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Rancho San Miguel Offering 18 Yearlings At August 25 Washington Sale

Auburn, Washington—The 2026 Washington Thoroughbred Breeders & Owners Association Summer Yearling & Mixed Sale will feature 18 racing prospects under the Rancho San Miguel banner during its single session on Tuesday, August 25.

Among the horses offered for consideration by Pacific Northwest buyers this year are 13 yearlings by current Rancho San Miguel stallions Bolden, Editorial, Eight Rings and Mo Forza.

Also featured in the California-based consignment are youngsters sired by Clubhouse Ride, Danzing Candy, Early Voting and Smiling Tiger.

The 2026 edition of the annual Washington auction will be conducted at the Morris J. Alhadeff Sales Pavilion on the grounds of Emerald Downs, starting at 1 p.m.

All of the horses in Rancho San Miguel’s 2026 Washington consignment are currently available for pre-sale inspection by potential buyers. Photos, walking videos and catalog pages are provided online.

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First Winner For Eight Rings Romps By Daylight In Maiden Special Weight Company

Evanston, Wyoming—The Grade 1-winning Rancho San Miguel stallion Eight Rings tallied his first winner as a sire on August 8, when his 2-year-old colt Family’spet romped by open lengths in a maiden special weight race conducted at Wyoming Downs.

Sent postward under jockey Carmen Vazquez as a 124-pound co-highweight in the field of nine for his second career start, the Dayson LaVanway trainee grabbed immediate control of the 4 1/2-furlong test right out of the gate. After breaking on top, he jumped to an early, five-length lead that proved insurmountable to his opponents, ultimately reaching the wire 3 3/4 lengths ahead of his closest rival in a final time of :53.80.

View Race Replay

Family’spet is the first foal out of Sage Hill, a winning daughter of 2016 Champion 3-Year-Old Colt Arrogate, and was bred in California by Checkmate Thoroughbreds. He is currently owned by Sergio Pintado.

He hails from the inaugural foal crop of Eight Rings, the precocious winner of Santa Anita Park’s 2019 American Pharoah Stakes (G1) for juveniles. The 9-year-old son of 2003 Belmont Stakes (G1) winner Empire Maker placed in four additional graded stakes races in Southern California through the age of 5, and commanded a $6,000 fee during the 2026 breeding season at Rancho San Miguel in San Miguel.

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Optimism, Camaraderie Mark Rancho San Miguel’s 2025 Open House & Stallion Show

San Miguel, California—Positive vibes and perfect California winter weather greeted more than 70 attendees during Rancho San Miguel’s 2025 Open House & Stallion Show on December 6.

The four-hour event marked the San Luis Obispo County farm’s third time to open its doors to Thoroughbred breeders, owners, trainers and enthusiasts over the past three years.

This year’s guests were treated to warm hospitality, in addition to unseasonably warm temperatures. The farm’s iconic stallion barn was decorated for the holidays, with festive wreaths on the stall doors and horse-themed gifts handed out to lucky raffle winners. Complimentary food and networking opportunities added to the merriment, along with an informative presentation from farm feed provider Purina Mills. Approximately two dozen horses bound for Rancho San Miguel’s consignment to the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association’s 2026 Winter Mixed Sale on January 20 also were available for early viewing.

Highlighting the activities was the popular stallion parade, which was emceed by farm owner Tom Clark. Each member of the farm’s 13-strong stallion roster was paraded for guests, accompanied by narration describing their individual achievements. This year’s line-up featured returning stallions Bolden, Brickyard Ride, Cyclotron, Editorial, Mo Forza, Northern Causeway, Richard’s Kid, Sir Prancealot (Ire) and The Street Fighter, as well as newcomers Collected, Eight Rings, Niagara Falls and Uptown Rythem.

The event received optimistic feedback across the board from attendees.

“My husband and I have attended Rancho San Miguel’s Open House since the very first one two years ago, and it keeps on getting better each and every time with new additions to their stallion roster, such as Collected,” said California-based breeder Daniela Ochoa. “He is a stunning individual, and we are looking forward to breeding two of our mares to him next breeding season.”

Video footage from the hour-long Stallion Show is available on Rancho San Miguel’s Facebook page.

