breeding and racing

Well, he's not going to give it up without a fight. Yes, of course the whole narrative is random: he can hardly sit the boys down, tell them to get out there and remind everyone who's boss. But however unwittingly, Into Mischief has certainly obliged us with a dramatic and immediate response to the first serious test of his monopoly since claiming a first general sires' title in 2019. It has been clear for a while that the eventual succession was likely to concern Not This Time and Gun Runner,...

The two new names on the GI Kentucky Derby trail each exemplify one of the principal alternatives to what nowadays feels like the ideal route, namely to exploit the imbalances of the commercial market with a breed-to-race program. Nobody having ever operated one of those on a scale as lavish as the one that produced Sovereignty (Into Mischief), the choice between these other models is strictly practical. If you can run to $2.4 million for a Saratoga yearling, as did Speedway Stable for the Into Mischief colt we now know...

Since you asked readers for input at the end of Carrie Brogden's letter, I'll offer what I've observed over the 38 years that I've been a racing fan. First: look at how U.S. racing regards races for fillies and mares. The distances are shorter and purses are smaller. Getting a filly to the Kentucky Derby has become much harder ever since a points system was implemented. Plus, there's no Triple Crown equivalent for fillies. Every other top level racing country has Grade I classics for each gender... the U.S. has...

Fasig-Tipton has added 30 horses as supplemental entries to its Kentucky Winter Mixed Sale, which is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. ET on Monday, Feb. 9, according to a press release from the auction company on Friday. The latest entries, catalogued as hips 351-380, include: R Morning Brew (hip 352): A SW and earner of nearly $200,000, the current 4-year-old is a half-sister to Dancing N Dixie (Neolithic), who has in excess of $400,000 in earnings herself. Consigned as a racing/broodmare prospect by Gainesway, agent; Pop Idol (hip 361):...

Three Chimneys Farm sire Newgate (by Into Mischief) has his first foal on the ground, a filly born at Jody and Michelle Huckabay's Elm Tree Farm in Paris, Kentucky Jan. 4, the stallion operation said via a Friday release. The brand new chestnut filly is out of GSP Pakhet (Cairo Prince), who is also the dam of recent SW Spirit Doll (Tiz the Law). "Newgate is a tremendous physical and covered a high-quality book of 180 mares in his first year at stud," said Director of Stallion Nominations Rebecca Nicholson....

Ag Bullet (Twirling Candy) and Sweet Azteca (Sharp Azteca), a pair of Grade I winning gray mares trained by Richard Baltas, will continue their racing careers, according to a report from the Daily Racing Form. Currently a 5-year-old, Ag Bullet notched her first top-level score this past summer when she took on the boys in the GI Jaipur Stakes at Saratoga. After hitting the board in the GI Prevagen Breeders's Cup Sprint at Del Mar in 2024, the Calvin Nguyen & Joey Tran color bearer finished as the runner-up to...

For some who breed and race Thoroughbreds, the decreasing foal crop is regarded as a bellwether for a business in decline. Yet, a clear-eyed look that goes beyond numbers--and the efforts to turn them around--offers an important reminder: North American Thoroughbred breeding and racing still has real strengths. But to ensure its future we need strategic, collective action to strengthen the sport and keep it vibrant for generations to come. Industry collaboration is the only path to revitalizing Thoroughbred production.   Understanding the Foal Crop Decline In 1950, arguably the...

Keeneland has supplemented a total of 14 horses to its two November sales with Fall Meet winner Ayra Stark (Arg) (Cosmic Trigger) joining Book 1 of the Breeding Stock sale on Tuesday, Nov. 4 and the remaining 13 horses being added to the Horses of Racing Age sale on Wednesday, Nov. 12, according to a press release from the auction company on Thursday. Added to Book 1 of the Breeding Stock sale, Ayra Stark, a Group 2 winner in her native Argentina who captured a Keeneland allowance race Oct. 15....

Bidding is now open for the 2025 Inglis Digital USA October (Late) sale, which features 73 offerings and is led by a consignment of 11 broodmares from Paramount Sales, and will have the first lot close on Tuesday, Oct. 28 at 2 p.m. ET with subsequent listings hammering down in three-minute increments thereafter, the digital outfit said in a press release on Friday. The auction offers horses available for inspection in 11 different states. The Paramount Sales consignment includes Ayaady (hip 39), a Tapit mare whose first foal is the...

The night of Oct. 29 is something everybody at the Taylor Made team is looking forward to. That's what happens when you are the consignor who will be selling a share in Not This Time at the Keeneland Championship Sale. After starting his stud career at $15,000, Not This Time now stands at Taylor Made for $250,000 and his book is already basically full for 2026, according to the farm. It's easy to see why. He had 14 horses sell for $1 million or more at the Keeneland September sale,...

References on the subject of time are legion. "Time is of the essence." "A stitch in time saves nine." The Rolling Stones sang in 1974, "And time waits for no one." Speaking of endgames there is, "No amount of money ever bought a second of time"--you can use that Tony Stark nugget if you want. In the world of Thoroughbred auctions, everyone from the consignors to the bidders are always racing against the clock. Of course, there is plenty of innovation out there to assist before a decision needs to...

Carrie Brogden of highly successful Machmer Hall fame is a self-described horse addict and she is not shy when it comes to admitting it. Still, the straight shooter with the commercial breeding business outside of Paris, Kentucky, has to make some decisions every fall when it comes to reducing the farm's stock. It is just the way it goes as October rolls around. "I am the ultimate horse sale junkie, just ask my husband Craig, who would be thrilled if we had 30 elite mares on a 250-acre farm," said...