Tag: Bloodstock

Lion Heart, the runner-up of the 2004 Kentucky Derby and a prominent sire in the U.S. and Turkey, has died Turkey due to complications from heart failure.

The stallion's death was announced by the Turkish Jockey Club on June 18.

Bred in Kentucky by Sabine Stable, the son of Tale of the Cat landed in the hands of the Coolmore partnership for $1.4 million at the 2003 Fasig-Tipton Florida Selected 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale. He was placed in the barn of trainer Patrick Biancone and he won on debut at Santa Anita Park in October of his 2-year-old season.

Lion Heart completed an undefeated 2-year-old campaign with victories in the Grade 3 Hollywood Prevue Stakes and the G1 Hollywood Futurity, both at Hollywood Park.

At three, Lion Heart traveled down the Kentucky Derby trail with runner-up efforts in the G2 San Rafael Stakes at Santa Anita Park and the G1 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland.

Despite entering the 2004 Kentucky Derby without a win during his 3-year-old season, Lion Heart left the gate as the betting public's second choice at odds of 5-1. He set the fractions through the first mile of the race before relenting to post time favorite and eventual winner Smarty Jones by 2 3/4 lengths.

Lion Heart returned two weeks later to face Smarty Jones once again in the Preakness Stakes, but after once again setting the early pace, he faded to fourth behind the eventual Eclipse Award winner.

He got back to his winning ways in his return start two months later at Monmouth Park, where he dug in to win the G3 Long Branch Breeders' Cup Stakes by a head. Then, he took the G1 Haskell Invitational Stakes at the same track by a length.

Lion Heart made his final start in the G1 Travers Stakes at Saratoga Race Course, where he again clocked the early fractions, but he gave way at the top of the stretch and faded to last of seven behind winner Birdstone. It was discovered after the race that he'd suffered a broken bone in his right-front foot, and he was retired, finishing with five wins in 10 starts for earnings of $1,390,800.

Lion Heart was retired to Coolmore's Ashford Stud for the 2005 breeding season, where he was also an annual shuttle stallion to Coolmore's Australian stud farm for the Southern Hemisphere season.

His runners of note from his time on Coolmore's stallion roster include 2012 Canadian Horse of the Year Uncaptured, 2010 Breeders' Cup Turf winner Dangerous Midge, and Grade 1 winners Bradester, Line of David, and Tom's Tribute.

Lion Heart was sold to the Turkish Jockey Club and relocated ahead of the 2010 breeding season. His standout Turkish-born progeny are led by Last Chance Lady, the country's champion 2-year-old filly of 2019.

The post Kentucky Derby Runner-Up, Veteran Sire Lion Heart Dies In Turkey At Age 22 appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Dr Jack, a stakes-placed half-brother to champion Nest and Grade 1 winner Idol, will begin his stallion career at Haras El Embrujo in Peru, the South American publication Turf Diario reports.

The 5-year-old son of Pioneerof the Nile retired with three wins in 12 starts for earnings of $156,155, racing for trainer Coty Rosin, who co-owned the horse with Mark Kane.

Dr Jack began his career with owner Harrell Ventures and trainer Todd Pletcher, winning on debut in April of his 3-year-old season at Gulfstream Park, then taking an allowance optional claiming race at Pimlico Race Course by three lengths.

The colt was tested against stakes competition in his next start, finishing third behind Kentucky Derby winner Mandaloun in the listed Pegasus Stakes at Monmouth Park.

He was later moved to the barn of trainer Steve Asmussen, for whom he won a claiming race at Oaklawn Park, and the horse was picked up by Rosin and Kane for a $25,000 claiming price.

Dr Jack raced once for the new connections, finishing off the board at Canterbury Park, before being entered in the 2022 Keeneland November Horses of Racing Age Sale. He sold to Dante Zanelli, agent, for $45,000.

Bred in Kentucky by the partnership of Ashview Farm and Colts Neck Stables, Dr Jack is out of the stakes-winning A.P. Indy mare Marion Ravenwood, whose foals of note include Nest, the champion 3-year-old filly of 2022; and Idol, who won the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap and stands at Taylor Made Stallions in Kentucky; and stakes-placed Lost Ark.

Dual classic winner Real Quiet is in Dr Jack's extended family, along with Preakness Stakes winner Majestic Prince and English champion Crowned Prince.

The post Dr Jack, Half To Nest, Idol, To Enter Stud In Peru appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Pegasus Stud in Colts Neck, N.J., announces the purchase of the Kentucky-bred stallion Invader, who will stand his first season at stud in 2024 at Pegasus Stud, the facility owned by Carmine Spinella.

