retirements | Horse Racing Free Tips

By My Standards Retired To Spendthrift Farm For 2022

Allied Racing's By My Standards, the 4-time Grade 2 winner and earner of $2,294,430, has been retired from racing and will enter stud at Spendthrift Farm where the son of Goldencents will stand the 2022 breeding season for a fee of $7,500 S&N.

“By My Standards came up with a quarter crack that was going to force us to miss the rest of our goals before the breeding season, so the decision was made for him to retire,” said Chester Thomas, owner and manager of Allied Racing Stable. “It's a bittersweet day because this is a special horse who deserved to win a Grade 1 and was very unlucky not to. However, I'm proud he is retiring happy and healthy, and I couldn't be more excited about him going to Spendthrift where he'll get the best opportunity to become a great sire, just like his sire and grandsire there.”

Spendthrift general manager Ned Toffey added: “We are thrilled to be able to stand By My Standards and are thankful to Chester for the opportunity. Obviously, this is a sire line we know very well and just have tremendous confidence in. By My Standards really embodies the heart and ability that have become so signature to the Into Mischief line. In fact, only his sire Goldencents and Authentic have higher earnings than By My Standards among all the great racehorses from the Into Mischief sire line. Everyone who got in on the Share The Upside program for Into Mischief and Goldencents has enjoyed a lot of success, and we believe By My Standards is the next in line. I invite all breeders to come out and see him during the November sales, as he will be available for inspection immediately and will be shown Nov. 10-19 daily from 1-3 p.m.”

By My Standards will participate in Spendthrift's renowned “Share The Upside” breeding program for a fee of $8,500 for one year. Additionally, breeders must breed one mare in 2023 on a complimentary basis. After the breeder has a live foal in 2023, pays the stud fee, and breeds a mare back, he or she will earn a lifetime breeding right beginning in 2024.

Trained by Bret Calhoun, By My Standards broke his maiden and jumped straight into the $1-million Grade 2 Louisiana Derby a month later, taking down that major Triple Crown prep race over eventual Kentucky Derby winner Country House and eventual Preakness winner War of Will. He ran the 1 1/8 miles in 1:49.53 which marked the second fastest in 84 runnings of the Louisiana Derby at that distance.

As a 4-year-old, he captured his first three starts of the year including decisive victories in the $400,000 G2 New Orleans Classic at Fair Grounds and $600,000 G2 Oaklawn Handicap, running 1 1/8 miles in 1:47.80 in the latter to mark the fastest Oaklawn Handicap since Medaglia d'Oro in 2003. By My Standards went on to score his fourth Grade 2 win in the $400,000 G2 Alysheba at Churchill, defeating multiple Grade 1 winner McKinzie. He also was runner-up in Saratoga's prestigious G1 Whitney Handicap and in Churchill's G2 Stephen Foster.

This year, By My Standards won the $400,000 Oaklawn Mile in his seasonal debut before finishing runner-up in the storied G1 Met Mile at Belmont, beaten a length after a troubled trip. He retires to Spendthrift with a record of 7-5-1 from 17 starts, defeating 27 graded winners in his seven victories including five Grade 1 winners, two classic winners, and 10 Grade 2 winners. Only Horse of the Year Authentic ($7,201,200) and By My Standards' sire Goldencents ($3,044,000) earned more among all racehorses hailing from the Into Mischief sire line.

A $150,000 OBS 2-year-old purchased by agent Josh Stevens, By My Standards is one of two millionaires from the first crop of emerging young sire Goldencents. He is out of the multiple Santa Anita stakes winner and earner of $469,956, A Jealous Woman.

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Son Of Thunder, Full-Brother To Laoban, To Stand At Waldorf Farm In New York

Laoban's legacy will live on in New York as his full-brother, Son of Thunder, is set to stand at Waldorf Farm in North Chatham, N.Y., for the 2022 breeding season.

“We are honored to have been able to purchase a full brother to such an incredible stallion whose life was cut much too short,” says Sean Feld, president of Climax Stallions. “We will honor Laoban's legacy by offering a complementary breeding to anyone who bred, bought or is racing any progeny of Laoban.”

Son of Thunder, a $475,000 yearling purchased out of the Saratoga Select Sale, raced in the colors of the prestigious Lael Stables. A son of sire of sires, Uncle Mo, and out of the stakes-placed Speightstown mare Chattertown, Son of Thunder is built with stretch and athleticism.

“He easily passes the eye test. If he duplicates what his brother did with his foals, you can breed any type of mare to him,” says Waldorf Farm manager Kenny Toye.

Also very complimentary of the dark bay colt is Waldorf Farm owner, Dr. Jerry Bilinski, who describes him as having great size and conformation.

“He's by Uncle Mo, who is becoming a legendary sire of sires and we are flattered to add Son of Thunder to our stallion barn here at Waldorf Farm,” says Bilinski.

Son of Thunder will join a stacked Climax Stallions roster for the upcoming breeding season, standing for $2,500 LFSN.

