Honey Creek Farms

4th-KEM, £50,000, Cond, 3-7, 3yo, 8f (AWT), 1:37.74, st.
GRONKOWSKI (c, 3, Lonhro {Aus}–Four Sugars, by Lookin At Lucky), who had scored in facile fashion at Newcastle Feb. 9, was restrained towards the rear by Jamie Spencer for this rescheduled contest which forms part of the initiative of the European ‘Road to the Kentucky Derby’. Tanking his way to the fore out wide after halfway, the 6-4 favourite took control with 1 1/2 furlongs remaining before lugging down to the right to cut across Court House (Ire) (Dawn Approach {Ire}). Hitting the line with 3/4 of a length to spare over that progressive Gosden runner, the bay was allowed to keep the race by the stewards and earn 20 points in the series. Reportedly bound for the Blue Grass or Wood Memorial now, the winner is the first foal out of the unraced Four Sugars, who is a half to the GI Stephen Foster H.-winning sire Flashy Bull (Holy Bull). She has a 2-year-old colt by Uncle Mo, who was bought for $140,000 by Quarter Pole Enterprises at Keeneland September, with her 2017 foal by Verrazano having died and being barren to Nyquist this year. Sales history: $75,000 Wlg ’15 KEENOV; 50,000gns Ylg ’16 TATOCT; 300,000gns 2yo ’17 TATBRE. Lifetime Record: 5-3-1-0, $56,148. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
O-Phoenix Thoroughbred Limited; B-Epic Thoroughbreds Llc (KY); T-Jeremy Noseda.

The single session Book 2 wound up proceedings at the Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale on Wednesday with trade dropping down a gear in line with the perceived desirability of the yearlings on offer. Not everyone can operate at the upper echelons of the market however and no doubt from the 140 yearlings sold a number of high class runners will emerge. The number sold represented a clearance rate of 75%, quite a drop from last year’s figure of 85%. The other indicators also failed to maintain the gains made at last year’s successful sale with turnover falling 16% to A$5,512,000, average dropping 8% to A$39,371 and the median also dipping the same to A$35,000.

Speaking at the end of the sale Simon Vivian said, “I am happy with today’s aggregate but the clearance rate was a bit disappointing though the average held up fairly well. There’s been really good support from trainers and I am very happy that we had a really good buying bench.”

Topping the day’s trade was lot 659, a colt by Zoustar (Aus) purchased by Hawkes Racing from the Maluka Thoroughbreds draft for A$150,000. “The first day we saw him we liked him, we thought he was good value,” Wayne Hawkes said of the colt, who is out of Belle Of The City (Aus) (Bel Esprit {Aus}) who has bred two winners to date from three foals of racing age. Luke Anderson of Maluka Thoroughbreds was delighted with the price and said, “It’s a brilliant result, a great price for the colt. He is a beautiful mover, really strong and he’s gone to a great home so he will have every opportunity.”

Four yearlings broke the six figure mark throughout the day and the first one to do so was lot 582, a colt by Street Boss. The bay, offered by Woodside Park Stud was knocked down to Andrew Noblet Racing for A$100,000. Soon after Hong Kong based Ric Wylie went to A$140,000 to acquire lot 596, a son of Starcraft (NZ) from Erinvale Thoroughbreds. John Foote was active as a purchaser throughout the week and he signed for seven lots on Wednesday, headed by lot 616, a colt by Epaulette (Aus) offered by Rushton Park, that cost A$110,000.

The next sale on the Inglis calendar is the Autumn Thoroughbred Sale at Oaklands Junction on Sunday March 18, a mixed sale for which 152 horses have been catalogued.

Tara Guenthner, Chief Inspiration Officer of Hipp Inspired, a full-service meeting planning and event design management firm, has been appointed the executive director for the Host Committee of the 2018 Breeders’ Cup championships in Louisville. The committee, made up of leaders from the public and private sectors, is responsible for coordinating and creating partnerships and events surrounding championship weekend.

“I look forward to working with the Louisville Breeders’ Cup Host Committee to welcome the Breeders’ Cup back to Louisville,” said Guenthner. “We’ve begun working with many in the community to prepare for an enjoyable week of events and we look forward to announcing our plans in the near future.”

Guenthner joins Host Committee Co-Chairs Jonathan Blue, chairman and managing director of Louisville’s Blue Equity; Bruce Lunsford, chairman and CEO of Lunsford Capital; Dr. J. David Richardson, professor and vice chairman of surgery for the University of Louisville Physicians and Surgery; and Alex Rankin, chairman of Sterling G. Thompson Co. and newly elected chairman of the Churchill Downs Inc. board of directors.

