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Vekoma Retired, to Stand for $20K at Spendthrift

Multiple Grade I-winning millionaire Vekoma (Candy Ride {Arg}–Mona de Momma, by Speightstown) has been retired from racing and arrived at B. Wayne Hughes’ Spendthrift Farm where the 4-year-old will take up stud duty in 2021. His fee has been set at $20,000 S&N.

This year’s impressive winner of the GI Carter H. and GI Runhappy Metropolitan H., Vekoma was scratched as the morning-line favorite in Saturday’s GI Breeders’ Cup Sprint after spiking a fever upon arrival at Keeneland. He will be given a few days to settle in at Spendthrift before being available for inspection.

“Precocious, brilliantly fast, carried his speed around two turns–you name it, Vekoma could do it,” said Ned Toffey, Spendthrift general manager. “On top of that, he is a Grade I winner by a Grade I winner and out of a Grade I winner, so he’s truly a rare package in the breeding world. You won’t find a more brilliant or better-bred son of Candy Ride. We are extremely excited about his future at stud and look forward to showing him off to breeders after he’s been allowed a few days to settle in here … Any time a horse as good and as deserving as Vekoma does not get the opportunity to run in the Breeders’ Cup, you are obviously disappointed for the horse and for the connections. There’s so much hard work that gets put in. Ultimately, you have to credit George Weaver and his team for having an incredible season and always doing right by Vekoma through some hard luck at the end.”

Trained by George Weaver for owners R. A. Hill Stable and Gatsas Stables, Vekoma captured graded stakes wins at two, three and four. The chestnut took the GIII Nashua S. at Aqueduct to complete an undefeated juvenile campaign, then went on to score a dominant 3 1/2-length win in the 1 1/8-mile GII Toyota Blue Grass S. at Keeneland as a 3-year-old.

This year, Vekoma was perfect with wins at three different racetracks, kicking off his 4-year-old season with a 3 3/4-length victory in Gulfstream’s Sir Shackleton S. in March, adding a dazzling 7 1/4-length win in the Carter at Aqueduct, earning a career-high 110 Beyer Speed Figure, and scoring a front-running win in the prestigious Met Mile while stopping the clock in 1:32 4/5–just .15 seconds off the stakes record for the 129-year-old New York fixture.

An earner of $1,245,525, Vekoma was bred in Kentucky by Alpha Delta Stables. His dam’s career high came with a victory in the GI Humana Distaff H. Vekoma’s second dam, Society Gal, is a half-sister to successful sire Mr. Greeley.

Vekoma becomes the third Met Mile winner in the last four years to take up stud duty at Spendthrift. Mor Spirit, the 2017 winner, and Mitole, the 2019 winner, both stand at the historic Lexington-based farm.

For more information about Vekoma or to schedule an inspection, contact Des, Mark or Brian at 859-294-0030, or visit SpendthriftFarm.com.

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Grade 1 Winner Vekoma Retired To Spendthrift Farm For 2021

Multiple Grade 1-winning millionaire Vekoma has been retired from racing and arrived at B. Wayne Hughes' Spendthrift Farm, where the 4-year-old son of Candy Ride will take up stud duty in 2021. His fee has been set at $20,000 S&N.

This year's impressive winner of the Grade 1 Carter Handicap and G1 Met Mile, Vekoma was scratched as the morning-line favorite in Saturday's Breeders' Cup Sprint after spiking a fever upon arrival at Keeneland. He will be given a few days to settle in at Spendthrift before being available for inspection.

“Precocious, brilliantly fast, carried his speed around two turns – you name it, Vekoma could do it. On top of that, he is a Grade 1 winner by a Grade 1 winner and out of a Grade 1 winner, so he's truly a rare package in the breeding world. You won't find a more brilliant or better-bred son of Candy Ride. We are extremely excited about his future at stud and look forward to showing him off to breeders after he's been allowed a few days to settle in here,” said Ned Toffey, Spendthrift general manager. “Any time a horse as good and as deserving as Vekoma does not get the opportunity to run in the Breeders' Cup, you are obviously disappointed for the horse and for the connections. There's so much hard work that gets put in. Ultimately, you have to credit George Weaver and his team for having an incredible season and always doing right by Vekoma through some hard luck at the end.”

