That often-elusive flavor remains on one's tongue in a constant search for more. Taste of Victory Stable's founders Kyle Yost and Brian Richardson have reveled in that sensation, knowing it can be interspersed with bitter moments that only life and owning Thoroughbred racehorses can produce.

The seeds of Thoroughbred ownership are typically planted by family and/or friends. Yost, a graduate of Penn State University, grew up on a small South Central Pennsylvania farm where his parents raised and brokered livestock. “My dad raised some mid-level Thoroughbreds on the farm which attracted me to the sport, almost by osmosis,” reflected Yost. “We would take in days at Penn National and Pimlico. There was just something about a Thoroughbred that drew me in.”

Richardson, on the other hand, and on the other side of the country, grew up just 20 minutes from Los Alamitos Race Course in Huntington Beach, California. “Aside from the early trips to Los Al, I will always remember my days at USC and making trips to Santa Anita with friends. On one occasion I hit an exacta for $680 and I was hooked as a horseplayer. As a fan, attending the races in Southern California was something special for our family.”

The road to ownership for Richardson began while on a fishing trip with his dad and his dad's best friend Gene Ward, who was affectionately nicknamed “Cherry.” “Cherry offered up what he called the idea of all ideas to my dad who they called `Hawk,' Richardson said. “Why don't we gather friends and family and rent out a luxury suite at Del Mar to take in the races and put Brian in charge?” It became an annual event, titled the Del Mar Cherry-Hawk event.”

The Partners | courtesy of Taste of Victory Stables

After a number of years enjoying Mexican buffets and drinks at Del Mar, it was another genius idea from `Cherry' who figured since they enjoyed going to Del Mar so much each year, it was time to buy a Thoroughbred and race themselves. So, 20 friends and family members got together, including Hawk, Cherry and Yost, who was a business associate and friend, and they started Cherry Hawk Stables.

The partnership's first horse was a yearling who the 20 partners opted to name Twenty Hawks (Unusual Heat). “We didn't think the name Twenty Cherries would provide the intimidating aura we wanted in our first racehorse,” quipped Richardson.

Twenty Hawks would go on to earn over $338,000 for the group of first timers, but sadly Brian's father passed away prior to the horse moving out to Charles Town and finding success. Twenty Hawks broke his maiden in his fifth lifetime start. “It was bittersweet considering my dad inspired us, along with Cherry, to start going to Del Mar and purchase a racehorse. I knew Twenty Hawks was wearing angel wings when he first scored for us. It was an emotional moment for me,” said Richardson.

Twenty Hawks: The Life-Changing Story of “The Iron Horse”

The concept of Taste of Victory Stables was amalgamated over multiple conversations between Yost and Richardson. “It was about 10 years ago, and we both wanted to somehow elevate the popularity of the sport,” said Yost. “There were other groups out there like West Point and Dogwood, but buying shares with them was out of reach for most people. We wanted to make it affordable for the average fan.”

Richardson concurs. “We had the ability to attract new owners from coast to coast and at a level that wasn't going to break the bank,” he said. “Giving people a `behind the ropes' experience that most racing fans have never been a part of was something we were committed to providing. The partners in Cherry Hawk Stables were also looking for more action and more horses so we launched Taste of Victory Stables in 2015.”

Partner Jeff Guffey and wife Nancy with Marley's Ghost at Saratoga | courtesy of Taste of Victory Stables

Current partner Dan Filipek recounted his initial connection to horse racing and Kyle Yost. “I let him know that I had been going to the racetrack with my father since I was a young boy,” said Filipek. “I had great memories of watching the Michigan Mile at Detroit Race Course and watching the Trotters at Northville Downs. I was sad that both of those tracks closed along with Hazel Park Raceway. I mentioned to Kyle that the three things my father and I did most together were go to the racetrack, work on cars and go hunting. But since my dad passed, my passion for working on cars and hunting faded, but not my love for horse racing. It was then that Kyle told me about the partnership group that Taste of Victory offered, and I thought what better way to rekindle my memories of watching horse racing with my dad then getting truly involved in the sport, so I joined.”

