Ben Henley

Mohammad Alkhairat is a big believer in the idea of going back to hand that opened itself to you when you had nothing. At just 20 years old, Alkhairat is already working to return the favor to the people who helped him get his foot in the door in horse racing. After being turned down time and time again when he first attempted to get involved in the sport, Alkhairat is grateful that he was given a chance. Now a member of the Diriyah Bloodstock team, Alkhairat has had a...

It's been a little bit more than seven weeks since Christophe Clement passed away after battling a rare form of cancer. But that hasn't slowed the stable down one bit as his son, Miguel, has taken over and has been a frequent visitor to the winner's circle. On Friday, he won his eighth race of the Saratoga meet when sending out Intricate Spirit (Complexity) to a 'TDN Rising Star'-worthy win in the day's sixth race, a 2-year-old maiden special weight on the grass. Intricate Spirit is a half-brother to Spirit...

Fasig-Tipton will offer a share consigned by Airdrie Stud in freshman sire Complexity (by Maclean's Music) as the first item in the Saratoga Sale's second session on Tuesday, Aug. 6, the auction house said in a release on Thursday morning. Complexity leads all first crop sires by winners, black-type winners, black-type horses, graded stakes winners and progeny earnings. He is also the current leading general sire of 2-year-olds. These include Mo Plex, winner of the GIII Sanford Stakes at Saratoga on opening weekend, as well as Mensa, winner of the...

A lot of you will know the feeling. Day three of the January Sale, back ring, and your horse is coming back out after a matter of seconds. The digital board had stalled at $2,500, and then cleared. Bret Jones exchanged a grimace with farm manager Ben Henley. Pretty terrible, no getting away from it. But what can you do? It wasn't the first time Airdrie has had to cut its losses on a horse, and nor would it be the last. As his father has always told Bret: "Better...

Foaling inside has been the go-to method across many equine industries around the world. For decades this practice has been the norm, while the natural act of foaling outside is often something farms work to avoid; often the weather doesn't make foaling outside practical, and as managers we try to do what's best for these new foals by aiding in delivery and getting them a good start in life. However, when a new strain of Rotavirus ravaged farms across central Kentucky in the spring of 2021, foaling outside became a...