Forte

National Treasure, the three-time Grade I-winning son of Quality Road, has been retired from racing and will take up residence at Eric & Tamara Gustavson's Spendthrift Farm in Lexington, Kentucky, where he will stand stud in 2025 for an introductory fee of $40,000 S&N, according to a post on the farm's website. A classic winner of the GI Preakness Stakes and victor in this year's GI Pegasus World Cup and GI Metropolitan Handicap, National Treasure is now available for inspection by appointment. Spendthrift acquired the breeding rights to the colt,...

Liable (Seeking the Gold--Bound, by Nijinsky II), the dam of GI Breeders' Cup Classic winner Blame (Arch), died July 19 due to the infirmities of old age. She was 29. A homebred for Claiborne Farm, in partnership with Nicole Perry Gorman, Liable was out of the Grade I-placed Bound, who herself was bred by and raced for Claiborne. Adele Dilschneider later assumed Gorman's place in the partnership prior to Liable's racing career. Multiple stakes-placed on the track, Liable retired to the Claiborne broodmare band in 2000. Her first foal, Apt...

4th-Churchill Downs, $123,820, Alw (NW2$X)/Opt. Clm ($80,000), 5-18, 3yo/up, 1 1/16m, 1:45.88, ft, 1 1/2 lengths. DISARM (c, 4, Gun Runner--Easy Tap, by Tapit), a 'TDN Rising Star', was a major player on last year's Triple Crown trail, hitting the board in both the GII Louisiana Derby and the GIII Lexington S. before running fourth behind Mage (Good Magic) in the GI Kentucky Derby. Fourth again in the GII Jim Dandy S., he chased home champion 3-year-old male Arcangelo (Arrogate) to be second in the GI Travers S. in his...

The New York Supreme Court for the County of Schenectady on Friday granted trainer Todd Pletcher a preliminary injunction precluding the New York State Gaming Commission from enforcing penalties related to the disqualification of Forte (Violence) from his win in the 2022 GI Hopeful S. at Saratoga Race Course, meaning that the sanctions are halted until the court decides issues of the case related to due process and rules interpretations. According to the Mar. 29 court order, the NYSGC had found that "based upon blood and urine samples taken after...

The TDN's popular annual series 'Mating Plans, presented by Spendthrift,' continues today in a conversation with Hanzly Albina of Newtownanner Stud. "I don't take this lightly at all," said Albina, who is both general manager of Newtownanner's Kentucky farm and North American bloodstock manager of the operation. "It's a ton of fun when it works out. For me, the physical is what I'm shooting for as I can't predict performance. We want to produce what we would buy in a sales ring, want to produce as nice a horse as...

Ocala Stud celebrated a significant achievement when Fierceness (City of Light) became the second GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner in a row to graduate from their breaking and training program, following hot on the heels of fellow Repole Stable standout Forte (Violence) in 2022. Newly crowned as champion 2-year-old male, Fierceness makes his much-anticipated sophomore debut on Saturday in the GIII Holy Bull S., but he won't be the only starter representing Ocala Stud. Hades (Awesome Slew), who is two for two for trainer Joe Orseno, was bred and raised...

The TDN's popular annual series 'Mating Plans, presented by Spendthrift,' continues today in a conversation with Haymarket Farm's Chip Montgomery. "I've always been enamored with the deep pedigrees of the stalwarts of the industry and have gravitated recently to granddaughters, etc. of Personal Ensign, My Flag and Storm Flag Flying," said Montgomery. "About once a quarter, I will put on the video of the 1988 Breeders' Cup Distaff to hear Tom Durkin's call of Personal Ensign's nose win against Winning Colors to retire undefeated.   It's an honor to own several...

The TDN team barely had time to stop in at Spendthrift Farm to visit Forte this past November before the champion was booked full for 2024. Here's our video feature on the son of Violence. But Forte is just one of the four in-demand newcomers at Spendthrift, where the breeding shed is sure to be busy as ever this year as Into Mischief continues his reign as the leading sire in North America and the top four freshman sires of 2023 take on their fifth season at stud. To learn...

A season with a 2025 breed back to Cody's Wish (Curlin) has been added to the Thoroughbred Charities of America's (TCA) Live Auction and Celebration scheduled to run Sunday, Jan. 7, with the majority of the proceeds going to support the local chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, announced the TCA Saturday. The offering was donated by Godolphin in memory of Cody Dorman, the 17-year-old Kentuckian whose story and special connection with his namesake was widely beloved in and outside the industry. Any remaining proceeds will go to honoring his memory...

The year 2024 could be a defining season for Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa stallion Violence. Not only must he continue to make his mark as a sire with a limited book of 125 mares, but the son of Medaglia d'Oro will now take the first steps towards becoming a sire of sires. He got off to a fast start doing just that last year as his young son Volatile made headlines with his first crop of yearlings. From just a $17,500 initial stud fee, the Grade I-winning Three Chimneys...

The Schenectady Supreme Court issued a temporary restraining order Thursday that put a halt on the New York Gaming Commission's efforts to disqualify Forte (Violence) from his win in the 2022 GI Hopeful S. at Saratoga and suspend trainer Todd Pletcher. Acting on behalf of Pletcher and owners Mike Repole and Vinnie Viola, attorney Drew Mollica filed an Article 78 appeal. Article 78 appeals are lawsuits mainly used to challenge an action, or inaction, by agencies of New York State and local governments. The New York Gaming Commission has alleged...

As the year winds down, now is a relatively quiet time for horse racing. But there was nothing quiet about 2023, a year, it seems, where the bad news stories overshadowed the good news stories. What resonated most with TDN readers? Unfortunately, the answer seems to be our stories that reported on some of the darker aspects of the sport. Here are the top 10 most widely read stories of 2023 and the number of views they received: 1) Europeans Unleashed As Santa Anita is Struck by Tragedy, by Emma...