Stallion News

  • DIXIE UNION AT HOME AND ABROAD!
  • RISING STAR LEMON DROP KID
  • SMART STRIKE CONTINUES TO DOMINATE
  • MILLIONAIRE BOWMAN’S BAND EUTHANIZED
  • 'SPECIAL’ CITY ZIP COLT REMAINS UNBEATEN
  • KINGMAMBO'S 12TH SW IN 2008
  • REMARKABLE LANGFUHR
  • ANOTHER BOWMAN’S BAND WINNER
  • ROCK HARD TEN ROCKS SARATOGA SALE
  • OH ‘HENRY’!
  • NINE GRADE 1 WINNERS FOR BELONG TO ME
  • ‘SUCCESS’ FOR MINESHAFT RUNNERS
  • THE SARATOGA “MAMBOs”
  • ANOTHER SUPERSTAR FOR A.P. INDY?
  • ANOTHER JUVENILE SW FOR DIXIE UNION
  • NEW MATINGS TOOL: TrueNicks
  • A ‘ROCK HARD TEN’ FOR $210,000
  • FILLY SESSION TOPPER FOR SAINT LIAM
  • KINGMAMBO RULES
  • A 1-2-3 PUNCH FOR LANE’S END
  • A REGALLY BRED ‘KING’ WINS FIRST STAKES
  • A ‘PERFECT’ TWO FOR TWO
  • A MOTHER GOOSE SWEEP FOR LANE’S END
  • DIXIE UNION JUVENILES RED HOT
  • SIX ‘08 GROUP WINNERS FOR THE ‘KING’
  • THE KING AT ROYAL ASCOT
  • THE CURLIN WALTZ
  • BRONZE TRIBUTE TO A.P. INDY
  • FIRST WINNER FOR PLEASANTLY PERFECT
  • MINESHAFT 3YO SHARP IN CHURCHILL MAIDEN!
  • MAMBOING IN THE GUINEAS
  • SHE'S "INDESCRIBABLE"
  • ‘SPECIAL’ DAY AT PIMLICO
  • FRESHMAN SIRE: BOWMAN’S BAND - FIRST WINNER!
  • MINESHAFT’S NEWEST STAR
  • CITY ZIP - “ONE TO WATCH”
  • “KING” CONTINUES TO REIGN
  • TIAGO TRIUMPHS IN G2 OAKLAWN H.!
  • GRADE 1 GLORY FOR CITY ZIP’S BUSTIN STONES!
  • BELLE OF THE ASHLAND BALL
  • 2YO LANGFUHR COLT DAZZLES
  • CURLIN THE CONQUEROR
  • NEW MATINGS TOOL: G1 GOLDMINE STALLION MATCH
  • DON ADAM’S ADRIANO ROMPS
  • STEPHEN’S “VENDETTA”
  • CITY ZIP’S APEX RANKINGS
  • LANGFUHR: A PREMIER SIRE
  • TERRIFIC TWO-YEAR-OLDS
  • LANGFUHR'S EUROEARS REMAINS UNDEFEATED
  • MINESHAFT: 3 NEW WINNERS!
  • MINESHAFT: HOW “COOL” WAS THAT?!
  • CHAMPION WAR PASS RETURNS
  • A “FIERCE WIND” IS BLOWIN’ FOR DIXIE UNION
  • KINGMAMBO RUNNERS 1-2 IN G2 RACE
  • ARAGORN'S FIRST FOAL
  • LANE’S END “ECLIPSED” THE AWARDS
  • SMART STRIKE SETS SIRE RECORD
  • WIN AND YOU...MUST BE DOING BUSINESS WITH LANES END!
  • TWO FOR FREE: LANE'S END OFFERS TWO FREE PRODUCTS
        TO HELP YOU PLAN YOUR MATINGS
  • ALAN PORTER'S MATING ANALYSIS
  • STAKES SUCCESS: LIST OF STAKES HORSES BY OUR STALLIONS
  • SIRES’ MOST RECENT WINNERS: TDN PROGENY PP’s
  • AFTER MARKET: HIGH EXPECTATIONS
  • ARAGORN: THE OUTSTANDING MILER
  • BOWMAN'S BAND: THE “BAND” PLAYS ON
  • MINGUN: THE PERFECT PEDIGREE
  • PLEASANTLY PERFECT: A “PERFECT” OPPORTUNITY
  • ROCK HARD TEN: A PERFECT 10
  • SMART STRIKE: ELITE SIRE
  • WANDO: WHY HE’S SO “WANDO-FUL!”
  • WAR PASS: GET READY FOR “WAR”
  • LANE’S END LEADS THE WAY...AGAIN

  • ARAGORN: FIRST-CROP COVERING SIRE AWESOME AT THE SALES
  • MINGUN & WANDO: FIRST-CROP WEANLINGS SIRES POPULAR
        AT THE SALES
  • ROCK HARD TEN WEANLINGS ROCK KEENELAND!
  • MINESHAFT: IMPRESSIVE WINNERS
  • DIXIE UNION: JOIN THE “UNION”
  • LEMON DROP KID ON A RED-HOT STREAK
  • ‘STEPHEN’ GOT GOOD. REAL GOOD.
  • DANCE THE ‘MAMBO
  • LANGFUHR IS OUTSTANDING
  • A.P. INDY’S LEGACY CONTINUES TO GROW
  • CURLIN DOMINATES CLASSIC
  • ENGLISH CHANNEL EXPLODES IN BC TURF
  • SENSATIONAL SEPTEMBER SALE

     

    DIXIE UNION AT HOME AND ABROAD!

    Aug. 30, 2008: DIXIE UNION’s two-year-old filly Homebound improved her record to two wins in three starts with a victory over males in Friday’s Listed Prix du Haras de la Huderie at Deauville. The Joseph Allen homebred was sent off the 7-5 second choice in the seven-furlong turf event coming off a maiden win at Clairefontaine Aug. 8. Taking the lead under her own resolve in the early going, Homebound was overtaken by a foe 350 meters out, but battled back gamely to prevail by a length on the line. “She’s an improving filly, there’s no doubt about that, and today she showed he already needs at least one mile,” said trainer Jean-Claude Rouget. Homebound, produced by a three-parts sister to Dynaformer, is a half to SW Blue Exit and 2006 G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere Grand Criterium runner-up Battle Paint.

    It was the newest stakes winner for DIXIE UNION, who has been represented by no fewer than nine stakes winners on the year, and his newest star juvenile. In 2008, DIXIE UNION can also boast the two-year-olds Garden District (GSW), Bold Union (SW) and Super Dixie (SW), in addition to his established stars Grasshopper, Dixie Chatter, Fierce Wind, etc.

    DIXIE UNION is the leading juvenile sire by number of stakes winners.

    Return to Stallion News 2008

    RISING STAR LEMON DROP KID

    Aug. 28, 2008: On the strength of yet another very strong season, there can be no doubt that LEMON DROP KID is one of the premier sires in the country. A top 10 sire in 2007, LEMON DROP KID currently sits in 12th on the Leading Sires List with $4,489,051 in progeny earnings. Impressively, only four sires in North America have more stakes winners than LEMON DROP KID’s 11 (including his own sire, KINGMAMBO, who has 12).

    August has been a particularly strong month for LEMON DROP KID. Last Friday, his daughter Lemon Drop Mom ran reigning Champion Older Female Ginger Punch to a nose in the G1 Personal Ensign S. at Saratoga, two days before his son Mad Rush finished a head runner-up in the G2 Prix Kergolay at Deauville. Also in August, Lemon Kiss won the $100,000 Emerald Distaff H., Drop a Kiss won the $100,000 Windward S., and Sweet Hope completed the exacta under champion Indian Blessing in the important G1 Test S. at the Spa.

    And the future looks bright. The two-year-old colt Charitable Man dazzled in his debut at Saratoga, romping by 11 1/2 lengths and earning a 97 Beyer, third-best among juveniles, while Break Water Edison, another first-out winner at Saratoga, returned to be a game second to CITY ZIP’s Run Away and Hide in the G2 Saratoga Special S.

    Keep an eye out for yearlings by LEMON DROP KID at Keeneland September.

    Return to Stallion News 2008

    SMART STRIKE CONTINUES TO DOMINATE

    Sept. 3, 2008: SMART STRIKE dominated the Leading Sires List last year with record progeny earnings of $14,358,570, and thanks in part to the exploits of his superlative son Curlin, he looks poised to repeat in 2008. As of Sept. 3, SMART STRIKE’s progeny had earned $8,628,451 this term, again tops among North American sires and some $1.9 million ahead of second-place Tiznow.

    Leading the way, of course, is the G1 Dubai World Cup and G1 Breeders’ Cup Classic hero Curlin, who collected his third Grade 1 on the year with a professional victory in the historic G1 Woodward S. at Saratoga. The reigning Horse of the Year has now earned $9,796,800 and is just shy of Cigar’s all-time mark. SMART STRIKE’s further 2008 stars include graded winner and recent G1 Beverly D. S. runner-up Communique; the wickedly fast sprint standout Fabulous Strike, winner of the Vincent A. Moscarelli Memorial S. and last year’s G1 Vosburgh S.; and the Grade 1 runners Strike a Deal and Never Retreat.

    SMART STRIKE’s lone yearling to go through the ring this year brought $300,000 at Fasig-Tipton Saratoga, and he has a strong group at the upcoming Keeneland September Sale. Keep and eye out for his exceptional yearlings!

    Return to Stallion News 2008

    'SPECIAL’ CITY ZIP COLT REMAINS UNBEATEN

    Sept. 3, 2008: The two-year-old CITY ZIP colt Run Away and Hide improved his record to a perfect three-for-three with a determined victory in the historic G2 Saratoga Special S. at Saratoga Aug. 14. The bay, who was bred by Ron Kirk, Joint Ventures and Michael Riordan and is owned by Kirk, Riordan and John Bates, Run Away and Hide earned a 100 BRIS figure when he captured his debut at Keeneland in April. He quickly added the G3 Kentucky S. in early May.