Another partner who said he was glad Taste of Victory started to expand is Larry Hopkins. “I have met some incredible people through TOV,” he said. “I have been on a few road trips to see our horses including our annual pilgrimage to Pimlico for Black-Eyed Susan day. It is interesting getting to mingle with more experienced horsemen and also meeting some of the trainers.  It has really opened my eyes to what a great sport Thoroughbred racing is.”

As the partnership expanded so did the management group. In 2016, while attending an owners' conference at Keeneland, Yost and Richardson met Russ Sapienza on a tour of Adena Springs. Originally from Pennsylvania like Yost, Sapienza would eventually make his way to Saratoga Springs where the former senior partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers currently resides. “I was first introduced to horse racing in high school when I went to Brandywine Raceway in Delaware to see the Stanley Cup, which was on tour after being won by the Flyers,” said Sapienza. “But I looked around and my attention turned to the horses. That experience and years of going to Saratoga and Belmont with my wife and her dad turned me into a hardcore fan of the sport and the horses. I enjoy handicapping and even participated in the 2020 NHC in Las Vegas and continue to play in tournaments today. I hope I bring a bit of the 'business of Thoroughbred ownership' in my role as an advisor to Kyle and Brian.”

Sapienza has focused on New York-breds and racing at Belmont, Aqueduct, and Saratoga for Taste of Victory. “New York has a friendly condition book for New York-breds, and the purse structure is extremely competitive. They also have a strong aftercare program which is important to our partners. When you race at places like Saratoga, you get to compete at an elite level in sport while still being part of a small barn or group. You can't do that in any other sport.”

Taste of Victory provides a variety of opportunities that can include young horses or claimers. Their groups are also regionally diverse with groups competing in California, the Mid-Atlantic, New York, and recently Ohio. “We like to keep the investment levels between $1,500 and $7,500 and want people to have at least a three percent interest in any group,” said Yost. “Each group has multiple horses to provide plenty of action and we don't mark up any of our purchases. Each group starts off with a budget that includes estimated expenditures for a year in advance, assuming no purse earnings. We don't want to be reaching out and making cash calls every month.”

The lower starting investment level was a key for partner Doug Shepherd. “The idea of purchasing a horse on my own was too daunting and expensive for a hobby, so the concept of an ownership group was perfect for me,” he said. “I have now been a part of numerous TOV groups that race in various parts of the United States. My wife and son have also become interested in horse racing and my son has recently joined a group with TOV.”

Hit the Road | Lauren King

Filipek agreed and aptly summed it up. “The cost of entry is affordable, but the thrills are priceless!”

Taste of Victory does reserve $300 per month for administrative expenses that go to cover professional fees and the services of their trusted bookkeeper Cara Thomas. The group has begun retaining 5% of purse earnings for new groups to provide funding for expansion and offering more social events. The trio of experienced managers has recently begun offering private management for individuals or groups that want to own horses on their own but need some additional guidance and support.

“Private management is great for families, poker or golfing groups, fraternity brothers and sorority sisters, corporate groups–essentially any individuals or groups that want a program customized to provide maximum enjoyment and flexibility,” said Yost.

Jeff Guffey is one partner who enjoys the events and access. “On race days, they are always willing to host owners at the track, and even set up barn tours for up-close access to the horses and the trainers. It really makes you feel like a true owner and horseman. I think that is what differentiates a group like Taste of Victory from other ownership groups that are less hands on, and more crowd-sourced.”

Taste of Victory Stables has sent two horses to the Breeders' Cup since its inception. GISW/GSW What a View (Vronsky) was the first in 2016, but success arrived in a big way when Taste of Victory Stables bought into Hit the Road in 2019. The More Than Ready colt won the GIII Thunder Road S. and the GI Frank E. Kilroe Mile in 2020.

“Hit the Road made it to the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf in 2019. Even though he didn't hit the board, it was such a joy to be able to host our partners and family at one of our home tracks,” Richardson said.

Hit the Road will be starting his stud career in South Africa this year.

Hit the Road | Benoit

The sweet taste of success was less palatable for Yost though. His wife of 15 years was also immersed in a cancer battle, which sadly she lost in June 2021.

