The 10-year-old stallion was donated to the farm courtesy of Airdrie, who has made three prior contributions to the Old Friends roster.

“It is already evident to me that this well-mannered multiple stakes winner is going to be a real hit with our many visitors to Old Friends,” said John Nicholson, President and CEO of Old Friends. “We are grateful to Bret Jones and all the folks at Airdrie Stud for giving McCraken such a fulfilling retirement and a chance to be celebrated by racing fans everywhere.

Bred and raced by Whitham Thoroughbreds, McCraken, out of the Seeking the Gold mare, Ivory Empress, was foaled on Apr. 13, 2014 in Kentucky. The homebred, trained by Ian Wilkes, closed out his racing career with six wins–three of them graded stakes–and $869,728 in earnings over 14 starts.

McCraken began his stud career at Airdrie Stud in 2019 and he was pensioned following his 2023 season.

“It makes all of us at Airdrie very happy to know that McCraken will live out his retirement in the best possible care,” said Bret Jones, president of Airdrie Stud. “Michael Blowen is a hero of ours and has been a wonderful friend since the earliest days of Old Friends. He began the farm with a vision and has built it into one of the most inspiring legacies in the history of our sport. Airdrie joins the Whitham and Wilkes families in thanking Michael, John Nicholson and the great team at Old Friends for giving McCraken, and all of the horses in their care, the retirement they deserve.”

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Tracking Let Them Watch (Maximus Mischief) from the second flight along the rail, the 3-year-old bided her time under a firm hold into the far turn. With a half-mile of :45.91, at the quarter pole the bay uncorked her speed and she celebrated with a professional performance by 1 1/4 lengths over Launch (Omaha Beach).

“I'm all about developing horses,” said trainer Ian Wilkes. “I like to use riders who'll stay with the horse. Julien [Leparoux] was quite happy and wanted to stay with her, and he was willing to come down, so that was the thing. It's all about developing horses and trying to win the right races.”

The winner's dam is responsible for a 2-year-old filly by Not This Time. Bedford Land initially sold to Three Chimneys Farm for $1.075 million at the '14 Fasig-Tipton Summer Horses of Racing Age Sale. She was then bought by Robert and Lawana Low while in-foal to Malibu Moon at the '16 Keeneland November Sale. Second dam GISW Pool Land (Silver Deputy) also produced her full-sister, SW Old Chestnut.

GLITTER WOMAN S., $100,000, Gulfstream, 1-7, 3yo, f, 6f, 1:11.58, sy.
1–INTO CHAMPAGNE, 118, f, 3, by Into Mischief
                1st Dam: Bedford Land, by Speightstown
                2nd Dam: Pool Land, by Silver Deputy
                3rd Dam: Slew City Slicker, by Slew City Slew
($300,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP). 1ST BLACK TYPE WIN. 'TDN Rising Star'. O-Six Column Stables, LLC, Randall L. Bloch, Jim Gladden, Mike Davis and Michael Steele; B-Robert Low & Lawana Low (KY); T-Ian R. Wilkes; J-Julien R. Leparoux. $60,760. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $130,360.
2–Launch, 118, f, 3, Omaha Beach–Spark, by Speightstown. ($50,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP). O-Amo Racing USA; B-Peter E. Blum Thoroughbreds, LLC (KY); T-Jorge Delgado. $19,600.
3–Kissedbyanangel, 122, f, 3, Golden Lad–Angelinthemorning, by Street Sense. O-Rodolfo Sanchez-Salomon; B-Super C Racing Inc (MD); T-Rodolfo Sanchez-Salomon. $9,800.
Margins: 1 1/4, 1 1/4, NK. Odds: 0.70, 9.30, 12.10.
Also Ran: Let Them Watch, Indescriptable, Scootaloo, Caress.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

#1 INTO CHAMPAGNE ($3.40) rallies to a first stakes victory in Gulfstream Park's $100,000 Glitter Woman Stakes!

