Campaigned by Tracy Farmer and trained by Nick Zito, Sun King won the GII Pennsylvania Derby, GIII Tampa Bay Derby and GIII Leonard Richards S. in 2005 and added the GII Commonwealth Breeders' Cup S. in 2006.

He hit the board in eight Grade I events, including third-place finishes in the 2004 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile and GI Champagne S. and runner-up efforts in the 2005 GI Haskell S., 2006 GI Whitney S. and GI Metropolitan H., as well as the 2007 GI Woodward S.

On the board in 18 of 28 starts, Sun King won six races and earned $2,240,008.

Sun King began his stud career at Darby Dan Farm in Kentucky in 2008, and moved to Elite Thoroughbreds in Louisiana in 2013. He was pensioned in 2016 due to declining fertility and, in 2017, Farmer donated Sun King to Old Friends. He arrived at the farm on Feb. 25, 2017.

“Sun King was one of our best retirees,” said Michael Blowen, President and founder of Old Friends. “A great son of Charismatic, he attracted many fans, including Nick and Kim Zito who came by often to see him. All of our retirees are missed when they die, but no one will be missed more than the King.”

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Through three sessions, 804 yearlings have grossed $41,540,500. Following three sessions a year ago, the gross was $39,511,600 before the auction concluded it fourth session with an all-time high aggregate of $52,607,500.

The average of $51,667 is up 11.9% from the same point of the 2021 auction and the median is up 19% to $25,000. Still well ahead of the record figures of $45,627 and $22,000, respectively, that were set at last year's sale.

“It was a continuation of the strong market that we saw in the first two days of the sale,” said Fasig-Tipton president Boyd Browning Wednesday night. “There was wide-spread participation from buyers across the United States and around the world. Quality horses are in great demand. And we are fortunate to be in the midst of a strong and resilient marketplace.”

Legacy Ranch manager Terry Knight made the highest bid of Wednesday's session, going to $450,000 to acquire a filly by the late Arrogate. The session topper was one of 43 to sell for $200,000 or over during the three sessions, compared to 28 who reached that figure a year ago.

Looking ahead to the final session of the October sale, Browning said, “We anticipate some fireworks tomorrow and some strong highlights. We look forward to a successful conclusion of the October sale tomorrow.”

Thursday's final session of the auction begins at 10 a.m.

Wait Pays off For Legacy Ranch

Terry Knight of Legacy Ranch waited all day for a filly by Arrogate (hip 1152) to walk into the Fasig-Tipton October sales ring and as afternoon turned to evening, he would not be denied, ultimately going to $450,000 to acquire the yearling from the Mill Ridge Sales consignment.

“We just loved her,” Knight said. “We liked everything about her. She's the one we sat here and waited all day for. Fortunately, we got her.”

The filly was the second purchase of the week for Legacy Ranch, which acquired a daughter of Into Mischief (hip 226) for $190,000 during Monday's first session of the auction.

“We bought the Into Mischief on the first day and now we have this filly and I think we are done,” Knight said.

The yearling, bred by Robert Chasanoff's Gentry Stable, is out of stakes-winner Lemon Splendor (Lemon Drop Kid) and is a half-sister to stakes winner Mo Maverick (Uncle Mo).

“We've had a great privilege of raising horses for the Chasanoff family for a number of years,” said Mill Ridge's Price Bell. “Tom Bozarth works with the Chasanoff family and they picked this mare out a number of years ago when the market was down and they have bred her well and she's produced. It's a great reward for everyone involved.”

Bozarth's Arch Bloodstock signed for Lemon Splendor as a 4-year-old for $10,000 at the 2013 Keeneland January sale. Mo Maverick, the mare's first foal, sold for $200,000 at the 2015 Keeneland September sale. She also had yearlings sell for $375,000 in 2018 and $190,000 in 2019.

“I don't know that you can ever expect anything,” Bell said of the result. “I think what's most flattering is that there were a lot of really good judges who really liked her. That's a credit to her because she came in and she showed herself well, she took it all in and she showed a ton of class. It was a most rewarding moment for the whole team at Mill Ridge. We all wake up at all hours of the night to take care of the horses and when they come and perform like that, we are just so excited and appreciative.”

