Tag: Bloodstock

Larry Johnson, Brittany Russell, and Jevian Toledo were voted the top owner, trainer and jockey in the 2022 Renaissance Champions Awards, which were announced from Feb. 27 – March 4 in advance of the April 14 awards dinner. On the equine side, Laurel Park-based Fille d'Esprit took down three Maryland-bred championships for older mare, sprinter and Horse of the Year.

The Renaissance Champions Awards were created to recognize the best of Maryland racing and breeding from the previous year. This year, the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association added five equine awards to recognize top performers based in Maryland but not necessarily bred in the state. The MTHA earlier announced its Grooms of the Year for 2023: Martin Haiber at Laurel and Ricardo Martinez at Pimlico Race Course.

Johnson, an owner and breeder, won 28 races last year, and his runners earned $1.55 million. His homebred mare Spun Glass won back-to-back stakes at Laurel and Colonial Downs and earned more than $172,000 in 2022. Her season earned her a 2022 championship.

Russell was the Trainer of the Year in Maryland in 2021. Overall, she won 100 races, more than 70 of them at Maryland tracks and trained two 2022 champions, Post Time and Whereshetoldmetogo.

Toledo, who Jockey of the Year in 2017 and 2021, won 145 races in Maryland last year and topped the Laurel winter meet and Pimlico spring meet by victories. His horses in Maryland alone earned $5.66 million.

The MTHA this year added five equine Horse of the Year Awards for horses based in Maryland that may not be bred in the state.

Male Dirt Horse: Cordmaker, owned by Hillwood Stable, trained by Rodney Jenkins and bred by Robert Manfuso and Katherine Voss

Female Dirt Horse: Luna Belle, owned by Deborah Greene and Hamilton Smith, trained by Hamilton Smith and bred by Fred Greene Jr., Deborah Greene and Hamilton Smith

Male Turf Horse: English Tavern, owned by Jerry Romans Jr. and Hamilton Smith, trained by Hamilton Smith and bred by Dr. Charles Huber and English Channel Co-Owners

Female Turf Horse: Spun Glass, owned by Larry Johnson, trained by Mike Trombetta and bred by Larry Johnson

Claimer: Eastern Bay, owned by Built Wright Stable, trained by Norman Cash and bred by Nancy Lee Farms

The following are the Maryland-bred champions.

Horse of the Year, older mare and sprinter: Fille d'Esprit, owned by CJI Phoenix Group and No Guts No Glory Farm, trained by John Robb and (bred by Sweet Spirits Stables. Fille d'Esprit in her 6-year-old season won five races—all of them stakes at three different tracks—and earned $420,055.

2-year-old male: Post Time, owned by Hillwood Stable, trained by Brittany Russell and bred by Dr. & Mrs. Thomas Bowman, Dr. Brooke Bowman and Milton P. Higgins III

2-year-old filly: Malibu Moonshine, owned by Happy Face Racing Stable, trained by Charlton Baker and bred by Dr. Ronald Harris Parker

3-year-old male: Joe, owned and bred by The Elkstone Group and trained by Mike Trombetta

3-year-old filly: Luna Belle

Older male: Whereshetoldmetogo, owned by Madaket Stables, Ten Strike Racing, Michael E. Kisber and BTR Racing, trained by Brittany Russell and bred by David H. Wade

Turf runner: Field Pass, owned by Three Diamonds Farm, trained by Mike Maker and bred by Mark Brown Grier

Steeplechaser: Who's Counting, bred and owned by South Branch Equine and trained by Sean McDermott

Breeder: Dr. and Mrs. Thomas Bowman

Stallion: Great Notion (Northview Stallion Station)

Broodmare: Slow and Steady

The post Fille d’Esprit Named Maryland’s Horse Of The Year At 2022 Renaissance Champions Awards appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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The second European crop by Qatar Racing's international sire sensation, Zoustar will be seen on the racecourse this year and Qatar Racing's social media followers have the unique opportunity to name two fillies who will run in the operation's famous claret silks:

• Zoustar x Out Of The Flames in training with Archie Watson
• Zoustar x Wind Fire in training with John and Thady Gosden

Standing at Tweenhills for the European breeding season, Zoustar enjoyed great success last year, headed by Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes winner and Cartier European Champion 2-Year-Old Filly, Lezoo. His European 2022 yearling sales average of £79,715 was the highest of his generation in Europe and an impressive 17 of his yearlings sold for seven figures in Australia.

This season, Zoustar boasts the most QIPCO 1000 Guineas entries of any European second season sire with Lezoo, Couplet and Gemstar, whilst Zoology is entered in the QIPCO 2000 Guineas.

David Redvers, Qatar Racing's Racing Manager said: “The Zoustar filly x Out Of The Flames is with Archie Watson and looking very forward for a Zoustar filly. Being out of a mare who was third in the Queen Mary and who has already bred a two-year-old winner by Zoustar, we would be very hopeful that she might even turn into a Royal Ascot filly.”

“The Zoustar filly out of Wind Fire has been in training with John and Thady Gosden for about three weeks. She is another extremely well bred, speedy filly. Her dam was also placed at Royal Ascot, this time in the Norfolk Stakes, and although I wouldn't expect her to be quite as forward and likely to be running by Ascot, I would expect her to be extremely fast.”

The competition winners will be selected by Sheikh Fahad, Chairman of Qatar Racing, and David Redvers. The prize will include two tickets for the opening day of the QIPCO Guineas Festival which commences on Friday, May 5, 2023.

