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Multiple Track-Record Setter Highly Motivated Retired To Airdrie Stud For 2023

Airdrie Stud has announced that Klaravich Stables' multiple track-record setter Highly Motivated will join the farm's stallion roster for the upcoming 2023 breeding season.

A son of perennial leading sire Into Mischief, Highly Motivated was purchased by Mike Ryan as a weanling on behalf of his owner for $240,000 at the 2018 Keeneland November Sale. Entrusted to the four-time Eclipse Award winning Chad Brown, Highly Motivated broke his maiden as the 3-5 favorite in September of his 2-year-old year, impressively taking a 6 1/2 furlong Belmont sprint by 1 3/4 lengths over future Grade 1 winner Known Agenda.

Lining up next in the Nyquist Stakes on the Breeders' Cup undercard at Keeneland, Highly Motivated once again justified his favoritism by drawing off to an effortless 4 1/4 length win. His time of 1:14 4 for the 6 1/2 furlongs set the Keeneland track record, and his 96 Beyer Speed Figure represented the highest number of any 2-year-old that competed on the Breeders' Cup Championship weekend- a lineup that included multiple Eclipse champion Essential Quality and the multiple Breeders' Cup winner Golden Pal. By year's end, only the brilliant Jackie's Warrior would could boast of a higher juvenile figure.

Returning to Keeneland in the spring of his 3-year-old year, Highly Motivated hooked the aforementioned Essential Quality in a memorable edition of the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes. Racing as a pair throughout the race, the two were seemingly inseparable throughout the entirety of the Keeneland stretch, with the champion earning a hard-fought victory at the end of the mile and an eighth fixture by a short neck. It was a further 5 ½ lengths back to third place finisher Rombauer, who would return to take the G1 Preakness Stakes in his next start.

Sent off as one of the leading contenders for the G1 Kentucky Derby in his next start, Highly Motivated's disappointing 10th-place finish would prove to be the final start of his sophomore season.

Following a nearly year-long layoff, Highly Motivated was brought back to win a mile feature at Belmont Park before making his next start in the G3 Monmouth Cup Stakes. Crossing the wire an easy winner, his time of 1:46.53 for the nine furlongs broke the track record set 37 years prior by Kentucky Derby winner and Horse of the Year Spend a Buck. Subsequently injured while training toward the G1 Cigar Mile, Highly Motivated retires with a record of 10-4-3-1 and earnings of more than $667,000.

“Highly Motivated was the best colt in our barn at two and three and ran Grade 1-winning numbers at both ages,” said trainer Chad Brown. “He's a two-time track record setter by one of the best stallions in the world. In my opinion, there's not a ceiling on his potential at stud.”

“He's an undeniable talent by a brilliant sire,” added Airdrie's Bret Jones. “He's an absolutely gorgeous Mike Ryan purchase that we believe will be on anyone's short list of the best-looking horses retired this year. Highly Motivated fits the description of so many important sires: a horse with Grade 1 speed that goes to stud without the benefit of a Grade 1 on his resume. He deserves the opportunity and we will see that he gets it. Having given us the chance two years ago to stand Complexity, we are again grateful to Seth Klarman for entrusting our Airdrie team with the future of his talented horse.”

Highly Motivated will stand for a fee of $7,500 LFSN.

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Honor Roll Presented By Kentucky-Breds: Kentucky Downs Stakes Winner Private Creed ‘A Gentleman Of A Horse’ For Mason Springs

Private Creed has quickly emerged as one of North America's leading 2-year-old turf sprinters, including a breakthrough victory in the listed Global Tote Juvenile Sprint Stakes at Kentucky Downs in September and a third in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint.

A year earlier, he caught the eyes of Marcus and Crystal Ryan in the back ring of the 2021 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, setting into motion the series of events that made him one of the young stars of the turf.

Based in Aiken, S.C., the Mason Springs operation has seen its reputation grow by leaps and bounds in recent years as a breaking and 2-year-old sales operation, and the horses they bought at last year's September sale have had a big hand in continuing that upwarougrd trend.

The Ryans met Private Creed at the Keeneland September sale when he was known only as Hip 3347, selling late in the marathon auction. Bred in Kentucky and consigned at the sale by Sierra Farm, the Jimmy Creed colt is out of the stakes-winning Sky Mesa mare South Andros.

“He was just a big, strong looking horse in the back ring,” Marcus Ryan said. “A little excited, but he looked like he was fast, and he looked like he could go long. He looked like a perfect buy on the day, in our price range, of course.”

The Ryans purchased the colt for $45,000, and made him part of the roughly 25 horses they'd have in training to start racing the following year, between horses destined for the sales and those headed straight to the track for clients.

