Racing fans didn't have to wait long for the New Year's first 'TDN Rising Star' as Juddmonte homebred Impel (Quality Road) sat off hot early fractions and pounced into the lane to graduate at first asking Monday.
Facing a field of mostly first-time starters, all making their 3-year-old debuts, Impel took money into the teeth of race favorite Tipsy Tammy (Arrogate), breaking at 7-2 and going right out to be three wide with that rival along with Golden Degree (Goldencents) on the rail. That trio sped through an opening quarter in :21.89 and Impel had work to do to keep up around the far turn. Patiently handled under Florent Geroux, the homebred got back onto even terms passing the quarter pole and, as the rest of the field faded behind him, took Tipsy Tammy into the final sixteenth before clearing away to hit the wire alone. The first two fillies were nearly 11 lengths clear of the rest of the group which included fellow first-timer Who's Ticket (Quality Road).
Impel is the first foal out of SW/GSP Your Love, who was purchased by Juddmonte for $480,000 out of the 2019 Keeneland November Sale in foal to More Than Ready. Your Love is a full-sister to GSW/GISP Economic Model and a half to MSW/GSP Jimmy Simms (Lost Soldier), GSW/GISP Happy American (Runhappy) and GSW/GISP Well Monied (Maria's Mon), who herself produced the dam of GSW/MGISP Will's Secret (Will Take Charge) and GSP Ben Diesel (Will Take Charge). After losing her 2022 War Front foal, Your Love produced a Curlin filly last year and was bred to Not This Time for 2024.
Mike Repole has generously pledged support to Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance through a matching campaign throughout January. In honor of registered Thoroughbreds' birthdays, Repole will match donations up to $100,000, presenting a unique opportunity for the racing community and charitable donors to make a meaningful impact for retired racehorses. The matching initiative begins on January 1 and extends through January 31.
“Every Thoroughbred athlete deserves an enjoyable and quality retirement. I am honored to support Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance and their mission of accredited aftercare,” said Mike Repole, Owner of Repole Stable. “I encourage others to join me in making a charitable donation during the month when Thoroughbreds celebrate their birthdays. Let us all raise awareness and do our part in ensuring these athletes receive the best, well-deserved protection as they transition beyond the finish line. It is our responsibility, and we all owe it to these amazing loving Thoroughbred athletes.”
Repole expressed his hope that the matching campaign would act as a catalyst, inspiring additional contributions throughout the month of January. By doubling the impact of donations, Repole aims to encourage others to support accredited aftercare, underscoring the importance of providing retired Thoroughbred racehorses with the highest level of quality care and second-chance opportunities.
In a fun effort to spread awareness of this month-long initiative, Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance and Repole Stable invite anyone with a registered Thoroughbred—whether still racing, bred to race, or retired—to participate in a challenge. Supporters are encouraged to contribute to the campaign, capture the celebratory moment with a photo of their Thoroughbred, and using the hashtag #TbredBDAY2024 post to social media.
“Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance is deeply grateful for Mike Repole's extraordinary $100,000 pledge. His commitment sets the tone for all of us to rally together and make an even greater impact. Join us in honoring his generosity by contributing what you can to support our retired Thoroughbred racehorses,” said Emily Dresen, Director of Funding and Events, Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance.
This collaborative effort underscores the commitment of individuals, such as Repole, to ensuring the welfare and appropriate retirement of these equine athletes after racing. Contributions can be made by check, text, or online donation.
We spend so much time in anticipation with stallions. We wait for them to cover their first mares, then we wait for their first foals to arrive, then we wait for them to sell, then we wait for them to breeze, and after a few years, we wait for them to race. Finally, we wait for enough of them to race and sell that we can come up with a verdict on whether the stallion was worth waiting for in the first place.
Some of the stallions we'll look at in this closing edition of the All-Value Sire Team are in the final stages of that process, which can be a precarious spot in this price bracket. If a stallion has made it far enough to solidify his resume and he's still at the farm where he entered stud, the ideal scenario would see him standing for more than $20,000.
International competition and bankrolls for North American stallions are arguably at an all-time high, and patience for anything less than a star player is arguably as low on the other end of the spectrum. We've seen a lot of stallions that could have had perfectly fine long-term careers in Kentucky, and were covering solid-sized books of mares, get sold overseas or to a regional market. My guess is there's more money in selling high on a middle-tier stallion with some blue sky left on his scouting report, than trying to find a buyer on a proven loser that stuck around too long.
