Gainesway

GI Belmont S. winner Tapwrit (Tapit) was represented by his first foal Jan. 27. The colt out of Anna Elizabeth (Animal Kingdom) was born at Waymore Farms in Kentucky. Tapwrit stands at Gainesway for $12,500.

Mahmoud is interred in the same soil. So, too, are Broomstick and his son Whisk Broom II--both born in the first years of the last century; Tom Fool, Vaguely Noble, Blushing Groom; the great matriarch La Troienne. Stop The Music, the horse who owed his Champagne S. success to the disqualification of Secretariat, lasted to 35 before he had to be euthanized in 2005. And let's not forget The Axe, gray son of gray Mahmoud: the sire of Foggy Note, fourth of nine gray dams behind the farm's modern colossus...

Empire Maker (Unbridled--Toussaud, by El Gran Senor), who gave Khalid Abdullah's Juddmonte Farms its lone American Classic winner in the 2003 GI Belmont S. before going on to be a sire of sires and grandsire of two Kentucky Derby winners--including a Triple Crown winner--passed away Saturday, Jan. 18 at Gainesway Farm in Lexington. He was 20 years old and succumbed to a rare disease that compromised his immune system. "The passing of Empire Maker will leave a tremendous void not only in the breeding industry as we know it, but...

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. Here are the horses of interest for this weekend running at Kyoto and Nakayama Racecourses as the JRA ushers in the new year with Sunday and Monday racing this week: Sunday, January 5, 2020 1st-KYO, ¥9,680,000 ($90k), Maiden, 3yo, 1200m ASTER HORN (c, 3, Speightstown--Arania, by Dynaformer), a half-brother to MGSW...

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: ANTONY BECK Over the past few days, I have read with interest the letters from Allison Bishop and Dermot Ryan about the important role that Visit Horse Country plays in introducing new people to our sport. I would like to add my voice to the conversation. Each day, as the sun rises over the Bluegrass, we direct our full attention to nurturing our horses. We make this investment in hope that the horses we care for will sire or foal the next big winner or that...