St Elias Stable

It might feel a touch trite to repeat it, but the timeworn observation is such for a reason: the stallion market is one packed to the brim with tough customers and salty competition. And it turns out, both literally and metaphorically as evidenced by the recently released Report of Mares Bred. Breeders gravitate to quality and are more frequently turning to tried-and-true sources to find it, or are becoming more demanding of first-year sires before taking the chance. In an economy where connections are forced to steadily tighten their belts,...

A host of juveniles from the Todd Pletcher barn gearing up for engagements on Friday of Breeders' Cup championship weekend worked at Keeneland Thursday. Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable's Forte (Violence) and Harrell Ventures' Lost Ark (Violence), the respective winner and sixth-place finisher in the Oct. 8 GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity, breezed a half-mile together in :49.20 immediately after the track's second renovation break at 9 a.m. Both are candidates for the $2-million GI FanDuel Breeders' Cup Juvenile. Keeneland clockers caught the two in fractions of :13.40, :25, and...

2nd-KEE, $100k, Msw, 2yo, f, 6f, 1:31p.m. ET Conditioner Brendan Walsh sends out a blue-blooded filly here in HUMBLING (Quality Road), who lays claim to a stellar female family which includes 'TDN Rising Star', GISW (and eventual producer of 'Rising Stars') Hot Dixie Chick (Dixie Union) and GI Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming (Bodemeister). The former has a pair of talented offspring to her credit when counting GISW Pauline's Pearl (Tapit) and GSP Union Jackson (Curlin). Humbling, a $1 million FTSAUG purchase by Jeff Drown and Michael Ryan in 2021,...

A filly by the late Lord Nelson brought $125,000 from agent Michael Wallace, acting on behalf of St. Elias Stables, to top Friday's 11th of 12 sessions of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale. Vinnie Viola's operation has purchased a total of 48 head throughout the sale, either alone or in partnership, for gross receipts of $18,815,000 and an average of $391,979. Consigned by Legacy Bloodstock, agent for breeder Spendthrift Farm, as Hip 3709, Friday's topper is a full sister to 2022 GII Saratoga Special S. third-place finisher and recent runaway...

Repole Stable and St Elias Stable's Forte (Violence), the beaten favorite in the GIII Sanford S. on opening weekend, rebounded with an emphatic victory through the rain drops in the GI Hopeful S. on closing day at Saratoga Monday. Sent off at 6-1, the dark bay colt was squeezed back at the break and rated near the back of the field as favored Gulfport (Uncle Mo), looking to rebound from his own defeat as a Spa favorite in the Aug. 13 GII Saratoga Special, jumped out to the early lead...

After a youth spent around horses, Amy Moore took a three-decade long sabbatical from the sport to focus on a career in law, but she is making up for lost time with the launch of her South Gate Farm in Millwood, Virginia. The fledgling operation has a star-in-the-making in 'TDN Rising Star' Forte (Violence), who goes postward in Monday's GI Hopeful S. at Saratoga, and will follow up the following Monday when that colt's half-brother by Uncle Mo (hip 11) goes through the sales ring during the first session of...

5th-DMR, $80k, Msw, 2yo, 5f, 7:04p.m. ET Hronis Racing LLC, West Point Thoroughbreds, and Woodford Racing LLC have partnered up to unveil the latest blue-blooded colt by Justify, this one named HAWKER. Shelling out a cool $675,000 for him at KEESEP, his pedigree warrants the implied expectations: out of GSP Flaming Heart (Touch Gold), it makes Hawker a half to GISP & MGSW Commissioner (A.P. Indy), GISP & GSW Laugh Track (Distorted Humor), and to the dam of MGISW Vino Rosso (Curlin). All three of the colt's closest female line...

1st-Saratoga, $105,000, Msw, 7-21, 3yo/up, 6f, 1:10.87, sy, 4 1/4 lengths. UP TO THE MARK (c, 3, Not This Time--Belle's Finale, by Ghostzapper) tipped his hand with a well-touted local worktab, highlighted by a half-mile gate move over the training track in :48 flat (3/37) July 7, and was backed down to 9-10 favoritism. Tracking the pace from a three-wide third through a :22.44 quarter, the $450,000 Keeneland September grad drew in on the pacesetter alongside Be There (Medaglia d'Oro) passing a half in :45.83, and those two went on...

Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable's Forte (Violence) was no secret to the betting public as the heavy 1-5 favorite for the Friday lid-lifted at Belmont Park and ran away from his overmatched rivals down the lane to earn 'TDN Rising Star' accolades. The $80,000 Keeneland November weanling turned $110,000 Keeneland September acquisition had registered three works since shipping up from trainer Todd Pletcher's South Florida base at Palm Beach Downs and signaled his readiness with a best-of-24 half-mile from the gate that was timed in :48 flat May 20,...

9th-Gulfstream, $53,000, Msw, 3-19, 3yo, 1m, 1:35.48, ft, 4 3/4 lengths. BRIGHT FUTURE (c, 3, Curlin--Sophia's Song {SW & GSP, $155,892}, by Bellamy Road) was the less fancied of a pair of Todd Pletcher-trained Curlin newcomers at 4-1, and broke well before eventually backing off and allowing his stablemate Gasoline (Curlin) to establish the early lead. The blaze-faced chestnut bided his time in third off the inside behind soft splits, and ranged up to re-engage Gasoline approaching the straight. He put away that foe pretty easily in upper stretch, and...

The Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Fall Sale, canceled last year due to the pandemic, returned to the Humphrey S. Pavilion Monday with a weanling filly from the first crop of multiple graded stakes winner Catalina Cruiser (Union Rags) (hip 215) bringing top price of $195,000. The filly, bred by Robert Chasanoff's Gentry Stable and consigned by Sequel New York, was purchased by Dean and Patti Reeves, in partnership with Steven Rocco. "That's as balanced and as solid a looking filly as I've seen in a long time," Dean Reeves said of the...

Sent off at odds of 3-4 to open his account at first asking, Overstep (Into Mischief) turned on the afterburners through the Belmont stretch to become yet another 'TDN Rising Star' for his all-conquering stallion. Drawn one from the outside in stall eight, the $360,000 Keeneland September yearling pressed the pace outside of 7-1 chance Silver Samurai (First Samurai), appearing to have that one whenever Irad Ortiz, Jr. elected to pull the trigger. On even terms with 2 1/2 furlongs left to run, Overstep was shaken up once heads were...