Spendthrift Farm

With victories in 2024 in two of the most prestigious races run in this country, National Treasure (Quality Road) proved a handy winner of the Eclipse Award for champion older dirt male, easily outpointing GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile upseter Full Serrano (Arg) (Full Mast) and Straight No Chaser (Speightster), who caused a bit of a surprise in the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint. National Treasure is just the second Bob Baffert trainee to take home the statuette in this particular division (Improbable, 2020). After giving future Horse of the Year...

GI Blue Grass Stakes winner Zandon (Upstart) sired his first reported foal when a filly was born late Monday, January 20th at KatieRich Farms in Midway, KY, according to a press release on social media by Spendthrift Farm. Bred by Rattner Bloodstock LLC, the bay filly with a thin white blaze on her face hails from the Champali mare I Love Nola. "Nice, healthy filly," said Dan Ratner. "She has great leg and a big motor. We're excited." Zandon, who covered 158 mares in his first book in 2024, is...

Coming off its best year ever, Coteau Grove Farms now ranks among the leading breeders in the country. The operation, based in Sunset, Louisiana with a broodmare band of 63 head, was represented by four black-type winners from 71 starters in 2024 and the earners of nearly $3 million. The farm's advisor Andrew Cary of Cary Bloodstock gave TDN a sampling of the variety of stallions the operation is breeding to in 2025, both in Kentucky and in Louisiana. ANIMA GEMELLA (8, Ghostzapper--Naive Enough, by Street Sense) is booked to...

11th-GP, $94k, Msw, 3yo, 1 1/16mT, 5:18p.m. ET Unveiled to the far outside is $350,000 OBSAPR pick up NUK SOO KOW (McKinzie) for Hit The Bid Stable and trainer John Terranova. Out of a placed half-sister to GI Champagne Stakes runner-up Commandperformance (Union Rags), the colt hails from the female family of GSW Blind Date (Not for Love), dam of MSW Paulita (Scat Daddy). To the far outside and making a second jump for trainer Chad Brown is Constitution Road (Constitution). He overcame a rough trip on debut as a...

Spendthrift Farm's Arabian Lion (Justify) sired his first reported foal Jan. 9. The chestnut filly, bred by and born at Jim & Pam Robinson's Brandywine Farm, is out of the Street Boss mare Champagne Sparkle, a full sister to GSW Danza and half to Grade I-winning millionaire Majestic Harbor (Rockport Harbor). "We are thrilled. This is a strong foal with great bone, leg and substance," said Pam Robinson. "A deep chestnut with a beautiful blaze. Correct and solid as a rock. We had to double check to be sure it...

4th-GP, $94k, Msw, 3yo, 6f, 1:49p.m. ET Florida will play host to two noteworthy maidens on the Gulfstream Park card Saturday, the first being this six panel maiden sprint, that drew the noteworthy connections with well-bred horses. Lining up against this field of 11 is $1.1-million KEESEP purchase VANDERBILT (Into Mischief). Out of GI Longines Test and Humana Distaff Stakes victress American Gal (Concord Point), the colt was purchased by Grandview Equine to race in partnership with LNJ Foxwoods, Whisper Hill Farm, and Gainesway Stable. The second dam was herself...

A colt born Jan. 6 at Castleton Lyons near Lexington is the first reported foal for Taiba (Gun Runner--Needmore Flattery, by Flatter). Bred by Castleton Lyons & Kilboy Estate, the chestnut colt is out of Wecallherqueenmary (Exaggerator), whose unraced dam is a full-sister to late champion Speightstown. Castleton Lyons purchased the mare for $200,000 at the 2021 Keeneland November sale. "He's a good foal, a lot of quality," said Castleton Lyons's Pat Hayes. "He looks athletic and more like Taiba than the mare. Very good shoulder and hip, powerful forearm...

2nd-Aqueduct, $80,000, Msw, 1-3, 3yo, 1 1/8m, 1:54.97, ft, 3 lengths. UNCLE HULKA (c, 3, Uncle Mo--Canteen, by Candy Ride {Arg}) a well-beaten fourth as the favorite in his one-mile debut over the local course Nov. 3, added Lasix Friday and drew outside with an extra 1/8th of a mile to run. The 4-5 favorite let second choice A Bourbon for Tony (Bernardini) handle the tempo and sat just off through fractions of :24.39 and :49.71. Up alongside that leader off the turn, Uncle Hulka dueled briefly outside the pacesetter...

Spendthrift Farm, forced to scratch Grade I winner Tamara (Bolt d'Oro) with an elevated temperature Thursday morning, had a more than suitable understudy in the afternoon's GI La Brea Stakes when Kopion (Omaha Beach) romped home a geared-down 2 3/4-length winner at Santa Anita. Returning from nine months on the sidelines and dismissed at 35-1, the chestnut filly chased pacesetting Sandy Bottom (Omaha Beach) through an opening quarter in :22.17. Kopion easily moved up to engage the pacesetter as the half went up in :44.32 and she grabbed command out...

While 'TDN Rising Star' Tamara (Bolt d'Oro) will be a main attraction on the Dec. 26 opening-day card at Santa Anita, another highly anticipated foal who is also out of the fan-favorite champion Beholder--this one an unnamed and unraced 2-year-old colt by Curlin--fired a bullet three-furlong morning move Saturday in just his third published workout for trainer Bob Baffert and owner Zedan Racing. The in-company :36 clocking (1/18) just prior to the Christmas holiday on a non-racing Saturday at Santa Anita might have flown a touch under-the-radar for a juvenile...

Traffic trouble proved to be no problem for Major Dude (Bolt d'Oro), who muscled his way to the lead and went on to becoming racing's newest millionaire in the GII Ft. Lauderdale Stakes at Gulfstream Park. Despite winning twice this season in the lead up to this race, Major Dude had been rounding into his best form to date. When he won last out Oct. 10 at Keeneland against allowance company, his two-length victory was given a 96 Beyer and his effort July 20 at Saratoga against optional claimers garnered...

7th-CD, $120K, Msw, 2yo, 6 1/2f, 3:55 p.m. ET. A $1-million buy at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale, YINZER (Twirling Candy) takes the racing stage for the ownership group of West Point Thoroughbreds, CJ Stables and Bill Farish. The Steve Asmussen trainee is out of Rehearsed (Tapit) who is a full-sister to GISP Closing Bell and a half-sister to GII San Felipe Stakes hero Hear the Ghost (Ghostzapper). Also making the races is Aerate (Candy Ride {Arg]). The Stone Farm homebred trained by Brian Lynch was produced by Ducru...