Comic City (8, City Zip–Comic Marvel, by Distorted Humor) will be bred to Olympiad.

Comic City is a City Zip mare from a top Juddmonte family. Olympiad is the total package. He is a beautiful horse by a top sire, he was a Saratoga 2-year-old old winner himself over some fantastic horses, then showed the ability to consistently dominant at the top levels at four.

Dance Awhile  (6, Curlin–Dance Quietly, by A.P. Indy) will be bred to Not this Time.

This is a young Curlin mare from a terrific family. Not This Time is off to an amazing start at stud, the team at Taylor Made has done a great job getting him mares, and his performance is incredible. He is an ideal sire for a young mare that we have high hopes for.

Delightof the Nile (5, Pioneerof the Nile–Delightfully, by Indian Charlie) will be bred to Liam's Map.

This is a filly we bred and recently bought back. She is a beautiful filly out of a favorite mare of ours. Sometimes matings don't have to be too hard. She is a half-sister to the very talented Dr Ardito that we bred, a New York stakes winner and graded-placed son of Liam's Map. We have had great success with Liam's Map, breeding Grade I winner Juju's Map, and we love him to get a mare started.

Desert Tempest (4, American Pharoah–Stormy B, by Cherokee Run) will be bred to Twirling Candy.

Another new mare to the fold, this is a young American Pharoah who displayed some ability on the track. We have been very fortunate with Twirling Candy, breeding a pair of Grade I winners by him. She is from a family that has shown the ability to consistently get stakes horses, and Twirling Candy is the best sire in Kentucky to get your mare going.

Giant Win (13, Giant's Causeway–Win's Fair Lady, by Dehere) will be bred to Good Magic.

Giant Win is the dam of Grade I winner Pinehurst, by one of our favorite broodmare sires, Giant's Causeway. Good Magic is a sire we have been a supporter of since the beginning. We love the speed and determination that his foals exhibit. They always show up and love their job. This is a great type-to-type mating that hopefully produces another Grade I-winning 2-year-old.

Laughing Matters (9, Medaglia d'Oro–Hearty Laugh, by Distorted Humor) will be bred to Mage.

Another homebred mare, she is the dam of the super impressive Saratoga MSW winner last year Sugar Hi, and then sold a More Than Ready colt for $310,000 last September. Mage's performance in the spring of his 3-year-old year was super impressive, he was willing to fight every fight and not back down. When I went to see him, I was blown away. We really love his sire and Mage is a great version of his father.

More Respect (14, More Than Ready–Search and Seizure, by War Chant) will be bred to Constitution.

She is the dam of multiple graded-placed High Opinion from one of our favorite families. We have been involved with Constitution since he went to stud and have so much respect for what he has accomplished. He has demonstrated what great stallions do–improve their mares and sire winners at various distances and surfaces.

Nagambie (11, Flatter–Charming N Lovable, by Horse Chestnut {SAf}) will be bred to Uncle Mo.

The dam of Juju's Map visits Uncle Mo this year. He keeps producing at the top level and we are excited for a colt or filly from her by Uncle Mo. She sold a really impressive Not This Time last year and has a Gun Runner we are really excited about for 2024.

Tulira's Star (12, Congrats–Tulira, by General Assembly) will be bred to Forte.

Tulira's Star is a graded-stakes placed filly in Saratoga, and has already produced the good Mullikin, a son of Violence. We are excited about breeding to Forte, his 2- and 3-year-old form was very impressive and he is a great individual.

Zero to Sixty (7, American Pharoah–Cat Moves, by Tale of the Cat) will be bred to McKinzie.

Zero to Sixty is a young mare for us, she was a super impressive Saratoga first-time out winner herself, going short on the turf, and she is out of the sprint Grade I-winning Cat Moves.  We are breeding her to McKinzie, who is a sire we were in love with from the beginning. Similar to the mare, he is out of a top-class speed mare himself, as his dam won the Alicibiades. Everything we are hearing from Ocala gives us a lot of confidence in the horse.

The post Mating Plans, Presented by Spendthrift: Watercress Farm appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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How big of a problem is this. Why is it happening? What can be done to reverse the trend? The TDN posed those questions to some of the foremost experts in the breeding industry.

Ned Toffey (Spendthrift Farm): It is certainly concerning and it's certainly more than a minor blip. When it got to 20,000, that was essentially half of what it was when I first went to work on a Thoroughbred farm. We have to do a better job as an industry of marketing both the sport and the breeding industry. We have to do a better job of attracting new people. We are up against it.

As a society, we've become more removed from agriculture and horses in particular. It's a venture that requires a lot of wealth and a lot of patience. As an industry, we have not done a good job putting this out there. Spendthrift is among the many farms that has embraced the tourism aspect and even that is a long play that you hope down the road yields fruit. By opening up farms, people can get more familiar with what we do here and it won't be such a strange thing for them. Then again, that's not going to change the foal crop any time soon. It was nice to see a handful of new people coming in and buying yearlings during this last sales season. We sure needed that because so many others have gotten out.

I don't know how it is that purses keep getting bigger but the foal crop keeps declining. You are seeing fewer and fewer of these breed-to-race operations. It's become almost strictly commercial. That doesn't necessarily mean that there should be fewer foals. In Australia, a year or two ago they passed us with their foal crop and a much higher percentage of their foals go through the sales ring than ours. They are more commercial than we are and are in a position where they are thriving.

As Australia has shown, where they are primarily commercial, we can still have larger foal crops. The horse is still a bigger part of their culture than it is in ours. It's more of a cultural shift than anything else and that's not an easy thing to reverse. We have to find the right people to figure out the best way to market this industry to people.

We need to get our house in order, clean up, change the perception our industry has. We need to do a better job policing ourselves. There are some things going in the right direction and we need to get out there and change the perception of the industry the public has.

Carrie Brogden, | Keeneland

Carrie Brogden (Machmer Hall): Everything is so expensive now. If you look at the stud fees, the costs of the labor, the board, the hay, the feed. All it takes is for a horse to have a couple problems and you've gone from having a horse worth $300,000 to $3,000. We sold two with two weak scopes in the September sale. One brought $4,000 and the other $3,000. Both would have been $75,000 horses if they had what the market deemed were normal scopes. There are so many factors. What it comes down to is it's a lot easier to buy a great horse than to breed one.

What can be done to fix it? The sport would need to come back to being in demand. People ask how come the sales are so strong even through the sport is obviously under tremendous pressure. The answer is that the supply is not keeping up with the demand. It's going to continue to contract. I went to the sale with an Indiana-bred filly by Upstart that I really, really liked. People told me they're not interested in Indiana-breds. They're only interested in Kentucky and New York-breds because of the purses. The state-breds are getting hammered way more than they used to be because the purses are so good in so many other states. Going forward, I'll be very wary of buying state-breds to pinhook because of the feedback I have gotten.

I can only see it continuing to contract because the target is so small. Everyone wants an above-average horse. Everyone is always going to have a bell curve when it comes to their foals. You hope the top foals pay for the rest of them. It's not easy when you have 10 foals and you are hoping the two best ones will pay for the rest of them.

Until we get our sport straightened out and unless HISA can turn out to be the positive thing so many of us hope it will be, I don't think the trends are going to turn around. At least until we turn around the popularity of our sport.

Craig Bandoroff (Denali Stud): The reason this is happening is because, as breeders, its very hard to make money. Like everything in this business, the percentages of being economically successful are low. The reason it is happening is because there are fewer people who are in it for the love of the game and the pursuit of the challenge. You have more and more people who are doing this because they are looking for an economic return. That's my opinion and has been my experience. In the past, the breeders developed families and did it as a pursuit. We have very few of those sorts of breeders anymore.

Racing is the engine that pulls the train. Everything is interconnected. More and more there will be fewer horses for racing and that means racetracks will have to run fewer days, have fewer races and have smaller fields. How do we reverse the trend? I'd like to think we're going to hit a number where it levels out and the economics get better. Don't ask me where I came up with this number, but in my mind I've always felt that 14,000, 15,000 is where you might level out. That's what my gut tells me. But when I see it declining every year, that doesn't surprise me at all.

