“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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Bred in Kentucky by Sanford Robertson, Eskendereya was purchased by Zayat Stables for $250,000 at the 2008 Keeneland September sale. Turned over to Todd Pletcher, the chestnut broke his maiden in a rained-off renewal of the 2009 Pilgrim S. and switched to the synthetic for that year's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile, finishing ninth. He was perfect in three starts at three, including romping scores in the GII Fountain of Youth S. and GI Wood Memorial S., but he suffered a leg injury leading up to the 2010 GI Kentucky Derby and entered stud at Taylor Made Stallions the following year. He retired with a record of 4-1-0 from six starts for earnings of $725,700.

From his six American-foaled crops, Eskendereya was responsible for 22 black-type winners, including GI Met Mile winner Mor Spirit as well as Mitole. America's champion sprinter of 2019, the Bill and Corinne Heiligbrodt runner amassed four Grade I wins that season, including the Met Mile and GI Breeders' Cup Sprint.

Eskendereya entered stud at Shizunai Stallion Station on the island of Hokkaido and has sired for 109 individual winners from 167 starters. All totaled, Eskendereya has been represented by 365 winners which have earned nearly $42.1 million.

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Winner of the 2022 GI Preakness S. for Klaravich Stables and Chad Brown, Early Voting retired with three wins from six starts and earnings in excess of $1.3 million. Though he successfully stopped his mares and though his sperm were fertile, he was later found to be unable to continue his career and was subsequently diagnosed with Anejaculatory Syndrome, an inability to ejaculate.

According to a release, a member of the Early Voting management team was acquainted with the work of a New Zealand-based veterinarian and scientist named Dr. Padraig (Paddy) O'Casaigh, who had treated males of the rarest species of birds in New Zealand–the Kakapo–for precisely the same condition. O'Casaigh had developed his diagnostic and treatment protocols along with Professor Sir Graham ('Mont') Collingwood Liggins FRS, a pioneer in the research of human fetal development and birth. O'Casaigh and Liggins together formed the Mont Liggins Trust to further fertility research.

“Early Voting has a very rare condition that is difficult to diagnose and treat,” said Dr. O'Casaigh. “Because of the work of the Mont Liggins Trust with the Kakapo and Tuatara (a native New Zealand reptile that is the closest living relative to the dinosaur), we have developed a very unique diagnostic suite for this exact scenario. I feel very fortunate to be involved and have had the assistance of our many international colleagues. It is such a credit to all the interested parties who have gone literally to the end of the earth for Early Voting's welfare.”

Added Taylor Made's Duncan Taylor: “We were contacted by Dr. O'Caseigh to stand Early Voting and we are very happy to have the opportunity.”

This story will be updated

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In this month's installment of TDN's series, 'The Road Back,' we introduce you to graduate Joshua Franks, now program coordinator for the School of Horsemanship.

When Joshua Franks speaks about horses and the impact they've had on his life, the passion reverberates through every spoken word.

But it was only a year and a half ago that Franks first laid a hand on a horse, a moment he remembers vividly.

“It was at Keeneland, in Barn 10, and the horse was Big Lake [American Pharoah]. It was like I touched a ghost. Walking up to that horse, it was just magical.”

It marked a turning point in Franks's life. A page was opening to the start of a new chapter, one driven by faith, purpose and passion, that would pave over a past marred by drug addiction and incarceration.

Taylor Made Stallion Complex sign | Sarah Andrew

“I was born in California, but my mom and dad separated at a young age and then my mom moved back to Kentucky, so I grew up in Boone County. I lived with a single mom and two younger brothers. We lived in poverty,” said Franks. “In my household, I didn't grow up with goals. My mom didn't know how to love, there wasn't a lot of love in the home, so growing up, I felt lost and alone. I got addicted to drugs at a young age and from there it spiraled out of control.”

His issues with drug use eventually led him to prison, where he served a 10-year sentence. After he was released in 2020, he entered Recovery Works, a comprehensive inpatient addiction treatment center in Georgetown, Ky. It was there that he heard about Stable Recovery and its partner, the Taylor Made School of Horsemanship.

