Life Is Good
The champion freshman and general sire Distorted Humor was euthanized Saturday morning at the age of 33 due to the infirmities of old age, WinStar Farm announced via press release. A 1993 son of champion Forty Niner out of Danzig's Beauty, by Danzig, Distorted Humor was an accomplished racehorse. Bred in Kentucky by Charles Nuckols Jr. and Sons and owned by R.L. Reineman and Prestonwood Farms and trained by Walden, Distorted Humor won the 1998 GII Commonwealth Breeders' Cup Stakes at Keeneland. He set a track record in the race,...
The online portion of Thoroughbred Charities of America's (TCA) annual Stallion Season Auction presented by the Goodman Family is underway and runs through Friday, Jan. 9, with staggered closing times starting at 4 p.m. ET., the non-profit said via a release on Wednesday. The TCA's largest fundraiser during the year includes 175 seasons with sires such as Army Mule (by Friesian Fire), Life is Good (by Into Mischief), Flightline (Tapit), and McKinzie (Street Sense) all available for online bidding on Salering.net. The majority of seasons will sell 'no guarantee' however...
by Steve Sherack & J.N. Campbell DEL MAR, Calif. - A stallion share (2% interest) in leading young sire Not This Time brought $3 million from John Sikura's Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa to top the Keeneland Championship Sale held in the Del Mar paddock Wednesday evening. The share was consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent for Aaron and Marie Jones, as Hip 3. In a unique feature of the offering, the buyer receives all income from Not This Time's 2025 breeding season. Not This Time is already the...
DEL MAR, CA - As Breeders' Cup hopefuls continue their final preparations in the early morning hours for racing on Friday and Saturday, the Del Mar paddock will transform into an auction ring for the second annual Keeneland Championship Sale on Wednesday evening. Last year, a share in Horse of the Year Flightline (by Tapit) was the headliner when it went for $2.5-million. Once again looking to create a high-energy atmosphere, Keeneland has put together a robust slate of offerings, which include fractional interests in three racehorses currently in-training--two are...
LEXINGTON, KY - The four-day Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October Yearlings Sale reached its halfway point in Lexington Tuesday and continued to produce figures significantly ahead of its record-setting 2024 edition. Through two sessions, 540 yearlings have grossed $33,091,000 for an average of $61,280 and a median of $30,000. At the same point last year, 544 horses had grossed $28,753,000 for an average of $52,855 and a median of $20,000. The 2024 auction concluded with a cumulative record gross of $58,575,500 and a record average of $52,206. "The second session of the...
Edited Press Release Constitution (Tapit--Baffled, by Distorted Humor) will once again lead the WinStar stallion roster when he stands the 2026 season for $110,000 S&N, while Life is Good (Into Mischief--Beach Walk, by Distorted Humor)'s fee for next year has been set at $60,000. WinStar's 2026 stallion roster, which was released Sunday evening, will also include recently retired multiple Grade I winner Patch Adams (Into Mischief--Well Humored, by Distorted Humor), who will stand his initial season at stud for $30,000 S&N; and Straight No Chaser (Speightster--Margarita Friday, by Johannesburg), last...
by Jessica Martini, Christina Bossinakis and Jill Williams LEXINGTON, KY - The Keeneland September Yearling Sale continued to churn out double-digit year-on-year gains as its second Book 2 session concluded Thursday night with yet another son of Gun Runner leading the way. Through four sessions of the 12-day auction, 671 yearlings have grossed $307,639,000. At this same point a year ago, 640 head had sold for $252,528,000. Asked about the gross surpassing the $300-million mark after day four, Keeneland Senior Director of Sales Operations Cormac Breathnach laughed and said, "It's...
WinStar Farm's David Hanley has been named 2025 Ted Bates Farm Manager of the Year by the Kentucky Thoroughbred Farm Managers' Club (KTFMC). The award honors individuals 'who exemplify excellence in farm management and service to the community." Appointed to the role of farm manager at WinStar in 2013, Hanley has played a key role in the farm's acquisition of new fewer than 11 Grade I winners who have amassed a total of 23 elite-level victories, including Justify, Life Is Good, Improbable, Mullikin and Patch Adams. "I am honored and...
When Practical Joke and Life Is Good--both by Into Mischief and out of Distorted Humor mares--each racked up multiple Grade I victories and retired to major stallion farms in Central Kentucky, the cross they share surely earned a second look. After three 3-year-olds of 2025--Eclipse champion Citizen Bull, Patch Adams, and Tappan Street--added another five combined Grade I victories to that same cross in the last 11 months, anyone savvy enough to have a yearling on offer at Keeneland's September sale on the 'Midas Touch' nick looks positively inspired. Three...
1st-Kentucky Downs, $162,080, Msw, 8-28, 2yo, f, 1mT, 1:35.90, fm, 4 lengths. AGGRESSIVE LIME (f, 2, Authentic--Cool Beans {MGSP, $262,650}, by Candy Ride {Arg}) broke from the middle of the gate as the 9-5 favorite and set a hotly-contested pace push every step by Riotous (Charlatan) through the opening half in :47.30. Those two traded the lead back and forth around the far turn but Aggressive Lime found the long Kentucky Downs straight to her liking and powered clear through the final furlong to graduate first out by four lengths....
4th-ELP, $100K, Msw, 2yo, f, 6f, 2:16 p.m. ET. Peter Blum homebred ELITE (Into Mischief) makes her first start for trainer Rodolphe Brisset. Out of Flawless (Mr. Greeley), the 2-year-old is a full-sister to current sire Authentic. Also drawn in the same race is Gary & Mary West homebred Fashion Designer (Into Mischief), who is trained by Brad Cox. Her dam Beach Walk produced current sire Life Is Good and GSW Most Wanted (Candy Ride {Arg}). Woodslane bred Sister Troienne (Munnings) is a Brian Lynch trainee whose own dam is...
The 2025 Keeneland September Yearling Sale has cataloged 4,686 horses to be offered over 12 sessions from Monday, Sept. 8 through Saturday, Sept. 20, Keeneland announced Tuesday. Click here for the online catalog of yearlings. Print catalogs are scheduled to start arriving in the mail the week of Aug. 18. Last year, the September Sale was the world's highest-grossing Thoroughbred auction in history with more than $428 million in sales for 2,894 horses. A total of 36 yearlings sold for $1 million or more, marking the highest number since 2006....