Denali Stud

Felicita (More Than Ready), an unraced 4-year-old half-sister to Grade I-winning juvenile and Dayoutoftheoffice (Into Mischief), topped Tuesday's Keeneland December Digital Sale when hammering for $250,000 to Jon Clay's Alpha Delta Stables. The auction, Keeneland's third foray into the nascent online sale marketplace after its June Online Select Horses of Racing Age Sale and October Digital Sale, was seen by leading consignors as a clear improvement while still having kinks that need ironing out as the sector evolves. The one-day sale grossed $508,000 for 15 lots, for an average of...

Congratulations to Alexis Kolasa, one of three finalists in the Newcomer Award category of the Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards (TIEA), presented by Godolphin. Currently an administrative assistant at Denali Stud, Kolasa was the captain of her college equestrian team at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale. At Denali, she works on billing, gives tours via Horse Country, posts on social media, and tracks racing and sales graduates. "We kind of call her our Swiss Army Knife; she has lots of different skills and assets rolled into one," said Denali vice president Conrad Bandoroff....

LEXINGTON, KY - The curtain comes down on a most unusual yearling sales season with the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October Sale which begins its four-day run in Lexington Monday at 10 a.m. The auction will be following up on a record-setting 2019 renewal which saw new high marks for average and--from its largest-ever catalogue--gross, and will be held over four days for the fourth straight year as it continues to build its reputation as a must-attend auction for both buyers and sellers. "This sale has been so good to us almost...

A son of Triple Crown winner American Pharoah was the first to set off fireworks at Fasig-Tipton Thursday, igniting a spirited round of bidding between a trio of powerhouse connections in Donato Lanni, Coolmore and Marette Farrell, acting on behalf on Speedway Stables. Lanni was the first to throw in the towel, leaving Coolmore and Farrell to duke it out and it was Farrell left to sign the winning $1.25-million ticket on behalf of her longtime clients, Speedway's K.C. Weiner and Peter Fluor. "K.C. Weiner and Peter Fluor are two...

Working in racing has always been a stressful occupation; a roller-coaster of emotions, triumphs and tragedies, long hours and travel. Add a global pandemic and unprecedented economic worry, with many participants fearing for their health, livelihoods and businesses, and the stress can become almost overwhelming. It's the sort of topic many people don't like to talk about, but we asked several industry participants to open about what particular stresses they were feeling during these very concerning times, and how they were dealing with them. CRAIG BANDOROFF, Denali Stud  This business...

While many questions regarding the Coronavirus pandemic remain unanswered, and with a stock market experiencing extreme volatility, there is continued uncertainty as to what could happen in our industry over the next few years. But many people in the industry have been through such ambiguity before. We sought the advice of industry leaders who successfully made their way through the Great Recession of 2008, and we asked what they learned from it and how they will use their experiences to guide them through the coming years. CRAIG BANDOROFF, Denali Stud ...

by Craig Bandoroff It's been a tough few month in our little corner of the world. Ashton Moynihan, Gerry Dilger, Dennis Lynch and now Cris Caldwell. All of them special and wonderful in their own way. We will be reminded of them too often and miss them all. Auctioneers have been a big part of my livelihood for a long time. And I've seen some great ones. When I first came around and after college when I worked for Fasig-Tipton, I got to watch two of the legends, Ralph Retler...

There really is something about horses; it seems to be simply impossible to fall out of love with them. Craig Bandoroff tried once. Devastated after losing the use of his right arm in a horrific fall at Garden State Park in New Jersey in 1974 less than a year into a promising career as a jockey, Bandoroff decided he was done with the animals. He refocused his attention and enrolled at the University of Virginia-where he met, naturally, a professor that had horses. "I think, initially, I had the mindset...

After 30 years at the helm of their Denali Stud, Craig and Holly Bandoroff are--if not stepping aside--at least taking a step or two in that direction. But the operation is safe in the capable hands of their son, Conrad. Kelsey Riley reports.

TDN Intern Katie Ritz polled a series of industry members to see if they had found anything good that has come out of the current crisis. Their responses will appear every day in the TDN. To submit your own, email suefinley@thetdn.com Amidst all of the craziness and uncertainty facing the world and our industry, there have been two things that have particularly given me solace and comfort during these hard times. I begin each day walking down to our foaling barn and seeing the new foals, if any, from the night...

Farm tours may have ground to a halt in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, but that hasn't stopped Horse Country, central Kentucky's Thoroughbred industry tourism arm, and its partners from connecting with fans. While those of us in the business know that nothing beats getting visitors onto a farm and hands-on with horses, some of the Bluegrass's biggest operations are doing the next-best thing: bringing the tours to the fans virtually through platforms like Facebook and Instagram Live. Denali Stud a week ago hosted its first virtual tour, taking...

It's no secret that racing had a tough year in 2019. We asked a cross-section of participants what their number one goal is to make racing better in 2020. (Want to participate? Email suefinley@thetdn.com) CONRAD BANDOROFF, VICE PRESIDENT, DENALI STUD: My number one goal for racing in the launch of this new decade is simple: stop talking and start doing. For years we have debated and discussed the challenges facing our industry ad nauseam, only to continue to propose changes with failure to follow through and implement into action. I...