Month: October 2021

Midnight Storm Colt on Top at OBS October Selected Yearling Sale

A colt from the second crop of MGISW Midnight Storm (Pioneerof the Nile) (Hip 67) topped the Selected Yearling portion of the OBS October Sale when bringing $170,000 from Elusive Thoroughbreds. That entity was the session's leading buyer, taking home three head for $323,000.

Consigned by Lisa McGreevy's Abbie Road Farm, Hip 67 was bred in Pennsylvania by Mary Katherine Haire. Alejandro Chavez purchased the colt for $27,000 at Keeneland November last year.

The highest-priced filly of the day was a $120,000 daughter of Kantharos (Hip 22). Offered by Danielle Loya's Silver Oaks Farm, the IN-bred was purchased by Al London.

A total of 99 yearling grossed $4,498,500 with an average of $45,439 and median of $32,000. Thirty-five horses were led from the ring unsold. Stuart Morris was the top consignor, selling 16 yearlings for $665,000.

Last year during this session, 86 youngsters summoned $3,397,000 with an average of $39,500 and median of $28,000. There were 49 RNAs.

“It was a good day,” said Tod Wojciechowski, OBS's Director of Sales. “Average is up, median is up. It seemed like the buyers were spread over a lot of horses. It was not as concentrated at the top. Horses sold well throughout the day. It was a solid start to the sale.”

The OBS October Sale continues tomorrow with the Open Yearlings session, starting at 11 a.m.

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Blackburn Grad Grateful For Second Chance With The Rood & Riddle ‘Family’

For the first time in his life, Josh Ison loves coming to work in the morning. It's a blessing he never could have imagined during the early days of his four years behind bars.

“Sometimes I can't believe this happened for me,” Ison said reverently last week, leaning against a bale of straw in the quarantine barn at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Ky. 

He looked down for a moment.

“It's different from anywhere else I've worked,” he continued. “They take care of me, no matter what, whatever I need. Like, when I got out, [my boss] came and got me and took me to get clothes and all that. I mean, who else is going to do all that?”

Ison, 40, is a graduate of the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation's Second Chances program at Blackburn Correctional Facility. The eight-month program utilizes a herd of more than 50 retired racehorses to help inmates build life skills while participating in a vocational training program. Inmates learn to work with the horses one-on-one in a round pen, to trim their feet, and to provide daily care, as well as taking lessons on equine anatomy and physiology in a classroom. 

“The TRF Second Chances program at Blackburn taught me patience with horses, and people,” Ison said. “You're locked up, you know, and there's all kinds of different people. But when you get down there, it's a whole different story. You're not locked up anymore. It's freedom.”

Considering his role on the facilities maintenance team at Rood & Riddle, Ison acknowledges that his time in the Blackburn program helped him become the kind of man he wants to be. Now, it's the support of his boss and his coworkers at Rood & Riddle that are helping him to continue that growth.

“Why do I like working at Rood & Riddle? It's a family,” Ison said. “We're all together. If anybody needs help, anybody that needs anything, it's gonna be done for them. That's what I like about it. And the horses, I love it. That's why I show up every day.”

Ison grew up in the southeastern part of Kentucky, coal country.

“I worked in coal mines all my life, and you don't miss work there,” Ison explained. “I've always been used to production, and this [job at Rood & Riddle] is nothing about production. That's hard for me to comprehend sometimes, because I get caught up, and I want to do everything right then. But you have to slow down and take your time with it, because every horse is different.

“It's all about patient care, making sure everything's taken care of with the horses. The horses are first, no matter what. After that, I take care of some maintenance things; I do everything.”

Ison did have some experience with horses as a child, when his family would go for trail rides and picnics on horseback, but he had never been involved with them up close, every day. That all changed when he was able to enter the program at Blackburn.

“My favorite horse was Big Time Spender,” he said. “That's the one I fooled with every day. We'd lunge them, you know, learning how to train them in the round pen. But mostly I just liked to curry him off, getting to know him, developing a relationship. I loved that horse.”

