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Keeneland November Weanling Purchase Light Of Darkness Captures Turkey’s 1000 Guineas

The latest example of the international impact of Keeneland's Thoroughbred auctions is the success of the 3-year-old filly Light of Darkness, who sold at Keeneland as a weanling and is one of 2021's most accomplished performers in Turkey.

Owner Cem Sevim purchased Light of Darkness at Keeneland's 2018 November Breeding Stock Sale and watched her score a 1 1/2-length victory in the $130,000 Turkish 1000 Guineas, the nation's biggest race for the division, on May 16 at Veliefendi racecourse in Istanbul. (Click here for a video of the race.)

The Kentucky-bred daughter of Red Rocks has won five consecutive group stakes during her undefeated season.

“She did a great job, and she is the most popular horse in Turkey,” said Sevim, a former professional soccer player who lives in Washington, D.C., where he is a developer and has a construction company. “We have a plan to take her to a couple of European tracks for racing and hopefully to Dubai next year. Of course, my big dream is returning home with her and have few races in Kentucky. After all, she is from there.”

Light of Darkness was bred by Calumet Farm, where Red Rocks – a member of the first crop by Galileo who won the 2006 John Deere Breeders' Cup Turf at Churchill Downs and the 2008 Grade 1 Man o' War at Belmont – stood until his death in 2018.

The filly is out of the Grade 2-placed winning Danehill mare Charming Legacy and is from the family of G1 Santa Anita Derby winner Rock Your World, a candidate for the June 5 Belmont Stakes, and Grade 2 winner Liam the Charmer. Charming Legacy is the dam of seven starters with seven winners.

Ballysax Bloodstock, agent, consigned Light of Darkness to the November Sale. (Click here for a video of her as Hip 3593 in the sales ring.) She sold for $1,000.

“Moment I see her, I loved her,” Sevim said. “Honestly, I was ready to pay much more.”

In fact, he was the lone bidder.

“Back then I couldn't believe that nobody (bid) on her and still can't,” he said. “I understand more and more how blessed I was.”

Sevim, who said he returns to Turkey “10 times a year, at least” and has attended all nine of Light of Darkness' career races, owns breeding stock and racehorses both in Turkey and the U.S. His brother Ozgur Sevim handles paperwork related to the operation, and he named the filly.

Cem Sevim said he became interested in horses as a boy and fondly remembers how his late mother encouraged him to take a noontime nap each day.

“(At the time) TV programs were very limited and my favorite show was 'Bonanza,' ” he said. “(She'd tell me) if I take a nap, when I wake up (a man named) Hans is going to bring his white horse and tie him to the tree in front of our house and I can feed and pet him.

“I was a child with lots of imagination, so I didn't know the horse belonged to the guy who sells milk to the neighborhood. Back then, those vendors used horses to carry the milk gallons. My mother knew his delivery time was the same as when I woke up, and she also knew how much I loved that show. She put two and two together and started my career.

“I fed that horse couple of years and said 'hi' to the guy, thinking he was Hans 'Cartwright.' He was so similar (to a character on 'Bonanza.') He had white hat; he was big and had a very nice smile. She used to wake me up by saying, 'Hans and his horse arrived.' Now I am telling her, 'Mom, my horses have arrived.'

“I am sure she hears me, and I am pretty sure she has a big part in all my winnings.”

Sevim, who first attended a Keeneland sale in 2016, is among the large group of Turkish horsemen who annually buys horses at the November Sale, but they usually concentrate on broodmares. The purchase of Light of Darkness as a weanling represents a new opportunity for them and for Keeneland.

“I think she is (Keeneland's) best promoter in Turkey now,” Sevim said. “People are asking left and right about her relatives and all about her. (Keeneland will) probably see lots of interested buyers this year. It is like a fashion: One goes, the rest follow.”

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Sales Industry Support TCA Charities

Donations from several of last season's sales raised over $100,000 to assist backstretch and farm worker-focused Thoroughbred Charities of America charities. The funds will be awarded to approved grant applicants during TCA's current granting cycle. Heading the 2020 participating sales were Keeneland's September Yearling Sale, November Breeding Stock Sale, and the January Horses of All Ages Sale, which offered buyers the opportunity to donate .05% of their total sale purchases to TCA via a voluntary contribution on their invoices. Fasig-Tipton also made a significant direct contribution in support of these fundraising efforts.

“Our workforce is vital to our industry and it is imperative that we take care of them,” said Mike McMahon President of TCA. “During the height of the pandemic, many of our human-focused charities incurred significant additional expenses to care for workers affected by COVID-19, so we asked Keeneland and Fasig for their help in raising money for these charities. We are very grateful to the buyers and sales companies for their contributions.”

Last year, TCA distributed grants totaled nearly $1,070,000. A total of 70 organizations were approved for a grant, including 45 aftercare organizations, 16 backstretch and farm worker programs, five equine-assisted therapy organizations, three Thoroughbred incentive programs, and one research organization. Grant recipients from the last three years can be found on www.tca.org.

Additionally, the Horses First Fund, an emergency fund started in 2016 by LNJ Foxwoods and managed by TCA, provided $79,900 in Coronavirus relief, including backstretch organizations, aftercare organizations and feed assistance programs.