We have to make the economics better. Why is this happening when purses are going up? That's a good question. What percentages of the horses win a race or even make it to the races? Those numbers aren't good. That's how I explain our business. We drill oil wells and we get a lot of dry wells and hope we get a couple of other ones that will pay for the failures. That's the economics in every part of this game, whether you're breeding, racing, standing stallions. Purses are going up but not because people are betting on horses. I hope we don't lull ourselves into a false sense of security because we all know what the government giveth the government can take away.

Craig Bernick | Keeneland

Craig Bernick (Glen Hill Farm): It's a commercial market now. The foal crop has been going down for a long time but the amount of horses being sold as yearlings hasn't gone down by nearly the same percentage. The syndicates are fantastic because it gives people a chance to compete at a top level. A lot of these owners were putting up $500,000 or so a year buying three or four horses they would send to their local trainer. Now they're using the same amount of money to take 10% of 15 horses. That's got everyone focusing on the top of the market, the best horses.

Racetracks are closing and the foal crop is going down and there are more $500,000 and up horses sold every year. Everybody is focusing on the top and ignoring all the other horses.

We should have had a mare cap but we don't. That would have helped diversify the stallions that people breed to and everything else that goes along with it. The big stallion farms want more, more, more all the time. We have a foal crop going down yet we have stallions being bred to more mares than ever before. That can't be good for business long term.

I don't know what can be done to reverse the trend. We have the Breeders' Cup, the Triple Crown and four or five big Saturdays spread across the rest of the year and those are the only races anyone wants to run in anymore. We've made Grade II and Grade III races not run on those days insignificant from an owners' perspective. The only thing that really matters any more is if you win on Whitney Day, Travers Day, Breeders' Cup, Triple Crown, Pegasus. Those are the days that matter. We've lost a lot when people don't care anymore about winning a Grade III race somewhere on a Saturday. Everybody's aiming for the same top of the pyramid and as a result, there will be fewer and fewer horses born. Until there is a demand from people who want to have nice horses, are happy to win nice races and enjoy being an owner, we're going to be in trouble. All everybody wants anymore is to have Derby and Breeders' Cup horses.

Fred Hertrich (Watercress Farm): The market is not accepting less-expensive horses. The day of the $1,000 stallion breeding to the $1,000 mare is a thing of the past. The cost of raising that horse, the cost of breaking that horses, the cost of training that horse is the same whether it is the highest-priced yearling in the world or the least expensive. Like with everything else in the economy, the costs are great so the price of the asset has to be greater. We used to have thoroughbred buyers who would buy 10 yearlings at $5,000 apiece. They'd hope to hit the lottery with one of them and they might give away the rest. But that was when expenses were manageable. Now with the price of feed, help, blacksmiths, on and on, the game has changed. People can't afford to do that any more. You have to believe that when you start with that product you're going to have something that will have value and has an opportunity to be a top racehorse.

I'm not sure anything can be done about this because I don't see the costs of raising an animal going down. Look at labor. What we used to have to pay for labor on a farm or in a training barn has gone up 30 to 40% in the last 24 months. It won't be reversed, in my opinion.

If the foal crop were to get down to 13,000 or 14,000, the caliber of everything would be better. Racing will be better, the product will be better. No one will be breeding an ill-conformed stallion to an ill-conformed mare. The dynamic will change but it will be an improved product for the public to wager on. There are going to be tracks where if the purses are too low they won't continue to race because people will not be able to afford to race for those purses. Some of the jurisdictions that have no way to generate serious purse money may not be able to stay competitive. I hate to say it, but like with anything, the bottom of the food chain is not going to do well. Horse racing and horse breeding is no different than any other entity in the country.

The post Another Year, Another Declining Foal Crop; Experts Chime In appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Paul Manganaro is a horse owner who frequently buys stallion seasons and shares. He owns shares in 20 horses. His uncle, Anthony Manganaro, is among the owners of Flightline.

TDN: In general, what are the criteria involved when people try to evaluate what a stallion share is worth?

PM: Depending on the farm, people use different math and different equations. But, basically, the simple formula is when you take your stud fee with a first-year stallion you want to get your money out in his first four years. That's very difficult to do, especially with a quality prospect like a Flightline. As is the case with real estate, the good stuff, the top-of-market stuff, you're going to have to pay a premium. There's another formula farms use. Say they figure a stallion will produce 400 live foals in first four years, so whatever that stud fee is times the 400 foals, that's the value of the horse.

TDN: When you buy stallion shares, what are the factors you take into account?

PM: There are several major criteria you have to look at, starting with a horse's pedigree and race record. Then there's his conformation. People want to look at these horses and see how they match up. If they are a good-looking horse you will get more interest than if they are a not a well-conformed horse. Then they look at the syndicate structure. How many shares are there, 40 or 50? You'll get a bigger cut if there are only 40 shares compared to 50 shares. What's very important to most farms and to myself and others is: who are your partners? Are they strong breeders and can they support the horse with good mares? Who is the syndicate manager going to be? Lane's End is a well-established farm, a stallion-making farm. They have a strong clientele, a good advertising program and they price their horses right. So you know he's going to get the best opportunity. He ticks every single box. And like with any other business, it's about supply and demand. If there are five shares available and 200 people want one, then t thenhat drives up the price.

TDN: So, how much do you think the share will sell for?

PM: This such a unique situation. Usually when you go to buy a share a farm will call you up and say we have 40 shares at $300,000 each and do you want one? You evaluate all the criteria and you say yes or no. This is something I've never seen. They are offering one share to the whole wide world and through a bidding process. The market will dictate the price. If he dominates in the Breeders' Cup like he dominated in all his other races it could bring anything. It will be like buying a Picasso. Why is a Picasso worth $80 million or 100 million? It's just paint and oil on canvas. Why would anybody pay $100 million for that? It's because Picasso is famous and if you want one there is a limited supply. If the Flightline share brings $3 million does that mean the horse is worth $3 million times 40? No. Because you're not selling 40 of them, you're selling one. The market will dictate the value. But there will be a premium because we haven't seen a prospect like this in decades. The two horses recently sent to stud that had his charisma are American Pharoah and Justify, but they went to a farm that doesn't syndicate horses to the general public. They are held in house. So this is the rarest of rarest gems.

It's like with anything else. You want to buy a yearling and think the horse is worth $250,000 then two people want the horse and it goes for $600,000. Then that's what the horse is worth, $600,000.  If I think a horse is worth $200,000 and it sells for $500,000 I'm not saying the buyer is stupid. The number becomes $500,000 because that's what someone was willing to pay for it. People see things through different sets of glasses. It's the same with this. Whatever this sells for, that is what it is worth.

TDN: What if he loses the GI Breeders' Cup Classic? How will that affect the price?

PM: There will be an initial shock. But within 48 hours people will remember how special he was. Even the great Zenyatta lost a race. Muhammad Ali lost fights. The Dodgers got knocked out and everyone expected them to win the World Series. It's a horse race and he will be facing the best in the world. I don't think a loss would tarnish his reputation. He has five wins, all of them in tremendous fashion. People will still remember him as one of the most talented horses we've seen in the last 20 years. I don't think it will have any effect because he'll be moving on to a different career.

Fred W. Hertrich III is an owner, breeder and former chairman of the Breeders' Cup. He owns shares in numerous stallions.

TDN: Let's get right to it. What do you think the share in Flightline will sell for?

FH: It's going to bring more money than most people anticipate because of the thrill, the dream, the opportunity. That's what we sell every day in this business. We are all dreamers and this is the ultimate dream. The thrill of the horse and the dream. I am excited about it because it is such a positive thing and is so unique. Most often, with stallion syndications there is language in the agreement in which you must agree to not sell shares or seasons at public auction. They don't want to create a false market, good or bad. That's why this is an opportunity we have not seen before.