Big Time Spender is a 21-year-old bay gelding who raced 97 times in his career, compiling a record of eight wins, 10 seconds, and seven thirds. He earned $73,045 on the track, last racing in 2008.

Working with Big Time Spender on the lunge line is about “getting his respect,” Ison explained. “He's a good horse, though. He knows everything. You have to show him you're not scared of him. You just have to get a feel for each other. It's something you can't really explain, or I can't, anyway.”

Ison's hands-on equine skills are one of the reasons Rood & Riddle's Facilities Manager Erin Mathes decided to hire him after his release, but it also came down to his personality.

“Josh has a great sense of humor,” Mathes said. “He's a good guy; I think he'd do anything for anyone, but the big thing is he's really smart and funny. I actually enjoy working with him, and we work together quite a bit.”

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Ison had learned how to interview for the job thanks to Laurie Mays, the Equine Talent Pipeline Project Manager for the Kentucky Equine Education Project. Mays is the connection between Blackburn and Rood & Riddle.

“Rood & Riddle has definitely decided to become this kind of partner in the industry, because we are looking for people who want to work in it,” Mathes explained. “Josh is not my first Second Chances hire, but he is one of my first three.

“Josh came with the horse knowledge from the Blackburn project, but it's so different from the knowledge that we need him to have here. Those are horses that have been in the program for a long time, they're very broke, and here we see a lot of new horses every day, and you never know what you're going to get. It's something we are slowly building on with him, but Josh embraced every job here. He wanted to be involved as much as possible with anything and everything. 

“Josh came to us with a background in not just horses through the Blackburn project, but also in construction and landscaping — a little bit of everything. He wanted to do everything, so as facilities manager, I got him as involved as possible. 

“He comes across to me as an employee who wants to be challenged with different things every day. I know, with where he was, for the time he was in, it was a good thing for him to be continuously active and involved. With that, he gets to meet different people, and I think he's made some friends here, so he's part of a big team.”

Ison agreed that keeping himself busy has been the best way to keep moving forward since his release. Still, his favorite part of the job is being able to work with the youngest horses at the hospital.

“To go out in the pen and put my hands on them, to rub on them… I love it,” he said.

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Penn National Gaming Updates Animal Welfare Policy To Ban Transport Via Cargo Ship

Penn National Gaming, Inc. (“PNGI”) has reissued its Animal Welfare Policy that is part of its company wide Horse Racing Guide applicable to all horse racing properties owned or managed by PNGI. PNGI has had an anti-slaughter policy in effect since 2010 and issued its first Horse Racing Guide in 2011 to institute a code of conduct for all racing participants at its facilities. The Horse Racing Guide is updated annually and is paired with local rules for each racing property. Al individuals participating in racing at PNGI properties are subject to the provisions of the Horse Racing Guide.

The newest revision of the Animal Welfare Policy includes new language regarding the transport of horses, including horses being transported via cargo ship, as well as reinforcing responsibility for the overall health and welfare of individuals equine charges.

“The recent reports of horses being shipped via cargo containers has raised awareness and importance of this issue and we felt this was a good opportunity to update and reiterate our policies regarding animal welfare issues,” said Christopher McErlean, Vice President of Racing for PNGI. “This is a priority for PNGI but must also be a priority for all industry participants who need to make a good faith effort to do the right thing in all matters related to equine health and welfare. Those who continue to work outside of these guidelines should not continue to have the privilege of racing at our properties.”

The entire Penn National Gaming, Inc. updated Animal Welfare Policy is provided below:

H. Animal Welfare

The health and safety of the equine participants competing at all PENN racing properties is of paramount importance and all Racing Participants, especially those who are entrusted with the ownership and the ongoing care of these animals, must take all reasonable actions and care to ensure that their equine charges are treated with dignity and respect.

