Saturday, December 6, 2008

PATENA WINS DISPLAY STAKES

Several years ago Hill 'N' Dale Farms had a dilema. Because of a recent major transaction we had more stallion seasons than mares to breed them to. The solution was to sell as many seasons as possible and attempt to create some "foal sharing" arrangements with others. Tbe result was entering into a multi year agreement with Holtsinger Inc. owners of the top broodmare PASSING MOOD.

For the Hill 'N' Dale/Holtsinger partnership, PASSING MOOD produced stakes winners-BAR U MOOD, TOUCH GOLD-G1 and DAIJIN.

DAIJIN had been offered for sale by our sales agency but we bought out the partnership when she failed to reach her sales reserve. Racing for Hill 'N' Dale, DAIJIN was a stakes winner at 3 winning the prestigious Selene S. and then running 3rd in the Test G1 at Saratoga.

As a producer, DAIJIN has been very kind to us commercially. We have also been fortunate to keep 2 A.P. INDY daughters of DAIJIN. Named HANDPAINTED and SERENADING, these 2 fillies have went on to be stakes winners.

HANDPAINTED came very close to winning Championship honours at 2 in Canada and continued her winning ways as a multiple stakes winner at 4. SERENADING was a stakes winner at 4 this season and will run again next season with very high expectations.

How does PATENA fit in to the equation? He is a 2 year-old son of SEEKING THE GOLD and HANDPAINTED. After breaking his maiden by 5 1/4 lenghts in his previous start, PATENA won the Dec. 06 Display S. ($150,000) at Woodbine Racetrack, representing the 6th stakes winner that we have bred or co-bred from this family.

"Oil Painting" a 2007 DISTORTED HUMOR filly out of HANDPAINTED, will be a part of our 2009 racing stable.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

2009 STUD FEES ANNOUNCED

Hill 'N' Dale Kentucky has announced it's schedule of stud fees for 2009. With the current state of the sales economy, the Kentucky farm has reacted responsibly by holding or reducing fees on all of the stallions that stood in 2008 and prior. Anybody who participated in the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale should appreciate this.

Perennial stalwarts such as-STORMY ATLANTIC, EL CORREDOR, THEATRICAL and MUTAKDDIM continue to perform at a high and consistent level.

Leading freshman sire of 2008 CANDY RIDE (with 2 GSW this year) will stand for $12,500- the same fee as previous years.

Several of the stallions have yet to have foals old enough to the races but that will change for some this year. Among the younger stallions at the farm are GRAND REWARD, ROMAN RULER, SEEKING THE BEST, CLOSING ARGUMENT and MR. SEKIGUCHI.

New to the roster for 2009 are-2 time Breeders cup Sprint winner MIDNIGHT LUTE (17 hands tall and beautiful), SEEEKING THE DIA (a Champion son of STORM CAT from a great European G1 winning mare), HARLINGTON (a great looking, stakes winning son of UNBRIDLED out of a Champion), HEATSEEKER (a multiple graded stakes winner and multiple course record setting millionaire by GIANT'S CAUSEWAY).

All fees are due 11/01 of year bred.

Due to the multiple number of seasons purchased by Hill 'N' Dale Farms Canada for ourselves and our many clients it may be possible to negotiate more favorable terms from time to time.

Give me a call or drop me an e-mail to discuss.

Saturday, November 1, 2008


RETRACEABLE WINS PRINCESS ELIZABETH S.

How does a well bred, attractive filly sell for only $20,000 and then win a $250,00 stakes race the following year? It's simple-a top horseman with an open mind bought her. Mark Casse was the only horse person at Woodbine who could overlook a cosmetic blemish on RETRACEABLE and was rewarded today (11/01/08 ) when the 2 year-old daughter by leading first crop sire MEDAGLIA D'ORO galloped home a winner in one of Canada's premier races for juveniles. RETRACEABLE was unlucky not to have won the Muskoka S. in a previous start after being "steadied repeatedly". Selling from our Toronto Selected sales consignment in 2007, RETRACEABLE scared off most vets and prospective buyers due to a calcium deposit on a front ankle. Despite never being unsound a day in her life and despite having this cosmetic blemish since day 1, Mark was the only buyer to put up his hand. Seeing through what others won't and showing confidence in his own opinion has resulted in a bargain filly with tremendous upside.

P.S. This is the 3rd time in the last 5 years that a Hill 'N' Dale Toronto Sales grad has won the Princess Elizabeth S.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

CTHS SEPTEMBER YEARLING SALE

The Toronto yearling sales held September 02 (Selected Sale) and September 06 (Preferred Sale) were more or less on par with the Sales 2007 results. A slight dip for the Selected Sale (both in average and median) and a very slight raise in prices in the Preferred. Ontario sired horses appeared to me to sell for a premium.

The Hill 'N' Dale consignment sold well in some instances and not so well in other cases. What I am sure of is that we sold some nices horses and they will push us over the 100 mark for Toronto sales grads that have won or placed in stakes races. Retraceable, a very troubled 2nd in the $125,000 Muskoka S. was bred and sold by Hill 'N' Dale and represented our 96th Toronto stakes graduate.

Saturday, August 16, 2008

SERENADING

After 3 consecutive 2nd place finishes this season, SERENADING (A.P. INDY/DAIJIN by DEPUTY MINISTER) found her way to the winner's circle in the Belle Mahone S. at Woodbine today. A full sister to multiple Stakes Winner HANDPAINTED, SERENADING is from the Kinghaven foundation family of PASSING MOOD. Both HANDPAINTED and SERENADING were bred and are owned by Hill 'N' Dale.

Saturday, August 9, 2008

BUCEPHALOS

* BUCEPHALOS, winner of the 2008 $150,000 Clarendon S. at Woodbine Racetrack (and favourite for the 8/10/08 $150,000 Vandal S.) is 1 of 3 stakes winners out of the mare MAY TIME. DEPUTY CURES BLUES, NYUK NYUK NYUK and BUCEPHALOS were all bred by longtime clients Dr. Gordon and Elizabeth Lickrish and were sold at the Toronto Yearling Sale through Hill 'N' Dale Sales Agency. MAY TIME would be among the favourites to be awarded a Sovereign Award as Canadian Broodmare of the Year at the 2008 awards evening in December.

Also running in the Vandal is El Brujo. Another Hill 'N' Dale sales graduate (Keeneland September 2007), the Windways Farm owned and bred colt is from the first crop of the undefeated freshman sire CANDY RIDE who stands at Hill 'N' Dale Kentucky. CANDY RIDE is already the sire of a Graded stakes winner.

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