Tag: songbird

Fox Hill Farm’s Rick Porter Dies At Age 80

It is with tremendous sadness that Fox Hill Farm informs the Thoroughbred industry of the passing of owner Rick Porter at the age of 80.

Rick had battled cancer in various forms for over two decades. The past six years had been particularly taxing, beating one supposed terminal cancer only to eventually succumb to the toll the fight took on him.

Horse racing was one of Rick's passions, and he was very proud of his stable's accomplishments. His Fox Hill Farm campaigned 20 graded stakes horses and multiple champions led by Havre de Grace, Songbird, Hard Spun, Omaha Beach, and Kodiak Kowboy.

Equally noteworthy as his list of outstanding horses, however, was his outstanding stewardship over his stable. His horses' well-being was always his top priority over any trophy. He believed in transparency, sharing vet reports publicly and being open with injuries and considerations regarding stable management. He encouraged fan interaction, making them feel part of the team. He welcomed the challenge of the best meeting the best on the track, resulting in some of the most memorable match-ups of the past decades. His empathy for horses in need led to the founding of the National Thoroughbred Welfare Organization which has rehomed over 250 at-risk horses in the past few years. His Fox Hill Farm became synonymous with excellence and ethical ownership.

As wonderful as Rick's journey was in racing, it was his journey through life with his beloved Betsy that was all-important to him. Married 59 years, they raised two sons Cory and Scott and a daughter Tracey, all as beautiful in spirit as the examples they had in their parents.

Racing has lost an important owner, but for all of us who knew Rick – his kindness, ethics, loyalty, wisdom, generosity, humility, and humor – we have lost an exceptional human being and a part of our hearts.

Funeral arrangements are pending.

Victoria Keith

Fox Hill Farm

The post Fox Hill Farm’s Rick Porter Dies At Age 80 appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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It’s A Girl! Champion Songbird Delivers Tapit Filly

Two-time Eclipse Award winner Songbird has delivered a Tapit filly at Timber Town Stable in Lexington, Ky., the farm's social media account announced Sunday.

This is the third foal for Songbird, who had an Arrogate filly in 2019 and a Tapit filly in 2020. All three were bred by the Whisper Hill Farm operation of Mandy Pope, who bought Songbird as a broodmare prospect for $9.5 million at the 2017 Fasig-Tipton November Sale.

Songbird, an 8-year-old daughter of Medaglia d'Oro, won 13 of 15 starts over the course of her racing career for earnings of $4,692,000. She was named champion 2-year-old filly of 2015 and champion 3-year-old filly of 2016, with nine Grade 1 victories including the 2015 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies at Keeneland.

Tapit, a 20-year-old son of Pulpit, is a perennial leading sire on the racetrack and in the sales ring. He stands at Ganiesway in Lexington, Ky. for an advertised fee of $185,000.

Among Tapit's runners of note are Belmont Stakes winners Tapwrit, Creator, and Tonalist, champions Untapable, Hansen, Stardom Bound and Unique Bella, and Grade 1 winner Constitution, who is himself rising quickly up the sire ranks. Tapit is led in this year's Triple Crown trail by champion Essential Quality and Grade 2 Fountain of Youth Stakes winner Greatest Honour.

The post It’s A Girl! Champion Songbird Delivers Tapit Filly appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Top Videos of the Year

It was a record-breaking year for video production at the TDN, and for video views, with over 3.8 million TDN videos and advertisers’ commercials shown on our platforms. We took a look to see what you were watching the most. Here are our top 10 videos of the year, as watched on the TDN’s YouTube Channel and the TDN site combined. Click on the red links below to watch.