At this point, according to Franks, God stepped in. Because though he'd fallen down a path that many don't come back from, the light that kept him going was a hope that one day he would end up working within the Thoroughbred industry in some capacity. And the inspiration behind that? It was none other than the queen herself, Zenyatta (Street Cry).

“I believe she kind of changed the whole direction of my life. I used to watch Zenyatta race and she was electric. She touched me in a way that I can't even describe. She would bring tears to my eyes. Every hair on my arm would stand up when I watched her, and when she lost her last race, it just captured my heart,” said Franks. “I always wondered how to get here, how to get to Lexington to work with horses, but I never had that outlet. I think God knew in the depths of my heart what I truly loved. He met me where I was.”

Franks came to Taylor Made to enter Stable Recovery and partake in the School of Horsemanship program in July of 2022, soaking up everything he could in the barn and on the farm, before graduating and heading out to join fellow School of Horsemanship graduate Will Walden at the track. He worked as the foreman of the young trainer's stable, a time highlighted by a first stakes victory for the Walden team when Kate's Kingdom (Animal Kingdom) took the 2022 My Charmer Stakes at Turfway Park.

Joshua Franks | Kelcey Loges/Taylor Made Farm

Though Franks did struggle with a two-day relapse while on the road, he returned to Taylor Made last December to continue to work on himself, his sobriety and his career as a horseman.

“I think God took my pain, with addiction and all of that, and gave me something that would really touch my heart. It's really special,” said Franks.

Things have come full circle for the 37-year-old, who now works full-time as the program coordinator for the School of Horsemanship.

“The biggest thing about this program is that we're trying to help people stay sober. It isn't necessarily about trying to change the horse industry, you know that comes with it along the way, but first and foremost we want to save lives,” said Franks. “The best advice I'd give people is to seek God and trust God. That's something I've done every day. I hit my knees, day and night, and throughout the day. He's developed something that's astronomical for a guy like me.”

Franks spends day in and day out with the men in the program that spans 90 days, teaching recovering individuals' life skills and employable skills through working with the horses on the farm, participating in support groups and attending 12-step meetings.

“When they come in, I try to lead them in recovery first and then into horses. I tell them all the time, 'This job will always be here.' When it comes down to it, I want them to stay sober and develop a good foundation,” said Franks.

One of the most crucial aspects of the program is instituting structure, something that a lot of the participants have never had in their lives. During the program they go to work daily, from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., while also keeping up with a schedule throughout the week that includes Monday Motivation classes, School of Horsemanship meetings on Wednesdays, Community meetings on Thursdays and in-house meetings, called 'Off to the Races,' on Saturdays.

“A lot of us didn't grow up with that stuff, we didn't grow up with structure, so it's a really intense 90 days. This program is like no other. [CEO] Christian [Countzler] is very stern, he expects things to go a certain way, which I appreciate. I've been other places where as bad as it is, there's drugs filling these places, there's no accountability, while here, Christian demands that. All the outside issues, we don't have to deal with those. We're here to recover and to help each other recover,” said Franks. “It goes hand-in-hand with how detailed the horse industry is. From the way the blankets are folded, to bandages, to medical charts, to bringing your horses in in the morning and checking to make sure they're well, with no cuts or swelling. It all comes down to structure and accountability.”

As much as the program places an emphasis on the individual's well-being and progress in their journey to sobriety, it also helps them build comradery and a recovery network amongst their peers and the staff.

Joshua Franks | Kelcey Loges/Taylor Made Farm

“What I try to do in my barn is to gain momentum behind guys, find out what they're good at and team build around them, getting them pointed in the right direction. Getting them to work together, lean on each other, that's important. Sometimes throughout the day I might stop the barn, get them all together and rally them. I think momentum is key with recovery,” said Franks. “When they get out of treatment, most of them haven't seen the doctor, or maybe they have court stuff going on, so we try to get all of that taken care of in those 90 days. That way, when they gain full-time employment, they already have that foundation set.

