WinStar Farm Stallion Improbable Euthanized

WinStar Farm stallion Improbable (City Zip), the champion older male of 2020 and a 'TDN Rising Star', was euthanized late last night at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington after suffering from ataxia behind, a condition which causes poor voluntary muscle control, the farm said in a release early Sunday.

“He was sent to Rood and Riddle yesterday morning to determine the exact cause of the ataxia,” said Elliott Walden, president, CEO, and racing manager of WinStar Farm. “He was responding well to treatment, but went to lie down in his stall, and fell awkwardly. As a result, he broke his right tibia, which could not be repaired.”

Improbable won three consecutive Grade I races in 2020, taking the GI Hollywood Gold Cup at Santa Anita, the GI Whitney S. at Saratoga and the GI Awesome Again S. at Santa Anita en route to Eclipse honors at season's end.

Undefeated at two, Improbable broke his maiden at first asking at 'The Great Race Place' in late September of 2018. He followed that up with a score in the Street Sense S. at Churchill Downs in early November, which earned him a 'TDN Rising Star' badge for the effort.

Improbable winning the Whitney | Sarah Andrew

Improbable's juvenile year ended with a five-length win going 1 1/16 in the GI Los Alamitos Futurity. His time of 1:41.18 was the fastest in over a decade.

A stakes winner each season from two to four, Improbable concluded his career with a runner-up finish in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic in 2020.

All told, he won seven starts, six of them stakes, and earned $2,729,520 for owners WinStar Farm, China Horse Club and SF Racing.

“These horses are our life, and we work every day to take care of them the best way we know how,” said Dr. Natanya Nieman, general manager and resident veterinarian at WinStar Farm. “The whole team is reeling. Improbable gave us many great moments to share with our partners, our team, and the whole racing community. It is tragic.”

Bred in Kentucky by St. George Farm and G. Watts Humphrey Jr., Improbable was acquired by Maverick Racing and China Horse Club for $200,000 out of the Taylor Made Sales Agency consignment at the 2017 Keeneland September Sale.

Out of the A.P. Indy mare Rare Event, the 8-year-old stallion was bred to 329 mares in his first two books and is represented by his initial crop of 2-year-olds this year, including a colt out of the stakes-placed Inaugurate (Empire Maker) that was purchased by trainer Jimmy DiVito, agent, for $475,000.

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West Point, D J Stable Strike for $1.2M Tapit Colt from Lothenbach Dispersal

West Point Thoroughbreds and the Green family's D J Stable went to $1.2 million to acquire a colt by Tapit from the Lothenbach dispersal Tuesday at OBS. Bred by the late Bob Lothenbach, the gray colt is out of Distorted Music (Distorted Humor) and is a half-brother to graded winner She Can't Sing (Bernardini). He was consigned by Tom McCrocklin. The result was the third million-dollar sale from the dispersal. She Can't Sing sold for $1.1 million at the Fasig-Tipton Winter Mixed Sale where Bell's the One sold for $1.3 million.

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Saturday Insights: A ‘Top’-Priced Son Of Twirling Candy Debuts At Gulfstream

8th-GP, $89K, Msw, 3yo, 1m, 3:37 p.m. ET.
For a $1-million price tag, Sean Flanagan secured TOP CONOR (Twirling Candy) for his stable at last year's OBS March Sale, which tied the colt for the fourth-highest at the auction and made him his sire's highest-priced 2-year-old in 2023.

Previously going for $200,000 during Keeneland September, the Chad Brown trainee is out of GSP Divine Dawn (Divine Park), who International Equities acquired with a filly by Nyquist in-utero for $285,000 at the Keeneland November Sale in 2017.

A full-sister to GSW/MSW Divine Miss Grey, Top Conor's dam is also responsible for 2-year-old filly Augusta Wind (Gun Runner), who Lauren Carlisle signed the ticket for $850,000 at the Saratoga Select Yearling Sale. Divine Dawn foaled a full-sister to this first time starter last year. TJCIS PPS

6th-FG, $65K, Msw, 3yo, f, 6F, 3:25 p.m. ET.
Whisper Hill and Three Chimneys bred Quality Credit (Quality Road), a filly whose MGISW dam Stopchargingmaria (Tale of the Cat) changed hands from the latter to the former for $4.4 million as the second topper at the 2018 Fasig-Tipton Fall Mixed Sale while she was in-foal to Tapit, will be unveiled here. Three Chimneys purchased Quality Credit's younger full-sister for $425,000 at last year's Keeneland September Sale. TJCIS PPS

