Tag: winstar farm

Darley’s Japanese Stallion Roster Welcomes Palace Malice And Yoshida

Three Chimneys Farm's GI Belmont S. hero Palace Malice (Curlin) and WinStar Farm's versatile multiple Grade I winner Yoshida (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}) are bound for 2024 Japanese stud duty, Darley Japan said in a release late Wednesday.

On the heels of the announcement that Adayar (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) and Hukum (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) will stand at Darley in Japan next year, Palace Malice and Yoshida add even more star power as they accrued four Grade I wins and 10 black-type wins between them.

Palace Malice was a stateside Classic winner, taking the Belmont S. by more than three lengths. He also won the GI Met Mile at four, a season that saw him amass four graded victories.

Out of SW Palace Rumor (Royal Anthem), who was purchased by Katsumi Yoshida while in-foal to Mineshaft at the 2013 Fasig-Tipton Fall Mixed Sale for $1.1 million, Palace Malice is a half-brother to this year's G1 Tenno Sho (Spring) winner Justin Palace (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) and GSW Iron Barows (Jpn) (Orfevre {Jpn}). That pair are likely to face one another in the G1 Arima Kinen on Christmas Eve. His yearling half-sister by Silver State (Jpn) sold for nearly $2.2 million this past summer in Japan.

Three Chimneys's own wasted little time in getting his career at stud off to a flying start in his very first crop when Structor landed the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf and Palace Malice has sired 21 stakes performers to date. Among them is unbeaten Japanese Group 2-winning juvenile, Jantar Mantar (Jpn)–one of four winners from just seven runners in Japan for his sire–and he figures one of the favorites for Sunday's G1 Asahi Hai Futurity. Also, his U.S. bred son Noble Roger was an impressive debut winner at Tokyo last month.

Yoshida | Sarah Andrew

Yoshida was purchased for $765,160 in Japan as a yearling by John McCormack on behalf of WinStar Farm. Named a 'TDN Rising Star', he landed the GI Turf Classic at Churchill Downs and the GI Woodward S. at Saratoga. He was also beaten by just a length in the G1 Queen Anne at Royal Ascot and finished fourth in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic.

Yoshida is a son of Heart's Cry who is also the sire of Japanese stallions Just A Way (Jpn) and this year's freshman sire sensation Suave Richard (Jpn). He is the second foal out of the Grade I-winning mare Hilda's Passion (Canadian Frontier), who won the 2011 GI Ballerina S. by over nine lengths for Starlight Racing, then sold to Katsumi Yoshida for $1.225 million at that year's Fasig-Tipton November Sale. She is also responsible for Japanese group winner Sanctuaire (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}).

Yoshida, whose first crop are now juveniles, is the sire of eight winners, of which two are stakes-placed, including Yatta, third in the GIII Jimmy Durante S. Dec. 2.

“In addition to Adayar and Hukum, we are very pleased to introduce two more exciting stallions,” said Harry Sweeney, President of Darley in Japan. “Palace Malice has already had success on the turf in Japan, and Yoshida is a promising stallion who won Grade I races on both turf and dirt in the U.S. as a Japanese-bred horse. Even though both stallions raced in the U.S., they are well-known amongst Japanese breeders. With the addition of these two exciting new stallions, we have an even stronger and more varied lineup for next season. We look forward to welcoming you to view these stallions.”

Fees for both Palace Malice and Yoshida will be announced at a later date.

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Noted A Determined Winner in Gulfstream’s Pulpit

Noted rebounded from a disappointing ninth-place showing in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile last month to score his second stakes victory of the season in the Pulpit S.

Victorious in Monmouth's Sapling S. in August after breaking his maiden at Saratoga, he missed graded victory by a nose Oct. 8 in Keeneland's GII Bourbon S. and finished way back in the field last month at the Breeders' Cup.

Breaking as the 6-5 favorite and bumping with the outside runner, Noted settled in seventh for the lion's share of the race before being coaxed along into the far turn. Angled out sharply leaving the bend and causing tight quarters for a pair to his outside, he kicked on from eight wide into the final furlong to nail Reminder in the final strides to win by a neck. With the victory here, jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. completed his sweep of the turf features on the card.

“I was a little concerned with the 7 1/2 [furlongs, today] but he seemed to come out of the Breeders' Cup well, he carries good condition and he's an easy horse to train, so I felt like he was ready to run back,” Pletcher said. “We're not going to rule [dirt] out. If he trains really well we might give him another shot at some stage. He's got that win in the Sapling that looks good on paper, but in the Breeders' Cup, he didn't fire.”

