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Girvin and Upstart Lead the Way at Airdrie on 2024 Roster

Girvin, the sire of three graded stakes winners including GI winner Faiza, and Upstart, the sire of GI Bluegrass winner Zandon, will both stand for a stud fee of $30,000 at Airdrie Farm in Midway Kentucky for the 2024 season, Airdrie announced Wednesday.

“We couldn't be looking more forward to the 2024 season as we continue to build momentum in our stallion barn,” said Airdrie's Bret Jones. “We believe we have two very special stallions in Girvin and Upstart headlining our roster this year. Both have built their success from the ground up, and their ability to so dramatically improve their mares has earned the faith of the best breeders in the industry. They are both poised to continue to climb the ladder as leading young stallions.”

Girvin has been given a $5,000 bump for 2024, while Upstart's fee remains the same as his 2023 fee.

Cairo Prince will stand for $15,000, the same as his 2023 fee.

“Cairo Prince has once again been the leading sire of his stallion crop and a Top 25 General and Juvenile Sire throughout the year,” said Jones. “He has long cemented his position as a hugely popular value stallion for both the sales ring and the racetrack.”

Collected, who currently has two crops on the track, will remain at $10,000.

“With his first crop just three-year-olds, Collected has already sired three individual Grade II stakes winners and six stakes winners in all,” Jones continued. “That is an incredibly strong resume for a young stallion in his price range and we believe his arrow will continue to point up in the year ahead. And we also believe Complexity ($12,500) has every chance to be next season's leading freshman sire. He was an immensely talented runner and his first-crop yearlings generated the type of buzz at the sales that foreshadows major success on the racetrack.”

“When combined with our new introductions of the last two years in Beau Liam, Happy Saver and Highly Motivated and the future retirement of Kentucky Derby winner Mage at the end of his racing career, these are very exciting times for our Airdrie Stud team. As always, we will be supporting our stallions with the full force of our broodmare band and look forward to working with our incredibly loyal breeders to whom we owe our success.”

The complete roster, with fees, is:

Girvin – $30,000

Upstart – $30,000

Cairo Prince – $15,000

Complexity – $12,500

Collected – $10,000

Happy Saver – $10,000

Highly Motivated – $7,500

Beau Liam – $6,000

Divisidero – $5,000

Preservationist – $5,000

Summer Front – $5,000

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Early Voting Removed From 2024 Covering Duties at Coolmore

Early Voting, who was not on the roster of stud fees when Coolmore America announced their 2024 lineup Tuesday, has been “removed from covering duties at Ashford Stud for the 2024 breeding season due to an inability to breed, according to veterinary experts,” Coolmore said Wednesday.

The farm said that the stallion, a son of Gun Runner, was subject to an ongoing insurance claim.

Early Voting got off to a successful start at stud in 2023, and did get mares in foal, but experienced problems midway through the season. Those issues have apparently not been resolved.

Owned by Klaravich Stables, the 2022 Preakness winner stood for a fee of $25,000 in 2023. Out of a half-sister to Speightstown (Gone West), Early Voting made each of his first three starts at Aqueduct, winning a maiden special weight and the GIII Withers S. before finishing second by a neck to eventual GI Belmont S. winner Mo Donegal (Uncle Mo) in the GII Wood Memorial S. He bypassed the Kentucky Derby and recorded a 105 Beyer in his Preakness win.

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Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards Handed Out At Keeneland Tuesday Night

Winners were named across seven categories with a total of $122,000 awarded at the Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards, now in its eighth year in the United States, which concluded Tuesday evening at Keeneland Racecourse's Entertainment Center, Godolphin said in a press release after the event.

For the first time this year, in addition to the three finalists in each category, two alternates were also chosen and received monetary rewards. Todd Schrupp, FanDuel TV analyst, served as the master of ceremonies.