No one knows what it is worth until the last person bids, and if they do, they are Houdini . This going to give someone the opportunity to participate with one of the greatest horses we've seen in the last 10 years. If he runs next year, they'll be on the front line as an owner watching him race and there's a chance he could race around the world. How do you put a price on that thrill? It's kind of like when Elon Musk said who wants to bid on a seat to go to the moon? What is it worth? It's worth whatever someone is willing to pay for the thrill of being able to do that. The shareholders in the horse have put this opportunity out to the public and somebody is going to buy in and have the thrill of a lifetime. People have asked me what do you think this will bring. No one can predict that.

TDN: Could there be the type of bidding war that send this into the stratosphere?

FH: Absolutely. Maybe there's a wife out there who wants to give this to her husband for their 50th anniversary and can spend whatever she wants to spend to give her husband this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and she's not going to stop until she gets the horse. What would that do to the price?

It's like when I sell a horse. I might think the horse will bring $200,000 and lo and behold nobody bids over $50,000. Then with the next one I think it will also sell for $200,000 and there are two people who really want it and it sells for $700,000. That's because both people really wanted the horse and they bid against one another.

TDN: Have you ever seen anything like this before?

FH: No, there's never been anything like this before. That's why it is so unique. Kudos to the people involved who are doing this. Kudos for them coming up with and how they are promoting it. They are selling the ultimate dream.

Editor's Note: Coolmore purchased Justify for a reported $75 million. Theoretically that would value his shares (even though he was never syndicated) at $1.875 million.

The post The Sale of the Flightline Share: ‘It Will Be Like Buying a Picasso’ appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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“I want to thank everyone across the horseracing community who expressed interest in joining the Horsemen's Advisory Group. I am particularly grateful to its distinguished and highly qualified new members who have agreed to collaborate with us on an ongoing basis,” said Lisa Lazarus, HISA CEO. “I know that HISA will benefit immensely from this group's extensive, hands-on experience in Thoroughbred racing as we continue to work with all industry stakeholders to advance the safety and integrity of our sport.”

The following individuals have been selected to serve as members of the inaugural Horsemen's Advisory Group:

• Mark Casse is a trainer and the founder of Casse Racing based in Ocala, Florida. He has been inducted into both the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame and the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame.
• Kelsey Danner is a trainer based at Palm Meadows in Boynton Beach, Florida and at Delaware Park.
• Tom Drury is a trainer from Louisville, Kentucky and a board member of the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association (KTA) and Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders (KTOB).
• Linda Gaudet is Vice President of the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (MTHA), where she has been a member since its inception in 1994. She will serve as the Horsemen's Advisory Group's Backstretch Worker Representative given her history of advocacy on behalf of Backstretch workers.
• Rick Gold is chair of the Thoroughbred Owners of California's Integrity and Safety Committee and a Thoroughbred racehorse owner in California and Australia.
• Donnie K Von Hemel is a trainer based in Piedmont, Oklahoma and operates Von Hemel Racing, founded by his father Don Von Hemel. He races in Arkansas, Kentucky and Oklahoma.
• Fred Hertrich III is the former chairman of the Breeders' Cup Board of Directors and proprietor of Watercress Farm in Paris, Kentucky. He has been a breeder and owner of standardbred racehorses for the last 35 years and is also the Treasurer of the Hambletonian Society. He will be serving as the Advisory Group's Harness Racing Representative.
• David Ingordo is a Thoroughbred racehorse owner and Bloodstock agent.
• Frank Jones serves as Vice Chairman of both the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission and Kentucky Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association. He is also a Thoroughbred racehorse owner and an avid horseplayer.
• Tim Keefe is President of the MTHA and a trainer stabled at Laurel Park in Maryland.
• Sara Langsam is an equine veterinarian with Teigland, Franklin and Brokken DVMs who is based at Belmont Park. She is one of the Advisory Group's two Veterinarian Representatives.
• Ron Moquett is an Oklahoma native and trainer based in Hot Springs, Arkansas. He races in Arkansas, Kentucky, New York and Oklahoma.
• Maggi Moss is a former chief Prosecutor from Des Moines, Iowa and a practicing attorney who is also a Thoroughbred owner with horses racing in Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana and New York.
• Graham Motion was born in Newmarket, England and is a trainer based in Fair Hill, Maryland and the owner of Herringswell Stables.
• John Piehowicz is an equine veterinarian and founder of Cincinnati Equine, LLC. He will serve as the second Veterinarian Representative.
• Tom Robbins is Executive Vice President, Racing and Industry Relations at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club and will be serving as the Advisory Group's Racing Office Representative.
• Rick Schosberg is a trainer and Vice-President of the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (NYTHA), President of Take2 Second Career Thoroughbreds, and Director on the Board of the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance.
• Thomas Trosin is a second-generation Farrier and past President of the American Farriers Association. He has been licensed as a plater in both California and Oklahoma and will serve as the Advisory Group's Farrier Representative.
• Kirk Wycoff is a Thoroughbred racehorse owner and the proprietor of Three Diamonds Farm.

The post HISA Announces Membership of Horsemen’s Advisory Group appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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The following individuals, listed alphabetically, received the most votes from the Breeders' Cup nominators to fill 20 Member seats. Each Member will serve a four-year term: Rory Babich, Antony Beck, Gatewood Bell, Case Clay, Alan Cooper, Everett Dobson, William S. Farish, Jr., H. Greg Goodman, Jonathan Green, Fred W. Hertrich, III, Jak Knelman, M.V. Magnier, Pope McLean, Jr., Gavin Murphy, Garrett O'Rourke, Mike Pons, Daisy Phipps Pulito, Jaime Roth, Tom Ryan and Shunsuke Yoshida.

“It is my pleasure to congratulate our new and re-elected Members who will be serving the Breeders' Cup over the next four years,” said Barbara Banke, Breeders' Cup Chair. “In concert with current Members, we will be seeking their insights and expertise in our continued efforts to enhance the Breeders' Cup World Championships, our racing programs, and the safety and integrity for all those who participate in Thoroughbred racing.”

The Breeders' Cup Members are elected every other year by Breeders' Cup foal and stallion nominators through a proportional voting system based on the level of nominations paid to the organization. There are a total of 39 elected Breeders' Cup Members. The Members meet each July and elect individuals to the Breeders' Cup Board of Directors, which oversees the activities of the organization.

The online portion of the Breeders' Cup Director election will begin on July 1 and conclude on July 8. The voting results will be announced following the annual meeting of the Breeders' Cup Members on July 14.

The post Breeders’ Cup Members Elected appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Such an achievement has led to many asking Hertrich the warranted question, 'What's your secret?'

He doesn't have one good answer other than this: “There's no magic to it, but there is a secret sauce and that sauce is luck,” he said. “Think of all the people involved in getting a horse to the winner's circle for a Grade I. One day we counted it up and guessed that 60 different individuals were involved in the process from when the mare was bred and when she foaled through when the foal went through the sale, and then the foal can take varied paths based on where it's broken, who trains it and of course the jockey. All you have to have is one glitch in that entire process and that horse may never even get to the track.”

Hertrich said he enjoys the in-depth strategic project that comes with drawing up mating plans for his commercial breeding operation each year. With over 100 mares visiting the breeding shed this year, the process is far from a one-day task.

Before breeding season begins each year, Hertrich will sit down with a panel that includes partner John Fielding, partner/advisor Rob Tribbett and Shane Doyle, the farm manager for Hertrich's Watercress Farm who Hertrich refers to as the conformation expert of the group.

As the panel makes plans for their young mares, Hertrich said their number one goal is to get winners on the mare's progeny record early in her career.

“They have to produce a horse that can run so that everyone can look and say that mare is a great producer,” he explained. “If a mare can't produce runners, it really doesn't matter how well her foals sell.”

According to Hertrich, this approach doesn't necessarily mean that an unproven mare will always visit a proven stallion.

“We do some analytics with it and while you're trying to get a runner, it may be that a first-crop sire conformationally and genetically fits that mare better than anything else. For the six Grade I winners we had, they are by five different stallions. It's not an exact science and that's why the guy with the most money doesn't always win.”