“They come in here broken, they need to feel good about themselves, so I try to place them in good positions to help build themselves up.”

Franks, who is just days away from celebrating his one-year anniversary of sobriety on Dec. 24, admits that if he'd told his younger self that this is where he'd be at this point in his life, he would have never believed it. But when he looks back on the places he's been, a valley of lows and lower, Franks knows he has found renewed purpose and a true home in the presence of horses.

“I heard Will Walden say this and it's so true: the horse doesn't ask where I'm from or what I've done, they accept me as who I am. They are the heroes. They are the therapeutic value in this thing for guys like me,” he said. “What I've noticed is that most of your broken souls don't have any family support, just like myself when I came into this. My mother is deceased, my father is deceased, I never really had family growing up, that was nonexistent, so the horses became my friends. It was tough for me sitting here when they would have family days and I would have no one show or call, but the horses, they're the ones that were there for me.”

If you come out to Taylor Made and look around, you'll likely see someone working on the farm that is in recovery. But it's not until you've seen a man working with a horse, standing there with a glimmer of hope in his eye, that you understand the true impact of the program developed by Frank Taylor and Countzler.

A shining testament to that, Franks gives the utmost credit to the program, Taylor Made and the Thoroughbred industry as a whole for where he is today.

“Nobody could put this together but God. He takes our pain and he develops it into something magnificent,” he said. “I will say this. Though I loved her dearly, my mom and I weren't close and she didn't know how to express her love. But the only thing I knew about my mom was that her favorite animal was a horse. I'm not sure if that was passed on to me, but I do believe she looks over me every day on this farm.

“Everyone has been so supportive of Stable Recovery. This is a non-profit organization and to know that there are people around the world that care about us enough to help get us back on our feet and heading in the right direction, it's special. I'm very grateful.”

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First or second in nine of 14 lifetime starts, the earner of $1,327,100 was campaigned by Red Baron's Barn, Rancho Temescal, Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, and William A. Branch, and trained by Mark Glatt.

“We are very excited for the opportunity to stand Dr. Schivel in partnership with Tim Cohen, Dean Reeves, and Bill Branch,” said Taylor Made's Travis White. “It's very special to have a horse that was talented and precocious enough to win a Grade I at two and then come back to win another Grade I as a 3-year-old, beating older horses. Dr. Schivel, who has defeated 13 Grade I winners in his career, has been a sound, extremely consistent horse and his Breeders' Cup Sprint as a 3-year-old was a remarkable performance.”

Winner of the GI Del Mar Futurity at two, he returned at three to add a win in the GI Bing Crosby S. and GII Santa Anita Sprint Championship before rounding out the season with a close-up second in the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint. This year, he was third in the Bing Crosby and won the Santa Anita Sprint Championship in his latest start Sept. 30.

White added, “He has remained in Grade I form throughout his racing career, and Mark Glatt said Dr. Schivel has been all class from day one. He is a big, good-looking son of Violence and breeders will really like what they see.”

Bred in Kentucky by William A. Branch and Arnold R. Hill, the 5-year-old is out of Lil Nugget, a half-sister to multiple Grade I winner and millionaire Ultra Blend. Dr. Schivel's first two dams are both Grade I producers.

Dr. Schivel is the second-highest earner for his sire Violence, a Top 10 General Sire in 2023. In addition to Dr. Schivel, Violence is also represented by the reigning Champion 2-Year-Old Male Forte, a four-time Grade I winner. Violence is also the sire of GISW Volatile, who had yearlings sell for $1,150,000 and $700,000 at the Keeneland September Sale. With a current yearling average of $134,973, Volatile has the third-highest yearling of all first-crop sires.