“The horses, including Hit the Road, helped divert my mind for a bit and provide some positivity to the situation, but it was difficult for everyone,” said Yost. “I couldn't get over the outpouring of support from our partners and all the people in the horse racing industry we work with. From sending food for my family to simple notes of support, it was unbelievable.”

Shepherd reflected on the sentiment. “Sure, we love to win stakes races, but that is not what drives everyone. I have learned so much about the sport and the people involved, that it has made me love and appreciate the sport so much more than I ever imagined.”

As Taste of Victory Stables continues to welcome new partners, one thing will continue to hold true: The flavor of life and owning Thoroughbreds is a complex blend of sweet successes, bitter disappointments, and the savory experiences that linger in between.

The post Partnerships, Presented By Taylor Made: A Taste of Victory appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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In celebration of the milestone, Taylor Made has introduced the first annual Taylor Made Servant Leader Awards. Winners, who are nominated by their peers, will win a $1,000 cash prize and a charity donation. Winners will be announced Friday with more information available here.

Among the other celebrations marking the event will be a special video to be released Friday.

The post ‘Daddy Joe’ Celebration Week at Taylor Made appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Juju's Map, owned by Albaugh Family Racing Stables LLC, won the GI Darley Alcibiades S. and was runner-up in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies.

“We are very happy with this Flightline filly out of Juju's Map. She has lots of leg and class to her. Juju's Map has been a great mom,” said Melissa Couture, Taylor Made Broodmare Manager.

Lady Scarlet, winner of the GIII Miss Preakness S., campaigned for owners Paradise Farms Corp and David Staudacher while racing. She was purchased for $625,000 by Thirty Year Farm at the 2023 Keeneland November Sale.

“He's a good-looking boy. A solid straightforward colt with ample bone, eager to latch on, and entertain a large audience on first day. We're equally excited that one of the first, of what we're sure will be many spectacular Flightlines, is a New York-bred,” said Kristen Esler, co-owner of Thirty Year Farm with her husband Matt.

Flightline stands for $150,000 at Lane's End in 2024.

Juju's Map welcomed her first foal, a filly by Flightline, into the world last night

We are so excited, and we are happy to say that Juju and her baby are doing great! Juju's Map, a grade 1 winner, and Flightline, the undefeated champion, produced a gorgeous looking filly… pic.twitter.com/mIqGH0XQpb

— Albaugh Family Stables (@Albaughstables) January 13, 2024

The post Unbeaten Horse of the Year Flightline Represented by First Two Foals appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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O'Casaigh, the 'brain and chief researcher/inventor' behind the 'unique' product Chaperonze (his birthplace a contributor to this intentional misspell), has treated 'about 100' stallions with breeding problems.

“My experience in my 35 years,” he said, “is that I've never had one go back and never had one that couldn't be fixed. You find with these horses, once you've turned him around, you've turned them around.”

Consider his record intact.

It wasn't that Early Voting was lacking in fertility–as was reported in Thursday's TDN, the stallion successfully got 120 mares from his first book in foal at Coolmore in his first year in 2023 (though it is uncertain how many mares in total were covered). But it was later discovered that Early Voting was suffering from Anejaculatory Syndrome–simply put, an inability to ejaculate.

O'Casaigh, 56, has by his own accounting has flown upwards of four million miles in his lifetime and maintains offices from Lexington to Bangkok. He attended Massey University in Palmerston North, New Zealand, did an internship at Hagyard/Davidson/McGee in Lexington and then spent the better part of six years at the University of California, Davis, completing a residency in equine reproduction from 1989-1992 and a Ph. D. in comparative pathology. He was a post-doctoral fellow in the school's Department of Veterinary Medical Population Health and Reproduction from 1992-1995.

Having worked with the likes of Nureyev and El Gran Senor and given his success in helping cure horses of problems similar to that of Early Voting, it wasn't a complete surprise when his services were requested by the consortium of owners that took over from Coolmore late last year.

O'Casaigh makes use of a product Chaperonze manufactures that contains chaperone proteins. The process involves using emu oil sourced from FDA distributors to create a protein transfer oil that can carry the chaperone proteins across the skin barrier and into the bloodstream. The process calls for the admixing of freeze-dried, stable Chaperonze powder, extracted from ovine placenta, with the oil.

