While there was no beating Flightline (Tapit) that day, Life Is Good threw it down with his undefeated competitor, forcing Flightline to chase him through blazing early fractions of :22.55 and :45.47. The Classic marked only his third defeat, but Life Is Good was far better than good in his final career start.

“It was a tough decision to decide which was the right race for Life is Good on Breeders' Cup Day,” said his trainer Todd Pletcher. “We felt like with his body of work and his success leading into it, he deserved a chance for champion older horse and Horse of the Year. We let him do his thing with his running style, which is a high cruising speed, and he took it to Flightline. I think he went out in style.”

Campaigned by China Horse Club and WinStar Farm, Life Is Good was the winner of nine races from 12 career starts. A 'TDN Rising Star' on debut at two, the eye-catching bay remained in graded stakes company from there, earning eight graded victories over his career. His resume includes four Grade I wins, starting with a definitive score in last year's edition of the Big Ass Fans Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile and then this year adding the Pegasus World Cup Invitational S., Whitney S. and Woodward S.

“What made Life Is Good so special is that he had that unique ability to go fast and carry that speed over a distance of ground,” Pletcher reflected. “From a trainer's perspective, he was very healthy, very sound and just loved his job. Every day he came out, he trained exceptionally and had a great attitude.”

Last year's edition of the GI H. Allen Jerkens Memorial S., where Life Is Good ran second by a neck to the season's eventual Champion Male Sprinter Jackie's Warrior (Maclean's Music), is a race that WinStar's Elliott Walden remembers as one of the colt's most impressive performances.

“That race, to me, was one of his best,” Walden said. “He was just beat coming off a 170-day layoff. I think when people remember Life Is Good as a racehorse, they will remember that he participated in all the big races. We were not afraid to run him at distances that maybe didn't suit him best, whether it was seven furlongs against Jackie's Warrior or a mile and a quarter against Flightline. He's one of the greats that we've had at WinStar.”

Life Is Good arrived at WinStar Farm the morning after the Breeders' Cup and received a warm welcome from his WinStar and China Horse Club connections. Todd Pletcher also stopped by to send off his pupil, who was known as 'Scooter' around the barn.

“He was such a huge part of our stable for almost the last two years that literally our schedule was built around his schedule,” Pletcher explained. “We're going to miss him a lot, but at the same time we're really pleased that he's able to retire to a farm like WinStar and get an opportunity to prove himself as a stallion. We look forward to seeing his babies.”

The son of Into Mischief was bred by Gary and Mary West Stable and sold for $525,000 as a yearling in 2019. His dam Beach Walk (Distorted Humor) is out of the multiple Grade I-placed Mineshaft mare Bonnie Blue Flag, whose family includes multiple Grade I winner Diamondrella (GB) (Rock of Gibraltar {Ire}), Group 3 victor Spectroscope (Medaglia d'Oro) and multiple graded stakes-placed runner Highest Honors (Tapit).

Life Is Good gets his fourth Grade I score in the Woodward S. | Sarah Andrew

“He's about 16'1, so he's a little bigger than Into Mischief,” Walden said. “He has a little bit more scope and range, but all the parts of a fast-looking horse. You can see when he moves how he just springs off with great, quick action that should translate to athletic foals. The Into Mischiefs have a real desire to run and Life Is Good showed that he wanted to compete at every level, every race and every work. Being by Into Mischief and also having Distorted Humor on the bottom, he gets a double dose of that competitiveness.”

Life Is Good's initial stud fee of $100,000 will be among the highest of this year's incoming crop, however Walden said that they have been conservative in their selection process as they begin filling the young sire's first book.

“We plan to breed him to about 160 mares,” Walden said. “We have a lot of requests each week, but we're not taking every mare. We're thinking about where each mare would fit into his whole group. We're making him worthy of a $100,000 stud fee, so we've turned down a lot of mares and are being very critical on that.”

He continued, “I think from a standpoint of what we've had here at Winstar, he would be at the very top as far as the great horses that we've had. Being by Into Mischief and with his physical presence and athleticism, we're super excited about his next career.”

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Multiple graded stakes winner Core Beliefs (Quality Road – Tejati, by Tactical Advantage) has taken up residence at the farm that was once home to, among others, notable sires Nureyev, Miswaki, Alleged, Successful Appeal and Songandaprayer.

Out of a winning mare from the family of champion Hasten to Add (Cozzene) and GISW See How She Runs (Maria's Mon), Core Beliefs is one of just a handful of stallions by Quality Road in Kentucky. After Quality Road's son City of Light enjoyed an extraordinary year with his first crop of yearlings in 2021, the team at Walmac was encouraged to launch Core Beliefs' stud career.