    Trainer Ronny Werner put the colt away until the Special, which drew a stellar field. The depth of the race meant that Run Away and Hide would go off the crowd’s third choice, but despite the long absence, he quickly showed that he was still the best 2YO colt on the East Coast. Shadowing the leaders from the inside, he assumed command in upper stretch and inched away from a game Break Water Edison, a son of LEMON DROP KID. Break Water Edison was bred by Lane’s End Oak Tree Division Manager Callan Strouss and his wife Darcia and was sold as a yearling by Lane’s End. Congrats to the connections of this Lane’s End exacta!

    CITY ZIP’s momentum carried right on through the month of August. On Aug. 16, his two-year-old daughter Partners Star captured the seven-furlong Anna M. Fisher Debutante S. at Ellis Park as the 3-5 choice. It was the filly’s third straight victory. On the same card, the two-year-old colt Citizen ran third in the James C. Ellis Juvenile S. Two days after that, Just Zip It was beaten just 3/4 lengths when third in Saratoga’s $84,150 Union Avenue S., while Canadian Ballet was beaten a head when runner-up in the Spa’s $83,250 Mechanicville S. the same day. Last Saturday, the 3YO filly Suzy Zip lived up to her even-money favoritism in the one-mile $150,000 Elge Rasberry S., rallying to a daylight win over the Louisiana Downs turf. Rooster City was another CITY ZIP youngster to add black-type to his resume; the two-year-old gelding ran second in the Aug. 30 Washington Thoroughbred Breeders Association Lads S.

    Return to Stallion News 2008

    KINGMAMBO’S SEFROUA WINS STAKES, HEADING TO STATES

    August 14, 2008: Nelson Radwan’s impeccably bred Sefroua, a KINGMAMBO daughter of Group 1 winner Sophisticat (Storm Cat), captured her initial stakes success in the Listed Prix de Lieurey at Deauville in France today to become her sire’s 12th stakes winner for the year.

    Never off the board in five starts entering the race and coming off a pair of seconds in listed stakes, she caboosed the field in the early going before rallying powerfully to win by a head. Winning trainer Jean-Claude Rouget said the granddaughter of champion Serena’s Song will likely be shipped to the U.S. for the G1 Garden City H. at Belmont Sept. 6. Congratulations to her connections!

    KINGMAMBO is the leading sire by number of G1 winners to date in 2008.

    Return to Stallion News 2008

    REMARKABLE LANGFUHR

    September 3, 2008: He sired a dual Grade 1 winner in his first crop, the top filly Imperial Gesture. He sired Triple Crown winner WANDO in his second. He’s been a top 15 sire every year since 2003, and has twice ended the year in the top five, including last season, when his son Lawyer Ron was named Champion Older Male in the U.S. LANGFUHR, indeed, is one of the premier stallions in the business, and he’s in the midst of another fine year with nearly $4.8 million in progeny earnings, good for 11th on the Leading Sires List. He is also the leading sire of winners to date this year.

    On Aug. 3, LANGFUHR reached a new milestone by siring his third winner of the final leg of Canada’s Triple Crown, the $500,000 Breeders’ S. The sophomore colt Marlang, who like WANDO is a Gustav Schickedanz homebred, flew home in the 1 1/2-mile Classic to win by 2 3/4 lengths. Marlang then took the show on the road, capturing Saratoga’s G3 Saranac S. in facile wire-to-wire fashion. WANDO captured the Breeders’ S. in 2003, while Jambalaya, later the winner of the G1 Arlington Million, won in 2005. LANGFUHR’s other 2008 stakes winners included G2 Dance Smartly S. heroine The Niagara Queen, Lang Field, a Grade 1 winner last term, and the very fast sprinter Euroears.

    Return to Stallion News 2008

    ROCK HARD TEN ROCKS SARATOGA SALE

    August 5, 2008 - ROCK HARD TEN’s first yearlings hit the auction block this year and he led all first-crop sires at the recent Saratoga Sale.

    His average of $516,666 eclipsed other first-year sires Ghostzapper ($393,750) and Afleet Alex ($300,000). His average was 7.24 times his stud fee vs. Ghostzapper (1.85) and Afleet Alex at 4.88.

    In all, from five through the ring and five sold in 2008, ROCK HARD TEN’s yearlings have averaged a sterling $362,000—sixth in the nation among all sires and just behind Ghostzapper’s $370,000 among freshman sires. ROCK HARD TEN’s median of $400,000 is co-fourth in the nation among all sires, behind only Storm Cat, Distorted Humor and A.P. INDY!

    Legends Racing, the new racing partnership run by Olin Gentry and Tom Gaines and employing the likes of Derby stalwarts Bob Baffert, Nick Zito and D. Wayne Lukas, saw fit to go to $700,000 for a colt from the first crop of ROCK HARD TEN at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select sale. The well-made colt certainly had a classic air about him. A son of stakes winner Tapstress (Desert Wine) and a half to graded winner Discreet Hero (Honour and Glory), he was a originally a $225,000 KEENOV weanling before being resold to Legends.

    Two other ROCK HARD TEN yearlings went through the ring at Saratoga, and both sold exceptionally well, too. A colt out of Serena’s Sister (Rahy) was knocked down to Maverick Racing for $450,000, while Padua Stables acquired a filly for $400,000.

    Good luck to the connections of all these promising yearlings!

    Return to Stallion News 2008

    OH ‘HENRY’!

    July 31, 2008: His 11-1 odds in the G1 2000 Guineas at Newmarket now seem like a strange dream. Henrythenavigator, by KINGMAMBO, upset that race in early May by a nose over Europe’s champion juvenile New Approach (Ire), and since then has only established himself as one of the finest three-year-olds that Europe has seen in recent years. Yesterday, Henrythenavigator, in his first test against older horses, captured his fourth straight Group 1 in a thrilling renewal of the Sussex S. at the Glorious Goodwood meeting. Sent off the shortest-priced favorite in the race since 1959, the 4-11 chalk outbattled Raven’s Pass to the line to win by a head. The victory, Henrythenavigator’s sixth in eight starts, follows wins in the English 2000 Guineas, the G1 Irish 2000 Guineas and the G1 St. James’s Palace S. at Royal Ascot.

    Owned by Susan Magnier and trained by Aidan O’Brien, Henrythenavigator is now being pointed toward the G1 Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita Park in October. Congratulations to the connections of ‘Henry’ the Great!

    Return to Stallion News 2008

    NINE GRADE 1 WINNERS FOR BELONG TO ME

    July 30, 2008: BELONG TO ME was represented by his ninth Grade 1 stakes winner last weekend when Augustin Stable’s Forever Together launched a dazzling last-to-first move in the G1 Diana S. at Saratoga July 26. The four-year-old Forever Together had some of the best turf fillies in the nation behind her, including Dynaforce, Rutherienne, Vacare, Wait a While, etc. It was Forever Together’s second win in three starts on the grass. She also took the Reluctant Guest S. at Arlington in May before a very good third-place effort in the G1 Just a Game H. at Belmont in June. Last year, Forever Together underlined her versatility with a victory in the G2 Forward Gal S. at Gulfstream on conventional dirt and a second, beaten just a long neck, in the G2 Stonerside Beaumont S. over Keeneland’s Polytrack.

    A day before Forever Together’s big win, BELONG TO ME’s son MSW & MGSP son Capitano won the $75,000 Ligature S.

    Return to Stallion News 2008

    'SUCCESS’ FOR MINESHAFT RUNNERS

    Aug. 28, 2008: Horse of the Year MINESHAFT continues to churn out promising youngsters and Grade 1-quality animals. August found Lane’s End’s Horse of the Year represented by the two-three finishers in the G1 Haskell Invitational at Monmouth, with G2 Fountain of Youth S. hero Cool Coal Man running third and the up-and-coming Coal Play running Kentucky Derby hero Big Brown to his breaking point in a hard-trying runner-up effort.

    More recently, MINESHAFT’s three-year-old son Success Fee, a $500,000 KEEAPR two-year-old in training and a three-parts brother to Lane’s End’s own STEPHEN GOT EVEN, came through as the even-money chalk to break his maiden in a seven-furlong maiden at Saratoga Aug. 21. The J. Paul Reddam-owned colt sped through the distance in a sharp 1:22 4/5.

    Other recent maiden winners byMINESHAFT include Miss Ocean City, a first-out 3 3/4-length winner at Saratoga; Jasmine Gardens, a 7 1/2-length maiden winner; and Access Code, a seven-length maiden winner.

    Return to Stallion News 2008

    THE SARATOGA “MAMBOs”

    Aug. 28, 2008: Pedigrees don’t come much better than Mambo in Seattle’s, and the progressive colt is living up to his lofty lineage. Last weekend, the three-year-old, bred and owned by a Lane’s End partnership, missed by the narrowest of margins in a G1 Travers S. for the ages. Given healthy respect as a 5-1 chance in the Midsummer Derby despite having never competed at the graded level, Mambo in Seattle had just one beaten in a crowded 12-horse field rounding the first turn. The striking bay began to progress into contention four furlongs out, then unleashed a furious rally in the stretch to catch a game Colonel John, winner of the G1 Santa Anita Derby. Though in front a half stride before the line and a half stride after, the camera showed Mambo in Seattle lost the bob by sliver, and the Neil Howard trainee had to settle for runner-up honors.

    About that pedigree. Mambo in Seattle is a son of G1SP Weekend in Seattle, a Seattle Slew daughter of Broodmare of the Year Weekend Surprise and thus a full-sister to Lane’s End’s own A.P. INDY, as well as a half to Classic winner Summer Squall, successful sire Honor Grades, etc. On the same day as Mambo in Seattle’s valiant Travers effort, another member of this family, Duke of Marmalade (Ire), won his fifth straight Group 1 event in the G1 Juddmonte International S.

    Return to Stallion News 2008

    ANOTHER SUPERSTAR FOR A.P. INDY?

