Jill Williams

Call out racism In response to the Sept. 3 letter “Shocked by display of racism,” there is no excuse for what you experienced while in Kalispell. Racism in all its ugly forms is totally unacceptable, especially today.

The opening session of the 2024 Keeneland September Yearling Sale was a spectacular event, with North America's elite yearlings on show and a total of US$54,795,000 (AU$86,000,700) changing hands. There was notable enthusiasm for progeny of Three Chimneys' stallion Gun Runner (USA), with a colt by the stallion leading the sale at US$2.2 million (AU$3.45 million).

Book 1 of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale came to an exciting close overnight, with a colt by Curlin (USA) lighting up the ring, selling for US$5 million (AU$7.72 million). Overall, the sale surpassed last year's gross of US$116,925,000 (AU$180.65 million), achieving a total of US$119,565,000 (AU$184.65 million) in yearling sales. TDN recaps all the must-know moments from the action.

Thursday, September 19, 2024 at 3:33 pm | Back to: Shared News Updated: September 19, 2024 at 3:33 pm By Jill Williams

Four years ago this week, McKinzie was retired to Gainesway after a stellar racing career that netted four Grade I wins and 11 triple-digit Beyer Speed Figures. While it may have been difficult at the time for many to see past the ravages of the COVID pandemic–it was 2020, after all–those far-sighted breeders who patronized McKinzie the next spring are looking positively clairvoyant in 2024.

Who can forget the pulsating finish of this year's GI Kentucky Derby, when three noses hit the wire together in one of the tightest photo finishes we've seen in years? Other than the immediate connections of those three colts, it's hard to imagine anyone more invested in the result than Debby Oxley, whose beloved mare, Darling My Darling (Deputy Minister), is the granddam of two-thirds of that trifecta.

Described as a vibrant marketplace, the opening day of the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale saw nine seven-figure broodmares sell, but the average and median were slightly down on 2023.

How has your year gone? With the holidays approaching in earnest, it's not uncommon for American families to send a letter to loved ones sharing highlights from their year. If a stallion were to do that, Not This Time 's letter might go something like this:

It's been 17 years now that we've been treated to 2-year-olds by Medaglia d'Oro . From his first GII Golden Rod Stakes winner in his first crop–Rachel Alexandra, a filly who went on to beat the boys more than once and was eventually named Horse of the Year–to his latest this past weekend in perfect four-for-four Good Cheer, the Darley mainstay and ageless wonder continues to amaze and delight.

Nearly two years ago, just prior to the 2023 breeding season, Ashford Stud's Robyn Murray spoke about Munnings on camera. At the time, she said: “Theoretically the best is still yet to come and we're so excited for him… We would expect all of this to elevate him over the next couple years.”