Spendthrift Farm

Fees have been set for Spendthrift's four first-crop sires, currently occupying four of the five top spots on the leading freshman sire list in North America, according to a release from the Central Kentucky farm Wednesday. Their fees for the 2024 breeding season were held back when Spendthrift announced the farm's roster and fees in late September. The Spendthrift roster will feature three new stallions in 2024: Taiba (Gun Runner), Arabian Lion (Justify), and Zandon (Upstart). Taiba is already at the farm and will stand for $35,000, while the other...

6th-Keeneland, $100,000, Msw, 10-6, 2yo, f, 6f, 1:11.49, ft, 3 1/4 lengths. BOURBON BREEZE (f, 2, Omaha Beach--Malibu Pride, by Malibu Moon) became her sire (by War Front)'s 14th winner in impressive fashion here, the 4-1 shot saving early ground from behind the leading bunch heading into the straight. Losing a few positions as the field closed ranks, she next had to contend with a wall of runners in front of her and finally found her seam in the final furlong as she muscled between rivals for an opening. Driving...

It's hard for a horse to have a better season than Mitole did at four: his four Grade Is included the Sprint as well as the Met Mile and it's no small thing to set (and still hold) Saratoga's GI Forego stakes record of 1:20.80 for seven panels. "A long time ago somebody asked a groom what makes a good racehorse. He said speed and more speed. That always makes me think of Mitole," said Ned Toffey, general manager of Spendthrift Farm. "This was a horse that had an unbelievable...

Fasig-Tipton has catalogued 145 entries for its October Digital Sale, which may be viewed at digital.fasigtipton.com. Bidding is now open and closes Tuesday, Oct. 10, at 2 p.m. ET. The catalogue includes horses of racing age, breeding stock, and a stallion. Among those catalogued are 11 offerings from the Partial Stock Reduction of Machmer Hall, which will sell without reserve. "We have another strong group of entries for the October Digital Sale, particularly among the horses of racing age," said Leif Aaron, Fasig-Tipton Director of Digital Sales. "We are pleased...

Daniel Toffey has joined the stallion sales team at Spendthrift, the farm said in a release Thursday morning. "Tammy and I are happy Daniel has decided to come back home to work at Spendthrift," said owner Eric Gustavson. "He's a hardworking, energetic young man with a wide range of skills, and we know he will be a great fit here." Born and raised in Lexington, Toffey's passion for horses began early on, spending countless hours around Thoroughbreds with his father, Spendthrift general manager Ned Toffey. After graduating from high school,...

When The Jockey Club announced last week that the estimated North American foal crop for 2024 was 18,000, a 2.7% decline from the projected 2023 foal crop, the news was hardly a surprise. By the time the final numbers are in for 2024,the foal crop will have declined in 18 of the last 19 years and this will be the smallest foal crop since 1964. Since 2005, when there were 38,365 foals, the crop has declined by more than half. How big of a problem is this. Why is it...

In the Sept. 30 edition of the Thoroughbred Daily News, we ran an interview with John Sikura in which he raised questions about the funding mechanism and purse of the Kentucky Derby. In the article, Sikura says: "(The Kentucky Derby is) "The single event that drives the commerce of the industry. The point of entry to virtually everybody that owns a horse: 'I want to win the Kentucky Derby.' If you're fortunate enough to do so, there should be a financial reward that recognizes that--not just pride in achievement. A...

A groomsman no more. After three consecutive second-place efforts from as many starts this season, Jeff Drown's Zandon (Upstart) finally got his place at the altar with a come-from-behind victory in the rescheduled GII Woodward S. at Belmont's Aqueduct meet. Not seen in the winner's enclosure since a victory in the GI Toyota Blue Grass S. on the 2022 Kentucky Derby trail, the 4-year-old continued to throw good performance after good performance throughout the rest of last year and into his season's campaign. Just this year alone, he's finished behind...

The only two-time winner of the Dirt Mile to date, Goldencents had gameness written all over him. The Equibase chart for his second Breeders' Cup win summed up much of his career: "gunned hard," "met the oncoming challenge," and "dug in tenaciously." "Goldencents was a special horse for us because he is the first horse that really began to put Into Mischief on the map," said Ned Toffey, general manager of Spendthrift Farm. "He and [MGSW & MGISP] Vyjack came out of Into Mischief's first crop. Obviously he went on...

7th-CD, $120K, Msw, 2yo, 1m, 3:50 p.m. At Churchill Downs Sunday, drawn to the extreme outside is BLOWN COVER (Gun Runner) who will make his first start for an ownership group which includes Spendthrift Farm and Gandharvi Racing. A $650,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase, the dark bay colt, bred by Machmer Hall and trained by Brad Cox, is the second offspring to make the races out of a dam who is a half-sister to GII Oaklawn H. hero Cyber Secret (Broken Vow). Also debuting here is Track Phantom (Quality...

Four-time leading sire Into Mischief, who has broken records with 15 seven-figure yearlings to sell this year, will head the Spendthrift Farm stallion roster once again for 2024, the Central Kentucky farm announced Thursday afternoon. Into Mischief will stand for $250,000 S&N in 2024, identical to his advertised fee for 2023. Into Mischief is currently leading the general sires list for 2024 by a comfortable margin. His progeny for 2024 include 21 black-type winners, nine graded winners, and four Grade I winners, led by GI Kentucky Oaks winner and 'TDN...

Soloshot (Solomini) was the short favorite at even-money for this stakes debut, but produced an effort similar to her career debut, going coast-to-coast in the Lady Finger S. to become Solomini (by Curlin)'s first stakes winner. A dominant 7 3/4-length victress at first calling Aug. 27 in an off-turf baby dash at Saratoga against a state-bred maiden field, Soloshot broke like one here and quickly establish control over the pace from two off the rail. Putting a comfortable margin on Redwineandwhiskey (War Dancer) entering the straight, she responded when roused...