This is all to say, the margin of error for a young stallion standing for $20,000 or less in Kentucky can be razor-thin, but there are also plenty of niches to be carved out. We've covered several veteran sires in the All-Value Sire Team who have spent significant portions of their careers in this price bracket and in turn became some of the most reliable options at any price level.
The sires we'll look at today appear well on their way to joining those ranks, and perhaps even climbing out of the value sire price bracket with a few star runners.
To view who else has made the 2023-24 All-Value Sire Team so far, click here.
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Let's bring it home…
The Future Star:A stallion with two to four crops of racing age in 2024.
We're still waiting for a few late-arriving returns to make it official, but it seems pretty safe to call the freshman sire race in favor of Mitole by both winners and earnings, edging out fellow Spendthrift Farm residents Maximus Mischief, Vino Rosso, and Omaha Beach.
Of that Spendthrift quartet, Mitole is the only one that will be standing for less than $20,000 in 2024. If you believe in taking advantage of soft spots in the market, have I got a horse for you.
Looking beyond the freshman sire race, though, Mitole has done a stellar job settling in among the young veteran sires. His runners are winning 17 percent of their races, which puts him just behind the very top of the qualifying horses in this position. His sample size is admittedly skewed, with only one crop of 2-year-olds, but that early win percentage ranks Mitole higher than the likes of Tapit (15 percent), Curlin and War Front (16 percent) and it ties him with Gun Runner and flagship Spendthrift resident Into Mischief. Most of Mitole's freshman contemporaries can't touch those numbers, even at this early stage in the game.
Though Mitole was himself an Eclipse Award-winning sprinter, his runners have shown a fair bit of versatility. His best runner, V V's Dream, is a Grade 3 winner at a mile and she's Grade 1-placed at 1 1/16 miles. Indiana stakes winner Ice Cold also got the job done at the route distance, while three of his four stakes-placed runners have earned their black type around one turn.
Buyers seem to have gotten the memo about Mitole as well, bumping his median yearling sale price up from $27,500 in 2022 to $32,500 this year. His yearling returns were even more dramatic, rising from a median of $42,000 to $70,000; well above his lifetime weanling median of $50,000. It wouldn't surprise me to see Mitole's yearling price rocket up in 2024, and these early mixed sale returns suggest the weanling-to-yearling pinhook market could propel that momentum.
Looking even deeper into the future, Mitole's pipeline is packed, with 383 registered weanlings, yearlings, and 2-year-olds – by far the most of any North American stallion standing for $20,000 or less in 2024. The next closest is fellow Spendthrift resident Goldencents at 344. A deep bench is never a guarantee of on-track success or that a stallion will stick around in Kentucky for the long-term, but seeing that level of breeder support without a major swoon certainly implies that he'll have every chance to stick around.
When I think about Mitole's pedigree, “champion sprinter” isn't necessarily the first thing that comes to mind. His sire Eskendereya and broodmare sire Indian Charlie were both known for getting two-turn horses with tons of length, and Indian Charlie added bulk to that equation.
Mitole got that combination in some unique ways. He's not overly tall at 16.1 hands, but he's proportioned well enough that he still has a good deal of scope. However, the Indian Charlie power is definitely there, especially in the hindquarters, bolstered by the specters of Giant's Causeway and Storm Cat in his male line. With a tidy frame, a sprinter's resume and a router's pedigree, I'll be interested to see how his debut crop fares stretching their legs as they begin to tackle more two-turn races.
Winning the freshman sire title often comes down to finding several different ways to win races. Mitole has shown he can offer that to breeders.
Sons of Curlin are all the rage at stud right now, and rightfully so. The man himself is still lighting the world on fire, and his sons have proven plenty capable of carrying on his legacy.
Though he might not have been as flashy as his Derby-siring contemporary Good Magic in 2023, Connect has set a foothold as an incredibly reliable sire capable of getting runners to the biggest stages. His nine stakes winners in 2023 is among the best among North American sires standing for $20,000 or less, and his 5.1 percent stakes winners from starters this year was the best in that category among those with over 100 runners.
The Connects are showing they're able to hang on to their form, which is promising to see. Rattle N Roll and Hidden Connection were two of the sire's biggest names during his freshman season in 2021, and both horses won stakes races in 2023 at age four. He also had The Alys Look finish third in this year's Kentucky Oaks, further displaying that Connect can take you to the top races on the calendar.