    July 24, 2008: Last year, it was Rags to Riches. This year, Music Note? On Saturday, Godolphin’s three-year-old filly Music Note looked like another superstar in the making for A.P. INDY. Music Note, like Rags to Riches a daughter of the Horse of the Year, stamped herself as perhaps the most exciting member in her division with a jaw-dropping performance in the 10-furlong G1 Coaching Club American Oaks at Belmont Park. A menacing presence up the backstretch while racing a few lengths off the leaders, Music Note moved three wide on the far turn of Big Sandy and, with an astounding turn of foot, left the field in her wake as she romped home clear by 11 lengths. The final time of the race was 2:01 3/5, meaning Music Note sped the final quarter in :24 1/5. To top it off, Little Belle, another daughter of A.P. INDY, completed the exacta in the CCA Oaks!

    The CCA Oaks was Music Note’s second Grade 1 win. On June 28, she captured the G1 Mother Goose S. in emphatic fashion, and now is primed to make it three in a row in the G1 Alabama S. at Saratoga Aug. 16. Congratulations to Sheikh Mohammed and his team!

    Return to Stallion News 2008

    ANOTHER JUVENILE SW FOR DIXIE UNION

    July 24, 2008: Leading sire DIXIE UNION’s juveniles continue to make waves this summer. Herman Sarkowsky’s homebred Super Dixie lived up to her name in the Angie C. S. on July 13, blazing through :21 4/5 and :45 1/5 splits and sailing home an easy two-length heroine. Three days later, another Sarkowsky homebred by DIXIE UNION, last year’s GI Norfolk S. winner Dixie Chatter, was a sharp winner of Del Mar’s one-mile Oceanside S.

    DIXIE UNION is also represented by the promising two-year-old fillies Garden District, the $240,000 KEESEP yearling who won the June 28 Debutante S. at Churchill Downs; and Bold Union, a dominating 9 3/4-length winner of Belmont’s Astoria S. June 29. DIXIE UNION’s three juvenile stakes winners leads all sires in the U.S.!

    Return to Stallion News 2008

    A ‘ROCK HARD TEN’ FOR $210,000

    July 17, 2008: ROCK HARD TEN’s weanlings were exceptionally well-received at last year’s bloodstock sales, and the buzz about his yearlings is already starting to grow. That was evidenced at Monday’s opening session of the Fasig-Tipton July Select Sale, when a colt from his first crop was hammered down to top horsewoman Murray Smith for $210,000. Smith, who pinhooked 2001 G1 Kentucky Derby hero Monarchos, signed the ticket as M.S.T.S. The colt, a handsome dark bay, was produced by an End Sweep half-sister to MGSW Valid Bonnet and a full to SW Cox’s Sweep. He was bred in Kentucky by Grade I Bloodstock and Halcyon Farm.

    Last year, ROCK HARD TEN was the leading freshman sire by weanling average (more than three sold), with his youngsters averaging $166,777.

    Return to Stallion News 2008

    FILLY SESSION TOPPER FOR SAINT LIAM

    July 17, 2008: Horse of the Year SAINT LIAM, sadly, stood just one season at Lane’s End before his untimely death. But the G1 Breeders’ Cup Classic hero lives on through his progeny, and buyers at the Fasig-Tipton July Sale were clamoring to land hip 195, a striking bay daughter of the Saint Ballado stallion. In the end, it was Peachtree Stable’s John Fort who proved gamest, purchasing the filly for $300,000. It was the top price for a filly during Monday’s opening session and the second-highest for a miss at the two-day event. “There aren’t too many of them out there, are there?” Fort asked the Thoroughbred Daily News after the sale. “The stallion had only one crop, and if this filly turns out to be a good racemare, she’ll be something special.” Fort added of the filly’s appeal, “She’s a great big scopey filly, the kind that looks like she’ll run a long way.” The filly, a half-sister to GSW Level Playingfield, was bred by Briland Farm and Mr. & Mrs. Robert O. Mitchell. SAINT LIAM’s weanlings averaged a very strong $148,050 last year.

    Return to Stallion News 2008

    KINGMAMBO RULES

    July 14, 2008: Archipenko continues to build on what’s already been a fantastic 2008, and the same can be said for his sire KINGMAMBO. Last Saturday, the globetrotting Archipenko defeated a tough field in the G2 Summer Mile S. at Ascot, which included top-notch performers Cesare (GB), Ramonti (Fr), etc. Earlier this year, the four-year-old captured the G2 Al Fahidi Fort S. in Dubai in February, ran third in the G1 Dubai Duty Free a month later, then shipped to Hong Kong to annex the G1 QEII Cup at Sha Tin. Archipenko was giving his South African trainer Mike de Kock his first-ever win in England. Bred by Eagle Holdings and owned by Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Maktoum, Archipenko has now earned $924,698.

    Archipenko’s Summer Mile win was just the latest stakes success for KINGMAMBO, who has been represented by nine stakes winners in 2008, including dual Classic hero Henrythenavigator. Earlier in the week, KINGMAMBO’s son Medyan City, who at $11.7 million is the second-highest-priced yearling of all time, broke his maiden in his second start for Godolphin.

    Return to Stallion News 2008

    A 1-2-3 PUNCH FOR LANE’S END

    July 14, 2008: It was a good result for Lane’s End and its stallions in last Saturday’s G2 Dance Smartly S. at Woodbine. LANGFUHR’s daughter The Niagara Queen, who was purchased by Elite Racing Company as a horse of racing age for $280,000 at last year’s Fasig-Tipton November Sale, was always in the mix, taking control on the backstretch and leading into the turn before outsprinting the field to the wire. It was the first graded win for the mare, who is trained by Steve Asmussen. LANGFUHR currently boasts seven 2008 stakes winners.

    Finishing a good second, beaten 1 1/2 lengths, was Woodford Racing LLC’s Sprung. A Lane’s End partnership, Woodford Racing purchased Sprung for just $55,000 as a yearling. And third in the race was the Sam-Son homebred Quiet Jungle, a daughter of Forest Wildcat who was produced by the SMART STRIKE mare Split the Arrow.

    Congratulations to all the connections!

    Return to Stallion News 2008

    A REGALLY BRED ‘KING’ WINS FIRST STAKES

    July 10, 2008: Ideal World, a blue-blooded son of KINGMAMBO out of the brilliant European and U.S. champion Banks Hill (GB), became the latest stakes winner for his sire in the Listed Prix Pelleas S. at the French track Compiegne Monday. The 3-5 public choice following a maiden-breaking win at Longchamp June 10, Ideal World, a homebred of Khalid Abdullah’s Juddmonte Farms, launched his bid from a tracking perch and dug in gamely to assert for the half-length score. The Prix Pelleas was contested at 1 1/4 miles over rain-softened ground. A grandson of the Juddmonte’s blue hen Hasili (Ire), Ideal World can boast a dam who won Grade/Group 1 events in three different countries, including the G1 Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf in the U.S.

    Return to Stallion News 2008

    A ‘PERFECT’ TWO FOR TWO

    July 1, 2008: Two starters, two winners. That’s the story for freshman sire PLEASANTLY PERFECT, whose babies have come out running this year. That might be a surprise to those who expected PLEASANTLY PERFECT’s offspring to excel only going long, but not to those who had a chance to see his athletic yearlings last year.

    PLEASANTLY PERFECT’s latest winner came in a 4 1/2-furlong maiden special weight at Monmouth Park June 20. Rapid Redux, a son of the Storm Cat mare Thiscatsforcaryl, led virtually gate to wire to justify his even-money favoritism. Rapid Redux stopped the clock in :52 2/5. He is owned by George and Lori Hall (who also own DIXIE UNION’s latest stakes winner, Bold Union), and is trained by Kelly Breen. Rapid Redux was bred by Fortress Pacific Equine LLC.
    JULY 26-NEWS FLASH: Rapid Redux placed third in Tyro Stakes at Monmouth.

    Earlier in June, the filly Quite the Lady sped to a three-length victory at first asking over the Polytrack at Arlington Park, also going 4 1/2 furlongs. Her winning time was :52 1/5.

    Return to Stallion News 2008

    A MOTHER GOOSE SWEEP FOR LANE’S END

    July 1, 2008: Facing the biggest challenge of her young career, the three-year-old filly Music Note, by A.P. INDY, announced her arrival on the sophomore scene with a rousing 3 1/2-length tally in last Saturday’s G1 Mother Goose S. at Belmont Park. The lightly raced daughter of the Sadler’s Wells mare Note Musicale (GB) romped by 7 1/4 lengths in an Aqueduct maiden last November, prompting the Thoroughbred Daily News to tab her a TDN Rising Star. She returned seven months later to beat first-level allowance rivals by seven lengths at Belmont May 22, and was up against divisional leader Proud Spell in the Mother Goose. After stumbling at the break, Music Note recovered to track the pacesetting Never Retreat (by SMART STRIKE), then raced away to win with something left. Never Retreat earned the place spot after Proud Spell, who was produced by a LANGFUHR mare, was DQ’d to third for interference in the lane. Bred by Gainsborough Farm and racing in the royal blue of Sheikh Mohammed’s Godolphin Stable, Music Note has now won three of four starts and has banked $218,000. It was A.P. INDY’s second winner of the Mother Goose; Lane’s End homebred Secret Status took the race in 2000.

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    DIXIE UNION JUVENILES RED HOT

    July 1, 2008: A pair of two-year-old fillies by DIXIE UNION stamped themselves as exciting prospects over the weekend. On Saturday, a dead-game Garden District became DIXIE UNION’s newest graded stakes winner in the G3 Debutante S. at Churchill Downs. Hammered down to even-money favoritism coming off a runner-up effort in the G3 Kentucky Breeders’ Cup S. facing males, the Todd Pletcher-trained filly raced up between rivals and was always under pressure as they sped through :21 1/5 and :45 splits. With a slew of rivals threatening, Garden District kept on finding more and asserted to win by half a length. Bred by Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings, Garden District was a $240,000 KEESEP yearling and is owned by Twin Creeks Racing Stable.

    A day after that gutsy effort, DIXIE UNION’s daughter Bold Union put up an entirely different sort of win in the $100,000 Astoria S. at Belmont. Tabbed a TDN Rising Star after capturing her debut at Monmouth Park by 10 3/4 lengths June 1, Bold Union was the public’s 9-5 pick to double up in the Astoria. Making that price look generous, Bold Union took charge nearing the quarter pole and sailed home clear by 9 3/4 lengths. Like Garden District, Bold Union was bred by Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings. She was purchased by George and Lori Hall for $75,000 as a KEESEP yearling and is trained by Kelly Breen.

