On the move

Some people look forward to the Triple Crown season, while others look eagerly towards the opening of Saratoga and Del Mar.  But for me, I always await the falling leaves and cooler temperatures, as they bring with them news of stallion arrivals and departures into the Mid-Atlantic region, the release of the Report of Mares Bred by The Jockey Club (I could spend hours with that!), and the Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships.  The Breeders' Cup will be especially exciting this year as champion Zenyatta, who is extremely popular in my household, will take her show to Churchill Downs for the Classic.

The first wave of stallion news has come ashore, and we are happy (and in one case, sad) to report the following:

* Mike and Laura Cumberton, owner of Alex's Pal in their Pot O'Gold Stables name, have announced that he will be moving from Ghost Ridge Farms in Felton, Pa. to Dr. William Solomon's Pin Oak Lane Farm in New Freedom, Pa.  Alex’s Pal will stand for $2,000 Live Foal in 2011 with a reduced fee of $1,000 for multiple mares.

* Fox Tale Stud in Coopersburg has informed us that 1999 Pennsylvania Derby winner Smart Guy has been sold by his owner, Win More Stable Inc., and will stand the 2010 season in Indiana.  No farm has been named, nor a stud fee set.  Smart Guy was always one of our favorites, as he survived a life-threatening racing injury to become a stallion, and we'll miss him.  From only several small crops to race, he is the sire of $550,000-plus earner and multiple stakes winner Secretintelligence. 

* We also caught wind that the stallion BL's Appeal, a son of Valid Appeal who formerly stood in Florida, was coming to Pennsylvania, but we have not confirmed the farm as of yet.

* New York stallion Hook and Ladder has been sold to a farm in the Phillipines, more on this later.

* And of course, there will be a major announcement forthcoming at the end of the month involving 3 Kentucky stallions possibly coming to Pa.  For one of them, the deal appears shaky at this point.  As soon as the official press release is issued, we'll be sure to report it.

* On an entirely different note, my first homebred, Baby Chips, arrived at Richard Simoff's Twin Ponds Farm in Oxford, Pa., for "racehorse kindergarten."  Baby Chips (not his registered name, just our pet name for him) has already had the bit in his mouth, a surcingle around his belly, and has been lunged.  The Dougherty family is atwitter about this development, as Baby Chips is taking the first step towards becoming a full-fledged racehorse.  Win or lose, whether he's destined for the allowance ranks or nickel claiming company, watching Baby Chips grow from a beautiful foal to a strapping yearling colt has been the most fun we've ever had. 

Baby Chips at three weeks old.  That's my daughter Devon with him.

Baby Chips as a yearling. Photo taken on September 5, again with Devon.