That’s how you start a year! Preservationist, the first starter for Centennial Farms in the new year, delivered a game performance to break his maiden at Aqueduct Racetrack. The five-year-old’s talent has always been abundant, and patient handling by Jimmy Jerkens, Paula Parsons, and Dr. Carr have allowed it to shine.
Keeneland’s annual September Sale routinely turns out more champions and graded stakes winners than all other sales companies combined. The Centennial Farms acquisition team returns each year to pour through hundreds of horses and select those which match the Centennial ideal. Dr. Steven Carr and Paula Parsons once again succeeded at finding athletic, impressive physical individuals with pedigrees that indicate the sky’s the limit.
The group commenced with the purchase of a son from the first crop of brilliant Whitney winner Cross Traffic out of a stakes winning mare. We were able to follow that up with the addition of a colt by red-hot Into Mischief whose dam is the daughter of standout broodmare sire Unbridled’s Song and an Eclipse Award winner. Exciting freshman stallion Cairo Prince sired our third purchase, the second foal out of a dam who has already produced a winner. The final member of the quartet is by Horse of the Year and proven sire Mineshaft, out of a young daughter of world-renowned War Front.
All four colts will begin their initial training in Middleburg, Virginia, making them among the first crop eligible for the lucrative Virginia Residency Bonus Program. Centennial Farms is the only partnership whose time-tested methods will also make our partners eligible to earn these tremendous bonuses. Learn more and contact us for details on how to get involved with these exciting colts.
After two tough defeats at Saratoga, Securitiz put in a resolute run to become a stakes winner on opening weekend at Belmont Park! The handsome dark bay was sent off as the second choice in the Seattle Slew Stakes with new rider Manny Franco aboard. The duo dropped back to last partway through the 1 1/8-mile affair, but Franco timed their rally to a “T”. Securitiz rallied late and stuck his nose out in front.
Already stakes placed at four, Securitiz pushed his career earnings to over $260,000 with the victory. The full recap is available from NYRA.
Every summer, the racing world converges on Saratoga for forty days of world-class racing and one of the nation’s most prestigious yearling sales. The competition at each is unparalleled. There is no tougher meet in the country to win a race at nor anywhere tougher to snag a top-quality racing prospect. Centennial Farms was thrilled to conclude our summer with victories at each.
The star of the racing season was Rocketry, whose impressive allowance victory and solid stakes debut anchored a strong meet. His flashy victory was paired with game efforts by Securitiz and Weather Wiz to generate an 80% on the board percentage for the meet. We are incredibly proud that that consistency has followed the Centennial horses throughout the year. No other partnership has a higher percentage in 2017.
The other major victories of the meet came at the Fasig-Tipton Select Sale, where we brought home sons of young Kentucky Derby-producing sire Bodemeister and perennial standout sire Malibu Moon. We’re thrilled to offer the opportunity to invest in these two colts of limitless potential.
Classy, athletic, smart, and personable from day one, Unified proved himself to be all that and more. The handsome dark bay retires to Lane’s End Farm a multiple graded stakes winner of over $475,000.
Some highlights from his brilliant career are shown below. You can also read more about his future via The BloodHorse.
Centennial Farms is absolutely delighted to be involved in the first ever Equestricon. Equestricon, the brainchild of Kathryn Sharp, Justin Nicholson, and Dan Tordjman, is a racing convention like no other. It is a fan festival and trade show that will bring together industry insiders, fans, horseplayers, and more for panels, discussions, meet and greets, entertainment, and a host of other activities. As proud sponsors of the event, you will be able to interact with us in a variety of ways.
Monday, August 14, 11am-noon: Centennial Farms Showcase
Don Little, Jr. will be joined by Peter Horvitz, Dr. Stephen Carr, and Jimmy Jerkens to discuss the history of Centennial Farms, how and why we do what we do, our latest additions, and answer any questions you might have. We are also thrilled to be premiering new videos to introduce you to all of Centennial that you won’t want to miss. The Showcase is open to all ticket holders, including general admission, and we are offering snacks to attendees.
Monday, August 14, 4pm-6pm: Perspectives: Social Media in Horse Racing
Susie Raisher joins a panel moderated by Penelope Miller of America’s Best Racing.
Tuesday, August 15, 3pm-5pm: Q&A Racing Syndicates
TVG’s Caton Bredar moderates a panel including Don Little, Jr. to discuss getting involved in thoroughbred ownership through partnerships and how to select the one that’s right for you.
Find Juba!
If you follow Centennial Farms on Twitter, undoubtedly you’ve seen Juba‘s costume ideas to try to sneak past security (we’ve heard they’re not zoned for horses) and attend Equestricon. We’ll be hiding ten of our favorite costumed Jubas throughout the convention area. If you find one, snap a picture of it or take a selfie, use the hashtag #IfoundJubaatEQCon17, and be eligible to win a prize!
Members of Centennial Farm will also be roaming Equestricon – please feel free to approach us any time!
“Batjuba” is one of ten costumed Jubas that will be hidden during Equestricon.
The Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale has been turning out some of racing’s best for 100 years. Man o’ War sold in just its second year of operation, while more recently four of the last six Belmont Stakes winners, including Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, have passed though the ring. Centennial Farms has found plenty of success shopping at the Spa each summer. Colonial Affair, Corinthian, and Unified are all graduates.
