Three Chimneys Farm

5th-Monmouth, $51,675, Msw, 6-16, 2yo, f, 5f, :58.82, ft, 4 1/2 lengths. AGUAS DE CRISTAL (f, 2, Volatile--Cedar Hall {MSP}, by Bayern) broke her maiden at first asking which handed her freshman sire (by Violence) his first winner out of 124 foals of racing age. As a 7-2 shot here, the filly pursued favorite Me Governor (The Factor) up the backstretch. As the pair separated themselves from the rest of the field, they began to trade blows into the lane. With a sixteenth left, it was clear Aguas de Cristal...

Jacob West will join the Claiborne Farm team in October as the Stallion Seasons & Bloodstock Manager, the organization said in a release Wednesday. West, a Kentucky native, graduated from UK with a degree in Economics. He began his career in the Thoroughbred industry at the ground level, first serving as a groom in Taylor Made Farm's broodmare division. From there, he ascended to barn foreman, divisional yearling manager, and then Buyer Account Manager. During his tenure at Taylor Made, West managed all aspects of his clients' investment portfolios, including...

3rd-TAM, $53K, Msw, 3yo, 7f, 1:18 p.m. ET CARTUCHO (Gun Runner) tied for the ninth highest return during the 2022 Keeneland September Sale when selling to bloodstock agent Mike Ryan for $1.2 million. The debuting bay colt's ownership group includes his breeder Three Chimneys Farm, William H. Lawrence and Walmac Farm. He is trained by Chad Brown. Cartucho is out of GISW Malibu Prayer (Malibu Moon). She was a $2 million 2011 Keeneland November purchase for Besilu, who also acquired her dam--SW Grand Prayer (Grand Slam)--at the same sale for...

Old Friends founder Michael Blowen and longtime Three Chimneys Farm stallion manager Sandy Hatfield will join together for a special tour of the Old Friends retirement facility in Georgetown Apr. 9. The tour, with a $150 per person cost, will be limited to 20 people. "Old Friends is blessed with, not only legendary horses, but with legendary people within our family," said John Nicholson, president and CEO of Old Friends. "Our founder Michael Blowen, and longtime Three Chimneys' stallion manager Sandy Hatfield are just such legends. I can't wait for...

In this continuing series, TDN's Senior Racing Editor Steve Sherack catches up with the connections of promising maidens to keep on your radar. With a ton of steam behind impressive debut winner Just a Touch (Justify) heading into Saturday's GIII Gotham S., the second-place finisher's come-from-behind effort over a sloppy, sealed track that day at Fair Grounds may look even better after this weekend. Off at debut odds of 10-1 for Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, Gun Party (c, 3, Curlin--Carina Mia, by Malibu Moon) trailed the field of eight...

8th-GP, $89K, Msw, 3yo, 1m, 3:37 p.m. ET. For a $1-million price tag, Sean Flanagan secured TOP CONOR (Twirling Candy) for his stable at last year's OBS March Sale, which tied the colt for the fourth-highest at the auction and made him his sire's highest-priced 2-year-old in 2023. Previously going for $200,000 during Keeneland September, the Chad Brown trainee is out of GSP Divine Dawn (Divine Park), who International Equities acquired with a filly by Nyquist in-utero for $285,000 at the Keeneland November Sale in 2017. A full-sister to GSW/MSW...

Three Chimneys Farm's GI Belmont S. hero Palace Malice (Curlin) and WinStar Farm's versatile multiple Grade I winner Yoshida (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}) are bound for 2024 Japanese stud duty, Darley Japan said in a release late Wednesday. On the heels of the announcement that Adayar (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) and Hukum (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) will stand at Darley in Japan next year, Palace Malice and Yoshida add even more star power as they accrued four Grade I wins and 10 black-type wins between them. Palace Malice was a...

Kate Bianco has been named sales director at Highgate Sales. A native of New Jersey, Bianco has worked in the yearling division and in sales and nominations at Three Chimneys Farm, and served as Thoroughbred Administrator at Stonestreet Farms. "I feel privileged to have worked for some of the best in the business and will forever be grateful for that opportunity. Sales have always been a passion of mine and I look forward to starting this new adventure with the team at Highgate," Bianco said. Starting her new role before...

6th-KEE, $90K, Msw, 2yo, f, 7f, 3:40 p.m. ET In a wide-open maiden special weight at Keeneland, Claiborne Farm and Adele Dilschneider homebred GRINNING (Bernardini) makes her debut for trainer Riley Mott. The first foal out of Tickle (Distorted Humor), her second dam is a full-sister to champion older horse and GI Breeders' Cup Classic hero Blame and a half to the dam of GSW Carve (First Samurai). The Stoneway Farm-bred Shiloh's Mistress (Vino Rosso) also makes her first start. A $235,000 Keeneland September buy, the Michael McCarthy trainee's dam...

Three Chimneys Farm's Sharp Azteca (Freud), winner of the GI Cigar Mile at Aqueduct and one of the top freshman sires of 2022, has been sold to Japan to stand stud at Shizunai Stallion Station in 2024, the Japanese Racing Association announced Friday. The move is subject to his passing quarantine restrictions. A leading sire of 2-year-olds last year, Sharp Azteca is responsible for progeny like Tyler's Tribe and Sharp Aza Tack.

In early August, during the second session of this year's Fasig-Tipton New York Bred Yearlings Sale, a member of the Hidden Lake Farm consignment's team led a uniquely colored grey Ghostzapper filly into the sale ring and handed her off to the ringman on duty, Eddie Ortiz. As the auctioneer introduced the filly and bidding ensued, each nervous flick of her ear was met with a reassuring stroke down her neck, along her back and across the underside of her belly. Quiet words were spoken, only heard by Ortiz and...

In Risk It (Gun Runner), who made his career debut in Saturday's first race at Saratoga, you had a horse by an exceptional sire, one who sold for $500,000 as a yearling, was taking money at the windows and is trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen. He figured to be a runner, and he was. Ridden by Tyler Gaffalione, Risk It broke sharply, quickly opened up by two lengths on the backstretch and cruised home from there in a race that was never in doubt. A $136,5000 maiden special...