Black Forza
After an objection and lengthy look by the stewards, it was 2-year-old colt Chasing Liberty (Constitution--Peaceful, Declaration of War) who was awarded the top prize when Under Whose Radar (Violence) was disqualified for impeding his progress late in the race and placed second in the $1 million National Thoroughbred League Juvenile Sprint at Kentucky Downs on Sunday. Under Whose Radar led out of the gate and continued to make the pace into the lane. As favorite Black Forza (Complexity) tried to overcome a tough beginning, Chasing Liberty flashed his speed...
Black Forza (Complexity), the 5-2 morning-line favorite for Sunday's $1 million National Thoroughbred League Juvenile Sprint Stakes at Kentucky Downs, had some new visitors Saturday morning at the barn area at Kentucky Downs. Jockey Dylan Browne McMonagle and owner Eleanora Kennedy were there to fetch a look at the colt, who has won two of his first three starts - the first two in Ireland and the third, the G2 Markel Richmond Stakes at Goodwood. Lauren Faulkner, assistant to trainer Michael O'Callaghan, has been with Black Forza since he got...
Keeneland's first flash sale in three years closed Thursday afternoon, resulting in Harlee Honey (Harlan's Holiday) selling for $240,000 to Miss Vicky Stables and Ocean Honey (West Coast) going to Ocean Honey Partners for $48,000. The former is the dam of G2 Richmond Stakes winner Black Forza (Complexity), while the latter is Black Forza's 4-year-old half-sister. The 2-year-old Black Forza is headed to Sunday's $1-million Kentucky Downs Juvenile Sprint after clearing quarantine from the UK Monday. "Keeneland is thrilled to have had the opportunity to showcase these two outstanding individuals...
A Trio of European horses running at Kentucky Downs this weekend hit the track for the first time after clearing quarantine at Churchill Downs Monday morning. Bellum Justum (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) and Stromberg (GB) (Iffraaj {GB}), who came over for Saturday's $3.1 million DK Horse Nashville Derby, and 2-year-old Black Forza (Complexity), slated for Sunday's $1-million Kentucky Downs Juvenile Sprint, went out together at 9 a.m. ET for some light exercise. They are scheduled to take a two-hour van ride to Franklin, Kentucky after training at Churchill Tuesday...
Keeneland will offer an August Flash Sale featuring the 'Black Forza Collection' which will include Harlee Honey (Harlan's Holiday), the dam of G2 Richmond Stakes winner Black Forza (Complexity) as well as Ocean Honey (West Coast), his 4-year-old half-sister. Online bidding will begin Monday, Aug. 26 at noon ET and will close at 3 p.m. ET on Thursday, Aug. 29. More detail on each of the horses, including pedigree pages, walking videos, conformation photos and repository information is available by clicking here. It is the first Keeneland Flash Sale since...
There can't be many tracks that that deviate further from the standard American model than Goodwood. Even in Britain nobody today would dream of laying out a racecourse along a twisting ridge of downland, and we remain duly indebted to the militia officers who first eked out a little sport here 223 years ago. Not that the horses themselves share our appreciation for a gorgeous panorama of cornfields and woodland, focused as they are on keeping their balance over the swaying terrain and round sharp right-hand bends. Yet last week...
At the risk of making anyone who knows me choke on their cornflakes upon reading this, I'm rather enjoying the big sprint races this year. The rivalry between Big Evs (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}) and Asfoora (Aus) (Flying Artie {Aus}) now stands at honours even, though it was hard not to feel that Asfoora was a little hard done by when Live In The Dream (Ire) (Prince Of Lir {Ire}) edged left just at the moment the Australian was launching her challenge down the stands' side in the G2 King...
Full-time hairdresser and small-time breeder Ashley Hillyard admits to having been left dumbfounded by the victory of Black Forza in Thursday's Richmond Stakes at Goodwood. Why so? Well, the Kentucky-based 38-year-old snapped up Harlee Honey (Harlan's Holiday), the dam of Michael O'Callaghan's bright young star, for just $11,000 at Fasig-Tipton Digital from Legacy Bloodstock last August. It's a purchase that even the most shrewd of breeders would be proud of. And in less than a year, Hillyard is now fielding offers that she admits would be life-changing to her and...
Eleanora Kennedy's Black Forza (Complexity--Harlee Honey, by Harlan's Holiday), a £220,000 Goffs UK Breeze-Up graduate, shed maiden status at Fairyhouse last month and stepped forward to notch a landmark win for his Airdrie Stud-based freshman sire (by Maclean's Music) in Thursday's G2 Markel Richmond Stakes at Goodwood. A share in the stallion will be auctioned at Fasig-Tipton's August Sale next week. The Michael O'Callaghan trainee was steadied after the break and settled several lengths off the tempo in seventh through the early fractions of this six-furlong dash. Coming under pressure...
Airdrie Stud's first-crop sire sensation Complexity (by Maclean's Music) continued the barnstorming start to his second career with a first winner in Europe on Wednesday as Eleanora Kennedy's Black Forza captured Fairyhouse's six-furlong Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden. Breaking smartly from his wide stall, the Michael O'Callaghan-trained 6-1 shot who had been fifth on debut in The Curragh's hot Barronstown Stud Maiden at the Irish Derby meeting closed powerfully to take control a furlong out under Seamie Heffernan. Readily asserting from there, the dark bay who was a £220,000 Goffs...