Applied topically, chaperone proteins can find their way to damaged and injured cells that are in need of repair and once Chaperonze has entered the cells, it causes repair, rejuvenation and regeneration. And it seems to have done the trick for the now 5-year-old stallion.

O'Casaigh said Early Voting has been at his new home at Taylor Made for 'about a month.'

“The Coolmore group have been fantastic about everything and the only reason to taking him over [to Taylor Made] is because I have an association with them and they have a much-smaller, family-run operation, and with something like this, it's going to be a different environment for the horse and for me.”

O'Casaigh reports that Early Voting was first bred to test mares and more recently to outside mares and that he has done so successfully in terms of his ability to ejaculate. His first Taylor Made-bred mares are due to be scanned in about a week's time.

And it's clear the work he has done to date has been impactful and he hopes will continue to be.

“It's not just species-specific,” O'Casaigh said. “If we can help endangered species or humans, alleviate disease, help horses, that's what science is, right?”

The post The Curious Case of Early Voting and the Vet Who Helped Cure Him appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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“This is the best foal that this proven mare has ever produced,” said Johnson. “He has excellent size and bone. For a January 3rd baby, we have size, bone, and a very strong foal. We love the sire's pedigree. We specifically bred this mare to Idol to get to a son of Curlin and double up the A.P. Indy. The plan worked. We are pleased to have bred the first Idol. We will be returning.”

Idol, who posted a 102 Beyer Speed Figure when winning the 2021 GI Santa Anita H. and who is a full-brother to Eclipse champion Nest, bred 128 mares in his first book in 2023. He will stand for $10,000 S&N as a Repole Stable/Taylor Made Stallions Venture in 2024.

The post GISW Idol’s First Foal is a Colt appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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One of the longest-lived and most successful sires in all of South America, Forestry died due to health problems caused by old age, according to Dr. Joaquim Antunes, chief veterinarian of Haras São José da Serra.

Bred by Robert S. Evans in Kentucky, Forestry was purchased by Aaron U. and Marie D. Jones for $1.5 million as a yearling at the Keeneland July sale.

He entered stud in 2000 at Taylor Made in Kentucky. In 2014, Forestry was acquired by a group of Brazilian breeders and resided at Haras São José da Serra. He produced 18 black-type winners in Brazil, including the Grade 1 winners Oceano Azul, Itaperuna, Gata Y Flor, and Hembra.

—additional reporting by Victor Correa

The post Forestry Passes at 27 in Brazil appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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There are so many great moments from 2023. It really is hard to choose. I would say that from a “Taylor Made” perspective it has to be selling the highest-priced yearling in North America. The Curlin colt out of the legendary Beholder was raised and prepped beautifully by the team at Spendthrift. Having the opportunity to represent Spendthrift on a horse of that quality was a blessing for our whole Team!

The post What Was Your Favorite Moment of 2023: Mark Taylor appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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The TDN is launching a new series, 'The Road Back,' where once a month we will profile a graduate of the School of Horsemanship and Stable Recovery programs. First up is Mike Lowery, a divisional manager at Taylor Made Farm.

 “My first day at Taylor Made, I was scared to death,” Mike Lowery admits with a grin. He's sitting on the back porch of the Stable Recovery house at Taylor Made during his lunch break. Behind him, grazing mares dot an autumn-hued pasture.

“I had never touched a horse or been to Keeneland until two and a half years ago when I started the School of Horsemanship,” he recounted. “A horse is a really large animal and you want me to be up close and personal with it? I was terrified. But there was one mare that day and I don't know what it was about her. I was going through some things in my early sobriety and it was something about the way that she looked at me. It was weird. I can't explain it. It was like she was telling me that everything was going to be alright and I just fell in love with the horse at that point.”

One home of the Stable Recovery program is in downtown Lexington and the other is at Taylor Made Farm | Katie Petrunyak

Lowery, age 33, has hardly gone a day without being around horses since. Now the divisional broodmare manager at Taylor Made, he is responsible for overseeing 200 horses–managing their daily care, foaling mares every spring and preparing them for the breeding shed, and teaching foals their first lessons on the ground.

