Though the profitable meet at Kentucky Downs has come to an finish for 2024, the impression can nonetheless be felt within the Keeneland September Yearling Sale ring as potential patrons start to seek for the horse that may carry dwelling an enormous payday.
Turf runners should not often probably the most interesting for high-dollar bidders dreaming about Kentucky Derby (G1) glory. Nonetheless, annual will increase in purse cash because of the success of Kentucky’s historic horse racing machines have made Kentucky Downs some of the profitable meets on the planet, particularly for Kentucky-bred runners incomes bonuses from the Kentucky Thoroughbred Improvement Fund.
“Grass horses are positively extra interesting now,” mentioned coach Saffie Joseph Jr. “With Kentucky Downs’ purses, it will possibly make the horse’s profession. What number of horses make 1,000,000 bucks in a single race? It is an enormous plus.”
Over the course of 76 races, solely 4 throughout this 12 months’s meet supplied a complete purse (together with KTDF bonuses) lower than $170,000. Many 2-year-old winners had been capable of stroll away from the meet with greater than $100,000 in profession earnings in simply their first or second profession begin.
“There’s an additional incentive for the turf-bred horse in America,” mentioned coach Jose D’Angelo. “Now individuals could make plans for Kentucky Downs like, ‘I will purchase this horse to get his (maiden) victory right here.'”
D’Angelo realized first-hand simply how priceless a win at Kentucky Downs will be. On Sept. 7, his trainee Howard Wolowitz received the Franklin-Simpson Stakes (G1T) in simply his fourth begin. With the victory, the 3-year-old jumped his profession earnings from $38,500 to $1,193,400, simply incomes again the $240,000 that Gold Sq. spent on the 2022 Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale for the horse.
“It was very thrilling, we’re over the moon nonetheless,” mentioned Clarkland Farm’s Marty Buckner, who bred Howard Wolowitz with Matthew Ernst.
The win was further thrilling for Buckner and Ernst as simply greater than per week later Sept. 16, they may carry his half brother, Hip 2024, into the Keeneland gross sales ring as a part of E-book 4.
“He is obtained a number of high quality,” Buckner mentioned of the colt. “He is very right, very fairly. I name it pure muscle, he is actually packed. With out the replace, you would be proud to point out him. Now with the replace, it is even sweeter.”
Howard Wolowitz was the second foal and first to race out of the successful Uncle Mo  mare Overlook Me Not , who Clarkland picked up for $80,000 on the 2018 Keeneland November Breeding Inventory Sale.
“You see a number of Uncle Mo in her,” Buckner mentioned. “That is only a dream come true to have a 9-year-old mare whose second foal is a grade 1 winner. She throws a number of high quality to her foals, a number of substance.”
The colt going by the ring Monday is a son of Taylor Made Stallions’ grade 2-winning Instagrand  . Buckner selected the stallion as a result of presence of a number of grade 1 winner Lord At Warfare as Instagrand’s great-grandfather on the dam aspect, a relation that he shares with Munnings  , the sire of Howard Wolowitz.
“I’ve at all times been a fan of Lord At Warfare,” Buckner mentioned. “(Instagrand’s sire) Into Mischief is phenomenal. Most of his sons have thrown loads of winners and high quality. I believed Instagrand was a very nice horse, a extremely good 2-year-old.”
For patrons searching for a Kentucky Downs horse to show a fast revenue, the colt suits proper up their alley, as would any horse from Clarkland. In whole, six horses that had been raised on the Lexington space farm began on the Kentucky Downs meet, all performing properly.
Along with Howard Wolowitz, Clarkland raised Sensible Berti for the Klein household. On Sept. 8, the son of Noble Mission picked up an $882,800 test for successful the Gun Runner Stakes.
Clarkland additionally bred Aug. 29 winners Bedazzle ‘Em , winner of $114,000 in an allowance race for Tommy City Thoroughbreds, and Clock Tower , a 6 1/2-length winner of $102,000 in a 2-year-old maiden particular weight for Mrs. Fitriani Hay. Clarkland presents an Genuine  half sister to Clock Tower in E-book 4 as Hip 2054.
Additionally they bred Tickin Time Blonde  who earned $34,000 in her debut when second in a maiden race at Kentucky Downs, and Bling , who regardless of ending fourth within the Aug. 31 Women Turf Dash Stakes (G2T) nonetheless picked up a test value $71,850. A Nyquist  half brother to the pair, each out of Blonde Bomber , offered for $400,000 Sept. 11 at Keeneland from the breeder’s consignment.
For Austin Winfrey of Straight Line Equine Gross sales, buying a horse for Kentucky Downs ought to be on each purchaser’s thoughts not only for the purse cash, however the distinctive expertise and hospitality that the observe offers house owners.
“With all the cash they provide and the expertise they’ve (for the house owners), I do not know why you would not take an opportunity to have a horse down there,” Winfrey mentioned.
Straight Line brings Hip 1723 to the ring throughout E-book 3 Sept. 15. The colt is a half brother to Irish Aces (Mshawish ), who picked up a $298,800 test whereas successful the Tapit Stakes Aug. 29. He was bought by Pocket Aces Racing for simply $40,000 on the 2021 Keeneland September Yearling Sale and has now earned $481,247.
