Derby fever hits most everyone in Kentucky in April, but the Bluegrass of Kentucky couldn't be more excited about the Bluegrass Stakes at Keeneland.  The fever may have been best described as "Rocky Balboa meets Apollo Creed" regarding GENERAL QUARTERS' win in the G1 Bluegrass S. This story has it all - the seventy-five year-old owner who is also the trainer of only one horse, who was purchased for $20,000 with a dream of getting to the Kentucky Derby and realizes it.  The only thing the story lacks is the story book win on the first Saturday in May. 

GENERAL QUARTERS, bred by David and Marylyn Randal of Fallbrook Farm, went into the race a long shot, but exited it a favorite - at least to most of those suffering from Derby Fever. The gray son of SKY MESA out of the young UNBRIDLED'S SONG mare ECOLOGY settled near the lead early in the race.  Eibar Coa placed him perfectly to the outside of rivals and passing the half mile pole, pulled Coa, who had fists full of horse straight to the lead.  GENERAL QUARTERS powered home from there, beating the favorite by a length and a half.  Congratulations to the now famous owner, trainer, and former teacher Tom McCarthy as well as to GENERAL QUARTERS interim trainer Mark Miller who conditioned the colt while at Tampa Bay Downs. Best wishes in your run for the world famous roses on Derby Day.

Read the chart

Read More: The Thoroughbred Times; The Blood-Horse, TDN; Herald-Leader Photos;

SILVERINYOURPOCKET, the winner of the 2007 G3 La Troienne at Churchill Downs foaled an outstanding looking colt by one of the top sires of 2008 and 2009, ELUSIVE QUALITY.  The colt was born March and is turning into a beautiful individual.  His dam, a bay daughter of SILVER DEPUTY  finished her racing career with three wins and earnings of $185,000. 

The dam of SILVERINYOUR-POCKET, PUFF O LUCK, was bred and is in foal to TALE OF THE CAT for 2009.  

For more on the 2007 G3 La Troienne, click here to read the Thoroughbred Daily News article or click here to read the chart. 

Fallbrook's young exciting son of WILD AGAIN - WILD AND WICKED - was just represented by his first two-year-old runner who is also his first two-year-old winner.  The filly UNLOCH THE FURY made her maiden debut at Turf Paradise in a field of then maidens.  Breaking from seven post, she broke slowly and trailed the field by about eight lengths at the quarter pole while traveling five wide.  With a swift turn of foot, the dark bay daughter of WILD AND WICKED out of Fallbrook's' own mare SHAHALIE LAKE powered by the field to break her maiden by a neck.  Congratulations to owner Lawrence De Respino and owner/trainer Anthony Klenakis.   

Unloch The Fury as a foal.

Read the chart  -  Find out more about WILD AND WICKED

Early in 2008, Fallbrook Farm bred FACE THE CAT (Tale Of The Cat - Forty Love), won two starts very impressively to capture the attention of many serious racing stables.  Shortly after winning his NW1X allowance at Gulfstream, Satish Sanan's Padua Stable made a successful bid to purchase a majority interest in the attractive chestnut and transferred him from the barn of Helen Pitts to the barn of Todd Pletcher. 

FACE THE CAT's half brother born in 2007 is by Fallbrook stallion WILD AND WICKED.  Both are also half brothers to LSW, G2SP BEAR CHARACTER.

Click this link to read clip from The Thoroughbred Daily News.

After being sold privately to Godolphin, G3SP LAURELDEAN GALE took the winter season off to prepare for a spring classic campaign.  Her first start out of the sands of Dubai was the G1 1,000 Guineas.  The bay daughter of GRAND SLAM failed to place in that effort, but to no avail.  Trainer Saeed bin Suroor entered her straight back in the G1 Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot. 

LAURELDEAN GALE is out of the NUREYEV mare RAVNINA.  To date in addition to classic hopeful LAURELDEAN GALE, RAVNINA has produced G3 stake winner SECRET HISTORY (Bahri) as well as listed winner COSTUME DESIGNER (Capote) and listed placed SCREEN GIANT (Giant's Causeway).  The half brother to LAURELDEAN GALE sold for $300,000 at the 2007 Keeneland September yearling sale, while the mare is currently in foal to GONE WEST for 2009.   

Click here to read the Godolphin profile of LAURELDEAN GALE.

After finishing second in the Group 3 Prix Du Calvados in Deauville, Fallbrook bred LAURELDEAN GALE was sold privately to the Godolphin Stable.  The beautiful daughter of GRAND SLAM was sold at the 2006 Keeneland September sale as a yearling for $325,000.  Originally owed by D. Brennan and trained by Peter Chapple-Hyam, LAURELDEAN GALE earned a 110 Timeform Rating in the Prix Du Calvados before being transferred to the barn of Saeed bin Suroor.