Connect also got 32 percent winners over the turf in 2023, which is second only to Airdrie Stud's Summer Front among significant North American stallions in this price bracket. Leading the way among his turf runners was Implicated, the winner of G3 Pebbles Stakes in November at Aqueduct.
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The Regional Star:A stallion of any age or surface preference who stands outside of Kentucky.
First Team: Honest Mischief
B. h., 2016, Into Mischief x Honest Lady, by Seattle Slew
Standing at Sequel New York, NY, $6,500
Honest Mischief
Stop me if you've heard this one before: Into Mischief is white-hot, and breeders are flocking to his bloodline practically wherever it's available.
As the only local option for New York breeders to access a son of Into Mischief, Honest Mischief has been very busy in the breeding shed, and his foals have been even busier in the sales ring.
Of course, it's always a gamble placing a stallion this high without a single runner to his name. There are plenty of proven stallions in New York and beyond putting out incredible numbers who have a credible claim to a place on the All-Value Sire Team.
What makes me confident that Honest Mischief will follow through on the promise of his early sale performance has to do with his pedigree, his surroundings, and his pipeline.
Honest Mischief comes from an incredibly productive branch of the Juddmonte Farms breeding program. He's a half-brother to the Grade 1 winner and nice sire First Defence, his dam is a Grade 1 winner, and his second dam is the great Toussaud, putting him in the same orbit as Empire Maker and Chester House. Pair that with the hottest sire of sires in the land in Into Mischief and you've got a stallion's pedigree top-to-bottom.
The New York-bred program is one of the most lucrative in the country, and a good runner can make a stallion look very good in the standings. There are a lot of very good stallions in New York, but there is definitely room at the top for a stallion to come in and dominate those rankings. I expect the Honest Mischiefs will get their fair shake to make noise in the state-bred 2-year-old races in Saratoga and beyond.
Finally, breeders seem to truly believe in him. He's got 117 combined registered weanlings and yearlings, and I expect that number to go up as more breeders register their young foals. With just two crops, he's doing better than a lot of regional sires who count weanlings, yearlings, and 2-year-olds in their pipelines. Succeeding at stud can be a battle of attrition, and Honest Mischief will have a lot of troops to throw at the freshman sire race. If they succeed, Honest Mischief's job will become much easier.
Honest Mischief has a lot of momentum going in his favor. As a major consignor of 2-year-olds, I expect Sequel will have plenty of his foals loaded and ready for the 2-year-old sale season, and if they wow at the breeze shows and land in the right hands, he could end up being the heir to Freud's crown as the king of New York.
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Second Team: Khozan
Dk. b. or br. h., 2012, Distorted Humor x Delta Princess, by A.P. Indy
Standing at Journeyman Stallions, FL, $6,500
Khozan well ahead of the rest in an allowance race at Gulfstream
Speaking of kings of states, the championship belt among Florida sires goes through Khozan, and it has been that way for a long time.
The perennial leading Sunshine State sire gets wins at a 16 percent clip from total progeny starts, which is upper-echelon for all value sires, not just regional ones. His four percent stakes winners from total horses of racing age is also above average among value sires, as well.
Kohzan is the highest-ranking member of the 2023 general sire list by earnings, among horses standing outside of Kentucky. What makes Khozan stand out is that his foals were not restricted to just winning inside the Florida state lines. This year saw Foggy Night take the G3 Delaware Oaks and the Cathryn Sophia Stakes in the Mid-Atlantic, while Me and Mr. C took multiple stakes races in Kentucky and the Midwest.
However, for owners that elect to keep their Khozan runners at Gulfstream Park and Tampa Bay Downs, they can look at horses like stakes winners Shaq Diesel, Squints, and R Harper Rose for inspiration.
Florida breeders can't get enough of the guy, either. Khozan's pipeline of 214 juveniles, yearlings, and weanlings is by farm the most for any sire standing outside of Kentucky, and it eclipses a lot of horses standing in the Bluegrass State. It's doubtful he'll be hurting for support anytime soon, and as long as he keeps producing on the racetrack, end-users should continue to clamor for them.
Freddie McKibbin has established himself as one of the most recognisable auctioneers at Tattersalls in a short space of time. The achievement is impressive enough given McKibbin is just 25 years of age. But the fact that he didn't set out to be an auctioneer in the first place is all the more creditable.
McKibbin sat down with Brian Sheerin during the December Mares Sale to discuss his career to date and hopes for the future for the latest TDN Q&A.