Dr. Stephen Carr and Paula Parsons, who head our acquisition team, tackled this year’s sale with the expertise, thoroughness, and precision they have brought for decades. The duo examined every colt in the sale, looking for the ideal combination of athleticism and pedigree. Through their careful screening process, Centennial Farms was able to add two new colts to the roster and offer the chance to get involved with two of the most exciting pedigrees in racing.
Hip 40, a son of Bodemeister out of the El Prado mare Recollect, was the first to fall under the hammer. The handsome colt is by the sire of this year’s Kentucky Derby winner, from a phenomenal Darby Dan Farm family that has been turning out stakes winners for decades.
A partnership with historic Spendthrift Farm offers the unique opportunity to be involved with a particularly exciting colt. Hip 218 is by Spendthift’s Malibu Moon, one of the top sires in the nation and a blossoming sire of sires. He is from a deep family that traces back to legendary Gallorette, and bred on the same cross as Kentucky Derby winner Orb.
The two colts are being offered separately in the 2017 Pinewood, LLC and the 2017 Malibu, LLC. 5% interests are available in each. Please contact us with any questions or for more information on how you can be a part of their future.
Hip 40, Bodemeister – Recollect (El Prado) colt
Hip 218, Maibu Moon – Kiss the Lady (Quiet American) colt
After couple narrow defeats to start the prestigious Saratoga meet, Centennial Farms got off the duck with an impressive victory by improving sophomore Rocketry.
Rocketry was named a “Rising Star” by the Thoroughbred Daily News after drawing away from a strong maiden field in June. Though he was defeated in his first start against winners, enduring some bad racing luck, he rebounded with an easy Saratoga score. There is no more prestigious meet in the nation than the Spa and thus no place more difficult to win. The big bay colt’s win stamped him as a true force to be reckoned with going long on the grass.
The celebration was particular sweet given what preceded it. Two races apart, just a few days prior, our Tiznow duo of Weather Wiz and Securitiz battled their way to runner-up efforts. The pair was beaten by less than 3/4-length combined.
With all three runners finishing in the top three, Centennial Farms is currently sitting just shy of a 70% on the board record for 2017. No other partnership with more than ten starters has a higher percentage, nor any based on North America’s toughest circuit, New York.
Members of Centennial Farms and the Jimmy Jerkens barn enjoy Rocketry’s Saratoga win with jockey Jose Ortiz.
An action-packed weekend gave Team Centennial much reason for optimism and celebration across four different partnerships! Four runners at two tracks across two stakes headed back to the barn with a win, a second, and two thirds among them.
The partners in the Crescent, LLC enjoyed their group’s first victory, from just two starters, with a game, impressive victory from Metallic at Laurel Park. The son of Medaglia d’Oro battled along the rail throughout, drew clear, and held off a late charge. Rodney Jenkins has done a tremendous job with the colt and is enthusiastic about his bright future.
Stable star Unified was the headliner of the weekend at Aqueduct. The multiple graded stakes winner made his Grade 1 debut as the highweight in the Carter Handicap. Though he just missed running down a loose-on-the-lead longshot winner, Green Gratto, it was a big performance from the colt who has developed in to one of the best sprinters in the country under the watchful eye of Jimmy Jerkens.
Pirate’s Treasure was involved in a wildly-run Wood Memorial Day nightcap. The New York-bred continues to develop mentally with each start and has improved his finish with each effort, crossing the wire third.
Rounding out the weekend was Adulator, looking to rebound after a disappointing seasonal debut at Gulfstream Park. A speed favoring track made things difficult, but he came running and galloped out well to finish third in a strong field.
The quartet’s encouraging efforts moved our on the board percentage above 63% in 2017, with every reason to believe they’ll continue to make our partners proud.
The OBS March Sale has a long history of churning out top class racehorses. Six champions, 24 millionaires, and six horses accounting for seven Breeders’ Cup victories have emerged from the Ocala, Florida showcase. In fact, graduates have won or placed in over 230 stakes races, including over 80 graded, since the beginning of 2016 alone. The hard work of the Centennial Farms acquisition team, led by the uniquely experienced and successful duo of Paula Parsons and Dr. Stephen Carr, combed through this year’s offerings. We are thrilled that they found a colt who represents our ideal of an athletic frame paired with a stallion’s pedigree.
Undefeated, record-breaking Candy Ride has been a universally successful sire who we are intimately familiar with as the sire of our multiple graded stakes winner Unified. The newest Candy Ride on the roster is a rugged colt out of $150,000 stakes winner Church Camp. Winner of the Santa Lucia Stakes at Santa Anita, Church Champ is the dam of promising Singsong, a maiden special weight and allowance winner on the NYRA circuit at two. The bay colt hails from the family of multiple graded stakes winner Middlesex Drive and traces back to the great foundation mare, Frizette, also ancestress of Mr. Prospector and Seattle Slew, and via the same branch as Champion Sprinter Shecky Greene.
We are thrilled to offer the opportunity to invest in the future of this promising colt. Check out the Woodland, LLC for more information and contact us any time for details.
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