Elliott Walden

WinStar Farm released its 2021 stud fees Wednesday and leading the roster are Speightstown, who will stand for $90,000 S&N, and leading second-crop sire Constitution, who will stand for $85,000 S&N. WinStar has reduced the stud fees of most of its stallions in recognition of the challenging economic conditions. "During these times, we felt it appropriate to drop 75% of our fees," said Elliott Walden, WinStar's president, CEO, and racing manager. "We gave two horses a bump--Speightstown, the co-leading sire this year with three Grade I winners and fourth general...

Laoban (Uncle Mo--Chattertown, by Speightstown), a son of champion and perennial leading sire Uncle Mo and one of the leaders of his freshman class, is relocating from Sequel Stallions in New York to WinStar Farm for 2021. A limited number of seasons will be offered at $25,000 S&N until the Breeders' Cup. That fee is subject to change pending results in the Breeders' Cup, as Laoban has contenders in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile, and GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf. The leading New York freshman...

WinStar Farm and China Horse Club's 'TDN Rising Star' Nashville (Speightstown), who took his record to two-for-two with a towering allowance success at Keeneland Oct. 10, could make his next start in the Nov. 7 GI Breeders' Cup Sprint over the same track and distance, WinStar General Manager David Hanley said Monday. "It's a bit too early for a final decision, but I would say the nothing has been ruled out at this point," Hanley said. "I haven't discussed it with [WinStar President/CEO and Racing Manager] Elliott [Walden] or [trainer]...

Robert J. Baron and WinStar Farm's Grade I-winning millionaire Promises Fulfilled (Shackleford--Marquee Delivery, by Marquetry) has been retired from racing and will enter stud at WinStar for the 2021 breeding season. His fee has been set at $10,000 S&N. Promises Fulfilled won five graded stakes at distances from six furlongs to 1 1/16 miles--winning the GI H. Allen Jerkens S., GII Fountain of Youth S., GII John A. Nerud S., GII Phoenix S., and GIII Amsterdam S. "When we look for stallion prospects, we want brilliance," said Elliott Walden, WinStar's...

We're now inside the six-week mark for the GI Breeders' Cup Classic. Is your money on an older horse winning the season-capping dirt route championship race or one of the 3-year-olds? Both divisions have a respectable upper crust of candidates. Neither age group has a dominant, standout star who towers over his peers. Improbable (City Zip)'s last-to-first, 4 1/2-length shakedown of the GI Awesome Again S. field at Santa Anita this past Saturday nudged him into tepid early favoritism for the Classic. The Oct. 10 GI Jockey Club Gold Cup...

WinStar Farm has had many big years, but this one may prove its biggest to date. Kenny Troutt's operation has bred, raised and offered for sale four 2020 Grade I winners: Sept. 5 GI Woodward H. hero Global Campaign (Curlin); Paris Lights (Curlin), who led home a one-two for WinStar Stablemates in July's GI Coaching Club American Oaks; and Shedaresthedevil and Swiss Skydiver, who completed the exacta for their former WinStar-based stallion Daredevil in last Friday's GI Longines Kentucky Oaks. Plus, it co-campaigns GI Hollywood Gold Cup S. and GI...

The seven-year itch, in the current racing herd, represents the best kind of mid-life crisis: reinventing yourself as a champion. An Eclipse Award would certainly be a credible aspiration for Whitmore (Pleasantly Perfect) should he derail the Volatile (Violence) express in the GI Alfred G. Vanderbilt H. at Saratoga Saturday. Next weekend, another flourishing 7-year-old, Tom's d'Etat (Smart Strike), will seek to consolidate his ascent to the top of his own division in the GI Whitney S. Over the past two weeks, meanwhile, their contemporaries Zulu Alpha (Street Cry {Ire})...

Leading GI Breeders' Cup Classic contender Tom's d'Etat (Smart Strike--Julia Tuttle, by Giant's Causeway), hero of the 2019 GI Clark S. and an impressive last out winner of the GII Stephen Foster S. with a career-best 109 Beyer Speed Figure, will stand at WinStar Farm upon the conclusion of his racing career. Campaigned by Gayle Benson's G M B Racing and trainer Al Stall, Jr., he has compiled a record of 18-11-2-1 and earnings of $1,627,272. Tom's d'Etat is currently on a four-race winning streak and has his sights set...

Longtime owner/breeder Jack Preston died in his home in Texas earlier this month, the Blood-Horse reported Friday evening. He was 84. Preceded in death by his two brothers J.R. and Art, the Preston family campaigned the likes of GI Belmont S. winner Victory Gallop, two-time GI Breeders' Cup Mile hero Da Hoss and MGISW Flat Out. The Preston brothers partnered on a variety of business ventures involving gas and oil, real estate, restaurants, cattle ranches and geothermal power generation companies. Along with his brothers, he founded Preston Farm near Quanah,...

The present crisis will perhaps find horsemen a little more stoical than most. When it comes to biding their time, after all, the Thoroughbred gives them plenty of practice. Nonetheless it must test the patience more than anything to have a racehorse just back to fitness this spring after a long lay-off, only to find most of the racing program immersed by the pandemic. What a relief for his connections then that Global Campaign (Curlin) was able to find a landing strip for his touchdown, after a nine-month absence, at...

On the last day of 1990, T. Murray McDonnell made his regular call from the United States to Ireland. "David," he said. "We're going to have the best year ever. I can feel it." The next day, a call from McDonnell's son instead. They had found him that morning on the kitchen floor. David Hanley flew out for the funeral. He was reserved a spot in the second row, next to Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. McDonnell had never had the best of health, so his heart attack couldn't be the biggest...

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 [email protected] ELLIOTT WALDEN The silver lining in the current crisis we find ourselves in is clear. In America, we have gone away from our faith in God. We live in a fallen world where there is heartache and despair... where bad things happen to good people, and good things happen...