Classic Hat Trick for EIGHTTOFASTTOCATCH!

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Published: 26 October 2014

History was made at the 29th Maryland Million at Laurel Park on Oct. 18 as Sylvia Heft's EIGHTTOFASTTOCATCH powered to a four and a half-length victory to take home his third Waterford Crystal trophy in the day’s bigggest race.

The most recent Classic win was the result of a masterful training job by Tim Keefe, who had the 8-year-old son of Not For Love ready for his tour-de-force after only one prior start this year. EIGHTTOFASTTOCATCH proved right out of the gate in the one and an eighth mile Classic that he was ready to roll, as Forest Boyce bounced him out quickly, put him on an uncontested lead, and distanced the others in the $150,000 stakes. The victory moved EIGHTTOFASTTOCATCH to near millionaire status, pushing the chestnut gelding’s career earnings to $997,970.

Bred by Dark Hollow Farm and Graham and Anita Motion’s Herringswell Stables, EIGHTTOFASTTOCATCH joins an elite group of runners to win three Maryland Million events, adding his name to the list that includes Dark Hollow Farm-bred Hall of Famer Safely Kept and Ben’s Cat. He is the second Maryland Million Classic runner to be bred by and raised at Dark Hollow Farm, following in the footsteps of 2005 Classic winner PLAY BINGO.

EIGHTTOFASTTOCATCH is out of Dark Hollow Farm’s pensioned mare TOOFASTTOCATCH (by Nice Catch) and is a half-brother to stakes winner and Gr. 1-placed STORM PUNCH, stakes winner BAYONNE and nine other winners, who combined have earned in excess of $2 million. Keefe now will point his stable star to Laurel’s Jennings Handicap, a race EIGHTTOFASTTOCATCH has won the past three years.

COMBAT DIVER wins battle at Belmont!

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Published: 09 October 2014

It took a bit to figure things out, but when it clicked for the Dark Hollow Farm-bred 2-year-old COMBAT DIVER in his second start, the battle was on! Digging in and giving nothing away down the long Belmont Park stretch on Oct. 3, the chestnut son of Line of David held off odds-on choice Gold Shield to win the $75,000 maiden special weight by a nose after one and a sixteenth miles and a relentless stretch drive.

COMBAT DIVER is trained by Gary Contessa for Wounded Warrior Stables, which purchased the flashy chestnut colt out of the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic May 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale for $100,000. COMBAT DIVER is a half-brother to multiple stakes winner JOY, and the second winner from as many starters for his dam SAFE JOURNEY.

A winning daughter of Flatter, SAFE JOURNEY descends from Dark Hollow Farm's foundation mare Safely Home. SAFE JOURNEY's dam, stakes-placed $114,923-earner Safe At the Plate, is a half-sister to Hall of Famer SAFELY KEPT and graded stakes winner PARTNER'S HERO. SAFE JOURNEY is a half-sister to graded stakes-placed runners Cognac Kisses ($178,094) and Kettle Won ($113,606) and $361,313-earner Glide Home.

SAFE JOURNEY is the dam of a 2013 colt by Archarcharch and a 2014 colt by Bodemeister born this past April. She was bred back to Alternation.

Everybody Loves Her!

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Published: 08 October 2014

Dark Hollow Farm's beautiful Pure Prize filly out of He Loves Me, named grand champion at the 80th annual Maryland Horse Breeders Association’s Maryland-bred Yearling Show in June, was the top-priced filly sold at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Fall Yearling sale on Monday, Sept. 29.

The gorgeous bay filly sold for $200,000 to Ellen Charles' Hillwood Stable. There is so much to love about her, for not only is she beautiful, but her dam, a daughter of Not For Love, is a graded stakes winner and Maryland-bred champion as well as a full sister to multiple stakes winner and graded stakes-placed For Kisses. The filly's second dam is graded stakes winner Palliser Bay.

