ACCREDITED TEXAS-BREDS IN WEEKEND STAKES
Tom Durant’s homebred Raising Rumors (Sing Baby Sing – Loveyasister) will compete in a field of 8 today in the $65,000 Prairie Gold Juvenile Stakes for two-year-olds going 6 furlongs. The gelding is coming off a 5th place finish in the G. 3 Bashford Manor Stakes at Churchill Downs on July 2nd.
TEXAS-BREDS GRANDMA’S PRINCESS, COUNTRY CANDY RUN 1-2 PRAIRIE GOLD LASSIE
A pair of Accredited Texas-breds swept the exacta in the $65,000 Prairie Gold Lassie Stakes at Prairie Meadows on Thursday night as Grandma’s Princess prevailed over Country Candy in the stakes for 2-year-old fillies. Ridden by Ken Tohilll for breeder/owner Tom Durant and trainer Randy Morse, Grandma’s Princess won by a half-length in a time of 1:13.19 for six furlongs. The filly debuted with a victory against $40,000 maiden claiming company at Churchill Downs and then finished sixth there in the $100,000 Debutante Stakes in her only other start. The daughter of Sing Baby Sing has now earned $55,600 in her three starts.
Country Candy, a $65,000 purchase at this year’s Texas 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale, finished third in the same Debutante Stakes at Churchill after breaking her maiden by nearly 10 lengths at Lone Star Park. Bred by Keith Asmussen and sired by Intimidator, Country Candy has earned $34,780 for owner Keene Thoroughbreds LLC. She is trained by J.R. Caldwell.
LANE’S END TEXAS TO CLOSE, STALLIONS TO STAY IN STATE AT VALOR FARM
Lane’s End Texas, one of the Lone Star State’s leading Thoroughbred farms, has closed and the three stallions standing there—Too Much Bling, Grasshopper and Congaree—have been relocated to Valor Farm near Pilot Point, Texas.
Located near Hempstead, and formerly known as Huisache Farm, Lane’s End Texas stood many of the top Texas stallions over the past two decades, including all-time leading Texas stallion Valid Expectations. William S. Farish, owner of Lane’s End Texas as well as Lane’s End in Kentucky, has been a perennial leading owner and breeder in Texas. The stallions were managed by longtime farm general manager Danny Shifflett.
“I have been very blessed during my time at Lane’s End to work for someone like Mr. Farish and enjoy the type of animals he has produced and the care that he allows you to give to those horses,” said Shifflett. “We had a great staff with some remarkable people who were here for many, many years. We really appreciate the support we received from the Texas industry and from around the country.”
The upcoming Texas Summer Yearling and Mixed Sale on August 29 at Lone Star Park will feature a dispersal of some Lane’s End Texas’ broodmares along with weanlings and yearlings by the farm’s former stallions.
The three Lane’s End Texas stallions will join the roster of another elite farm in the state, Valor Farm. Started by Dorothy and Clarence Scharbauer Jr. in the early 1990s, Valor Farm has also been home to many top Texas stallions over the years including Hadif, Magic Cat and Rare Brick. The farm’s 2016 roster included Crossbow, Early Flyer, Jet Phone and My Golden Song. Over the past few years, Valor Farm stallions have consistently sired Texas-bred graded stakes winners including Promise Me Silver, Fiftyshadesofgold, Thegirlinthatsong and He’s Comin in Hot.
Too Much Bling, currently the leading Texas sire by 2016 progeny earnings, just had his offspring sweep both divisions of the Texas Thoroughbred Futurity earlier this month at Lone Star Park, with both being bred by Farish. From 195 foals of racing age, Too Much Bling has sired 20 blacktype stakes winners, which at 10.2% ranks him highest among all stallions in North America.
Grasshopper, currently #2 on this year’s Texas sire list, is the sire of recent Assault Stakes winner Supermason (also bred by Farish) and Texas Chrome, a four-time stakes winner and runner-up in the Grade 3 Iowa Derby this year.
Congaree, who moved to Texas in 2015, is the sire of six graded stakes winners, including three Grade 1 winners.
The combination of stallions gives Valor Farm six of the top 10 active stallions in the state by 2016 progeny earnings.
“We are so fortunate to have the opportunity to stand these top stallions that Danny and his team have done such a great job with,” said Valor Farm General Manager Ken Carson. “Keeping these horses in Texas is important. The response we’ve gotten from our clients already has been great; people are excited to have them in North Texas.”
INTERACTIVE CATALOG FOR TEXAS YEARLING AND MIXED SALE NOW ONLINE
The Texas Thoroughbred Association has hipped 106 yearlings, 21 broodmares, 9 weanlings and 2 horses of racing age for the upcoming Texas Summer Yearling and Mixed Sale to be held on August 29 at 12 noon at Lone Star Park. The catalog is now online at www.ttasales.com in a traditional PDF version and a new interactive version. This will mark the first yearling sale in Texas since Fasig-Tipton last held one at the same location in 2014.
Sire power dominates the catalog with two Uncle Mo yearlings along with a plethora of other top national and regional sires. The Uncle Mo yearlings are accompanied by top national sires Awesome Again, Dunkirk, Exchange Rate, Into Mischief, Langfuhr, Lookin at Lucky, Paddy O’ Prado, Stephen Got Even, Street Boss, Temple City, Tiz Wonderful and Warrior’s Reward.
Texas stallion Too Much Bling, whose offspring Shaded and Bling on the Music just swept both divisions of the Texas Thoroughbred Futurity at Lone Star Park earlier in the month, leads the Southwest contingent of sires. Other regional sires represented include Chitoz, Euroears, Grasshopper, Half Ours, Intimidator, My Golden Song, Run Production, Star Guitar, Valid Expectations and Yankee Gentleman. Emerging sires such as Dominus, Crossbow, Justin Phillip and Liaison are also represented.
All yearlings from this sale will be eligible to be nominated to the Texas Thoroughbred Futurity in 2017, which will be run in two divisions for an estimated purse of $100,000 apiece at Lone Star Park.
Tim Boyce, who has been contracted by the TTA to manage the sale, is excited by responses and added, “We will have launched a new web feature that will allow consignors to display pictures and videos of their horses in the online catalog. I think this concept will be advantageous to consignor and buyer interaction and will help in marketing the sale in general. People will be able to see the great conformation of some of our best consignments before they hop on a plane.”
The mixed sale session features a dispersal of broodmares from William S. Farish’s Lane’s End Texas, which recently announced its closing. The dam of Shaded, the recent Texas Thoroughbred Futurity winner, is included in this lot. Weanlings and yearlings are also included by Lane’s End Texas stallions Too Much Bling and Grasshopper, who will stand the 2017 breeding season at Valor Farm in Texas along with fellow former Lane’s End Texas stallion Congaree.
NEW MEMBER BENEFITS: SAVE ON HOTELS WITH THE TTA
The Texas Thoroughbred Association is excited to announce a new partnership with HotelStorm to bring exclusive hotel discounts to our members. When you use HotelStorm, you’ll find savings of 10-55% over other online travel agencies. Watch for more news next week!
NOTES: Best of luck to Preakness Stakes (gr. I) winner Exaggerator who will runs in Sunday’s Haskell Invitational (gr. 1). Exaggerator is owned in part by Texans and TTA members Ron and Cody Ortowski of Gainesville…We offer condolences to the family of TTA Director Jim Harris of Grapeland, who passed away on Sunday. There will be a celebration of life service from 2-4p.m. on August 6 at Camp Street Café and Store, located at 215 S 3rd St, Crockett, TX 75835.