MONDAY, JANUARY 11, 2021 KEENELAND JANUARY SALE THOUSAND WORDS RETIRED TO SPENDTHRIFT STARTS MONDAY Thousand Words (Pioneerof the Nile--Pomeroy=s Pistol, by Pomeroy) has been retired from racing and will begin stud duties this year at B. Wayne Hughes=s Spendthrift Farm. The 4-year-old, a $1-million Keeneland September purchase, was campaigned by Spendthrift and Albaugh Family Stables and was trained by Bob Baffert. He won the 2019 GII Los Alamitos Futurity and 2020 GIII Robert B. Lewis S. and Shared Belief S. He was also second in the GIII Los Alamitos Derby. Thousand Words retires with four wins and a second from nine starts and earnings of $327,500. AThousand Words is a horse we have been high on since the day we partnered with the Albaugh family to buy him at the Keeneland September sale,@ said Ned Toffey, Spendthrift general manager. AWe believed he was one of the best combinations of pedigree and physical we saw that year, which Keeneland sales grounds | Keeneland photo is why he commanded a million dollars.@ Cont. p3 by Jessica Martini IN TDN EUROPE TODAY The Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale begins its four- BEACH A WINTER WARMER FOR CHAPPLE-HYAM day run Monday morning, with bidding slated to commence at GSW Saffron Beach (Ire) (New Bay {GB}) is thriving during her 10 a.m. The auction, which includes the dispersals of the historic winter break. Emma Berry chats with trainer Jane Chapple-Hyam. Sam-Son Farm, the late Paul Pompa, Jr., and Spry Family Farm, Click or tap here to go straight to TDN Europe. features a catalogue of 1,608 broodmares and broodmare prospects, newly turned yearlings, horses of racing age and stallions or stallion prospects. Despite swirling uncertainties caused by the global pandemic, the market proved resilient and surprisingly deep when Keeneland staged its September Yearling Sale and November Breeding Stock Sale last fall. Sales officials look for those trends continue into the January marketplace. AI think the November sale was similar to the September market,@ said Keeneland=s Director of Sales Operations Geoffrey Russell. AIn September, we were very apprehensive going into the second week about where we were going to be and it worked out very well. And it was the same in the November sale. We were worried about the middle and lower-end markets and they stood up very well. We hope all that continues on in January.@ The three dispersals in the January catalogue figure to increase interest in the auction. Cont. p3 QUALITY ROAD – INVENTIVE, BY DIXIE UNION FEE: $10,000 S&N “A BLEND OF QUALITY ROAD CLASS AND OUT OF A STAKES-PLACED MARE DEL MAR FUTURITY (G1) PRECOCITY.” DIXIE UNION –TDN SECOND DAM IS BY STORM CAT THIRD DAM IS A SISTER TO QUALITY ROAD’S BREEDERS’ CUP CLASSIC (G1) FASTEST G1-WINNING 2YO WINNER CONCERN FIRST YEARLINGS OF CONTACT RYAN NORTON: $160,000, $120,000, (859) 254-0424 $115,000, ETC. WWW.DARBYDAN.COM FIRST 2YOs IN 2021 They are electric $280,000 $280,000 $225,000 $180,000 etc. Find yours at Keeneland. Among the American Graded Stakes Committee’s upgraded races for 2021 were the following stakes in Kentucky: Franklin-Simpson S. at Kentucky Downs to G2 from G3 Kentucky Turf Cup at Kentucky Downs to G2 from G3 Tourist Mile at Kentucky Downs to G3 from Listed Kentucky Cup Classic at Turfway to Listed Dueling Grounds Oaks at Kentucky Downs to Listed Kentucky Downs Preview Ladies Turf at Ellis Park to Listed Kentucky Downs Preview Tourist Mile at Ellis Park to Listed Over $170 million has been distributed to Kentucky breeders since 2006, and with purse money soaring (exceeding $118 million in 2020) thanks to Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Funds, the fullest fields in the country, and quality racing year-round, THERE’S NO BETTER TIME TO RACE IN THE BLUEGRASS STATE. Find your Kentucky-bred this week at Keeneland’s Horses of All Ages Sale Today - Thursday, Jan. 14 PUBLISHER & CEO Sue Morris Finley @suefinley [email protected] SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT Gary King @garykingTDN [email protected] EDITORIAL [email protected] Editor-in-Chief Jessica Martini @JessMartiniTDN Managing Editor Monday, January 11, 2021 Alan Carasso @EquinealTDN Senior Editor Steve Sherack @SteveSherackTDN Racing Editor Brian DiDonato @BDiDonatoTDN Deputy Editor Christie DeBernardis @CDeBernardisTDN Associate Editors Christina Bossinakis @CBossTDN Joe Bianca @JBiancaTDN News and Features Editor In Memoriam: Ben Massam (1988-2019) ADVERTISING [email protected] Director of Advertising Alycia Borer Advertising Manager Lia Best Advertising Designer Amanda Crelin Advertising Assistant/Dir. Of Distribution Rachel McCaffrey Advertising Assistants Amie Newcomb Kristen Lomasson Photographer/Photo Editor Sarah K. Andrew @SarahKAndrew Coverage of the Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale continues on page 3. [email protected] | Keeneland Social Media