Shaman Ghost

All eyes will be on Santa Anita for their opening weekend feature in the GI Awesome Again S. as Bob Baffert trainees Maximum Security (New Year's Day) and Improbable (City Zip) go head to head for the first time since that consequential first Saturday in May last year. The $300,000 Breeders' Cup "Win and You're In" contest could mark the emergence of an unusual stablemate rivalry. Over two decades ago, the race's namesake was part of a different rivalry-- one for 1998 Horse of the Year. Awesome Again had gone...

Adena Springs will offer the service of its U.S. stallions for the upcoming Southern Hemisphere breeding season, beginning Aug. 15, and running through the summer and fall. Topping the roster at a fee of $20,000 is Ghostzapper. All stud fees are no guarantee payable at 90 days in foal or upon entering quarantine. Multiple mare discounts may be available. For more information, contact Ken Wilkins (859) 699-4887 or Donald Wells (859) 470-9963. The rest of Adena's Southern Hemisphere offerings are: Macho Uno, $2,500; Mucho Macho Man, $3,500, Point of Entry...

We've taken a breather in this series during the January Sale, where I shared many conversations on themes raised in its first two parts--notably the market's addiction to unproven stallions. Time after time, it was the same story. A shrug of the shoulders, a helpless spreading of the hands: "Yes, we know it's nuts. But we have to make the game pay." Fair enough. It's a bit like the individual who asks why he or she should make a massively inconvenient personal sacrifice, with regard to the climate crisis, when...