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    SIX ‘08 GROUP WINNERS FOR THE ‘KING’

    July 1, 2008: It was a June to remember for top international sire KINGMAMBO, who has sired a remarkable six graded/group winners thus far in 2008.

    At the prestigious Royal Ascot meet, KINGMAMBO’s son Henrythenavigator secured his spot as the best three-year-old miler in Europe with a victory in the June 17 G1 St. James’s Palace S. at Royal Ascot, building on his victories in both the English and Irish versions of the G1 2000 Guineas.

    Three days later, Godolphin’s Campanologist, another three-year-old colt by KINGMAMBO (and like Henrythenavigator out of a Sadler’s Wells mare), improved his record to four wins in seven starts in the G2 King Edward VII S. at Royal Ascot.

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    FIRST WINNER FOR PLEASANTLY PERFECT

    June 9, 2008: G1 Breeders' Cup Classic and G1 Dubai World Cup hero PLEASANTLY PERFECT was represented by his first winner Saturday. Quite the Lady, a $74,000 OBSAPR juvenile wearing the colors of owner GM Squared LLC, was sent off at 7-2 odds at first asking in a 4 1/2-furlong dash at Arlington Park. The Todd Pletcher-trained miss was content to track the leaders early, but powered into contention nearing the quarter pole. Taking control soon after, Quite the Lady edged away from the field and, once she switched leads at the furlong grounds, drew off with authority to post the three-length tally. Quite the Lady completed the distance in a snappy :52 1/5. The dark bay was bred by Gerald Ford's Diamond A Racing Corp., which raced PLEASANTLY PERFECT. Congratulations to her connections!

    The only other juvenile from PLEASANTLY PERFECT’s first crop to have started is the colt Rapid Redux, who ran a very good second in his debut, a five-furlong maiden special weight in the slop at Belmont May 16.

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    MINESHAFT 3YO SHARP IN CHURCHILL MAIDEN!

    June 9, 2008: A.U. Miner, a three-year-old colt from the first crop of Horse of the Year MINESHAFT, looked good breaking his maiden by a hard-fought neck at Churchill Downs June 6. Breaking from post two in a seven-furlong maiden special weight, A.U. Miner raced from between rivals up the backstretch before taking aim at the pacesetter three furlongs from home. Ranging up three wide, he clawed his way to even terms in the final sixteenth and asserted in the dying strides to prevail by a neck. A.U. Miner, a half-sibling to the gutsy multiple Grade 1 winner and millionaire Star Parade (Arg), stopped the clock in 1:22.81. He is owned by Don L. Benge, was bred by Ten Broeck Farm Inc. and is trained by Clark Hanna. Congratulations to his connections! In 2008, MINESHAFT has also been represented by the brilliant G2 Peter Pan S. hero Casino Drive, G2 Fountain of Youth S. winner Cool Coal Man, etc.

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    MAMBOING IN THE GUINEAS

    June 2, 2008: On Saturday, May 24, KINGMAMBO’s son Henrythenavigator etched his name into the record books by recording the Irish and English 2000 Guineas double in brilliant fashion. Just like he did in Newmarket three weeks earlier, Susan Magnier’s colorbearer had a top-class foe back in second in last year’s European Champion Juvenile New Approach (Ire). In the G1 English 2000 Guineas, ‘Henry,’ in his first start of the year, beat New Approach by a hard-fought nose; at The Curragh, in the Group 1 Irish equivalent, the margin was a more comfortable 1 3/4 lengths as he unleashed a strong run a furlong out.

    Also the winner of last year’s G2 Coventry S. at Royal Ascot, Henrythenavigator is trained by Aidan O’Brien. Congratulations to his connections!

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    SHE’S “INDESCRIBABLE” - PLEASANT TAP’S LATEST GRADED WINNER

    June 2, 2008: Favored to take her fourth victory in six starts and her first graded event, Courtlandt Farm’s homebred Indescribable powered her way to victory in Arlington Park’s G3 Arlington Matron H. May 26. Coming off a close-up third in the G3 Doubledogdare S. at Keeneland, the daughter of PLEASANT TAP was boxed in around the far turn under jockey Jeremy Rose, but found running room in the stretch and was up to defeat Grade 2 winner Leah’s Secret by half a length. The four-year-old earned a strong 101 BRIS figure for her efforts. Indescribable was produced by the stakes-winning Catnip (Flying Paster), a half-sister to Grade 1 winners Hold That Tiger and Editor’s Note.

    In 2008, PLEASANT TAP has also been represented by his top-class son Tiago, who has proven as tough and consistent at four as he was at three. Victor of last year’s G1 Santa Anita Derby and G1 Goodwood S., Tiago added a tally over Heatseeker (Ire) in the G2 Oaklawn H. in April and was runner-up to that foe in the G2 Californian S. last weekend.

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    ‘SPECIAL’ DAY AT PIMLICO

    May 16, 2008: It was a big day indeed for the offspring of Lane's End stallions Friday at Pimlico.

    First, in the day's co-feature, the prestigious G1 Pimlico Special H., KINGMAMBO's son Student Council secured the second Grade 1 triumph of his career with a hard-fought effort. Bred and raised by Lane's End, Student Council was last of seven after a half mile, but came with a determined late run to post the neck victory over Gotcha Gold. Last year, Student Council won the $1-million G1 Pacific Classic S. and also the G2 Hawthorne Gold Cup H. It marks KINGMAMBO's third Grade/Group 1 winner on the year, following the success of Henrythenavigator in the G1 stanjamesuk.com 2000 Guineas and Archipenko in the G1 Audemars Piguet Queen Elizabeth II Cup.

    In the other big race on Friday, STEPHEN GOT EVEN's progressive Sweet Vendetta proved she belongs in the upper echelon of the current crop of three-year-old fillies with a driving victory in the G2 Black-Eyed Susan S. Sweet Vendetta finished second to subsequent Grade 1 winner and G1 Kentucky Oaks runner-up Little Belle (A.P. INDY) in the Busher S. at Aqueduct in mid-February, then returned a month later to capture the Andover Way S. by four lengths. Making her first start away from Aqueduct in the Black-Eyed Susan, Sweet Vendetta rallied from a stalking perch, set her sights on She's All Eltish in mid-stretch and fought her way past that foe to win going away. In addition to beating the Grade 2 winner She's All Eltish, Sweet Vendetta defeated a field that included Grade 2 winners Sherine and Bsharpsonata, and graded winner Maren's Meadow.

    Congratulations to their connections from all of us at Lane's End!

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    FRESHMAN SIRE: BOWMAN’S BAND - FIRST WINNER!

    May 15, 2008: Grade 2 winner BOWMAN’S BAND was represented by his first winner Thursday afternoon when the two-year-old colt Just Hummm stylishly defeated a group of maiden special weight foes at Pimlico. Eager to run early, the chestnut was taken in hand by jockey Rosie Napravnik. As they neared the quarter pole, Just Hummm was given the green light and, after splitting foes decisively, he strode clear to win by 4 3/4 lengths. The final time for the 4 1/2-furlong race was a sharp :52 2/5. An earner of over $1.3 million and narrowly beaten in the 2003 G1 Met Mile, BOWMAN’S BAND, by DIXIELAND BAND, hails from a premier family in the stud book, one that includes his champion third dam Chris Evert, champion Chief Crown, Grade 1 winners Tates Creek and Sightseek, etc. BOWMAN’S BAND’s own dam is G1 Kentucky Oaks runner-up Hometown Queen.

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    MINESHAFT’S NEWEST STAR

    The final leg of the Triple Crown, the G1 Belmont S., got a bit more interesting following the dazzling victory of MINESHAFT’s son Casino Drive in the G2 Peter Pan S. over the weekend. The strapping chestnut is a half-brother to last year’s heroine, Rags to Riches (A.P. INDY), and to 2006 winner Jazil. He will attempt to give his dam, Broodmare of the Year Better Than Honour, three straight winners in the 1 1/2-mile Classic.

    Casino Drive was making just his second career start in the Peter Pan. The $950,000 yearling began his career in Japan for owner Yamamoto Hidetoshi, where he romped by nearly a dozen lengths in his debut in February. Overcoming his inexperience, as well as the vagaries of traveling from Japan, Casino Drive powered to a 5 3/4-length win in the Peter Pan. The final time for the 1 1/8 miles was 1:47 4/5, which earned him a 109 BRIS figure. Winning jockey Kent Desormeaux, regular rider of Derby winner Big Brown, was effusive in his praise. “He’s a phenomenal talent,” he said. “We’ve got our hands full with this one.”

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    “KING” CONTINUES TO REIGN

    May 5, 2008: KINGMAMBO is off to a brilliant start to 2008 with five stakes winners to his credit, led by the Group 1-winning exploits of Archipenko and Henrythenavigator. The latter, wearing the colors of Susan Magnier, rallied from the rear of the pack to deny heavily favored New Approach (Ire) in Saturday’s G1 stanjamesuk.com 2000 Guineas at Newmarket. Amazingly, it was KINGMAMBO’s 10th Classic winner! Winner of the G2 Coventry S. at Royal Ascot as a juvenile, Henrythenavigator was produced by the Sadler’s Wells mare Sequoyah (Ire) and trained by Aiden O’Brien.

    A week prior, Archipenko captured the G1 Audemars Piguet QEII Cup at Sha Tin in Hong Kong. The four-year-old, winner this year of the G2 Al Fahidi Fort and an unlucky third in the G1 Dubai Duty Free, rallied to a sharp 1 3/4-length win. "I know it might sound crazy after winning a Group 1 race, but I think he is still improving,” said his trainer Mike de Kock. “We'll be thinking about him in terms of Royal Ascot.”

    Additionally, KINGMAMBO is the broodmare sire of last weekend’s G1 Prix Ganay hero Duke of Marmalade (Ire) (Danehill). KINGMAMBO’s other stakes winners in 2008 include Campanologist, Faridat and Sovereign Duty. Congratulations to the connections of all!

