Ocala Stud

Mitts (Gretzy the Great), a well-beaten albeit rallying third in his debut over course and distance May 22, picked up the first win for his freshman sire (by Nyquist) Saturday via disqualification. The 5-1 shot was a close-up third up the backstretch while just a length back of pacesetter Watson (Brethren). Tipped outside of that rival to make a run into the final furlong, Mitts had to take up and redirect inside as Watson drifted out into him. Continuing to rally but unable to make up the deficit, Mitts wound...

She was claimed for $5,000 out of a race in which she bled badly. Yet here we are, 75 years later, celebrating Iltis (War Relic) as founder of a dynasty freshly decorated, coast to coast, on consecutive weekends. The moment of alchemy for Iltis was the transfer early in her breeding career to Ocala Stud, where a remarkable stallion, Rough'n Tumble, and the still more remarkable O'Farrell family were together putting Florida in the Thoroughbred map. A first date between Iltis and Rough'n Tumble produced My Dear Girl, as leading...

Bentornato (Valiant Minister), winner of last year's GI Breeders' Cup Sprint, was named the 2025 Florida-bred Horse of the Year, it was announced at the FTBOA Awards Gala held Monday night at the Circle Square Cultural Center in Ocala. Bentornato, chosen as champion by a vote by the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders' and Owners' Association board of directors, was the sixth Florida-bred to win the Sprint and the 30th from the state to win a Breeders' Cup race. The 2025 FTBOA Breeder of the Year, also as voted by the FTBOA...

A filly by Jackie's Warrior (hip 570) broke through a parade of :9 4/5 works to claim the furlong bullet time of :9 3/5 during Wednesday's third session of the under-tack preview of the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training. Consigned by Hartley/DeRenzo Thoroughbreds, the dark bay filly is a daughter of graded winner Brazen Persuasion (Indian Charlie). "We love the pedigree, we love Indian Charlie mares, that means the world to us," Randy Hartley said. "When we saw her, we just loved her. She's the...

With the first major 2-year-old sale, OBS March, now in the books, and the next round, the OBS April sale, right around the corner, it's time for some predictions. We asked the experts who their pick is for leading freshman sire and also asked them for a "sleeper pick," or a stallion that will perform beyond expectations. Here's what they had to say: STEVE VENOSA Top Pick: Jackie's Warrior (Spendthrift Farm, $25,000) Training them this year, I think the obvious two horses are Jackie's Warrior and Drain the Clock. They...

The Jockey Club of America has released the list of mares in the 2026 Mare Incentive Program, which waives registration fees for certain 2027 foals of mares that meet the criteria, the organization said on Friday. The list of mares in the 2025 pilot program was searched more than 3,100 times and 228 mares were bred as part of the program. "We were pleased to see how many searches were performed and how many mares were brought back into production," said James L. Gagliano, president and COO, The Jockey Club....

Stud fees are unchanged for Ocala Stud's roster of seven stallions, which is led by second-crop sire Win Win Win (by Hat Trick {Jpn}) who will stand for $8,500 S&N, the farm said via a release on Friday. Filling out the list is Roadster (by Quality Road), who will stand for $7,500 S&N, Colonel Liam (by Liam's Map) for $6,500 S&N, and Khozan (by Distorted Humor)--Florida's leading general sire each year since 2020--for $6,000 S&N. Win Win Win, the leading second-crop sire in Florida this year with progeny earnings of...

Despite having already proven herself to be the model of consistency, R Disaster came into Saturday's GII Gallant Bloom Stakes still in search of her initial win at the graded level. However, the 4-year-old daughter of Awesome Slew was able to check that off her list with a confident score in the 6 1/2-furlong test at the Big A. Senza Parole (Gun Runner) got the jump at the start, however, the even-money choice also benefitted from a clean break and soon found herself at the head of affairs. Racing through...

'TDN Rising Star' Obliteration (c, 2, Violence--I'mclassyandsassy, by Master Command), a runaway debut winner at Churchill Downs June 12, lived up to his name with another dominating victory in Saturday's GIII Sanford S. at Saratoga. Blinging It Back (Volatile) was second; Imagine John (Maclean's Music) was third. The 4-5 favorite shot out to the front beneath Flavien Prat, was hounded by Blinging It Back through fractions of :22.74 and :45.56 and powered clear from that rival in the stretch to win by 10 1/2 lengths. "He's just a very special...

Ocala Stud stallion Seeking the Soul (Perfect Soul {Ire}--Seeking the Title, by Seeking the Gold), whose first-crop runners are 3-year-olds this year, died unexpectedly on Feb. 28, of complications from colic. Campaigned by Charles Fipke, the homebred won the 2017 GI Clark H., 2018 GIII Ack Ack S. and the 2019 GII Stephen Foster S. The Kentucky-bred won or placed in eight graded stakes, including runner-up finishes in the $1-million GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile and the $9-million GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational S., while hitting the board in 20-of-32...

The Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale marks a full decade as an open auction when it begins its three-day run Tuesday afternoon and, with a well-attended under-tack show last week followed by a busy weekend of showing, consignors are optimistic demand will be high for the first juvenile sale of the season. The sale, originally slated to begin at 11 a.m. Mar. 11, will now get going at 1 p.m. to allow horsemen more time in the wake of the consolidated under tack show....

Let's acknowledge straightaway that this cursory look at some (and only some) of the major regional programs can represent little more than a gesture of respect. As a rule, after all, we're talking about stallions that serve an almost exclusively local market, and those that do so best will have a corresponding local reputation that scarcely needs amplifying. Moreover the same caveats apply, here, as to our recent survey of Kentucky options: namely, that the one or two we single out are purely subjective picks; and, above all, that you...