“It's a big responsibility, but I'm pretty honored and blessed to have this position,” he said.

A few weeks ago, Nov. 4 marked three years of sobriety for Lowery. Living and working on the farm and leading over a dozen employees, he is worlds away from the hopeless place he had once found himself.

His story before he stepped foot on the path to where he is now?

“It's dark,” he warns, but gives a small smile as he settles back into his chair. He's told this story before.

“Really it started young. When I was 14 I started dabbling in alcohol and marijuana and then it progressively got worse from there. I grew up with a single mother, so I always felt a little different. It got really bad when I was about 21, but it didn't hit home until I was sleeping in the park a few years later in my hometown at Woodland Park. I had an 'aha' moment where I saw myself and I didn't like the way that I looked or the way I felt with the pain and misery that comes along with drug addiction.”

Lowery had tried to reclaim his life many times in the years leading up to when he finally hit rock bottom. He had been to 13 different treatment facilities for short stays, but fell back into addiction as soon as he got out. He always had reservations in the back of his mind that the treatment wouldn't work, that recovery “was kind of BS.” He didn't want to take time out of his life by committing to sitting around a circle at a recovery center for months on end.

“My family is from Lexington and it wasn't that they didn't love me, but they just couldn't see me in the condition that I was in,” he explained. “They kind of cut ties. My mom had me at a young age so I can't imagine what it felt like for her to see her oldest son in that condition. Nobody wanted to see me like that. I thought I was just affecting myself, but I was really affecting the people around me who loved me. My children, my mother. Other people suffered as well.”

When Lowery finally checked into a year-long treatment program, the scale read 147 pounds, which is 100 pounds less than his current healthy weight.

He was living at the Shepherd's House, a transitional residential drug addiction treatment center in Lexington, when he first heard about the School of Horsemanship.

“I heard that this guy Frank Taylor had this crazy idea of taking alcoholics and drug addicts and putting them into the work force because there is shortage of employees in the equine industry,” Lowery recalled.

Lowery was a member of the very first group to join the School of Horsemanship in 2021. He and his classmates were dubious at first, but as they gained new skills like picking feet, showing a horse and cleaning a stall, they found themselves looking forward to what they might learn the next day.

“We were pretty lost at the beginning, but a few guys took us under their wing and showed us the ropes,” Lowery said. “Nobody could really believe that it was working. I still can't believe it sometimes, but it is.”

The Stable Recovery team at Taylor Made | courtesy Stable Recovery

After three months, Lowery graduated from the program and joined Taylor Made as a full-time groom.

Another member of his graduating class was Will Walden, who came up with the idea of starting something similar to the School of Horsemanship on the racetrack. Frank Taylor supplied Walden's venture with its first group of yearlings and Lowery joined Walden and one other classmate in Ocala to help break the babies. Their three-man team–with Walden as trainer, Lowery as groom and Tyler Maxwell as exercise rider–launched their stable at Keeneland last spring and had their first winner at Churchill Downs on May 13.

The barn took off from there and Lowery traveled with Walden from Churchill Downs to Turfway Park to Ellis Park. It was especially at Ellis, three hours away from home, that he realized he didn't want to be working so far from his family. Lowery had several job opportunities back in Lexington, but he ultimately found his way back to Taylor Made. He returned to the farm as a barn foreman and soon stepped up to his current position as a divisional manager.

“I could go work at a factory or do construction or whatever, but it would be the same thing every day,” he explained. “Here, with the number of horses that Taylor Made has, it's always something new every day. I love that and it drives me. It keeps me going because as soon as I think that I know something, I get humbled really quick.”

On any given day, Lowery manages several people in the School of Horsemanship program. It's one of his favorite parts of his job.

“I don't forget where I came from,” he said. “I'm just like those guys. I'm in recovery as well. The only difference is that I've put in a little more time.”

There is something about the horse, he says, that has a significant impact on people going through recovery.

“The way I look at it, we have domesticated them so they depend on us for everything–feed, water, their feet,” he explained. “I really think it gives people in recovery a purpose. Especially in early recovery, if you don't have a purpose then really what are you doing?”