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    TIAGO TRIUMPHS IN G2 OAKLAWN H.!

    Apr. 5, 2008: The four-year-old Tiago, a son of PLEASANT TAP, returned to conventional dirt and responded with a game victory over G1 Santa Anita H. winner Heatseaker (Ire) in the G2 Oaklawn H. at Oaklawn Park Apr. 5. A two-time Grade 1 winner last year, Tiago had run well in three previous starts this season, all on synthetic tracks, finishing third and second in the G2 San Fernando S. and G2 Strub S., respectively, and fourth in the ‘Big Cap. In the Oaklawn H., he sat just off the leaders, rallied to the fore in upper stretch and dug in determinedly to stave off Heatseaker. It was another 6 1/2 lengths back to third. The victory improved Tiago’s career earnings to nearly $1.7 million for owner/breeders Jerry and Ann Moss, and earned him a 110 Beyer Figure, co-highest on the year at a mile or longer! Congratulations to the Mosses, trainer John Shirreffs and jockey Mike Smith. In 2007, Tiago won the G1 Santa Anita Derby, G1 Goodwood H. and G2 Swaps BC S. and was third in the G1 Belmont S.

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    GRADE 1 GLORY FOR CITY ZIP’S BUSTIN STONES!

    Apr. 5, 2008: Never headed, never beaten. That’s the story of CITY ZIP’s brilliant Bustin Stones, who on Apr. 5 collected the first Grade 1 tally of his career in the seven-furlong G1 Carter H. at Aqueduct. In the process, the four-year-old, who has been first at every call in each of his races, improved his record to a perfect six-for-six. Owned and bred by Roddy Valente, the New York-bred Bustin Stones aired by daylight in his first four starts facing fellow statebreds. He showed he could handle open company with a hard-fought victory in the G2 General George H. at Laurel in February and was one of the favorites stepping up to the highest level in the Carter, one of the premier sprint races in the country. On the engine through :22 2/5 and :45 splits, he dug in “resolutely on [the] rail,” according to his chart, and won by half a length. The final time for the seven-furlong Carter was a swift 1:22 4/5, which earned Bustin Stones a 109 Beyer figure. He has now banked over $480,000. Congratulations to Mr. Valente, trainer Bruce Levine and jockey Edgar Prado.

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    BELLE OF THE ASHLAND BALL

    Apr. 5, 2008: Darley Stable’s fast-improving Little Belle, a homebred three-year-old daughter of A.P. INDY, proved she was one tough customer when she fought back to prevail over Bsharpsonata in the G1 Ashland S. at Keeneland Apr. 5. The Kiaran McLaughlin trainee graduated by a convincing margin in her fourth trip to the post at Aqueduct in early February, and quickly doubled up with a 2 3/4-length tally in the Busher S. in New York Feb. 24. Asked to take the big jump in class against one of the better Ashland fields in recent memory--which included Grade 1 winner Country Star, MGSW’s Proud Spell and Bsharpsonata, etc.--Little Belle jumped out to lead the way, was overtaken by Bsharpsonata in the lane, but clawed her way back and asserted to win by a head. Little Belle, who is out of the Mr. Prospector mare Dubai Belle, hopefully heads to the G1 Kentucky Oaks as one of the favorites and aims to become A.P. INDY’s second consecutive winner of the Classic and third overall. Rags to Riches captured last year’s renewal, while Secret Status won in 2000. Congratulations to Darley, Mr. McLaughlin and jockey Rajiv Maragh.

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    NEW MATINGS TOOL: G1 GOLDMINE STALLION MATCH

    A recent addition to the many matings tools offered by Lane’s End is the G1 Goldmine Stallion Match. To access this new feature, choose the G1 icon from any stallion page. Then enter your mare’s name and click on the “Match Similar” button. The stallion match feature will display a list of Graded Winners with a similar mating pattern. To read more about G1 Goldmine Stallion Match, click here.

    If you have any questions about this mating program please contact Gemma Freeman.

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    DON ADAM’S ADRIANO ROMPS

    Mar. 27, 2008: It was fitting that a son of Lane’s End’s A.P. INDY, who was foaled on Lane’s End, captured last weekend’s G2 Lane’s End S. at Turfway Park, and we’re pleased to say that it was a homebred of Courtlandt Farm’s Don Adam, long a friend of the farm, who came away with the spoils.

    Sent off at 9-2 odds, Courtlandt’s three-year-old colt Adriano “surged to a commanding lead with little urging from jockey Edgar Prado entering the stretch of the $500,000 Lane’s End ... and coasted to a 2 1/2-length score,” reported the Thoroughbred Times. Fourth in last year’s Lane’s End G1 Breeders’ Futurity S. at Keeneland and a dominant allowance winner on the lawn at Gulfstream earlier this year, Adriano is now being pointed toward the Apr. 19 G2 Coolmore Lexington S.

    Congratulations to Mr. Adam, trainer H. Graham Motion and all the connections of Adriano.

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    STEPHEN’S “VENDETTA”

    Mar. 21, 2008: STEPHEN GOT EVEN’s three-year-old daughter Sweet Vendetta, runner-up in the Busher S. in February, returned to notch her first black-type win in the Andover Way S. at Aqueduct Mar. 19. Under Channing Hill, the Gary Contessa-trained filly stalked the pace before driving clear to a four-length tally. Congratulations to owners Team Penney Racing and David Cassidy. STEPHEN GOT EVEN is enjoying a great start to 2008, with no fewer than 13 maiden winners this season and Sweet Vendetta is his newest stakes winner.

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    CITY ZIP’S APEX RANKINGS

    Mar. 21, 2008: The Thoroughbred Daily News’ Bill Oppenheim released his APEX ratings recently, and once again, CITY ZIP featured prominently. The half-brother to Horse of the Year Ghostzapper was ranked one of the best in the world by A runner average (note: an A runner is in the top two percent of earners; a B runner is in the next two percent; a C runner is in the next four percent). CITY ZIP is 16th on the list, beating out Giant’s Causeway, Montjeu (Ire), Johannesburg, Pulpit, etc. On the Top 50 sires of two-year-old ABC runners, CITY ZIP ranked a superb eighth—behind only Successful Appeal and Storm Cat among active U.S. sires—and ahead of Danehill, Distorted Humor, Street Cry (Ire), etc. On the Top 50 sires of three-year-old ABC runners, CITY ZIP checks in 22nd (12th among active U.S. sires).

    CITY ZIP’s performance in the stallion shed was most recently underscored by his son Bustin Stones, who improved his record to a perfect six-for-six with a tally in the Grade 1 Carter H. at Aqueduct. It was the four-year-old’s fifth consecutive stakes victory.

    Last year, LANGFUHR ended the year in fifth on The Blood-Horse’s Leading Sires List, with Champion Older Male Lawyer Ron leading the way among his trio of Grade 1 winners

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    LANGFUHR: A PREMIER SIRE

    Mar. 21, 2008: With six stakes horses on the year already, including the undefeated Duncan F. Kenner Breeders' Cup S. hero Euroears, LANGFUHR is poised for another big season. And in Bill Oppenheim’s recently published APEX ratings, LANGFUHR was recognized by the respected bloodstock analyst as one of the premier sires in the world (rankings that excluded stallions 18 and older). In his subjective list, Oppenheim put LANGFUHR in 17th, ahead of Successful Appeal, Stormy Atlantic, Indian Charlie, More Than Ready, Officer, etc. Among actives sires in the U.S., LANGFUHR ranked 11th.

    Last year, LANGFUHR ended the year in fifth on The Blood-Horse’s Leading Sires List, with Champion Older Male Lawyer Ron leading the way among his trio of Grade 1 winners

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    TERRIFIC TWO-YEAR-OLDS

    Mar. 21, 2008: The two-year-olds in training sale season is well under way and juveniles by Lane’s End stallions have shone from coast to coast. At the recently concluded OBS March Select Sale, a colt by LEMON DROP KID was sold to John Kimmel, agent, for $525,000, while a colt by BELONG TO ME was purchased by Hoods Up Stable for $360,000. DIXIE UNION had a pair star at the two-day sale. A filly was purchased by Mike Ryan for $500,000, while a colt went to B. Wayne Hughes for $400,000. Other LANGFUHR juveniles this year have brought $250,000, $200,000, $190,000, etc.

    At the Adena Springs juvenile sale, a strapping colt by A.P. INDY topped the proceedings on trainer Cam Gambolati’s $380,000 bid. Gambolati was representing Ol’ Memorial Stable. The Barretts March Select Sale saw a filly by GULCH go to Southern Equine Stables for $450,000. Omar Trevino Bloodstock, meanwhile, purchased a PLEASANTLY PERFECT filly for $380,000. Down in Miami, at the Fasig-Tipton Calder Select Sale, Darley’s John Ferguson acquired a son of A.P. INDY for $500,000.

    Looking for sire power at the juvenile sales? Look no further than Lane’s End’s stallions!

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    LANGFUHR’S EUROEARS IS A PERFECT SIX-FOR-SIX

    March 9, 2008: LANGFUHR’s four-year-old son Euroears continued his unbeaten run Saturday with a popular win in the $200,000 Duncan F. Kenner S. at Fair Grounds. Sent off the favorite to improve his record to a perfect six-for-six, Euroears shadowed the pacesetter, then powered to the front and proved “clearly best,” according to the chart. Most impressive about the win was the caliber of competition behind him. In his wake were horses like two-time Grade 2 winner King of the Roxy, graded stakes winner Noonmark, and the highly regarded Les Grand Trois. For his efforts, Euroears earned a sparkling 110 Beyer, co-third-best on the year of any horse at any distance. It was Euroears third stakes victory. Congratulations to his owners James E. and Marilyn Helzer, breeders Gary E. and Bonnie Peterson, trainer W. Bret Calhoun and jockey Ramsey Zimmerman.

