Vekoma

It was hard not to lament the loss when asked about D. Wayne Lukas in the paddock, but trainer Bob Baffert was given an emotional win in the race named after his longtime friend when Splendora (Audible) kicked home to claim the inaugural running of the GII D. Wayne Lukas Stakes at Santa Anita Park. The clear horse to beat after wrapping her 2025 with a stylish victory in the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint last November, the daughter of Audible entered this contest on a three-race win...

The President of Unified Door and Hardware Group, L C Racing's Glenn Bennett has grown from a regional, Pennsylvania-based breeding program to a band of 20 which now includes the dam of an Eclipse winner. Bennett, who lives close to Parx and still brings his family to the track for days like the Pennsylvania Derby card and Owner Appreciate Day, often partners with Chuck Zacney's Cash Is King Racing (best known for campaigning MGISW Afleet Alex) along with now-retired trainer Mark Reid who Bennett credits with the genius behind these...

NOBLE AFFAIR (c, 3, Vekoma--Paden Affair, by Rockport Harbor) was unveiled Dec. 27 at this venue but sprinting on the turf, and ran on well to claim third in a blanket finish after trailing early on from eighth. Moved to the dirt for this second jump, he was asked to navigate a sloppy surface as Fair Grounds hustled to beat the weather, and left the gates carrying 3-1 odds on this seasonal debut. Out to set the pace through an opening quarter in :22.38 and after four furlongs in :45.89,...

5. CINISTER CIX, TP, 1/16-6th, 6 furlongs Beyer Speed Figure-83 (2nd) (c, 4, by Curlin--Auntjenn, by Uncle Mo) O-Bartolome Mafla Herrera. B-Breffni Farm. T-Shane Sands. J-Walter Rodriguez. Privately purchased from the breeder after a half-dozen mostly uninspiring starts, the Curlin filly ran a career-best Beyer and appears to be just coming around. The pedigree is solid: dam Auntjenn was twice stakes-placed, five times ran Beyers between 81 and 83 for Brad Cox, and out of four foals to race has also produced GSW Petulante ($254k) and SW The Donegal Clan...

And so we reach the apex of the fee pyramid we've scaled in stages all the way up from the basement. In reality, this final ascent is too extensive to be coherent: we're clearly not comparing like with like, between stallions available at $60,000 and la crème de la crème at $250,000. But since we can hardly reveal to an unsuspecting world that Into Mischief is a pretty good stallion, let's establish our parameters straightaway. Our purpose today is to seek the residual value that lurks even at this rarefied...

LEXINGTON, KY - The 2026 Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale concluded its compressed two-day run Tuesday. "Another really good day," said Keeneland Vice President of Sales Tony Lacy. "Overall, it was a great, solid day of trading. Everyone felt like it was a very honest and strong market overall." That market strength and diversity was on display with as the top 25 horses came from 18 different consignors and sold to 24 individual buyers. The top 13 yearlings were also each by different stallions. After a three-day sale...

There's a certain buzz that comes with welcoming a Kentucky Derby winner to a stallion roster. Bret Jones knows the feeling from when Mage retired to Airdrie Stud in 2024. This year, they're repeating the milestone with Mystik Dan (Goldencents), who arrived at the Midway, Kentucky farm three weeks ago. "We've been totally busy since we announced that we were showing him," said Jones. "Everybody wants to see a Kentucky Derby winner. Breeders are coming away impressed with not only how well he handles everything, but with what a beautifully...

Sponsored by Pedigrees360. Sorry to do this yet again, but the very fact that the exercise can be repeated every November shows that we're not looking at anything freakish; in other words, that there are valid lessons to learn. Because with daughters of Old Fashioned, Mitole, Big Brown, Ten Sovereigns (Ire) and Outwork among the 10 most valuable mares changing hands at Fasig-Tipton and Keeneland last week, why would anyone trying to seed a breeding program start by spending fortunes on fillies by glamor sires? For most of us, who...

The Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale concluded its two-day Book 3 Saturday, already surpassing the total gross of the 2024 sale with still three days remaining in Lexington, KY. Through five days, the gross for 1,125 horses sold through the ring is up 31.54% from the same period last year when 1,055 horses sold for $163,353,500. Average price rose 23.25% from $154,837 to $190,996. The median of $130,000 increased 36.84% from last year's $95,000. On Saturday, Keeneland sold 259 horses through the ring for $25,328,500, a 29.55% jump from the...

Attfield (Vekoma) played the role of the Fantastic Mr. Fox to perfection as he shot through a hole to swipe the Central Park Stakes at the Big A on Friday afternoon. The Tom Morley trainee, named for the stable's John Attfield, donned cap and gown on debut after sprinting on the grass at the Spa Aug. 29 when he rallied to best eventual stakes winner Schwarzenegger (Not This Time). Attfield tried the Aqueduct turf course in the GIII Futurity Stakes Oct. 3 and improved to make the podium. As a...

7th-Churchill Downs, $116,774, Msw, 10-31, 2yo, f, 7f, 1:24.23, ft, 5 1/4 lengths. PAIGE TURNER (f, 2, Army Mule--Sophia Mia, by Pioneerof the Nile) drew in from the also-eligible list and made the most of the chance here as the 8-5 favorite. Stalking the dueling leaders as Raspberry (Medaglia d'Oro) pushed the tempo through :22.63 and four furlongs in :46.32, Paige Turner was the looming danger via the grandstand side as she swooped in to take command passing the furlong marker. In hand in the final sixteenth, she strolled home...

Did you hear the one about the wrestler who opted for three foals and a submission? Understandably, Jeff Kerber feels a little conflicted about the "submission." In his youth, as Iowa's first high school wrestler unbeaten through four years of varsity competition, everything came down to what he could do with his bare hands. In lately discovering a flair for a second walk of sporting life, however, Kerber had to make a pragmatic concession to the economic odds against him. His entire Kentucky program comprised four mares, and one of...