Don Alberto Stable’s Unique Bella was crowned 2017 champion female sprinter at the 47th annual Eclipse Awards ceremony Jan. 25 at Gulfstream Park. The imposing gray joins Stardom Bound (2-year-old filly in 2008), Hansen (2-year-old colt in 2011), and Untapable (3-year-old filly in 2014) as Eclipse champions sired by Tapit.
Multiple graded stakes winner Anchor Down, a miler by leading sire Tapit, was represented by his first reported foal Jan. 16, a gray colt born at Phoenix Farm near Georgetown, Ky.
Don Alberto Stable’s 3-year-old Tapit filly Unique Bella, already a four-time graded stakes winner going into the Dec. 26 La Brea Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita, gamely defeated Paradise Woods in the seven-furlong event to become her sire’s 24th Grade 1 winner.
First-crop weanling sire Karakontie jumped out to a fast start when his first three November offerings averaged $163,333, more than 10 times the stud fee they were bred on.
Gainesway has released stud fees for its 2018 roster, and Tapit, the leading North American sire in 2014, 2015, and 2016, will again command a $300,000 fee and his book will be limited to 125 mares.
Monomoy Girl, a 2-year-old Tapizar filly who had impressively won her first two outings on the grass, made an impressive shift to the main track for her stakes debut Oct. 29, romping by 6½ lengths to capture the $82,670 Rags to Riches Stakes at Churchill Downs.
Marylou Whitney Stables’ homebred multiple graded stakes winner Bird Song, a son of Whitney’s Eclipse champion 3-year-old filly and Kentucky Oaks (G1) winner Bird Town, will enter stud at Gainesway in 2018.
Lasting Legacy, a 3-year-old colt from the first crop of Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1) winner Tapizar, improved his record to two wins in as many starts with a three-length allowance score Oct. 13 at Belmont Park.
Tapizo, a 3-year-old Kentucky-bred son of Tapizar, racked up his second career victory Oct. 8 when he defeated older horses over 1,800 meters at Kyoto.
Yearlings by Tapit brought $2.7 million, $2.6 million, and $2.5 million—the three highest prices of Keeneland September’s elite Book 1 session—to vault the champion sire atop the standings by both average and gross.