Lowery and his family live on the farm and his two children ages two and four have developed a fondness for their four-legged neighbors. To be able to provide his family with a home in an tranquil environment like the rolling acres of Taylor Made is an opportunity that he never really thought was possible.

“It's special,” he said. “I grew up without a father, so that was something that I never wanted to put my children through but because of the drug addiction I ended up doing that to them. Now I can provide a beautiful home for them and they love the horses here. It means a lot to me.”

Stable Recovery, and its partner the School of Horsemanship, is looking to expand throughout Lexington. Rood & Riddle, Spy Coast Farm, Godolphin and WinStar Farm have already joined the project and there is a current wait list plenty long enough for more partners to join.

Lowery said he knows it might be a big ask for employers, but he can personally attest to the impact it could make.

“Not everybody that comes through here is going to make it or is going to stay sober, so you do have that,” he admits. “But for the most part, the percentage of success is high. You're getting good quality employees that can pass a drug test and will show up every day for work. To me that's all you can ask for. And you're helping people. My life is completely different than what it looked like a few years ago. Back then I wouldn't have known anybody crazy enough to hire guys like me, knowing my previous history. They gave me an opportunity when really nobody else would have, so for that I'm forever grateful.”

The post The Road Back: Once Homeless, Mike Lowery Found Purpose at Taylor Made appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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“It is quiet,” Sarah Sutherland of Indian Creek said of the market Sunday at Keeneland. “But I don't think it's unfair. Obviously, we are seeing a little bit of a correction, but I think if you are willing to accept that and adjust how you're valuing horses, there are plenty of people here to buy them and you can get them sold. Obviously, the top is the top and it's always strong, but we've been very realistic with our reserves and we've had no trouble selling horses.”

Indian Creek sold the top-priced weanling of Sunday's session when a colt by Maxfield sold for $240,000 to Avocet Bloodstock. KatieRich Farms was responsible for the session's top mare when Dixiana Farms paid $270,000 for Taking Aim (Trappe Shot).

Taylor Made Sales Agency was the leading consignor at Sunday's session and continued to lead through five sessions of the auction with 148 head sold for $20,714,500.

“I've read a lot in the press–and it's fact–that the mares are down and the buy-back rate has been up,” said Taylor Made's Mark Taylor. “But just on the days that I've been selling, like today and the second day of Book 2, I actually thought the market was pretty fair. If you bring up anything with any quality–we just sold a mare for $250,000–there is money there.”

During Saturday's session of the November sale, Peter O'Callaghan, annually a major buyer of weanlings, lamented a lack of quality foals on offer at the auction.

“I do agree with what Peter O'Callaghan was saying, that, for us internally, we had fewer foals,” Taylor said. “I think there are fewer really high-quality foals on offer and a lot of the pinhookers that are here want quality. So if you are trying to get a $20,000 foal moved, there doesn't seem to be a big crowd around looking for it. Now, if you have one that is a legitimate $150,000 foal, everybody is gonig to follow it up and you might get $225,000.”

Taylor said he saw some evidence that breeders are holding on to their best foals while hoping for a home run at the yearling sales next fall.

“The market is polarized at the yearling sales also,” Taylor said. “So you might get $750,000 for a [yearling] that you have raised for $350,000 before the sale. A lot of these breeders don't want to give up that opportunity. So they are keeping the one that they can sell next year for all the money and they are going to move along some of the ones that they know there is no huge home run on the end of it. They would rather cull those out and cut expenses and keep those gold nuggets hoping to cash them in next September or at Saratoga or wherever it is.”

Taylor continued, “At the beginning of the day in session 2.2, a lot people were saying the sky is falling. There is definitely an adjustment going on cheaper mares, but I think the market for anything with quality is actually pretty solid.”

The Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale continues through Thursday with sessions beginning daily at 10 a.m.

Dixiana Aims True at Keeneland Sunday

Taking Aim (Trappe Shot) (hip 1735), a half-sister to GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile winner Tapizar (Tapit), will be relocating from Larry Doyle's KatieRich Farms to Dixiana Farms after selling for $270,000 Sunday at Keeneland.