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Modernist Retired To Stand At Darby Dan Farm In 2022

Multiple graded stakes winner Modernist, a son of perennial leading sire Uncle Mo from a prolific female family, has been retired and will begin his new career as a stallion in 2022 at Darby Dan Farm in a deal brokered by Matt Bowling, the farm announced today.

Modernist will participate in Darby Dan's Share The Upside program for a fee of $10,000. On the one-year commitment, breeders will earn a lifetime breeding right after having one live foal and satisfying the stud fee. For breeders not interested in earning a lifetime breeding right, Modernist will be offered for $10,000 S&N.

“We are excited to offer Modernist to breeders through our Share the Upside Program,” said Ryan Norton, stallion director at Darby Dan Farm. “He is a tremendously good-looking horse with a mind to match and hails from a strong and accomplished female family.”

A homebred for Martin and Pam Wygod trained by Bill Mott, Modernist enjoyed his best season as a sophomore at three in 2020. In his first start of the year, he was a dominating four-length maiden special weight winner at Aqueduct in January and followed that impressive wire-to-wire victory with a determined score in the $400,000 G2 Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds in his initial foray into stakes company.

With Junior Alvarado aboard, Modernist prompted the early pace in the 1 1/8-mile Risen Star. He drew even with the pacesetter before the half-mile pole, surged clear in the stretch, and drew clear late to prevail by a length at the wire. In another determined effort in his subsequent start, Modernist finished third in the $1 million G2 Louisiana Derby after a wide trip that saw him race four to five-wide around the far turn.

“He won at 1 1/8 miles in New York and progressed really well in the early part of his 3-year-old year,” Mott said about Modernist following the Risen Star victory. “He's become more mature and is professional about everything. He has plenty of stamina, as well as tactical speed. Disposition is so important in these kinds of races, and he has a lot of composure.”

In 2021, Modernist annexed the G3 Excelsior Stakes at Aqueduct, defeating Haikal by 2 1/2 lengths and was runner-up in both the $100,000 G3 Challenger Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs and the G3 Pimlico Special Match Series Stakes at Pimlico, outfinishing six black-type winners, including Grade 1 winner Max Player and graded stakes winners Harpers First Ride, Fearless, and Enforceable. All told, Modernist won three of 11 outings, placed in four others, and banked $576,300 while competing against the best of his generation.

The newest son of heralded Uncle Mo to retire to stud, Modernist hails from a prolific female family. He is out of the unraced Bernardini mare Symbolic Gesture, a half-sister to both Sweet Catomine, champion 2-year-old filly and winner of the 2004 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, as well as the 2005 G1 Santa Anita Oaks, and Del Mar Debutante, and Life Is Sweet, winner of the 2009 Breeders' Cup Ladies Classic and an earner of $1,820,810.

Modernist's second dam is stakes winner and Grade 1-placed Sweet Life, Broodmare of the Year in 2009 and a half-sister to Grade 1 winner Pirate's Revenge and stakes winners Echo of Yesterday and Caribbean Pirate.

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Distorted Humor, Congrats Pensioned by WinStar

Distorted Humor (Forty Niner–Danzig's Beauty, by Danzig), sire of 2003 GI Kentucky Derby and GI Preakness S. hero Funny Cide from his first crop and an additional 17 Grade I/Group 1 winners to date, was pensioned from stud duty by WinStar Farm Monday at the age of 28. WinStar also announced it is pensioning stalwart Congrats (A.P. Indy–Praise, by Mr. Prospector) at the age of 21.

“We all owe Distorted Humor a debt of gratitude for all he has done for WinStar Farm, my family, and the many breeders who supported him from his humble beginnings,” said Elliott Walden, WinStar's president, CEO, and racing manager. “He will be missed in the breeding shed this year, but we are so grateful that we can continue to see him at WinStar for the foreseeable future. What a horse.”

Humorous Beginnings…

The late Charles Nuckols, Jr. and Sons bred the chestnut son of 2-year-old champion Forty Niner from Danzig's Beauty, a Grade II winner and runner-up in the 2000 GI Acorn S. at Belmont Park. After winning his first start by a commanding 5 1/2 lengths with trainer Phil Gleaves, Prestonwood Farms purchased half of the colt and turned him over to Prestonwood trainer Elliott Walden.

Winner of Saratoga's Screen King S. (later Amsterdam S.) in August 1996, Distorted Humor was third to that year's GI Met Mile hero Honour and Glory (Relaunch) in the GII King's Bishop S. before finishing runner-up in the GII Jerome H. at Belmont and in the GII Fayette S. at Keeneland. Victorious in the GIII Salvator Mile H. at Monmouth in the summer of 1997, he celebrated his best year at the races as a 5-year-old, taking out the GII Commonwealth Breeders' Cup, the GII Churchill Downs H. and GIII Ack Ack S. before closing out his career with a troubled third in the GI Cigar Mile H. He retired to Prestonwood with a record of 8-5-3 from 23 starts and earnings of $769,964.

Distorted Humor stood his first year at stud in 1999 for a fee of $10,000 and became the leading first-crop sire of 2002 by earnings, owing largely to the exploits of the WinStar-owned and Walden-trained Awesome Humor, who was perfect in four juvenile appearances, including a 2 3/4-length victory in the GI Spinaway S. at Saratoga.

