Free Drop Billy

In this continuing series, we take a look ahead at US-bred and/or conceived runners entered for the upcoming weekend at the tracks on the Japan Racing Association circuit, with a focus on pedigree and/or performance in the sales ring. With plenty of interest from an American-bred perspective this weekend, here are the runners for Saturday's programs at Tokyo and Hanshin Racecourses. A pair of juveniles will be features in this space in Sunday's TDN: 4th-TOK, ¥13,400,000 ($96k), Newcomers, 2yo, 1400m GREAT SAND SEA (c, 2, Into Mischief--Game for More, by...

Wednesday's Texas Thoroughbred Association (TTA) 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale closed with an uptick in average and median, as well as gross. A total of 88 horses sold for $3,050,700 with an average of $34,667, up from an average of $32,671 in 2021. The median also rose to $28,000, compared to $20,000 in 2021. "We're obviously thrilled to see such strong trade in our 2-year-old market," said TTA sales director Foster Bridewell. "We can't thank the owners and consignors enough for sending us quality horses to sell and we're fortunate that...

Favored at 7-5 to give his connections a second debut winner on the Saturday program at Gulfstream, Emmanuel (More Than Ready) ran them off their feet to become the newest 'TDN Rising Star' Saturday afternoon at Gulfstream Park. It was the second win on the day for connections, who were represented by impressive maiden winner Dean's List (Speightstown) a few races earlier. Having amassed a pretty serious worktab at trainer Todd Pletcher's Palm Beach Downs hub, the $350,000 Keeneland September yearling--the most expensive of 40 More Than Readys sold in...

Generally well-represented at most sales venues throughout the yearling season, Spendthrift Farm offers a sextet of homebred youngsters, dominated by the offspring of a trio of the nursery's fledgling stallions, at the Fasig-Tipton July sale, set to take place July 13. And while the operation has reached great heights with its marquee stallions--the late Malibu Moon and Into Mischief--the basis of Spendthrift's program has been largely built upon the continuous replenishment of young stallions offered at affordable fees. "We want breeding to work for everybody involved," explained Spendthrift General Manager...

Thursday, Chris McGrath covered the first half of the Kentucky stallions with first yearlings. Click here to read about Justify, City of Light, West Coast, Mendelssohn, Good Magic, Bolt d'Oro, and Always Dreaming. The second part appears below. ACCELERATE (Lookin At Lucky--Issues, by Awesome Again) has also been trimmed to $17,500, at Lane's End, having already been our "gold" value pick of the intake at an opening $20,000. Whatever made him attractive then has scarcely diminished in the meantime, given that he was never going to appeal to those fast-buck...

Grade I winner and Spendthrift stallion Free Drop Billy (Union Rags--Trensa, by Giant's Causeway) sired his first foal when stakes-placed Sweet Diva (Purim) produced a filly Jan. 19 at Heaven Trees Farm in Lexington, KY. "This is a good-sized filly with a lot of bone. She's going to be nice," said Adolfo Martinez, manager at Heaven Trees. The foal was bred by Bill O'Neill through Spendthrift's "Share the Upside" program.