This is just the second start for the filly by @spendthriftfarm's Into Mischief. She was ridden by @JulienLeparoux for trainer @IanWilkesRacing. pic.twitter.com/Pohv9TUPk6

— TVG (@TVG) January 7, 2024

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The Hall of Fame conditioner will also saddle Nysos (Nyquist), who was purchased by Baoma Corp. for $550,000 at OBS April, and British Isles (Justify). Out of GSW Purely Hot (Pure Prize) and a half-brother to GI American Pharoah S. champ Eight Rings (Empire Maker), the latter is owned by Mrs. John Magnier, Derrick Smith and Michael Tabor.

Also set for his unveiling is Tracker (Curlin), who is out of GI Darley Alcibiades S. heroine Gomo (Uncle Mo). The $250,000 Keeneland September yearling turned $900,000 OBS March graduate is campaigned by Talla Racing, West Point Thoroughbreds, Woodford Racing and Robert and DeLynn Abernathy. TJCIS PPS

5th-KEE, $100K, Msw, 2yo, f, 6 1/2f, 3:08 p.m. ET.
Tommy Town Thoroughbreds and trainer Jeff Engler send out Bedazzle 'Em (American Pharoah) for her first start. The $750,000 Keeneland September graduate counts GIII Schuylerville S. winner Just Cindy (Justify) as a half sister.

She'll face Red White and Blue Racing's Denim and Pearls (Into Mischief), who sold for $500,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Yearling Sale. The Brad Cox trainee is a full-sister to GIII Robert B. Lewis S. hero Newgate.

Whitham Thoroughbreds homebred Aunt Fannie (Uncle Mo), trained by Ian Wilkes, is a half-sister to GII Kentucky Jockey Club S. victor McCraken (Ghostzapper) and GIII Dogwood S. winner Four Graces (Majesticperfection). TJCIS PPS

The post Saturday Insights: $1.3m Into Mischief OBS April Grad Makes Santa Anita Debut appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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“We didn't even think that it would go beyond the first year,” Motion admitted. “The turnout we had was pretty incredible. I think everybody thoroughly enjoyed it. It's something very different. At a lot of fundraisers, you give the money but you don't get much in return. Whereas with this, people are putting on a big show.”

The Real Rider Cup was launched in 2017 with the goal of raising funds–and awareness–toward Thoroughbred aftercare. Racing personalities team up with an off-track Thoroughbred to complete a timed course of jumps. Each participant is required to raise a minimum of $1,000.

Between its Mid-Atlantic home base at Fair Hill and now its Lexington location, the Real Rider Cup has raised over $410,000 to support its three beneficiaries: the Retired Racehorse Project, New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program and the Fair Hill Thoroughbred Show.

“Every single penny goes towards promoting and helping with all the future fundraising for each of the recipients,” Motion explained. “The reach that these organizations have is huge and the more we can get this out about what we do with our retired racehorses, the better. It just goes to show what these horses can do after their racing career.”

The Real Rider Cup will return to Lexington this year on Saturday, July 8 at New Vocations ahead of the Fasig-Tipton July Sale. Motion is hoping for another big turnout.

“We had no idea what to expect last year and if we get half of what we got last year, we'll be doing very well,” she said.

Thatcher Street and Brian Hernandez Jr. claim the 2016 GIII River City H. | Coady

One of the horse-and-rider pairs that is sure to garner recognition from their time on the racetrack is Kara Lee and her mount Thatcher Street (Street Sense).

The duo first met when Lee began exercise riding for Ian Wilkes at Churchill Downs in 2014. While it took 13 tries over the course of two years for Thatcher Street to break his maiden, as an older horse he developed into a stakes-level turfer for owners Randy Bloch, Phil Milner, John Seiler and Fred Merritt. A stalwart of the Wilkes barn for several years, the gelding earned over $450,00 from 40 lifetime starts and took home stakes wins in the 2016 Opening Verse S. and the 2016 GIII River City H., also placing second in the 2015 River City and running third in the 2016 GII Wise Dan S.

Lee said that Thatcher Street was always a pleasure to work with and was a barn favorite.