When evaluating mares that have already produced runners, he said it comes down to the balancing act of producing a horse that will have commercial appeal but can also conceivably have success on the track.

“It becomes an economic decision as to how do we maximize value of the foals from that particular mare with a mating that will give us the individual that will produce the best results,” he said. “We always lean toward [a focus on] race performance.”

Hertrich's strategy is perhaps atypical for many commercial breeders pointing their foals for the sales.

“There are some guys who just breed commercially and they're always trying to get Miss America into the yearling ring,” he explained. “That's great, except can Miss America go out and run? If she doesn't, you're only going to trick the market for so long.”

Fred Hertrich | Keeneland

Hertrich acknowledged that his program does have the luxury of not always needing to have progeny by the flavor-of-the-month sire to have success at the sales because many people seek out horses coming from his operation.

“The great thing is that over time, because of the results owners and trainers have had with us, we have built-in clients who come to the farm and want to buy from us because they know how we raise a horse and care for a horse, so they want to be involved in that process.”

While Hertrich always has his eye on the long game in this business, he acknowledges the high risk involved in the game he plays, citing how just last week they had a dystocia with one mare and ended up losing the foal but then had two healthy fillies on the ground three hours later.

“When someone says they want to go into the breeding business, I always tell them to make sure they really look at it before they get into it,” he said. “The breeding business is not for the faint of heart. How many great horses either are never foaled or get injured? It's a high-risk game.”

Hertich passed the baton to advisor and partner Rob Tribbett to discuss mating plans for a few of their top mares.

ALWAYS AUDITIONING (m, 16, Mizzen Mast – Nawal (FR), by Homme de Loi (Ire)) to be bred to Catholic Boy

Always Auditioning is the dam of GIISW Ready to Act (More Than Ready). This year we are booking her to Catholic Boy. He's a horse that we are obviously a bit biased on because we bred him, but we're big believers in him with not only the speed that he showed but also his determination and versatility. There aren't many stallion that have done what he's done on the track. This mating will produce a three-quarters sibling to Ready to Act, who of course is by More Than Ready.

BRAZEN PERSUASION (m, 11, Indian Charlie – Beholden, by Cat Thief) to be bred to McKinzie

This mare was a recent purchase of ours at the November Sale last year. She was a really good 2-year-old. She won the 2013 GIII Schuylerville S.

We are going to breed her to McKinzie, who is a horse that we really like because he was brilliant at two as a Grade I winner, but he was also durable enough to be a Grade I winner at three and four. We also love that McKinzie's dam, Runway Model (Petionville), won the GII Alcibiades S. We love to breed to those stallions that have a pedigree full of brilliance. I like this mating a lot because you're taking the brilliance of the mare, who was such a good 2-year-old, and putting it with a lot of speed from both McKinzie and his dam.

CATCH MY EYE (m, 13, Unbridled's Song – Sharp Eyes, by Storm Cat) to be bred to Curlin

This is the dam of GISW Maxim Rate (Exchange Rate). She's by Unbridled's Song, who we know is one of the best broodmare sires out there.

This year we are sending her to Curlin. Maxim Rate is a turf filly, but with matching this mare's pedigree to Curlin, we think it's a chance to produce that successful Classic-type runner. We think it's certainly within this mare's range of ability and Curlin is obviously one of the best stallions out there when it comes to getting that type of horse.

HOT CHA (m, 7, Bernardini – Hot Water, by Medaglia d'Oro) to be bred to Not This Time

Hot Cha is a young Bernardini mare that is from the family of champion Xtra Heat (Dixieland Heat). Again, I love mares that have speed in their family and there aren't too many fillies faster than Xtra Heat. This mare is a half to Hot and Sultry (Speightster), who just won really impressively at Oaklawn.

We are going to breed her to Not This Time. We think that the start he's gotten at stud with a lower stud fee was really impressive and is the mark of a stallion who could end up being a top-tier stallion after succeeding with those mares bred on a lower stud fee. As he gets these better books, I think the sky is really the limit for him.

LUNAR EMPRESS (m, 9, Malibu Moon – Holy Princess, by Holy Bull) to be bred to Liam's Map

This mare is from a really good family of stakes producers and she was very talented on the racetrack herself. She was a maiden special weight winner at Santa Anita and was fourth in the GI La Brea S. She's by Malibu Moon, who is another good broodmare sire.

We are going to breed her to Liam's Map, the sire of GISW Juju's Map that we bred in 2019. We're trying to raise runners; that's our main goal and then the commercial thing comes after that. Liam's Map certainly gives you a chance to have a great runner and they're going to be commercially-appealing horses as well.

MISS ARRANGEMENT (m, 11, Mr. Greeley – Shy Greeting (Arg), by Shy Tom) to be bred to Honor A.P.

Miss Arrangement was a maiden special weight winner on debut at Keeneland and she already had a yearling sell at Saratoga for $400,000.

We are going to breed her to Honor A.P. He's a horse that we have a lot of confidence in. He was such a talented horse and the win he had over Authentic in the GI Santa Anita Derby was really an impressive race. Like McKinzie, he's out of a top-class race mare which I think is such an added benefit when you're looking at a stallion prospect.

Nagambie's 2021 Audible filly that topped Book 5 of the Keeneland November Sale | photo courtesy Rob Tribbett

MO MUSIC (m, 4, Uncle Mo – Harmony Lodge, by Hennessy) to be bred to Authentic

Mo Music is carrying her first foal by Street Sense now. She is out of Harmony Lodge, who was another filly with a lot of speed. It's a really great female family.

We will be sending her to Authentic. With the natural speed that Authentic had and the stamina he had to carry that speed, we think it is a great match with this mare because there's already so much speed and class coming from her family.

NAGAMBIE (m, 9, Flatter – Charming N Lovable, by Horse Chestnut (SAF)) to be bred to Gun Runner

This is the dam of GISW Juju's Map (Liam's Map). She is currently in foal to Not This Time, who is the brother of Juju's Map's sire. This year she will be going to Gun Runner. Other than maybe Uncle Mo, it's hard to recollect another horse that had such a good first crop. Gun Runner was such a good racehorse and there's really no holes to him as a sire.

POLLY FREEZE (m, 9, Super Saver – Elusive Gold, by Strike the Gold) to be bred to Constitution

This is the dam of Americanrevolution (Constitution), who won the 2021 GI Cigar Mile H., as well as Bold Journey (Hard Spun), who just ran second in the Gander S. on Saturday. Polly Freeze has a really good Collected 2-year-old filly that brought $210,000 as a yearling and she is currently in foal to Frosted. She's a mare that makes a really good foal and she's from a family of really good producers.

We're going to send her back to Constitution. Some people say that he's the next great stallion, but I would say he's already a great stallion with what he's done on these lower-priced books. That's the mark of what his sire did and what Into Mischief has done that makes them a breed-changing stallion when they can succeed with a variety of mares.

Bold Journey (Hard Spun), the half-brother to GISW Americanrevolution, recently ran second in a stakes at Aqueduct for Bill Mott | photo courtesy Rob Tribbett

SUMMER ON THE LAWN (m, 12, First Defence – Summer Exhibition, by Royal Academy) to be bred to Charlatan

This is the dam of GISW Beyond Brilliant (Twirling Candy). She is booked to Charlatan. We were fortunate to be a part of his racing career as owners. He had so much speed and an ability to carry that speed a distance. Beyond Brilliant also has speed that can carry on both surfaces and I certainly think Charlatan could produce dual-surface runners given his pedigree.

SWEET CAUSE (m, 7, Giant's Causeway – Sweetness 'n Light, by Distorted Humor)

We are big believers in Giant's Causeway mares and Sweet Cause is from the family of MGISW Ms. Eloise (Nasty and Bold). We love mares with that type of race filly in her pedigree.

