Unbridled's Song

Saturday Sires: Arrogate

The much-missed Arrogate continues to add 'Saturday afternoon horses' to his tally with his final crop. Seize the Grey captured Saturday's GI Preakness S., giving Arrogate a second Classic winner in just three crops.  A Kentucky Oaks winner in his first crop. A Belmont and Travers winner in his second. A Preakness winner in his third. Three additional Grade I winners, two of them at age two. Like a streaking star, Arrogate's racing career blazed brilliantly--leaving all who witnessed it in awe--and now his all-too-brief stud career is doing the...

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Another Chapter in Taylor Made's Breeders' Cup Story

Celebrating 40 Years of the Breeders' Cup Can you imagine being a horse racing-crazy kid with a ringside seat to the creation of the Breeders' Cup? Mark Taylor can, because he was. Fast forward more than four decades and now he is president and CEO of the Central Kentucky farm that is believed to have raised and/or sold more Breeders' Cup winners than any other. There's also the matter of having stood the Breeders' Cup winner who currently holds the record for siring the most Breeders' Cup winners in turn....

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Three Champs Lead Class of 2023 into Hall of Fame

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Co-owner and co-breeder Steve Coburn was a quotable presence during California Chrome (Lucky Pulpit)'s fine career and delivered again Friday when the California-bred was inducted into the National Museum of Racing's Hall of Fame. Champions California Chrome, Arrogate (Unbridled's Song) and Songbird (Medaglia d'Oro), all in their first year of eligibility, joined jockey Corey Nakatani in the contemporary class of 2023. Fernando Toro was selected by the Historic Review Committee. Three people--the late John Hanes II, the late Leonard Jerome and Stella F. Thayer--were inducted as...

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A Different Role but Still Made to Measure

  When Saint Ballado came to the farm, Duncan Taylor recalls Les Brinsfield telling him to try Mari's Book mares. "Mari's Book!" he exclaims now. "It's not like there were Mari's Book mares all around, out there in the population. But Les was a smart guy, very analytical." And it was easy to see the logic: Mari's Book was by Northern Dancer out of a Maribeau mare; and Maribeau, like Saint Ballado's sire Halo, was out of Cosmah--whose half-sister Natalma, of course, gave us the sire of Mari's Book. Plenty of...

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Which Sire Has Had The Most Rising Stars? It's Tapit

Since 2004, we've shined the spotlight on over 1,500 'TDN Rising Stars' worldwide, recognition given to a horse early on its career who has done something so impressive on the racetrack that our team believes they will go on to become graded stakes winners.  A horse is designated as a 'Rising Star' by the TDN staff after a careful and comprehensive review of many factors--including the quality of the field, margin and time of victory, pedigree, sales price and more. Over the years, it has become a badge of honor...

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2023 Mating Plans, Presented by Spendthrift: Machmer Hall

As we approach the opening of the 2023 breeding season, the TDN staff is once again sitting down with leading breeders to find out what stallions they have chosen for their mares, and why. Today we spoke with Carrie Brogden at Machmer Hall. We mate by physical mostly--negative traits to positive traits and vice versa. We try to add speed where there is none and we do not believe in like-to-like matings. We do not use nicks, but we do like successful crosses like Twirling Candy with Unbridled's Song. This...

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Tourist to Relocate to Rockridge Stud in New York

Tourist (Tiznow--Unbridled Melody by Unbridled's Song), a multiple Grade I-stakes winner with earnings of $2,170,340 and the record holder for the fastest time in the GI Breeders' Cup Mile, is relocating to Rockridge Stud in Hudson, NY for the 2023 season. A half-brother to GSP Michael With Us (Bluegrass Cat) and SW Harlan's Harmony (Spring at Last), he previously stood at WinStar Farm in Kentucky. "He was getting overlooked, and some of the partners felt the move to New York would maximize his income potential with New York stallion awards,"...

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'Nobody Has a Crystal Ball'

Probably you know Carrie Brogden. The way her ideas, opinions, memories, emotions come tumbling out, one on top of the other. And how even after a few minutes she will have shared way too much of this torrent of vitality for the narrow channel of paragraphs that follows here. Except you don't know Carrie Brogden. For instance, did you know that she's only here because of Einstein? Seriously. We'll come to that, and to the Beanie Babies, too, who have a more immediate role in her story. But how are...

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The Legacy of Arrogate: Gone Too Soon, Yet Just Getting Started

It was a little over six years ago when Juddmonte Farms' Arrogate (Unbridled's Song), seemingly from out of nowhere, took the racing world by storm. Producing heroics, often in jaw-dropping, record-breaking fashion, in the GI Travers S., GI Breeders' Cup Classic, GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational S. and G1 Dubai World Cup in succession, the imposing gray quickly catapulted himself into the discussion of all-time greats. Though his racing career fizzled somewhat when he finished off the board in two of his final three starts after returning from Dubai, the...

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Artorius Has Arrogate-Sized Shadow to Outrun in Travers

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY--During a pre-season interview in early July, trainer Chad Brown offered another colt--at that point, with a low profile--to a discussion of his deep bench of GI Travers prospects: Zandon (Upstart), Early Voting (Gun Runner) and Jack Christopher (Munnings). "I have a late -bloomer, a horse named Artorius (Arrogate), that I really like," Brown said.  "He's going to run in the Curlin Stakes. Much like the dad, he's late bloomer. I'm not saying he's a threat to win the Travers, but I'm going to tell you: he's lightly...

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Taking Stock: First Crops Yield Classic Winners

Rich Strike (Keen Ice), upset winner of the Gl Kentucky Derby at 80-1, and Secret Oath (Arrogate), the powerful Gl Kentucky Oaks winner, are members of the first crops of their respective sires, both of whom were late-developing Classic-distance horses. Keen Ice and Arrogate each won his first stakes race at Saratoga in late August at three, in the Gl Travers S. at 10 furlongs. Keen Ice won the "Midsummer Classic" in 2015 at 16-1, defeating Triple Crown winner American Pharoah in a shocker. Arrogate won the race the next...

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Grade I-Producing Sire Value Plus Pensioned

Canadian-based stallion Value Plus (Unbridled's Song--Roll Over Baby, by Rollin On Over), sire of Grade I winner and sire Long On Value, has been pensioned from stud duty due to failing health. Recruited from the 2017 Fasig-Tipton Winter Mixed Sale by Steen and Cathy Reggelsen to stand at their Stride Away Thoroughbred operation in British Columbia, the 21-year-old stallion has sired the winners of over 200 races to date. "Value Plus has been a true friend to us and it was only right to be a friend to him and...

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