Ryan said Private Creed had a colic surgery on his record prior to the sale that might have scared off potential buyers at a higher price bracket, but they were willing to take the chance after getting a passing grade from their veterinarian.

“He came down to the farm, and he was the same as everyone else,” Ryan said. “He just worked along with him, did a lot of field and hill work with him. My dad came over in the spring and complimented him, and said he was a beautiful horse. Everybody that rode him loved him.”

Mason Springs sent 11 horses to this year's Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale, which was the most they'd ever brought to the May auction. Private Creed wasn't necessarily a standout among the group heading into the sale, but he generated some buzz after the under-tack show, where he covered an eighth of a mile in 10 3/5 seconds.

The Mason Springs team at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale.

“Did we think he was going to win first time out, and do what he's been doing? Probably not at the time,” Ryan said. “We didn't drill on him real fast, but we did give him a lot of galloping. When he was at the sales and he had a good gallop-out, and everyone came to see him, we knew we were going to do well.”

Private Creed went to Mike McCarty for $115,000, which was the second-biggest price for the consignment at that year's Midlantic sale. The colt was put in the barn of trainer Steve Asmussen for his on-track career.

The colt debuted at Ellis Park on July 30, and he took a 5 1/2-furlong turf race by 1 1/4 lengths. He followed up that effort with a third-place finish in the Skidmore Stakes on Aug. 19 in Saratoga.

Private Creed then shipped to Kentucky Downs for the $500,000 Global Tote Juvenile Sprint Stakes, where he was the second betting choice behind heavy favorite Sharp Aza Tack.

Under jockey Joel Rosario, Private Creed sat a couple lengths off the leaders from four paths wide in the 6 1/2-furlong race, then they staged a bold move to the inside once they entered the long straightaway. He split between foes and engaged in a stretch duel with Sharp Aza Tack before drawing away by three-quarters of a length at the wire.

Private Creed had a similar trip in his next start, the listed Indian Summer Stakes on Oct. 9 at Keeneland, which he also won by three-quarters of a length, establishing the colt as one of the top contenders for the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint at the same track.

Though he has achieved national-level prominence on the grass, Private Creed's success on the surface came as something of a surprise to Ryan from where the colt started.

“When we had him, I thought he was going to be more of a dirt horse, but he moved really easy,” Ryan said. “You have to try it, and he did well on it.”

The surface preference might have been a surprise, but Ryan said Private Creed handled himself like a horse that could do important things, and he was grateful for what the colt has achieved.

“He was a gentleman of a horse,” Ryan said. “He was a big, kind horse that was willing to please. He's taken us places we cannot go on our own.”

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Juveniles Highlight Additional Supplements To Keeneland November Horses of Racing Age Sale

Keeneland today announced 13 additional supplements, among them 12 2-year-olds, to its November Horses of Racing Age Sale to be held Thursday, Nov. 17. The Horses of Racing Age Sale will begin at noon ET.

Horses will be available for inspection at Keeneland tomorrow.

The dynamic online catalog for the single-session auction features Daily Racing Form and Equibase past performances along with Thoro-graph and Ragozin sheets, race replays and more. Click here for comprehensive past performances and form figures for cataloged horses.

Print catalogs and supplemental catalogs for the sale with Equibase past performances for the entrants are available at Keeneland.

Highlighting the 2-year-old offerings, all consigned by Highgate Sales, agent, as racing or stallion prospects, are:

– A colt by Good Magic who is a half-brother to Japanese Group 3-placed Lemon Pop. Out Unreachable, by Giant's Causeway, the colt is from the family of European highweight and leading sire Danehill.

– A colt by Into Mischief out of stakes winner Distorted Passion, by Distorted Humor. The colt is a half-brother to Grade 2 winner Mrs McDougal and stakes-placed Pendleton.

– A colt by Into Mischief out of Grade 3 winner Ever So Clever, by Medaglia d'Oro. His second dam is multiple stakes winner Foxy Danseur.

– A colt by Into Mischief who is a half-brother to Group 3-placed Snowboarder. Out of the Distorted Humor mare Gaudete, the colt is from the family of multiple graded stakes winner and leading sire Munnings.

– A colt by Mendelssohn out of Grade 3 winner Jet Black Magic who is from the family of Grade 3 winner Storm the Hill and multiple stakes winner and millionaire Superior Storm.

– A colt by Quality Road who is a half-brother to 2021 Twilight Derby (G2) winner Subconscious. Out of the stakes-placed Candy Ride (ARG) mare Sweet Dreams, the colt is from the family of champion Gold Beauty and Grade 2 winner Strike Charmer.

– A colt by War Front out of Irish Group 3-placed Bunairgead (IRE) and from the family of Grade 2 winners Storm and Sunshine and Smile Again.