She will be booked to Catalina Cruiser. He is a horse that we really like and his first crop looked the part, which really didn't surprise us much because he is a beautiful horse. He's a big horse but he had a lot of speed for a big horse. We are going to be supporting him heavily this year.

YEAR OF PROMISE (m, 9, Gio Ponti – Shandra Smiles, by Cahill Road) to be bred to Twirling Candy

This mare is a half-sister to two Grade I winners–She's a Tiger (Tale of the Cat) and Smiling Tiger (Hold That Tiger). This year she will be going to Twirling Candy. Of our Grade I winners in 2021, two of them were by Twirling Candy. When we bred those mares he stood for $20,000 and really the best is yet to come for him.

This mare has already had a More Than Ready and a Constitution and now she will have a Twirling Candy. When we breed these young mares, we love to give them shots with these types of stallions. If she's going to be a producer, these stallions will get her there. Twirling Candy is rightfully now at that stud fee range where he's proven that he belongs. The two Grade I winners that we produced were a dirt 2-year-old and a turf horse, so that's a pretty impressive display of versatility.

Let us know who you're breeding your mares to in 2022, and why. We will print a selection of your responses in TDN over the coming weeks. Please send details to: garyking@thetdn.com.

The post Mating Plans: Hertrich Seeking the Long Game in a Risky Game appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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A total of 431 horses changed hands during the two-day auction for a gross of $17,245,500 with an average of $40,013 and median of $16,000. There were 56 horses led from the ring unsold for a very low RNA rate of 11.5%.

That was a significant increase over last year's auction, where 425 Thoroughbreds grossed $12,506,700 over two sessions with an average of $29,428 and a median of $10,000. There were 99 horses who did not meet their reserves last term for a RNA rate of 18.9%.

“Tremendous horse sale,” Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning said. “There was great activity on all types and levels of horses, unlike a few years ago when it was all or nothing at the top. The encouraging thing was the depth of the marketplace for yearlings, racing/broodmare prospects and mares in foal. People had money to spend and orders to fill. There was a tremendous clearance rate. From our perspective, February has clearly established itself as a meaningful sale on the calendar that people should point horses to the in the future.”

During Wednesday's session, 233 head brought $10,646,700 with an average of $45,694 and median of $18,000. With just 18 horses failing to sell, the RNA rate was 7.2%.

In the equivalent session last year, 218 horses summoned $8,550,400 with an average of $39,222 and median of $11,000. Forty-two horses missed their marks for an RNA rate of 16.2%.

In addition to the sale-topping Brilliant Cut, Japanese buyers also took home Tuesday's top purchase, and the second highest-priced offering of the sale, Bodhicitta (GB) (Showcasing {GB}), who brought $450,000 from K I Farm.

Fred Hertrich, John Fielding and City of Light were responsible for the session-topping yearling for the second day in a row, selling a $180,000 colt by that young Lane's End stallion. Rob Tribbett was also a co-breeder on hip 337, who was purchased by Four Star Sales. The breeders sold a $260,000 colt by that sire Tuesday, who was the auction's top-priced yearling.

Champion freshman sire Gun Runner continued to make a strong showing at Fasig, with two more mares in foal to the Horse of the Year bringing six-figures. The Three Chimneys resident was represented by three other six-figure sellers Tuesday, one yearling and two in-foal mares, all of which were sold by Pennsylvania-based owner/breeder Christian Black.

There was a deep buying bench at the February sale, with the top 12 horses all going to different buyers. On the seller end, Taylor Made accounted for seven of those 12.

“It's tough,” bloodstock agent David Meah said of the February market. “I think this is the new normal and we all have to just get used to it. Realistically, if you think a horse is worth $250,000, you better have $300,000 or $325,000. If you think it is worth $50,000, you better have $75,000. I don't think it is just a now market. I strongly believe it is the new normal. This is the way it is going to be moving forward and I think it has been that way for the last 12 months now.”

Jacob West–whose new outfit with partner Jill Gordon known as Highgate Sales sold topper Brilliant Cut in their inaugural consignment–echoed Meah's thoughts on the market.

“It is strong,” West said. “I had orders to try to buy everything from yearlings to maidens to pregnant mares and I bought one horse. There are quality horses in here and they have been selling well across the board. The results speak for themselves with the median and average from [Tuesday] and the gross total. Today I am sure they are blowing it out of the water. Quality products are bringing quality money and it looks like it is going to be that way for the foreseeable future.”

The Fasig-Tipton Winter Mixed Sale marks the end of the breeding stock sales season and the auction scene will transition to Florida with the OBS March Sale, which is quickly followed by Fasig-Tipton's Gulfstream Sale.

Highgate Sales Off to 'Brilliant' Start

Jill Gordon and Jacob West's Highgate Sales came out of the gate running with their inaugural consignment, selling all 10 of its mares, including $750,000 sale topper Brilliant Cut (Speightstown) (hip 541). The GI La Brea S. runner-up was purchased by Japan's Katsumi Yoshida, who did his bidding online.

“To roll out our banner for the first time and be able to have a sale topper here at the Fasig-Tipton Winter Mixed Sale, it's hard to put into words,” said Gordon, the emotion clear in her voice. “We have the utmost gratitude to this ownership group. They have been very good to me and I can't possibly say thank you enough for what they've done for us. This filly has been a class act from the day she got to the sales grounds. She was out over 150 times and gave the exact same show every time she was out of her stall. We are so proud to have represented her and followed her up to the ring.”

Brilliant Cut was claimed by trainer Doug O'Neill and owners Boom Racing, ERJ Racing, Dave Kenney and William Strauss for $50,000 out of her fourth-out graduation at Del Mar in November of 2020. The chestnut was third behind La Brea heroine Kalypso (Brody's Cause) in last term's GII Santa Ynez S. and checked in fourth in the GIII Las Virgenes S. Switched to the grass, she completed the exacta in an Arcadia optional claimer last March, after which she was sent to the sidelines.

Resurfacing in the Unzip Me S. on the Santa Anita lawn in October, Brilliant Cut checked in fourth that day and was sent back to the main track, where she returned to winning ways in an Oct. 30 starter optional claimer. Dismissed at 20-1 when jumping up the class ladder for the Dec. 26 La Brea, Brilliant Cut pressed from second most of the way and stayed on to fill the place spot.

Brilliant Cut has the pedigree to back up her track record, starting with her year-younger half-sister Lemeiux (Nyquist), who won a stakes last year at two and is back in training. Her dam is a half to MGISW Diamondrella (GB) (Rock of Gibraltar {Ire}), who is the dam of GSW Spectropscope (Medaglia d'Oro); SW Highest Honors (Tapit); and SW & MGISP Bonnie Blue Flag (Mineshaft), who is the second dam of GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile romper and impressive GI Pegasus World Cup winner Life is Good (Into Mischief).

“Given the interest that we had in here both pre-sale and on the sales grounds, we were hoping she might get to $500,000 or a little more,” Gordon said. “To walk up and have a result like this, especially off of a $50,000 claim, it's hard to describe.”

Highgate's initial consignment consisted of a mix of 10 in-foal mares and racing/broodmare prospects. They had a 100% clearance rate with a gross of $1.216 million and an average of $121,600.

“We are pleased to report that we went 10-for-10 at our inaugural sale,” Gordon said. “We had a great group of clients supporting us and we can't thank them enough. It couldn't be a better way to start and we are both very excited.”

West added, “Jill has really taken the bull by the horns here. We wanted to come in here with some quality product and make our presence felt. She spearheaded all of that and I couldn't be happier for her. I know how much blood, sweat and tears went into this. I am happy for her and our whole team. The guys at the barn were incredible. We wouldn't be anything without our clients and the horses they gave us.”

Meah Strikes for Lady Edith

Bloodstock agent David Meah had two fillies in mind for the partnership of Bing Bush's Abbondanza Racing and Omar Aldabbagh. He decided to focus his efforts on recent stakes winner Lady Edith (Street Boss) (hip 350) and that paid off early in Wednesday's session when he secured the 4-year-old filly for $370,000. She will be sent to California-based conditioner and Meah's former boss Richard Baltas.