In 2000, Kenny Troutt and Bill Casner purchased the farm from the Preston brothers and renamed it WinStar Farm. Among the stallion's second crop was a New York-bred son of Belle's Good Cide (Slewacide) named Funny Cide. A $22,000 purchase out of the 2001 Fasig-Tipton New York-Bred yearling sale by Sackatoga Stable, the chestnut defeated his state-bred peers in three appearances at two before making a successful transition to open company in 2003. Runner-up to Empire Maker (Unbridled) in the GI Wood Memorial S., the 'gutsy gelding' turned the tables on his more fashionably bred foe in the 'Run for the Roses' scoring by 1 3/4 lengths before tacking on a 9 3/4-length romp at Old Hilltop. The even-money choice to become racing's first Triple Crown winner in a quarter-century, Funny Cide raced prominently over a sloppy Belmont main track, but gave way in the final furlong, ultimately settling for third to Empire Maker. Distorted Humor, who served mares at $20,000 in 2000, was runner-up among second-crop sires.

Distorted Humor sired two Grade I winners in each of those first two crops and sired at least one top-level winner from each of his first five North American crops. Commentator (2001) was a two-time winner of the prestigious of the GI Whitney H., while Flower Alley (2002) defeated the best of his generation in the 2005 GI Travers S. at the Spa. Hystericalady (2003) was victorious in the GI Humana Distaff H. and went within a whisker of winning the 2007 GI Breeders' Cup Distaff, while Bit of Whimsy (2004) took out the time-honored GI Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup for Funny Cide's trainer Barclay Tagg. WinStar's Drosselmeyer (2007) became his sire's second Classic winner when upsetting the 2010 GI Belmont S. in the WinStar colors and added a season-ending success from the clouds in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic at Churchill Downs in 2011. Distorted Humor's other domestic Grade I winners include Fourty Niners Son (Clement Hirsch Turf Championship), Any Given Saturday (Haskell Invitational), Boisterous (Man o'War S.), Jimmy Creed (Malibu S.), Joking (Vosburgh S.) and Restless Rider (Darley Alcibiades S.). Distorted Humor sired four international Group 1 winners: Pathfork (National S.) and Cursory Glance (Moyglare Stud S.) in Ireland; Aesop's Fables (Prix Jean Prat) in France; and Rinky Dink (Aus) (South Australian Oaks) from limited crops in Australia.

Overall, Distorted Humor has sired 1,147 winners to date (76.3% winners to runners), among them 163 black-type winners and 70 at the graded/group level in eight different jurisdictions, including England, United Arab Emirates and Turkey in addition to those previously mentioned.

Only a Horse of the Year season from Saint Ballado's son Saint Liam denied Distorted Humor a general sires' title in 2005 and he was among the top 10 sires from 2007-2010 before breaking through in 2011, owing to the exploits of Drosselmeyer. Distorted Humor stood for a six-figure stud fee from the mid-2000s, peaking at $300,000 in 2008. He commanded $50,000 at WinStar in 2020 before standing for an undisclosed fee this year.

Daughters of Distorted Humor have become important producers, having accounted for 115 black-type winners, 52 at the graded/group level and 19 to succeed at Grade I/Group 1 level. Arrogate (Unbridled's Song), a three-time top-level scorer in this country, added a spectacular victory in the G1 Dubai World Cup in 2017, and Distorted Humor is also the broodmare sire of Constitution (Tapit), the leading first-crop sire of 2019 by stakes winners and graded winners who also stands at WinStar.

His daughters have also produced the likes of Elate and New Money Honey–each by Medaglia d'Oro–Practical Joke (Into Mischief), 'TDN Rising Star' Guarana and Molly Morgan–both daughters of Ghostzapper–Book Review (Giant's Causeway), Carrick (Giant's Causeway) and Japanese G1SW Moanin (Henny Hughes).

Congrats

Congrats, a top 10 sire by winners for the last six years (top five in three of those years) has been a perennial producer of top-class runners during his remarkably consistent career at stud and is once again among the leading sires of winners in 2021.

A Grade II winner on the track and graded stakes-placed in four straight seasons from three to six, the bay entered stud in Florida at Cloverleaf Farms in 2007 before moving to Vinery from 2008-12 and calling WinStar home from 2013 on.

This year, Congrats is represented by 122 winners and boasts progeny earnings of $4,843,399. His top runner this season is two-time graded stakes winner Last Judgment, winner of the GIII Pimlico Special Match Series S. at Pimlico and the GIII Challenger Stakes S. at Tampa Bay Downs.

The only champion freshman sire by the legendary sire of sires, A.P. Indy, Congrats is the sire of Grade I winners Turbulent Descent, Haveyougoneaway, Wickedly Perfect, and Emma's Encore. He has total progeny earnings of $71,982,417 and is the sire of 44 black-type winners. He also has sired 12 graded stakes winners and is being retired to John Sykes' Woodford Thoroughbreds in Reddick, Fla.

“Congrats helped me get started in this business and has meant so much to Woodford Thoroughbreds,” said John Sykes. “We are happy to be bringing him home for his retirement.”

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