallions who will stand at the Paris, Ky.-based farm during the upcoming 2021 breeding season, which included a significant reduction in price for its international super-sire War Front. Among Claiborne's 13 stallions, War Front leads the charge with a stud fee of $150,000. The internationally acclaimed son of Danzig and emerging sire of sires is North America's top sire by percentage of lifetime stakes winners, graded stakes winners, and Grade I winners. In 2020, War Front has added three...

You've heard the name: Twin Creeks. But what you might not know is the racing stable and farm has been involved in some monumental deals in the past decade. Add in their current involvement in one of the hottest freshman sires on the planet and one of his Derby-bound sons, and you're likely to hear a whole lot more about Steve Davison and Randy Gullatt's Twin Creeks in the future. Originally established in 1992, Twin Creeks Farm was founded by the two old school friends from Louisiana. Davison and Gullatt...

In our ongoing series, New Stallions, the TDN is visiting first-year sires around the country and giving readers a chance to take a look at them on video. Today, we're at Claiborne Farm visiting Catholic Boy (More Than Ready-Song of Bernadette, by Bernardini), one of only three North American 3-year-old colts to win Grade I races on both turf and dirt. In accomplishing that feat, he joined Secretariat and California Chrome. Kelsey Riley spoke to Bernie Sams about the 5-year-old new stallion. TDN: Catholic Boy is pretty unique in that...