“This was the one filly that we knew we could probably afford,” Meah said. “The other one [we were looking at] was [GISP] Brilliant Cut (Speightstown), but we know she is probably going to go for a lot of money. So, we focused in on this filly. With Santa Anita racing from five to 6 1/2 furlongs on the grass now, it gives us a lot of options. We think she can go over there and probably pick up some graded stakes wins, hopefully. She will run all year and then they will decide whether they want to bring her back here in November to sell again or, since she just turned four, they may run her for a couple of years.”

Bred by the late J. David Richardson and Sandra New, Lady Edith was consigned by Hermitage Farm, acting as agent for Richardson's estate. Out of stakes winner Lady Grantham (Yankee Gentleman), she captured the Mamzelle S. sprinting on turf at Churchill Downs in May and came from the clouds to take the Wishing Well S. on synthetic at Turfway Jan. 29 for trainer Tom Drury.

“She has the pedigree where she is worth quite a bit of money as she stands, even if she never ran again,” Meah said of the filly's appeal. “She just turned four and just won a stakes race at Turfway. Horses don't generally come from off the pace there and she was 14 lengths back after about 25 jumps, so she did it really well. She swung five or six wide in the stretch, mowed them down and galloped out pretty well. That last race sealed the deal for us. It showed she has a big turn of foot. They just don't come from that far back at Turfway. We are excited to get her on the grass in California. Horses with a turn of foot like that really do well there.”

Black & Gun Runner Continue to Succeed

Owner/breeder Christian Black has enjoyed plenty of success in the sales ring over the past six months thanks to leading freshman sire Gun Runner. The principal of Blackstone Farm and Forgotten Land Investments sold a colt by that Horse of the Year for $550,000 at Fasig-Tipton's Saratoga sale. The duo continued to succeed at the February sale when Black sold a Gun Runner filly for $225,000 (hip 38) and a pair of six-figure mares in foal to the Three Chimneys stallion during Tuesday's session.

The fun didn't stop there. Black traded two more mares in foal to Gun Runner Wednesday, selling one for $330,000 to Gracie Bloodstock (hip 369) and one for $205,000 to Imaginary Stable and Glen Ellis (hip 377).

“I have always been a big fan of Gun Runner,” Black said. “I have been breeding to him from the first year. Three Chimneys has been very, very nice to me and always let me do what I thought was the right thing to do. They have been very supportive and I am very appreciative of that.”

The first of the two to go through the ring Wednesday was Lucky Draw (Lookin At Lucky) (hip 369), who never made the races, but is a half to stakes winner Killer Bird (Summer Bird). Black picked up the now 7-year-old mare for just $10,000 at the 2018 KEEJAN sale. He kept her first foal, the recently turned 3-year-old filly You Look Cold (Frosted), and races her in partnership with Kinsman Stable. She has won two of her four starts, including the Finest City S. at Presque Isle in September, with lifetime earnings just shy of $100,000 thus far. Black sold her 2020 filly by More Than Ready for $100,000 at FTKOCT and she had a More Than Ready colt last April.

“We were lucky enough that the first foal out of her became a stakes winner,” Black said. “That filly just turned three. She will go on and be a stakes horse this year hopefully, and maybe even a graded stakes horse. She is a young mare with a lot of upside to her, so I think people saw that and were willing to put a value on her that reflected that.”

The second mare is a Blackstone Farm homebred, Malibu Surprise (Malibu Moon) (hip 377). Out of the Ghostzapper mare I'm Surprised, she is a half to stakes winner She's a Big Winner (Bellamy Road). The 7-year-old mare's first foal is a now-yearling colt by Distorted Humor.

“She was born on a Southern Hemisphere season,” Black said. “I always liked the mare. We raised her and she was a decent racehorse. The Gun Runner was in her and I thought that was a good physical match, so we brought her to market and were rewarded. Gun Runner and Three Chimneys have been very good to us. That's for sure.”

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During the two-session Book 3, 571 yearlings sold for $80,011,500 for an average of $140,125 and a median of $110,000. With the inclusion of post-sale transactions, the 2020 Book 3 sections saw 483 yearlings sell for $42,269,700 for an average of $87,515 and a median of $60,000.

With just 84 horses reported not sold Sunday, the session's buy-back rate was 23.08%. Through six sessions, the buy-back rate stands at 27.53%.

With 29 yearlings sold for $3,557,000, Taylor Made Sales Agency was Sunday's leading consignor.

“It's been really strong,” Taylor Made's Marshall Taylor said of Book 3 trade. “We probably RNA'd only three or four horses. We've sold most of our horses today, so it's been really good for the day. I think it's been a lot stronger, especially compared to last year. The momentum has almost picked up in Book 3. New people came into town and people were hanging around from Books 1 and 2. It's been a perfect storm of people being forced to stay longer and new people coming in. I thought yesterday and today were really strong. I hope it continues keep going into Books 4 and 5.”

Pinhookers, largely shut out in earlier books, started breaking through in Book 3, but as plenty of buyers are still getting repeatedly shut out, the rest of the week at Keeneland figures to be competitive.

“What I have heard from buyers is that it's been very difficult to buy the horses that they have orders for,” said breeder Fred Hertrich. “So I think there are still a lot of horses to be sold.”

First-crop sire City of Light, in high demand all week at Keeneland, had the top two yearlings during Sunday's session. Bloodstock agent Jacob West bid $700,000 for a son of the Lane's End stallion from Farfellow Farms (hip 1913) and Breeze Easy secured a filly (hip 1860) by the young sire for $525,000 from the Warrendale Sales consignment.

Through six sessions, 44 yearlings by City of Light have sold for $17,050,000.

The Keeneland September sale continues through Friday with sessions beginning daily at 10 a.m.

West Strikes Late for City of Light Topper

The hour was late, but most of the major players were still milling around the pavilion when bloodstock agent Jacob West made the highest bid of Sunday's sixth session of the Keeneland September sale, going to $700,000 to acquire a colt by Lane's End's in-demand sire City of Light.

“It's 8 o'clock at night, it's way past my bedtime,” West quipped after signing the ticket on hip 1913 on behalf of the partnership of Mike Repole and Vinnie Viola's St Elias.

“He's a beautiful horse,” West continued. “I knew we were going to have to fight them off. I had a pretty good feeling when I walked back and saw who was still hanging around that everyone was going to be on him. And that was exactly what it was. But Mike and Vinnie were dead set on getting him. He has a stallion's pedigree and a stallion's look. He just happened to be put in this book and this is where he sold. But he stood out like a sore thumb. He was the obvious horse today for us.”

It was another standout result for the Knelman family's Farfellow Farms. The operation's only other yearling to go through the ring at the auction was a $1-million son of Street Sense (hip 1022) who sold Thursday.

Sunday's session topper is out of Hessie's Girl (Giant's Causeway), a half-sister to Grade I winner Bullsbay (Tiznow) and to graded winner Our Khrysty (Newfoundland), whose daughter Grace Adler (Curlin) won the Sept. 5 GI Del Mar Debutante.

“He was physically so impressive and he's out of a nice Giant's Causeway mare,” Jak Knelman said of the yearling. “There is a lot of activity in the family. We bought the mare a few years ago, and I'll give a lot of credit to my mom, she picked the mare out of the catalogue. The stallion is really showing that he's throwing a nice physical.”

The Knelmans purchased Hessie's Girl for $150,000 at the 2018 Keeneland November sale, but almost missed out on the session-topper when putting her back through the ring while she was carrying the colt at the 2019 Keeneland November sale. The mare failed to sell at $190,000.

“We are pretty excited she didn't sell,” Knelman said with a smile. “To be honest with you, the City of Light momentum was already starting in utero with these mares. So we thought we would put her in the sale. And for whatever reason, this mare just didn't get picked up by that wave. So a little bit of dumb luck. And I don't think we will be putting her in the sale again any time soon.”

Hessie's Girl produced a colt by Liam's Map this year and was bred back to Game Winner.

