by Dave Briggs

Diamond Creek, which has long aimed to excel both on the track and as breeders, has opted to sell all of its trotting yearlings this year. Shaun Laungani, the farm’s vice-president and director of bloodstock services, said it’s a big change for the operation.

“Everything that we bred is in this sale or Harrisburg, yearling wise, and that’s a big change for us. We’ve always kept some trotters and no longer are we doing that,” Laungani said. “We’re, more or less, taking a hiatus from racing trotters. We’ve got our last group of trotters that we’re cycling through the racing stable now. It’s just simply because of lack of success. The results haven’t met expectations or the pedigrees and so we need to retool.

“On the pacing side, we are keeping a small number of homebreds. It will probably end up being six or seven, let’s just say seven. Then, we’ll probably look to go buy a few pacing fillies to have some numbers. We still have some good pacing stock in the sale. In our sale group, our non-homebred group, the pacers still stack up against just about everybody.”

Of the 28 yearlings Diamond Creek is selling of its own yearlings and 19 more it is selling as an agent, Laungani said nearly 20 are first foals out of mares.

“That’s a high percentage of first foals,” Laungani said. “It mostly just came to fruition from bringing in younger fillies and mares a few years ago.

“We’re trying to become one of the top commercial sellers of yearlings.

“First foal-wise, the really notable ones would be the first grandchild out of Mission Brief to sell at the yearling sale. That’s Hip #228 [Chaucer]. This is one of only two registered Face Time Bourbons in the yearling crop of 2024 and we have both of them.

“These mares were actually sent to France to be bred. These mares were not bred on frozen semen… He’s just super notable being the first grandchild of Mission Brief and then having a European stallion like that, it’s certainly interesting. The success of Tactical Landing makes this a big family.

“He’s a really cool horse. He’s built a lot like a French horse, in that he is pretty substantial and robust. He’s one of these horses that looks like he could go even further than a mile, you know? He’s got all the speed coming from the Mission Brief side, hopefully to balance out his stamina. So, he’s a horse that can be anything. If, for some reason, he would become a stallion prospect, his options to cross with mares are very, very high. This would be an ideal horse to breed to Chapter Seven line of mares and Muscle Hill line of mares, which is a big issue we have in the trotting breed right now.

“He’s awesome. He’s a super cool horse. I can’t wait to see who ends up with him. From a breeding perspective and then the way he looks, he’s just totally unique.”

Laungani also highlighted Hip #51 Copernicus, another first foal.

“This is from the fastest trotting filly we ever had, Altar,” Laungani said. “She was so close to being a Breeders Crown champion and this is her first foal. It’s an embryo transplant, it’s a Gimpanzee and he’s super determined. He’s also flashy and a really good representation of his sire. He looks like the stallion and some of the good Gimpanzees that have come through the farm already… Basically, one of our very best foundation trotting families and one of the best trotting fillies we’ve ever had, who is just wicked fast, and this is her first foal. He’s super nice.”

Laungani also mentioned Hip #101 Creator, a Walner filly out of French mare Hanna Bourbon FR.

“This is a Walner filly named Creator that’s dual-eligible and out of a French mare. Not only does she look like an athlete that can win somebody a lot of money in stakes races but, when she’s done, her options to go to any Muscle Hill or Cantab line stallion are totally open and that’s rare these days to have both those options open.

“This Qualita Bourbon, under the third dam, almost any European I speak with, will agree that this is maybe the first top family in Europe. So, she’s regally-bred and super different. Something really cool.”

Laungani said Gimpanzee has had a good start and Diamond Creek is fortunate to be selling some.

“All of these Gimpanzees have that Kentucky-stallion bonus where in any of the Kentucky Sires Stakes or fair races — basically all breed-development races — if you earn money in those races, you get half of that purse again at the end of the year,” Laungani said. “It’s a huge bonus. Not a lot of people know about that yet, just because it’s the first year for it. People may not be expecting those checks at the end of the year and they are going to be very happy.

“Overall, Gimpanzee has had a good start. He only had about 30-some U.S-registered yearlings and over half of them have started and there are stakes winners across the way, so he’s got what it takes. We expect big things as his crops get bigger. He bred 120 mares this past year, so it steps up from there.

“There’s a filly, Hip #258 [Bristol Legacy] and she’s a first foal. This is bred by Order By Stables and she’s just a tremendous athlete. She’s so coordinated and strong that she can trot with her head between her front legs. To me, that always signifies hind strength and back strength, because for your head to be down and to be able to move well.

“Then Hip #335 [Chosen], is another Gimpanzee. It’s a first foal out of a super tough Swan For All mare named Grand Swan, a really, really nice Grand Circuit mare. This filly is really elegant, but also powerful. She’s all trot, but, then again, this filly, when she’s done racing, she’s outcrossed again where she can go to the Muscle Hill line or the Cantab Hall line. It just gives the next person options when she’s done racing. It’s super cool in that way.”

On the pacing front, Laungani mentioned Hip #907 Goodwill, Hip #274 Blood Queen, Hip #477 Credible, Hip #565 Gracious and Hip #852 Chase.

“My very favorite [pacer] is Hip #907 [Goodwill],” Laungani said. “This colt, I would challenge anybody to find a better, more athletic-looking colt. He almost reminds us of Confederate. He’s a little longer and taller, but if I was going to compare him to a basketball player, he would be like a Kevin Garnett. He’s just long, lean and mean. He just looks like he’ll excel at a mile distance, like he’ll have a huge stride. The Always B Miki mares, from what we can see, early signs are that they are growing really nice types. There haven’t been too many yet, but here’s one that we really love and everybody should look at.

“Hip #274 [Blood Queen] is from Delinquent Account’s family, just a super awesome family that we rarely, if ever, offer to the public.

“Then, Hip #477 [Credible], that’s the family of Confederate. That’s a Papi Rob. I would throw her into the group of royally-bred fillies. That’s Confederate’s family, maybe one of only two yearlings out of that family that are in any of the yearling sales. I think there’s one in Harrisburg.

“Hip #565 [Gracious] is the third foal out of L A Delight, Captaintreacherous filly. So, that’s West of LA and that’s a royally-bred group there.

“Hip #852 [Chase], that’s the family of Sweet Lou, a Downbytheseaside.