airdrie stud | Horse Racing Free Tips

‘All The Things That You Want To See In A Newborn Foal’: First Foal Is A Colt For Airdrie Stud’s Divisidero

Divisidero, a millionaire son of Kitten's Joy, was represented by his first reported foal, a colt born at Airdrie Stud.

The colt was produced by Always Tomorrow, a full-sister to six-time graded stakes winner Bigger Picture who set a track record when winning the Grade 1 United Nations Stakes. From the immediate family of the great matriarch, Blitey, Always Tomorrow's female family features no fewer than 24 Grade 1 performers under her first three dams.

“He's leggy and strong with good depth through the shoulder, all the things that you want to see in a newborn foal. We are very pleased”, said Cormac Breathnach, Airdrie's director of stallion nominations. “He is chestnut with two socks and a blaze, so you can really see the Kitten's Joy influence coming through. Mr. Jones is continuing to support Divisidero with some very nice mares and this is the kind of foal to embolden that faith.”

A graded stakes winner in each of his five racing seasons, Divisidero retired sound with earnings of over $1.6 million and a well-earned reputation for possessing a dazzling turn of foot. At three he flashed home to win the G2 American Turf Stakes on Kentucky Derby Day in just his third start, before setting a new track record in Belmont Park's Pennine Ridge Stakes next time out. A winner of consecutive renewals of the G1 Woodford Reserve Turf Classic Stakes, he was beaten just three-quarters of a length in the G1 Breeders' Cup Mile on unsuitably soft ground. In all, he earned 13 triple-digit Beyers and a staggering 26 single-digit Ragozins in his 29 starts for trainers Buff Bradley and Kelly Rubley.

Bred by Hinkle Farms, Divisidero is out of Madame du Lac whose rich distaff lineage traces to none other than Cosmah, the dam of Halo and a half-sister to Natalma, the dam of Northern Dancer himself. Divisidero was purchased by Josh Stevens for $250,000 from the Hinkle Farms' consignment at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

Divisidero retired to Airdrie Stud where he receives robust support from Brereton C. Jones' broodmare band. His first book of mares had a C.I. of 2.37, second among all freshman sires to Catholic Boy (2.38). Divisidero's 2021 stud fee is $5,000 SN.

The post ‘All The Things That You Want To See In A Newborn Foal’: First Foal Is A Colt For Airdrie Stud’s Divisidero appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Selected Virginia Stallion Season Auction Offerings To Benefit Kentucky HHR Lobbying Efforts

The developing situation regarding the status of historical horse racing (HHR) in Kentucky has created an “all hands on deck” scenario within the state's racing industry to ensure the crucial revenue source remains in place.

That call has been heard outside the state as well. The Virginia Thoroughbred Association will feature a group of offerings during its upcoming stallion season auction where the full proceeds will benefit the Kentucky Equine Education Project's lobbying efforts toward restoring HHR in the state and putting it on firmer legal ground.

The auction, set to take place Wednesday, Feb. 10, features four seasons donated thus far by Kentucky stallion operations where the money will go toward the KEEP Alliance, a branch of KEEP specifically dedicated to lobbying, grassroots campaigns, and otherwise raising awareness among key people and groups about the importance of HHR in Kentucky.

As of Friday morning, the seasons benefitting the KEEP Alliance come from Airdrie Stud's Complexity, Spendthrift Farm's Goldencents, Gun Runner of Three Chimneys, and Not This Time of Taylor Made Stallions. Farms are welcome to donate further seasons to benefit the KEEP Alliance prior to the auction.

VTA executive director Debbie Easter said the seasons were added to the auction in recent weeks, helping push the total number of different stallions on offer near 220 from 11 different states.

“Obviously, it's a good cause,” Easter said. “Everybody gets too regionalized sometimes, and it's important for us to work together to help each other. This is an important thing for Kentucky, and helping keeping things going along is important. Horse people working together always do better than working apart, so we're trying to move the needle a little bit.”

Virginia's Thoroughbred economy is familiar with the benefits HHR can have on a program.

Gov. Ralph Northam signed an HHR bill into law in 2018, which set into motion the re-opening of Colonial Downs and significant funding sources to fuel purses and incentive programs on and off the racetrack. The Virginia-Certified program paid out a record $1.77 million in awards in 2020, and Easter said HHR revenues have just started to kick into that pool, leaving even more room for growth in the future.

“We certainly know how important HHR is going to be to us,” Easter said, “and we've certainly seen what it's done for Kentucky, and they can't afford to lose that.”

While Virginia has been able to show positive growth with the help of HHR, it's widely accepted that Kentucky's Thoroughbred market is the tide that lifts and sinks the other regional-market boats in North America.