Any Racing Participant covered by this Horsemen's Guide who handles or treats any animal without regard for the well-being of the animal or causes physical injury or pain or suffering to the animal, including excessive or unnecessary training/whipping, transporting, or neglect in the care, feeding or medical attention shown to the animal, as determined in the sole discretion of Racetrack, may be sanctioned. Except as required by statute or regulation, it is the sole responsibility of the trainer to ensure that a licensed and competent veterinarian is available at all times to ensure the health and welfare of such trainer's horses and to attend to trainer's horses at all times such horses are on the grounds of Racetrack in any and all emergency situations in which a regulatory or Racetrack veterinarian is not required to be present or to respond to a trainer's horse(s).

In the event Racetrack receives credible and verifiable information regarding a Racing Participant who knowingly, or without conducting proper due diligence, buys or sells a horse for slaughter, directly or indirectly, such individual(s) may be sanctioned by the Racetrack up to and including revocation of stalls and exclusion from racing at all PENN properties. The Racetrack highly encourages Racing Participants to obtain proper written documentation on sale or transfer of any horse that they previously raced or was stabled on the grounds of Racetrack and lack of such documentation shall be considered a failure in due diligence efforts. The Racetrack reserves the right to require trainer or individuals responsible for a horse to provide such documentation as requested and failure to cooperate may result in sanctions by the Racetrack, up to and including revocations of stalls and exclusion from racing at all PENN properties.

In the event the Racetrack receives credible and verifiable information regarding a Racing Participant who knowingly, or without conducting proper due diligence, ships, assists in the shipping of, or knowingly participates in the sale or transfer of a horse that is transported by cargo container/ship, such individual(s) may be sanctioned by the Racetrack up to and including revocation of stalls and exclusion from racing at all PENN properties. The Racetrack reserves the right to require trainer, owner, or any individuals responsible for a horse to provide documentation proving the shipping method being used for a horse under their care or ownership and failure to cooperate in providing requested information may result in sanctions by the Racetrack, up to and including revocations of stalls and exclusion from racing at all PENN properties.

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Juddmonte Strike For Kingman Top Lot

NEWMARKET, UK–As Book 2 continued in the manner it began, with a greatly improved median and strong demand throughout the second session, it was a rare yearling colt purchase by Juddmonte Farms that set the day's high at 525,000gns.

The blend of the bloodlines of Kingman (GB) and the Galileo (Ire) mare Reem (Aus) has worked well in the past to the extent of providing the Book 2 sale-topper of 2018 at 750,000gns. That youngster went on to become the dual winner and 103-rated King Leonidas (GB), and his trainer John Gosden took on Simon Mockridge in order to attempt to secure the full-brother, bred by Essafinaat UK. The Juddmonte manager had the final say, however, for the Hazelwood Bloodstock-consigned colt (lot 895).

“The mare has a patchy breeding record as she isn't the easiest to get in foal, but when it works it works very well,” said consignor Adrian O'Brien of the 14-year-old Reem, a listed winner at Meydan and also runner-up in the G2 Balanchine S. for Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Maktoum.

“This is a cross that clearly works. King Leonidas has had a few setbacks but is back on track now and is clearly a very talented horse.”

He added, “I'm very flattered that Juddmonte have bought a such a nice horse from our farm. It's great for the breeder and I wish them all the best with him.”

Mockridge was full of praise for the team at Hazelwood Bloodstock and said of the colt, “He had size, scope, a very big hip, [and is] a very good walker. It was obviously very clever–he could have been a Book 1 horse but they brought him to Book 2 and he stood out here. 

“We liked his brother very much when he was sold a few years ago. He was favourite for the Jersey and got beaten there but he's run back recently after some time off and I know John Gosden likes him very much. And of course John Gosden was the underbidder which I suppose bears that out. It's very solid trade and it's heartening to see a lot of people here.”

Very solid is indeed the way to describe the market with two days of Book 2 done and one to go. For the second day running the median was markedly up at 65,000gns (+25%) with the clearance rate remaining high at 88%, with 218 yearlings sold from 248 offered. The day's aggregate settled at 18,560,500gns, which was up 3%, while the average was very slightly higher than this time last year at 55,140gns.