Invader, a striking son of War Front out of the graded stakes-winning mare Say (Ire), is a full-brother to Grade 1 winner Fog Of War and graded stakes-placed and stakes winner Naval Intelligence. His dam Say (Ire) was a graded stakes winner in the United Kingdom. Invader is from the immediate family of three-time Grade 1 winner Riskaverse.

The deal to acquire Invader was tasked by Carmine Spinella to prominent bloodstock advisor and racing manager Rick Sacco.

“Invader has a world class pedigree, excellent conformation and size. The stakes winner hails from a very live female family. His 2-year-old half-sister by Justify recently sold for $556,042 at Goffs,” Sacco said.

“I told Rick that we had to have a stallion that complemented our current stud Sea Wizard,” said Spinella. “I wanted to offer New Jersey breeders a stallion with a top class pedigree for turf. I'm very excited about standing a horse like Invader at my newly acquired farm and to offer this type of pedigree.”

“Sea Wizard displayed his talent on dirt and is off to a fast start at stud in New Jersey,” Spinella added. “The turf program offered for New Jersey-breds at Monmouth Park in overnight and stakes races is awesome.”

A $500,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase in 2018 by Cromwell Bloodstock, Invader broke his maiden by 12-3/4 lengths in a maiden special weight event running one mile at Turfway Park as a 2-year-old for trainer Wesley Ward.

The War Front colt followed up that effort in his next start, as a 3-year-old, with another spectacular Turfway Park score in the John Battaglia Memorial Stakes, winning by almost seven lengths.

A month later, Invader finished a game second by a neck in the Grade 3 $250,000 Jeff Ruby Steaks to Field Boss. It would be the final start of his 3-year-old campaign due to injury.

Invader is currently boarded at Darby Dan Farm in Kentucky where he is test breeding mares. His relocation to Pegasus Stud is expected to be a major boost to the lucrative New Jersey-bred program offered at Monmouth Park.

“I'm committed to the New Jersey-bred program,” Carmine Spinella said. “With the purse incentive structure in New Jersey, there's such good opportunity in the state.”

The post Invader To Stand At Pegasus Stud In New Jersey appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Copper Kan impressively defeated a maiden special weight field at Lone Star Park on Friday night and became the first winner for Darby Dan Farm's freshman sire Copper Bullet.

Third in her career debut on May 28, Copper Kan left little doubt who was best in her second start. She broke alertly and settled in hand to track the leaders from third in the early stages. Angled out by jockey Stewart Elliott at the top of the stretch, Copper Kan collared the pacesetters in the lane, and won the five-furlong event going away in a final time of 1:00.70.

Owned and trained by Steve Asmussen, who also conditioned Copper Bullet for Winchell Thoroughbreds and Willis Horton Racing, Copper Kan is produced from the stakes-winning Kantharos mare Wildwood Kantharos and hails from the family of stakes winner and multiple stakes-placed Lakehouse Fun. Copper Kan was bred in Texas by Bryan Henderson and is a graduate of this year's Texas Thoroughbred Association's 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale.

Copper Bullet, a graded stakes-winning juvenile and multiple graded stakes-placed son of More Than Ready, was a dominating four-length winner of the 2017 Saratoga Special (G2). An impressive eight-length maiden special weight winner at Churchill Downs in just his second career start for Asmussen, Copper Bullet was named a TDN Rising Star off the eye-catching performance. In addition to his sensational juvenile season, in which he also finished second in the Bashford Manor (G3), Copper Bullet went on to place in the Razorback Handicap(G3) behind multiple graded stakes winner Coal Front at Oaklawn Park as a 4-year-old en route to banking $339,345.

Copper Bullet's first three crops are the product of hand-selected matings with strict criteria: age, race record, family, production, pedigree, and conformation. The resulting offspring have caught the eye at public auction with Copper Bullet's first 2-year-olds commanding up to $275,000, $260,000, and $175,000. Copper Bullet has seen 11 of his 13 juveniles offered sell for $1,075,000, good for an average of $97,727.

Produced from the winning Unbridled's Song mare Allegory, Copper Bullet descends from an historic French family that includes the likes of French highweights Loup Sauvage and Loup Solitaire. A $200,000 Keeneland September purchase by Winchell Thoroughbreds, Copper Bullet was bred in Kentucky by Dell Ridge Farm.

For more information on Copper Bullet, who stands for $7,500 S&N, contact Stallion Director Stuart Fitzgibbon at (859) 621-6763 or by email at Stuart@darbydan.com, or visit darbydan.com.

The post Copper Kan First Winner For Darby Dan Farm’s Copper Bullet appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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