The final session of Book 1 of the Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale took place on Tuesday and it was a case of saving the best for last as the two highest priced yearlings of the sale changed hands. Although some way removed from last year’s A$1.4-million sale topper, the A$500,000 that Godolphin paid for a daughter of Coolmore stallion Fastnet Rock (Aus) on Tuesday still helped the sale keep tabs on last year’s figures. Aggregate for Book 1 amounted to A$49,936,500, just under A$3-million shy of last year when six yearlings made A$500k or more compared to one this time around. The clearance rate dipped two points to 83% and the average of A$118,333 represented a 4% decrease on 2017. The median however settled at A$100,000, the same as 2017.

“Last year was the best Premier Yearling Sale we have ever had and this year’s version is right on par with that, so we must be satisfied with that,” Inglis’ Victorian Bloodstock Manager Simon Vivian said. “There were many fantastic results for many people, both vendors and buyers. To the team at Woodside Park especially, to be overall leading vendor and have your two stallions in Written Tycoon and Zoustar lead the way on the sires list as well is a magnificent achievement,” he added.

“She’s a quality filly by a champion stallion out of a Group 3-winning mare,” Godolphin’s Racing and Bloodstock Manager Jason Walsh said after the team had acquired the sale-topping filly, offered by Rushton Park as lot 470. The bay is out of the five time winner Lady Melksham (Aus) (Artie Schiller) whose victories included the G3 WW Cockram S. over six furlongs at Caulfield. “One of the things we’re trying to source this year is a bit of diversity and top-class racing prospects that can hopefully do it on the racecourse and ultimately join our broodmare program and we thought she was a filly capable of doing both those things,” Walsh added.

Lot 528 earned the distinction of being the sale’s second highest price yearling when selling to Darren Weir Racing and John Foote Bloodstock for A$450,000. The colt by Snitzel (Aus) was offered by Mill Park Stud out of Miss With Attitude (Aus) (Galileo {Ire}) whose five-race winning career also included several placings at group level. Speaking to Racing.com after the sale John Foote said, “You’d always like to pay less but we knew we’d have to give something like that. Yulong were underbidders and they made us work for him, but we wanted this particular colt for a client in Hong Kong and we are very happy to get him.” When asked what drew him to the colt Foote added, “He’s by Snitzel who is the best sire in the country, he’s out of a good mare and he is a good looking horse so he ticked all the boxes.”

Three other yearlings on Tuesday made A$400k or more including a pair by I Am Invincible (Aus). The first of these, lot 550, from Rosemont Stud was knocked down to Cloud 9 Thoroughbreds for A$400,000 while just two hips later lot 552, a colt offered by Yarraman Park Stud and a half-brother to a champion filly in Alinghi (Aus) (Encosta de Lago {Aus}) sold for the same amount to Blue Sky Bloodstock. This sale helped Yarraman Park end up as leading vendor by average with a figure of A$258,750.

Woodside Park Stud sold A$3,945,000 worth of yearlings, more than any other vendor and the stud’s Murray Tillett was thrilled with his farm’s overall results. “Leading vendor is a great credit to the staff. This is our main sale of the year, we’re a Victorian farm, this will always be where we try and sell the quality of the VOBIS horses that we’ve got,” he said. Woodside had further reason for cheer as their resident stallions Zoustar (Aus) and Written Tycoon (Aus) finished up the leading sires by aggregate with receipts of A$4,855,000 and A$4,367,500 respectively. “People do have to remember these Written Tycoons are off a service fee of A$18,000,” Tillet said. “We know what he’s got on the ground next year off a A$45,000 service fee, wait until you see what happens with them down here next year at Oaklands,” he added.

Tony McEvoy of McEvoy Mitchell Racing was leading buyer by aggregate, spending $1,820,000 while Chinese owner Zhang Yuesheng continued his increasing global investment in racing through his Yu Long Investments, purchasing 14 lots in total.

The single session Book 2 of the Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale begins at 11a.m. tomorrow with 206 yearlings catalogued.

This past weekend stallion farms, veterinary hospitals, aftercare organizations and other Thoroughbred-related businesses welcomed visitors from around Central Kentucky during Horse Country’s second annual Meet the NEIGHbors weekend, which offered complimentary tours at 24 of their member locations.

The event, which drew 1,500 visitors Saturday and Sunday, gave locals the opportunity to learn about their state’s signature industry and play tourist in their own backyard.

“The Horse Country tours have made many different aspects of the industry available to the general public,” said Holly Smith, who visited Hurstland Farm & Spendthrift as part of the Meet the NEIGHbors weekend. “Even though I have been around horses for most of my life, I still geek out when I get to see American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile) or days-old foals running around with their mothers.”

Joyce Patci, who visited Darby Dan Farm Sunday, said the experience was as much about seeing the horses as it was learning about the farm’s history and their approach to horse husbandry.

“An employee explained the breeding process to us and showed us the protective gear the mare and farm workers wear during the breeding,” said Patci, a retiree who enjoys volunteering at Old Friends Farm. “Most of the people on our tour were racing fans, but they hadn’t had the opportunity to get up close to these horse ‘stars’ until now.”