“The main reason that we decided to stand Core Beliefs this year was because of the success of Quality Road and City of Light,” explained farm manager Dawn Carr. “All of their progeny seem to be doing so well and are well-accepted at the sales, so we felt like Core Beliefs would have a shot as another son of Quality Road and with the physical he has. If someone sees his physical, that is what's selling him. He's gorgeous.”

Broad purchased Core Beliefs at the 2017 Barretts March 2-Year-Old Sale at Del Mar, where advisor Scott Hansen was on hand for the juvenile colt's :10 work.

“The track was very demanding that day,” Hansen recalled. “There weren't a lot of horses that went :10 flat, and the thing about Core Beliefs was not only did he go :10 flat but his gallop out was really good. It was one of the best of the morning.”

Broad opted to give his $350,000 purchase a rest after the sale instead of sending him straight to the racetrack. The colt went through his early training with Hansen at San Luis Rey Training Center before transferring to Peter Eurton.

“Gary likes to give them a little bit of a break after the sale, so were really patient with him and gave him a month off at the farm before we started legging him up,” Hansen explained. “Our riders were really high on him from the beginning. He showed a lot of class and speed with the few works that we did with him.”

Core Beliefs placed in his first two starts as a 3-year-old, but broke his maiden by over three lengths when asked to stretch out to a mile and a sixteenth. The win was so impressive that from there, he made the jump to the GI Santa Anita Derby and finished a respectable third.

“We knew he could run long, and that's always a big plus with an early 3-year-old, so we threw him into the Santa Anita Derby against Bolt d'Oro and Justify,” said Hansen.”He tried very hard. He was coming off a maiden win going to the top of the bunch. We battled Instilled Regard (Arch), who turned out to be a pretty good horse, for third.”

After the Grade I placing, the bay ran second in the GIII Peter Pan S. and then claimed the GIII Ohio Derby.

“What was really impressive about him that day is he got a really wide trip,” Hansen remembered. “All the way around the track he was four or five wide, but he still had enough to finish and just get up to beat Lone Sailor (Majestic Warrior).”

Core Beliefs takes the 2019 GII New Orleans H. | Sarah Andrew

Core Beliefs won the GII New Orleans H. in his 4-year-old debut and went on to race through his 6-year-old season. He retired as his owner's leading earner with just short of $1 million in earnings.

“He showed a lot of speed and stamina and he never took a bad step,” Hansen noted. “He was a champ with everything we did with him.”

Core Beliefs has been busy throughout his first weeks of stud duty, with mares coming in from both outside breeders and from Broad's own broodmare band.

“Gary purchased several mares at the sale and we've also purchased mares privately for him,” Carr said. “A couple of the mares at the sale were blacktype and then Gary already had one Galileo mare that we're going to breed to him this year. We want to give him every opportunity as a stallion.”

As for the outside breeders, Carr said that people have only needed to see Core Beliefs in person before they inquire about breeding details for the stallion, who stands for $7,500 in his first year at stud.

“A lot of breeders have said they can't afford Quality Road and City of Light, but they heard about Core Beliefs and wanted to see him. They'll look at him and say he's gorgeous and that they didn't expect him to be that big. He is a nice size; he's a little over 16'2. He's very correct, too. We've had several people who have said he looks a lot like Quality Road and we've even had a couple say he looks more like Elusive Quality.”

Breeders who have come to visit Core Beliefs have also remarked on the many changes that have taken place at Walmac since Broad began resurrecting the farm.

“Gary has done a lot of work on the farm,” Carr said. “He has remodeled every barn and all of the tenant houses. He has taken really good care of it and he's trying to bring it back to what it was before or better.”

Core Beliefs resides in the barn that was once the home and breeding facility of leading sire Nureyev. Upon purchasing Walmac, Broad remodeled the building into his own stallion complex with the goal of adding more sires to Walmac's roster in the coming years.

“We took the arena apart and put in six stallion stalls, which we are hoping to fill,” Carr explained. “We still have Nureyev's stall that we could split so that we could have up to eight, but we'll see what happens. It's very exciting for [Broad]. He had previously mainly been on the racing side of it, but now he's enjoying this–seeing the new foals and seeing Core Beliefs' success.”

Fellow farm manager Manuel Hernandez began working at Walmac Farm in 1995. He has been present throughout the past decades as the farm has changed ownership and he is now looking forward to the future for both Walmac Farm and its new stallion.

“I have been around horses for many years and Core Beliefs has everything,” Hernandez said. “He has good bone, a good body and good balance. I am very happy to have this job working with the right people over here. We work like a family. The farm has changed a lot because we are trying to have everything look if not the best, then close to the best, and now the farm is ready to make that dream come true.”

