Calumet Farm

Godolphin topped the individual breeders list in North America in 2023 with $20,911,250 in earnings, according to statistics from The Jockey Club Information Systems, the organization said in a release early Friday morning. After topping the list in 2021 and 2022, this past year Godolphin bred 201 starters with 175 wins, 176 seconds, and 131 thirds out of 1,007 starts. Calumet Farm was second for the third consecutive year with earnings of $16,660,472 with 510 wins out of 3,435 starts. Godolphin also led the breeders list that includes partners with...

North America's winningest Thoroughbred in terms of victories this year will have 10 wins, but the final weekend of 2023 will determine if the Midwest-based gelding Fayette Warrior (Exchange Rate) ends up alone atop the leaderboard or if he has to share the honor with two nine-win rivals in the mid-Atlantic who could tie the mark either Dec. 30 or 31. The 7-year-old Fayette Warrior, who sports a lifetime record of 19-11-7 from 71 starts with $241,772 in earnings, has topped the continent since his last victory at Columbus against...

J.T. Lundy, the controversial former president of Calumet Farm, passed away Tuesday. He was 82. The news was reported on Facebook by his sister, Kathy Lundy Jones, and his son, Robert. According to Robert's post, Lundy fell in November, suffered from a head injury and never fully recovered. According to the BloodHorse, Lundy was a native of Georgetown, Ky. and grew up on a farm working primarily around show cattle. He told the magazine in 1990 that he eventually steered into the horse business because it appeared to be more lucrative...

Grade I winner Lexitonian (Spightstown) will stand the 2024 breeding season at Calumet Farm for a fee of $7,500, live foal, after spending his first two years at stud at Lane's End, the farm announced on Tuesday. The 7-year-old stallion, who won the 2021 GI Alfred G. Vanderbilt H. and finished second in the GI Bing Crosby S., was bred and campaigned by Calumet Farm. Lexitonian joins Keen Ice (Curlin), Oxbow (Awesome Again), Hightail (Mineshaft) and Channel Cat (English Channel) at $7,500. Bal A Bali (Brz) (Put It Back), Bravazo...

Popular 8-year-old gelding Spooky Channel (English Channel--Spooky Kitten, by Kitten's Joy) has been retired from racing and will be heading to Old Friends Farm, according to a post on X by trainer Jason Barkley. The four-time graded winner posted a career record of 31-13-6-1 and earnings of $1,380,142. Bred in Kentucky by Calumet Farm, the $10,000 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall yearling concluded his career for owner NBS Stable and Barkley with a runner-up finish in the GII FanDuel Kentucky Turf Cup S. at Kentucky Downs Sept. 9. Good as time as...

In a mad scramble for the wire in Saturday's $1-million GII Ainsworth Turf Sprint S. at Kentucky Downs, 23-1 Calumet homebred Gear Jockey (6, h, Twirling Candy--Switching Gears, by Tapit) got a desperate head down in front of 3-2 choice One Timer (Trappe Shot) and 11-1 Bad Beat Brian (Jack Milton). It was a repeat of his success in this same race two years ago when it was a Grade III, albeit by a far slimmer margin. Final time for the six furlongs was 1:10.59. The Turf Sprint is a...

The influence of Champion grass horse and MGISW English Channel both on the racetrack and in the breeding shed cannot be overstated. After stints at Hurricane Hall, Lane's End and finally, Calumet, we sadly lost him late in 2021, but he still has an active group that continues to carry home his legacy. Who is his most successful offspring? Maybe it's Chicago's own, MGISW The Pizza Man? Or how about MGISW Channel Maker, who just added another graded trophy to his collection last weekend at the ripe old age of...

If there was a Thoroughbred who ever needed legal counsel to mount an adequate defense of his life, then perhaps it would be Calumet Farm's MGISW Alydar. His battles with rival Affirmed as both a juvenile, and of course, through the 1978 Triple Crown are now the stuff of legend. However, what has clouded all those spectacular past performances came during his stallion career when he tragically died from an injury which was sustained while he was in his Calumet stall on a November night in 1990. Officially chalked up...

Racegoers can be forgiven a bit of deju vu when War Like Goddess (m, 6, English Channel--Misty North, by North Light {Ire}) won the GIII Bewitch S. at Keeneland Friday as it was, indeed, the third straight year she won the race. She is only the third horse in Keeneland history--and first in nearly 50 years--to win the same race at the storied Central Kentucky track three consecutive times. The five-horse field broke with recent GIII La Prevoyante S. winner Personal Best (Tapit) tumbling out of the stalls, but the...

Calumet Farm's unbeaten homebred Far Bridge (c, 3, English Channel--Fitpitcher, by Kitten's Joy) kicked home impressively for 'TDN Rising Star' honors in a grassy optional claimer at Gulfstream Park Saturday. The bay was a head better than the promising Carl Spackler (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) over the same course and distance on debut Jan. 21. Carl Spackler returned to earn a 'Rising Star' tag of his own with a smashing, 8 3/4-length maiden victory here Feb. 25. Hammered down to 1-2 here, Far Bridge raced under cover passing the...

John Veitch, a Hall of Famer who trained numerous stars, including Alydar, whose legendary battles with Affirmed were part of one of the sport's greatest rivalries, passed away Tuesday in Lexington, Kentucky. He was 77. The news of Veitch's passing was first reported by the Blood-Horse. Veitch's training career ran from 1974 through 2003. According to Equibase, he had 410 career winners and his stable amassed earnings of $20,097,980. He won 76 graded stakes and 93 stakes races overall. Veitch's best years came as the head trainer for Calumet Farm....

GI Alfred G. Vanderbilt H. winner Lexitonian (Speightstown) was represented by his first foal Sunday. The filly, out of a half-sister to dual Eclipse winner Roy H. (More Than Ready), was born at Calumet Farm. "We've been excited to see the foals for our homebred Lexitonian and are delighted that the first one is born at Calumet," said Eddie Cane, general manager of Calumet. "She has a lot of leg, good bone, and is well balanced." Lexitonian stands at Lane's End for a fee of $7,500.