While much of Horse Country’s efforts typically focus on showcasing Central Kentucky’s Thoroughbred heritage to out-of-town visitors, this weekend’s events were aimed at giving locals the unique, up-close and personal experiences that thousands from around the world travel to their state each year to see.

“Most of our visitors throughout the year are tourists from out of state, so it’s been wonderful to welcome local residents to Jonabell Farm, many of whom have lived in the area for years, but have never been inside the gates of a horse farm,” said Brianne Sharp, Market Research Coordinator for Godolphin. “We hosted over 150 locals at Jonabell this past weekend and were able to give them a fun and educational ‘behind the scenes’ look at what we do here.”

Created in 2015, Horse Country, Inc. coordinates tours of Thoroughbred farms and other equine-related businesses in an effort to create greater fan interest in Thoroughbred racing. Since its inception, Horse Country has hosted more than 50,000 visitors from all 50 states and 18 countries outside of the U.S.

Day two of the Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale picked up where it left off the opening day with strong demand for quality yearlings and it was Supreme Thoroughbreds who again consigned the top lot when their colt by Rubick (Aus) was knocked down to trainer Gerald Ryan for A$420,000. That figure, one of two yearlings to make A$400,000 or more contributed to an aggregate of A$17,335,500, up on the first day due mainly to an increased number of yearlings offered. The clearance rate held steady at 80% while the average and median dipped slightly from the opening day figures to A$119,555 and A$100,000 respectively. Cumulatively the sale’s aggregate and average are running slightly behind this time last year but the median is holding firm at A$100,000. Bloodstock Manager Simon Vivian was again satisfied with results to date and commented, “This sale has had nine continuous years of growth and we are on track to hold that again. There were some great sales today for our breeders and vendors and we look forward to more strong results on Day 3 tomorrow.”

“Go and find the best looking Rubick you can and buy it for me.” That was the instruction Gerald Ryan received from owner Mr Yaseen of Teeley Assets in January and for Ryan it was lot 300 that fit the bill for this particular order. The colt is the third produce out of the stakes winning mare Charm’s Honour (Aus) (Strada {Aus}) whose career as a broodmare received a major boost from the recent exploits of her second produce Enbihaar (Aus) (Magnus {Aus}). That 2-year-old Shadwell colour-bearer won the G2 Blue Diamond Prelude at Caulfield Feb. 10 before finishing second in the G1 Blue Diamond S. two weeks later.

Rubick was bred by Teeley Assets and trained by Gerald Ryan and the trainer said, “This horse was the best Rubick of the year so far hands down. He’s a great mover, great strength and has a nice page. He is the spitting image of his old man, albeit maybe a little taller than his father at the same age.”

Ryan continued, “We’ve had a bit to do with the family obviously over the years and Mr Yaseen has raced some of the best horses we have seen, so with a bit of luck this is his next one.”

Like the day one co-topping son of Pierro (Aus), Monday’s Rubick colt was bred by Rob Crabtree of Dorrington Farm who was naturally delighted with the price. “He’s a beautiful individual and you have to be delighted with the result. Teeley are such great supporters of Gerald and the industry so I’m glad he’s gone to such a great home. I took a still photo off the Coolmore website of Rubick and he was a clone for our horse.”

Monday also saw the sale’s highest priced filly so far and that accolade belonged to lot 265. Offered by Blue Gum Farm, who also consigned Sunday’s joint top priced yearling, the Sepoy (Aus) filly was bought by Damon Gabbedy’s Belmont Bloodstock Agency on behalf of Milburn Creek’s John Muir for A$400,000. The filly’s dam Beauty World (Aus) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) has been a fantastic producer with four stakes winners, six stakes performers and eight winners from her eight foals to race so far.

That sale ensured Blue Gum ended Day 2 as the sale’s leading vendor by aggregate with 17 sales for A$2,525,000. The leading vendor by average is Yarraman Park at A$247,500 from four sales.

Zoustar (Aus) is the leading sire by aggregate so far with 17 sold for a total of A$3,205,000 and his sales on Monday were headed by lot 271 a colt purchased by Spicer Thoroughbreds/Noorilim Park Thoroughbreds for A$360,000. The colt was offered by Bowness Stud out of Bionic Girl (Aus) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}) whose first foal is the stakes placed colt Bionics (Aus) (Hnchinbrook {Aus}).

Yarraman Park are never far off the leader-board at the top yearling sales and their colt by I Am Invincible (Aus), offered as lot 318 proved popular when selling to Dean Hawthorne Bloodstock for A$330,000. Less than an hour later the stud also parted with a filly by the same sire when the South African team of Form Bloodstock signed for lot 335 for A$300,000. Day three of the sale commences at the same local time of 11a.m. on Tuesday.