 

The first to the races after his eldest full-brother died in 2021, Noted leads the way for his young dam's broodmare career. She produced a yearling filly by Global Campaign as well as a 2023 filly by Upstart. Sea View Nellie, out of MSW & GISP Pocho's Dream Girl–making her a full-sister to MGSW Mark Valeski and a half to GSW & GISP Albano (Istan), went back to Upstart for 2024. This is the extended female family of MSW Pacific Pink, herself the dam of GSP Make the Boys Wink (More Than Ready), and SP Caironi (Cairo Prince). Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

PULPIT S., $100,000, Gulfstream, 12-9, 2yo, 7 1/2fT, 1:27.30, fm.
1–NOTED, 120, c, 2, by Cairo Prince
           1st Dam: Sea View Millie, by Proud Citizen
           2nd Dam: Pocho's Dream Girl, by Fortunate Prospect
           3rd Dam: True to Romeo, by Gallant Romeo
($200,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP). O-Repole Stable; B-Brereton C. Jones (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher; J-Irad Ortiz, Jr.. $58,900. Lifetime Record: GSP, 6-3-2-0, $338,525.
2–Reminder, 118, c, 2, Audible–Mom's Deputy, by War Chant. ($100,000 Ylg '22 OBSWIN; $200,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP; $185,000 2yo '23 OBSAPR). O-Tami Bobo; B-Courtney L. Meagher (FL); T-Jose Francisco D'Angelo. $19,000.
3–Palm Tree, 118, g, 2, Street Boss–Desert Gazelle, by Smart Strike. 1ST BLACK TYPE. O/B-Godolphin (KY); T-Brendan P. Walsh. $9,500.
Margins: NK, HD, NK. Odds: 1.20, 26.30, 2.70.
Also Ran: General Ledger, Double Your Money, Prevent, Ship to Shore, Tocayo, Summer Storm Stric, Liam's Journey. Scratched: Okiro.

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Sire Of Sires, WinStar Farm’s Champion Speightstown Euthanized

Speightstown (Gone West–Silken Cat, by Storm Cat), Eclipse Champion Sprinter in 2004 and among the leading sires of the past 15 years, had to be euthanized Friday, Dec. 8, due to foot issues from old age, WinStar Farm announced in a press release Friday. Speightstown, a Taylor Made/WinStar stallion, was 25 years old.

“Speightstown was a foundational sire for WinStar and helped stamp our legacy as a sire-making farm,” said Elliott Walden, president, CEO, and racing manager of WinStar Farm. “I want to thank Larry McGinnis and his team for all the love and care they gave “Speighty” as he was lovingly called. They helped him through three colic surgeries, and he had none in the last 13 years. His progeny ran on dirt, turf, six furlongs to 1 1/4 miles, and they always showed their grit. Like with any family member, he will be truly missed. We are fortunate to have his son Nashville in the shedrow, and we look forward to seeing Speightsown's legacy continue through him, and as a broodmare sire.”

WinStar's longtime Stallion Manager Larry McGinnis said, “We've been through a lot together in the last 19 years. We'll miss our friend.”

Bred in Kentucky by Aaron and Marie Jones, Speightstown first made headlines as a yearling when he sold for $2 million to Eugene Melnyk at the 1999 Keeneland July sale. In that era of heady prices, he was the co-fourth highest price of the exclusive sale with the first- and second-leading prices also for yearlings by Gone West.

In addition to being by Gone West, a Grade I winner who was among the leading sire sons of Mr. Prospector, Speightstown was out of Canadian champion 2-year-old filly Silken Cat. The now-deceased mare produced Speightstown as her first foal and 2017 GII Toyota Blue Grass S. winner (and MGISP) Irap (Tiznow) as her last foal. She is also the granddam of two additional graded winners. Silken Cat's fifth dam was the Meadow Stud blue hen Hildene, whose five stakes-winning foals included Hall of Famer Hill Prince and additional champion First Landing.

Niggling injuries kept Speightstown from immediately showing his best on the track. He made only one start at two, finishing 13th and last in a Saratoga maiden special weight. On the bench for five months, he broke his maiden at Gulfstream in his sophomore debut by 6 3/4 lengths and eventually took three straight allowances before closing his season with a second in the GII Amsterdam S. Again benched, this time for 21 months with a knee injury, he completely missed a 4-year-old campaign and reappeared for just two starts at five that yielded a Belmont allowance win and a runner-up finish in the Jaipur H. before another 10 months on the sidelines.

Speightstown | Lee Thomas

It was at the age of six that Speightstown shone. Running in the Melnyk colors under the tutelage of seven-time Eclipse champion trainer Todd Pletcher, he started his campaign with his first black-type victory in the Artax H., then went on a three consecutive Grade II-win tear: the Churchill Downs H., the True North Breeders' Cup H., and the Alfred G. Vanderbilt H. He equaled the six-furlong track record of 1:08 at Saratoga in the Vanderbilt. A third in the GI Vosburgh S. snapped Speightstown's four-race win streak, but he came roaring back to win the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint, held that year at Lone Star Park. Voted Eclipse champion sprinter, Speightstown retired with a record of 16-10-2-2 and earnings of $1,258,256, but the best was yet to come.

