Tapit

'TDN Rising Star' Essential Quality (Tapit--Delightful Quality, by  Elusive Quality), a leading Eclipse Award finalist for champion 3-year-old colt, heads to the breeding shed with an impressive line-up of mares for his first season at stud at Darley's Jonabell Farm in Kentucky. The 2020 champion 2-year-old colt and GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner continued to add to his loaded resume at three, capturing the GI Belmont S. and GI Runhappy Travers S. He concluded his career with a third-place finish against his elders in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic. The...

Halladay (War Front--Hightap, by Tapit), winner of the 2020 GI Fourstardave H., has been retired from racing and will stand the 2022 breeding season at Harris Farms in California as the property of a syndicate led by Adrian Gonzalez of Checkmate Thoroughbreds. He will stand for an introductory fee of $7,500, live foal stand and nurse guarantee, with shares available. Racing for Harrell Ventures and trainer Todd Pletcher, Halladay also won the 2019 Tropical Park Derby and 2020 Sunshine Forever S. On the board in 12 of 17 starts, the...

Third-crop sire Gem Heist (Street Cry {Ire}--Careless Jewel, by Tapit) has been relocated to stand at Rancho San Miguel in San Miguel, California for the 2022 breeding season. His fee is $2,500, live foal guarantee. The 10-year-old stallion previously stood at a private farm in Bakersfield, California as the property of the late horseman Bob Grayson, Sr. Grayson purchased Gem Heist for $100,000 from Eddie Woods' consignment at the 2014 Barretts March Sale of Selected 2-Year-Olds in Training. Gem Heist experienced a career-ending injury while preparing for his debut, and...

It's been a long time since I have been up at `dark thirty', but here I find myself happily strolling into Santa Anita Park at 4:30 in the morning--a far cry from nearly 10 years ago when I was galloping horses and would find myself running late whilst popping an Altoid and three Advil to quell the night-before activities. But here I am. Why? Because I asked John Sadler for a Flightline (Tapit) interview and of course, Flightline trains at 5 a.m. After a morning of carrots, coffee, and horses,...

4th-GP, $60k, Msw, 3yo, 6f, 1:27 p.m. ET Several in this race carry nice price tags but IRON WORKS (Distorted Humor) on the outside catches the eye first as a $550,000 purchase from last year's OBS April sale (:10 1/5) for MyRacehorse and Spendthrift Farm. The runner is a half to one other winner from GISP Silverpocketsfull (Indian Charlie), herself out of MGSP Unforgotten (Northern Afleet) and a half to another graded stakes-placed horse. Particular (Classic Empire) one down in the gate is part of the first 3-year-old crop for...

The well-bred Courvoisier (Tapit), a narrow maiden winner at fourth asking at the Big A last time Dec. 2, picked up 10 points for the GI Kentucky Derby while securing his second straight win in Saturday's sloppy $150,000 Jerome S. His third and second-place finishes in his first two starts respectively set the colt up for a move forward with the addition of blinkers Oct. 27 at Delaware Park, where he was caught late going a mile and lost by a nose. Stretching out to 1 1/8 miles for his...

As a year of unprecedented achievement draws to a close, the distribution of laurels among our champion stallions must first and foremost celebrate their sheer potency. For while we already know Into Mischief to be a phenomenon, he demands fresh admiration in sealing his third consecutive general sires' championship with a prizemoney haul just shy of $25 million, shattering the $22,507,940 record he set in his second; the work of 260 winners, similarly raising the bar giddily on the 221 who compiled his first. As the revelation of the year,...

Anchor Down (Tapit--Successful Outlook, by Orientate), a two-time graded winner at a mile and runner-up in the prestigious 2016 GI Mohegan Sun Metropolitan H., has been relocated to stand the 2022 season at Iowa State University. He began his career at stud at Gainesway in Kentucky. From two crops of racing age, Anchor Down, a $250,000 KEESEP yearling, is the sire of 22 winners and six stakes horses. Produced by GSW Successful Outlook, Anchor Down is a half-brother to GISW Sweet Lulu (Mr. Greeley) and a full-brother to GSW Iron...

Brilliant 'TDN Rising Star' Flightline (Tapit), among the most exciting horses in training or in recent memory, faces his toughest test to date in Sunday's GI Runhappy Malibu S. The $1-million FTSAUG buy turned in a debut for the ages when drubbing local foes by double digit lengths and earning a 105 Beyer Speed Figure here in April, and after overcoming a bruised foot he put up a gaudy 114 Beyer when making similarly short work of Del Mar optional claiming foes Sept. 5. The John Sadler trainee has certainly...

Unbeaten and untested in a pair of blowout victories, 'TDN Rising Star' Flightline (Tapit) is gearing up to make his highly anticipated stakes debut in the GI Malibu S. on Santa Anita's traditional opening day program Dec. 26. Campaigned in partnership by the powerhouse lineup of Hronis Racing, Siena Farm, West Point Thoroughbreds, Woodford Racing, and breeder Summer Wind Equine, the $1-million Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling made it two-for-two for trainer John Sadler in spectacular fashion, crushing a first-level group of optional claimers by 12 3/4 lengths over Labor Day weekend...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 6th-AQU, $80K, Msw, 2yo, f, 6 1/2f, 2:14 p.m. Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey unveils a pair of well-bred newcomers in this salty-looking test. Courtlandt Farm paid $1,025,000 for Adam's Angel (Into Mischief) as a Keeneland September yearling. Out of stakes-placed Mary Rita (Distorted Humor) and bred on the same cross as Practical Joke and Life Is Good, the bay's third dam is the McGaughey-trained Hall of Famer and blue hen Personal Ensign (Private Account). Gainesway Stable and Andrew Rosen, meanwhile, will be represented by...

1st-Del Mar, $102,000, Alw (NW1$X)/Opt. Clm ($40,000), 11-5, 3yo/up, 6f, 1:08.44, ft, 2 1/4 lengths. TRIPLE TAP (c, 3, Tapit--Littleprincessemma {Broodmare Of The Year}, by Yankee Gentleman), an impressive TDN Rising Star-earning winner of his debut at Santa Anita in Mar. 13, marked his return to the races in style Friday afternoon, coming from well off the pace to win in the first race at Del Mar. Settled near the back of the field early as the pacesetters exchanged blows up front through :21.64 and :43.73, the 9-5 favorite swung...