7th-FG, $65K, Msw, 3yo, 6f, 3:54 p.m. ET.
Along the same Steve Asmussen shedrow as Quality Credit, Stonestreet homebred Mister Lincoln (Constitution) also makes the races. The colt is out of 'TDN Rising Star' GI Spinaway S. victress Hot Dixie Chick (Dixie Union), who produced a pair of 'TDN Rising Stars' in MSW/GSP Union Jackson (Curlin) and his full-brother SP Marsalis as well as GI La Troienne S. heroine Pauline's Pearl (Tapit). Hot Dixie Chick has her own set of talented half-siblings in GI Kentucky Derby hero Always Dreaming (Bodemeister) and GII Demoiselle S. winner Positive Spirt (Pioneerof the Nile). TJCIS PPS

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R Harper Rose Basks In Forward Gal Win

R Harper Rose (Khozan) represented her fellow Florida-breds well in Saturday's GIII Forward Gal S. over the Hallandale strip as she dropped the hammer down the lane to win.

The OBS March grad made her debut a winning one as she streaked to a gate-to-wire finish by 6 1/4 lengths at Gulfstream Park in early August. Stepping into optional claiming company over the same surface Sept. 22, the filly was equally as potent when she won by 5 3/4 lengths.

On her home floor last fall, the bay took on Florida sire stakes company and won going seven furlongs in the Susan's Girl S. Oct. 21, but ran out of steam at a mile and sixteenth as the runner-up in the My Dear Girl S. Dec. 2.

Cutting back and as the 2-1 second choice here, the 3-year-old was content to allow Fiona's Magic (St Patrick's Day) to show the way up the backstretch. R Harper Rose kept close tabs on the leader and around the far turn she was given her cue. With a fluid, sweeping move, she took control at the quarter pole and ran on professionally to collect her first graded stakes win as the early pacesetter was second.

“She's so fast but she can settle, and back doing what she wants to do going one turn,” said trainer Saffie Joseph Jr.

“I'm just proud of her today. Everything went right into this race, and she showed it today. Edgar [Zayas] was very patient. They broke well, [Fiona's Magic] wanted the lead and he didn't force the issue. I think the first three-eighths of the race it worked to our advantage. It wasn't a crazy pace.

“This is it for her, one turn. We're not going to experiment. Last time things didn't go right but we're going to keep her to one turn. There's a lot of races for her at one turn.”

Pedigree Notes:
This is multiple leading Florida sire Khozan's fourth stateside graded stakes winner out of six crops of racing age. The winner's dam registered a foal last year when she produced a filly by Leinster, but True Bliss was not bred for this season. Her half-siblings include MSW Cherokee Triangle (Cherokee Run) and GSW Hierro (Hard Spun), who Stonestreet acquired for $350,000 at the OBS Select 2-Year-Old Sale in 2011.

Saturday, Gulfstream Park
FORWARD GAL S.-GIII, $145,000, Gulfstream, 2-3, 3yo, f, 7f, 1:24.34, ft.
1–R HARPER ROSE, 120, f, 3, by Khozan
                1st Dam: True Bliss, by Yes It's True
                2nd Dam: Brief Bliss, by Navarone
                3rd Dam: Annul, by Conquistador Cielo
1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($16,000 Ylg '22 OBSOCT; $60,000 2yo '23 OBSMAR). O-Averill Racing LLC and Two Eight Racing LLC; B-Sally J. Andersen (FL); T-Saffie A. Joseph, Jr.; J-Edgard J. Zayas. $86,725. Lifetime Record: 5-4-1-0, $344,025. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Fiona's Magic, 120, f, 3, St Patrick's Day–Mollie's Magic, by Factum. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. O/B-Stonehedge LLC (FL); T-Michael Yates. $30,750.
3–Chi Chi, 120, f, 3, Audible–Simply Confection, by Candy Ride (Arg). 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($47,000 RNA Ylg '22 OBSWIN). O-Sam Wilensky; B-France Weiner (FL); T-Herman Wilensky. $16,375.
Margins: 2, 1 1/4, 3/4. Odds: 2.20, 5.30, 24.30.
Also Ran: Scalable, Nikitis, Witwatersrand. Scratched: Kissedbyanangel.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

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