Mike Recio

A lot of you will know the feeling. Day three of the January Sale, back ring, and your horse is coming back out after a matter of seconds. The digital board had stalled at $2,500, and then cleared. Bret Jones exchanged a grimace with farm manager Ben Henley. Pretty terrible, no getting away from it. But what can you do? It wasn't the first time Airdrie has had to cut its losses on a horse, and nor would it be the last. As his father has always told Bret: "Better...

Evidently she's no Busher, to look at. Between 2011 and 2018, in fact, she changed hands four times as a pregnant mare at Keeneland, her value gradually declining until the late Mike Recio was able to purchase her for just $13,000. The previous evening, Recio had called Dan Zanatta, founding/managing partner of Final Furlong Racing with Vince Roth, and announced: "Tomorrow morning, I'm buying you a broodmare." Zanatta was not enthused. Final Furlong was evolving nicely, syndicating New York-bred fillies. Though they did have one broodmare, apart from pinhooking weanlings,...

With the 2022 breeding season underway, we continue to feature a series of breeders' mating plans. Today we have Brian Moore of Brushy Hill, LLC, breeder of recent G1 Saudi Cup winner Emblem Road (Quality Road). Before getting into Brushy Hill's mating plans this year, we asked Moore about the story behind the mating, which was put together by the late Mike Recio, that produced Emblem Road. "That was a Mike Recio special," Moore said. "All the matings up until last year and our entire portfolio is because of Mike's...

Pop a Choc, a daughter of the increasingly influential broodmare sire Bernardini, was hammered down for $265,000 as the last few grains of sand were passing through the hourglass during Monday's opening session of Book 4 at the Keeneland November Sale in Lexington. The 4-year-old filly was consigned to the sale by Meg Levy's Bluewater Sales LLC and topped yet another day of exceptional trade in the Bluegrass. A total of 271 horses sold for $10,507,100 Monday, an increase of 67.4% over last year's COVID-affected sale, while the average of...

In lieu of a funeral, a Celebration of Life for Mike Recio will be held at the Thoroughbred Club of America next to Keeneland on Friday, Oct. 1, from 6:30-9:00pm. Everyone who was a friend, family, business associate, etc., is invited to come tell some stories, and celebrate his life. Food and drinks will be served. Bloodstock agent and consignor Mike Recio passed away Sept. 16, at the age of 46 after battling sepsis. The son of respected Ocala horseman Bill Recio, he had been involved in the Thoroughbred racing...

Bloodstock agent and consignor Mike Recio passed away Sept. 16, at the age of 46 after battling sepsis. The son of respected Ocala horseman Bill Recio, he had been involved in the Thoroughbred racing and breeding industry for the majority of his life. After graduating from the University of Louisville Horse Racing Industry Program in 2002, Recio worked in client services for Taylor Made Farm, Adena Springs, Mill Ridge and Hidden Brook, where he cultivated his business acumen and his legendary gift of gab. In the fall of 2014, Recio...

Mike Recio's broad smile may not be on display at Fasig-Tipton's Saratoga Sale, but he will be well represented by his South Point Sales team as they forge ahead with the consignment at the summer's premiere yearling sale. While Recio continues his battle with sepsis in the ICU at Central Baptist Hospital in Kentucky, South Point sales coordinator Justina Severni and longtime team member John Fahey will pick up the torch. "These are some of the best yearlings South Point Sales has ever sold," Severni said. "We are going to...

An event held Sunday, Aug. 1 at McCarthy's Irish Bar in downtown Lexington raised better than $83,000 to benefit the family of Mike Recio, the part-owner of the South Point Sales Consignment, who is battling sepsis in the intensive care unit at Central Baptist Hospital. Spendthrift Farm's Mark Toothaker, a friend of Recio's who helped organize the event, estimates that better than 200 people attended the event at the popular bar and "you couldn't get another person in there with a shoehorn." A vast array of experiences, services, unique items...

A pair of racehorse prospects offered by St. George Sales late in the day were the lone lots to bring six figures during Monday's session of the Keeneland November sale, with graded-stakes placed Bob and Jackie (Twirling Candy) (hip 3017F) bringing top price of $190,000 when selling to bloodstock agents Grey Price and Mike Recio on behalf of California owner Calvin Nguyen. Bred and raced by Zayat Stables, the 4-year-old is a three-time stakes winner and recently finished third in the Oct. 3 GII City of Hope Mile S. Bob...

Matthew Schera's stakes-winning and MGSP 7-year-old Vorticity (Distorted Humor--Tar Heel Mom, by Flatter) has been retired. A $220,000 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic juvenile purchase in 2015, and later that year annexed the Marylander S. before seconds in the GIII Jerome S. and GIII Withers S. as an early season 3-year-old. He added a third in the 2018 GII Pat O'Brien S., and retires with a record of 18-4-6-3 and earnings of $347,040. "I look at a lot of stride data, and Vorticity had a very large stride and he had a very...