Into Mischief Filly to White Birch

A filly by Into Mischief (hip 991) attracted a host of bidders before ultimately selling for $400,000 to White Birch Farm. BSW/Crow Bloodstock's Jake Memolo signed the ticket on behalf of Peter Brant's operation.

The yearling is the first foal out of stakes-placed Hayworth (Arch) and from the family of Grade I winner Critical Eye and Takeover Target. She was bred by Richard Roberts's Brinker Hill Farm and was consigned by Francis and Barbara Vanlangendonck's Summerfield.

“Obviously, she's a very nice filly, very athletic,” said Francis Vanlangendonck. “And she's by the right sire. The mare could really run. Her race record got cut short with an injury and this is a really nice filly.”

Hayworth, bred and campaigned by Brinker Hill Farm, was third in the 2018 Purple Violet S. in her six-race career. Summerfield purchased her graded stakes-placed dam Glamorista (Unbridled's Song) for $200,000 at the 2012 Fasig-Tipton November sale.

Liam's Map Colt Makes Up for Lost Time

A mishap forced a colt by Liam's Map out of Book 1 of the Keeneland September sale last month, but the yearling was rerouted to the Fasig-Tipton October sale and attracted a bevy of admirers before selling to the $350,000 bid of bloodstock agent David Ingordo Wednesday in Lexington.

The yearling was bred by Brereton Jones and was consigned by Airdrie Stud. He is out of Listen to Libby (Indian Charlie) and is a half-brother to graded winner Chanteline (Majesticperfection).

“He's a colt who has been beautiful from the start,” said Bret Jones. “It's a family that's been good to us by a stallion who was certainly brilliant and could get you a brilliant horse. We had some bad luck with him right before the Keeneland September sale. He was entered in Book 1 and, just by a freak occurrence, got loose and hurt himself a little bit. But he lived to tell the tale and came here a healthy and happy horse and really delivered for us. We couldn't be happier. He was bought by a group that has weekend in front of them and I think they just had a special night here because they bought a real good colt.”

Of having to reroute the yearling to the October sale, Jones said, “This is a great horse sale. And we have all seen how many great horses come out of here. It would be tough to convince me otherwise that we didn't just see one there.”

Zito on the Board with War Front Colt

Hall of Fame trainer Nick Zito got in on the action at the Fasig-Tipton October sale, going to $150,000 to acquire a colt by War Front (hip 817) on behalf of Robert LaPenta. LaPenta and Zito have enjoyed plenty of success over the years, with the likes of champion War Pass and Grade I winners Dialed In and Ice Box, as well as longshot GI Belmont S. winner Da'Tara.

“I like Toby Keith,” Zito said. “I've had horses for him and I am friends with him. The song of his that I like the best the last few years, he sings, 'I ain't as good as I once was, but I'm as good once as I ever was.' And all trainers, Charlie Whittingham, Allen Jerkens, they all went through slumps. Right now I don't have the horses I used to have, everyone knows that. Bob sent me a couple of horses this spring, which was nice. Unfortunately, one was claimed. And he told me to pick one out for him here.”

LaPenta at first was surprised Zito picked a yearling by traditional turf sire, War Front. But the trainer pointed out the yearling's first two dams are by Scat Daddy and Fusaichi Pegasus.

“Bob said, 'What do you want with a War Front? You're not a turf trainer,” Zito said. “But if you look at Scat Daddy, you know what he did with Justify, you look at Fusiachi Pegasus, he won the Kentucky Derby. So the War Front might be turf, but with the rest, you have a chance to run on the dirt.”

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Several current Hall of Famers will take part in a special autograph signing at the Museum on Saturday, Aug. 6 from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. The following members are scheduled to participate (subject to change): Braulio Baeza, Mark Casse, Ramon Dominguez, Janet Elliot, Earlie Fires, Sandy Hawley, Richard Mandella, Jose Santos, Gary Stevens, and Nick Zito. For $25, fans will receive a commemorative 2022 Hall of Fame induction weekend poster for the members to sign. There will only be 100 posters for this event and they are available on a first-come, first served basis. Admission to the Museum will be free from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

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A native of Annapolis, Md., he worked for Maurice Zilber in France in his youth, then later for Hall of Fame trainer Nick Zito in Kentucky and was a longtime assistant to trainer Jimmy Jerkens in New York and Florida.

