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‘Rare Air:’ Half-Sister to Englishman Puts Country Life in Keeneland Book 1

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Mike and Josh Pons, owners of Country Life Farm, having been shopping off short lists created by Bluegrass Thoroughbred Services John and Sandy Stuart, and their general manager Christy Holden for about a decade, so the brothers probably had plenty of confidence when they went to look at In It for the Gold (Speightstown) at the 2023 Keeneland November sale. The team was able to acquire the 9-year-old mare for $75,000, which looked like a bargain after her weanling colt by Maxfield proceeded her into the ring and sold for $240,000, and even more of a bargain when that colt returned to the ring to sell for $400,000 at the following year’s Keeneland September sale.

It looks like an absolute steal now that the colt now named Englishman has sprinted to jaw-dropping victories in the GI Woody Stephens Stakes and GI H. Allen Jerkens Stakes. Country Life Farm and partners will look to cash in on the colt’s stunning successes when they offer his half-sister by Mandaloun during Tuesday’s second Book 1 session at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale. The bay filly will be offered as hip 271 through the Bluegrass Thoroughbred Services consignment.

“It’s a field-of-dreams type of thing,” Mike Pons said of owning the dam of a likely champion. “You know, you just can’t imagine that it happens.”

Pons recalled of the 2023 auction, “They had this nice Speightstown mare on the list, and she fit the system and they liked the physical. I said, ‘Great! I like her because she’s in foal to Authentic.’”

Of the mare’s weanling, Pons said, “He was a crackerjack, a very handsome young baby. We had seen him at the barn and it encouraged us, but I had no idea. I thought he’d bring a little bit more than her, but not three times. And then he resells for $400,000. I thought he was a magnificent-looking guy. He might be as handsome a horse I’ve seen since Flightline, or you know, pick a horse. He’s just beautiful, muscle on top of muscle, and he moves like a cat.”

The Pons family has been breeding racehorses in Maryland for three generations now and Mike Pons compared watching Englishman’s exploits to witnessing champion Cigar, who was foaled at the Maryland farm, streak to 16 straight victories.

“I got to watch four of the 16 in a row,” Pons said. “And you’d swear on a sunny day it was raining because you’d look at your program, and there were these droplets on there. And then you realize it was just the tears. It was just unbelievable. And this horse–it’s like an out-of-body experience.”

Country Life Farm most recent iteration of broodmare partnerships began some 10 years ago, but the historic farm’s involvement with partnerships goes back much further.

“We’ve had partnerships on and off for about 30 years,” Pons said. “It’s pretty much just been at local Maryland sales and getting mares to support our stallions in the ’80s, ’90s and 2000s. We had Malibu Moon, Allen’s Prospect, and Citidancer, some very good regional stallions. Moon, of course, was international. But it was just fun. Now we are going to Kentucky. Keeneland and Fasig-Tipton have been very good to us.”

Mike Pons | Jon Durr/Eclipse Sportswire/CSM

Country Life currently has 10 broodmares–purchased from $11,000 to $115,000–listed in its partnership packages on the farm’s website. And the partnerships are no stranger to sales success. After purchasing Starr of Quality (First Dude) for $72,000 at the 2020 Keeneland November sale, they sold her daughter Handsintheair (Gun Runner) for $775,000 at the 2023 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale.

“She was a very attractive mare,” Pons said. “We got in before Gun Runner hit and we got a season for $50,000, and she produced Handsintheair, who brought $775,000. And again, I had to look at my catalogue, look at the filly in the ring, and look at the board to make sure Mike wasn’t hallucinating again. Every once in a while, you need a reality check. But it’s wild. I played a lot of baseball and when you hit one really good, and you run to first and the coach says, ‘Just touch them all.’ It just felt that good. When you see that happening, you realize it’s special.”

In It for the Gold’s 2-year-old filly by Authentic sold for $25,000 at last year’s Keeneland September sale before selling again for $425,000 at this year’s OBS April sale. The mare’s yearling filly will be offered as part of the Keeneland September sale’s select Book 1 section.