It's hard to believe that you've only been auctioneering for two years.
I started in August 2021 but it feels like I have been doing it for a good while now. Auctioneering at Book 2 this year was nerve-wracking but, since then, it just feels like it is second nature for me which is encouraging.
And you didn't set out to be an auctioneer, either.
No, that's true. I started bid spotting for Tattersalls during my gap year to try and earn a little bit of extra money on the side. I was working as a pupil assistant with Simon Crisford at the time. I'd always looked at the auctioneers and thought, 'God, I could never do that.' A couple of years later, after I'd done the Irish National Stud course and worked in Australia, I came back and applied for the Tattersalls internship. Luckily, I got that, but it wasn't until I sat down with Ollie Fowlston that I thought about becoming an auctioneer. When you think of auctioneering, you think of the American and Australian way of doing things, where the numbers just roll off the tongue. Obviously at Tattersalls, we have a more traditional way of doing things, where you make out what the auctioneer is saying and the figures the auctioneer is asking for. I initially thought I'd be too boring-and just say numbers, numbers, numbers-but I practiced a lot and Ollie came up to the ring with me quite a bit at the start. He was my mentor and the guy who honed in on me and said, 'right, if you want to give auctioneering a go, this is what you need to do.' Edmond Mahony was also a huge help and he invested a lot of time in coming up to the ring whilst I was practising and giving me advice and things to work on. It took a good year of practicing pretty much three or four times a week before I was ready for the real thing.
What does that unseen practice consist of?
So, we'd do it in sections. The ring would be completely empty but for me and Ollie. We'd start with the figures, going from one thousand, to two thousand and three thousand, and just get into a patter from there. Next we'd add in the fillers, which would be, 'bid again,' for example and then we could concentrate on introducing the lot and eventually the selling of the lot. We'd do it all in different parts before piecing it all together in the empty ring. Once I got to a certain stage Edmond would then come up with me, he would put his hand up and I would take the bid from him. I wasn't allowed to go on to the next bid until he took his hand down. I was like, 'right, this is a live situation,' and I had to stay on that figure and work as though it was a real sale. Essentially, counting is the easy part, but it's when you haven't got any bid and you have to fill the time, that's when it becomes tricky.
Even for me watching on as a journalist, I find it hard to track who's bidding so I can only imagine how difficult it is for you to maintain your rhythm as well as everything else.
It is difficult and, here at Tattersalls, we can't take a bid unless we have seen it. At other sales houses, they have bid spotters who can make noises to signify a bid has been taken, but we don't do that here. The bidder has to bid to the auctioneer at Tattersalls for it to be accepted. There's a lot going on but, it's really enjoyable and, the more you do something, the more confident you get. My confidence is growing but, again, there's still lots to be working on and I still try and come up to the ring when I can to practise. I do a lot of charity gigs as well to keep the momentum going in between sales. I did the Leger Legends auction at Doncaster which raises money for the Injured Jockeys Fund. They're actually great fun to do because it's a completely different kettle of fish. You need to be sharp as you are selling different items and you're not trying to be funny but, on the other hand, it shouldn't be boring. They're definitely good to do.
Does it ever become daunting? For a lot of sellers, how their horse gets on in the ring can make or break their year and, if it doesn't go right, you could be an easy person to blame.
Exactly. You're in control of the room and, no matter what the vendor has done or what the purchaser is planning on doing, you're the bridge, you're the broker. It is high pressure stuff and I try not to think about it like that. When I tend to think about a high valued lot or a lot where I know the vendor is expecting to get well paid, that can sometimes hold you back in a way, so I try to treat every lot the same, no matter the status. Obviously I do take it all into account but, in general, I try to treat them all the same in a bid to alleviate the pressure and it's something that works well for me. My hope is to always come off the rostrum after giving it everything I can and hopefully there's a happy vendor at the end of it all.
In terms of satisfaction, I'd say selling I'm A Gambler for 850,000gns at the horses-in-training sale last year and taking bids from some of the biggest players in the game from the rostrum outside would rank pretty highly?
Selling I'm A Gambler was brilliant because he exceeded both mine and Charlie Johnston's expectations. It was a great experience and one I am sure I will not forget! During Book 1, I was out on the podium. You've got some big players outside and some of them can be discreet bidders so it's all about knowing when they're bidding and being careful not to miss a bid. Thinking about it, it's actually brilliant practice for what I will hopefully in time encounter up on the rostrum at Book 1 and in the Sceptre Sessions. That is the main aim; to sell at Book 1 and the Sceptre Sessions in time.
