Spendthrift Farm

Palace Sold to Saudi Arabia

Palace (City Zip--Receivership, by End Sweep), his sire's only multiple Grade I winner currently at stud, has been sold to continue his career in Saudi Arabia. The deal was brokered by Chad Schumer of Schumer Bloodstock. Trained for the majority of his racing career by Linda Rice, Palace raced at a top level into his 6-year-old season and was a leading sprinter of 2014, with victories in the GI A. G. Vanderbilt H. and GI Forego S. at Saratoga. He retired to Spendthrift Farm with 12 wins from 30 starts...

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An Authentic Milestone in the Hughes Adventure
An Authentic Milestone in the Hughes Adventure

Revolutions start in the street. But it's only once they have taken over the citadels, and adapt to the trappings and opportunities of power, that you can judge their ultimate success. In transforming the stallion business from the bottom up, B. Wayne Hughes was aptly faithful to his own origins. The son of an Oklahoma sharecropper, he remembers a Grapes Of Wrath migration from the Dust Bowl to California with a mattress strapped to the family jalopy. He also remembers local hostility to the incomers: not least because the "Okies,"...

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Taking Stock: Nyquist Off the Grade I Mark

Spendthrift purchased the breeding rights to Authentic before the Grade l Santa Anita Derby, and the $9 million kicker it agreed to pay Authentic's former ownership group for winning the Gl Kentucky Derby is indicative of the premium that's placed on a stallion prospect with North America's most prestigious Classic on his resume. A front-running colt, Authentic has the right type of sire behind him as well. He's by Spendthrift's flagship stallion Into Mischief (Harlan's Holiday), who cranks out graded stakes winners like nobody's business, particularly sprinters and milers that...

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MyRacehorse Founder Michael Behrens Joins TDN Writers' Room

As far as marketing for a nascent, unorthodox racehorse ownership venture goes, you couldn't do much better than a horse carrying your silks into the Churchill Downs infield as the GI Kentucky Derby winner. That's what Michael Behrens experienced Saturday, as Authentic (Into Mischief), bought into by his MyRacehorse microshare partnership in June, fought off favored Tiz the Law (Constitution) past the Twin Spires to earn the garland of roses. Wednesday, Behrens joined the TDN Writers' Room podcast presented by Keeneland as the Green Group Guest of the Week to...

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Derby Wrap: Authentic 'Not Even Tired', On to Preakness

A day after picking up his record-tying sixth GI Kentucky Derby win in a renewal as unorthodox as they come, trainer Bob Baffert said victor Authentic (Into Mischief) "wasn't even tired" Sunday morning after going wire to wire and turning back odds-on Tiz the Law (Constitution) in Saturday's Run for the Roses. "I couldn't believe it, I thought he might be a little tired today," Baffert said. "He came out of it well." The triumph for Baffert was plenty unorthodox as well. After appearing to have a strangehold on the...

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Kentucky Derby Q & A With B. Wayne Hughes

It could be quite a Derby week for Spendthrift Farm and its owner B. Wayne Hughes. Spendthrift has never won a Triple Crown race but is in solid position in this year's GI Kentucky Derby with two starters it co-owns, Authentic (Into Mischief) and Thousand Words (Pioneerof the Nile). It could also be a huge couple of days for Spendthrift's white-hot stallion, Into Mischief. He will be represented by 'TDN Rising Star' Authentic in the Derby and by the freakishly fast 'Rising Star' Gamine in the GI Kentucky Oaks. Hughes...

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Second Chances: Moonlight d'Oro

In this continuing series, TDN's Senior Editor Steve Sherack catches up with the connections of promising maidens to keep on your radar. Moonlight d'Oro (f, 2, Medaglia d'Oro-Venetian Sonata, by Bernardini) stamped herself as a 2-year-old to watch after rolling home through traffic to finish a strong second as the 3-5 favorite in her five-furlong unveiling at Del Mar Aug. 2 (video). Trained by Hall of Famer Richard Mandella, the $620,000 Keeneland September yearling was outsprinted early and ridden in eighth heading into the far turn. On the move with...

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Cinco Charlie Gets First Winner at Belterra

Spendthrift Farm's Cinco Charlie (Indian Charlie) was represented by his first winner Tuesday when Patricia and Daniel Yates' Big On Big scored a hard-fought victory in his career debut. Showing a mostly pedestrian local worktab until perking up with a five-furlong bullet in 1:02 4/5 (1/7) July 18, the dark bay took a late punch to be 28-5 at the off and led narrowly as the middle marker in a three-way pace duel through a sharp :22.40 quarter. Starting to find a bit of daylight past a :47.26 half, he...

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Authentic Hangs on to Give Baffert Ninth Haskell

Heavily favored Authentic (Into Mischief) got surprisingly loose early and held on narrowly late in Saturday's GI TVG.com Haskell S., upping trainer Bob Baffert's record win total in the prestigious event to nine and earning an automatic spot in the starting gate for the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Classic. Off at 3-5 looking to atone for a second-place finish at 1-2 behind Honor A. P. (Honor Code) in the GI Santa Anita Derby last month, the bay broke on top and received only token pressure from Ny Traffic (Cross Traffic)...

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Saturday's Insights: $500K Into Mischief Juvenile Kicks Off Career in Spa Opener

1st-SAR, $72K, Msw, 2yo, 5 1/2f, 1:10 p.m. ET MO MISCHIEF (Into Mischief), purchased by Myracehorse.com and Spendthrift Farm for $500,000 after breezing a quarter in :21 at OBS March, makes his debut for Todd Pletcher. The 9-5 morning-line favorite is out of the multiple stakes-placed Montbrook mare Montessa G. "He's a horse that we really liked when we bought him," said Spendthrift Farms' General Manager Ned Toffey. "Saratoga is the best of the bests, it's where people love to unveil their 2-year-olds and you better have your big boy...

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Vekoma to Stand at Spendthrift
Vekoma to Stand at Spendthrift

B. Wayne Hughes's Spendthrift Farm has acquired the breeding rights to multiple Grade I-winning millionaire Vekoma (Candy Ride {Arg}--Mona de Momma, by Speightstown). The chestnut captured the prestigious GI Runhappy Metropolitan H. Saturday, four weeks after dominating the GI Runhappy Carter H. "We are extremely excited about Vekoma and his future as a stallion. It's not often you see an elite racehorse that is by a Grade I winner and out of a Grade I winner," said Ned Toffey, Spendthrift general manager. "Vekoma is a terrific blend of his sire...

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Freshman Brody's Cause Gets First Career Winner

William Thompson Jr.'s Gospel Way (Brody's Cause) came from off the pace to graduate in his career unveiling at Woodbine Sunday afternoon. Sent off at 24-1 in the five-furlong main track test, the homebred settled in the second flight third early as Dancing Dragon (Old Forestor) established early fractions. Improving his position while two paths wide turning for home, the gelding bore down on the frontrunner through the lane, took over with relative ease and drew off to win by 1 1/4 lengths. The victory represented the first winner for...

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