“She’s pretty,” Pons said of the filly. “She needed a little more time because we thought of maybe going to Saratoga, but Johnny [Stuart] and the crew down there lobbied to give her another month. So, she’s in Book 1 in Keeneland, which is crazy fun for us. That’s rare air for a small farm from Maryland–actually two farms and about 300 acres. It’s a dream to have it happen.”

In it for the Gold and her Tiz the Law weanling | Sara Gordon

In It for the Gold produced a colt by Tiz the Law this year.

“He’s a sexy little guy,” Pons said. “I love him. He’s a crackerjack baby.”

The mare is back in foal to Into Mischief in a partnership with Spendthrift Farm and both mare and foal are expected to be offered at the upcoming Fasig-Tipton November sale.

“I would love to ring the bell for the partners,” Pons said. “It’s really exciting when they get a victory. They get a little taste of it and then they’ll reinvest and play again.”

Even before the night of the stars in November, the Country Life team can enjoy the ongoing exploits of Englishman and watch his half-sister go through the ring at Keeneland Tuesday.

“It’s magical, and the whole farm is just crazy enthused,” Pons said. “And it’s fun because the kids all love this game. They have real jobs off the farm, but they watch it really closely, and it’s beautiful because ain’t nothing like a horse who can run.”

The Keeneland September sale begins Monday with the first of two Book 1 sessions beginning at 1 p.m. Book 2 sessions begin Wednesday and Thursday at 11 a.m. and, following a dark day Friday, the auction continues through Sept. 26 with sessions beginning daily at 10 a.m.

The post ‘Rare Air:’ Half-Sister to Englishman Puts Country Life in Keeneland Book 1 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Rosario, O’Neill, Reddam Take Del Mar Titles

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The 87th summer season at Del Mar came to a close Monday evening. While final numbers for the meet weren’t yet available, the final standings for jockeys, trainers, and owners were in, with Hall of Fame rider Joel Rosario, trainer Doug O’Neill, and owner Reddam Racing taking home the titles.

In his first jockey title at Del Mar since 2011, but his fourth overall, Rosario returned to California with 42 wins during the 32-day meet to secure the honor. Juan Hernandez, second with 37 victories, led all riders by stakes wins with 14. He won the final stakes race of the meet Monday, the GII John C. Mabee Stakes, on Medoro (Honor Code) and finished just one win away from the record for stakes wins by a jockey in a single season at Del Mar set by Flavien Prat in 2020.

O’Neill netted the training title with 27 winners, 10 ahead of second-placed Bob Baffert, who had 17 victories. Baffert won the most stakes events with six.

Reddam Racing took the owner title with nine wins and earnings of $810,040. Hronis Racing was the runner-up with six victories.

“It’s a premiere meet,” said racing secretary David Jerkens, “and I thought it flowed and went well. It provided a lot of exciting finishes. We saw a lot of good horses who raced here who should go on to the Breeders’ Cup. It was a good meet overall.”

He continued: “We stuck to a schedule that owners and trainers could count on. Eighty percent of the condition book races filled. We offered a lot of variety and balance in our program. Now that we’re a consolidated circuit we have to recognize that. There are some levels that we offer at Del Mar that weren’t on the menu a couple of years ago. Some of your Cal-bred categories have been expanded.”

‘TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard’ Knightsbridge (Nyquist) was named Del Mar Horse of the Meet, as well as top older horse, after a scintillating win in the GI Pacific Classic.

Gold Phoenix (Ire) (Belardo {Ire}) got the nod as top grass horse; Eunomia (Tiz the Law) secured top older filly or mare; Listenupshance (Shancelot) was named top sprinter; Proletariat (Raging Bull {Fr}) was recognized as top 3-year-old; and Tam Tam (Medaglia d’Oro) was named top 3-year-old filly. ‘TDN Rising Stars, presented by Hagyard’ Hughes (Into Mischief) and Miss Monica (Early Voting) were named top 2-year-old colt and filly, respectively.

Del Mar’s Bing Crosby season returns Nov. 6.

