Street Sense

Godolphin's Speaker's Corner (Street Sense) and First Captain (Curlin), owned by West Point Thoroughbreds, Siena Farm, Woodford Racing and celebrity chef Bobby Flay, appear on course for a tilt at the seven-furlong GI Carter H. Apr. 9 at Aqueduct. This term, the former, trained by Bill Mott, has posted a pair of one-turn victories at Gulfstream Park--the GIII Fred Hooper S. Jan. 29 followed by the Mar. 5 GII Gulfstream Park Mile. Last year, he won three starts in New York, including a 6 3/4-length triumph in a Belmont optional...

With the 2022 breeding season right around the corner, we will feature a series of breeders' mating plans over the coming weeks. Today we have Katierich Farms, a boutique breeding farm owned by Larry and Karen Doyle and located in Midway, Kentucky. Katierich president George Barnes said the farm not only boards and breeds for clients, but is also focused on developing their own high-quality broodmare band for the commercial market. ENHANCING (m, 14, Forestry--Heavenly Prize, by Seeking the Gold), to be bred to Blame Enhancing is a daughter of...

Azure Coast (Street Sense) was plucked out of the Gainesway consignment at Keeneland September in 2020 by owner Vladamir Kazakov for $65,000, and that has proven to be an inspired purchase with the colt now three-for-three and a stakes winner after taking Friday's G3 UAE 2000 Guineas on his black-type debut. Debuting over a mile in Moscow in September, Azure Coast came home a six-length winner. He resurfaced at Meydan for trainer Pavel Vaschenko in December, dropping back to seven furlongs to win a conditions race over the Meydan dirt...

With the 2022 breeding season right around the corner, we will feature a series of breeders' mating plans over the coming weeks. Today we have owner/breeder, chef, and restaurateur Bobby Flay. SUPER ESPRESSO (m, 15, Medaglia d'Oro--Amizette, by Forty Niner), to be bred to Not This Time One of the hottest, proven sires of the new generation. Can infuse natural speed into this regally bred family of Courtly Dee. TIZAHIT (m, 15, Tiznow--Never a No Hitter, by Kris S.), to be bred to Curlin The mare has already produced a...

Lightly raced Speaker's Corner had earned some strong speed figures up to this point for a horse without a stakes win, and he kicked off his 4-year-old campaign auspiciously with a breakthrough tally in Florida. A second-out graduate in New York as a fall juvenile over a very salty bunch of future stakes runners (Caddo River, Greatest Honour, Miles D, Bourbonic and Original), Speaker's Corner resurfaced off the long lay-off to crush Saratoga allowance foes by open lengths. The GI Pennsylvania Derby next out perhaps proved too much too soon,...

LEXINGTON, KY - The Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale continued Thursday with a third session dominated by mares from the Godolphin draft. Dan Hall, acting on behalf of Frank Stronach's Adena Springs, made the day's highest bid when going to $480,000 to acquire the unraced Crowning Jewel (Into Mischief). Sheikh Mohammed's operation, on track to earn the Eclipse Award as leading breeder of 2021, was responsible for three of the session's top four prices. In all, 259 head sold Thursday for a gross of $5,471,700. The session average...

With the 2022 breeding season right around the corner, we will feature a series of breeders' mating plans over the coming weeks. Today we have Aidan and Leah O'Meara of Stonehaven Steadings. VENETIAN SONATA (m, 13, Bernardini--Moonlight Sonata, by Carson City), to be bred to Curlin Bernardini's talents as a broodmare sire have been impressive but his strike rate with Curlin has been hugely impressive with nearly 20% stakes winners to date. That coupled with another stellar year at the track for Curlin made this mating an easy decision. Venetian...

Just a three-mile jaunt from Brendan Walsh's barn at Keeneland, the conditioner's first Grade I winner Maxfield (Street Sense - Velvety, by Bernardini) is settling into his new home at the stud barn of Darley's Jonabell Farm. Three weeks ago, the Godolphin homebred ended his career on a high note with a final victory in the GI Clark S. at Churchill Downs. Walsh, who had hopped  on a plane shortly after the win to visit his Florida division, had not seen Maxfield since that night. So when he dropped in...

Sandstone earned her second straight open-lengths win under the Twin Spires with a wire-to-wire victory in the Rags to Riches S. at Churchill Sunday. The dark bay filly  took the lead early was shadowed by favorite Yuugiri through an opening quarter in :24.51. Favored Yuugiri rolled up to challenge the pacesetter after a half in :48.55 and appeared to gain a slim advantage in upper stretch, but Sandstone battled back and powered clear to an authoritative victory. Freshened up after finishing a well-beaten fifth in her 5 1/2-furlong debut at...

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...

LEXINGTON, KY - The Fasig-Tipton October Yearlings Sale, with a session still to come, soared past its record gross with another day of break-neck bidding Wednesday at Newtown Paddocks. By the close of business Wednesday, 856 yearlings had sold at the October sale for a total of $39,511,600, bettering the previous record gross of $38,258,900 which was set in 2019. "Obviously, it was a continuation of the euphoria/excitement and enthusiasm throughout the day," Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning said of the October sale's third session. "It's beyond what we could have...

Darley America will have two major new additions to its stallion roster for 2022 as GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile and GI Belmont S. winner Essential Quality (Tapit--Delightful Quality, by Elusive Quality) and fellow Grade I winner Maxfield (Street Sense--Velvety, by Bernardini) are set to retire to Jonabell after their final starts. "To have both Essential Quality and Maxfield coming to Jonabell is as exciting as it gets. And to have accomplished what they did as homebreds in the colors of Godolphin makes it even that much more meaningful," said Darley...