Prosperous Transaction 

The scopey and elegant Prosperous Voyage (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) looked all over an Oaks filly in the making at Newmarket on Friday when posting an eye-catching performance to run second to Inspiral (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) in the G1 Fillies' Mile, no doubt giving an extra boost to her yearling half-brother by No Nay Never. 

Brought to the sale as lot 944 by co-breeder Camas Park Stud, the late April colt raised a final bid of 450,000gns from Ross Doyle.

Tracing back to a Juddmonte family which includes the classy Xaar (GB), who is a half-brother to his Group 3-winning grandam Diese (Diesis {GB}), the colt is also a half-brother to the listed Warrnambool Cup runner-up Romanesque (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}).

No Nay Never has had just three yearlings sold so far in Book 2 for an average of 256,667gns.

Another Coolmore sire, Gleneagles (Ire), has had some decent results this week after a season on the track in which his runners have been headed by the G1 Prix de Royallieu winner Loving Dream (GB).

With eight yearlings sold for an average of 112,125gns, a late highlight was provided on Tuesday by lot 1036, Redpender Stud's homebred half-brother to one of this year's star juveniles. Asymmetric (Ire) (Showcasing {GB}) was himself a 65,000gns December yearling and his ascent has been notable this year, with three victories to his name, including the G2 Richmond S., as well as a third-place finish in the G1 Prix Morny.

Such exploits helped to enhance the appeal of his Gleneagles half-brother, who sold for 350,000gns to Anthony Stroud just as the session stretched beyond 11 hours.

American Interest Remains High

The American influence continues through Book 2, with Barbara Banke of Stonestreet Stables and Peter Brant's White Birch Firm both picking up some of Tuesday's more expensive lots.

Returning to the source that provided Stonestreet with the dual Group 1 winner Campanelle (Ire), agent Ben McElroy went to 340,000gns for lot 961, Tally-Ho Stud's Kodiac filly out of the Zamindar mare Shehila (Ire).

“I saw her two or three days ago and she is a lot like Campanelle,” said the agent, who confirmed that lot 961 will be trained in America. “She stands over a lot of ground and I think she's going to be quick. She has a lot of presence and class–everything you like to see in a filly.”

As well as her physical prowess, the filly is related to two black-type horses in the listed winner Ventura Diamond (Ire) (Dandy Man {Ire}) and Group 3 runner-up Alba Power (Ire) (Fast Company {Ire}).

Buying on behalf of Brant, Demi O'Byrne selected lot 918, a colt from the first European crop of Zoustar (Aus) at 310,000gns. Bred by Plantation Stud, the son of the Exceed And Excel (Aus) mare Rue Cambon (Ire) was a good pinhook for Yeomanstown Stud, having been bought as a foal for 110,000gns.

The colt hails from a family which has had notable success on the global stage.  His dam is a half-sister to the GI Beverly D S. winner Gorella (Fr) (Grape Tree Road {GB}), while her full-sister Royal Intervention (Ire) won the G2 Goldene Peitsche in Germany.

Father And Son Score For Barnett

Breeder Robert Barnett topped Book 1 with a 1.5 million gns daughter of Sea The Stars and was represented among the leading lots during Book 2 on Tuesday when a colt by that stallion's son Sea The Moon (Ger) sold for 300,000gns to Sebastian Desmontils of Chauvigny Global Equine.

After confirming that lot 869 will head to France to be trained by either Fabrice Chappet or Henri Devin in the colours of Japanese owner Hisaaki Saito, Desmontils added, “He is a nice, correct individual and Sea The Moon is doing really well. His stats are very good. The mare is decent and has produced a horse who was placed in the Derby. This colt was on my client's original list, so it was good that we liked him and were able to buy him as we've been outbid on a few. The trade has been very strong.”