The post Rosario, O’Neill, Reddam Take Del Mar Titles appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

‘Rare Air:’ Half-Sister to Englishman Puts Country Life in Keeneland Book 1

---

Mike and Josh Pons, owners of Country Life Farm, having been shopping off short lists created by Bluegrass Thoroughbred Services John and Sandy Stuart, and their general manager Christy Holden for about a decade, so the brothers probably had plenty of confidence when they went to look at In It for the Gold (Speightstown) at the 2023 Keeneland November sale. The team was able to acquire the 9-year-old mare for $75,000, which looked like a bargain after her weanling colt by Maxfield proceeded her into the ring and sold for $240,000, and even more of a bargain when that colt returned to the ring to sell for $400,000 at the following year’s Keeneland September sale.

It looks like an absolute steal now that the colt now named Englishman has sprinted to jaw-dropping victories in the GI Woody Stephens Stakes and GI H. Allen Jerkens Stakes. Country Life Farm and partners will look to cash in on the colt’s stunning successes when they offer his half-sister by Mandaloun during Tuesday’s second Book 1 session at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale. The bay filly will be offered as hip 271 through the Bluegrass Thoroughbred Services consignment.

“It’s a field-of-dreams type of thing,” Mike Pons said of owning the dam of a likely champion. “You know, you just can’t imagine that it happens.”

Pons recalled of the 2023 auction, “They had this nice Speightstown mare on the list, and she fit the system and they liked the physical. I said, ‘Great! I like her because she’s in foal to Authentic.’”

Of the mare’s weanling, Pons said, “He was a crackerjack, a very handsome young baby. We had seen him at the barn and it encouraged us, but I had no idea. I thought he’d bring a little bit more than her, but not three times. And then he resells for $400,000. I thought he was a magnificent-looking guy. He might be as handsome a horse I’ve seen since Flightline, or you know, pick a horse. He’s just beautiful, muscle on top of muscle, and he moves like a cat.”

The Pons family has been breeding racehorses in Maryland for three generations now and Mike Pons compared watching Englishman’s exploits to witnessing champion Cigar, who was foaled at the Maryland farm, streak to 16 straight victories.

“I got to watch four of the 16 in a row,” Pons said. “And you’d swear on a sunny day it was raining because you’d look at your program, and there were these droplets on there. And then you realize it was just the tears. It was just unbelievable. And this horse–it’s like an out-of-body experience.”

Country Life Farm most recent iteration of broodmare partnerships began some 10 years ago, but the historic farm’s involvement with partnerships goes back much further.

“We’ve had partnerships on and off for about 30 years,” Pons said. “It’s pretty much just been at local Maryland sales and getting mares to support our stallions in the ’80s, ’90s and 2000s. We had Malibu Moon, Allen’s Prospect, and Citidancer, some very good regional stallions. Moon, of course, was international. But it was just fun. Now we are going to Kentucky. Keeneland and Fasig-Tipton have been very good to us.”

Mike Pons | Jon Durr/Eclipse Sportswire/CSM

Country Life currently has 10 broodmares–purchased from $11,000 to $115,000–listed in its partnership packages on the farm’s website. And the partnerships are no stranger to sales success. After purchasing Starr of Quality (First Dude) for $72,000 at the 2020 Keeneland November sale, they sold her daughter Handsintheair (Gun Runner) for $775,000 at the 2023 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale.

“She was a very attractive mare,” Pons said. “We got in before Gun Runner hit and we got a season for $50,000, and she produced Handsintheair, who brought $775,000. And again, I had to look at my catalogue, look at the filly in the ring, and look at the board to make sure Mike wasn’t hallucinating again. Every once in a while, you need a reality check. But it’s wild. I played a lot of baseball and when you hit one really good, and you run to first and the coach says, ‘Just touch them all.’ It just felt that good. When you see that happening, you realize it’s special.”

In It for the Gold’s 2-year-old filly by Authentic sold for $25,000 at last year’s Keeneland September sale before selling again for $425,000 at this year’s OBS April sale. The mare’s yearling filly will be offered as part of the Keeneland September sale’s select Book 1 section.