“He was usually very good, but then a few days before race day he would get very tough,” she explained. “But at the same time, we used to pony on him at the track with horses that just needed a little bit of help. He was always very good with other horses, but he knew what his job was and he always showed up for race day.”

When it came time for the big bay to retire at the age of seven, he had a forever home with his exercise rider.

“He was the first stakes horse that I rode on the track, so he always had a special place in my heart,” Lee said. “When it came time for him to look for a new home, I just knew that I wasn't going to be able to give him up so he came home with me. He's earned it. He's been really good to me and I always have fun any time I'm on his back.”

Lee and 'Thatcher' completed the Retired Racehorse Project in 2019, coming in the top five of the Field Hunter division and earning top amateur honors. The following year, Thatcher Street made his Real Rider Cup debut when he teamed up with jockey Brian Hernandez Jr., who was one of his regular riders on the Kentucky circuit, for a virtual edition of the annual event (watch it here).

Private Island and his rider JayCee | Katie Petrunyak

After enjoying some 'R and R' for the past year, Lee and Thatcher Street are ready to get back into showing. Lee decided that the Real Rider Cup would be a fun way to dip their toes back into the water.

Since she first started in the industry a decade ago, Lee has steadily become more involved in the industry and has found a passion for developing and placing horses once their time on the track has ended. One of the many horses that Lee has secured a home for is Thatcher Street's half-brother Private Island (Bodemeister).

The 2018-foaled gelding also raced with Ian Wilkes, breaking his maiden at Kentucky Downs in 2020 and earning just under $100,000. Lee took on the gray when it was time for him to retire and soon found a home for him with 19-year-old JayCee Vanesky.

Private Island and Thatcher Street actually met during their racing years in the Wilkes barn. In fact, Thatcher Street helped pony Private Island when he was first learning the ropes of the racetrack. Now, the brothers often reunite for eventing lessons.

Thatcher Street ponied Private Island when he first arrived at the Ian Wilkes barn | courtesy Kara Lee

Lee said that the sibling pair and their personalities reflect most of the off-track Thoroughbreds that she works with.

“There aren't many other breeds of horses that are exposed to people cheering and yelling and umbrellas and strollers and just all the little stuff, so when they come off the track, they probably have one of the soundest brains that I've ever seen in a horse,” she said.

The Real Rider Cup is one opportunity to showcase the versatility, temperament and ability of retired racehorses like Thatcher Street.

Many racing celebrities, both human and equine, have participated over the years, from this year's Belmont Stakes-winning trainer Jena Antonucci to retired jockey Aaron Gryder and Zenyatta's son Cozmic One (Bernardini). The later two will both be making repeat appearances on July 8 in Lexington.

The event is free to attend and the first rider will take to the course at 7 p.m. Food trucks, a cash bar and live music will all be on-site. Attendees can RSVP here. Supporters can also donate to their favorite horse-and-rider teams to help them meet and exceed their $1,000 goal here.

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Drawn wide for the debut, the $300,000 Keeneland September yearling showed enough speed to sit close to a good early pace and traveled strongly while traveling comfortably for Julien Leparoux. Going ominously well behind the leaders on the turn while still on hold, the bay filly pushed away from the inside part of the track, raced up three wide while under her own courage and turned it on through the final eighth of a mile to graduate by 6 3/4 convincing lengths.

The late Eugene Melnyk acquired the winner's second dam for $475,000 at the 2003 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale and raced her to seven wins from 11 starts for Todd Pletcher, including the 2006 GI Ruffian H. Melnyk sold Pool Land, then 11 years of age, to Live Oak for $900,000 in foal to Smart Strike as part of the owner's dispersal of racing stock at Fasig-Tipton February in 2013. For Charlotte Weber, Pool Land bred 2-year-old stakes winner Old Chestnut (Speightstown) before she sold to SF Bloodstock in foal to Munnings for $57,000 at Keeneland January in 2019. The winner's dam is also responsible for a yearling Not This Time filly, but unfortunately delivered a dead foal by Practical Joke this season.

