Lincoln Collins | Horse Racing Free Tips

Leading sire Curlin (by Smart Strike) picked up another first-time stakes winner over the weekend, and the victory came in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap. Idol was making his sixth start, and the Santa Anita Handicap came as the bay colt's third success from six starts, with two seconds and a third, for earnings of $416,464.

The 75th stakes winner by Curlin, Idol was bred in Kentucky by My Meadowview LLC and sold as a yearling for $375,000 at the 2018 Keeneland September yearling sale.

Lincoln Collins, the bloodstock adviser for My Meadowview, said that “Idol was always a strong, good-looking young horse who looked like he would mature into a colt who would thrive at 10 furlongs, and we had great hopes for him.”

The big bay did not immediately, however, prove out those high hopes for his success.

Unraced at two, Idol made his debut last year at Churchill Downs on Sept. 5 as a 3-year-old and finished second going six furlongs. The colt moved up to seven furlongs for his second start, on Sept. 26 at Churchill, and with the help of a swift early pace, he mowed down the opposition to win by 2 1/2 lengths in 1:22.04.

An allowance victory on Nov. 8 at 9.5 furlongs brought a new Churchill Downs track record of 1:55.95 as Idol won off by 5 3/4 lengths as the odds-on favorite at .50-to-1. The colt's three subsequent starts have all been in graded stakes at Santa Anita: the G2 San Antonio (second), G2 San Pasqual (third), and the Santa Anita Handicap.

Not only has Curlin made his name as a sire by producing high-quality performers at more than a mile but also having stock that stay sound and succeed as they mature. Idol has clearly followed the memo.

Collins said, “One of the challenges of breeding a horse like this is that one is treading a fine line between a horse that stays and a horse that is slow. And especially here in the States, a horse that stays has to be very high class; otherwise there's no place for him to race.”

By a two-time Horse of the Year, Idol is the third foal out of the listed stakes winner Marion Ravenwood (A.P. Indy), and he is the mare's first stakes winner, although her second foal, the Midnight Lute colt Ark in the Dark, has current earnings of $193,023.

The mare has an unraced 3-year-old colt by Pioneerof the Nile named Dr Jack. He sold for $250,000 at the 2018 Keeneland November sale as a weanling, then resold as a 2-year-old in training at the OBS spring sale last year (April sale in June) for $170,000.

Marion Ravenwood herself sold for $400,000 at the 2017 Keeneland November auction when Idol was a weanling. The mare was in foal to Pioneerof the Nile with Dr Jack at the time. In addition to the colt above, the mare's 2019 filly was a full sister to Idol who sold for $350,000 at the 2020 Keeneland September sale.

Last year, Marion Ravenwood produced a colt by Violence and she was bred to City of Light for 2021.

Although Idol missed out on the classics, he comes from a family with a grand classic tradition. The colt traces in the female line to Boudoir, a daughter of English Derby winner Mahmoud. Her most important foals were Your Host (Alibhai, by English Derby winner Hyperion, by wartime English Triple Crown winner Gainsborough). Your Host became the sire of five-time Horse of the Year Kelso, and Your Host's full sister Your Hostess was stakes-placed and became a famous broodmare.

Your Hostess produced four stakes winners, including T.V. Commercial (T.V. Lark), who won 15 of 55 races, including the Arlington-Washington Futurity and the Breeders' Futurity; Gallatia (Gallant Man), who won the Schuylerville Stakes at Saratoga; and Corragioso (Gallant Man), who won the Alcibiades and five other stakes.

More importantly for our story was the fourth foal of Your Hostess: Gay Hostess (Royal Charger). This striking mare produced Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner Majestic Prince (Raise a Native), as well as the English highweight juvenile colt Crowned Prince, also by Raise a Native. Their full sister Meadow Blue was the last foal out of Your Hostess and was not raced.

At stud, Meadow Blue produced a stakes winner and a pair of stakes-placed racers. All five of her daughters produced stakes winners. The most immediately important was the Believe It mare Really Blue, who became the dam of champion Real Quiet (Quiet American), winner of the 1998 Kentucky Derby and Preakness, 1997 Hollywood Futurity, and the 1999 Pimlico Special and Hollywood Gold Cup.

Meadow Blue's stakes-winning daughter Nureyev's Best (Nureyev) is the third dam of Idol. Her best foal was the G2 stakes winner Andujar (Quiet American), who won the Milady, was third in the G1 Vanity at Hollywood Park and in the G1 Go for Wand at Saratoga. Andujar is the second dam of Idol, and her two stakes winners are Marion Ravenwood (A.P. Indy), dam of the Idol, and Abstraction, by A.P. Indy's high-class son Pulpit and a winner of the Federico Tesio Stakes.