The GoFundMe campaign was set up by Elvis Trujillo Jr., a fellow racing official. The initial goal is $10,000. All proceeds from the campaign will go directly to help Moyer and his family pay for medical bills as well as during his recovery. To make a donation, visit the link here.

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“There are only a few other racing towns that can garner the enthusiasm and love for racing as Hot Springs, Arkansas, and we know this event will be a huge hit among our fans,” Oaklawn President Louis Cella said. “We are excited by the response we have received from the Hall of Fame members in the first year of this event, and we look forward to honoring some of our industry's greats.”

Scheduled to appear are 11-time Oaklawn leading trainer Steve Asmussen, Bill Boland, Calvin Borel, Ramon Dominguez, Earlie Fires, Sandy Hawley, Chris McCarron, Bill Mott, Don Pierce, Laffit Pincay Jr., Edgar Prado, Jose Santos, Gary Stevens and Nick Zito.

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“We're honored that Go For Gin was an ambassador of the park for nearly 12 years,” said Kentucky Horse Park Executive Director Lee Carter. “As a visitor favorite, Go For Gin brought visitors from around the world to the Bluegrass and introduced new fans to the sport of Thoroughbred racing. He will be greatly missed by all of us at the Kentucky Horse Park.”

Go for Gin was bred in Kentucky by Pamela Darmstadt duPont, owned by William J. Condren and Joseph Cornacchia, and trained by Nick Zito. In addition to his Derby win with Hall of Fame jockey Chris McCarron, Go for Gin also won the 1993 GII Remsen S. He won 14 out of his 19 races and earned $1,380,866.

Go for Gin took up stud duty at Claiborne Farm and was later sold to Bonita Farm in Maryland, where stood from 2004 until his retirement. His progeny have earned more than $16.5 million and include Albert the Great, winner of the 2000 GI Jockey Club Gold Cup and more than $3 million.

“It saddens me to learn about Go For Gin,” said McCarron. “My memories of him giving me a second Kentucky Derby victory will remain indelible in my heart for as long as I live. Rest in peace, my old pal.”

Go for Gin will be buried at the Memorial Walk of Champions alongside past Thoroughbred residents Forego, Bold Forbes, John Henry, Alysheba, and Da Hoss.

A public memorial service will be held for Go For Gin at a future date.

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On Jan. 8, 2022, just over three months after taking out her training license and just over a decade after her graduation from UofL, Schultz found herself exactly where she wanted to be: the winner's circle at Oaklawn Park.

“It was a pretty neat experience,” said Schultz, who saddled her first winner, an 8-year-old Scat Daddy gelding named Capture the Glory, to victory in a one-mile claiming race at the Arkansas track. “He went to the lead and beat the rest of the horses easily. It was great to see. It's nice when horses show you in the afternoon what they show you in the morning.”

Schultz's road to the training ranks has been an indirect, if educational one that began its realization back in Louisville, when she found herself gravitating towards the study and the business of racing. A lifelong horsewoman who had grown up competing hunter/jumpers and eventers, the breadth of opportunities available to young professionals looking to make a start in the industry appealed to Schultz off the bat.

“When I was at Louisville and we went to the Breeders' Cup that first year, I saw that this was an industry where I could have a career,” Schultz said. “I started prepping yearlings at Lane's End, and then I walked for Nick Zito in Saratoga. After I'd worked for Nick I had already been on the backside and I was more comfortable, so I began working before classes while I was still in school helping out his stable.”

Determined to expand her industry experience after graduation, Schultz took her business degree and her passion for racing to the barn of Tom Proctor. She would work for the Breeders' Cup winner only a handful of months in Saratoga before she was selected for the prestigious Darley Flying Start management training program.

For two years Schultz traveled the world with Darley. But when all roads led back home, Schultz returned to Proctor when he called and offered her a job.

“Tom called me when I was finishing and offered me a job. I came and worked for him as an office manager, foreman, and traveling assistant,” said Schultz. “I got my assistant trainer's license quickly so I got to go with some of the stakes horses and saddle them in their races, so that was fun. After a couple of years I had my own string at Arlington, then I was at Fair Hill Training Center for a couple years. It was about that time that Tom and I started talking about me going out on my own.”