Tom Law, Saratoga Special Managing Editor and this year's judging panels chair, commented, “The winners and finalists honored at this year's ceremony, along with the alternates, are truly great representatives of the hard-working individuals in our industry. It's been said many times that they are the backbone of the industry that we all love; and it's absolutely true. And speaking for myself, as well as my fellow judges, we'd like to express our admiration for all the nominees and what they do for our sport.”

The Awards are primarily sponsored by Godolphin in partnership with the National HBPA, TOBA, The Jockey Club, and Breeders' Cup. Media partners are the TDN, BloodHorse Publications, Daily Racing Form, The Paulick Report, Fox Sports, Real Players Inside the Backstretch and FanDuel.

This year the awards received additional monetary and collateral support from category sponsors NYRA, 1/ST Racing, Keeneland, Hallway Feeds, NTRA, Hagyard Equine Medical Institute and Churchill Downs.

The winners of the Leadership, Breeding and Racing, the Support Services, as well as the Administration category, will receive a prize of $7,500 to the winner, and their farm/stable also receives $1,000. Two finalists are each awarded $2,500, and their respective farms/stables receive $1,000. Separate from the winner and two finalists, two runners-up receive $2,000 each.

The winner of the Newcomer Award will receive $5,000 and $1,000 to their farm/stable. Two finalists are each awarded $2,500. Two alternates receive $1,000 each.

The winner of the Community Award will receive a prize of $7,500 with an additional prize of $2,500 going to the charity of their choice. The runner-up will receive $2,500. Two alternates will receive $1,500 each.

The full list of winners, finalists and alternates are:
Newcomer Award, sponsored by NYRA
Winner: Dominick Merritt, Exercise Rider, Todd Pletcher
Finalists: Deja Robinson, Ed Brown Society and Nursing Staff Technician with Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital; Sara Gordon, Social Media Manager, Thoroughbred Daily News
Alternates: Adrianne Devaux, Cherie Devaux Racing Stable; Susan Kemper, Coolmore America/Ashford Stud

Support Services Award, sponsored by 1/ST Racing
Winner: Bill Vest, Backside Security Manager, Churchill Downs
Finalists: Rita Cutler, Security Guard, New York Racing Association; Tracy Attfield, Owner, TLore Management
Alternates: Raul Gutierrez, Santa Anita Park; Julie Adair, Farm Owner

Katherine McKee Administration Award, sponsored by Keeneland
Winner: Kelly Danner, Racing Operations Manager, Churchill Downs
Finalists: Jamie Bradley, Office Manager, Steve Asmussen Racing Stable; Samantha McGreevy, Sales Manager, Taylor Made Sales Agency
Alternates: Gwenn Pierce, WB Payson Park, LLC; Eleanor Poppe, New York Race Track Chaplaincy

Dedication to Breeding Award, sponsored by Hallway Feeds
Winner: Jimmy Tate, Assistant Broodmare Manager, WinStar Farm
Finalists: Phillip Hampton, Stallion Groom, Godolphin; Rafael Zambrano, Farm Manager, War Horse Place
Alternates: Harmon Sullivan, New Vocations Racehorse Adoption; Abel Garcia, Four Pillars Holding, LLC

Dedication to Racing Award, sponsored by the NTRA
Winner: Myra “Mickey” Hall, Groom, Herringswell Stables
Finalists: Kathy Sanchez, Assistant Trainer, Tom Amoss Racing Stable; Laura “Tils” Tilbury, Hotwalker, Todd Pletcher Racing Stables
Alternates: Carlos Davila, Craig Wheeler Racing Stable; Moises Morales, Groom

Leadership Award, sponsored by Hagyard Equine Medical Institute
Winner: Manuel Hernandez, Farm Manager, Walmac Farm
Finalists: Gene Guy, Farm Manager, Glencrest Farm; Loretta Lusteg, Assistant Trainer, John C. Kimmel Racing Stable
Alternates: Juan Aguilar, Indian Creek Farm; Christine Jones, Pleasant Acres Stallions

Dr. J. David “Doc” Richardson Community Award, sponsored by Churchill Downs
Winner: Linda Doane, Lifestyle Program Director, The Healing Place/Churchill Downs
Runner-up: Francisco Barrera, Backstretch Employee Service Team
Alternates: Merlin Cano, Backside Learning Center; Diana Varon, Keeneland Racetrack Chaplaincy

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Winter Memories Made And Preserved At Darby Dan

“Multiple graded stakes winner Winter Memories died, and not a peep about it anywhere? Seriously?” Last week's tweet sounded like a salvo.

