Machmer Hall

1st-Kentucky Downs, $179,600, Msw, 9-4, 2yo, 7fT, 1:21.43, fm, 3 lengths. REPENTLESS (c, 2, Violence--Song Sung True, by Unbridled's Song) went off as the one of the longest shots on the board at 25-1 Thursday in his debut effort for Kelsey Danner. Positioned mid pack while able to angle down to the rail, he tracked fourth behind race favorite Jet Off (Twirling Candy) who did just that through fractions of :22.08 and :44.88. Hugging the fence around the turn, he caught a dream opening at the top of the long...

The Kentucky Thoroughbred Association and Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders have elected three new members to its Board of Directors. Conrad Bandoroff, vice president of Denali Stud; Rowland Hancock, a Thoroughbred owner and breeder based in Paducah, Kentucky; and Craig Brogden, co-owner of Machmer Hall, have each been elected to three-year terms by the full membership of the organization. Incumbents Ned Toffey, Michael Banahan, Price Bell, Dr. Natanya Nieman-McMahon, Dr. Stuart Brown, Fergus Galvin, Jeffrey Thornbury, Neil Pessin, Tommy Drury, and Paul McGee were re-elected. The election was facilitated by...

3rd-Churchill Downs, $118,987, Msw, 6-27, 2yo, f, 6f, 1:10.21, ft, 3 lengths. CHOPSTICKS (f, 2, Essential Quality--Miss Southern Miss {SW & GSP, $220,399}, by More Than Ready) got her picture taken at Churchill Downs on Friday afternoon and became the first winner for freshman sire Essential Quality (by Tapit). The 2-1 second choice here broke from one of the outside posts and vied for a spot midpack up the backstretch as a pair of speedsters went to town on each other. Chopsticks had plenty of pace to run into around...

HOT SPRINGS, Ark.--The idea was a simple one. Place a bell in the Larry Snyder Winner's Circle at Oaklawn and any winning owner, trainer or jockey who wants to make a $100 donation to the Arkansas Thoroughbred Retirement Program and Rehabilitation Foundation gets to ring it. The 'Ring the Bell' seed was planted at an Arkansas Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (HBPA) meeting over four years ago when trainer and board member Ron Moquett posed the idea as he is prone to do. "Ron [Moquett] has about 10 ideas every...

by Jessica Martini & Christina Bossinakis OCALA, FL- For the third straight year, Saudi businessman Amr Zedan made the highest bid at the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training, going to an OBS record $3 million to acquire a colt by Gun Runner during a vibrant final session of the auction Thursday. The sale-topping colt brought the number of horses to sell for seven figures during the three-day auction to seven, up from four a year ago, and a record for the March sale. "I thought...

I have come to really enjoy sharing this aspect of our farm. Last year after I finished describing some of the matings and crazy ways we had found certain mares, I had myself in stitches laughing so much remembering all of the fun stories. So, once again, I will try to keep you all entertained while also sharing why and how we came up with the pairings for some of our 117 (OMG) mares. We breed solely for the physical athlete; we do not use nicks, Goldmine, x-factor, measurements, linebreeding,...

4th-Turfway, $78,125, Msw, 3-6, 3yo, f, 6f (AWT), 1:12.25, ft, 4 3/4 lengths. FAMILY (f, 3, Sharp Azteca--Heidi Maria {MSW, $220,764}, by Rockport Harbor) was let go on this unveiling at a chilly 27-1 but ran like the favorite en route to her graduation. Employing her early foot to get out and lead, she was challenged by Maclean's Lullaby (Maclean's Music) entering the bend after splits of :23.01 and :46.45, but managed to repel that rival coming into the lane. Giving the field the slip, she strode out to a...

The first foal by GI Kentucky Derby winner Mage (Good Magic) was born in Kentucky at Machmer Hall Jan. 9 according to breeders Carrie and Craig Brogden and Dr. Sandra Fubini. The bay colt is the first foal out of stakes-placed Lil Miss Moonlight (City of Light) who was purchased by Machmer Hall at the 2023 Keeneland November Sale for $85,000 and sent to the Derby winner for her first covering. "Absolutely thrilled with our Mage colt--especially to be the first foal from a mare we're really excited about!" said...

Tom Mullikin, who runs Mullikin Farm with his wife Michelle, admits he doesn't have the assets to compete at the highest level of the breeding business. "I'm the son of a Washington DC deputy fire chief and Michelle is the daughter of a retired air force pilot," Mullikin said. "We are not working off a trust fund. We're mom and pop. We do everything ourselves, from foaling mares to mucking stalls. A lot of the mares we get are handed down or gifted to us." That's not the easiest way...

Champion and dual Hall of Famer Tepin (Bernstein--Life Happened, by Stravinsky), best known for winning the G1 Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot, died at the age of 12. The news was confirmed by trainer Aidan O'Brien after the mare's daughter Grateful (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) won the G1 Qatar Prix de Royallieu at ParisLongchamp on Saturday. Bred by Machmer Hall in Kentucky, the bay was purchased by Robert Masterson for $140,000 out of the Fasig-Tipton New York Saratoga Select Yearling Sale. She would go on to be trained by Mark...

Brook Smith and Carrie Brogden have been appointed to the board of directors of Thoroughbred Charities of America, the organization announced Wednesday. Current directors Marette Farrell and Marshall Gramm were named secretary and treasurer, respectively. Smith is a resident of Louisville, Kentucky. After graduating from Clemson University with a degree in finance, he returned to Kentucky and launched a career in the insurance industry, as a broker with his agency Smith Manus (now Acrisure) and as a partner in Lexon Insurance Group. He is a serial entrepreneur and big supporter...

Siena Farm, site of a boutique breeding operation which includes 262 acres located at 1651 Winchester Road outside of Lexington, Kentucky, is available for purchase according to a Thursday post on the Biederman Real Estate's website. As for Siena's racing partnerships, COO Ryan Smith confirmed that those will remain intact. Founded by Anthony Manganaro with Nacho Patino and David Pope, Siena was named after the commercial real estate business in the Baltimore-Washington area which Manganaro built. The founder, who purchased what would become Siena Farm in 2007, passed away last...