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    THREE NEW MSW WINNERS FOR MINESHAFT

    March 10, 2008: It was another big weekend for Horse of the Year MINESHAFT, second on The Blood-Horse’s Leading Second Crop Sires List. Two weeks after his son Cool Coal Man captured the G2 Fountain of Youth S. at Gulfstream Park, MINESHAFT was represented by three maiden special weight winners. On Saturday, the three-year-old filly Dixie Miner, out of a DIXIELAND BAND mare, won a nine-furlong event on the main track at Gulfstream. The following day, Shafter, a nicely bred half-sister to Yonaguska, broke her maiden in her second career start. The Edward Evans homebred aired by 2 1/2 lengths sprinting six panels at Aqueduct. Also on Sunday, Forest Prince, who was produced by MGSW Forest Heiress, was all heart to graduate from the maiden ranks in his grass debut. The colt was in front after six furlongs in 1:07.32 and dug in to post the victory for owner/breeder Stonerside Stable. Congratulations to the connections of MINESHAFT’s latest winners!

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    MINESHAFT: HOW “COOL” WAS THAT?!

    Mar. 3, 2008: Robert LaPenta’s Cool Coal Man stamped himself a legitimate Kentucky Derby contender with a victory in the Feb. 24 G2 Fountain of Youth S. He also became the newest stakes winner for Horse of the Year MINESHAFT, whose first foals just hit the track last year. Facing a deep field that included the likes of Court Vision, Z Humor, Anak Nakal and Monba, Cool Coal Man stalked the pace before launching a powerful rally under jockey Kent Desormeaux.

    Cool Coal Man’s victory capped a big weekend for MINESHAFT. Halfway around the world, his son Casino Drive, an impeccably bred half-brother to Rags to Riches (A.P. INDY) and to Jazil (Seeking the Gold), who have accounted for the last two renewals of the G1 Belmont S., broke his maiden at first asking at Japan’s Kyoto race course by nearly a dozen lengths. Casino Drive’s connections are reportedly seriously considering shipping Casino Drive, a $950,000 yearling, stateside for a tilt in this year’s Belmont. Stay tuned!

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    WAR PASS REMAINS UNBEATEN

    Feb. 24, 2008: WAR PASS, Juvenile Champion and future Lane’s End stallion, returned a winner recently and ran his record to a perfect five-for-five. Given a four-month respite after securing an Eclipse Award with a rousing victory in the G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, WAR PASS took a small but important first step toward the G1 Kentucky Derby in a Gulfstream allowance race Feb. 24. Taking on four rivals in the one-mile event, the Robert LaPenta-owned, Nick Zito-trained dark bay was soon in front and never looked back en route to a facile 7 1/2-length victory. The final time was 1:36.38.

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    A “FIERCE WIND” IS BLOWIN’ FOR DIXIE UNION

    Mar. 10, 2008: February was a big month for horses by leading sire DIXIE UNION. In the handicap division, the DIXIE UNION colt Grasshopper showed that he may well be an important factor in 2008. The well-supported 7-5 chalk in the G3 Mineshaft H. at Fair Grounds Feb. 9, Grasshopper sat behind the leaders, waited for a seam of daylight, then exploded through to win going away by 2 1/2 lengths. “That was awesome," jockey Robby Albarado enthused afterwards to The Blood-Horse. "He has such a quick turn of foot. I was very patient; I knew it had to open up, and when it did, wow!”

    A month later, Grasshopper battled gamely through the stretch in the G2 New Orleans H. to take second by just a neck. Grasshopper was bred and is owned by a Lane’s End partnership. Neil Howard trains Grasshopper, a full-brother to graded stakes winner Turf War.

    Meanwhile, Fierce Wind, a three-year-old colt by DIXIE UNION, added yet another bullet in the Kentucky Derby holster of trainer Nick Zito with a record-breaking win in the Sam F. Davis S. at Tampa Bay Downs Feb. 16. The Four Roses Thoroughbreds colorbearer rallied four wide into the stretch and gamely denied the hard-charging Big Truck to win it by a half-length. Fierce Wind stopped the clock in 1:44.13 for the mile and a sixteenth, establishing a new stakes record.

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    KINGMAMBO RUNNERS 1-2 IN G2 RACE

    Mar. 3, 2008: KINGMAMBO runners finished 1-2 in $250,000 G2 Al Fahidi Fort S. at Nad Al Sheba in Dubai Feb. 21. The 1600-meter race on the turf was won in smart fashion by last year’s G2 Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial S. hero Archipenko, who now make take aim at G2 Jebel Hatta S. on Super Thursday in Dubai. Finishing second was Royal Oath, who, fittingly given his name, beat 25 others in the Royal Hunt Cup at Royal Ascot last June.

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    LANE’S END “ECLIPSED” THE AWARDS

    Jan. 24, 2008: The Eclipse Awards were held Monday night in Los Angeles, California, and as expected, Lane’s End stallions dominated the proceedings. In fact, five of the 11 categories, not including steeplechaser, were taken by a son or daughter of a Lane’s End sire. On top of that, another winner will one day stand at Lane’s End, and yet another is booked to a Lane’s End sire.

    Like we said all year: Win, and you must be doing business with Lane’s End!

    The star of the Eclipse Awards was SMART STRIKE’s brilliant son Curlin, who was named Horse of the Year after a thrilling season that included wins in the G1 Preakness S., G1 Jockey Club Gold Cup and G1 Breeders’ Cup Classic. Curlin also walked away with the hardware in the Three-Year-Old Male category and, majority owner Jess Jackson announced, is being returned to training in 2008!

    SMART STRIKE garnered his second individual winner on the night when English Channel was given a richly deserved Eclipse as Champion Turf Male. The six-time Grade 1 winner won a trio at the highest level in 2007, including an overwhelming seven-length romp in the G1 Breeders’ Cup Turf at Monmouth Park.

    A.P. INDY, meanwhile, has long been well-represented on Eclipse night, with the likes of Horse of the Year MINESHAFT and three-year-old champ Bernardini to his credit, and on Monday his daughter Rags to Riches was honored as Champion Three-Year-Old Filly after a season that included a win in the G1 Belmont S. over Curlin.

    LANGFUHR has sired the likes of champions WANDO, Mobile and Kimchi, and now has another with the top handicap horse Lawyer Ron. LANGFUHR’s strapping son laid waste to Saratoga’s major handicap races in 2007, winning the G1 Whitney H. and G1 Woodward S., and was rewarded with the Eclipse as Champion Older Male.

    While he’s not by a Lane’s End sire, WAR PASS will someday be one himself. Robert LaPenta’s untested superstar, by Cherokee Run, was the near-unanimous choice as Champion Juvenile Male after a season that included wins in the G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and G1 Champagne S.

    And last but not least, Shadwell Stable’s Lahudood (GB) (Singspiel {GB}), heroine of the G1 Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf, has a date with KINGMAMBO after being named Champion Turf Female

    Lane’s End would like to offer our congratulations to ALL the Eclipse Award winners and wish everyone the best of luck in 2008!

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    WIN AND YOU...MUST BE DOING BUSINESS WITH LANE'S END!

    Jan. 31, 2008: In the stallion barn, in the sales ring, and on the track, Lane's End has time and again proven to be one of the industry's premier farms. Following the 37th Annual Eclipse Awards, held recently in Los Angeles, California, that's more evident than ever.

    Not one but four sons and daughters of three separate Lane's End stallions were recognized by Eclipse Award voters, including Horse of the Year and Champion Three-Year-Old Male Curlin. The son of SMART STRIKE quickly ascended to the top of one of the most contentious divisions in recent memory and ended his season with consecutive victories in the G1 Jockey Club Gold Cup and G1 Breeders' Cup Classic.

    Also honored was SMART STRIKE's son English Channel, who like Curlin won on racing biggest day. English Channel's rousing victory in the G1 Breeders' Cup Turf ensured him an Eclipse as Champion Turf Male.

    A.P. INDY's daughter Rags to Riches, who defeated Curlin in a historic renewal of the G1 Belmont S., was easily the choice for Champion Three-Year-Old Female, while LANGFUHR's son Lawyer Ron--a dual Grade 1 winner at Saratoga in 2007--walked away with Champion Older Male honors.

    The Blood-Horse's year-end Leading Sires List also reflects the dynamic 2007 enjoyed by Lane's End. Three of the top five stallions in the country stand right here--record-setting leader SMART STRIKE, runner-up A.P. INDY and fifth-placed LANGFUHR . KINGMAMBO's son LEMON DROP KID was a top-10 sire, while PLEASANT TAP and KINGMAMBO were each top 24 sires.

    And just as Lane's End-sire horses dominated the Eclipse Awards and Breeders' Cup day, so too did they dominate the Triple Crown and the sale ring. SMART STRIKE's Curlin took the G1 Preakness, while Rags to Riches, as mentioned, won the G1 Belmont.

    Rags to Riches, who was raised by Lane's End, was incredibly the sixth Belmont S. winner who was raised and sold by Lane's End in the last 20 years. Lane's End also sold Belmont winners Bet Twice, A.P. INDY, Thunder Gulch (by GULCH), LEMON DROP KID, and Jazil. Additionally, Lane's End has sold horses like the $8-million Storm Cat--Welcome Surprise colt, the $6.3- million Storm Cat--Secret Status colt, etc. During the last six renewals of the Keeneland September sale, Lane's End has sold no fewer than 43 yearlings which have made $1 million or more.

    That includes a total of 13 at the 2007 September sale, highlighted by the sale-topping Unbridled's Song--Secret Status colt who was purchased by Dr. Demi O'Byrne for $3.7 million.

    At the 2007 Keeneland September Sale, Lane's End was the leading consigner (more than 4 sold) by average. To read more about our success at the 2007 sale, click here.

    Lane's End also offers a wide variety of services for our clients, from advice on matings to bloodstock representation, racing partnerships, and boarding.

    Want to win? Than get in with Lane’s End!

    Return to Stallion News 2008


    TWO FOR FREE: LANE'S END OFFERS TWO FREE PRODUCTS TO HELP PLAN YOUR MATINGS

    Lane’s End offers two free products to help you plan your matings. The first is a Mating Analysis written by well known pedigree analyst Alan Porter whose matings work has resulted in more than 100 stakes winners, including champions and classic winners in at least ten countries. And the second is an eNicks report g enerated by Werk Nick Ratings (click here to read more). To access either or both of these reports, simply go to the stallion (s) of your choice on our website, scroll down the right side of their page and click on the chosen report. To discuss possible matings, please contact Jill McCully or Gemma Freeman in our office at (859) 873-7300.

