Improbable

Already a two-time stakes winner, Governor Sam stretched his win streak to three in a gusty performance to take the Indian Summer Stakes at Keeneland Sunday. Since breaking his maiden at Saratoga in July, the son of freshman sire Improbable has been a tour de force in the Mid-Atlantic juvenile turf sprints--coming from off the pace to take the Tyro Stakes at Monmouth and, most recently, wiring the Exacta Systems Rosie's Stakes at Colonial Downs Sept. 7. Favored at 8-5 for the three-peat, Governor Sam again flashed good early speed...

Sixth but beaten just three lengths in the Royal Palm Juvenile Stakes on debut at Gulfstream May 11, Governor Sam returned to the races at Saratoga to break his maiden going gate to wire over 5 1/2 furlongs July 19. Jumping into stakes company again at five furlongs Saturday, he became the first stakes winner for his freshman sire (by City Zip) with a narrow victory in the Tyro Stakes at Monmouth. Up close to the early speed of Johnny Come Lately (Hootenanny), the 1-5 favorite and the only runner...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - With majority owner Alex Bregman in Seattle for the Houston Astros' game against the Mariners, his partner, Reagan Swinbank, took care of the winner's circle duties Friday at Saratoga Race Course following Governor Sam's (Improbable) impressive maiden-breaking victory. Swinbank said he jumped at the opportunity to buy an interest in the colt purchased by the MLB star's Bregman Family Racing LLC for $275,000 at the OBS April sale of 2-year-olds. "We invested based on Alex and his team's opinion," Swinbank said. Swinback recalls the analysis of...

3rd-Horseshoe Indianapolis, $32,000, Msw, 7-15, 2yo, 5f, :59.70, ft, 4 lengths. MAYBE EYE'LL CALL (c, 2, Improbable--You Caught My Eye, by Can the Man) became the first winner for his sadly departed stallion (by City Zip) with an easy second-out success. Facing considerably easier competition after finishing 10th in his June 20 unveiling at Churchill Downs, the 7-10 chalk was able to avoid  a messy start caused by the veering-in Govenor Hank (Govenor Charlie), was nursed along on the front end and proved four lengths best on the wire. You...

The Ocala Breeders' Sales Company launched an action-packed week of under-tack shows ahead of its Spring 2-year-olds in Training Sale, which will run from Apr. 16 through Apr. 19. A total of eight juveniles--half fillies and half colts--led the way Sunday morning with joint :9 4/5 moves. WinStar's freshman sire Improbable was the only sire to be represented by a pair of session-topping workers--Hip 131, a colt out of I Know That Mom (Distorted Humor) (S G V Thoroughbreds LLC), and Hip 133, a colt out of MSW and MGSP...

It's that time again. The first major 2-year-old sale, the March OBS sale, is in the books and the buyers, sellers and bloodstock agents have had their chance to evaluate this year's freshman sires. So who do they like? We asked the experts listed below to give us their pick for leading freshman sire and an under-the-radar stallion they expect will have a big 2024. Liz Crow: "I really liked the Improbables (WinStar) at the OBS March breeze show. It's very sad that he passed away. I thought he had,...

WinStar Farm stallion Improbable (City Zip), the champion older male of 2020 and a 'TDN Rising Star', was euthanized late last night at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington after suffering from ataxia behind, a condition which causes poor voluntary muscle control, the farm said in a release early Sunday. "He was sent to Rood and Riddle yesterday morning to determine the exact cause of the ataxia," said Elliott Walden, president, CEO, and racing manager of WinStar Farm. "He was responding well to treatment, but went to lie down...

WinStar will launch four new stallions with first two-year-olds in 2024: Global Campaign, Improbable, Promises Fulfilled, and Tom's d'Etat, and it's Improbable who has come out swinging first at the sales. At OBS March, four of his colts brought six figures, selling for $475,000, $400,000, $300,000, and $250,000 and a first-crop filly fetched $140,000. The $400,000 colt, out of Libby's Tail, who breezed in 9.4 for Eddie Woods-one of three Improbables to hit that mark--was purchased in partnership by David Hanley, the Senior Vice President of Bloodstock Services at WinStar...

Todd Fincher, a standout on the New Mexico circuit, picked the perfect time and place to pick up his first Grade I win. His stable star Senor Buscador (Mineshaft), who was overdue to collect a big win, got the job done in the GI Saudi Cup. With a purse of $20 million, it is the richest Thoroughbred race in the world. Fincher joined this week's TDN Writers' Room podcast presented by Keeneland to discuss his popular horse, the reasons why he likes training in New Mexico, what are the prospects...

by Dan Ross & Jill Williams A $250,000 colt by late California sire Vronsky led Tuesday's one-session Fasig-Tipton California Fall Yearlings and Horses of Racing Age Sale, topping a dozen lots to sell for six figures. While the $5,751,500 gross for 185 head and $15,000 median (-11.76%) declined somewhat from the 2022 edition, average was up slightly from $30,522 in 2022 to $31,089 (+1.86%) this year. The buy-back rate, 25.7% in 2022, rose to 34%. "Buy-backs may be up a little bit," said Fasig-Tipton's California representative Mike Machowsky. "But the...

The smallest group profiled to date, numbering only 65, is led by its undisputed leader, undefeated Triple Crown champion and Horse of the Year Justify (Scat Daddy). Justify debuted early in his 3-year-old season with a gate-to-wire 9 1/2-length romp at Santa Anita. Two starts later, in an effort to earn qualifying points towards the GI Kentucky Derby, the chestnut defeated MGISW Bolt d'Oro (Medaglia d'Oro) by three lengths to take the GI Santa Anita Derby and a spot in the Derby starting gate. With the 'Curse of Apollo' fresh...

6th-Aqueduct, $73,950, Msw, 11-11, 2yo, 6f, 1:13.47, gd, 4 1/2 lengths. TALK OF THE NATION (c, 2, Quality Road--She's Not Here {MGSW, $450,453}, by Street Cry {Ire}) failed to meet his reserve on a final bid of $470,000 after breezing in :10.1 at the Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream Sale earlier this spring. Given the 4-5 nod in this scratched-down field of just three, Talk of the Nation took his time getting into stride after bumping with Nieuwendyk (Nyquist) shortly after the break. Third of the trio, he kept outside in the clear...