Vinnie Viola

There are days in racing that are remembered for the horse. There are other days remembered for the crowd, the weather, the setting, or the history. And then there are rare days when all of it comes together. Saturday at Saratoga was one of those days. The final Belmont Stakes at Saratoga was not simply another great day of racing. It was a day of firsts. Nearly 50,000 people filled Saratoga Race Course to capacity. They came despite the threat of rain. And as the horses were entering the gate...

While a decision on Golden Tempo (Curlin)'s participation in the May 16 GI Preakness Stakes at Laurel Park is still to be determined, Vinnie Viola's St. Elias Stable, co-owner of the GI Kentucky Derby winner, has another colt waiting in the wings for the second leg of the Triple Crown in GIII Gotham Stakes winner Iron Honor (Nyquist). Viola co-owns the 3-year-old, most recently seventh in the GII Wood Memorial, in partnership with William Lawrence and Glassman Racing. "He's a nice, nice horse," St. Elias racing and bloodstock manager Monique...

In the age of social media, I realize that I'm writing this at my own peril. And I'm probably once again spitting in the wind. However, I feel like someone needs to speak up on a few things concerning our latest self-inflicted crisis regarding our lack of unity and dysfunction as an industry. To say that as an industry we continue to be "The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight" is an understatement. We have been that way for the 40-plus years I've been involved in horse racing. Hence, the reason...

The first mares have been reported in foal to Claiborne's first-season stallions Mindframe (Constitution--Walk of Stars, by Street Sense) and Johannes (Nyquist--Cuyathy, by Congrats). Multiple Grade I Mindframe's first mare in foal is Put Together (Smart Strike), a half-sister to Grade III winner Feathered (Indian Charlie), the dam of Horse of the Year Flightline. Boarded at Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa in Paris, Put Together is owned by Vinnie Viola's St. Elias Stables, which also co-campaigned Mindframe during his on-track career. Mindframe stands his debut season at stud for an...

It's been a long time coming for Jacob West. Watching 'TDN Rising Star presented by Hagyard' Mindframe make it to the famed stallion barn at Claiborne Farm and settle into the stall once home to the likes of Bold Ruler, Secretariat, Easy Goer and Unbridled marks a full-circle moment years in the making. One year after West joined Claiborne as their Stallion Seasons and Bloodstock Manager, the farm announced this summer that Mindframe would soon be headed to Claiborne. Weeks later, West was at Churchill Downs celebrating as the son...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - As the 2-year-old colt Soldier N Diplomat (Army Mule) was charging down the stretch at Saratoga Race Course Saturday afternoon, his owner, Vinnie Viola, up in his clubhouse box, was eyeballing him and the finish line at the same time. "I was holding my breath the whole way down," Viola said. Soldier N Diplomat had to hold off a late charge by Accost (MacLean's Music) to win the second race, a $100,000 maiden special event weight for 2-year-olds. At the end of the six furlongs, Soldier...

by Jessica Martini & Stefanie Grimm LEXINGTON, KY - The Keeneland January of All Ages Sale produced its third $700,000 mare when Love to Shop (Violence), consigned by Claiborne Farm, brought that co-sale topping bid from Pin Oak Stud Tuesday. During the second session of the three-day auction, 242 horses sold for $10,854,300. The average was $44,852 and the median was $20,000. With 89 horses reported not sold, the buy-back rate was 26.89%. Through two sessions, 442 head have grossed $28,941,300, for an average of $65,478 and a median of...

St. Elias Stables homebred Rated by Merit (c, 2, Battalion Runner--Banner Waving, by Speightstown), featured in TDN nearly six weeks ago as Vinnie Viola's "unlikely Derby contender," showed again why he ranks at or near the top of the promising 2-year-olds for the powerful stable. The undefeated colt won Saturday's FTBOA Florida Sire In Reality Stakes at Gulfstream to sweep the Florida Sires series. With the In Reality his first try around two turns, Rated by Merit broke smoothly from the rail to set an easy :24.13 and :48.92 pace....

There's virtually no chance that Vinnie Viola would have bought a horse like Rated by Merit (Battalion Runner) at the sales. That's where he goes every year to spend big bucks in search of a star. At this year's Keeneland September sale alone, Viola bought 18 horses for $9.1 million. Rated by Merit is undefeated at 3-for-3 after winning Saturday's Affirmed S., the second leg in Gulfstream's series for 2-year-olds by Florida-based sires. An overachiever, he is by a stallion who stands for $2,500 and out a mare who was...

Timberlake (Into Mischief), a 'TDN Rising Star' and Grade I winner at two, will stand the upcoming breeding season at WinStar Farm and his stud fee will be set at $20,000 S&N, according to a press release from the company on Thursday morning. "Being an attractive and imposing son of top sire Into Mischief, Timberlake showed tremendous precocity in winning the GI Champagne and being second in the GI Hopeful at two," said David Hanley, senior vice president/bloodstock services for WinStar Farm. "With his exceptional physical and his unique depth...

Monique Delk, bidding on behalf of Vinnie Viola's St. Elias Stable, went to $900,000 to acquire a colt by Practical Joke (hip 1361) from the Gainesway consignment midway through Saturday's session of the Keeneland September sale. The colt is out of Ridingwiththedevil (Candy Ride {Arg}) and is a half-brother to multiple Grade I placed Reinvestment Risk (Upstart). The yearling was bred by Whisper Hill Farm, Gainesway Thoroughbreds, and Brian Graves.

The Jockey Club has elected new stewards and members to its rolls, the organization said in a release on Thursday morning. The new stewards are Gary Fenton, David O'Farrell, Everrett R. Dobson and Vincent Viola. William S. Farish Jr. (vice chair) was re-elected. The remaining stewards are Stuart S. Janney III (chair), Ian D. Highet (treasurer), William M. Lear (secretary), Barbara Banke, Louis A. Cella, Terry Finley and R. Alex Rankin. The new members who were added include, Joseph Appelbaum, John Ballantyne Ph.D., Rick Gold, Marshall Gramm Ph.D., M.V. Magnier,...