Life Is Good

The Mt. Brilliant Family Foundation has signed on once again as the presenting sponsor for the Thoroughbred Charities of America's upcoming 34th Annual Stallion Season Auction to be held Wednesday, Jan. 3 through Sunday, Jan. 7, the non-profit said in a release Friday. "We greatly appreciate the continued support of Mt. Brilliant," said Erin Halliwell executive director of TCA. "The Stallion Season Auction is vital to our organization as it allows us to make grants to qualified organizations across the country. Mt. Brilliant's support of the auction and TCA are...

WinStar Farm will host an Open House for breeders each day from Nov. 8-15 between 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the farm's stallion complex on Paynes Mill Road in Versailles. Visitors are welcome without an appointment to view the WinStar roster for the 2024 breeding season, led by Constitution (Tapit) and Life Is Good (Into Mischief). Breeders will also be able to see WinStar's newest additions for 2024: Country Grammar (Tonalist) and Two Phil's (Hard Spun). The events will also include lite fare and refreshments for breeders in attendance....

8th-Keeneland, $100,000, Msw, 10-26, 2yo, 7f, 1:28.82, ft, 4 lengths. ROCKETEER (c, 2, Curlin--Thirteen Arrows {MSW, $277,375}, by Indian Charlie) went off at 3-1 in this debut spot and was forwardly placed just off pacesetting World Fair (Tapiture). The top pair moved through opening fractions of :22.97 and :46.63 before Rocketeer made his run to strike the front with an outside move passing the quarter pole. The class of the field in the run to the wire, the Brad Cox trainee cruised home to win by four lengths over 25-1...

Constitution (Tapit), the leading sire of 2-year-olds of 2023 whose progeny were highly coveted at auction this summer, will stand the 2024 breeding season for $110,000, stands-and-nurses terms, at WinStar Farm. The 12-year-old is responsible for no fewer than 18 juvenile winners this season, led by Aspenite, impressive winner of the Kentucky Downs Juvenile Mile last month. The sire's current crop of yearlings proved extremely popular at the recently concluded Keeneland September Sale, with five horses sold in excess of $750,000, including a colt out of Solo Uno (Medaglia d'Oro),...

When Life Is Good was good, he was really, really good. A sight to behold in full flight, the 2021 Dirt Mile winner inspired breeders to send him a first book containing 25 Grade I winners and/or producers, as well as 70 graded winners and/or producers. Life Is Good's first foals will arrive in 2024. "We are extremely excited for Life Is Good's foals coming next year," said Elliott Walden, WinStar Farm's president/CEO and racing manager. "We have never had a stallion that was so well received." Life Is Good...

Americans were among those honored Mar. 4 at the sixth edition of HH Sheikh Mohammed Horse Racing Excellence Awards at Meydan Racecourse. The ceremony commemorates some of the leading connections who participated at the Dubai World Cup meeting, as well as a pair that were decided by public vote. "The HH Sheikh Mohammed Horse Racing Excellence Awards were founded in 2017 as an expression of His Highness' love for racing and passion for horses," said Major General Dr Mohammed Essa Al Adhab, General Manager of Dubai Racing Club. "They recognize...

Breeders' Cup winner Life Is Good (Into Mischief) and Keeneland track record-setter Nashville (Speightstown), both 'TDN Rising Stars' and first-year stallions at WinStar Farm, have each had their first mares confirmed in foal, according to WinStar. Four-time Grade I winner Life Is Good has multiple mares confirmed in foal, including graded winner Tiz Breathtaking (Tiznow) and Tapas (Tapit), an unraced mare acquired for $1.3 million by CHC Inc. at the 2016 Fasig-Tipton sale. Nashville also has multiple mares scanned in foal. Undefeated in his first three starts, Nashville set a...

As we approach the opening of the 2023 breeding sheds, the TDN staff is once again sitting down with leading breeders to find out what stallions they have chosen for their mares, and why. The China Horse Club's Christie DeBernardis, Matt Houldsworth and Michael Smith clued us in on which sires they have chosen for some of their top American and European mares. ALBEROBELLO (m, 8, Bernardini—Carson Jen, by Carson City), booked to Justify Alberobello hails from a very deep family that is constantly improving. Her full-sister's daughter Key to...

As we approach the opening of the 2023 breeding season, the TDN staff is once again sitting down with leading breeders to find out what stallions they have chosen for their mares, and why. Today we caught up with Robert Tillyer, farm manager of William and Donna Shively's Dixiana Farm. HAVANA DREAM (m, 10, Quality Road - Mayo On the Side, by French Deputy) to be bred to Constitution This stakes-placed mare is carrying her third foal by Yaupon. She is from the family of MGSW Midcourt (Midnight Lute) and...

With the Breeders' Cup returning to Lexington for the third time, headlined by the mighty Flightline (Tapit), the buzz in Lexington was electric from late October all the way through the nearly two weeks of breeding stock sales that followed the World Championships. Combine that with a deep and diverse buying bench and high demand and the result was gains in both gross and average for the 10-day Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale, which ran from Nov. 7-16. "With the close of the November Breeding Stock Sale, Keeneland is nearing...

They could have entered him in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile or the Sprint, where he would have been a top choice in either spot, but the connections of Life Is Good (Into Mischief - Beach Walk, by Distorted Humor) opted to send their versatile 4-year-old to the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Classic. While there was no beating Flightline (Tapit) that day, Life Is Good threw it down with his undefeated competitor, forcing Flightline to chase him through blazing early fractions of :22.55 and :45.47. The Classic marked only his...

LEXINGTON, KY - You can add horse of a lifetime to the superlatives now, too. Unbeaten 'TDN Rising Star' Flightline (Tapit) ran to his already unworldly reputation, and, dare we say, even more, with a spectacular 8 1/4-length victory in Saturday's $6-million GI Breeders' Cup Classic at Keeneland. Olympiad (Speightstown) and fellow 'Rising Star' Taiba (Gun Runner) filled out the minors. "A great win today. He just ran beautiful; just like we thought he could," said winning trainer John Sadler, who previously put to bed an 0-for-44 mark at the...