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Thoroughbred Charities Of America Check-Off Program Raises Over $100,000 From 2020 Auctions

Thoroughbred Charities of America announced today that over $100,000 has been raised to assist backstretch and farm worker-focused charities. The funds will be awarded to approved grant applicants during TCA's current granting cycle.

Keeneland's September 2020 Yearling Sale, November 2020 Breeding Stock Sale, and the January Horses of All Ages Sale offered buyers the opportunity to donate one-half of one percent (.05 percent) of their total sale purchases to TCA via a voluntary contribution on their invoices. Fasig-Tipton made a generous direct contribution in support of these fundraising efforts.

“Our workforce is vital to our industry and it is imperative that we take care of them,” said Mike McMahon, president of TCA. “During the height of the pandemic many of our human-focused charities incurred significant additional expenses to care for workers affected by COVID-19, so we asked Keeneland and Fasig for their help in raising money for these charities. We are very grateful to the buyers and sales companies for their contributions.”

Since 1990, TCA has distributed over $24 million in grants to approved charities working to provide Thoroughbred aftercare as well as health and human services for backstretch and farm workers.

Last year, TCA distributed grants totaling nearly $1,070,000. A record 92 grant applications were received during the organization's annual grant cycle. Ultimately, 70 organizations were approved for a grant including 45 aftercare organizations, 16 backstretch and farm worker programs, five equine-assisted therapy organizations, three Thoroughbred incentive programs, and one research organization. Grant recipients from the last three years can be found on www.tca.org. Additionally, the Horses First Fund, an emergency fund started in 2016 by LNJ Foxwoods and managed by TCA, provided Coronavirus relief funding to three backstretch organizations, seven aftercare organizations and supported two feed assistance programs earlier this year. The total expended from the Horses First Fund was $79,900 bringing the organization's total 2020 grantmaking over the $1-million mark.

TCA's mission is to fund and facilitate the support of Thoroughbreds and the people who care for them. TCA distributes grants to several categories of Thoroughbred-related nonprofits including rehabilitation, retraining, rehoming and retirement organizations; backstretch and farm employee programs; equine-assisted therapy programs; and research organizations. TCA is the charitable arm of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA).

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AmTote, PariMAX Sign Multi-Year Agreement With Red Mile

PariMAX Holdings and AmTote International, key divisions of leading North American technology provider 1/ST TECHNOLOGY, have entered into a multi-year agreement with KRM Wagering, LLC (“Red Mile”), a gaming joint venture between Keeneland and The Red Mile racing associations.

This strategic partnership sees both parties put their combined shoulders to the wheel around KRM Wagering's progressive historical horse racing (HHR) wagering terminals at its Red Mile Gaming & Racing facility in Lexington, Kentucky. The new agreement continues a longstanding relationship with KRM that started with its successful launch of HHR operations back in 2015 to improve fan engagement and return value to horse racing stakeholders in an increasingly competitive wagering and entertainment market.

Since then, the Red Mile facility has become popular with racegoers for both its historical racing terminals, as well as traditional live and simulcast wagering solutions. Customers can choose to play on terminals which draw from a deep well of historical racing data, statistics and archive video footage to produce pre-recorded races in a format appealing to gaming-oriented consumers while corresponding with the fair and familiar pari-mutuel betting model.

Before and during the pandemic, by delivering these quick-fire on-demand betting opportunities, HHR proved pivotal to maintaining local employment and sustaining revenues for increased purse levels to help keep Kentucky horse racing competitive with other major racing states. Red Mile remains the iconic home of the Kentucky Futurity, one of the three jewels in Trotting's Triple Crown, fusing a proud racing heritage with state-of-the-art simulcasting and pari-mutuel HHR gaming terminals which have bolstered this venue as a premier retail and entertainment destination throughout the year.

PariMAX and AmTote are market-leading products from 1/ST TECHNOLOGY, racing's largest and most innovative gaming technology company, and the leading wagering technology force in North America.

Keith Johnson, Chief Revenue Officer at 1/ST TECHNOLOGY – PariMAX & AmTote, said: “1/ST TECHNOLOGY, with its PariMAX and AmTote business units, is thrilled to extend its relationship with Red Mile. This new agreement allows PariMAX to provide its continuing evolution of HHR products, delivering even more appealing and fully pari-mutuel innovative wagering experiences on HHR content, for the benefit of Red Mile, the Kentucky horse racing industry, and the US horse racing industry as a whole.”

Shannon Cobb, Chief Financial & Operating Officer at Red Mile Gaming & Racing, added: “The Red Mile is happy to enter into the next phase of its relationship with PariMAX and AmTote with this latest agreement. PariMAX continues to deliver unique and innovative HHR products and features that our patrons demonstrably enjoy, and this agreement will just expand upon that for the years to come.”

1/ST TECHNOLOGY's world-class products, led by AmTote and PariMAX, rank among the most trusted names across gaming, technology, horse and greyhound racing. AmTote's technology and services already play host to the majority of racetrack operators in North America – and are currently in operation at Santa Anita Park, Gulfstream Park, Saratoga Race Course, Belmont Park, Aqueduct and Woodbine, alongside many others, processing more than $18 billion in pari-mutuel and fixed-odds wagering around the world each year.

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