But despite her serious mind to start her own string, the industry had other plans. Glen Hill Farm's Craig Bernick, a client of Proctor's, approached Schultz and asked her to move to Ocala, Fla. to manage his farm.

“That wasn't something I had had on my radar, but it was a relationship that I wanted to keep,” said Schultz. “It was a really good job and opportunity so I went. I was down there for about three years.

“It was a lot of breaking and pre-training as well as managing a 250-acre farm. We also set up the sales consignment while I was there, which was neat. We sold some really nice mares that way. But I wanted to get back to the track.”

Schultz's timing proved to be opportune. In the fall of 2020, trainer Shug McGaughey was looking for a new assistant, and Schultz fit the bill. She would spend almost a year with the Hall of Famer before the opportunity to start training on her own finally came back around.

That opportunity came in the form of Ten Strike Racing founding partner, Marshall Gramm. It was a contact Schultz had made and fostered through her former UofL roommate and good friend, Liz Crow.

In addition to being a partner in both the BSW/Crow Bloodstock and ELiTE Sales—both top-tier operations in the Thoroughbred industry—Crow also serves as the racing manager for Ten Strike Racing.

“When Liz went out on her own, Marshall Gramm was someone who really helped her do that, and Liz had introduced me to him maybe 6 years ago when I was at Fair Hill,” said Schultz. “At the time, Tom Proctor told me, 'If you want to train one or two horses by yourself while you're still working for me, feel free.' And Marshall had a horse he wanted to send to me.

“After leaving Tom I kept in touch with Marshall. He was nice enough to let me know that when I wanted to go out on my own that he had horses he wanted to send to me and that he wanted to help me get my start. That was my push to start.”

In addition to Ten Strike, who remains Schultz's primary owner, the budding trainer also runs horses for Allen Schubert and Scott Galloway, clients she met by way of her connection to Proctor.

With Oaklawn Park her base for the duration of the meet, Schultz now has eight horses in her barn including Capture the Glory, who races in the Ten Strike Racing colors.

“Capture the Glory was pretty neat, because the trainer I claimed him from, Will Gallagher, has been a friend since I claimed the horse,” said Schultz. “He's been great and he's helped me out at Churchill Downs and he called me after the horse won to congratulate me, which was so nice. The horse is so sound and he loves to train. He's 8-year-old by Scat Daddy, so it's neat to just have one of those in the barn.”

With her barn still in flux and plenty of time left in the year to make decisions, Schultz is happy to call Oaklawn home for the moment. Her forward-looking plans lie ahead with the 2-year-old sales, where she hopes to source new talent and new clients, building her stable and her business with equal conviction.

“Scott, Allen, and I tried in November to buy a couple horses of racing age and got outbid,” said Schultz. “I also tried this past January to get another one as well, but I was also outbid. So I will go to the 2-year-old sales to shop for them. Liz and I did put together a little syndicate to buy a Midnight Storm yearling in September and Liz picked her out so she will be my first official 2-year-old. That is something that's really fun to look forward to.

“I'll have to see where the best opportunities are for racing this summer. I love being in Kentucky, but I've also been on the East Coast as an assistant so I will see how it goes and then decide.”

As the latest leg of her journey builds on its opening success, Schultz credits much of her success to her friends and colleagues, who act as both support structure and cheerleading squad. But she finds her greatest lesson to be the one she brought with her to the equine industry program at UofL; remain open to the experience and to the people who can teach you all the lessons you need to know.

“I didn't grow up in this industry so I really did try to immerse myself in every aspect of this as much as I could,” said Schultz. “I think a lot of it is learning to pay attention to what the people around you are doing, and how the people you respect especially do things. You have to try and learn from everyone that you think is doing a good job. A lot of it is common sense and keeping it simple, but you have to learn from everyone around you, all the time.”

Capture the Glory winning at Oaklawn for trainer Lindsay Schultz

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“That win felt so good—it was a tough spot,” said O'Connor. “We thought we could be third or fourth but (my mentor), Nick Zito has always told me that if you think you can run even fourth in a stakes race, you take the shot. That is how you find the big horses. It all panned out and I'm glad we took that shot. I've only run 50 or so horses so to get a win like that on the tail end of my second year training is a big accomplishment for me and my team.”

