Kentucky State Senate Majority Floor Leader Damon Thayer, (R-Georgetown), a staunch supporter of horse racing in the Bluegrass, will not seek re-election for the 17th Senate District and allow his term to expire in December 2024, the Commonwealth of Kentucky Senate Majority Caucus said in a release early Wednesday afternoon.
“I have decided not to seek re-election to the state Senate in 2024,” Senator Thayer said. “The end of my current term next year will mark 22 years in the Senate and 12 as Majority Floor Leader. After conversations with my adult children, close friends and colleagues, I have concluded this is the right decision.”
Thayer is the longest-serving Republican Senate Majority Floor Leader in Kentucky history. The 17th Senate District, which includes Grant and Scott Counties and portions of Fayette and Kenton Counties, is within what has become known as Kentucky's Golden Triangle.
As a leading voice for Thoroughbred racing, Thayer has championed the passage of historical horse racing and last year successfully co-led the fight to dissolve penny breakage, which has already returned millions of dollars back to horseplayers.
With more than 700 users registered to bid and buyers in 27 states plus another three countries, the Fasig-Tipton's December Digital Sale closed Tuesday evening with 186 horses sold for $3,167,000 across a catalogue, which was the largest ever offered on the platform to-date, the auction company said in a release Wednesday.
The online sale featured broodmares, horses of racing age, broodmare prospects, yearlings, weanlings and a stallion share in and lifetime breeding right to first-crop sire Flameaway (Scat Daddy).
Breeze Easy (GB) (Hip 310), a 4-year-old race filly, topped the sale when she went for $180,000 to Glenn Burrows from the consignment of St George Sales, agent. Fresh off an allowance win Friday at the Fair Grounds, Breeze Easy is a GSP daughter of Bated Breath (GB) and has earned just shy of $200,000 racing in England, Ireland and the United States. Out of the stakes winning Royal Academy mare Polar Circle, Breeze Easy is a half-sister to Group 2 placed and group stakes winner Artic Sound.
KBS went to $150,000 to secure the sale's second highest-priced offering, Googol Joke (Hip 32), a two-year-old son of Practical Joke consigned by Greenfield Farms, agent. A maiden winner last time out at the Fair Grounds, Googol Joke came into the sale with one win and one third from two career starts and earnings of $35,978.
Rounding out the top three prices of the sale was Sherif Ali (Hip 12), a two-year-old colt by American Pharoah, sold for $115,000 to Jonathan Green from the consignment of Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent. Sherif Ali broke his maiden on debut at Woodbine in October and came into the sale off a good second in allowance company over the same track and distance shortly after bidding opened on Thursday. The colt has a record of one win and one second from two lifetime starts and earnings of $29,628.
“This was a 'slam dunk' to close out the year. I'm very happy with the results,” said Fasig-Tipton Director of Digital Sales Leif Aaron. “The number of entries, registered bidders, and gross all exceeded previous records for our digital sales. We got the stallion share and lifetime breeding right done. We did in a week online what normally takes sales companies, stud farms, and buyers 60 days. I'm very proud of that and proud of our team at Fasig-Tipton.”
Commented first-time Digital seller Paul Manganaro, seller of Por Que No (Hip 309), in-foal to Constitution: “The flexibility and ease of the process was great, and my mare never had to leave her stall on the farm. I am still amazed that it took only five short days from the time I called Fasig to the time my mare sold. I see the many benefits that digital sales can have for both sellers and buyers and I will make sure digital sales are part of my plan going forward.”
The next Fasig-Tipton Digital Sale will be the February Digital Sale, which opens for bidding on Thursday, Feb. 15, and closes on Tuesday, Feb. 20. Nominations are now being accepted.
Keeneland Library's Lecture Series returns in winter/spring 2024 with four ticketed events that celebrate recently published works about Thoroughbred racing whose authors conducted research at Keeneland Library, the repository said in a release Wednesday.
During programs planned from January through May, the following authors will discuss their books, with each presentation followed by a reception and book signing:
24 – Kim Wickens, Lexington: The Extraordinary Life and Turbulent Times of America's Legendary Racehorse.
21 – Fred M. Kray, Broken: The Suspicious Death of Alydar and the End of Horse Racing's Golden Age.
March 7 – John Paul Miller, False Riches.
May 9 – Avalyn Hunter, The Kentucky Oaks: 150 Years of Running for the Lilies.