The colt, consigned on Barnett's behalf by Newsells Park Stud, is out of the Singspiel (Ire) mare Pure Song (GB), whose son Romsdal (GB) (Halling) was third to Australia (GB) in the Derby of 2014. The mare, a daughter of the Barnetts' Irish Oaks and Yorkshire Oaks winner Pure Grain (GB) (Polish Precedent), has also produced the listed-placed Pure Art (GB) (Dutch Art {GB}) among her five winners. 

Saito has celebrated seven wins in France this year, led by the G3 Prix Eclipse victory of the Fabrice Chappet-trained Topgear (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}).

Ballyhimikin Draft Shines

James Hanly's Ballyhimikin Stud continued in successful vein through the second session of Book 2. Only two of its nine yearlings sold so far have failed to reach six figures, with Tuesday's sale-ring star being lot 1017, a daughter of Lope De Vega (Ire) sold for 260,000gns.

Bred by Hanly with his regular partners of Trevor Stewart and Anthony Stroud, the colt is out of the dual Group/Grade 3 winner Stellar Path (Fr) (Astronomer Royal), a sister to Group 2 winner Sir Patrick Moore (Fr) and half-sister to the G2 German 1000 Guineas winner Nyaleti (Ire) (Arch).

Agent Alex Elliott has signed for eight yearlings at Book 2, including this filly for a new client. He said, “She is going to Ralph Beckett, like a lot of the horses I have bought over the past two weeks. She was one we definitely wanted to go after. I am delighted to buy one from Trevor Stewart and James Hanly as they produce fantastic horses. We love Lope De Vega fillies. Hopefully, it is not too far to fall.”

New Blood For Amo Racing

Amo Racing's significant investment in bloodstock in recent seasons has yielded 30 2-year-old winners so far this season and Kia Joorabchian's operation has been busily recruiting next year's potential stars at Tattersalls. That included going to 260,000gns for lot 855, a New Bay (GB) colt consigned by Baroda Stud.

The Ballylinch Stud stallion has had a good run of late with G1 Sun Chariot S. winner Saffron Beach (Ire) and leading German juvenile Sea Bay (Ger), and this son of the unraced Munnings mare Praden was, like Saffron Beach, bred by the China Horse Club.

“China Horse Club is a big supporter of New Bay, and this mare is breeding some very nice stock,” said consignor David Cox. “Her 2-year-old filly Labaaqa, whom we sold a couple of years back, is lovely. She met with a bit of a set back, but is back in training with John Gosden. China Horse Club owns part of the stallion, they support him well, and it is good to see them get paid in the ring.”

Pinhooking Masterclass Continues 

Philipp Stauffenberg has pulled off some successful pinhooks through Books 1 and 2 and that continued on Tuesday with the sale of lot 818, the Frankel (GB) first foal of Panmolle (GB) (Lawman {Fr}) from the family of Kingman (GB) and Oasis Dream (GB).  Having been bought as a foal for 105,000gns from breeder Wood Farm Stud, the filly returned to make 230,000gns to an online bid from the Tokyo Thoroughbred Club.

“I think she might not be the most impressive Frankel, but she has these big flappy ears and her working attitude is excellent, I think you will hear from her,” said Stauffenberg, who has so far sold 10 yearlings through Book 2 for 993,000gns.

He continued, “I wanted to have her in Book 2, because she is not as big as some of the Frankels, so thought she is better off here. I think it paid off. We got our horses sold quite well. The market seems to be strong if you come up with a good horse and yesterday's session was incredibly strong, I think we are in good shape.”

Another pick of the draft was lot 874, a Barronstown Stud-bred Free Eagle (Ire) half-brother to listed winner Flaming Princess (Ire) (Hot Streak {GB}). Sold for 150,000gns, the colt was one of three yearlings bought over the last two days by Jeremy Brummitt on behalf of Australian trainer Danny O'Brien.

Mountarmstrong Strikes Again

Noel O'Callaghan's Mountarmstrong Stud sold one of the five seven-figure yearlings during Book 1 and a colt from the same family of G2 Queen Mary S. winner Anthem Alexander (Ire) brought another good result for the farm on Tuesday.

