Spendthrift Farm

Fasig-Tipton has catalogued 145 entries for its October Digital Sale, which may be viewed at digital.fasigtipton.com. Bidding is now open and closes Tuesday, Oct. 10, at 2 p.m. ET. The catalogue includes horses of racing age, breeding stock, and a stallion. Among those catalogued are 11 offerings from the Partial Stock Reduction of Machmer Hall, which will sell without reserve. "We have another strong group of entries for the October Digital Sale, particularly among the horses of racing age," said Leif Aaron, Fasig-Tipton Director of Digital Sales. "We are pleased...

Daniel Toffey has joined the stallion sales team at Spendthrift, the farm said in a release Thursday morning. "Tammy and I are happy Daniel has decided to come back home to work at Spendthrift," said owner Eric Gustavson. "He's a hardworking, energetic young man with a wide range of skills, and we know he will be a great fit here." Born and raised in Lexington, Toffey's passion for horses began early on, spending countless hours around Thoroughbreds with his father, Spendthrift general manager Ned Toffey. After graduating from high school,...

When The Jockey Club announced last week that the estimated North American foal crop for 2024 was 18,000, a 2.7% decline from the projected 2023 foal crop, the news was hardly a surprise. By the time the final numbers are in for 2024,the foal crop will have declined in 18 of the last 19 years and this will be the smallest foal crop since 1964. Since 2005, when there were 38,365 foals, the crop has declined by more than half. How big of a problem is this. Why is it...

In the Sept. 30 edition of the Thoroughbred Daily News, we ran an interview with John Sikura in which he raised questions about the funding mechanism and purse of the Kentucky Derby. In the article, Sikura says: "(The Kentucky Derby is) "The single event that drives the commerce of the industry. The point of entry to virtually everybody that owns a horse: 'I want to win the Kentucky Derby.' If you're fortunate enough to do so, there should be a financial reward that recognizes that--not just pride in achievement. A...

A groomsman no more. After three consecutive second-place efforts from as many starts this season, Jeff Drown's Zandon (Upstart) finally got his place at the altar with a come-from-behind victory in the rescheduled GII Woodward S. at Belmont's Aqueduct meet. Not seen in the winner's enclosure since a victory in the GI Toyota Blue Grass S. on the 2022 Kentucky Derby trail, the 4-year-old continued to throw good performance after good performance throughout the rest of last year and into his season's campaign. Just this year alone, he's finished behind...

The only two-time winner of the Dirt Mile to date, Goldencents had gameness written all over him. The Equibase chart for his second Breeders' Cup win summed up much of his career: "gunned hard," "met the oncoming challenge," and "dug in tenaciously." "Goldencents was a special horse for us because he is the first horse that really began to put Into Mischief on the map," said Ned Toffey, general manager of Spendthrift Farm. "He and [MGSW & MGISP] Vyjack came out of Into Mischief's first crop. Obviously he went on...

7th-CD, $120K, Msw, 2yo, 1m, 3:50 p.m. At Churchill Downs Sunday, drawn to the extreme outside is BLOWN COVER (Gun Runner) who will make his first start for an ownership group which includes Spendthrift Farm and Gandharvi Racing. A $650,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase, the dark bay colt, bred by Machmer Hall and trained by Brad Cox, is the second offspring to make the races out of a dam who is a half-sister to GII Oaklawn H. hero Cyber Secret (Broken Vow). Also debuting here is Track Phantom (Quality...

Four-time leading sire Into Mischief, who has broken records with 15 seven-figure yearlings to sell this year, will head the Spendthrift Farm stallion roster once again for 2024, the Central Kentucky farm announced Thursday afternoon. Into Mischief will stand for $250,000 S&N in 2024, identical to his advertised fee for 2023. Into Mischief is currently leading the general sires list for 2024 by a comfortable margin. His progeny for 2024 include 21 black-type winners, nine graded winners, and four Grade I winners, led by GI Kentucky Oaks winner and 'TDN...

Soloshot (Solomini) was the short favorite at even-money for this stakes debut, but produced an effort similar to her career debut, going coast-to-coast in the Lady Finger S. to become Solomini (by Curlin)'s first stakes winner. A dominant 7 3/4-length victress at first calling Aug. 27 in an off-turf baby dash at Saratoga against a state-bred maiden field, Soloshot broke like one here and quickly establish control over the pace from two off the rail. Putting a comfortable margin on Redwineandwhiskey (War Dancer) entering the straight, she responded when roused...

1st-CD, $120K, Msw, 2yo, f, 1 1/16mT, 6:00 p.m. WITHOUT CAUSE (Omaha Beach) tackles two turns over the turf in this debut run. Dam Without (Tiznow), out of MGSW Mary's Follies (More Than Ready), is a half-sister to GIII Transylvania S. victor Night Prowler (Giant's Causeway), champion female turf horse Regal Glory (Animal Kingdom) and Japanese champion dirt horse Cafe Pharoah (American Pharoah). Trained by Mark Casse, the $180,000 Keeneland September Yearling sale graduate will have Adam Beschizza in the saddle. Also out for her first test is Bridewood Farm...

5th-CD, $120K, Msw, 2yo, 7f, 2:45 p.m. Currently in fifth place on TDN's first-crop sire tally behind fellow Spendthrift Farm leader Maximus Mischief, Vino Rosso will look to add to his haul when MASMAK hits the track for the first time Friday afternoon. Originally purchased for $70,000 by Tom McCrocklin at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, the chestnut colt went to FMQ Stables at the OBS Spring Sale earlier this year for $475,000. Trained by Brad Cox and ridden by Florent Geroux, Masmak's dam GSP Nite in Rome is also...

By Jessica Martini & Christina Bossinakis LEXINGTON, KY - The Keeneland September Yearling Sale's first Book 2 session continued right on from where the auction's elite Book 1 section concluded, producing strong results largely in line with last year's record-setting renewal. During Wednesday's session, 209 yearlings sold for $64,024,000. The session average of $306,335 and the median was $255,000. During last year's Book 2 opener, 219 head grossed $66,695,000 for an average of $304,543 and a median of $250,000. With 83 horses reported not sold, the buy-back rate was 28.42%....