Essential Quality

With a fee of $85,000, Nyquist (Uncle Mo) will lead the way among a total of 13 stallions who will stand at Darley's Jonabell Farm in 2024, including two new additions in GI winners Cody's Wish (Curlin) and Proxy (Tapit), according to Darley America. Cody's Wish, out of GI winner Dance Card (by Tapit), is expected to make his final start in the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile after winning the race in 2022. A winner of 10 of 15 career starts, Cody's Wish has never finished out of the...

'TDN Rising Star' Tapit Trice (Tapit), a latest seventh to Mage (Good Magic) in the GI Kentucky Derby May 6, went five furlongs in 1:00.22 over a fast Belmont main track Friday morning in his penultimate work ahead of the GI Belmont S. at Big Sandy June 10. He galloped out three-quarters of a mile in a strong 1:12.60 and was up seven furlongs in 1:25. "Super breeze, big gallop out," trainer Todd Pletcher said following the work. "He seems to really like the main track here. I'm very, very...

Old Friends will host its 18th Annual Homecoming Event Sunday, May 7th, beginning at 12 noon. The event features a live and silent auction of artwork, prints, and racing memorabilia, including several premiere collectible stallion halters. Absentee bidding for halters, which are all accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity, is currently open. On the block are halters worn by the following horses: Afleet Alex, Charismatic, Constitution, Da Hoss, Essential Quality, Feathered, Lava Man, Nashville, Pioneerof The Nile, Silver Charm and Tapit. The deadline to receive bids is Saturday, May 6,...

The TAA-accredited R.A.C.E. Fund, a 501c3 that stands for "Retirement Assistance and Care for Equines," will launch its 2023 fundraising drive May 12. The online auction will appear on eBay and end May 19. A number of halters--including those of Essential Quality, Serena's Song, Quality Road, Mandaloun, and Upstart--horseshoes, and signed pictures will be part of the auction, as will a VIP farm tour of Three Chimneys. "We have some very exciting and amazing auction items again this year," said R.A.C.E. Fund president Marlene Murray. "We would like to especially...

We had the Forte (Violence) bit last week. Now for the piano. The champion juvenile resumed his sonata in virtuoso fashion, reprising themes established in its first movement with familiar verve. From his barnmate Tapit Trice, in contrast, we have so far only had a couple of experimental arpeggios--but even those have sufficed for their trainer to remove the local trial winner from his path in the GIII Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby on Saturday. Now there are perfectly coherent grounds within his own game plan for evicting Litigate (Blame)...

As we approach the opening of the 2023 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. Today we caught up with JCB Stables' Ezequiel Cesar Valle, who represents the aforementioned American branch of Haras Firmamento, one of the largest farms in Argentina. MAID OF HONOR (6, Medaglia d´Oro--Lovely Regina, by Deputy Minister), to be bred to Street Sense We bought five mares at the last Keeneland November Sale, and she was the...

The first reported foals sired by dual Eclipse champion and Classic winner Essential Quality (Tapit) were foaled on Jan. 21 and Jan. 25 at Castleton Lyons and Taylor Made, respectively. Arriving first, the colt is out of the mare Double Jackpot (Broken Vow), dam of Grade III winner/Group I-placed Stays in Vegas (City Zip), who hails from the family of Phipps Stable standouts Heavenly Prize, Dancing Spree, Instilled Regard, etc. "He's a big, strong leggy colt with very good bone. A lot of substance about him," said Castleton Lyons General...

by Jessica Martini & Christie DeBernardis LEXINGTON, KY -- The momentum from Monday's opening session of the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale continued into the first session of Book 2 Tuesday in Lexington with a pair of mares bringing seven figures. "I would describe it as a solid day," said Keeneland President and CEO Shannon Arvin. "Overall, we are very happy with the gross, very happy with the median and average being up over last year." During Tuesday's session, 197 horses sold for $35,073,000. The average of $178,036 was up...

Perennial top sire Medaglia d'Oro once again heads Darley's Jonabell Farm roster for 2023 with his fee remaining at $100,000, the same amount as 2022. Darley has also added two new stallions to the now-11 horse roster, including G1SW Mystic Guide (Ghostzapper) and GISW Speaker's Corner (Street Sense). Mystic Guide, who won the 2021 G1 Dubai World Cup, was retired earlier this year. He will stand for a fee of $15,000 in his initial season at stud. Speaker's Corner, a Godolphin homebred out of Tyburn Brook (Bernardini) who is bred...

Keeneland has cataloged 3,691 horses for its 79th November Breeding Stock Sale, which will begin Monday, Nov. 7 after Keeneland hosts the Breeders' Cup World Championships over the weekend prior. The sale runs through Wednesday, Nov. 16. Click here for the catalog for the sale, which features proven producers, broodmare prospects who were successful racehorses and royally bred weanlings. The catalog includes more than 1,800 broodmares and broodmare prospects and 1,523 weanlings. Print catalogs are to arrive the week of Oct. 17. "The euphoria of the recent record-breaking Keeneland September...

By B. Jason Brooks The Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Selected Yearling Sale is less than two weeks away and potential buyers are marking up their sales catalogs while researching the accomplished families of those being offered. At the 2019 Saratoga Sale, four yearlings tracing back to Phipps foundation mare Blitey sold for a collective $4.05 million, one of them being an undefeated Tapit colt named Flightline who has become a multiple Grade I superstar. Thoroughbred Daily News columnist and pedigree expert Sid Fernando recently noted in story that the Phipps female "families...

Impressive GIII Sanford S. victor Mo Strike was the first Brad Cox-trained 2-year-old to make it to the winner's circle at Saratoga this year, but the son of Uncle Mo probably won't be the last. At last year's meet, Cox saddled five juveniles winners at the Spa, including the future multiple stakes-winning filly Bubble Rock (More Than Ready). In recent years, the Cox barn's arsenal of talented 2-year-olds has rapidly developed in terms of both quality and quantity. While many of the stable's runners have reached future success alongside their...