“She looked like a nice mare,” said Dixiana Farm Manager Robert Tillyer. “She produced a graded-stakes placed horse and it's a nice family, so we took a shot with her.”

Of the mare's price tag, Tillyer said, “It seems like the quality is a little down for mares. It's hard to find nice ones and she seemed like the obvious one.”

KatieRich purchased the mare for $200,000 at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton February sale. Her first foal, the now-3-year-old Taking Candy (Twirling Candy), won the GII Saranac S. this year. She also has 2-year-old filly by Into Mischief, Rascality, who sold for $190,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton October Sale. The mare sold Sunday in foal to sprint champion Jackie's Warrior.

“I think she might have been a diamond in the rough here,” said KatieRich manager George Barnes. “We thought she had a lot of quality and she might stand out here pretty well in Book 3, which proved to be the case. She has a lot of upside. Her first foal is graded-stakes placed and still has his 4-year-old year ahead of him. We've only gotten later foals–two May foals and an April foal–out of her, so I think if the buyers get an early foal out of her, they will do very well commercially.”

KatieRich, which is currently home to some 26 mares, is in the midst of a reduction, according to Barnes.

“Everybody asks why we are selling her and it's just a reduction and trying to get income into the farm,” he said. “We've slowly been reducing over the last couple of years, so we will plan to foal out 26 mares next year.”

Rock Ridge Thoroughbreds Charms Them

The Guffey family's Rock Ridge Thoroughbreds, which sold Holiday Soiree (Harlan's Holiday) (hip 23), the dam of recent GII Raven Run S. winner Vahva (Gun Runner) for $300,000 during Book 1, restocked Sunday at Keeneland, going to $250,000 to acquire Charmingly (Curlin) (hip 1845) from the Taylor Made Sales Agency consignment.

Out of Goldfield (Yes It's True), the unraced 3-year-old is a half-sister to Grade I winner Complexity (Maclean's Music) and a full-sister to graded winner Valadorna (Curlin). She sold in foal to Maclean's Music.

“She is bred on a similar cross to Complexity and she is a full-sister to that great Curlin mare,” Codee Guffey said of the mare's appeal.

The family also purchased Arrifana (Curlin) (hip 183) for $450,000 Wednesday at Keeneland and came back later in Sunday's session to acquire Easy on the Sugar (Frosted) (hip 1888) for $155,000.

While the operation parted with Holiday Soiree, it is taking home Lemon Belle (Lemon Drop Kid) (hip 249), the dam of GIII Gotham S. winner Raise Cain (Violence), who RNA'd for $485,000 Wednesday.

“We keep 15 mares, that's kind of the number that we want,” Guffey said. “We are trying to keep a boutique broodmare band.”

Of the market, Guffey said, “I think for the better mares, you are having to step up and pay for them. But there is not a lot of middle. It seems like the top end does really well and that's all there is.”

Hip 1528 | Keeneland Photo

Maxfield Colt in Demand at Keeneland

A colt from the first crop of Maxfield (hip 1528) went to the front of the weanling class at Keeneland Sunday when selling for $240,000 to Bill Betz's Avocet Bloodstock. Bred by Bob Edwards's Fifth Avenue Bloodstock, the weanling is out of In It for the Gold (Speightstown), who is a daughter of Grade I placed All Due Respect (Value Plus). He was consigned by Indian Creek.

“That was fantastic,” Indian Creek's Sarah Sutherland said of the result. “We knew coming over that he was one of the better foals that we had in on the day. We've loved him from the very beginning on the farm. I think the Maxfield cross with the Speightstown mare worked really, really beautifully. He had a lovely way about him and great balance. And his movement was really effortless. I think all of the activity at the barn was evidenced in the result.”

Winner of the 2021 GI Clark S., Maxfield stands at Darley for $35,000. In addition to hip 1528, he was also represented at Keeneland this week by a $300,000 colt (hip 724). The stallion has had six sell at Keeneland for an average of $164,500.