Along with I'm A Gambler, are there any other moments that stick out in the memory bank?
Well the I'm A Gambler one is funny because, when you watch the video back, it looks as though I've pulled my hamstring atop of the rostrum. When the Najd Stud team bid again, I dropped down as though I'd pulled my hamstring, as I wasn't expecting it. It got circulated on social media and, while it was funny, I'm not sure it was the most professional moment! That sticks out but there have been a few slips of the tongue at times as well.
Of course, auctioneering is not the only string to your bow here at Tattersalls. You've climbed the ladder pretty fast and have become a recognisable and friendly face of the company.
Working hard and gaining as much experience as possible is the priority. There are so many different facets to the business and I have a lot to learn. I do the stabling for the yearling sales and other sales bar December, where I do a lot of organising and help run the Sceptre Sessions, for example. That is great. We target the high-quality fillies and mares and try to give people an incentive to sell at the Sceptre Sessions. I have enjoyed that and it is very rewarding when you see the Sceptre Sessions producing such strong results for the vendors who support Tattersalls. There's lots to the role and I try to get over to other sales to represent the company. Yearling and breeze-up inspections are another big part of it. That's a process I'm looking forward to doing more of next year.
You touched on the fact you've spent time with Simon Crisford, did the Irish National Stud Course and have worked in Australia as well. You've crammed a lot in for a 25-year-old.
I just wanted to get as much experience in different areas of the industry as possible. I spent a year with Simon as a pupil assistant and learned all things hands on. There were a few great guys there, including Les Reynolds, the travelling head lad. He basically showed me the ropes and took me under his wing. I don't come from a hands-on background in horses–my Dad is in equine insurance and my grandfather is Tim Richards, who was a racing journalist–but the passion was always there. The hands-on experience is what I was keen to get and Simon was brilliant for giving me advice. It made sense to me to kick on and bypass university, plus the Irish National Stud course was a great experience and I met some great mates there. After that, I went to work for Arrowfield Stud in Australia, so it was all packed into a short space of time.
You're obviously very ambitious.
I like to think that I am the type of person that when I put my mind to something I put all my focus and energy into it and try to be the best I can be at whatever it is. I was not the best at school but always loved sport and rugby was my passion. I ended up being captain for the first team and thankfully I didn't disgrace myself in my final exams either. I have always been very driven and I definitely have a competitive side. It certainly shows when I play golf with my dad and brother!
With that in mind, where would you see yourself in five years' time?
Hopefully selling at Book 1 and the Sceptre Sessions and being a senior inspector for Tattersalls. I don't know what will come after that but I will continue to work on honing my craft as an auctioneer and working within the company at Tattersalls.
Did you ever think of race commentating?
It's funny you say that because Richard Pugh, a Director of Tattersalls Ireland and a race commentator said the same to me and Matt Hall. He said that the two of us should think about giving it a go. Look, I wouldn't say no to it. I can remember being put on the spot to commentate on the Hennessy, or races like that in front of friends, and it's mind-blowingly difficult. It's not something I'd rule out!
In terms of theatre and drama, I'd imagine there are few better places to work than at Tattersalls.
It's an amazing place. Everybody goes back to Marsha or Alcohol Free selling here but even some of the smaller lots are fascinating. I'll never forget Alastair [Pim, fellow auctioneer] selling the Kingman half-sister to Chaldean for a million. The way he got to a million was seriously impressive. Sometimes that theatre is seriously engrossing.
Being an auctioneer yourself, you can probably appreciate the craft better than anyone on the big days.
Definitely. It is a skill being able to get up there and remember everything you need to know about each horse, their physicality, their pedigree, the instructions from the vendor and spotting bids all whilst keeping your patter and potentially having one of the rostrum spotters giving you instructions at the same time. And then you have the added pressure of the big days when you know you have a lot who is the highlight. At the end of the day Tattersalls works on behalf of the vendor and for most it is their livelihood, so you want to do the best you can for them and get the result they want. I remember coming up to Tattersalls when I was younger and being so impressed by the auctioneers. Not only were they good at their job, but they were also entertaining whilst keeping their nerve and staying calm under pressure on the big lots. It is something I have tried to take into account with my own style and I try to let my energy and enthusiasm show from the rostrum. I am lucky that I have learnt from some of the best auctioneers in the game!