“When you noticed (Irish Aces) when he ran at Kentucky Downs, I do not assume anyone was shocked he did so properly,” Winfrey mentioned. “(Hip 1723) is a extremely huge, fairly colt. He appears turfy like the remainder of his household. The colt speaks for himself.”
Hip 1723, a Tiz the Regulation colt, is a half to Irish Aces, winner of the Tapit Stakes at Kentucky Downs
Bred in Kentucky by Lynch Bages, the son of Tiz the Regulation  is out of the successful Irish-bred Danehill Dancer mare Nimble Foot , who has produced three winners from three starters. The second dam, Nasanice, produced 10 winners together with a number of group stakes winner Maraahel.
“(Nimble Foot) throws huge, fast-looking infants like this one,” Winfrey mentioned. “It is a killer pedigree, I feel this horse has a killer web page and he is even higher to have a look at.”
2020 Belmont Stakes (G1) winner Tiz the Regulation, who stands at Coolmore’s Ashford Stud, is off to a quick begin together with his first crop. The four-time grade 1 winner has produced 10 winners from 29 starters with progeny earnings of $1,460,060. As of Sept. 13, he ranked first on the first-crop sire earnings leaderboard.
“I’ve seen some very spectacular (Tiz the Regulation progeny) within the 2-year-old gross sales,” Winfrey mentioned about his early impressions of the stallion. “The final two weeks, he is actually heated up. I feel his horses will solely get higher as 3-year-olds, he’ll be a really thrilling stallion.”
The son of Structure  has already produced two stakes winners, together with one of many stars of the Kentucky Downs meet, Tiztastic .
On Aug. 29, Tiztastic received a $253,600 allowance race at 6 1/2 furlongs that was restricted to graduates of the 2023 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, one other bonus for looking out the sale grounds for turf horses. The victory, his maiden-breaking efficiency, earned him $150,000 for house owners Winchell Thoroughbreds and the Coolmore crew.
Coach Steve Asmussen wheeled the colt again Sept. 8, successful once more within the one-mile Kentucky Downs Juvenile Mile Stakes. That victory tallied one other $588,300. In 10 days, the colt’s profession earnings jumped from $4,000 to $742,300, greater than doubling the $335,000 buy value by the point the Keeneland sale got here again round.
Accessible Sept. 14 as a part of E-book 3 is Tiztastic’s full brother, Hip 1232, bred in Kentucky by Capital Bloodstock and consigned by Hunter Valley Farm.
“That simply reveals (Tiztastic’s) sturdiness. I feel this colt has related traits,” mentioned Hunter Valley managing companion Adrian Regan. “He is similar to his full brother. He is a very good strong horse and I feel he’ll make anyone a fantastic racehorse.”
Hip 1232, by Tiz the Regulation, is a full brother to Kentucky Downs Juvenile Mile Stakes winner Tiztastic
The unraced Tapit  mare Keesha has been a robust producer to this point. All 4 of her foals of racing age have discovered the winner’s circle on the observe. Along with Tiztastic, she is the dam of stakes winner and grade 2-placed Interpolate (Into Mischief  ).
Regan he mentioned he views this colt as with the ability to deal with each surfaces, a optimistic tribute he sees in progeny of Tiz the Regulation.
“That is actually going to assist Tiz the Regulation down the highway. They will run on each as a result of they’re so strong and sound,” Regan mentioned. “I feel early on they had been getting knocked for his or her dimension, however they’re proving themselves on the observe now. They are not overly huge, however all of them regarded very sound, strong horses.”
Regan additionally seen the growing recognition of the Kentucky Downs meet as a plus for horses who can run on each surfaces.
“Brokers are paying extra consideration to turf pedigrees and horses that will run on the grass,” Regan mentioned. “If a horse might be seen to run on each, I feel it does assist loads now.”
Bidding at Keeneland has already gone properly for the siblings of latest Kentucky Downs stakes winners. On Sept. 11, Belladonna Racing with Cherie DeVaux as agent went to a half-million {dollars} to buy an Important High quality  colt out of the Blame  mare Spanish Star .
Bred in Kentucky by Gilder-Schwarz Farm, Hip 616 is a half to Kilwin , winner of the Sept. 8 Untapable Stakes. Because of the victory, she has already earned $630,500 in simply two begins, practically tripling the $225,000 that proprietor BBN Racing purchased her for on the 2023 Keeneland Sale.
Spanish Star additionally produced One Timer , winner of the 2022 Franklin-Simpson Stakes (G2T) at Kentucky Downs and runner-up in an allowance at this 12 months’s meet, a efficiency that also netted him $44,000.
“She appears to get horses that like these huge purses,” mentioned Marc McLean, brother of consignor Pope McLean.
“Folks have observed it for certain,” mentioned Pope McLean. “The manufacturing has been fairly phenomenal.”
Hip 84, a Not This Time  full brother to Ainsworth Turf Dash Stakes (G2T) winner Cogburn , additionally offered for $300,000 in a personal sale between consignor Taylor Made Gross sales Company and Hartley/DeRenzo.
Whereas many patrons are looking out the gross sales barns for that dust horse to attain the Kentucky Derby dream on the primary Saturday in Might, an increasing number of patrons are beginning to plan for late August and early September. With the purses at Kentucky Downs solely anticipated to develop additional within the subsequent few years, the meet continues to be a fantastic return on funding for turf yearlings bought at Keeneland September.