WinStar Farm

The first reported foal by WinStar stallion Tom's d'Etat (Smart Strike--Julia Tuttle, by Giant's Causeway) was born Sunday at Waldorf Farm. The filly is out of Today Comes Once (Cross Traffic) and was bred by Steven Wecker, Alfred and Keith Riccio, Patrick Brown, and Bill Achenbaum. "Lovely filly. Solid bone," said Kenny Toye, manager of Waldorf Farm. "Excited for her owners and happy to have some more Smart Strike blood in New York." Tom's d'Etat won the 2019 GI Clark S. and 2020 GII Stephen Foster S. On the board...

WinStar Farm's GISW and first-year sire Global Campaign (Curlin--Globe Trot, by A.P. Indy) was represented by his first reported foal when a filly was born at Maryland's Country Life Farm Friday night, Jan. 14. The filly is the second foal out of Miss Mystique (Teuflesberg)--a multiple stakes-placed winner who earned $258,283--and was bred by Country Life. "We were excited to breed to him and we couldn't be happier with this filly," said Christy Holden, Country Life's general manager. "Being a Maryland-bred will give her lots of opportunities to earn bonuses...

WinStar Farm's former 'TDN Rising Star' Improbable (City Zip) was represented by his first reported foal when a colt was born the evening of Monday, Jan. 10 at Bluewater Farm near Lexington. The colt is the first from his dam Dark Corner (Into Mischief), a half-sister to GI Spinaway S. heroine Perfect Alibi (Sky Mesa) and to GSP Noble Thought (Harlan's Holiday). Dark Corner was acquired by China Horse Club, who raced Improbable in partnership, for $175,000 at last year's Keeneland November sale. "We've been eagerly anticipating the Improbable foals...

5th-Gulfstream, $55,400, Alw (NW1$X)/Opt. Clm ($75,000), 1-8, 3yo, 6f, 1:09.34, ft, neck. DEAN'S LIST (c, 3, Speightstown--Mildly Offensive {MSW, $285,826}, by Sharp Humor) was an easy last out winner on career debut, taking the Dec. 11 track-and-trip contest by 5 1/2 lengths. Hammered down to 1-5 favoritism for this sophomore bow while receiving first-time Lasix, the WinStar homebred was jostled a bit at the break, but recovered quickly to emerge from the center of the pack as the controlling speed. Rolling into the final turn off a brisk :22.13 opening...

Exaggerator (Curlin--Dawn Raid, by Vindication) will stand the 2022 breeding season at Elite Thoroughbreds, the Folsom, LA farm announced earlier this week. A winner of the GI Preakness S., GI Haskell Invitational S. and GI Santa Anita Derby in 2016, Exaggerator previously stood at WinStar Farm. With two crops to race thus far, he was represented in 2021 by the earners of $3,353,136 and led all second-crop starters by winners with 82. Exaggerator will stand for $5,000 LFSN.

Speightster (Speightstown--Dance Swiftly, by Danzig) has been purchased by Jay and Christine Hayden's Saintsbury Farms to stand the 2022 season at Northern Dawn Stables Inc., Hillsburgh, Ontario, Canada in a deal brokered by Chad Schumer of Schumer Bloodstock. A top-five second-crop sire in 2021 with progeny earnings approaching $4.3 million, the 'TDN Rising Star' previously stood at WinStar Farm. He will command a fee of C$6,500 this term. "Canadian breeders will surely take note of the tremendous opportunity Speightster affords," said Chad Schumer. "He is among the leading second-crop sires,...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 2nd-TAM, $31.5K, Alw/Opt. Clm ($75K), 3yo, 1m 40y, 1:09 p.m. ET WinStar Farm and Siena Farm's EMMANUEL (More Than Ready) ran away to a well-bet debut victory and 'TDN Rising Star' honors last month at Gulfstream and will get his first two-turn test in this salty Tampa allowance early on Friday's card. Bought for $350,000 at Keeneland September, the bay was backed down to 7-5 against nine rivals when unveiled over a mile Dec. 11, shook off some early pace pressure and cruised home a...

Favored at 7-5 to give his connections a second debut winner on the Saturday program at Gulfstream, Emmanuel (More Than Ready) ran them off their feet to become the newest 'TDN Rising Star' Saturday afternoon at Gulfstream Park. It was the second win on the day for connections, who were represented by impressive maiden winner Dean's List (Speightstown) a few races earlier. Having amassed a pretty serious worktab at trainer Todd Pletcher's Palm Beach Downs hub, the $350,000 Keeneland September yearling--the most expensive of 40 More Than Readys sold in...

4th-Gulfstream, $53,000, Msw, 12-11, 2yo, 6f, 1:09.92, ft, 5 1/2 lengths. DEAN'S LIST (c, 2, Speightstown--Mildly Offensive {MSW, $285,826}, by Sharp Humor) drifted out from odds-on to be the 6-5 post-time second choice, but graduated with honors. Heavily favored before being overtaken late in the wagering by Positive Review (Unified), a big-figure second on his course-and-distance debut Oct. 16, Dean's List showed first from his outside gate and took the sit from second as fellow firster Felix (Cupid) showed the way at the inside through a swift opening quarter in...

8th-OP, $102K, Alw/Opt. Clm ($80K), 3yo/up, 5 1/2f, 4:46 p.m. ET Nearly a year after suffering his first defeat in last winter's GI Runhappy Malibu S., China Horse Club and WinStar Farm's NASHVILLE (Speightstown) will return to the races as a likely prohibitive favorite in this sprint at Oaklawn. Starting his career with a devastating 11 1/2-length romp as a 3-10 favorite in the Saratoga slop last September--easily good enough for 'TDN Rising Star' honors--the $460,000 Keeneland September proved that was no fluke with an effortless 9 3/4-length allowance score...

Even last year, when doing so much to fortify breeders through the uncertainties of the pandemic, stallion farms appeared to price their rookies to squeeze the usual juice from the commercial market's greatest addiction. That was fair enough. Nowadays farm accountants can bank only on the most fleeting of vogues in drawing up a business plan for stallion acquisitions. And nor can we sensibly expect any slack now, pending the arrival of first foals and then a debut at the weanling sales next fall. A stallion has to be in...

In Todd we trust. Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher completed a graded Pick 3, and an exacta, to close out the card in style at Aqueduct Saturday as the talented New York-bred Americanrevolution (Constitution) reeled in his stablemate and fellow 3-year-old and 'TDN Rising Star' Following Sea (Runhappy) in the GI Cigar Mile H. presented by NYRA Bets. Coming off an 11 3/4-length drubbing in the Empire Classic H. going 1 1/8 miles around one turn against state-breds in the slop with a gaudy 108 Beyer Speed Figure at...