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California’s New Top Sire Collected To Be Introduced At Rancho San Miguel Open House & Stallion Show On December 6

San Miguel, California—The West Coast introduction of Grade 1 winner and nationally ranked fourth-crop sire Collected will highlight Rancho San Miguel’s 2025 Open House & Stallion Show on Saturday, December 6, a free event which will be hosted from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. All regional Thoroughbred breeders, owners, trainers and enthusiasts are invited to attend.

Collected recently arrived at the San Luis Obispo County farm from Airdrie Stud in Kentucky, which is partnering with Rancho San Miguel and prominent California breeder / owner Marsha Naify to stand the 12-year-old son of City Zip for a $7,500 fee in 2026.

From his first four crops to race, the 2017 Pacific Classic Stakes (G1) winner and $2,975,500-earner has sired 20 stakes winners, including seven graded stakes winners, with cumulative progeny earnings of more than $18 million. He enters the California stallion ranks as the state’s new and dominant leading sire, with 2025 progeny earnings of $6.4 million to date.

Making his Rancho San Miguel debut alongside Collected at the upcoming showcase is Grade 1 winner Eight Rings, whose highly regarded first foals will be 2-year-olds in 2026.

Promising young stallions Bolden, Brickyard Ride and The Street Fighter and veteran sires Cyclotron, Editorial, Mo Forza, Niagara Falls, Northern Causeway, Sir Prancealot (Ire) and Uptown Rythem also will be paraded, accompanied by narrations detailing their achievements.

Participants will be treated to a catered lunch, as well as opportunities for giveaways, door prizes and stallion season raffles. The farm also will offer several horses of mixed age for inspection and sale, including broodmares, weanlings and yearlings.

“This year, we are especially proud and excited to open our doors to members of the California breeding and racing community,” said Rancho San Miguel owner Tom Clark. “We plan on having some old-fashioned holiday fun while showcasing our diverse group of stallions and sharing our enthusiasm for the future of our state’s industry at this crucial point in time.”

Reservations for the event are being accepted at (805) 467-3847 and teri.ransanmig@gmail.com.

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Grade 1 Winner Eight Rings Relocates To Rancho San Miguel

San Miguel, CaliforniaEight Rings, a Grade 1-winning son of Empire Maker whose first foals are well-regarded yearlings, has relocated within California to stand at Rancho San Miguel. The 8-year-old stallion’s 2026 fee is $6,000, with a live foal guarantee.

Sold for $520,000 as a Keeneland September Yearling, Eight Rings exploded onto the 2-year-old racing scene in 2019 when he parlayed a 6 1/4-length career debut win at 5 1/2 furlongs in Del Mar maiden special weight company into a six-length victory in Santa Anita Park’s $300,000 American Pharoah Stakes (G1) at 1 1/16 miles for Racing Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert.

The precocious colt went on to place in four additional graded stakes races on Southern California dirt over the following three years, topped by a narrow runner-up finish in Del Mar’s 2021 Bing Crosby Stakes (G1) at six furlongs. From 14 lifetime starts, he earned $474,451.

Eight Rings’ first foals have been highly regarded as yearlings of 2025, providing their sire with the highest median sales results among all active California stallions this year. During the 2025 Fasig-Tipton California Fall Yearlings Sale, four of his offspring sold for gross receipts of $140,000, yielding an average price of $35,000 and median of $37,500 and led by a $60,000 colt.

“Eight Rings is truly the Adonis of stallions—a remarkable physical specimen without a single conformation flaw,” said Adrian Gonzalez, president of Checkmate Thoroughbreds LLC and managing partner of the Eight Rings Partnership. “His exceptional quality is now clearly reflected in his offspring, and we were handsomely rewarded in the sales ring with his first yearlings. I’ve been thoroughly impressed with his foals, and all of our California-based mares will be booked to him in 2026.”

Produced by Purely Hot, a graded stakes-winning daughter of Pure Prize, Eight Rings represents the same Empire Maker / Storm Cat pedigree cross as 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah and 2016 Champion 2-Year-Old Colt Classic Empire.

“We are honored and excited to have such an outstanding stallion prospect,” said Rancho San Miguel Owner Tom Clark. “We believe he has huge potential to be a leading sire in California.”

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