Also consigned by Highgate Sales, agent, as a racing or broodmare prospect is a 2-year-old filly by Practical Joke who is a half-sister to stakes-placed winners Afleet Accompli, Desert Dynamo, Bartolome, Ambusher and That's a Lady.

Street Swagg, a 2-year-old half-brother to Grade 3 winner The Tabulator, broke his maiden by 7¾ lengths in his second career start on Nov. 3 at Churchill Downs for trainer Brendan Walsh. Consigned by Hunter Valley Farm, agent, Street Swagg is by Street Sense out of the Giant's Causeway mare Fly to the Stars.

Grovendale Sales, agent, is offering Takntothecleaners, who has won or placed in eight of 10 career starts, winning an allowance at Horseshoe Indianapolis in her last start on Sept. 22. By Secret Circle out of the Medaglia d'Oro mare Golden Lady, the 4-year-old filly is from the family of Grade 1 winner Bordeaux Bob and stakes winner Fourth and Six.

These supplements increase the total number of horses cataloged to the sale to 356.

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Gross Receipts At Keeneland November Sale Surpass 2021 Total With Two Sessions Remaining

The Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale ended its eighth session Monday with cumulative sales of $205 million, exceeding total sales of $203 million recorded for last year's entire 10-day auction.

Today's session was led by the sale of Taylor Avenue, a winning, stakes-placed mare in foal to Speightstown, to CF Farms for $130,000.

Cumulatively, 1,826 horses have sold for $205,696,600, up 7.96 percent from last year's $190,531,700 for the comparable period when 1,950 horses sold. The average of $112,649 increased 15.29 percent from $97,709 in 2021, while the median of $50,000 remained unchanged from last year.

On Monday, Keeneland sold 260 horses for $4,313,300, down a bit from the corresponding session in 2021 when 260 horses brought $4,363,200. Average dipped slightly from $16,782 to $16,590. The median of $11,000 decreased 8.33 percent from last year's $12,000.

Taylor Avenue, who was consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent, is a 4-year-old daughter of Mshawish. Out of the winning Friends Lake mare Aqualane Shores, she is a half-sister to stakes winner Respect the Hustle.

The session's top-priced weanling was a filly by Bolt d'Oro purchased by Summerfield Sales, agent, for $85,000. A half-sister to stakes winner We Deer You, she is out of Winning Doe, a winning daughter of Running Stag, and from the family of champions World Approval and Miesque's Approval. The filly was consigned by Elm Tree Farm (Mr. and Mrs. Jody Huckabay), agent.

Claiborne Farm acquired Culdee, a 3-year-old filly by Flatter, for $75,000. Out of the winning, stakes-placed Arch mare Bend, the filly is a half-sister to Grade 3 winners Clearly Now and Bendable. Culdee was consigned by Winter Quarter Farm, agent.

A weanling colt by Tapwrit was purchased by Reeves Thoroughbred Racing for $65,000. A half-brother to stakes winner Discreetness, he is from the family of Irish and English champion El Gran Senor, Group 1 winner Bahamian Pirate and Grade 2 winner Strong Hope. The colt was consigned by Trackside Farm, agent.

Colombe D'Oro, a 5-year-old daughter of Medaglia d'Oro in foal to Midshipman, sold to Chad Schumer, agent, for $62,000. Consigned by Lane's End, agent, she is out of stakes winner More Complexity, by Square Eddie and from the family of Grade 3 winner Listing.

Lane's End led consignors during the session with sales of $526,200 for 30 horses.

Three horses sold for $60,000 each.

Machmer Hall paid the amount for a weanling colt from the first crop of Grade 1 winner Echo Town consigned by Nicky Drion Thoroughbreds, agent. Out of Cave In, a winning daughter of Mineshaft, the colt is a half-brother to stakes-placed Vagabond Princess.

A weanling colt by Practical Joke sold to Buena Madera for $60,000. Out of Mony'slittlegracie, a winning daughter of Alphabet Soup, he is from the family of Grade 3 winner Regalo Mia. Ballysax Bloodstock, agent, consigned the colt.

The third horse to sell for $60,000 was stakes-placed Right to Freedom, a 4-year-old daughter of Constitution purchased by Pin Oak Stud. Bluewater Sales, agent, consigned the filly, who is out of the winning Tiznow mare Tiz Terrific and from the family of Grade 1 winner Summerly.

K.O.I.D. purchased nine horses for $164,000 to lead buyers on Monday.

Tuesday and Wednesday are the final two days of the November Breeding Stock Sale. Sessions begin at 10 a.m. ET.

On Thursday, Keeneland will present the November Horses of Racing Age Sale. The auction starts at noon.

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