The dark bay filly is currently taking the remainder of the season off to prepare for a spring campaign under the blue Godolphin banner. 

Click here to read LAURELDEAN GALE'S chart.

Click here to read the Godolphin profile of LAURELDEAN GALE.

Click here to read the Thoroughbred Daily News article. 

In only her second start, two-year-old LAURELDEAN GALE (Grand Slam - Ravnina by Nureyev) placed a very close second to Juddmonte Farm's heavily favored PROVISO (GB) (Dansili) in the Group 3 Prix Du Calvados in Deauville.  The seven furlong event was conteseted by a field of nine. 

LAURELDEAN GALE settled midpack for most of the race.  She was asked and responded to second only a furlong and a half from the finish where she got within a half length.  The filly received a 110 Timeform Rating off the effort.  Trained by Peter Chapple-Hyam and owned by D. Brennan, the dark bay daughter of GRAND SLAM is nominated to both the Group 1 Meon Valley Stud Fillies' Mile at Ascot in September and the Group 1 Chevely Park Stakes at  Newmarket.

Just weeks earlier, LAURELDEAN GALE's half sister by GIANT'S CAUSEWAY won her second start impressively at Delmar (story below).  Fallbrook Farm offers the second colt from the mare by freshman sire MEDAGLIA D'ORO as Hip 417 at Keeneland's September Yearling Sale. 

Click here to read LAURELDEAN GALE'S chart.

Click here to see the 2006 half brother by MEDAGLIA D'ORO.

A sure sign of spring in Kentucky is the appearance bluegrass fields dappled with newborn foals.  The 2007 foaling season is already nearly half over, and the Kentucky bluegrass is teeming with the new foal crop.

Fallbrooks fields and stalls have followed suit, each mare standing next to a new foal as they arrive one by one.  One exciting change in 2007 is the arrival of Fallbrook stallion WILD AND WICKED's first crop.  With several of his foals already on the ground, the son of WILD AGAIN has proven himself a prepotent sire of quality, size, leg, and bone. 

         2007 Look For A Change colt  

WILD AND WICKED was an impressive winner in his first start winning a maiden special weight at Keeneland by 9 1/2 lengths earning an incredible 98 speed rating.  In his secondnm     start at Churchill Downs, WILD AND WICKED defeated SAINT LIAM, Breeders' Cup Classic winner [G1] and 2005 Horse Of The Year.  In his third start at three, WILD AND WICKED remained undefeated winning the Ohio Derby [G2] handily.  WILD AND WICKED was on the board in his three remaining starts including the Haskell Invitational [G1] as well as the "Fall Classic", the Travers S. [G1].

WILD AND WICKED stands at Fallbrook Farm for a fee of $5,000 live foal, payable November 1 of the year bred.  For more information call the farm at (859) 873-3320.    

2007 Cheela colt

Fallbrook Farm bred and raised WEST TO DURANGO won his third race in July for his owner/breeder Fallbrook Farm and trainer Helen Pitts.  This son of GONE WEST is out of the DIXIELAND BAND mare A LADY FROM DIXIE herself a G2 stake winner and a half sister to THE WICKED NORTH and WILD AND WICKED.  WEST TO DURANGO has three wins to date and earnings of $60,019.  

Read the chart.

Well worth waiting for, SCREEN GIANT, the four-year-old daughter of GIANT'S CAUSEWAY out of the NUREYEV mare RAVNINA was an impressive winner over the Delmar track to break her maiden by three and a half lengths.  Going off "The Pick of the Day", the bay filly did not disappoint.  SCREEN GIANT traveled easily down the backstretch chasing the tightly bunched first tier of leaders.  An easy move pulled her around that bunch, six wide out of the turn and clear in the stretch.  She moved on in hand to win going away.  Congratulations to owner George Krikorian and trainer Tim Yakteen. 

Click here to read the chart.

Click here to see the 2006 half brother by MEDAGLIA D'ORO.

Perhaps a tune up by Calvin Borel for the Kentucky Derby later in the afternoon on STREET SENSE, his ride on SILVERINYOUR-POCKET had her connections awestruck winning the G3 La Troienne in amazing fashion.

The bay daughter of SILVER DEPUTY broke last, raced behind the field for nearly a half mile before finding a gaping hole on the rail which Borel exploited.  SILVERINYOURPOCKET ran through without a second thought and blew by the field to win the 7 1/2 furlong race by a half length.  Trainer Helen Pitts was quoted as being a bit worried early in the race, but the filly proved to her trainer she was all class and quality.  The Fallbrook Farm color-bearer carries a record of three wins in five starts and earnings of $171,503. 

Click here to read the Thoroughbred Daily News article. 

Click here to read the chart.