In terms of a career metaphor, there could be no more aptly-named stakes winner for O'Connor than Clear Vision. Born in Manhassett, New York, in 1998, just a stone's throw from Belmont Park, O'Connor's exposure to racing came early. Some of his first memories are of his early morning outings with his father to Saratoga's Oklahoma training track and the barn of Dennis Brida, who trained a handful of horses for his family.

“I spent every summer of my life at Saratoga,” said O'Connor. “When I was 5 or 6 years old, I would wake up early and my dad and I would go out to the barn every day. Horses were just always there, so my interest just grew as time went on. I can't say that racing consumed my life, but it's always been a major part of my life.”

In the early 2000s his uncle, Anthony Bonomo, began buying into more horses as an owner racing under the banner MeB Racing Stables. It was under Bonomo's trainer, Dominick Schettino, that O'Connor began learning his first horsemanship skills. In 2014, he received his hotwalker license and began working in earnest for Schettino. There he had the opportunity to interact closely with Grade 1 winner Greenpointcrusader, as well as eventual 2017 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) winner Always Dreaming, who made his first few starts with Schettino before being transferred to Todd Pletcher.

After entering college, O'Connor assisted trainer Robert Falcone, Jr. before finally landing a job with Hall of Famer Nick Zito, who became—and remains—his closet mentor.

“Nick does it right, that's for sure,” said O'Connor. “I talk to Nick at least once or twice a week. We've always kept in touch ever since the moment I started working for him.”

Concurrent to working with Zito, O'Connor graduate from the Race Track Industry Program at the University of Arizona and decided it was time to break out on his own.

“I took out my license in late 2019 and I got my first horse in February of 2020,” said O'Connor. “It was a really tough time, trying to start out in the middle of a pandemic, but by the time it really started going we were too far in it to turn around so we had to keep going.”

O'Connor's first winner came in April of 2020 when he saddled Duellist to a maiden victory at Gulfstream Park. Since that time, O'Connor has continued to grow his stable, running his horses in New York in the summer and Florida in the winter.

“We now have four horses in Florida,” said O'Connor, who runs his barn with the help of a tight three-person crew. “At the highest point I had 18 horses this past summer in Saratoga. That being said, they weren't all the highest quality horses so we decided to trim down and just bring a handful that we thought could be competitive to Florida. Hopefully we will start growing more again.

“We did some shopping in Saratoga and bought a Gormley colt and a Tiznow filly who are both New York-breds. Wherever the good horses are, we try and find them and get them in the barn. I will have to see how many owners I have and how many are looking to get something, but I would expect we should get two or three out of the sales this year. Hopefully it'll be more, but I think that is a good place to start.”

With plenty of races ahead of him in the new year, O'Connor looks forward to every new start and credits his continued luck on the track to the dedication of his team and their combined passion for the sport. And as for Clear Vision, O'Connor is targeting a run for the gelding in the Feb. 5 Tampa Bay Stakes (G3T) at Tampa Bay Downs.

“Without my team, and my horses and owners, I'm just another guy on the backside,” said O'Connor. “To have a first start of this year be the first winner of the year … it's a great way to start. Now we just have to try and top that.”

Matthew O'Connor leads his first graded stakes winner, Clear Vision, into the winner's circle after Saturday's G3 Tropical Turf at Gulfstream Park

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The 44th running of the one-mile Tropical Turf for 4-year-olds and up on the grass served as the headliner on an 11-race program that was capped by a mandatory payout of the 20-cent Rainbow 6.

Clear Vision ($23.40) completed the distance in 1:35.36 over a firm course under jockey Julien Leparoux to give O'Connor, a native of New Hyde Park, N.Y., his first graded-stakes victory with his first starter of 2022.

It was also the first graded triumph for MeB Stables, the nom de course for Mary Ellen and Anthony Bonomo, fellow native New Yorkers who got into racing in 2006. Though not related by blood, O'Connor has considered the Bonomos family since a young age as his father and Anthony are best friends.

“It means the world to me. I've been working since I've been 8, 9 years old just to follow the path to here,” O'Connor said. “To do it for my Uncle Anthony and Aunt Mary Ellen, it means a lot.”