A 38th 'Rising Star' for Into Mischief, Into Champagne is bred on the exact same cross responsible for the stallion's Grade I winners Mia Mischief and Mischievous Alex and on the cross over Gone West that yielded champion and Horse of the Year Authentic. Others of Into Mischief's graded winners from Speightstown dams include GII Phoenix S. and GIII Futurity S. hero Engage and G3 Nad Al Sheba Turf Sprint victor Man of Promise.

8th-Ellis, $120,000, Msw, 6-16, 2yo, f, 5 1/2f, 1:04.18, ft, 6 3/4 lengths.
INTO CHAMPAGNE, f, 2, by Into Mischief
1st Dam: Bedford Land, by Speightstown
2nd Dam: Pool Land, by Silver Deputy
3rd Dam: Slew City Slicker, by Slew City Slew
Sales history: $300,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $69,600. Click for the Equibase.com chart or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
O-Six Column Stables, LLC, Randall L Bloch, Jim Gladden, Mike Davis & Michael Steele; B-Robert & Lawana Low (KY); T-Ian R Wilkes.

#10 Into Champagne wins on debut for fun in R8 at Ellis Park under @JulienLeparoux for trainer @IanWilkesRacing!

#TwinSpiresReplay pic.twitter.com/6mx351wngf

— TwinSpires Racing (@TwinSpires) June 16, 2023

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Last weekend, the 3-year-old Whitham homebred trained by Ian Wilkes got her first graded stakes win in the GIII Regret S. Still a maiden after her first four starts, Walkathon switched to the turf this spring and reeled off consecutive scores in her maiden win and in a Churchill Downs allowance before successfully stepping up in class in the Regret.

Clay Whitham, who co-manages Whitham Thoroughbreds along with his mother Janis, is based in Colorado but was able to make the trip to Louisville to celebrate the victory.

“We had pretty high expectations,” he said. “Before her debut, she had shown a lot in her works so everyone was pretty high on her. We know that Twirling Candy can get both dirt and turf runners, but he really has excelled with his turf runners. We were looking forward to getting her on the turf and as it has turned out, clearly it made a big difference.”

Consistently maintaining a roster of just 10 broodmares, Whitham Thoroughbreds has always focused on breeding to race.

Bayakoa was one of the first broodmares to join their program. The champion distaffer only produced four foals and just one, Arlucea (Broad Brush), had any success on the track. After a winning debut, Arlucea ran unplaced in her next six starts. She had better luck for the Whithams as a broodmare, however, as the dam of their 2012 GI Breeders' Cup Classic winner Fort Larned (E Dubai).

Later in her broodmare career, Arlucea produced Walkabout (Stroll). The winner of the 2017 GIII Matron S. joined the Whithams' broodmare roster in 2017 and was sent to Twirling Candy for her first mating. The resulting foal, Walkathon, was an average-sized bay filly and was never a standout in her early days.

“She didn't 'wow' you necessarily,” Whitham admitted. “No one ever wants to say their foal is small, but she was probably just a notch below average. She never gave anyone any trouble and developed under the radar. She's one of those that never had any setbacks and quietly progressed through her training.”

Now a Grade III winner, Walkathon will take a short break from the starting gate after winning three races in less than two months, but Whitham said his mother already has her eye on a Grade I for their talented filly this fall.

“She is really focused on the GI Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup S. at Keeneland,” he said. “It's a race that my mom is really excited about running in. Ian will have to figure out what he wants to do with her until then.”

Janis Whitham has already bred and raced one QEII winner. Remarkably, it's another granddaughter of Bayakoa. Affluent (Affirmed), who won the historic Keeneland contest in 2001, is out of their foundation mare's only other producing daughter Trinity Place (Strawberry Road {Aus}).

When Clay Whitham's father Frank passed away not long after Bayakoa retired from racing, his mother carried on the Whitham racing operation from her hometown of Leoti, Kansas. Today, the mother-son duo run their breeding and racing program in partnership.