    Return to Stallion News 2008


    ALAN PORTER'S MATING ANALYSIS

    Another free addition to the Lane’s End website is a mating analysis on each Lane’s End and Lane’s End Texas stallion written by pedigree expert Alan Porter. To access this free information, click on any stallion’s name and follow link on the right.

    STAKES SUCCESS

    We hope this list of 2008 stakes horses sired by Lane's End and Lane's End Texas stallions, which is updated daily, will be helpful to all of you selling horses sired by or in foal to those stallions.

    LANE'S END STALLIONS

    A.P. INDY

    ADRIANO (G2W)
    ALTESSE (SW)
    AUTOBAHN GIRL (SW)
    CHHAYA DANCE (SW)
    INDY WIND (SW)
    LITTLE BELLE (G1W)
    MUSIC NOTE (G1W)
    SERENADING (LW)
    VAULCLUSE (SW)
    A. P. ARROW (G1Pl)
    BARBICAN (LPl)
    BELLEPLAINE (SPl)
    CARESSIVE (G2Pl)
    CROSSWORD (LPl)
    EQUITABLE (G1Pl)
    LOMAKI (LPl)
    MARCHFIELD (LPl)
    NUMAANY (LPl)
    ROSBERG (SPl)
    SAY YOU WILL (IRE) (G2Pl)
    SEEKING THE GLORY (LPl)
    TELLING (G3Pl)
    YOU AND I FOREVER (LPl)

    BELONG TO ME

    ALL SILENT (G2W)
    AUCTION WATCH (LW)
    BELONG TO MANY (G2W)
    CAPITANO (SW)
    FLY TO ME (SW)
    FOREVER TOGETHER (G1W)
    JACK SULLIVAN (LW)
    STAY CLOSE (GB) (SW)
    CORRUPT (G3Pl)
    OUR DANCING BABE (SPl)
    QUIETLY MINE (LPl)
    WISE RIVER (LPl)

    CITY ZIP

    BUSTIN STONES (G1W)
    NORTHERN NETTI (LW)
    PARTNERS STAR (SW)
    RUN AWAY AND HIDE (G2W)
    SUZY ZIP (LW)
    ACTING ZIPPY (SPl)
    CANADIAN BALLET (LPl)
    CITIZEN (SPl)
    JAZZ NATION (LPl)
    JUST ZIP IT (LPl)
    METRO METEOR (LPl)
    PICK UP THE TEMPO (SPl)
    POCATELLO (SPl)
    RUSSIAN SAGE (LPl)
    ZIPPEROO (SPl)

    DIXIE UNION

    BOLD UNION (LW)
    DIXIE CHATTER (LW)
    FIERCE WIND (LW)
    GARDEN DISTRICT (G3W)
    GRASSHOPPER (G3W)
    HOMEBOUND (LW)
    ONE UNION (LW)
    SHEELER (SW)
    SUPER DIXIE (SW)
    BEAR DIXIECAT (LPl)
    COGNAC KISSES (LPl)
    GEEFOUR (LPl)
    INVENTIVE (SPl)

    DIXIELAND BAND

    ALWAJEEHA (G3W)
    DIXIE DECISION (LPl)
    PALACIO DE AMOR (G1Pl)
    SPURRIER (LPl)

    GULCH

    KING GULCH (SW)
    OELECTRA (SW)
    PLATINEE (LW)
    SHAMPOO (SW)
    BIG EASY (LPl)
    CLAY'S ANGEL (SPl)
    COURT VISION (G2Pl)
    DEMARCATION (LPl)
    HARD WARRIOR (LPl)
    JUST HOPING (SPl)
    MAY NIGHT (SPl)
    SPIRIT OF GULCH (LPl)
    VANQUISHER (SPl)

    KINGMAMBO

    ARCHIPENKO (G1W)
    CAMPANOLOGIST (G2W)
    CHINESE MANDARIN (G3W)
    FARIDAT (LW)
    HENRYTHENAVIGATOR (G1W)
    IDEAL WORLD (LW)
    MAMBO IN SEATTLE (LW)
    MUCH OBLIGED (LW)
    ROYAL OATH (G2W)
    SEFROUA (LW)
    SOVEREIGN DUTY (SW)
    STUDENT COUNCIL (G1W)
    ALEXANDROS (G3Pl)
    BACHATA (SPl)
    BOBOMAN (LPl)
    KING OF DIXIE (G3Pl)
    MARQUESA (G3Pl)
    SHAHIN (LPl)
    STAR CROWNED (G1Pl)
    VEILED PROPHET (SPl)

    LANGFUHR

    BETA CAPO (SW)
    DEVIL INSIDE (LW)
    EUROEARS (LW)
    JOHNIE BYE NIGHT (SW)
    LANG FIELD (LW)
    MARLANG (G3W)
    THE NIAGARA QUEEN (G2W)
    AKILINA (LPl)
    ANNIE SAVOY (SPl)
    CATCH AIR (LPl)
    FUHREVER DANCING (SPl)
    GANGBUSTER (LPl)
    GOT BLING (SPl)
    I'M SO LUCKY (G1Pl)
    INTERPATATION (G1Pl)
    LORD LANGFUHR (SPl)
    MAXINKUCKEE MISS (SPl)
    MORE OF THE BEST (LPl)
    PARADISE DANCER (SPl)
    SWEET LORENA (SPl)
    T.C. CHAMP (SPl)

    LEMON DROP KID

    AFRICAN VIOLET (SW)
    ALPINE GARDEN (SW)
    BITTERBUTSWEET (SW)
    CANDY BALL (LW)
    COSMONAUT (LW)
    DROP A LINE (LW)
    LEMON DROP MOM (SW)
    LEMON KISS (LW)
    LEMONLIME (SW)
    SANTA TERESITA (LW)
    SWEET HOPE (SW)
    BREAK WATER EDISON (G2Pl)
    HOLOCENE (G3Pl)
    KATHLEENS REEL (G2Pl)
    KISS THE KID (G1Pl)
    KISS WITH A TWIST (G3Pl)
    LICKETY LEMON (LPl)
    MAD RUSH (G2Pl)
    MENACING (LPl)

    MINESHAFT

    CASINO DRIVE (G2W)
    COOL COAL MAN (G2W)
    COAL PLAY (G1Pl)
    FOREST PRINCE (SPl)
    HIGHEST CLASS (G2Pl)
    LA MINA (LPl)
    MINER'S CLAIM (LPl)

    PLEASANT TAP

    INDESCRIBABLE (G3W)
    TIAGO (G2W)
    CENZONTLE (SPl)
    EAST END TAP (LPl)
    P. KERNEY (LPl)
    PLEASANTLY BLESSED (LPl)
    TAPTAM (SPl)
    TIDAL DANCE (SPl)

    PLEASANTLY PERFECT

    RAPID REDUX (SPl)

    SMART STRIKE

    BLUEHARD (SW)
    COMMUNIQUE (G3W)
    CURLIN (G1W)
    FABULOUS STRIKE (SW)
    MULMUR (LW)
    TUNGSTEN STRIKE (LW)
    BRINDLE BUG (SPl)
    CLEVER STRIKE (G3Pl)
    DENOMINATION (LPl)
    FEATHERBED (SPl)
    MAGICAL THEATER (SPl)
    NEVER RETREAT (G1Pl)
    PETEADORIS (SPl)
    PLEASANT STRIKE (SPl)
    STARLITE STRIKE (SPl)
    STRIKE A DEAL (G1Pl)
    STRIKING TOMISUE (LPl)
    SUPER FREAKY (G3Pl)
    TWILIGHT METEOR (G3Pl)

    STEPHEN GOT EVEN

    SWEET VENDETTA (SW)
    TONY GOT EVEN (G2W)
    TREVOR'S CLEVER (LW)
    CAVE'S VALLEY (SPl)
    DEBBIE GOT EVEN (LPl)
    I AM THOR (SPl)
    MR. TOMMY (G1Pl)
    NORTH RODEO (LPl)
    STEVE'S DOUBLE (G2Pl)

    LANE'S END TEXAS STALLIONS

    DOVE HUNT

    LA JOYERIA (SW)
    SHOOT OUT (SPl)
    SHOULDABEENACLOWN (LPl)

    OPEN FORUM

    C E P A's FORUM (LPl)

    TRULUCK

    GENERAL CHARLEY (SW)
    TRULY LUCKY (LPl)

    VALID EXPECTATIONS

    BRIDESMAID (LW)
    EXPECT SMOKE (SW)
    VALID LILLY (SW)
    VALID MESSAGE (LW)
    SUMMER BALLAD (LPl)
    SURFBOARD (LPl)
    VALID LIL (SPl)

    ARCHIVED LISTS

    2007 Stakes Horses by Lane's End & Lane's End Texas Stallions

    2006 Stakes Horses by Lane's End & Lane's End Texas Stallions

    2005 Stakes Horses by Lane's End & Lane's End Texas Stallions

    2004 Stakes Horses by Lane's End & Lane's End Texas Stallions

    2003 Stakes Horses by Lane's End & Lane's End Texas Stallions

    2002 Stakes Horses by Lane's End & Lane's End Texas Stallions

    2001 Stakes Horses by Lane's End & Lane's End Texas Stallions

    2000 Stakes Horses by Lane's End & Lane's End Texas Stallions

    1999 Stakes Horses by Lane's End & Lane's End Texas Stallions

    1998 Stakes Horses by Lane's End & Lane's End Texas Stallions

    1997 Stakes Horses by Lane's End & Lane's End Texas Stallions

    1996 Stakes Horses by Lane's End & Lane's End Texas Stallions


    SIRES’ MOST RECENT WINNERS: TDN PROGENY PP’s

    We are now linked from each stallion's page to The Thoroughbred Daily News website's Progeny PP's where you can view the latest winners sired by each of our stallions. To see the most recent winners by one of the Lane's End or Lane's End Texas stallions, click on a stallion's name and then on the "TDN Recent Winners" link.

