Essential Quality

There are people that work with horses and there are people that love horses. In the case of Katie Tolbert, there is no better example of a person that works with horses because of how much she loves them. You see the devotion on a quiet morning on the backside of Churchill Downs as she sits in the saddle, stroking the neck of the horse she is astride or is ponying alongside her. You hear it in the echo of a nicker from an excited trainee, eager for her company,...

Darley America has released its fee schedule for its stallion roster and leading the way is Medaglia d'Oro (El Prado {Ire}) at $75,000, while the amount for Nyquist (Uncle Mo) will be named after this year's Breeders' Cup, according to Jonabell Farm's management in a Wednesday presser. After Medaglia d'Oro, Horse of the Year Cody's Wish (Curlin) is tabbed at $65,000, while multiple Eclipse champion Essential Quality (Tapit) and sire of sires Street Sense (Street Cry {Ire}) both come in at $50,000. "The 2024 breeding season was one of our...

10th-CD, $120K, Msw, 2yo, f, 6f, 5:25 p.m. ET. Bred by Speedway, LADY LIBERTY (Constitution) makes the races for Lael and trainer Cherie DeVaux. The $625,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling buy is out of MGSP Shayjolie (Indian Charlie). A half-sister to MGSW Mythical Power (Conagree), the first-time starter's dam also produced current 3-year-old GSP Jane Austen (Tapit), and a colt by Essential Quality, who Mike Repole took home for $500,000 at this year's Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale. Drawn for her unveiling, Whitman homebred Jewel Box (Street Sense) is trained by Ian...

The Supplemental Catalog for the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's 2024 October Yearling Sale is now available via the OBS website and in printed form at the sales grounds. Forty-eight horses have been supplemented bringing the total to 583 horses. There are two sessions, set for Tuesday, Oct. 8th and Wednesday, Oct. 9th. Hip No.'s 1-266 plus supplements 267-288 will be offered on Tuesday and Hip No's 301-569 plus supplements 570-595 will be sold on Wednesday.  Both sessions will begin at 11:30 a.m. A strong group of sires are represented in...

The 2024 Keeneland September Yearling Sale released its catalog Tuesday with 4,396 horses set to go through the ring over 12 sessions. The sale will be held Monday, Sept. 9 through Saturday, Sept. 21 in Lexington, KY. "This time of year energizes Keeneland and our entire industry as we prepare to showcase an outstanding collection of quality yearlings and welcome many domestic and international horsemen and horsewomen to Lexington to participate in a vibrant marketplace unlike anything in the world," said Keeneland President and CEO Shannon Arvin. "Having achieved some...

Every year, the Fasig-Tipton July sale offers the first chance for buyers to get a look at a new crop of yearling sires. Many buyers were seeing these sires' yearlings for the first time this week, and while it's admittedly early, we took a little survey to get their first impressions. The group includes: Basin, Beau Liam, By My Standards, Charlatan, Core Beliefs, Essential Quality, Independence Hall, Knicks Go, Known Agenda, Leinster, Lexitonian, Maxfield, Modernist, Raging Bull, Rock Your World, Silver State, Tacitus, Uncle Chuck, and Yaupon. LIZ CROW: Tacitus...

Edited Press Release Fasig-Tipton has catalogued 139 entries for its February Digital Sale, including phase one of the Ruis Racing LLC Dispersal. Entries may be viewed here and bidding is open now through Tuesday, Feb. 20, beginning at 2 PM ET. "Fasig-Tipton Digital continues to gather momentum and traction with buyers and sellers, evidenced by the size and quality of this February Digital Sale catalogue," said Leif Aaron, Fasig-Tipton Director of Digital Sales. The catalogue includes horses of racing, breeding stock, a 2-year-old, and 22 yearlings. Offerings include several recent...

As we approach the opening of the 2024 breeding season, the TDN staff is once again sitting down with leading breeders to find out what stallions they have chosen for their mares, and why. Here we catch up with Larry Johnson, the owner of Legacy Farm in Bluemont, Virginia. "I'm trying to go from primarily breed-to-race to more commercial opportunities," said Johnson. A GREAT TIME (10, Street Magician - Short Time, by Clever Trick) to be bred to Constitution A homebred stakes winner of nearly $250,000 by my homebred stallion...

GSW Magic on Tap (Tapit) is celebrating his first foal--a filly out Sea Gazer (Tiznow)--who arrived just after midnight Jan. 17 for breeder Scott Miller, Pleasant Acres Stallions said in a Thursday release. Sea Gazer's dam Seafree (Chief Seattle) collected four wins including the GII La Canada S. and was third in the GI Santa Margarita Invitational H. She produced MSW Interest Free (Exchange Rate) who is responsible for SW Market Analysis (Honor Code). Seafree is a half-sister to GI Belmont S. and GI Travers S. runner-up Fly Down (Mineshaft)....

Today we conclude our survey of Kentucky stallion options with a look at the apex of the pyramid, comprising a couple of dozen standing between $60,000 and $250,000--besides whatever it might take to secure your mare an audience with Justify. It feels presumptuous enough to offer counsel even on cheaper sires, when each mating should boil down to you finding an optimal fit for an individual mare that you know inside out. Still greater hesitation, then, must precede any attempt to discover "value" among this lot. No stallion has any...

As the wide-reaching Godolphin operation has used the names of different arms throughout the years--for example, 2001 Juvenile Fillies winner Tempera (A.P. Indy) was bred by Darley Stud Management, LLC but raced for Godolphin, LLC--it may be a surprise to learn Essential Quality was the first official Godolphin homebred to win the Breeders' Cup. Remarkably, in the two renewals since his win, another seven Godolphin homebreds have added to that number. Undefeated at two, Essential Quality was a Belmont and Travers winner at three. His first foals were born this...

8th-KEE, $100k, Msw, 2yo, 6 1/2f, 4:44p.m. ET After the turf marathon mares dazzle the Kentucky crowd in Keeneland's GIII Dowager S. a race prior, the juveniles will take to the main track to open their dockets in this maiden dash led by Pin Oak Stud's PHANTOM SPEED (Arrogate) from the rail. A $700,000 KEESEP purchase, the grey is a half-brother to GSW Biddy Duke (Bayern) who hails from the extended female family of juvenile champion MGISW Forte (Uncle Mo); Japanese Triple Crown winner, three-time champion MG1SW Contrail (Jpn) (Deep...