Darby Dan

The third annual Indiana Thoroughbred Alliance (ITA) Stallions and Services Auction kicks off on the Starquine.com platform Friday, Dec. 16 and will run through Monday, Dec. 19 at 5 p.m. ET. The auction benefits the philanthropic efforts of the ITA to support aftercare, education and promotional efforts for the Indiana horse racing industry. Stallions from Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and Florida are included in the auction from: Arrowhead Thoroughbreds, Breakway Farm, Calumet, Chesapeake Farm, Crestwood, Darby Dan, Gainesway, Indiana Stallion Station, Poplar Creek Horse Farm, R Star Stallions, Taylor Made Stallions...

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)...

Darby Dan Farm's Country House (Lookin At Lucky), winner of the 2019 GI Kentucky Derby,has had his first mare confirmed in foal, the farm announced today. He was bred to the Ghostzapper mare More Everything Feb. 10, and the half-sister to stakes winner and Grade III-placed Bishop's Pond (Curlin) and stakes-placed Black Oak (Forestry) has been scanned in foal for owner Watershed Bloodstock, LLC. Country House broke his maiden with a 'TDN Rising Star' performance at Gulfstream Park, finished a fast-closing second to eventual Classic winner War of Will (War...

Darby Dan Farm's Higher Power (Medaglia d'Oro--Alternate, by Seattle Slew) confirmed the Grade I winner's first mares are in foal. Confirmed in foal, Gold Club (Majestic Warrior), out of the Touch Gold mare Be Golden, was the first mare he bred Feb. 11. She is owned by Brandywine Farm. Also confirmed in foal is Talking Audrey (Thunder Gulch--Diversa, by Tabasco Cat), a half-sister to Grade I winner Love Theway Youare, who was bred Feb. 12. Talking Audrey is owned by RAH Bloodstock. A 5 1/4-length winner of the 2019 GI...

As we approach the end of the calendar, we turn our attention to the incoming sire class of 2021. We asked several judges who their favorite incoming sire is for next year and if there are any other stallions, new or otherwise, that have caught their eye as under-the-radar picks.     DEREK MACKENZIE, Vinery Sales  Higher Power (Medaglia d'Oro), $10,000, Darby Dan  My favorite new sire for 2021 is Higher Power. Physically, he's just phenomenal and his pedigree is hands down the best this year for the new sires....

Darby Dan Farm has set 2021 stud fees for its roster of 12 stallions that will stand the upcoming breeding season, led by Dialed In (Mineshaft), who will stand for $15,000 S&N, down from $20,000 a season ago. The roster also features Tapiture (Tapit), Klimt (Quality Road), and GI Breeders' Cup Classic contender Higher Power (Medaglia d'Oro), new for 2021, who will each stand for $10,000 S&N. GI Kentucky Derby winner Country House (Lookin At Lucky), also new for 2021, Flameaway (Scat Daddy), and Copper Bullet (More Than Ready) will...

We often talk of stallions who have had to earn their stripes. And there's no doubt that Dialed In has uncomplainingly completed every drill necessary to get his first Grade I insignia stitched onto his uniform, by Get Her Number in the American Pharoah S. at Santa Anita a few days ago. By the time the son of Mineshaft set up shop in 2013, his qualifications as favorite for the 2011 Derby had rather faded from memory. He had run down Shackleford (Forestry) in the GI Florida Derby, but their...

2nd-Saratoga, $72,000, Msw, 8-9, 2yo, f, 1 1/16mT, 1:44.94, fm. SEASONS (f, 2, Tapit--Winter Memories {MGISW, $1,268,100}, by El Prado {Ire}) got the job done in her much-anticipated first start Sunday, but not without plenty of drama. The regally bred filly showed a very upbeat worktab leading up to this unveiling, punctuated by a :48.79 bullet over the Oklahoma turf Aug. 3 (XBTV Video), and was backed down to 4-5 from an already telling 9-5 morning line prediction. Away in good order, the chestnut took up a stalking spot along...

Flameaway (Scat Daddy) will shuttle to South America to stand at Haras Dadinco in Chile for the upcoming Southern Hemisphere breeding season. The deal was brokered by Matt Bowling Bloodstock and Sullivan Bloodstock. The two-time graded winner and GII Toyota Blue Grass S. and GII Jim Dandy S. runner-up stands at Darby Dan Farm in Lexington, Ky. "We are thrilled to partner with Haras Dadinco," said Ryan Norton, stallion director at Darby Dan Farm. "Flameaway was a versatile racehorse and he has a stallion's pedigree. He generated a lot of...

Charles Fipke's announcement that he is waiving all fees on the stallions he owns for the remainder of the 2020 breeding season has been well received by breeders. Darby Dan Farm, where Fipke stands three horses, reports that since Fipke announced his plan Monday about 50 people have called and have signed up their mares to breed to Fipke stallions. Fipke's roster at Darby Dan consists of Bee Jersey, Tale of Ekati and Tale of Verve. Bee Jersey and Tale of Ekati had been standing for $5,000 and the stud...

The first foal for Darby Dan stallion Bee Jersey (Jersey Town--Bees, by Rahy) is a filly out of Ice Tales (Tale of Ekati) foaled Jan. 31 at Clearbrook Farm in Paris, KY. She was bred by Charles Fipke, who raced both the sire and dam. "She's a beautiful, long-legged filly," said Clearbrook Farm's Bill Anderson. "She's well-balanced and we're very happy with her." Bee Jersey began his career under the tutelage of Doug Watson in Dubai, where he was second to future dual G1 Dubai World Cup hero Thunder Snow...

Ashton Moynihan, the funding director of the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance, passed away Friday afternoon after a long battle with cancer. Moynihan grew up in Charlottesville, Virginia, where she graduated from Sweet Briar College. Her father, Harrison "Chief" Nesbit was a football player and then coach at the University of Virginia. Her first job was selling advertising for an equine publication. Her love of horses led her to New York, where she worked for a Thoroughbred racing partnership, and finally to Lexington, Kentucky. Moynihan worked at Fasig-Tipton for more than 15...