“She’s pretty,” Pons said of the filly. “She needed a little more time because we thought of maybe going to Saratoga, but Johnny [Stuart] and the crew down there lobbied to give her another month. So, she’s in Book 1 in Keeneland, which is crazy fun for us. That’s rare air for a small farm from Maryland–actually two farms and about 300 acres. It’s a dream to have it happen.”

In it for the Gold and her Tiz the Law weanling | Sara Gordon

In It for the Gold produced a colt by Tiz the Law this year.

“He’s a sexy little guy,” Pons said. “I love him. He’s a crackerjack baby.”

The mare is back in foal to Into Mischief in a partnership with Spendthrift Farm and both mare and foal are expected to be offered at the upcoming Fasig-Tipton November sale.

“I would love to ring the bell for the partners,” Pons said. “It’s really exciting when they get a victory. They get a little taste of it and then they’ll reinvest and play again.”

Even before the night of the stars in November, the Country Life team can enjoy the ongoing exploits of Englishman and watch his half-sister go through the ring at Keeneland Tuesday.

“It’s magical, and the whole farm is just crazy enthused,” Pons said. “And it’s fun because the kids all love this game. They have real jobs off the farm, but they watch it really closely, and it’s beautiful because ain’t nothing like a horse who can run.”

The Keeneland September sale begins Monday with the first of two Book 1 sessions beginning at 1 p.m. Book 2 sessions begin Wednesday and Thursday at 11 a.m. and, following a dark day Friday, the auction continues through Sept. 26 with sessions beginning daily at 10 a.m.

The post ‘Rare Air:’ Half-Sister to Englishman Puts Country Life in Keeneland Book 1 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Rosario, O’Neill, Reddam Take Del Mar Titles

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The 87th summer season at Del Mar came to a close Monday evening. While final numbers for the meet weren’t yet available, the final standings for jockeys, trainers, and owners were in, with Hall of Fame rider Joel Rosario, trainer Doug O’Neill, and owner Reddam Racing taking home the titles.

In his first jockey title at Del Mar since 2011, but his fourth overall, Rosario returned to California with 42 wins during the 32-day meet to secure the honor. Juan Hernandez, second with 37 victories, led all riders by stakes wins with 14. He won the final stakes race of the meet Monday, the GII John C. Mabee Stakes, on Medoro (Honor Code) and finished just one win away from the record for stakes wins by a jockey in a single season at Del Mar set by Flavien Prat in 2020.

O’Neill netted the training title with 27 winners, 10 ahead of second-placed Bob Baffert, who had 17 victories. Baffert won the most stakes events with six.

Reddam Racing took the owner title with nine wins and earnings of $810,040. Hronis Racing was the runner-up with six victories.

“It’s a premiere meet,” said racing secretary David Jerkens, “and I thought it flowed and went well. It provided a lot of exciting finishes. We saw a lot of good horses who raced here who should go on to the Breeders’ Cup. It was a good meet overall.”

He continued: “We stuck to a schedule that owners and trainers could count on. Eighty percent of the condition book races filled. We offered a lot of variety and balance in our program. Now that we’re a consolidated circuit we have to recognize that. There are some levels that we offer at Del Mar that weren’t on the menu a couple of years ago. Some of your Cal-bred categories have been expanded.”

‘TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard’ Knightsbridge (Nyquist) was named Del Mar Horse of the Meet, as well as top older horse, after a scintillating win in the GI Pacific Classic.

Gold Phoenix (Ire) (Belardo {Ire}) got the nod as top grass horse; Eunomia (Tiz the Law) secured top older filly or mare; Listenupshance (Shancelot) was named top sprinter; Proletariat (Raging Bull {Fr}) was recognized as top 3-year-old; and Tam Tam (Medaglia d’Oro) was named top 3-year-old filly. ‘TDN Rising Stars, presented by Hagyard’ Hughes (Into Mischief) and Miss Monica (Early Voting) were named top 2-year-old colt and filly, respectively.

Del Mar’s Bing Crosby season returns Nov. 6.

The post Rosario, O’Neill, Reddam Take Del Mar Titles appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.