Tag: Bloodstock

Wonder Wheel, the champion 2-year-old filly of 2022, will begin her broodmare career in Japan after selling to Katsumi Yoshida of Northern Farm for $3.2 million on Tuesday at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale.

Mating plans were still to be determined for the 3-year-old daughter of Into Mischief, who retired with four wins in nine career starts and earnings of $1,591,857 for owner D. J. Stable and trainer Mark Casse.

Wonder Wheel won her first two races as a juvenile, both at Churchill Downs, including a 6 3/4-length triumph in the listed Debutante Stakes. After finishing second in the Grade 1 Spinaway Stakes, she finished out her season with wins in the Grade 1 Alcibiades Stakes and a three-length victory in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies at Keeneland to secure the Eclipse Award as the champion 2-year-old filly.

Wonder Wheel never quite found her form at three, going winless in four starts, highlighted by a runner-up effort in her seasonal debut, the listed Suncoast Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs.

Wonder Wheel was bred in Kentucky by Three Chimneys Farm and Clearsky Farms, out of the Grade 1-placed stakes-winning Tiz Wonderful mare Wonder Gal. She hails from the family of Grade 1 winner Force the Pass and Perfect Drift.

Taylor Made Sales Agency consigned Wonder Wheel as agent for D. J. Stable.

Yoshida has been active at this year's Fasig-Tipton November Sale, also landing Grade 1 winner Search Results for $3.6 million.

The post Champion Wonder Wheel Sells To Japan’s Northern Farm For $3.2 Million At Fasig-Tipton November appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Secret Oath, the winner of the 2022 Kentucky Oaks, will join the broodmare band at Spendthrift Farm after selling for $3 million on Tuesday at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale.

The 4-year-old daughter of Arrogate finished her on-track career with six wins from 18 starts, earning $2,444,767 as a homebred for Briland Farm.

“She's a big, classy mare,” said Spendthrift general manager Ned Toffey. “We think she's a perfect type of mare for Into Mischief, and we're just really thrilled to get her. We thought she'd be a little more money – that's plenty to pay for any horse – but we were really happy to get her for that number.”

After starting her 3-year-old campaign with wins in the listed Martha Washington Stakes and the Grade 3 Honeybee Stakes at Oaklawn Park, trainer D. Wayne Lukas tested her against colts in the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby, where she finished third.

Secret Oath then won a deep edition of the Kentucky Oaks, besting runner-up Nest by two lengths and conquering a field that also included champion Echo Zulu. She then returned to open competition once again for the Preakness Stakes, where she finished fourth. After earning a trio of graded stakes placings during the second half of her 2022 campaign, Secret Oath was named an Eclipse Award finalist for champion 3-year-old female.

The filly added one more win at age four, taking the G2 Azeri Stakes in her seasonal bow.

“She took a backseat to nobody,” Toffey said. “She's a really special mare, and you need to get that kind.”

Secret Oath is out of the Grade 1-placed stakes-winning Quiet American mare Absinthe Minded, also a Briland Farm homebred. Bluewater Sales consigned the filly, as agent.

The post Kentucky Oaks Winner Secret Oath Goes To Spendthrift Farm For $3 Million At Fasig-Tipton November appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Gun Runner's dual Grade 1-winning millionaire Gunite has been retired from racing and will stand at Coolmore America's Ashford Stud for 2024.

On his final start last Saturday, the Winchell Thoroughbreds homebred ran a fine second to his great adversary Elite Power who was making it back-to-back wins in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Sprint where he earned a 2¾ on the Ragazin sheets.

On their previous meeting in the Grade 1 Forego Stakes at Saratoga in late August it was Gunite who had come out on top shaking off an inside challenge from last year's Eclipse champion male sprinter in the stretch and drawing off for a ready win.

In the Grade 1 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap, going a furlong shorter in late July, there was only a head between the great rivals with the Bill Mott-trained chestnut coming out on top on that occasion.

A specialist at the Spa, Gunite also captured the 2021 G1 Hopeful Stakes by 5 3/4 lengths as a juvenile and the G2 Amsterdam Stakes last year.

“Gunite is extremely important to horse racing in the current climate. He was Gun Runner's first starter for us in April of his 2-year-old year and ran six times in his juvenile campaign and won the G1 Hopeful at Saratoga. He then traveled to California to work with the brilliant Echo Zulu because he is the only thing that I had that could be comparable company for her, and he won four stakes races at Churchill, Keeneland and Saratoga. As a 4-year-old, he then travelled to Saudi Arabia, Dubai and competed at the highest level and returned to the U.S. to beat his rival Elite Power in the G1 Forego Stakes at Saratoga. He is a very special horse to race at the level he has for as long as he has and do it consistently,” said trainer Steve Asmussen.

“Like many of the Gun Runners, Gunite got better and better throughout his racing career and gave us many great days,” said his owner/breeder Ron Winchell. “We also raced his first and second dams and they were both stakes winners at Saratoga. Gunite has retired sound and I very much look forward to supporting him at stud.”

“He was unusual in that he was top class at two, three and four, he was one of the best sprinters in the country and had top Beyer figures of 108 at both Saratoga and Churchill” said Ashford's Director of Sales Charlie O'Connor. “He's a very good-looking horse and we can't wait for breeders to see him.”

His fee has been set at $35,000.

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Juddmonte announced today that they will begin showing the recently retired Elite Power at an open house at the farm from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. starting Wednesday through the end of the November sale.

The son of Curlin is the defending Eclipse champion sprinter, and the winner of the 40th edition of the Breeders' Cup Sprint, posting the highest Beyer Speed Figure of any runner in this year's championship event.

He is the winner of nine races in his last ten starts, including four wins and a second in 2023, from five starts at four different race tracks. His victories this year came in the $1-million Group 3 Riyadh Sprint, the G2 True North, the G1 A.G. Vanderbilt, and the Qatar Racing Breeders' Cup Sprint.

The Horse of the Year candidate ran the fastest Ragozin sheet figure of the year (0″) and is the highest ranked horse in North America according to the international publication Thoroughbred Racing Commentary.

The post Elite Power Arrives At Juddmonte Farms, Open House Announced appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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