“It's a testament to our farm manager Josh Hennessy and to Emmanuel,” Knelman said of the farm's outstanding September results. “They work so hard every day, so a lot of kudos to them.”

Breeze Easy Takes Top Filly

Breeze Easy, which sold the session-topping daughter of Curlin Saturday at Keeneland, purchased the top-priced filly during Sunday's session when going to $525,000 to acquire a filly by City of Light (hip 1860) from the Warrendale Sales consignment.

“We've been waiting all day for this horse to come through,” said Breeze Easy's Mike Hall. “We haven't bought very many, but we loved this horse and this was one we wanted to take home.”

Hall is already dreaming of Saratoga with Breeze Easy's newest acquisition.

“I think she's an early type horse and she can go to Saratoga,” he said. “She is a little different type of City of Light. She's a little more typey. I think she might be a little earlier than some of them. We are looking forward to her.”

Of the two session toppers on opposite sides of the ledger, Hall said, “The horse we sold yesterday, we loved her also, but you have to sell some horses. We are trying to build a business.”

Hip 1860 is out of stakes-placed Donna Getyourgun (Stormy Atlantic), a half-sister to multiple graded stakes winner Clearly a Queen (Lucky North). The yearling is a half-sister to stakes winner Mizzen Beau (Mizzen Mast).

The yearling was bred by Tony Holmes, who purchased Donna Getyourgun, in foal to Speightster, for $26,000 at the 2017 Keeneland November sale.

“I had a conservative reserve on her,” Holmes said after the filly went through the ring. “For us to go buying horses back at big prices would be changing the goal posts for me. But this was brilliant.”

City of Light's big success in the sales ring made setting a reserve more difficult, according to Holmes.

“You should have to protect her along with those figures, which was a nice problem to have,” he said. “When you are trying to set a reserve, it was a bit higher than what we normally would do.”

Asked to compare the filly to other City of Light yearlings, Holmes admitted, “I didn't see a lot of them. I've just been looking at her every day since she was born.”

Of the yearling, he added, “She looks very athletic with a lovely big rear end. She is a smooth, smooth horse.”

Donna Getyourgun produced a filly by Catholic Boy this year and was bred back to McKinzie.

When told he had sold the day's top-priced filly, Holmes said, “I should probably go get a drink then.”

Violence Colt Rewards Hertrich and Fielding

A colt by Violence (hip 1717) took the lead at Keeneland Sunday when selling for $500,000 to WinStar Farm's Elliott Walden. Consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, the dark bay yearling was bred by Fred Hertrich and John Fielding.

“He was just a really good invidual,” Hertrich said. “I probably never had a horse that had as many vets look at him or came and did single shows. I knew that was the type of horse that Elliott likes to buy. He's a big, scopey horse. You'll probably see him in the Derby in a couple of years.”

The colt is out of graded-placed Tulira's Star (Congrats), a half-sister to graded winner Mountain General (Mountain Cat). Hertrich purchased the mare for $145,000 at the 2016 Keeneland November sale.

Even though bidding at Keeneland this past week has been strong, Hertrich said he is still seeing polarization in the marketplace.

“Everybody will tell you the market is absolutely wonderful, but that's probably for the top two-thirds,” he said. “There are certain sires that people don't seem to want to buy. You never know until you get here what is going to be the horse that everybody wants to buy or a sire that nobody wants to buy. Certainly, with the first-crop sires, you have the Gun Runners that everybody wants to buy and the Arrogates that are maybe less popular. Next year, it could be the opposite.”

Buchanan Gets Her Gun Runner

Bloodstock agent Jane Buchanan, working with BBA Ireland on behalf of an existing client, had an order to fill for a yearling by Gun Runner. It took until the sixth session of the Keeneland September sale, but Buchanan got the job done when signing the ticket on hip 1647 for $475,000. The dark bay colt was consigned and co-bred by Jim and Pam Robinson's Brandywine Farm.

“We had an order to try to find a Gun Runner colt in the sale,” Buchanan said. “And as you know, it's been proving very tough. He was an excellent individual from a great nursery in Brandywine Farm. We are just delighted.”

Buchanan said it was likely the yearling will be heading overseas.

“He will possibly go abroad, most likely, but I'll have to talk to [BBA Ireland's] Michael [Donohoe] about that,” she explained.

The yearling is out of Royal Irish Lass (Saint Ballado) and is a half-brother to graded winner and Grade I placed Royal Mo (Uncle Mo) and multiple stakes winner Tara From the Cape (Leroidesanimaux {Brz}).

“We had a $149,000 reserve on him and I thought he might bring $200,000 to $250,000,” Jim Robinson, celebrating his birthday with strong sales result Sunday, said. “We had a lot of activity on him. So it was a little more than I expected.”

It was the colt's second trip through the Keeneland sales ring. He RNA'd for $95,000 at last year's November sale.

“He was just too nice to let him go,” Pam Robinson said of last fall's buy-back.

“Just a tick,” Jim Robinson said with a broad smile when asked how much impact Gun Runner's hot start to stud might have had in the change of sales fortunes. “The timing couldn't be any better. And he was a lovely horse with a tremendous walk on him. Perfect X-rays, according to our vet. All the stars just lined up.”

Ward Sees the Light

Trainer Wesley Ward signed the ticket to acquire a colt by City of Light (hip 1692) for $460,000 midway through Sunday's sixth session of the Keeneland September sale. The bay yearling was bred and consigned by Woodford Thoroughbreds.

“We have been going through the day's horses that are coming in and he was a the top of the list,” Ward said. “He was the one I felt most confident in. He's back here in a later book and I think I would have had to pay a little more if some of the people who were here earlier hadn't already headed out of town. So, we got a little bit of a value even though it was quite dear. I think he's going to be a really nice horse.”

Lane's End's first-crop sire City of Light has set the Keeneland sales ring on fire this week and Ward said he has liked what he's seen of the stallion's first yearlings.

“I've been very impressed with them,” Ward said. “They are beautiful horses and they look like they've got athleticism. We will see next year as we get a little closer, but right now, it looks like he's going to make it.”

Speightstown Filly Heads West

A filly by Speightstown will be heading to the West Coast after bloodstock agent Phil Hager signed the ticket at $425,000 on hip 1612 in the name of Lee and Susan Searing's CRK Stable.

“We bought two in Book 2 and we wanted to buy one more,” Hager said. “It's taken us until now. But we really like this filly. She looks fast, like a 2-year-old type.”

Hager said the filly will be trained by Peter Eurton, while adding of his involvement in the purchase, “I'm just helping out.”

The filly is out of the unraced Poetic Justice (Pioneerof the Nile), who is a daughter of graded winner Draming of Liz (El Prado {Ire}). She was consigned by Burleson Farms, which co-bred the filly in partnership with Becky Thomas's Sequel Thoroughbreds and Louis Trudel. The partners purchased Poetic Justice, with the filly in utero, for $165,000 at the 2019 Keeneland November sale.

“We are big Speightstown fans,” Lyn Burleson said of the mare's appeal while selling two years ago in foal to the WinStar stallion. “And she's a beautiful mare. Every year, we try to add a couple mares to the program. This was a young mare who was pricey for us, but a really pretty physical and we thought she would cross well with Speightstown.”

The result was extra special because the partnership on the mare includes Trudel, a longtime Sequel employee.

“Louis Trudel, one of my longtime guys, has 5% of the mare,” Thomas said. “This is his first group of mares, so he has 5% of five mares. I first met up with him because he was working for Cavalia [as stable coordinator] at that time. And someone told me this guy wants to get into the Thoroughbred business. It was many, many years ago and this is his first real participation in owning horses. At home, he has 5% of a City of Light yearling who is going to the 2-year-old sale. He's is the ultimate Thoroughbred man right now.”

Of the yearling's final price tag Sunday, Burleson admitted, “We weren't expecting anywhere near that much. We are smaller players in that, so we are all just delighted with that. And he went to a really good home and there were a lot of good underbidders.”

