Mandy Pope

Two-Time Champion Groupie Doll Pensioned From Breeding

Fan-favorite Groupie Doll (Bowman's Band--Deputy Doll, by Silver Deputy), winner of the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint back-to-back in 2012 and 2013 and named champion female sprinter in each of those seasons, has been pensioned from breeding, according to a tweet from Mandy Pope's Whisper Hill Farm. "Big News for the Groupie Doll fans!" read a post from Whisper Hill on X. "Groupie Doll has been officially retired from breeding. She will live at the farm in Florida and be pampered like the absolute queen she is for...

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Thursday Insights: Pricey Gun Runner Filly Set For Two-Turn Crescent City Debut

7th-FG, $54K, Msw, 3yo, f, 1 1/16m, 4:45 p.m. ET. Bred by Three Chimneys, PURE JOY (Gun Runner) was purchased for $1.5-million by Mandy Pope at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale. After the breeder stayed in for a piece, the filly was sent to Steve Asmussen. Pure Joy's dam is MGISW Pure Clan (Pure Prize) who died in 2023. She counts among her offspring SW Princesa Carolina (Tapit), herself the dam of 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard', Muhimma (Munnings). The first-time starter's extended female family includes MGSW Greater...

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Uncoupled DeVaux Entry Packs A Powerful Pedigree Punch

6th-FG, $60k, Msw, 3yo, 6f, 3:30 p.m. ET A pair of Keeneland September acquisitions by Belladonna Racing and C R K Stable, each sold for better than a half-million dollars, debut for the in-form Cherie DeVaux barn in what appears to be a hot maiden on the Lecomte Stakes undercard. MOJACAR (Essential Quality) looks to become the fifth winner from as many to the races for dam Spanish Star (Blame), who is responsible for 2025 GI Test Stakes victress Kilwin (Twirling Candy); the crack Grade II-winning turf sprinter One Timer...

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'A Lot of Positives': Keeneland January Kicks Off in Style

LEXINGTON, KY - The 2026 Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale opened with the first of two sessions Monday and optimism remained high across the board as a pair of top-class mares crossed the seven-figure mark for the first time in two years. "Today was a great day," said Keeneland Vice President of Sales Tony Lacy. "Obviously, it's a long day, but I think the structure of what we did in creating two big sessions sort of lent itself into building a momentum that carried through right to the end...

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Mandy Pope Goes to $3.2 Million for Tiffany Case, Dam of Nitrogen, at Keeneland

 Tiffany Case (Uncle Mo) (hip 465), the dam of Eclipse finalist and Grade I winner Nitrogen (Medaglia d'Oro), lit up the board at Keeneland Monday when selling to Mandy Pope's Whisper Hill Farm for $3.2 million. The 13-year-old mare, in foal to Not This Time, was consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, as agent for the Green family's D J Stable. D J Stable purchased Tiffany Case, in foal to Violence, for $320,000 at the 2019 Keeneland November sale. That in-utero foal became Love to Shop, who co-topped last year's...

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Gainesway's Charge It Welcomes First Foals At Machmer Hall, Darby Dan

The first two reported foals for Gainesway Farm's MGSW Charge It (by Tapit) were born Jan. 5, with one arriving at the Brogden family's Machmer Hall in Paris, Kentucky, and the other being delivered at Darby Dan Farm outside of Lexington, Kentucky, the stallion outfit said via a Tuesday release. Machmer Hall oversaw the arrival of a bay colt, the first foal out of SP Six Sense (Violence). A half-sister to SW Xanthique (Into Mischief), out of the GSP mare Qualia (Saarland), Six Sense was a $105,000 purchase at the...

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Friday Insights: Pricey Son Of Gun Runner Debuts At Churchill

8th-CD, 120K, Msw, 2yo, 1 1/16m, 4:25 p.m. Whisper Hill Farm, along with partners Three Chimneys Farm and Resolute Racing, are surely thinking of roses as SILVER SHOT (Gun Runner) debuts at Churchill Friday. Mandy Pope went to a near sales-topping $2,200,000 to secure the son of Princesa Carolina at Keeneland September last year, a price second only to the $5,000,000 paid for the Curlin son of Cavorting (also to Whisper Hill). Princesa Carolina, a SW/GISP daughter by Tapit and out of MGISW Pure Clan, is already responsible for 'TDN...

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Lush Lips at Keeneland
Domestic Buyers Fuel Powerful Keeneland November Opener

$3.7-Million Lush Lips Tops Book 1 by Jessica Martini, Christina Bossinakis, & Alan Carasso LEXINGTON, KY - The Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale blitzed through its opening session Tuesday with 17 offerings--including a pair of weanlings--selling for $1 million or more and figures up dramatically from the auction's Book 1 session in 2024. "It was a really strong day," said Keeneland President Shannon Arvin. "The broodmare market was very, very strong. We had 15 who brought $1 million or more, seven of those brought $2 million or more. The weanling...

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Justique Brings $2 Million from Mandy Pope at Keeneland November

Justique (m, 5, Justify--Grazie Mille, by Bernardini), a MSW & MGSP half-sister to GISW Mo Town (Uncle Mo), brought $2 million from Mandy Pope's Whisper Hill Farm at Keeneland November Tuesday. The $725,000 Keeneland September yearling and 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' was campaigned by C R K Stable. Hip 107 was consigned as a broodmare prospect by Lane's End, agent. Justique commands $2 million at #KeeNov! The half-sister to G1W Mo Town was consigned by @LanesEndFarms and purchased by Whisper Hill Farm. pic.twitter.com/Wdsj90YVIa — Keeneland Sales (@keenelandsales) November...

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Havre de Grace
Sunday's Racing Insights: Final Foal Out of Late Horse of the Year Havre de Grace Debuts at Churchill Downs

10th-CD, 120k, Msw, 2yo, 1m, 5:25 p.m. ET Whisper Hill Farm homebred Graced (Into Mischief), the final foal out of the late 2011 Horse of the Year and Eclipse Award-winning older mare Havre de Grace (Saint Liam), makes his debut for trainer J. Kent Sweezey going a one-turn mile at Churchill Downs. Havre de Grace hemorrhaged multiple times and passed away after producing the bay colt. Mandy Pope's operation went to $10 million at the 2012 Fasig-Tipton November Sale to acquire Havre de Grace, who has also produced GSW Graceful...

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Thursday Insights: A New Songbird Takes Flight At Churchill

5th-CD, 120K, Msw, 2yo, f, 6 1/2f, 6:59 p.m. SOARING HIGH (Curlin), the latest "baby bird" out of dual champion Songbird, debuts for Cherie DeVaux as a Whisper Hill Farm homebred Thursday at Churchill. Mandy Pope went to a sales-topping $9,500,000 to acquire the daughter of Medaglia d'Oro back in 2017 at Fasig-Tipton's November Sale. Of seven foals, she's had three to race and one winner being her 4-year-old daughter Rumours Have It (Tapit). Songbird has one other foal by Curlin, the 3-year-old colt McCorvey who is yet to break...

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'An Incredible Horse Sale': $3.3-Million Gun Runner Colt Leads Keeneland September Opener

by Jessica Martini, Christina Bossinakis and Jill Williams LEXINGTON, KY - Led by a $3.3-million son of Gun Runner, the Keeneland September Yearling Sale powered through a record-setting opening session Monday in Lexington. When the dust had settled after the first of two elite Book 1 sessions, 106 yearlings had sold for $69,240,000. The average was $653,208--the highest ever at a single September session--and the median was $537,500. With just 28 horses reported not sold, the buy-back rate was 20.90%. Those figures are ahead of last year's opening session, when...

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