“We bounce our ideas back and forth off each other,” Whitham said. “It's really helpful when you're doing matings. We've bred these mares for a number of years so you don't have to start over from scratch each year. We've put a lot of thought into what we think we want to do with them and how we think they ought to be bred.”

Whitham explained that while it is rewarding for them to see Bayakoa's legacy continue to grow, for them, it just means that their breeding philosophies are working.

“Horse racing is a family activity for us,” he explained. “For Walkathon to be connected back to Bayakoa, that was really the horse that put my parents on the map. They had confidence in keeping her and breeding her. It's really nice that the decision continues to pay dividends. Our program is primarily breed to race, so if it doesn't work, we don't really have a Plan B. When you breed to race, your decisions had better work out.”

Before Baykoa came into the picture, there was a Whitham-owned filly named Tuesday Evening (Nodouble). Three generations later, her great-granddaughter Four Graces (Majesticperfection) is yet another Whitham Thoroughbreds success. After winning  the GIII Dogwood S. and GIII Beaumont S. in 2020, Four Graces took much of her 4-year-old season off and returned to the starting gate this year. In her last start, she ran a close second in the GI Derby City Distaff S. Whitham said she will be returning to the starting gate at Churchill Downs in the coming weeks.

Four Graces is a half-sister to first-crop sire McCraken, who took the Whithams to the GI Kentucky Derby in 2017. Whitham said that they have one exciting juvenile son of McCraken who will be heading to the racetrack soon.

While the list of accomplishments for Whitham Thoroughbreds continues to grow, Whitham said that coming out on top with a long game-focused program like theirs is still a challenge.

“You've got to have some good luck and we appreciate our success, but it's still tough,” he said. “With our type of program, having some good fillies really creates value for the program. If you can get a stakes win for a filly, you've created some value for her. We're super excited to have some recent success with a few horses. We feel very fortunate.”

The post Walkathon Carries the Torch for Impressive Female Lineage appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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The news arrived Sunday in the form of a note on the overnight for the June 10 races. On Monday, Churchill's senior director of communications, Darren Rogers, explained the reasoning to TDN via email.

“We've decided it's best to limit turf racing to two races per day for the remainder of the Spring Meet (starting June 11) to allow the new turf course to continue to mature and become more robust,” Rogers wrote. “We've had good, open dialogue with the riders. The grass has been cut short to promote the continued root growth. We've had the flexibility to adjust the temporary rail positions to four different lanes. We have complete confidence it'll be more robust for additional turf racing later this year with just a little more time.”

Trainers contacted by TDN weren't exactly overjoyed to learn that grass racing would be limited. But they weren't panicking, either, and seemed to accept the short-term hassle as a tradeoff for healthier turf opportunities in the future.

“I applaud them for doing that,” said trainer Ian Wilkes, who has won two Churchill turf races from 16 starters at the current meet. “If anything, the turf hasn't quite settled in as good with this hot weather coming. I think it's great. It's fine. It's going to be a tremendous turf course, but it's just very new right now.”

Asked if he thought the reduction in grass racing was more of a course-preservation effort or a safety concern for horses and jockeys, Wilkes said, “I think it's a combination of both. Some horses are struggling over it. But you've got to take care of the course. It's smart what they're doing.”

Trainer Wesley Ward, who is stabled at Keeneland Race Course, has a 2-for-12 record with Churchill grass horses this season. He said he was “kind of bummed out” to learn of the decision.

“The majority of my barn are grass horses. And with the purses that they've giving away, you certainly want to take advantage of those big pots that they've got. And when those opportunities are limited, it's never a good thing,” Ward said.

Asked what specific problem he believes Churchill is trying to address by limiting grass racing, Ward replied, “That I can't help you with. Each and every horse that I've brought over to work and run, they all come out of the races the same way they went in. I, personally, have not had any issues. My horses have been 100% sound with that grass course. Others may not feel the same.”

Ward continued: “I'm not trying to build up [Churchill], because I utilize their grass course in the mornings, which they're very kind to let me do that. But all my horses have been perfect and I would have no problems going over this week to breeze or run on it.”