  1. Zenyatta and Her Candy Ride Filly at Lane’s End. 108,960 views. She may be the fan-favorite of all time.
  2. Meet the First Foal from Songbird, By Arrogate. 91,160 views. Even though this video was published in March of 2019, it had legs, racking up over 90,000 views in 2020.
  3. The Incomparable, Invincible, Unbeatable Cigar. 56,962 views. This 20-minute video wasn’t published until October 16 under the TDN Look banner, but still racked up an impressive amount of views…even if it was a little depressing when Tom Durkin told us that what he had really said was “unconquerable” and not “incomparable.” Whoops.
  4. A.P. Indy Turns 30. 51,968 views. Here’s another video with legs: published in March, 2019, it racked up over 50,000 views in 2020 alone.
  5. Authentic Retired to Spendthrift. 49,163 views. The retirement and arrival of the sure-to-be Horse of the Year at Spendthrift was seen almost 50,000 times.
  6. The Late Arrogate’s First Yearlings go to Market. 44,189 views. Between the video on his Songbird foal and this one featuring his first yearlings, Arrogate was a popular, if sadly tragic, topic for viewers in 2020.
  7. Taylor Made Stallions on the Rise, 41,217 views. Katie Ritz talks to Frank and Ben Taylor about first-crop sire Not This Time, Midnight Storm and Taylor Made’s new arrival, Instagrand.
  8. An Unexpected Storybook Ending for Midnight Bisou. 36, 963 views. Owner Jeff Bloom reminisces on the incredible career of Midnight Bisou as she prepares to sell at the Fasig-Tipton November sale.
  9. Songbird Celebrates Her Second Mother’s Day. 33,296 views. This addition gives Songbird has two of the top 10 videos of the year. People clearly love checking in with the top mares.
  10. Volatile Settling in at Three Chimneys, 26,182 views. New stallion visits are always popular, and Volatile sat just off the pace of Authentic as this year’s leader.
  11. Tour Newmarket With John Berry, 23,052 views. Early on in the pandemic, we tried to help people feel as if they were getting out of their homes with video tours. John Berry was kind enough to take us on a multi-part tour of Newmarket and the series drew tens of thousands of views.

The post Top Videos of the Year appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Announcer Keith Jones Retires After 30 Years With Parx Racing

After more than three decades as the voice of Parx Racing, announcer Keith Jones will be stepping away from the microphone at the end of the year. Since 1987, Jones has been the voice of Philadelphia Park/Parx making him the second longest tenured announcer after Tampa Bay Downs' Richard Grunder.

Jones began his career at Garden State Park before moving permanently to Philadelphia Park.

“I'll be forever grateful to the management at Greenwood for affording me an opportunity to pursue a career doing something I've thoroughly enjoyed,” said Jones.

Among an impressive list of achievements, Jones has called more than 60,000 races and 32 Pennsylvania Derbies. He was behind the mic high above the Philadelphia Park oval when a two-year-old Smarty Jones first flashed the talent that would lead to an improbable Triple Crown run in 2004.

“Smarty Jones' second career race in the Nursery Stakes was one of the greatest performances I've seen of any horse here at this race track,” Jones recalled.

Among other greats to grace the track at Parx, Jones ranks 2016 Cotillion winner Songbird and 2014 Kentucky Derby winner California Chrome as two of the most noteworthy horses he's had the honor to call.

Parx Racing Chief Operating Officer, Joe Wilson has worked with Keith for over thirty years.

“The voice of Keith Jones more than any single entity is synonymous with Parx Racing,” said Wilson. “He has always called the races with a dignity and professionalism worthy of the sport. It's hard to imagine someone else calling the Pennsylvania Derby or the Cotillion or even a Tuesday afternoon claiming race.”

It is the people at Parx Jones says he will relish most as he reflects on his career.

“As much pleasure as I've gotten from calling the races, what I'll always treasure most are the relationships—the friendships—that have been so rewarding over the past 34 years. From fellow staff to the many members of our PTHA to our passionate and supportive racing fans, I've had the good fortune to cross paths with an amazing group of people. This track, this job, these people—have been my professional life for a long time and I will miss all of it.”

Jones will be relocating to Texas with his wife, Kelly. Although he will miss his Parx family, he is enthusiastic about the road ahead.

“There's also a lot of excitement and anticipation about what lies ahead and I say thank you to everyone who has shared the journey with me.”

The post Announcer Keith Jones Retires After 30 Years With Parx Racing appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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