Clarkland Farm

by Jessica Martini & Stefanie Grimm LEXINGTON, KY - The Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale continued into its second half Wednesday in Lexington with a session which, while significantly smaller, produced results largely in line with its 2023 counterpart. For the session, 196 horses sold for a gross of $4,352,900. The average of $22,209 was down 2.54% from last year's corresponding session, while the median of $10,000 was up 25%. From 316 catalogued horses, 242 horses were offered and 46 failed to meet their reserves for a buy-back...

1st-CD, $120K, Msw, 2yo, 7f, 1:00 p.m. EDT Whisper Hill Farm and Three Chimneys Farm homebred SHOPPER'S REVENGE (Tapit) is one of several well-bred juveniles debuting on this card. The gray is out of three-time Grade I winner and multi-millionaire Stopchargingmaria (Tale of the Cat), whose career highlight was a win in the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff. Three Chimneys acquired the mare for $2.8 million at the conclusion of her career at the 2016 FTKNOV sale and re-offered her at that auction two years later carrying a Tapit colt. Mandy...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY - By far, the most enthusiastic applause during the National Museum of Racing's Hall of Fame induction ceremony Friday morning was for a video clip of race that everyone in the audience likely had seen many times. Beholder's (Henny Hughes) career-capping victory by a nose over the previously unbeaten champion Songbird (Medaglia d'Oro) in the 2016 GI Breeder's Cup Distaff was nearly as gripping on the big screen at the Fasig-Tipton sales pavilion as it was live at Santa Anita Park. For sheer drama it ranks with...

Coolmore America's Triple Crown winner Justify, a son of Scat Daddy, never raced at two, and he famously became the first unraced 2-year-old since Apollo in 1882 to win the Gl Kentucky Derby. Midway through July, however, Justify is already represented by a Group 2 winner in Europe and a Grade III winner in North America from his first crop of 2-year-olds, and through Monday he sat second by less than $30,000 on the first-crop sire list by progeny earnings behind Spendthrift's Bolt d'Oro (Medaglia d'Oro), a rival he defeated...

7th-Churchill Downs, $106,795, Msw, 6-17, 2yo, f, 5 1/2f, 1:04.34, ft, 2 1/4 lengths. JUST CINDY (f, 2, Justify--Jenda's Agenda {SW, $173,475}, by Proud Citizen), bet down to 6-5 for her career debut, had an awkward beginning, breaking slowly and taking a bobbled step before getting into stride. After settling in behind the leaders in fourth, she began to make up ground along the outside, coming alongside Corningstone (Kantharos) and American Apple (American Pharoah) exiting the far turn. She gained an advantage into the final furlong and kept on to...

Yes, despite everything, life really is good. I know that the industry press is currently saturated with the contention of attorneys, rather than racehorses. And I know that our sport, in the process, is squandering much of the cultural capital that should instead have been invested in the two compelling talents squaring up at Gulfstream Saturday. Yet perhaps one of the protagonists will not just put all these tawdry sagas aside, however briefly, but also pay a timely tribute to a mare who could get anyone interested in the game....

Clarkland Farm's 2016 Broodmare of the Year Leslie's Lady (Tricky Creek--Crystal Lady, by Stop the Music), whose produce include leading sire Into Mischief (Harlan's Holiday) and four-time Eclipse Award winner Beholder (Henny Hughes), died Jan. 24 at the farm, the Blood-Horse reports. She was 26 years old. Bred in Kentucky by David Hager II, Leslie's Lady was an $8,000 short yearling purchase from Hager's Idle Hour Farm at Keeneland January in 1997 and was acquired by owner James T. Hines for $27,000 from the Margaux Farm draft at the Keeneland...

Nancy Mitchell of Clarkland Farm died peacefully Nov. 3 at the Kentucky homestead that has been in her family since 1774. She was 83. Blood-Horse first reported Mitchell's passing. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations in Mitchell's honor to the Alzheimer's Association or Central Kentucky Riding for Hope. Running Clarkland for nearly a half-century alongside her husband, Fred, and daughter, Marty Buckner, Nancy and the team have been major consignors at Kentucky sales for decades. Clarkland has bred, raised and sold many top-class runners, including the two-time...

Clarkland Farm homebred MARR TIME (Not This Time), the penultimate foal out of outstanding blue hen Leslie's Lady (Tricky Creek), made her debut a winning one at Keeneland and earned the 'TDN Rising Star' tag in the process. Showing good early speed, the 3-5 chalk sparred with 20-1 longshot Roll Baby (Runhappy) through a :22.84 opening quarter. Shaking off that foe on the backstretch, the bay jumped clear in the lane to win going away by 2 3/4 lengths. Dame Joviale (Into Mischief) was the runner-up. Marr Time is the...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 5th-KEE, $84k, Msw, 2yo, f, 6f, 3:08 p.m. ET One of the most prolific broodmares of the 21st century will be represented by her penultimate foal Thursday at Keeneland when MARR TIME (Not This Time--Leslie's Lady) opens her account for Clarkland Farm and Brad Cox in this sprint. Famously the producer of international superstar stallion Into Mischief (Harlan's Holiday), four-time champion Beholder (Henny Hughes) and GISW multimillionaire Mendelssohn (Scat Daddy), the now 25-year-old Leslie's Lady was retired from breeding after foaling a Kantharos filly last...

"Leslie's Lady is retired," Clarkland Farm's Fred Mitchell reported. "And she is happy, fat and dappled." The 2016 Broodmare of the Year has produced two fillies following America's Joy (American Pharoah), a now three-year-old half-sister to GISWs Into Mischief, Beholder and Mendelssohn and the highest-priced yearling filly in Keeneland sales history. While Leslie's Lady is now 25, a good deal of thought went into the decision to officially retire her this spring. [Elite_video_player id="2" html5videos_hd="https://player.vimeo.com/external/560131973.sd.mp4?s=dd27449f028dc19beaadfc3f379b7aba219b47b6&profile_id=165" html5videos_videoThumbnails_jpg="" html5videos_title="Fred Mitchell and Leslies Lady" prerolls="https://player.vimeo.com/external/488087819.sd.mp4?s=902aa8d5fc7cddb1f9c4423d869f0f3bd1bc6402&profile_id=165"] "Early on in the season she was all...

Shadwell Stable's Mahaamel (Into Mischief) became the 23rd 'TDN Rising Star' for his super sire and second to exit an Apr. 24 track-and-trip heat as he posted a popular front-running victory at Belmont Friday. The $700,000 KEESEP yearling was a close second here on debut to regally bred $1.5-million purchase First Captain (Curlin), who came back to take an allowance last Saturday and get the 'Rising Star' nod himself. Donning blinkers for this, he was favored at 4-5 while taking on some pricey and well-bred foes. Ridden clear from a...