“The authors in this lineup cover varied and engrossing territory,” Keeneland Library Director Roda Ferraro said. “From a chronicle of legendary racehorse and sire Lexington to a gripping account of superstar Alydar, and from a novel of race track intrigue to a comprehensive history of the Kentucky Oaks, this series is sure to please our fans of racing and newcomers alike.”
Real Steel (Jpn) gave the theretofore relatively unknown Yoshito Yahagi a first victory on foreign soil when taking out the G1 Dubai Turf at Meydan in 2016. There has been a stack of overseas success since then–including Real Steel's full-sister Loves Only You (Jpn) in America and Hong Kong–and Susumu Fujita's Forever Young (Jpn) stands an excellent chance to add to the colorful conditioner's record following a smashing victory in the Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun at Kawasaki, 20 miles south of Central Tokyo.
Drawn widest in a field of 12, the firming 11-10 favorite on the back of his victory in the Listed JBC Nisai Yushun at northern Mombetsu Nov. 3 broke a bit to his right, but was done no damage, as he quickly zoomed up to press the pace of longshot Oscar Brain (Jpn) (Danon Legend {Jpn}. Second choice Aigle Noir (Jpn) (Bricks and Mortar) chased the pair from out wide in third. The two market leaders made moves in unison entering the second turn, and Aigle Noir appeared to stick his nose in front nearing the straight, but Forever Young counterpunched inside and careered away in the final furlong to score convincingly. The win was worth 20 points on the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby.
The Yahagi-trained Continuar (Jpn) (Drefong) was an intended runner in last year's Run for the Roses, having competed in the G3 Saudi Derby the G2 UAE Derby, where he was behind last year's Zen-Nippon winner Derma Sotogake (Jpn) (Mind Your Biscuits). A physically below-par Continuar was withdrawn from the Derby in the days leading up to the race. Forever Young could chart a similar course, but Yahagi said that the owner is also keen on the new NAR Dirt Triple Crown, consisting of the Haneda Hai (1800m) in April, the Toyko Derby (2000m) in June and the Japan Dirt Derby (2000m), which moves from July to October.
Fujita has made a big splash at home and abroad, paying sometimes-lofty sums for yearlings and 2-year-olds at public auction. Fujita, the founder of Japanese digital advertising company CyberAgent Inc, splashed out ¥517.1 million ($4.7 million) for a then-juvenile colt by Deep Impact (Jpn)–Premier Steps (Ire) (Foostepsinthesand {GB}) at the Chiba 2YO Sale in 2021. Dobune is a two-time listed winner and Group 2-placed in Japan this season with earnings north of ¥156 million.
More recently, Fujita and Yahagi have been represented by Shin Emperor (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}), a full-brother to G1 Prix de l'Arc de Troimphe winner Sottsass (Fr) who topped the 2022 Arqana August Sale on a bid of €2.1 million. The chestnut colt is two-from-two in his young career, including a last-out victory in Group 3 company, and heads to the G1 Hopeful S. (2000mT) in two weeks' time.
Forever Young connections | Horsephotos
In 2021, Fujita paid a sales-topping $750,000 for the Practical Joke filly Clos de Mesnil at OBS March and from the same sale, he acquired Jasper Krone (Frosted), a $90,000 purchase who won twice at group level this term before traveling to the GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint and last weekend's G1 Longines Hong Kong Sprint. Jean Gros (More Than Ready), bought out of the 2021 OBS March Sale for $265,000, gave Fujita his first winner at group level in 2022.
Forever Young is one of three winners from four to race out of Forever Darling, whose marquee success came in the GII Santa Ynez S. in 2016. Second dam Darling My Darling was twice Grade I-placed at two in the colors of Debby Oxley and later won the Raven Run S. and Doubledogdare S. at Keeneland before producing 2017 GI Darley Alcibiades S. winner Heavenly Love (Malibu Moon), whose 'TDN Rising Star' son Sierra Leone (Gun Runner) was part of a thrilling finish in the GII Remsen S. Dec. 2. Shug McGaughey trained third dam Roamin Rachel to a victory in the GI Ballerina H. in 1994, and she was sold to Japanese interests for $750,000 in foal to Storm Cat at the 1998 Keeneland November Sale before producing Zenno Rob Roy (Jpn) (Sunday Silence), Japan's Horse of the Year and winner of the G1 Japan Cup in 2004.
Forever Darling is also the dam of a yearling filly by Kizuna–like Real Steel a son of Deep Impact–and her foal of 2023 is a filly by Epiphaneia (Jpn).