Redvers added: “Zoustar is a phenomenal stallion and has been very well received, globally. He is a very exciting stallion for Sheikh Fahad, his brothers and the Qatar Racing operation. We look forward to seeing his second European crop on the track this year.

“The names should reflect Zoustar's class and the fillies' high-quality pedigree. We look forward to going through the entries. Fingers crossed – you could be naming future champions.”

How to enter:

1. Follow Qatar Racing on social media:

Twitter: @Qatar_Racing

Instagram: @qatarracingltd

1. Reply to any of the social media posts with your name suggestion

Names must be clean and no longer than 18 characters

1. Entries open Sunday, March 5 and close midnight Sunday, March 12, 2023
2. Winners announced week commencing Monday 20^th March 2023

The post Qatar Racing Hosts Contest To Name Two Zoustar Juveniles appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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How much does a graded stakes win cost?

The answer can go in plenty of directions, but one of the most obvious is tied to the stud fee paid to conceive a graded stakes winner in the first place.

That initial fee can go a long way in dictating expectations for a Thoroughbred, setting a general level for the caliber of buyer that might dig in for them at auction, or the bar for profitability for a breed-to-race operation. When it comes to graded stakes races, the stud fee can be used as one sign to indicate whether a sire and his runners are punching above their weight, meeting expectations, or need to be sent down the commercial ladder.

In the following charts, we'll take a look at the active stallions with the most North American graded stakes winners in 2023 through the end of February, organized into four stud fee tiers, to chart who is providing the most bang for their buck.

To be considered for this list, stallions must be active in North America in for the 2023 breeding season, with an advertised fee. With runners being conceived at different stud fees in different years, this was the simplest way to keep a horse to one line. Plus, it provides a window to the stallion's current market standing, and not where it was a few years ago.

Let's get to it.

Leading Sires Of 2023 Graded Stakes Winners, $100k Fee and Up

To the surprise of no one, the sire that set the North American progeny earnings record in 2022 has started white-hot in 2023, leading all North American sires by graded wins and winners by comfortable margins. Considering the Spendthrift Farm resident also stands for the continent's highest stud fee, the pace has lived up to the price.

Into Mischief's first two months have been led by Atone, who took a wide rally to the winner's circle in the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational. For a stallion that has already scaled plenty of mountains in his career, Godolphin-bred Atone might have kicked off Into Mischief's 2023 with his most significant turf win to date.

Into Mischief has also been well-represented on the prep trails for the Kentucky Derby and Oaks, with Rocket Can taking the G3 Holy Bull Stakes, Newgate winning the G3 Robert B. Lewis Stakes, and General Jim taking the G3 Swale Stakes, while Pretty Mischievous carried the Oaks contenders with a triumph in the G2 Rachel Alexandra Stakes.

Leading Sires Of 2023 Graded Stakes Winners, $99k to $50k

One of the most dependable names in the stud book, Lane's End resident Candy Ride leads this price tier with a pair of Derby trail prospects: G2 Rebel Stakes winner Confidence Game and G3 Withers Stakes winner Hit Show.

Frank Mitchell recently wrote about Candy Ride, and one of his recent non-graded stakes winners Candy Man Rocket, in his Bloodlines column.

Leading Sires Of 2023 Graded Stakes Winners, $49k to $20k

Two stallions at different points of their careers top this tier: One, a contender for Kentucky's most underrated sire and a fast-emerging broodmare sire, and the other, the leading freshman sire of 2022.

Claiborne Farm resident Blame has serious contenders on the Kentucky Derby and Oaks trails with G3 Sam F. Davis Stakes winner Litigate and G3 Honeybee Stakes winner Wet Paint, respectively.

On the heels of topping North America's freshman sires by progeny earnings last year, Spendthrift Farm's Bolt d'Oro is back with G3 Lecomte Stakes winner Instant Coffee on the Derby trail and G3 Kitten's Joy Stakes winner Major Dude making an impact on the grass.

Leading Sires Of 2023 Graded Stakes Winners, $19k and Below

The first two months of 2023 have seen Ashford Stud's Classic Empire take a huge step forward, already equaling his number of graded stakes wins from all of last year.

That charge has been led by upset G2 Risen Star Stakes winner Angel of Empire, who will aim to add more graded stakes wins to his sire's column further down the Derby trail. He is joined by Classy Edition, who took the G3 Royal Delta Stakes at Gulfstream Park.

Classic Empire was named First Team All-Weather Sire on the 2022-23 All-Value Sire Team, spotlighting the top stallions standing for $20,000 or less. That analysis can be read here.

The post The Price Of Success: North America’s Leading Graded Stakes Sires Of 2023 By Stud Fee appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Fasig-Tipton has added a pair of offerings to its March Digital Sale, which is now open for bidding. Bidding closes Tuesday, March 7, beginning at 2 p.m. ET.

The new entries include:

– Mount Craig (Hip 11): Four-year-old racing/stallion prospect by Arrogate, who placed in maiden special weight company at Oaklawn Park on March 2. Mount Craig hails from the immediate family of Eclipse Champion Good Magic.

– Cajun Kid (Hip 42): Five-year-old broodmare prospect by Lemon Drop Kid from the immediate family of Grade 1 winners Union Rags and Declaration of War.

The full catalog features horses of racing age, breeding stock, 2-year-olds, and yearlings.

The post Two Entries Added To Fasig-Tipton March Digital Sale appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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