Trained by George Weaver for owners R. A. Hill Stable and Gatsas Stables, Vekoma was one of the top racehorses in his crop, capturing graded stakes wins at two, three and four. After breaking his maiden at first asking in 1:08 4/5 at Belmont, the talented chestnut stretched out to win the one-mile G3 Nashua Stakes at Aqueduct to complete an undefeated juvenile campaign.

At three, Vekoma jumped onto the Triple Crown trail, finishing third to Code of Honor in the G2 Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream in his seasonal debut. He went on to score a dominant 3 1/2-length win in the 1 1/8-mile G2 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland, earning a berth into the Kentucky Derby.

This year, Vekoma was perfect with wins at three different racetracks, kicking off his 4-year-old season with a 3 3/4-length victory in Gulfstream's Sir Shackleton Stakes in March. Vekoma earned his first Grade 1 triumph in the form of a dazzling 7 1/4-length win in the Carter Handicap at Aqueduct, earning a career-high 110 Beyer Speed Figure. He validated his Carter performance with a front-running win in the prestigious Met Mile, defeating Grade 1 winners Code of Honor and McKinzie, among others, while stopping the clock in 1:32 4/5 – just .15 seconds off the stakes record for the 129-year-old fixture in New York.

An earner of $1,245,525, Vekoma was bred in Kentucky by Alpha Delta Stables. He is out of the Speightstown mare Mona de Momma who scored her biggest win as a racehorse in the G1 Humana Distaff on the Kentucky Derby undercard at Churchill. Vekoma's second dam, Society Gal, is a half-sister to successful sire Mr. Greeley.

The post Grade 1 Winner Vekoma Retired To Spendthrift Farm For 2021 appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Spendthrift Farm Acquires Breeding Rights To Grade 1 Winner Jackie’s Warrior

B. Wayne Hughes' Spendthrift Farm has acquired the breeding rights to undefeated multiple Grade One-winning juvenile Jackie's Warrior, dominant winner of Saturday's Grade 1 Champagne Stakes at Belmont.

Jackie's Warrior has also captured the G1 Hopeful Stakes and G2 Saratoga Special Stakes at Saratoga after winning his debut earlier this summer at Churchill Downs. Trained by Steve Asmussen, the record-setting colt is a perfect 4-for-4 with earnings of $402,564 to date for owners Kirk and Judy Robison.

“Jackie's Warrior is proving to be one of the fastest 2-year-olds to come around in the last decade or more, and we are extremely excited to follow his racing career and witness the special things he can accomplish before he joins us at Spendthrift,” said Ned Toffey, Spendthrift general manager. “For such an imposing colt, Jackie's Warrior is extraordinarily athletic and light on his feet. We could not be more impressed by the way he continues to run good fields off their feet and pour it on late when he lengthens that beautiful stride of his. A month after lowering the 28-year-old stakes record in the Hopeful, he comes back and runs a mile in 1:35 in the Champagne and did not look the least bit tired at the wire. We are obviously very happy to be associated, and we wish Kirk and Judy Robison and the Asmussen team the best of luck in the Breeders' Cup.”

“Judy and I are very grateful to campaign this exceptional colt, and Spendthrift will give Jackie's Warrior every chance to be a leading stallion when his racing career is over,” said Kirk Robison. “Few do what he has done in four starts – four wins over three different tracks, three in graded stakes, two in historic Grade 1 races and recording a 100 Beyer speed figure in the Champagne Stakes. He is a lifetime horse and is just getting started. Steve Asmussen and his team have done an exceptional job in his development. We are excited to be part of his unlimited promise. Judy and I are pledging two percent of Jackie's Warrior's potential purse earnings from the Juvenile to New Vocations for their tremendous work in Thoroughbred aftercare.”

Jackie's Warrior dominated Saturday's Champagne with a front-running 5 1/2-length score, hitting the wire geared down in 1:35.42 for the mile. He earned a 100 Beyer for the win, marking the fastest Champagne since Daredevil in 2014.