Of the weanlings she has seen from Maxfield's first crop, Sutherland said, “We have a handful of the Maxfields at home. And we like them a lot. He's done well with mares that we bred where we had to stretch them out and get a little bit of scope and leg. Hopefully, we have more results like this when we bring them to the market next year.”

DuBois on the Board at Keeneland

French bloodstock agent Louis DuBois has been scouring the grounds at Keeneland this week searching for precocious-looking weanlings for trainer Wesley Ward. DuBois was outbid on a Curlin colt (hip 233) earlier in the week, but got his weanling Sunday when bidding $200,000 to secure a colt by McKinzie (hip 1738) from the Gainesway consignment.

“I've been working with Wesley for a while now at the sales,” DuBois said. “I've been looking at all the horses on the grounds–mainly the foals. I am looking at the pedigrees and the physicals that [Ward] is looking for–early and speedy looking to make them an early 2-year-old. So I've been looking at a lot of them.”

DuBois, who was supporting Ward at the European yearling sales over the summer, admitted the team just missed out on its favorite weanling of the November sale.

“I sent [Ward] a short list–a very short list–every day,” DuBois said. “Our favorite of the sale so far was the Curlin colt who sold for $600,000. Our last bid was $500,000, but we had to let him go. Our second favorite came up today, the beautiful McKinzie colt from Gainesway. He was an outstanding-looking horse. He had a great walk and a great physical. He looks fast. Wesley told me when they look like a yearling, that's a good sign. So he was exactly what we were looking for. I knew when I showed him to Wesley, that we would not leave the sale without him. I am very happy that we secured him.”

Born into a racing family, horses have taken DuBois around the world.

“My family have been closely involved in racing as owners or trainers,” DuBois said. “My dad is a blacksmith, so all my life I've been around horses. I started riding at a young age doing all kind of thing in horses–show jumping–and I quickly turned to Thoroughbreds.”

DuBois has worked in the sales industry in New Zealand and spent time in Dubai with trainer Charley Appleby before moving to the U.S. to work with Ward.

The Frenchman will be continuing his search for precocious-looking weanlings at the European sales in the coming weeks.

“Now our eyes are on the catalogues in Europe for the weanlings,” he said. “We will go to Tattersalls and Arqana and look for a couple to bring back to the U.S.”

DuBois plans to spend time in the winter with Ward in Florida.

“I will come up for the sales and spend a couple of months in Florida in the winter,” DuBois said. “And then wherever [Ward] needs me, mostly in Europe, with the Ascot contenders–fingers crossed. But the sales keep me busy. That's my focus now. So far, Wesley has been very helpful. So thanks to him and let's see how it goes.”

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“It's kind of a microcosm of this industry: when you think you have it figured out, you don't have it figured out. He was born at Vinery, then went to Tom Van Meter. We got him in December of his weanling year; he stayed with us through the Saratoga sale, so we had him December through August.

“This is no revisionist history; he was not the highest-regarded yearling on our farm.”

Taylor continued: “He was a very, very nice horse, very well balanced. Great body, great muscle, very correct, huge walk, touch long in his pasterns. I've looked back on our notes and he got into Saratoga on his physical. He was a nice horse, but he went up there and, really, everybody looked and said, 'Zayat Stables bred this horse, they're not going to give him away. I'm not really going to risk that much on a Pioneerof the Nile right now.' If you look back on it, Pioneerof the Nile had 2-year-olds when he was a yearling. We must have had 20 people ask what the Zayats would take for this horse; they really did want a lot for the stage Pioneerof the Nile was at in his career and we didn't get him sold.

“In the end, we had the Triple Crown winner right there in front of us, right in front of all the best judges of horseflesh, and no one took a swing. It was amazing. It's a cautionary tale that you have to give every horse a chance.”

American Pharoah (2012 bay horse, Pioneerof the Nile–Littleprincessemma, by Yankee Gentleman)

Lifetime record: Horse of the Year, Ch. 2yo colt, Ch. 3yo colt, MGISW, 11-9-1-0, $8,650,300

Breeders' Cup connections: B/O-Zayat Stables, LLC (KY); T-Bob Baffert; J-Victor Espinoza.

Current location: Coolmore America/Ashford Stud, Versailles, Ky.

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