    Return to Stallion News 2008

    AFTER MARKET: HIGH EXPECTATIONS

    Lane’s End is home to some of the best stallions in the business, like A.P. INDY, KINGMAMBO, and SMART STRIKE, who are carrying on in the tradition of their own greats sires Seattle Slew and Mr. Prospector. Beginning this spring, a son of another preeminent sire, the great Storm Cat, will be joining the ranks at Lane’s End, and if his pedigree and race record are anything to go by, the accomplished, handsome dual Grade 1 winner AFTER MARKET will have every chance to be a star at stud, as well.

    AFTER MARKET carries with him impeccable credentials for stallion duty. At two and three, the strapping dark bay captured his first four career starts with consummate ease. The skein was capped with a pair of wins in the G3 Lexington S. and the G2 National Museum Racing Hall of Fame S. at Saratoga for trainer Bill Mott.

    Things would only get better as a four-year-old of 2007. Moved to John Shirreffs’s barn on the West Coast, AFTER MARKET annexed the G3 Inglewood H. by two lengths, winning the 1 1/16-mile race in a blistering 1:39 3/5. He faced a stiff challenge in the G1 Charles Whittingham Memorial H. when asked to tackle 10 furlongs and the reigning champ Lava Man, but AFTER MARKET came through with flying colors, gamely defeating Lava Man by 1 ½ lengths in 1:58 3/5. It was much of the same in the nine-furlong G1 Eddie Read H., when AFTER MARKET won his third straight, and his seventh race in 11 starts, in 1:47 1/5. In late August AFTER MARKET continued his march to the Breeders' Cup with his fourth consecutive graded stakes win in the Del Mar H. as the heavy favorite.

    AFTER MARKET, clearly, would deserve a spot in the stallion barn even if his pedigree was ordinary. But, of course, it isn’t.

    With six of the top 36 stallions in the country by Storm Cat, there can be little argument over  the grandson of Northern Dancer’s influence as a sire of sires. Perhaps Storm Cat’s best representative at stud is Giant’s Causeway, the “Iron Horse” who made a name for himself on the turf before going on to become the sire of horses like My Typhoon and Lane’s End’s own dual Grade 1 winner ARAGORN.

    Importantly for breeders looking to target the next big stallion, there are several similarities between AFTER MARKET and Giant’s Causeway. Both were produced by top-class, hard-knocking daughters of Rahy, and AFTER MARKET, like his paternal brother, could stretch his miler ’s speed to the Classic distance of 1 1/4 miles with no trouble.

    AFTER MARKET is a son of Tranquility Lake, the brilliant racemare who banked over $1.6 million for Marty and Pam Wygod, AFTER MARKET's breeders. Tranquility Lake was a versatile filly whose seven graded victories included a pair of Grade 1 triumphs, the Yellow Ribbon S. and Gamely BC H. on turf, as well as a win in the G2 Clement L. Hirsch H. on dirt.

    Tranquility Lake has thus far lived up to her race record in the breeding shed. AFTER MARKET, her first foal, has earned the title as the best turf horse on the West Coast with a sterling 2007 season, while her second foal, a full-brother to AFTER MARKET named Jalil, made headlines before ever stepping onto the track. So impressed was Sheikh Mohammed with Jalil’s conformation and pedigree that he purchased the colt for $9.7 million at the 2005 Keeneland September sale, the highest price paid for a horse at auction that season.

    AFTER MARKET’s second dam is the MGSP Danzig mare Winter’s Love, meaning that Tranquility Lake is a half-sister to the very good young stallion Benchmark, the sire of, among others, Brother Derek. Winter’s Love, meanwhile, is a half-sister to G1 Belmont S. winner Caveat.

    This combination of speed and stamina in AFTER MARKET’s pedigree, and the combination of turf and dirt influences, makes AFTER MARKET a dynamic prospect, whether you’re breeding for dirt, turf or synthetic surfaces.

    Some horses, when retired to stud, need clever marketing to garner attention or a bit of hyperbole to shine a light on their accomplishments. With his sterling race record, good looks, and impeccable pedigree, AFTER MARKET needs neither.

    His book is full for 2008.

    Return to Stallion News 2008

    ARAGORN: THE OUTSTANDING MILER

    It’s often said that milers make the best sires, and if that’s the case, ARAGORN has every right to be a star at stud. A regally bred colt with the looks and race record to match, ARAGORN entered stud at Lane’s End in 2007 after a stellar campaign wich saw him win two Grade 1 events and finish second in the Netjets Breeders' Cup Mile-G1. The son of Giant’s Causeway, out of the Mr. Prospector mare Onaga and from the immediate family of champions One Cool Cat and State Shinto, has been tested again and again on the track and is rarely found wanting. Possessed of a brilliant turn of foot, he has thus far won six of his 14 career starts, with five seconds and one third for earnings of $1,529,325. Impressively, five of those victories–three at the eight-furlong distance--have come against graded competition, including a pair of Grade 1 tallies in important California events.

    After ARAGORN won Del Mar’s G1 Eddie Read H. this past July, the Daily Racing Form’s Jay Privman enthused, “ARAGORN was sent off the favorite based on his victory last out in the Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile at Hollywood Park, but few could have anticipated just how dominant he would be in the Eddie Read. ARAGORN bounded clear to win by four lengths in 1:44.79 for 1 1/8 miles on the firm turf, besting the previous course mark...by more than one second. He completed a mile in 1:33.54, and ripped through the final furlong in a torrid 11.25 seconds.” It was, according to Privman, an “electrifying performance,” and few could argue with the assessment.

    ARAGORN began his career in England, where he earned black type in a Newmarket stakes before coming to the U.S. late last summer. Since then, he’s been one of the most consistent horses in the country. In his second start in the States, Aragorn gamely asserted to win the nine-furlong G2 Oak Tree Derby in 1:46 2/5. Runner-up by a hard-fought head to champion Milk it Mick (GB) in the G1 Frank E. Kilroe Mile H. in his four-year-old debut earlier this year and second in the G2 San Francisco Breeders' Cup Mile S. in April, Aragorn hasn’t tasted defeat in four subsequent starts.

    In May, he took his first Grade 1 in the Shoemaker Breeders' Cup Mile S. at Hollywood, where he sprinted the final quarter mile in :22 1/5 while completing the distance in 1:32 4/5. His regular jockey, Corey Nakatani, said afterwards, "He's just a tremendous horse. He's always laid his body down every time you ask him to go out on the racetrack, and that's really all you can ask."

    After his record-breaking Eddie Read victory at 3-2 odds in July, ARAGORN was the heavily favored odds-on pick in his next two, the G2 Del Mar Breeders' Cup H. and G2 Oak Tree Breeders' Cup Mile S. Aragorn easily won both. At Del Mar, he drew off to win the one-mile contest in 1:32 3/5 and offered up a repeat performance in the Oak Tree Mile, stopping the clock in 1:32 4/5.

    “Once again demonstrating an explosive burst of speed, ARAGORN made it four in a row yesterday,” raved the Thoroughbred Daily News after the Oak Tree. “The chestnut...inhaled the leader as they neared the stretch and was under a hand ride to the wire.” Aragorn’s accomplishments on the track fall right into line with his impressive page. Aragorn is from the first crop of six-time Group 1 winner Giant’s Causeway, himself a son of Storm Cat and perhaps that great sire’s most accomplished racehorse. Giant’s Causeway was a dynamic competitor in Europe who showed he could handle dirt racing in the U.S. when he ran second by a nose to Tiznow in a thrilling renewal of the G1 Breeders’ Cup Classic. With the likes of First Samurai, Oonagh Maccool (Ire), Shamardal and ARAGORN to his credit, Giant’s Causeway’s offspring have been brilliant on both dirt and turf.

    ARAGORN’s female family shows similar versatility. His dam Onaga, by the immortal Mr. Prospector, is a daughter of Savannah Dancer. By another legendary sire in Northern Dancer and out of champion *Valoris II, Savannah Dancer ran fifth in the G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies and won the Santa Ysabel S. on the dirt, and collected three stakes wins on the turf, including the G2 Del Mar Oaks. Savannah Dancer’s daughter Sha Tha, a full to Onaga, ran second in the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches (French 1000 Guineas) and won the G2 All Along S. on grass, while her son State Shinto, highweighted three-year-old at 7.5-9 furlongs in France in 1999, is a group winner on both turf and dirt. Tacha, another full-sister to Onaga, has produced One Cool Cat. By Storm Cat and thus a close genetic relative to Aragorn, One Cool Cat won the G1 Phoenix S. and was Europe’s Champion Two-Year-Old Colt in 2003.

    An outstanding physical specimen, ARAGORN is a prime example of what breeders look for in a stallion prospect. His dynamic speed could be stretched beyond sprints, and his durability and gameness are traits he’s sure to pass on to his offspring. Add that to a pedigree that features some of racing’s most prominent sires, and ARAGORN is an enticing choice as a sire, whether you’re breeding to race or for the sales ring.

    At the end of 2007 as the first mares in foal to ARAGORN went up for auction, they brought such prices as $542,246, $450,000, and $390,000.

    His first foals are on the ground and are looking great!

    Return to Stallion News 2008


    BOWMAN’S BAND: THE “BAND” PLAYS ON

    There’s a lot to say about BOWMAN’S BAND. He was on the board in 18 stakes, 14 of them graded, including five Grade 1 events. He was second in the sire-making G1 Met Mile, first in the G2 Meadowlands Breeders’ Cup S., won sprinting and routing, and earned in excess of $1.3 million. He is DIXIELAND BAND's leading earner at stud and he earned 20 triple-digit Beyer Speed Figures. He’s from an impeccable family that includes seven Grade 1 performers under the second dam alone. BOWMAN’S BAND offers breeders the complete package: pedigree, looks and ability.

    Racing for owner Martin Schwartz, BOWMAN’S BAND debuted in a seven-furlong maiden at Belmont Park in June of 2001. He made quick work of the field, sprinting clear by 5 1/2 lengths to win in 1:22 4/5. Kept at that distance for his next start, a Saratoga allowance, he agai