St. Elias Stables

'TDN Rising Star' Forte (Violence)'s dominant sophomore debut in Saturday's GII Fountain of Youth S. at Gulfstream is understandably going to generate glowing headlines because of his kingpin status as the comebacking divisional champion. But that sharp win shouldn't overshadow the thoroughly convincing GII San Felipe S. score by Practical Move (Practical Joke) at Santa Anita, which on its own terms was emphatic enough to merit a significant reshuffling of the deck of GI Kentucky Derby contenders. The Fountain of Youth S. has evolved into somewhat of a "trap" race...

Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable's Forte (Violence) completed his preparation for his 2023 debut in next Saturday's GII Fountain of Youth S. at Gulfstream Park after breezing five furlongs in 1:01.99 Saturday morning at Palm Beach Downs. "Last week was the work we wanted to make sure that we were on target," trainer Todd Pletcher said. "We got a good strong work into him. We got a good work today, but after last week, we weren't looking for him to do too much. We're right on schedule and think...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 5th-GP, $84k, Msw, 3yo, f, 7 1/2fT, 2:10p.m. ET The powerhouse partnership of Repole and St Elias Stables will send out $450,000 FTKOCT purchase SASSINESS (Uncle Mo) in this turf maiden. A half to Canadian Horse of the Year and champion 3-year-old colt Up With the Birds (Stormy Atlantic) as well as 9-time winner, SW Speightsong (Speightstown), the filly also claims three other winning half-siblings. This is the female line of Canadian champion older mare, GISW Wilderness Song (Wild Again), whose own half-sister Sound the...

Fasig-Tipton, which hosted the opening event of the season with its July Selected Yearlings Sale, will bring the curtain down on the yearlings auction season with its four-day Kentucky October Yearlings Sale which begins Monday at the company's Newtown Paddocks. The sale continues through Thursday with sessions beginning daily at 10 a.m. The 2021 October sale was a barnburner, setting new records for gross, average and median, and consignors are hoping this year's edition continues a string of strong results this season. "The market has been very strong throughout the...

6th-Belmont The Big A, $95,000, Msw, 10-22, 2yo, 7f, 1:25.64, ft, 4 1/4 lengths. RUDDER'S MEN (c, 2, Battalion Runner--Unblemished, by Speightstown) was easily the most popular choice at 1-2 for his debut run after working a bullet four furlongs from the gate in :46 2/5 (1/187) Oct. 7. Campaigned by the same connections as his freshman sire (by Unbridled's Song), Rudder's Men hustled to the front shortly after the break and settled nicely a path off the rail through a sharp opening quarter in :22.53. Kept under wraps until...

The Keeneland September Yearling Sale, which surpassed $400-million in gross sales for the first time in its history, concluded Saturday with new records, not just for turnover, but also for average and median and with 30 seven-figure yearlings doubling the number from the 2021 auction. Keeneland sold a total of 2,847 yearlings through the ring for $405,495,700 during the 12-day auction, surpassing the previous record of $399,791,800 set during the 2006 September sale. The cumulative average and median prices surpassed September sale records set last year, with the average price...

Randall Gatlin Brandon, 80, passed away Aug. 15, 2022 in his hometown of Camden, South Carolina. He was the son of the late Gatlin Randall and Frances Johns Brandon. Randy  is survived by his wife Kirsty May Brandon, daughters Julie Carter (Andrew) and Lisa Boyle, both of Portland, Oregon, grandchildren Katie and Emma Carter, brothers Dr. Jeff Brandon (Nancy) of Palm Coast, Florida and Kyle Brandon of El Paso, Texas. He graduated from Washington State University and followed with an internship at Auburn University. After completing his internship, he was...

Hot Little Thing, coming off a seven-length maiden romp at Horseshoe Indianapolis, became the first stakes winner for her freshman sire Army Mule (Friesan Fire) with a dominant victory in the Back Home Again S. at the Indiana oval Wednesday. The even-money favorite zipped out to the early lead and was in control through fractions of :23.18 and :46.47. She skipped effortlessly clear down the lane and cruised home under wraps a much-the-best winner. Hot Little Thing contested the pace before coming up 3/4-lengths short when second in her off-turf...

by Jessica Martini & Christie DeBernardis SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY - The Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Selected Yearlings Sale opened with a lively session of trade punctuated by four seven-figure yearlings Monday evening in upstate New York. A colt by Uncle Mo, consigned by Lane's End as agent for his breeder, Summer Wind Farm, attracted the session's highest bid when selling for $1.5 million to the partnership of West Point Thoroughbreds and Woodford Racing. In all, 69 yearlings sold at the Humphrey S. Finney Pavilion Monday for a total of $28,930,000. The average...

Michael Wallace has accepted roles working for Vinnie and Teresa Viola's St. Elias Stable as well as Kuldeep Singh Rajput's Gandharvi Racing Stables, the bloodstock agent told the TDN Tuesday. Wallace served as Chief Operating Officer of the China Horse Club before leaving that post at the end of last year. He will serve as a sales and bloodstock consultant for St. Elias and an overall bloodstock manager for Gandharvi. "It's a wonderful opportunity to work with two great business minds, really," Wallace said. "You can learn a lot off...

A colt from the first crop of champion sprinter Mitole (Eskendereya) (Hip 3154) topped the penultimate session of the Keeneland November Sale Thursday, bringing $100,000 from Rexy Bloodstock during the second of three Book 5 sessions. Hip 3154 was consigned by Hill 'n' Dales Sales Agency on behalf of Vinny Viola's St. Elias Stables, which purchased his dam Waltzing (Candy Ride {Arg}) with this colt in utero for $37,000 at this year's Fasig-Tipton February Sale. Waltzing is a half-sister to GSW Dancing Solo (Giant's Causeway) and hails from the family...

LEXINGTON, KY - The Fasig-Tipton October Yearlings Sale, which had already surpassed its previous highest gross with a day to go, concluded Thursday with new high-water marks for average and median and its lowest buy-back rate since 2013. "Day four was another outstanding day for the October sale," said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning. "It was a fitting conclusion to a great horse sale. It's been a great week. The numbers have been tremendous all four days across the board. There were dramatic increases in gross, dramatic increases in average and...