Strategist Justina Severni TDN LOOK: WHILE THE HORSES ARE AWAY 4 Associate Producer The Backside Learning Center’s Merlin Cano helps the operation Katie Ritz in its mission to serve the equine backstretch community at Director of Customer Service Churchill Downs, providing educational programs and services Vicki Forbes and promoting community amongst the backstretch workers [email protected] and their families Marketing Manager Alayna Cullen @AlaynaCullen COLT IS FIRST FOAL FOR YOSHIDA 9 Director of IT & Accounting A colt born at WinStar Farm Saturday night is the first reported Ray Villa foal for his sire Yoshida--a Grade I winner on both dirt and turf. [email protected] [email protected] WORLDWIDE INFORMATION International Editor Kelsey Riley @kelseynrileyTDN [email protected] European Editor Emma Berry [email protected] Associate International Editor Heather Anderson @HLAndersonTDN Newmarket Bureau, Cafe Racing Sean Cronin & Tom Frary [email protected] 60 Broad Street, Suite 100 Red Bank, NJ 07701 732-747-8060 | www.TheTDN.com TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 3 OF 10 • THETDN.COM MONDAY • JANUARY 11, 2021 Keeneland January Sale Starts Monday (cont. from p1) AI think it will be a slightly different January sale as we=ve got three very nice dispersals in here,@ Russell said. AObviously, we=d prefer they weren=t dispersing, but if they had to, we are glad they are doing it with us.@ The Sam-Son Farm dispersal features 21 in-foal broodmares, all of whom were paraded before prospective buyers Saturday morning at Keeneland. The dispersal of the late Paul Pompa, which is being handled by the Lane=s End consignment, includes 39 broodmares, yearlings, broodmare and stallion prospects and horses of racing age. The dispersal continued to generate updates as sale time approached, with homebred Carillo (Union Rags) tabbed a =TDN Rising Star= with a debut win at Aqueduct Friday. Both the sophomore (hip 1556) and his dam, Proper Mad (Bernardini) (hip 793), will be offered at Keeneland this week. The Spry dispersal with Hill >n= Dale Sales Agency, agent, cataloged 46 broodmares and broodmare prospects, yearlings and racing prospects. AThe Sam-Son horses had a nice show this morning and the Pompa horses seem to be doing very well on the racetrack,@ said Russell. ASo that is all very positive. Quality dispersals, as these are, bring in more people.@ The January sale will be the third auction at which Keeneland will offer buyers the opportunity to bid on-line. It is an option, first necessitated by the coronavirus pandemic and ensuing travel restrictions, which continues to grow in popularity. AWe have the same system set up and we expect it to continue to be very popular,@ Keeneland President Shannon Arvin said of the internet bidding. AIt opens up a lot of doors.@ Russell added, AI think, of all the things we have done because of COVID, I think the internet bidding is definitely something that is here to stay. I think as each sale has gone on--not just ours, but at other sales companies, as well--I think buyers are getting more comfortable with it.@ The Keeneland January sale continues through Thursday with each session beginning at 10 a.m. Thousand Words Retired to Spendthrift (cont. from p1) Toffey continued, AHe was forward from the day he started training in Ocala, and Bob Baffert told us pretty early on that Thousand Words was a Derby horse. He was an undefeated Los Al Futurity winner at two and beat Honor A. P. in a final Derby prep race at three. Thousand Words is a terrific package and will greatly complement our stallion roster, especially at his price point. We think breeders are really going to like everything he has to offer as an exciting young stallion prospect.@ Cont. p4 TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 4 OF 10 • THETDN.COM MONDAY • JANUARY 11, 2021 Thousand Words will be part of Spendthrift=s AShare the Upside@ program. The Share The Upside fee for Thousand Words will be $10,000 for one year. Breeders must breed a mare in 2022 on a complimentary basis. After the breeder has a live foal in 2022, pays the stud fee, and breeds a mare back, he or she will earn a lifetime breeding right beginning in 2023. Thousand Words | Benoit For breeders not interested in the Share The Upside program, Thousand Words will be offered for $7,500 on a standard stands and nurses contract. Thousand Words is now available for inspection at Spendthrift by appointment only. FROM TDN LOOK: WHILE THE HORSES ARE AWAY by Katie Ritz It=s three days before Christmas, a time when most young Americans can be found lounging on the couch binging on Netflix and cookies, but Merlin Cano is busy on the backside of Churchill Downs. Most of the trainers have already packed up and headed for warmer climates. A few trucks roll by carrying used straw or unused hay, remnants of the hive of activity this backstretch was just a few weeks ago.