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The sire of 2022 champion 3-year-old male Epicenter, Not This Time has gone from strength to strength this term, and sits in eighth position on the general sire list with better than $10.4 million in progeny earnings. The 9-year-old stallion has been represented by no fewer than a dozen black-type winners in 2023, topped by Up To the Mark, whose top-level scores have come in Churchill's Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic at nine furlongs, the GI Resorts World Casino Manhattan S. at a mile and a quarter at Belmont Park, and most recently, the Keeneland Turf Mile first off a four-month layoff.

Sibelius earned the first top-level success of his career when proving gamest in the G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen in March. He also established a new track record when winning the Pelican S. at Tampa in 1:08.65 for the six furlongs.

Not This Time has also been represented by graded winners Next, Arzak, Gigante and Cogburn.

As his runners have excelled at the races, so too have his young progeny at public auction. A yearling half-brother to GISW Bell's the One (Majesticperfection) and GSW King Cause (Creative Cause) sold to Jacob West, agent for Robert and Lawana Low, for $1.35 million at Keeneland September and he was represented by another seven-figure horse at Keeneland and a $900,000 yearling at Fasig-Tipton Saratoga.

Champion Knicks Go (Paynter), who has his first weanlings of 2023, will stand for $15,000 S&N, while Idol (Curlin)–the full-brother to Eclipse Award winner Nest–and Tacitus (Tapit) will serve mares at $10,000 S&N.

TAYLOR MADE STALLIONS — 2024

Not This Time (Giant's Causeway)–$150,000

Knicks Go (Paynter)–$15,000

Idol (Curlin)–$10,000

Tacitus (Tapit)–$10,000

Instagrand (Into Mischief)–$7,500

Instilled Regard (Arch)–$7,500

Rowayton (Into Mischief)–$7,500

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“This is the best horse to retire in New York in a very long time,” said Rockridge Stud's Lere Visagie. “We all know we need top-class horses standing in New York to keep mares home. The winner of one of New York's most historic Grade Is for older horses is the way to do it. We can't wait to get started.”

Based on his Cigar Mile win, as well as wins in the New York-restricted Empire Classic H., Albany S., and New York Derby, Americanrevolution was named 2021 New York-bred Horse of the Year and champion 3-year-old male during the New York Thoroughbred Breeders Inc.'s annual awards ceremony in 2022. During his career, Americanrevolution also placed in the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup S., the GI Pennsylvania Derby, and the GII Stephen Foster S. The chestnut retired with a record of 12-5-2-1 and earnings of $1,286,810. Twice he registered Beyers of 108 and overall secured triple-digit Beyers five times.

“With Belmont being renovated, we feel it is time to re-enter the New York market,” said Elliott Walden, WinStar Farm's president, CEO, and racing manager. “WinStar Farm and CHC Inc. are staying in and committing 10 good mares to Americanrevolution to help launch his career in New York. We hope to breed another Funny Cide, one of the best New York-breds of all time.”

Bred by Fred Hertrich III and John Fielding in New York, Americanrevolution was acquired at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton New York-Bred Select Yearling Sale in Saratoga out of the Taylor Made Sales consignment for $275,000 by CHC Inc. and Maverick Racing. He hails from the same family as MGISW Stop Traffic (Cure the Blues), who produced GISW and sire Cross Traffic (Unbridled's Song).

Americanrevolution will stand as a partnership between WinStar Farm, CHC Inc., Rockridge Stud, Taylor Made Stallions, Mill Creek Farm, and Fortune Farm in a deal brokered by Matt Bowling of Bowling Bloodstock.

“We are thrilled to be a part of this exciting stallion prospect–probably the most exciting stallion to retire to New York in several decades,” said Ben Taylor of Taylor Made Stallions.

Former WinStar stallion and Breeders' Cup winner Tourist (Tiznow) stood his first New York season at Rockridge this year.

“I'm thrilled to see a Grade I winner sired by one of Kentucky's finest stallions retiring to New York,” said Fasig-Tipton's Boyd Browning. “This highlights the growing significance of the racing and breeding industry in the state. I'm eagerly anticipating the opportunity to sell his New York offspring at our Saratoga sales.”