Lot 839, who was signed for at 230,000gns by Simon Crisford, is a Kodiac son of Anthem Alexander's half-sister Pious Alexander (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}). The immediate family also includes their half-brother and popular sire Dandy Man (Ire), while this season's 1000 Guineas winner Mother Earth (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) features under the colt's third dam.

“He has been bought for Sheikh Mohammed Obaid,” said Crisford. “He looks a nice precocious 2-year-old in the making and we look forward to seeing him on the track, hopefully early next season.”

The Mountarmstrong Stud team has enjoyed a good spell in the ring and on the track, with homebred No Speak Alexander (Ire) having recently become the first Group 1 winner for Shalaa (Ire) in the Matron S.

Overbury Colt Puts On A Show

Overbury Stud had just one Book 2 dart to fire but it hit the bullseye with its homebred son of Showcasing (lot 814), who sold for 200,000gns to Anthony Stroud. 

Bred on the same cross as the G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains third Dice Roll (Fr), the colt is a son of the Pulpit mare Pacifica Highway, who was bought by Simon Sweeting through Richard Brown at Keeneland for $110,000. Her current 2-year-old Spanish Baroque (GB) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) has made three starts in France for Jean-Claude Rouget and Peter Brant, resulting in two victories. 

“The mare has done fabulously for us, all her progeny have sold really well. The 2-year-old is twice a winner now and apparently goes for a listed race in November. She is exciting,” said Sweeting.

“[The colt] has been fabulous all the way through the sale, I think he deserved that. We wanted to put a bit of substance into the mare, some of her foals have been a little bit light. It was a toss up between Showcasing and Kingman, and we thought [Showcasing] would give the foal a bit more substance.”

The 10-year-old Pacifica Highway, a half-sister to Grade II winner Secretary At War (War Front), has a filly foal by Night Of Thunder (Ire) and is now in foal to Overbury's highly promising young stallion Ardad (Ire), whose first-crop son Perfect Power (Ire) is the winner of the G1 Prix Morny and G1 Middle Park S.

Sweeting said of Ardad, “This year couldn't have been better for him. He has the fastest 2-year-old of the year and hopefully he can go on next year. It has been a lot of fun and we have been very fortunate. Ardad covered 165 mares this spring; he has got a good book and we are very much looking forward to next year.”

Clean Sweep For Redgate Bloodstock

Emma Foley and Damian Flynn of Redgate Bloodstock brought a small but select draft to Book 2 and were rewarded with all three yearlings sold for an average of 114,333gns.

The week started well when they sold lot 619 on Monday for breeder K Collie. The daughter of Farhh (GB) is a sister to the G2 Duke of Cambridge S. winner Move Swiftly (GB) and she will join the Gosdens' Clarehaven Stables after being knocked down to Thady Gosden for 170,000gns.

On Tuesday, there was another decent return for Foley and Flynn when selling their homebred Twilight Son (GB) colt (lot 927) to Clive Cox for 135,000gns. Out of Samasana (Ire), a treble-winning daughter of Redback (GB), the colt is a half-brother to American stakes winner Simmy's Temple (GB) (Royal Applause {GB}).

“We're thrilled and the big bonus is where they've all gone as they are all going to be with good trainers, which is a big plus,” said Foley.

“We like Twilight Son, he's been a lucky horse for us and we've used him every year. I'm a big believer that if you're in in the first year, you have to take a punt on them. You have to believe in stallions, and we've never had a horse scope and X-ray as well as this horse, he was absolutely A1.”

She added, “The Farhh filly was particularly nice and of course she's a full-sister to a Group 2 winner which helps, but we felt we were coming with a nice set of horses. These have all been born, raised and grazed on the farm which is extra special, but all the hard work has paid off. We've barely slept for the last week.”

Redgate Bloodstock consigns another three yearlings in Book 3, which starts on Thursday.

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