Even the largest foal-producing jurisdictions outside of the Bluegrass State are supported heavily by Kentucky stallions, and its starting gates are filled by Kentucky-breds. A weakened Kentucky racing industry would have ripple effects on the state's breeding program, and the rest of North America would feel the aftershock whether they race or breed in the state or not.

“Debbie was very enthusiastic about helping us,” said Elizabeth Jensen, KEEP's executive vice president. “I think everybody realizes as goes Kentucky, so goes the rest of the country's racing industry, so we need to keep it strong and vibrant here. We're happy that our counterparts in Virginia are willing to help us out and support us.”

Beyond the season donations, Jensen said Kentucky's major stallion operations have supportive of the advocacy measures to preserve HHR in the state. She noted that farms including Ashford Stud and WinStar Farm have made cash donations, and many stallion stations have sent out emails to their client lists urging them to take action.

“Preserving historical horse racing has to be the entire industry in Kentucky's priority right now,” Jensen said. “If we lose that, we lose 1,400 jobs overnight, and losing those purses and the horses that we're getting at Ellis Park and Kentucky Downs during summer racing, and just the whole racing circuit in Kentucky will be severely impacted if we don't get this done.”

The post Selected Virginia Stallion Season Auction Offerings To Benefit Kentucky HHR Lobbying Efforts appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Majesticperfection Succumbs to Laminitis In Uruguay

Majesticperfection (Harlan's Holiday–Act So Noble, by Wavering Monarch), a Grade I-winning sprinter and sire of 2015 GI Kentucky Oaks victress Lovely Maria, succumbed to laminitis recently at Haras Rapetti in Uruguay, Turf Diario reports. He was 15 years of age.

A $25,000 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky buyback as a yearling, Majesticperfection was purchased by Satish Sanan's Padua Stables for $370,000 at OBS April in 2008 and was trained by Steve Asmussen to five victories from six starts, including a track record-setting performance in the 2010 Iowa Sprint H. (six furlongs in 1:07.24) and a 2 3/4-length defeat of the recently deceased Big Drama (Montbrook) in the GI A. G. Vanderbilt H. at Saratoga.

Retired to Brereton C. Jones's Airdrie Stud 2011, Majesticperfection has sired 21 black-type winners to date among his 234 total winners, eight of which have scored at the graded level, including Jones's Lovely Maria as well as Bell's the One, winner of the 2020 GI Derby City Distaff and third in the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint.

Purchased to continue his career at Rapetti, north of Montevideo, Majesticperfection will be represented by his first 2-year-olds later this year. According to the Uruguyan Stud Book, he covered 39 mares in his first season, 58 in 2019 and 79 in 2020.

The post Majesticperfection Succumbs to Laminitis In Uruguay appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Laminitis Claims Grade 1 Winner Majesticperfection In Uruguay

Grade 1 winner Majesticperfection, the sire of Kentucky Oaks winner Lovely Maria, was euthanized following a battle with laminitis at Haras Rapetti in Uruguay, the South American publication Turf Diario reports.

The 15-year-old son of Harlan's Holiday had been standing in Uruguay since 2018 after beginning his breeding career in 2011 at Airdrie Stud.

From eight crops of racing age, Majesticperfection has sired 231 winners, with combined progeny earnings of more than $21 million.

His centerpiece offspring is Lovely Maria, who took the 2015 Oaks with a powerful kick down the Churchill Downs stretch. The filly preceded her signature victory with a score in the Grade 1 Ashland Stakes at Keeneland.

In 2020, Majesticperfection's runners were led by Bell's the One, who upset Serengeti Empress to win the G1 Derby City Distaff Stakes. She also won the G3 Winning Colors Stakes last year, and she finished the season with a third-place effort in the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint. In 2019, Bell's the One won the G2 Raven Run Stakes.

Other runners of note by Majesticperfection include Grade 3 winners Chanteline, Hebbronville, Majestic Dunhill, Lady Ninja, Mr Dumas, and Four Graces.

Majesticperfection's oldest foals since moving to Uruguay will be 2-year-olds of 2021. According to records from the Uruguay Stud Book, the stallion covered 79 mares in 2018 and 58 mares in 2019. He was among the country's most active stallions during both seasons.

Owned during his on-track career by Padua Stables and trained by Steve Asmussen, Majesticperfection won five of six starts for earnings of $310,430.

After finishing third in his debut start, Majesticperfection never lost another race, winning allowance races at Oaklawn Park and Churchill Downs before jumping up to stakes competition in the Iowa Sprint Handicap. He capped off his career with a wire-to-wire drubbing of the G1 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap in Saratoga.

The post Laminitis Claims Grade 1 Winner Majesticperfection In Uruguay appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post