Each of the first two foals sold by Dark Hollow out of He Loves Me were $200,000 sales horses, her More Than Ready filly Infatuated selling at Keeneland in 2013. He Loves Me produced an Archarcharch colt this past April, and was bred back to Warrior's Reward.

Dark Hollow Farm was the Midlantic Fall Yearling sale's leading consignor by average, with four sold for a total of $371,000 (average $92,750).

LUNA TIME rises to the occasion at Saratoga!

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Published: 01 August 2014

Making her Saratoga debut, Dorsey Brown and Richard Palmer's homebred filly LUNA TIME worked her way out of a traffic jam in midstretch, shifting out four paths and rallying in time to score her first career win on Aug. 1. Sent out by trainer by Graham Motion, the 3-year-old daughter of Malibu Moon was strong throughout in her second career start, never far off the pace in the mile and an eighth $83,000 maiden special weight under John Velazquez. Among those she flew past in the stretch was Rachel Alexandra's full sister Samantha Nicole.

The Saratoga air obviously agrees with Dark Hollow Farm-born and raised runners, as LUNA TIME is the latest to make a sensational showing at the historic upstate New York track. She is the second foal, and second winner, out of the stakes-winning High Yield mare HIGH MOMENT, a half-sister to Gr. 2 Gulfstream Park H. winner Sir Whimsey from the family of Gr. 1 winner and $836,765-earner Jessica Is Back. HIGH MOMENT also has a yearling colt by Trappe Shot, produced a colt by Tapizar this year, and has been bred back to Trappe Shot.

Celebrating JOY on the Fourth!

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Published: 05 July 2014

Flying her colors high on the Fourth of July, JOY flew home to win the $100,000 Perfect Sting Stakes in her Belmont Park debut. The 4-year-old chestnut Pure Prize filly bided her time while trailing early, worked her way around a loose horse and the rest of the field under Irad Ortiz Jr. and took off in the final sixteenth of the one-mile test to win going away by more than three lengths over yielding turf.

Bred and owned by Dark Hollow Farm and trained by Graham Motion, JOY recorded her second career stakes win, her first having come nearly a year earlier in the Christiana at Delaware Park. With four wins, a second and three thirds in 15 starts, the filly now has earnings of $180,810.

A member of the stellar family that includes Hall of Famer and Eclipse Award winner SAFELY KEPT, JOY is a third-generation Dark Hollow Farm-homebred, and the first foal for her dam Safe Journey, by Flatter. A winner at 2, 3 and 4 and now a multiple stakes winner, JOY has been truly been a joy.

Dark Hollow yearlings make grand appearance at MHBA Yearling Show!

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Published: 05 July 2014

Dark Hollow Farm's classy homebred daughter of Pure Prize and Maryland-bred champion He Loves Me (by Not For Love) was named Grand Champion of the 80th annual Maryland Horse Breeders Association Yearling Show, this year judged by top Mid-Atlantic trainer Tony Dutrow. It was the second time since 2009 that a Dark Hollow bred and exhibited yearling took the show's top prize.

The elegant bay filly, winner of Class IV, was one of two class winners for Dark Hollow Farm. The homebred Fairbanks colt out of Silver Ashlee, by Red Bullet, took the blue ribbon in Class II. 

Another Dark Hollow Farm prepared ribbon winner was Dorsey Brown and Richard Palmer's chestnut colt by Trappe Shot out of High Moment, by High Yield, who finished third in Class II.

Dark Hollow Farm has had tremendous success throughout the years at the historic show - 10 times yearlings exhibited in the name of Dark Hollow (solely or in partnership) have won their class, including future graded stakes winner Ready's Image. And among those shown who surprisingly didn't take home the blue were Hall of Famer and Eclipse Award winner Safely Kept, graded stakes winners New York Hero and Not for Silver, and recent stakes winners Eighttofasttocatch, Plum, Joy and Mystic Love.

No doubt about it: Dark Hollow Farm yearlings really know how show off!