Trainer George “Rusty” Arnold II, whose 5-for-19 turf record at the current Churchill meet includes a Grade III stakes score, also indicated his horses have had “no issues” with the safety of the course.

“I've been very fortunate, won a couple of nice races on it this year,” Arnold said. “No injuries, no problems whatsoever. [The reduction] really won't bother us a lot.”

Terry Meyocks, the president and chief executive officer of the Jockeys' Guild, confirmed to TDN that Churchill had consulted with the riding colony before making the decision to cut back on turf racing, adding that he believed the jockeys had not brought up any specific safety concerns.

“It's just that it's a new turf course and needs time. [The jockeys] thought that was the best thing to do for everybody,” Meyocks said.
Churchill management had been careful not to overuse the new course from the outset of the meet that began Apr. 30. Even GI Kentucky Derby Day itself, with a 14-race card, featured only four grass races.

During the most recent racing week, Churchill carded two turf races Thursday, then three per day Friday through Sunday, all over “firm” conditions.

Wilkes said there will soon be plenty of grass options available at other tracks.

“Getting into the summer, Indiana's got grass. You've got Colonial coming up next month. Ellis is coming. There are plenty of options, plus Saratoga's coming. It's not the end of the world. You might have to wait on one horse for a few weeks, but that's not a bad thing,” Wilkes said.

Ward was similarly philosophical.

“Well, we've only got a couple of weeks until the meet's over anyway, right? If they're scrapping some of those races, I'll be utilizing the grass course at Belmont–that's where I kind of funnel in and out of,” Ward said.

Arnold said, “We run at Indiana and we have other different places we could go to. Probably going to miss a race or two. I haven't totally gone through the book to see, but when you reduce probably in the neighborhood of some [19] turf races, I'd say it's going to affect everybody equally.

“We ran last fall with no turf course,” Arnold noted, alluding to the complete closure of grass racing at last year's Churchill fall meet because of the installation of the new course.

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Having finished second and fourth in her second and third starts, respectively, sprinting on the main track, Walkathon was runner-up in a rained-onto-Tapeta Gulfstream route Feb. 13. She resurfaced to graduate over the Keeneland turf Apr. 22, and was flattered when the next two finishers came back to earn their own diplomas. The Whitham homebred was coming off a first-level allowance tally going a sixteenth shorter here May 14.

Away on top from the rail, Walkathon was eventually reined in by Leparoux to sit second behind keyed-up longshot Lola Flo (Get Stormy). They crawled down the backside single file through a half in :48.46 and six furlongs in 1:12.91, and as the pacesetter dropped anchor midway around the home bend Walkathon quickly seized command. She was three or four lengths clear at the head of the stretch, and was not for catching from there.

Saturday, Churchill Downs
REGRET S.-GIII, $200,000, Churchill Downs, 6-4, 3yo, f, 1 1/8mT, 1:49.26, fm.
1–WALKATHON, 118, f, 3, by Twirling Candy
                1st Dam: Walkabout (GSW, $242,563), by Stroll
                2nd Dam: Arlucea, by Broad Brush
                3rd Dam: Bayakoa (Arg), by Consultant's Bid
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. O/B-Whitham Thoroughbreds, LLC (KY); T-Ian R. Wilkes; J-Julien R. Leparoux. $122,760. Lifetime Record: 7-3-2-0, $290,341. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–McKulick (GB), 118, f, 3, Frankel (GB)–Astrelle (Ire), by Makfi (GB). (180,000gns Ylg '20 TATOCT). O-Klaravich Stables, Inc.; B-Essafinaat UK Ltd (GB); T-Chad C. Brown. $39,600.
3–Beside Herself, 118, f, 3, Uncle Mo–Excited, by Giant's Causeway. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. O-Michael B. Tabor; B-Chelston (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher. $19,800.
Margins: 1 1/4, 6 1/4, 2 1/4. Odds: 2.60, 0.80, 4.40.
Also Ran: Kneesnhips, Candy Raid, Lola Flo. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