Clear Vision is one of four horses O'Connor has stabled at Palm Meadows, Gulfstream's satellite training facility in Palm Beach County. O'Connor claimed the gelded 6-year-old son of Grade 1 winner Artie Schiller for $25,000 out of an Oct. 16 win at Belmont Park, and ran him for the first time in the Claiming Crown Emerald Dec. 4 at Gulfstream, finishing second.

Leparoux had Clear Vision on the lead quickly from Post 2 in the field of seven, where he ran an opening quarter-mile in 23.62 seconds pressed by Belgrano on the outside and Flying Scotsman between horses. Belgrano forged a short advantage over Clear Vision, racing on the inside, as Flying Scotsman checked back to third after a half in 46.97.

“I told Julien to just play the break. We thought Flying Scotsman would go and it looked like he broke a little slow. We wound up on the lead and Julien went on with it,” O'Connor said. “That's the way he runs his best races. Those two wins he had in New York back-to-back he got loose on the lead. He just got brave out there and kept going.”

Clear Vision ran six furlongs in 1:10.94 to take the lead back and straightened for home in front as Value Proposition and 3-5 favorite Largent rolled into contention. Leparoux kept Clear Vision to task through the lane and he was able to edge clear to win by two lengths, while Value Proposition rallied up the rail to take second over Belgrano.

Largent, a Grade 2 winner making his first start since being beaten a neck in last January's Pegasus World Cup Turf (G1) by stablemate Colonel Liam, wound up fourth followed by Call Curt, Flying Scotsman and Phat Man.

“When they came to the quarter pole I saw Largent making his run,” O'Connor said. “[Clear Vision] is a gritty horse. He knows his job, he loves what he does and he dug in and turned away the competition.”

O'Connor credited his former boss, Hall of Fame trainer Nick Zito, with giving him the confidence to run Clear Vision. O'Connor worked two years for Zito before going out on his own in 2020, and he won his first race with Duellist April 4 of that year at Gulfstream.

“I have to thank Nick Zito. He's known for winning big races with long shots and he always told me, 'If you think you can run fourth in a stake, take the shot,'” he said. “We followed that method here today, and it worked.”

O'Connor grew up five miles from Belmont Park, where his father owned horses with trainer Dennis Brida, and knew early on that he wanted to make a career with horses. He now has four wins from 57 lifetime starters.

“From the time I was an infant even before I could walk I was in the barn area. My Uncle Anthony got into racing in 2006 and at that point I was more into it,” O'Connor said. “Crazy as it sounds, at that young an age I knew I wanted to train or do something like that. I started working for Dominic Schettino, where my uncle had his horses, and went from there.

“I worked for Robert Falcone Jr. for a year before going to Nick Zito,” he added. “While I was working with Nick I went to the University Racetrack Program at the University of Arizona and kind of plotted the course to get to where we wanted to be, and here we are.”

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Campaigned by owner Tracy Farmer and trainer Nick Zito, he earned his first graded stakes while capturing the 2000 GII Dwyer S. and, later that year, he added the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup. At Saratoga that summer, he was a close-up second in the GI Travers S. At four, he captured the GIII Widener H. at Hialeah Park, GII Suburban H. and GII Brooklyn H. at Belmont Park, and ran second in four other Grade I contests, including the GI Woodward S. and GI Whitney S.

Albert the Great retired from racing in 2001 following a third-place finish in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic with a eight wins, six seconds and four thirds from 22 starts, 15 of which were made in graded stakes. His lifetime earnings totaled $3,012,490. He entered stud in 2002 at Three Chimneys Farm before relocating to Pin Oak Lane in 2008. At stud, he sired such Grade I winners as Moonshine Mullin, Albertus Maximus and Nobiz Like Shobiz, who is currently retired at Old Friends.

“Albert the Great was aptly named,” said Old Friends founder and President Michael Blowen. “He was the master and everyone else was just a serf. He didn't need you to be his friend, just his servant. He was certainly a unique iconoclast and he'll be missed. Our thanks to Three Chimneys, Tracy and Carol Farmer, and Nick Zito,” Blowen added. “They raised a great one.”

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