Claiborne Farm

Just shy of a century ago, Thoroughbred racing was undergoing a massive transformation in breeding and technology that would set it on a path towards expansion. The importing of international sires, the building of new racetracks, the development of starting gates and the implementation of what was called the totalisator, a device that tracked odds and payouts for pari-mutuel wagering, became all the rage into the 1930s. As you probably know, the 'tote' became linked to a board that everyone on-track could see and was intended to democratize laying a...

It felt like a literal solstice, a moment marking our transition to a different phase in the alignment of the Thoroughbred firmament. Because the meteoric performance of Equinox (Jpn) in Dubai on Saturday night, as highlight of another momentous evening for Japan, left rival breeders everywhere speechless. Perhaps, they wondered next morning, this was what was meant by a Sunday silence. There are so many lessons in Japan's accession as a dominant influence on the 21st Century Thoroughbred, a trend that even the most obtuse and parochial of us cannot...

It can be one of a farm manager's biggest headaches: the weather. As Spring brings severe weather across central Kentucky, farms across the state are forced to deal with multiple threats along with the changing seasons--snow or ice storms, heavy rain and flooding, high winds, lightning, and even tornadoes. With herds of horses scattered across hundreds of acres, those fast-moving Spring systems require a farm to be ready at a moment's notice to keep both human and equine safe. A strong area of low pressure swept across the region Friday,...

7th-Fair Grounds, $50,000, Msw, 3-19, 3yo, 1 1/16m (off turf), 1:45.25, ft, 4 1/4 lengths. PROMISE ME A RIDE (c, 3, Mastery--Promise Me More {SW & GSP, $171,866}, by More Than Ready), Triple Crown-nominated and sporting many of the same owners as his stablemate one race prior, 'TDN Rising Star' Bishops Bay (Uncle Mo), raced from the second flight in this off-turf unveiling and rode the rail going into the first turn. Angled out into the four path and pulling for his head to take command, Promise Me a Ride...

He was tailor-made for both walks of life; raised to be equally at home with the racetrack cavalcade, or the catwalk parade. From the outside, fashion and the Turf perhaps share their most obvious bond in pageant: all those shimmering silks, all those sleek creatures. To Andrew Rosen, however, it's a more internal thing. Outlook, not aspect. In both cases, he explains, you're adding one plus one and hoping to get four. "Or six, or eight," he says, smiling. "So, it's all about anticipating the future. In the clothing industry,...

Coolmore and Westerberg's dual Group 1-placed 4-year-old colt Ancient Rome (War Front--Gagnoa {Ire}, by Sadler's Wells) returns off a ninth in June's G1 Prix du Jockey Club when last seen and registers a stylish comeback win at Chantilly in his first start for over nine months. 6th-Chantilly, €18,000, Cond, 3-7, 4yo, 9f (AWT), 1:50.78, st. ANCIENT ROME (c, 4, War Front--Gagnoa {Ire} {MGSW & MG1SP-Fr, G1SP-Ire, $597,492}, by Sadler's Wells) snagged the G3 Prix des Chenes and placed in the G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere and G1 Criterium International as a...

A few weeks ago, I was a guest on the weekly Going In Circles podcast, which is hosted by Chuck Simon, the former trainer who's also a top-notch writer at his blog, and Barry "The Sniper" Spears, an excellent handicapper and well-known figure on Twitter. Simon asked for my opinion on which stallion I'd consider to be the most influential of the past 50 years. You can listen to a nine-minute clip of the conversation here. My answer? Claiborne's iconic Mr. Prospector, of course. The clip generated quite a bit...

The stallions we assess today find themselves at the first major crossroads of their new career. Poor fellows, they're still a long way from having the chance to demonstrate whether they can actually produce runners. But that seems a pretty incidental consideration in the current marketplace, which has created a self-fulfilling cycle. Like it or not, stallions nowadays do indeed have their best chance of producing a good one from their first crop, as these typically emerge from the biggest and best books they will ever get. That, in turn,...

Claiborne Farm will be the title sponsor of the Former Broodmare division in its first year at the 2023 Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium, presented by Thoroughbred Charities of America, the Retired Racehorse Project announced Tuesday. First announced in November of this year, the Former Broodmare division will welcome recently retired broodmares to compete alongside traditional retiring racehorses in all 10 offered disciplines, with broodmares pinned and recognized separately and competing for a separate pot of $10,000 in prize money. "Claiborne is pleased to be the title sponsor of the...

During a flurry of activity late in the day at Deauville, Group 1 winner Sweet Lady (Fr) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) (lot 188) took the lead, after bringing €2.05 million from Claiborne Farm's Bernie Sams. Sams was acting on behalf of an undisclosed client of the farm. The bay 4-year-old has victories in the G1 Prix Vermeille, G2 Prix Corrida, G3 Prix de Flore and Listed Prix La Camargo to her name. A half-sister to listed winner Toujours l'Amour (GB) (Authorized {Ire}), Sweet Lady is out of dual stakes winner...

The Ohio Thoroughbred Breeders and Owners will offer over 75 stallion seasons during its 2022 auction which will be hosted by Starquine.com. Preview days will be held Dec. 5-6 and the auction opens Dec. 7 and continues through  8 p.m. Dec. 8. Darby Dan Farm will offer seasons to its entire roster of stallions, as will Indiana Stallion Station. Also participating in the auction are farms such as Gainesway, Lane's End, Claiborne, WinStar, Calumet, Walmac, Airdrie, Darley, and Ashford. Regional sires from from Raimonde Farms, RC Cline, and additional Ohio...

5th-CD, $120k, Msw, 3yo/up, 6f, 3:01p.m. ET Conditioner Steve Asmussen will unveil the regally-bred WITHOUT A SONG (Medaglia d'Oro), a half-brother to Champion older horse Honor Code (A.P. Indy) as well as GISP Noble Tune (Unbridled's Song); hailing from the female family of Hall of Famer and blue-hen Serena's Song (Rahy). This is also the family of MGSW Vocalised (Vindication) and Grand Reward (Storm Cat) as well as at least nine other graded and group runners beneath that stellar third dam. The late starter will have Ricardo Santana Jr. in...