Americanrevollution will stand his initial season for $12,500 S&N. He will be available for viewing at WinStar Farm in Kentucky throughout the November Sale and during stallion shows.

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It has been another banner season for Not This Time, the sire of five Grade I winners from his first three crops, including this year's Resorts World Casino Manhattan S. hero Up To the Mark. His Grade I winners on the dirt include sales-topping 'TDN Rising Star' Princess Noor, G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen hero Sibelius and GI Madison S. victress Just One Time. The leading fourth-crop sire of 2023, he is also responsible for Cogburn, who won the GIII Troy S. sprinting over the turf at Saratoga Aug. 5.

The share in Not This Time includes all the projected income from the just-concluded breeding season. Shareholders are entitled to one nomination annually plus the proportionate share of the excess book.

Not This Time is governed by a 50-share syndicate.

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Out of a graded-stakes placed half-sister to MGISP & GSW Shancelot (Shanghai Bobby) and GSP Tiz Kissable (Tiz Wonderful), Streaming Now is the first winner for her dam and the second 2 year-old filly winner on the card for her sire, who would add newly-minted 'TDN Rising Star' Into Champagne (Into Mischief) to his ever-growing tally two races later. She has a yearling half-sister by Instagrand as well as a 2023 half-brother by Rowayton. This is the female family of GISW & MGSW Silver Max (Badge of Silver) and GISW Yes It's True. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $69,600. Click for the Equibase.com chart.
O/B-OXO Equine LLC (KY); T-Paulo H. Lobo.

#3 Streaming Now easily breaks her maiden on debut in R6 at the #PeaPatch under Gerardo Corrales for trainer Paulo Lobo and owner/breeder OXO Equine!

#TwinSpiresReplay pic.twitter.com/K4PDefjMEp

— TwinSpires Racing (@TwinSpires) June 16, 2023

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Despite being the full-sister to current Taylor Made stallion Tacitus, MGSW & MGISP, $3,767,350, Scylla earned only 5-2 billing–going off as the second choice in the wagering behind the more experienced Zeitlos (Curlin). A step slow from the blocks, the bay found herself in eighth with only a handful of rivals beaten as Miss Arlington (Mark Valeski) paced the field through opening fractions of :22.50 and :46.31. Given her head with room to run around the far turn, Scylla began to pick up the pieces with an impressive move towards the front, challenging new leader Zeitlos with a furlong to run. With more left to give and all the momentum, she cruised by into the final sixteenth and cleared off nicely to the wire to win by open lengths going away under only a mild ride.

The third winner produced from champion older mare Close Hatches (First Defense), herself a full-sister to SW & MGISP Lockdown–the dam of SW Idiotmatic (Curlin)–Scylla traces back to European champion 2-year-old colt Xaar (GB) (Zafonic) as well as G1 Tattersalls Irish Two Thousand Guineas and GI Keeneland Phoenix S. victor Siskin (First Defence). Close Hatches has a 2-year-old full-brother to Tacitus and Scylla still to make the races along with a yearling Constitution filly and a newborn Uncle Mo filly, all of whom remain with Juddmonte. Scylla is Tapit's 52nd 'TDN Rising Star'.

6th-Keeneland, $99,588, Msw, 4-15, 3yo, f, 6f, 1:10.32, ft, 2 1/2 lengths.
SCYLLA, f, 3, by Tapit
                1st Dam: Close Hatches (Ch. Older Mare, MGISW, $2,707,300), by First Defence
                2nd Dam: Rising Tornado, by Storm Cat
                3rd Dam: Silver Star (GB), by Zafonic
Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $56,575. O/B-Juddmonte Farms Inc (KY); T-William I. Mott. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

SCYLLA (Tapit), daughter of champion older mare and MGISW Close Hatches and the full-sister to MGSW & MGISP Tacitus, breaks her maiden on debut at @keenelandracing for @JuddmonteFarms with @jjcjockey aboard! Trained by Bill Mott. pic.twitter.com/xJvzndEAOB

— TDN (@theTDN) April 15, 2023

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