WinStar Farm

With likely Horse of the Year Authentic (Into Mischief) recently retired to stud, the Bob Baffert barn wasted no time unveiling its next speedy superstar by the nation's leading sire as CHC Inc. and WinStar Farm LLC's Life is Good (Into Mischief) demolished his competition to become a no-brainer 'TDN Rising Star'. The bay prepped for this with a head-turning 1:00 flat (1-of-51) gate breeze last Saturday (XBTV Video), and drifted up to 1-5 at the off after spending much of the betting cycle at 1-9. Zipping off to lead...

8th-Churchill Downs, $87,037, Msw, 11-12, 2yo, f, 6f, 1:10.53, ft, 6 lengths. ABROGATE (f, 2, Outwork--Hot Coffee, by Burning Roma) took all the money for her debut Thursday at Churchill, broke on top and never looked back in a sharp victory, becoming the 13th winner for her streaking freshman sire (by Uncle Mo). Showing an upbeat worktab highlighted by a local five-furlong gate breeze in 1:00 2/5 (6/46) Nov. 1, the $270,000 Keeneland September grad was bet hard throughout and kicked smoothly from the stalls as a 3-2 chalk. Quickly...

LEXINGTON,KY-- Just over 12 hours after the trio's contention for the GI Breeders' Cup Classic, Improbable (City Zip), Global Campaign (Curlin) and Tom's d'Etat (Smart Strike) made the short trip from Keeneland to WinStar Farm, where they will soon take up stud duty for the 2021 breeding season. "We're really excited with Improbable, Global Campaign and Tom's d'Etat coming to the stallion barn," said WinStar's Elliott Walden. "They all look good-their color was good, they didn't look too drawn up and they got off the van and acted like they'd...

Tony Holmes has enjoyed sales success with mares he has purchased in partnership with employees of his Marula Park Stud in the past, but next week the native New Zealander and a 22-year veteran of the farm may have success on the next level when they send Veronique (Mizzen Mast) (hip 244D) through the ring during Monday's first session of the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale. Holmes purchased the mare, in foal to Mastery, privately after she RNA'd for $22,000 at last year's Keeneland November sale. It was 10 months...

J Kirk and Judy Robison's Jackie's Warrior (Maclean's Music), likely favorite for Friday's GI TVG Breeders' Cup Juvenile, was among nine Steve Asmussen trainees aiming for championship weekend to work at Keeneland Sunday morning. The undefeated 2-year-old went four furlongs in :48.80 (9/25). "He had a nice, easy half-mile," Asmussen said. "I thought he moved well over the race track. The circumstances were excellent today. We're very excited about running him on Friday." Sunday's work was Jackie's Warrior second over the Keeneland surface. He also went five furlongs in 1:00.20...

So long, old big head. Most who fit that description are good; just not quite as good as they think. But you showed an indomitability rooted, not in arrogance, but in an awareness that the odds of life are seldom easy; that the crown must be earned, not just ceremonially conferred. In your case, it just needed a little extra by way of circumference. The retirement from stud of Tiznow (Cee's Tizzy), announced this week, is poignantly timed. In a few days' time, a fresh name will be carved on...

WinStar Farm released its 2021 stud fees Wednesday and leading the roster are Speightstown, who will stand for $90,000 S&N, and leading second-crop sire Constitution, who will stand for $85,000 S&N. WinStar has reduced the stud fees of most of its stallions in recognition of the challenging economic conditions. "During these times, we felt it appropriate to drop 75% of our fees," said Elliott Walden, WinStar's president, CEO, and racing manager. "We gave two horses a bump--Speightstown, the co-leading sire this year with three Grade I winners and fourth general...

Tiznow (Cee's Tizzy-Cee's Song, by Seatle Song), the only horse to have won back-to-back runnings of the GI Breeders' Cup Classic, has been pensioned from stud duty, it was announced Oct. 21 by WinStar Farm. Owned by Cees Racing Stable and trained by Jay Robbins, Tiznow developed rapidly after breaking his maiden in his third career start. Six months later and after wins in the GI Super Derby and the GII Goodwood Breeders' Cup H., he won his first Breeders' Cup, edging Giant's Causeway by a neck. Thanks largely to...

Laoban (Uncle Mo--Chattertown, by Speightstown), a son of champion and perennial leading sire Uncle Mo and one of the leaders of his freshman class, is relocating from Sequel Stallions in New York to WinStar Farm for 2021. A limited number of seasons will be offered at $25,000 S&N until the Breeders' Cup. That fee is subject to change pending results in the Breeders' Cup, as Laoban has contenders in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile, and GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf. The leading New York freshman...

You know this adage well: "Sell a stallion overseas and he'll catch fire." The latest example is Daredevil (More Than Ready), whose remarkable first-crop daughter Swiss Skydiver put on a show for the ages on Saturday to deny Gl Kentucky Derby winner Authentic (Into Mischief) the Gl Preakness S. at Pimlico. Trained by a daredevil in Kenny McPeek, Swiss Skydiver and Authentic engaged in a protracted head-to-head stretch duel, but the filly never let Authentic get the better of her at any stage and won the Classic by a neck,...

Robert J. Baron and WinStar Farm's Grade I-winning millionaire Promises Fulfilled (Shackleford--Marquee Delivery, by Marquetry) has been retired from racing and will enter stud at WinStar for the 2021 breeding season. His fee has been set at $10,000 S&N. Promises Fulfilled won five graded stakes at distances from six furlongs to 1 1/16 miles--winning the GI H. Allen Jerkens S., GII Fountain of Youth S., GII John A. Nerud S., GII Phoenix S., and GIII Amsterdam S. "When we look for stallion prospects, we want brilliance," said Elliott Walden, WinStar's...

Liam O'Rourke, a part of the WinStar bloodstock team since 2016, has been promoted to WinStar's Director of Bloodstock Services. The Toronto native leaves a void on the Stallion Season Sales team which will be filled by Olivia Desch, who has been bloodstock assistant at WinStar since 2019. "We are fortunate to be in a position to promote from within," said Elliott Walden, president, CEO, and racing manager of WinStar Farm. "Our team is deep with talent and we pride ourselves on hiring people that our clients enjoy working with....