Highly Motivated

Having dealt with the new sires as a case apart, today we start our journey through the price bands of Kentucky stallions by seeing what we can do with a four-figure budget. Even at this end of the market, the perennial dilemma remains that value means different things to different people. A breeder operating at this level tends to appreciate every cent of a commercial return, however marginal. If your belt is already at the last notch, then the understandable inclination is to leave any selfless consideration of the breed's...

by Bill Finley and J.N. Campbell Ways and Means (Practical Joke) romped in her debut Sunday at Saratoga, running away to a 12 3/4-length win in the day's second race, a $136,5000 maiden special weight race run for fillies at six furlongs. Her game effort earned her 'TDN Rising Star' credentials. "She blew us away," winning owner Seth Klarman said. With the bettors making the juvenile filly the 7-10 favorite, the word was out, but few could have expected just how dominant she would be. Patiently ridden by Flavien Prat,...

It's a tall task to beat Chad Brown at Saratoga, especially when he has half the field. SURGE CAPACITY (f, 3, Flintshire {GB}--Strong Incentive, by Warrior's Reward)--one of four entrants from the Brown barn in the GIII Lake George S.--was the least experienced of the field but carried the day, taking Friday's featured race at the Spa after scraping the paint and finishing bravely for the win. A first-out Monmouth maiden winner June 10 at a sixteenth further with an 80 debut Beyer Speed Figure, Surge Capacity gave Brown a...

Welcome to our annual assessment of Bluegrass sire prospects for the approaching covering season. As last year, we're going to confine our focus largely to a "Value Podium" for each intake--rather than attempt, as in the past, an exhaustive (not to say exhausting) assessment of every stallion in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Believe me, it wasn't always easy to find something adequately civil to say about every last one! But the fact is that this is only ever one person's opinion and, as such, a hopelessly subjective exercise. By restricting...

Klaravich Stables's multiple track-record setter Highly Motivated (Into Mischief--Strong Incentive, by Warrior's Reward) will join the Airdrie Stud stallion roster for the upcoming 2023 breeding season, the farm announced Tuesday. He will stand for a fee of $7,500 LFSN. A son of perennial leading sire Into Mischief, Highly Motivated was purchased by Mike Ryan as a weanling on behalf of his owner for $240,000 at the 2018 Keeneland November Sale. Entrusted to trainer Chad Brown, Highly Motivated broke his maiden as the 3-5 favorite in September of his 2-year-old year...

8th-Belmont, $94,000, Alw (NW2$X), Opt. Clm ($62,500), 5-28, 3yo/up, 1m, 1:36.63, ft, neck. HIGHLY MOTIVATED (c, 4, Into Mischief--Strong Incentive {SW, $123,568}, by Warrior's Reward), an easing 4-5 favorite, overcame a bit of a slow start, but sat a good inside trip thereafter and outbattled his 'TDN Rising Star' stablemate Stage Raider (Pioneerof the Nile) to the line to lead home yet another Chad Brown-trained exacta Saturday afternoon at Belmont Park. Off to a hesitant beginning and then bumped by The Reds (Tonalist) to his outside, the $240,000 Keeneland November...

John and Diane Fradkin's Rombauer (Twirling Candy), third in the GII Toyota Blue Grass S. in his most recent start, is headed to the May 15 GI Preakness S. at Pimlico Race Course. "That's the plan," trainer Michael McCarthy told the Pimlico notes team Monday. The homebred automatically qualified for a starting berth in the 146th Preakness with his victory in the El Camino Real Derby Feb. 13 at Golden Gate Fields. He was third, beaten 5 3/4 lengths in the Blue Grass behind champion Essential Quality (Tapit) and Highly...

Godolphin's Essential Quality (Tapit) headlined a quintet of hopefuls that put in their final major works at Churchill Downs Saturday morning ahead of next weekend's Run for the Roses. Also working on an overcast morning were Juddmonte Farms' Mandaloun (Into Michief), Klaravich Stables' Highly Motivated (Into Mischief), Erv Woolsey and Keith Asmussen's Super Stock (Dialed In) and Fern Circle Stables and Three Chimneys Farm's King Fury (Curlin). Heading the Brad Cox Derby team, last season's juvenile champ worked five furlongs in 1:00.40. With exercise rider Edvin Vargas aboard, the likely...

Not to be lost off the heels of a very productive weekend of GI Kentucky Derby/Oaks preps for the Chad Brown barn--more on that in a bit--the four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer recently unveiled a pair of ultra-impressive, stakes-quality Euro imports for allowance victories. Juddmonte homebred Pocket Square (GB) (f, 4, Night of Thunder {Ire}), heroine of Deauville's G3 Prix des Reservoirs at two for trainer Roger Charlton, turned in an eye-catching, 2 1/4-length come-from-behind tally in her U.S. bow over the Keeneland lawn Wednesday, rocketing home in :28.21. She was...

Godolphin homebred Essential Quality (Tapit) gave his connections a few anxious moments in the stretch, but, in the end, he proved why he is a champion with a gutsy score in Keeneland's GII Toyota Blue Grass S. Saturday evening. Hustling up to contest the early pace, the 1-2 favorite allowed Highly Motivated (Into Mischief) to take control, settling on his outside hip through a :23.83 first quarter and :48.21 half-mile. The top two continued to duke it out as three-quarters went in 1:12.08 with the rest of the field watching...

'TDN Rising Star' Essential Quality (Tapit) looks to maintain a spotless record as he stretches out to nine furlongs for the first time while facing a field of nine in this Saturday's GII Toyota Blue Grass S. at Keeneland. If this 3-5 morning line favorite were to score a win this weekend, he would, by most accounts, be considered a top choice heading into the GI Kentucky Derby as an undefeated dual Grade I winner. And yet, history would still be working against the Godolphin homebred come the first Saturday...

Chiefswood Stables homebred Weyburn (Pioneerof the Nile), last seen breaking his maiden going seven panels in the local slop Dec. 5, slipped past the bettors and into the winner's circle to post a 46-1 upset in Aqueduct's GIII Gotham S. He fended off Chad Brown trainee Crowded Trade (More Than Ready) to take the head bob, with that one's stablemate Highly Motivated (Into Mischief) a non-threatening third as the 4-5 chalk. Away well from his outside draw, Weyburn locked on to California invader Freedom Fighter (Violence) through splits of :24.29...