The post Bloodlines Presented By Mill Ridge Farm: Idol Was A Milestone Winner For Top Sire Curlin appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Pollara, a Group 3 winner in France who is carrying her first foal by War Front, sold to Arthur Hoyeau, agent, for $975,000 during Tuesday's second session of the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale, which was marked by international and domestic participation.

A total of 197 horses sold today for $27,690,000, for an average of $140,558 and a median of $100,000.

Through two sessions, 325 horses have grossed $77,465,000, for an average of $238,354 and a median of $135,000.

“Overall the market is strong,” Keeneland President-Elect and Interim Head of Sales Shannon Arvin said. “Five mares sold today for more than $500,000, which is pretty comparable to last year's session. Consignors have commented to us that they have been a little surprised at the strength of the market. So trade is strong.”

Keeneland Director of Sales Operations Geoffrey Russell agreed.

“Phil Schoenthal from Maryland brought Matt Dorman, who's developing a breeding operation, so they are here to fill up a farm,” he said. “Our international clients who came last year are back buying to lay down the foundations for their breeding operations. Keeneland is where the world comes to buy. If you look at the leading buyers at the end of the day. you have European, American and Japanese interests. There was a great mix of people today, and we hope that continues.”

Pollara, a 5-year-old daughter of Camelot, is out of the winning Storm Cat mare Brooklyn's Storm, a half-sister to French highweight and Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Solemia. She is also from the family of French highweight and multiple Group 1 winner Silasol and group winners Prospect Wells and Prospect Park.

“She is going back to France,” said Henri Bozo, manager of Ecurie des Monceaux, about Pollara. “She is a very exciting mare. She is in foal to a very proven stallion. We try to breed classic winners. She stood out in Book 2.”

Pollara was consigned by Claiborne Farm, agent.

“She's such a nice mare, a group winner in France and in foal to the right horse,” Claiborne President Walker Hancock said. “Every single mare in the family is in foal to a world-leading sire. It's a very active family and they've all been bred to the best sires in the world. There are tons of upside to the family. When you have a page like that, a race record like that and in foal to the right sire the sky's the limit.”

Schoenthal, agent for Dorman's Determined Stud, paid $800,000 for Style and Grace, a winning, 4-year-old daughter of Curlin who is carrying her first foal by City of Light, and $600,000 for Vevina, a 5-year-old, stakes-placed daughter of More Than Ready who is carrying her first foal by Uncle Mo.

Style and Grace, a half-sister to Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile winner Furthest Land, was consigned by Lane's End, agent. Out of the Rahy mare Flagrant, she is from the family of Grade 2 winner Ready for Rye and Grade 3 winner Dynever.

Vevina, who was consigned by Kingswood Farm, is out of My Sugar Bear, by Giant's Causeway. She is from the family of Grade 2 winners Possible Mate and Guided Tour.

Determined Stud is a new breeding and racing operation that acquired several horses at Keeneland's 2020 September Yearling Sale.

“We're just buying quality,” Dorman said about Determined's broodmare purchases on Tuesday. “We have some stallion shares so we have some stallions in mind. The farm is in Boyds, Maryland. We are really looking for quality, so I think the band will be around the 15-horse mark and then we will go from there.”

Lane's End was the session's leading consignor, selling 31 horses for $4,716,000.

Woodford Thoroughbreds paid $575,000 for Grade 3-placed mare Hot Cash, a full-sister to Grade 1 winner Stately Victor carrying her first foal by Curlin. Consigned by Hidden Brook, agent, the 5-year-old daughter of Ghostzapper is out of Grade 1 winner Collect the Cash, by Dynaformer.

“She will be a good addition to the broodmare band,” said Lincoln Collins, who signed the ticket for Hot Cash. “No breeding plans yet; we will sit down and think about it. We knew she was going to be expensive but you never quite know what that means. It is a better market than I think any of us thought it would be. The horse business is alive and well.”

“She sold well. We are happy,” Hidden Brook's Dan Hall said. “She's a young mare who could run and she's in foal to the right horse. (Her sale is part of) a major reduction (for Adena Springs), getting the numbers way down. It makes sense right now. We have close to 90, between mares and weanlings, all in this sale. There has been a lot of interest at the barn at all levels.”

For the second day, a colt from the first crop of undefeated 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify was the session's top-priced weaning. On Tuesday, M.V. Magnier paid $475,000 for the first foal of Grade 3-placed winner Inchargeofme. Nursery Place, agent, consigned the colt, who is from the family of Group 1-placed Johann Straus.

“He's a beautiful-looking horse, and Justify is making very good foals,” Coolmore's David Wachman said. “We're just excited to be able to buy a very nice horse by him. Across the board, they're very good, and he's a very smart horse, that horse. We're happy to have him.”

Yeguada Centurion of Spain led buyers by spending $3,127,000 for 17 horses.

The post Group 3 Winner Pollara, In Foal To War Front, Tops Second Day Of Keeneland November Sale At $975,000 appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post