Retired to WinStar for a stallion venture partnership that included Taylor Made Farm, Speightstown initially stood for $40,000 and was part of a remarkable group of horses that stood their first seasons in 2005, including Tapit, Medaglia d'Oro, and Candy Ride (Arg). All four stallions are regularly among the top 10 leading sires in North America and all stand or have stood for six-figure fees.

To date from 16 crops of racing age, Speightstown has sired 138 black-type winners (9% from starters) and the earners of over $155 million. Among his 65 graded winners are 26 Grade I winners, including Breeders' Cup winners Tamarkuz and Sharing; Travers winner Golden Ticket; Jockey Club Gold Cup winner Haynesfield; distaffer Dance to Bristol; turfers Force the Pass, Seek Again, Competitionofideas and three-time Sovereign Award winner Lady Speightspeare; and sprinters Reynaldothewizard, Jersey Town, Rock Fall, Poseidon's Warrior and dual Sovereign Award-winning sprinter Essence Hit Man.

“Speightstown's rise reminds me of Distorted Humor,” said WinStar president and CEO Elliott Walden in 2013, “that rare ability to sire Grade I quality at all distances and all surfaces with top fillies and colts.”

Although Speightstown never won beyond seven furlongs and raced exclusively on the dirt, a hallmark of his progeny has been versatility, with graded winners both short and long and on both dirt and turf. In addition, despite Speightstown taking several years to mature into a stakes winner himself, he has had his share of black-type winners both as young horses and as older runners. Speightstown's 2020 was a banner year featuring four individual Grade I winners: Echo Town and Charlatan in the U.S., Lady Speightspeare in Canada, and Mozu Superflare in Japan. In 2023, Speightstown has been represented by 106 winners including GI Runhappy Del Mar Futurity victor Prince of Monaco.

In recent years, Speightstown has also made a mark as a burgeoning sire of sires. His son Munnings closed out 2022 among the top 10 leading sires in the U.S. by earnings, finishing just one spot ahead of Speightstown himself, and is currently among the top five leading sires in the U.S. by earnings through 2023. In addition, Central Banker is among the leading sires in New York and Jersey Town sired a Grade I winner in his first crop. Speightstown is well-represented by sons at stud led by new additions Olympiad and Nasvhille along with Charlatan and Lexitonian.

Speightstown is also starting to make an impact as a broodmare sire, as his daughters have produced 62 stakes winners–24 graded–to date, including Grade I winners Aloha West (Hard Spun), Mia Mischief (Into Mischief) and Vekoma (Candy Ride {Arg}), as well as the late Laoban (Uncle Mo).

Speightstown was slated to stand in 2024 for $80,000 LFSN at the time of his death.

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Old Friends Welcomes GSW Noble Indy From Puerto Rico After Team Effort

After a team effort, Old Friends in Georgetown, Kentucky, welcomed GSW Noble Indy (Take Charge Indy) on Thursday, Dec. 7, the retirement farm said in a release Friday.

The 8-year old bay gelding, who ran in the 2018 GI Kentucky Derby, was repatriated from Puerto Rico thanks to the efforts of Fred Hart, who became a big fan of the horse due to his ownership of his dam, Noble Maz; Kelley Stobie, owner of Caribbean Thoroughbred Aftercare, which has assisted many Thoroughbreds in Puerto Rico; and Mike Repole, Noble Indy's original owner who paid to transport the horse to the United States and then to Old Friends.

Originally trained by Todd Pletcher and bred by WinStar Farm, Noble Indy's first graded stakes win came in the GII Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby, which punched his ticket to the Derby where he finished 17th.

The once promising Thoroughbred was never able to recapture his pre-Derby form and began to drop down the racing ranks until he was shipped to Puerto Rico last year where he ran five times at Camarero.

After following his journey, Hart got involved and sought to retire the horse. In an article by TDN's Bill Finley, Hart said, “I became sentimentally attached to this horse and was afraid harm would come to him if he stayed in Puerto Rico. I just wanted to get him out of there.”

Hart contacted Stobie, and the two worked together to try and retire the horse. The issue they ran into was that the owner, Skull Stable PR, named a price they could not pay. However, they persisted, but the ask still remained too high. Then, following an injury, Skull Stable PR finally lowered the number and Noble Indy was sent to Stobie's farm.

“It was a tense time since Indy came to Puerto Rico, knowing if we would be able to get him off the island in one piece,” said Stobie. “Thankfully his surgery back in February of this year did not go as planned, so he could no longer race and the owner agreed to retire him to CTA. We are grateful to Repole Stables for their generous donation, which did not only help Noble Indy, but will pay for two other horses in need to get home. Also thank you to Winstar Farms for stepping up and sending a donation.”

“We are all very excited that Noble Indy will spend the rest of his life at Old Friends in Kentucky,” said Repole. “This was an amazing team effort by so many to bring Noble Indy back from Puerto Rico and to give him the great retirement that he deserves.”

“Thanks to everyone who worked so hard to allow us to enjoy Noble Indy's retirement,” said Michael Blowen, President and founder of Old Friends. “His story will make him a magnet for racing fans. Come visit.”

 

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