Yulong Ties Add Two New Stallions to Lane's End Roster

Lane's End will launch the stud careers of multiple grade 1 winners Raging Torrent and Carl Spackler (IRE) this year due to a relationship the Central Kentucky farm developed with international racing and breeding entity Yulong Investments more than a year ago involving the farm's young sire More Than Looks. Yuesheng Zhang's Yulong Investments had expressed interest in buying More Than Looks, a son of More Than Ready who won the 2024 Breeders' Cup Mile (G1T), to race him overseas but the then-4-year-old colt had already been retired to enter stud in 2025. Yulong liked him so much, though, they acquired the Southern Hemisphere breeding rights. Yulong went on in 2025 to acquire Raging Torrent, a son of Maximus Mischief who had already won the 2024 Malibu Stakes (G1) and Pat O'Brien Stakes (G2) with trainer Doug O'Neill. Kept in O'Neill's barn, Raging Torrent significantly improved his credentials with wins last year in the Godolphin Mile (G2) at Meydan Racecourse and the Metropolitan Handicap (G1) at Saratoga Race Course. When it came time to find a home for Raging Torrent's stud career, Yulong called Lane's End. "We had been following him because he'd won two sire-making races in the Malibu and the Met Mile and then won internationally," said David Ingordo with Lane's End Bloodstock. "After Yulong contacted Bill Farish, I went out to California to see him and when they brought him out of the barn, I thought 'My goodness, look at this.' For a horse that has the speed he has, a lot of people would not expect him to look as scopey and leggy as he does. He has a lot of stretch from nose to tail; he stands over a lot of ground." Raging Torrent, who stands at 16.3 hands, also opened the door for Lane's End to add a stallion from the line of seven-time leading North American sire Into Mischief, the sire of Maximus Mischief. "You have the Into Mischief line, which is all conquering, but then you add in the horse's looks. When you see him, it really ices the cake because he is a tremendous physical," Ingordo said. The whole package got an additional boost during last fall's Fasig-Tipton's The November Sale where a weanling half brother to Raging Torrent by Lane's End stallion Up to the Mark, who was 2023's champion turf male, sold for $425,000 to All In Stables out of Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa's consignment. "Everything really tied together for us," Ingordo said. "He has a presence and the athleticism and then he has this hunky look to him. If he imparts that on his foals and yearlings, they will be commercial types but I expect them to be racehorses. "Our team here and our clients have always bought into these horses and supported them to race," he continued. "We are getting horses that are commercial, because that is a reality and horses need to have marketability, but they are carrying it onto the racetrack, too." The Yulong connection led to Carl Spackler, as well, a son of Lope de Vega (IRE) who earned a following after winning three graded stakes consecutively in 2024—the Kelso Stakes (G3T) and Fourstardave Handicap (G1T) both at Saratoga, and Turf Mile Stakes (G1T) at Keeneland. Farish and Ingordo went to see Carl Spackler while he was at Keeneland with the hopes of buying him as a stallion prospect but owner Bob Edwards of e Five Racing wanted to keep the colt racing another year. Yulong would buy Carl Spackler in May 2025 and sent him to race in Great Britain. As with Raging Torrent, when the conversation regarding Carl Spackler turned to his stud career, Yulong called Lane's End. "He is a such a charismatic horse and that stuff matters to me," Ingordo said. "He does have a following that it is not undeserved. He raced multiple years, raced at big venues, and then he has a special blaze and face and body. Since he's been retired, he has really blossomed and turned into a dude." Despite being from a European sire line, Ingordo said Carl Spackler has all the ingredients to be successful internationally. Lope de Vega, who stands at Ireland's Ballylinch Stud, has been represented in United States stakes by three-time grade 1 winner Program Trading (GB), 2024 Man o' War Stakes (G2T) winner Silver Knott (GB), 2018 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1T) and 2020 Just a Game Stakes (G1T) winner Newspaperofrecord (IRE), 2020 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf winner Aunt Pearl (IRE), and others. In addition, Ingordo noted, Carl Spackler's family is rich in North American stakes winners, including his dam Zindaya (More Than Ready), who won or placed in graded stakes on the East and West coasts. Zindaya is a half sister to Western Aristocrat, who won the 2011 Jamaica Handicap (G1T) at Belmont Park and ran third in the Hollywood Derby (G1T) at Hollywood Park. "With his bone and substance, if Carl reproduces himself, which the Lope de Vega and Shamardal lines seem to do, then he'll produce very attractive horses to trainers. It goes back to the farm's goal, we want to produce racehorses and Carl fits that mold," Ingordo said. "Both of these sires were racehorses that were consistent over multiple seasons," he continued. "That is important to us and believe that is how we are going to get our next Kingmambo, A.P. Indy, Smart Strike, Quality Road on down the line—those kinds of sires."