The message's verve was driven by a quest for information. The responses underneath that query told the story, as a host of fans who loved and cheered home this gray filly by El Prado (Ire) over a decade ago, posted their sadness after hearing of her loss.

Heading out the Old Frankfort Pike at historic Darby Dan Farm, owner John Phillips made the decision not to issue a press release. He had his reasons. As he said so acutely and with deep emotion, “Actually we put her down May 16. It was time, as her hind suspensories just gave out and she was in pain to stand. She was surrounded by the staff and I held the shank.”

He also divulged that, “While I know she was a recognized mare, the loss was personal, private. We probably should have announced her passing, but that just seemed too commercial to me. Sorry if that offends anyone.”

No one is offended. It's Phillips's right. In the world of commercial Thoroughbred breeding, which at times is only understood as a series of business transactions that are attached to monetary gains and losses, there are still deep-seeded tributaries of emotion that are directly tied to family connections–both human and equine. After all, that nexus is full of blood, sweat and at times, many, many tears. No myths here: only truth. That is what Winter Memories meant to Phillips and Darby Dan.

To hear him tell it, from the very beginning Winter Memories was intimately tied to the family and the stallion farm's staff. It all started Apr. 24, 2008.

“She was born on the day we buried our mother [Joan Phillips],” he said. “She was my mother's favorite color, gray. To say Winter Memories was a sentimental favorite is an understatement.”

Out of Memories of Silver (Silver Hawk)–winner of the 1996 GI Queen Elizabeth II Challenge S. and the 1997 GI Beverly D. S. for Darby Dan–her filly would also head to Jimmy Toner's shedrow.

“Winter Memories was, like her mother Memories of Silver, a keen competitor, but was amazingly kind and gentle,” he said. “Owners always say stuff like that and most don't really know, but she was genuinely affectionate and gentle with people, especially my children.”

If you delve into her pedigree, you find that Memories of Silver was the product of five generations of Darby Dan breeding going back to Golden Trail, who Phillips says, “was a blue hen for our family.”

The Phillips Racing Partnership color-bearer had an unbelievable turn of foot in deep stretch, which Darby Dan's owner has said on several occasions was best exhibited in the GI Garden City S. Sept. 17 at Belmont Park during her 3-year-old season. Her stakes haul also included victories in the GIII Miss Grillo S., the GIII Appalachian S., the GII Lake George S. and a runner-up finish in the GII Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. The GI Diana S. at Saratoga was her last when she was forced into retirement due to a degenerative bone disease.

“Over the many decades that our family has been the stewards of this land and these equine families, we have been blessed with some incredible equine talent. Although Winter Memories was never declared a champion because we stopped her career after her Diana win in Saratoga, she was without a doubt one of the best fillies I have ever had the privilege of witnessing,” said Phillips.

As a broodmare, Winter Memories produced MGSP Winter Sunset (Tapit) and also her full-sister GISP Seasons. More recently, she is responsible for a 2-year-old colt named American Memories (American Pharoah).

And her last produce of record?

Phillips quickly advised, “Her last foal is a Mendelssohn yearling filly who will never see a sales ring.”

Buried at Darby Dan, Winter Memories rests alongside her mother as a close family member held tight by John Phillips for good reason. She'll also be remembered well every year when her eponymous stakes race goes off each September during the Belmont Park meet.

As the commercial market takes a backseat, now the news is out there. Lest we forget, for the family and the fans, may Winter Memories rest in peace.

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