Mathiesen, Jennings Have Big Day Before The Big Day

Hannah Mathiesen and Aidan Jennings will celebrate their nuptials in two weeks, but the couple had an early big day with a group of stellar pinhooks at Keeneland Sunday.

First up, they sold a colt by Violence (hip 1541), purchased earlier in the year for $65,000 at the Fasig-Tipton February sale, for $165,000 to BBN Racing. Next up, a Nyquist colt (hip 1576), purchased at Keeneland January for $40,000, sold for $200,000 to S 3 L, LLC. A colt by Accelerate (hip 1765), purchased for $110,000 at Keeneland last November, sold for $200,000 to Atlas Bloodstock and completing the standout day, a colt by Kantharos (hip 1818), purchased for $125,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton November sale, sold for $250,000 to Ben McElroy, as agent for Wesley Ward.

Of their topper seller Sunday, Mathiesen said, “He was strong and very leggy for a Kantharos. A lot of them are quicker, speed horses. Since he is out of a Street Sense mare, he had a lot of stretch. I think that appealed to a lot of people. We loved him all the way along.”

Mathiesen's experience in racing and sales spans the globe. Vice president of the Nexus Racing Club, which looks to promote the sport to younger fans, the California native also spent time in Australia and has managed pinhooking partnerships in both hemispheres.

Jennings, a native of Ireland, has plenty of international experience as well.

“My uncle is a National Hunt trainer in Ireland, Gerry Lynch is his name,” Jennings said. “He got me into racing. I went to college and studied equine management and science. Then I went on my own little Flying Start. I went to Japan, I went to France and worked in Australia. And I worked at Coolmore as well.”

Mathiesen and Jenning's Keeneland pinhooking success also included a son of Arrogate (hip 721) who sold in Book 2 for $250,000 to the bid of Colts Neck Stables. He had been purchased for $150,000 at Keeneland last November.

“All of these horses we bought with the option to race,” Mathiesen explained. “So we brought them to market to see how it would go and thankfully, it went very well.”

Jennings admitted luck, as well as skill, played a part in their success.

“I think we were probably lucky,” he said. “The horses went the right way. It's a small sample size. The five went well, but if you had 10, I'm sure you'd have five that go well and five that don't. The market was good, but we had good horses. All of those horses looked like stakes horses. They looked the part.”

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Banke, who is also the Chairman & Proprietor of Jackson Family Wines, was elected as a Breeders' Cup Member in 2012, and was elected to the Board of Directors in 2014. She will serve a two-year term as Chairman. Antony Beck of Gainesway Farm was elected as Vice Chairman, and also will serve a two-year term.

“It is a great honor to be named Chairman of the Breeders' Cup Board of Directors, and I look forward to serving with my fellow Directors and Members in continuing the mission and vision of the Breeders' Cup World Championships in support of our nominators and our racing fans around the world.

“I also congratulate our new Vice Chairman Antony Beck and greatly look forward to working together closely. In addition, I extend my warmest thanks to Fred Hertrich, who provided the Breeders' Cup with outstanding leadership throughout his tenure as Chairman. Fred's vision was key to several successful strategic initiatives over the last few years, including advancements in equine safety and integrity efforts, innovative approaches to improving the fan experience and the successful running of the 2020 World Championships amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“As Chairman, I look forward to working closely with stakeholders across the industry to ensure a bright future for Breeders' Cup Limited, the World Championships, and the sport of Thoroughbred racing.”

Banke has enjoyed successful careers as a lawyer and international vintner, and as a leading owner and commercial breeder. Under her direction, Stonestreet has bred and raised horses that have won more than 120 Graded and listed stakes races. Among their stars have been Curlin, the two-time Horse of the Year and 2007 Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Classic and 2008 Grade 1 Dubai World Cup winner; and Rachel Alexandra, who became the first filly to win the Grade 1 Preakness Stakes in 85 years and was also named 2009 Horse of the Year.

Banke took the helm of Jackson Family Wines in 2011 and led the company as the nation's largest seller of premium wines. In addition to their flagship Kendall-Jackson winery, Banke and Jackson shaped nearly two dozen premium wineries across Sonoma, Napa, Monterey, Santa Barbara, and Mendocino counties. Today, the Jackson Family portfolio is a global collection of world-class vineyards and wineries, including acclaimed properties in Oregon's Willamette Valley, France, Italy, Chile, Australia, and South Africa.

Banke is a steward of The Jockey Club and a member of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA), the National Racing Museum and Hall of Fame, and Keeneland's Advisory Board of Directors. Banke has also been a strong proponent of industry safety initiatives, including the Thoroughbred Safety Coalition and the passage of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) in 2020.

A well-known philanthropist, Banke is a passionate advocate for children's and educational charities around the country. Most recently, she was the Chair of the Sonoma County Wine Auction, raising a record-breaking $5.2 million for the local community. In addition, Banke and her family contributed $500,000 to help launch the Family Justice Center Sonoma County, assisting victims of domestic violence. She is also a global ambassador for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

“The Directors have made a very wise choice in electing Barbara Banke as the next Chair of the Breeders' Cup,” said Hertrich. “In her service as a Member and a Director, Barbara has instituted bold and innovative approaches to help strengthen and enhance the stature of the  Breeders' Cup as 'the best of the best.' On a personal note, I have immensely enjoyed working with our industry stakeholders, our Members, and fellow Directors during my four years as Chairman.”

During his time as Chairman, Hertrich led the company through a dynamic period of change and positive developments for the World Championships and the Thoroughbred industry at large.

Under Hertrich, Breeders' Cup took a leading role in advancing equine safety and integrity efforts across the industry. As a founding member of the Thoroughbred Safety Coalition, Breeders' Cup implemented a ban on all race-day medications from the World Championships. Hertrich also led Breeders' Cup's strong support of the passage of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) by Congress in 2020. The bill, which will go into full effect in 2022, requires a uniform anti-doping and medication control program, developed and enforced by the independent Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority.

During Hertrich's tenure as Chairman, the Breeders' Cup World Championships was successfully held at four different tracks: Del Mar, Churchill Downs, Santa Anita Park, and Keeneland. In this four-year period, Breeders' Cup World Championships purses and awards were increased to more than $31 million, and a 14th race ― the $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint ― was added to the Championship roster.

Breeders' Cup also set wagering and overall handle records during Hertrich's term. The highest all-sources handle in Breeders' Cup history ($174,628,986) was set in 2019 and record on-track Breeders' Cup handle ($24,181,317) was set at Del Mar in 2017. The 2020 Breeders' Cup was also the most expansive and innovative broadcast in its history, as jockey cams brought fans right into race action, and viewers had access to any one of up to 14 horses per race on individual camera feeds. This year, the Breeders' Cup expanded its global reach by signing agreements with international broadcasters ITV, Sky Sports Racing, and Racing TV, which will deliver unprecedented live television and digital broadcast coverage in the U.K. and Ireland, fitting of this international Championship.

Finally, Hertrich led the company in safely holding the 2020 World Championships at Keeneland amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Hertrich, in conjunction with fellow Directors, made the decision to conduct the event without fans in attendance, worked closely with local and state public health officials, and instituted health and safety protocols that allowed the Championships to take place safely despite the circumstances.

Following Friday's election, the Board of 14 Breeders Cup Directors is as follows: Barbara Banke, Stonestreet Farms (Chairman); Antony Beck, Gainesway Farm (Vice Chairman); Jimmy Bell, Godolphin America;  Alan Cooper, Niarchos Family/Flaxman Holdings Ltd.; William S. Farish, Jr., Lane's End Farm; Drew Fleming, Breeders' Cup Limited (President), Eric Gustavson, Spendthrift Farm; Walker Hancock, Claiborne Farm; Fred Hertrich III, Watercress Farm; Bret Jones, Airdrie Stud; Clem Murphy, Coolmore Stud; Gavin Murphy, SF Bloodstock; Alex Solis II, Solis/Litt Bloodstock and Elliott Walden, WinStar Farm.

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