Last month, Jackie's Warrior established a new stakes record in Saratoga's featured Hopeful, drawing off to an eye-catching 2 1/4-length victory. His final time of 1:21.29 for seven furlongs is the fastest in the last 28 years the Hopeful has been contested at the distance. Jackie's Warrior earned a 95 Beyer for that win, marking the fastest Hopeful since 2007, and his 100 & 95 Beyers are the two fastest by a juvenile so far in 2020. Jackie's Warrior becomes the first horse to pull off the Hopeful–Champagne double since Practical Joke in 2016, and first to win the Saratoga Special, Hopeful, and Champagne in New York since 2-year-old champion Dehere in 1993.

In June, Jackie's Warrior won on debut at Churchill Downs by 2 1/2 lengths, running five furlongs in 57.49. He followed up that effort with a three-length victory in the Saratoga Special, zipping six furlongs in 1:09.62. Jackie's Warrior has won his four starts clear by a combined 13 1/4 lengths, with an average margin of victory of more than 3 1/4 lengths.

“In this day and age, to win the Saratoga Special, Hopeful and Champagne in the fashion in which he did it is truly remarkable,” said Asmussen.

The Champagne was a “Win And You're In” for next month's $2-million Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Keeneland, where Jackie's Warrior figures to be one of the favorites.

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Into Mischief Bumped to $225,000 for 2021

Into Mischief (Harlan’s Holiday–Leslie’s Lady, by Tricky Creek), the reigning leading general sire whose son Authentic became his first Classic winner in the GI Kentucky Derby last month, will command a fee of $225,000 for the 2021 breeding season, officials at Spendthrift Farm have announced. The sire of 26 stakes winners and 11 graded winners in 2020, the 15-year-old stood for $175,000 this past year. Only War Front ($250,000) currently stands for a larger advertised fee.

Also the sire of the brilliant dual Grade I-winning ‘TDN Rising Star’ Gamine, Into Mischief was also represented just this past weekend by the impressive GII Bourbon S. winner and ‘Rising Star’ Mutasaabeq and GII Gallant Bloom H. and fellow ‘Rising Star’ Frank’s Rockette. Each could make their next appearances on Breeders’ Cup weekend Nov. 6 and 7. In addition to Mutasaabeq, the stallion’s other juvenile graded winner of 2020 is the filly Dayoutoftheoffice, who won the GIII Schuylerville S. at Saratoga. With progeny earnings approaching $14 million, Into Mischief retains a stranglehold on the top spot among this year’s leading sires according to TDN Sire Lists.

Into Mischief’s commercial appeal has also skyrocketed this season, as he ranks second among active sires by yearling average. Some 74 foals from his 2019 (from 106 offered at public auction) have sold for an average of $434,405, according to TDN Sales Statistics. He was represented by no fewer than five seven-figure horses at Keeneland September last month, including a $1.9-million daughter of Taylor S (Medaglia d’Oro) that was hammered down to one of the stallion’s biggest supporters, Larry Best’s OXO Equine.

“In our minds, there was only one box left to tick for Into Mischief and that was siring a classic winner. Authentic was able to do that pretty emphatically in the Kentucky Derby, and we continue to believe the best is still to come for Into Mischief,” said Ned Toffey, general manager at Spendthrift. “Authentic, Gamine and these 3-year-olds were bred on a $45,000 fee, and Into Mischief has continued to cover better books every year. It has been gratifying to see him thrive in the sales arena, including having the second-highest yearling average along with more seven-figure yearlings than any other North American sire in 2020. Into Mischief is the best sire in the world and set to continue to prove it. We are also confident he will become an important sire of sires and have shown that in our commitment to acquiring his best sons.

Toffey continued, “We think he is making a positive impact on the breed that will be felt for years to come, particularly with the heart and durability that are signatures of his offspring. Into Mischief is just a remarkable animal that has the chance to be among the very best the breed has seen, and we feel extremely fortunate to have him.”

Spendthrift plans on releasing fees for the remainder of its roster later this week.

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