Pedigree Notes:

Walkathon becomes the 15th graded stakes winner for her sire (by Candy Ride {Arg}), and the third out of a mare by Stroll, who also sired the dam of talented GISW Ollie's Candy (Candy Ride {Arg}). She traces her lineage back to Janis and Frank Whitham's most noteworthy of many standout runners, with Hall of Famer Bayako (Arg) as her third dam. Fort Larned (E Dubai), these connections' 2012 GI Breeders' Cup Classic winner, is a half to Walkathon's dam, herself a winner of the GIII Matron S. over this main track in 2017. After producing Walkathon in her first mating, Walkabout lost a Mendelssohn foal and was unsuccessfully bred to Omaha Beach thereafter. She produced a colt by Nyquist Apr. 25.

The post Twirling Candy Filly Walks All Over Regret Rivals appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Earlier that morning, he and his family posed alongside a bay mare named Unbridledexplosion (Eddington) outside of Barn 46 at Keeneland. Hernandez had ridden the mare in all but three of her 18 career starts. Now, he is her new owner.

“This is the first mare my wife and I have purchased on our own,” Hernandez said. “We bought a farm in Simpsonville a few years ago and have been putting up lay-ups for the last couple of years, but we've always discussed that one of these years we were going to go over to Keeneland and buy a mare to learn a different aspect of the game.”

New adventures in the game our whole family loves is always fun!!! https://t.co/jEhNipZ4Y8

— Brian Hernandez (@b_hernandezjr) November 18, 2021

Hernandez and his wife Jamie were in Del Mar for the Breeders' Cup earlier this month when Jamie was flipping through the Keeneland November catalogue while sitting in their hotel one afternoon. She landed on Hip 2759.

“She loved this mare,” Hernandez said. “She's really high on Mitole and so she wanted a Mitole baby. When she showed me her catalogue page, I was like, 'Man, I think I rode that mare.' Sure enough, I'd ridden her for Ian [Wilkes] for her whole career.”

With Hernandez aboard, Unbridledexplosion broke her maiden as a 3-year-old at Churchill Downs in June of 2014. She ran second in five of her next six starts against allowance company before adding consecutive wins to her resume in the spring of 2015–both at Churchill Downs under Hernandez. Over her three-year career, which included five tries against stakes company, Unbridledexplosion ran in the money in 12 of her 18 starts, collecting over $200,000 in earnings.

“I always remembered her as a really hard-trying mare,” her jockey recalled. “She was second five different times in some pretty tough allowance races between Keeneland, Saratoga and Churchill. It was always in the back of my mind that she was a hard-trying mare.”

After retiring from racing, Unbridledexplosion produced a Wicked Strong colt in 2018 that has not raced followed by an Upstart colt named Unbridled Bomber who broke his maiden for Jim Ryerson at Belmont Nov. 7. She also has a yearling filly by Unified. The mare's female family includes GISW Declassify (Orientate) and GSW Life's a Parlay (Uncle Mo).

“Jamie had her heart set that she wanted this mare,” Hernandez said. “She and her mom were doing the bidding. We had agreed on a certain price and we got her below our limit, so we were all excited. My father-in-law [Jake Radosevich] signed the ticket. She was consigned by Lantern Hill Farm with Suzi Shoemaker. We sent her back to Suzi and we're going to let her foal her out. Then we'll breed her next year after we see what kind of baby we get.”

This week's purchase is not the Hernandez family's first foray in the breeding business. In partnership with Ian and Tracey Wilkes, they bred the War Front mare Social Amber to Hernandez's 2012 GI Breeders' Cup Classic-winning mount Fort Larned for the past two years. The 2-year-old, named Gus Gus, ran second to a next-out allowance winner at Ellis Park this summer. The yearling colt is already named Justblamethejock.

Hernandez said that their three children added further incentive to jump into the breeding game on their own.

“Our kids all have horses out at the farm and they love them,” he said. “They love going to the races too so we wanted to give them a different avenue with something that gets them excited that they can watch along the way.”

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