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“Code of Honor and Lexitonian are sound, consistent young horses and they both give breeders a chance to breed to Grade I-winning sires with fair, introductory prices and super pedigrees,” Lane's End Farm's Bill Farish explained. “They've both had a lot of breeders come look at them and I think people have been really impressed. Lexitonian is more of a Speightstown-type horse. He's very strongly made and more of a sprinter type, whereas Code of Honor has a little more length to him that I think has surprised people.”

Farish discussed the book of mares that each stallion compiled for their first year and talked about the key factors that have encouraged breeders to support the new sires.

For Code of Honor in particular, Farish emphasized the wide variety of mares that he attracted.

“He got a very interesting cross section of mares,” he explained. “Being by Noble Mission but also a dirt horse, it really presents breeders with an interesting dilemma because you think, 'Do you breed him to a dirt mare or a turf mare?' We're kind of taking the approach that he can have success with both. [Physically] he has some of the finer qualities of Noble Mission, but with being so successful on the dirt, he has a little bit of a different look than most of Noble Mission's turf runners.”

Farish said that this fall, Lane's End purchased 18 mares at the Keeneland November Sale to send to Code of Honor.

“Again, it was kind of a cross section of mares,” he noted. “If you run some of them through a nicking software they don't come out so well because breeding an A.P. Indy mare to a Sadler's Wells-line stallion hasn't been tried very much yet, but we think with this horse and his affinity for dirt, it should have a good chance of working.”

A homebred for W.S. Farish and the son of GIII Thoroughbred Club of America S. winner Reunited (Dixie Union), Code of Honor trained under Shug McGaughey throughout his four-year career. A debut winner at two, the colt ran second in the GI Champagne S. despite stumbling at the start. Early in his sophomore season, he won the GII Fountain of Youth, finished third in the GI Florida Derby and then ran a runner-up effort in the GI Kentucky Derby. Over his sophomore summer, the chestnut reeled off consecutive scores in the GIII Dwyer S., GI Travers S. and GI Jockey Club Gold Cup S.

“He was a phenomenal racehorse and is one you dream about getting,” Farish said. “The Travers was a real thrill for Mom and Dad, obviously, and it's great for the farm to get him back here as a stallion prospect.”

Code of Honor remained in training at four and five, collecting victories in the GIII Westchester S. and GIII Philip H. Iselin S. while also placing in the GI Metropolitan H., GII Kelso H., GI Clark S. and GII Hagyard Fayette S. He retired with earnings of almost $3 million.

“He was a gutsy, gutsy racehorse and he had an amazingly-efficient stride,” Farish said. “He was a horse that brought it every day to his training and his races. I think that's something we'll see in his offspring. Any time we have a homebred come back here as a stallion, it's very exciting, but to have a homebred end up being a multiple Grade I winner and a Travers winner is the ultimate achievement.”

Lane's End's second new addition Lexitonian is a homebred for Calumet Farm.

“Lexitonian is a really exciting horse for us,” Farish said. “He's our first son of Speightstown. He exhibited amazing consistency throughout his career. Brad Kelley at Calumet has entrusted us to stand him and we're really excited to have him.”

Lexitonian gets his signature win in the GI Alfred G. Vanderbilt at Saratoga | Sarah Andrew

Another debut winner at two, Lexitonian won the GIII Chick Lang S. and Concern S. as a 3-year-old, also placing in the GII Phoenix S. at Keeneland. At four, the chestnut was second by a nose to Collusion Illusion (Twirling Candy) in the GI Bing Crosby S. Returning for his 5-year-old season, he was a close second in the GI Churchill Downs S. on the Kentucy Derby undercard and then scored his signature victory in the GI Alfred G. Vanderbilt H. at Saratoga.

“His race in the Vanderbilt really stands out as an incredible win,” Farish said. “You're there at Saratoga in a field of Grade I winners, including a champion in Whitmore (Pleasantly Perfect), so it was a big, big day for him. To come out on top in that field was impressive and stamped him as a stallion prospect.”

Lexitonian was purchased in utero by Calumet for $310,000. The son of a winning Tapit mare, his second dam Swap Fliparoo (Exchange Rate) won the 2006 GI Test S.

“With Lexitonian being from the Gone West line as a son of Speightstown crossed with Tapit on the bottom side, it's that magic cross of the A.P. Indy line with the Mr. Prospector line,” Farish explained. “It's one of the things that really attracted us to him in the beginning and then for his granddam to be a Grade I winner really adds to it.”

In addition to the support the new stallion will receive from Lane's End, Farish noted that Calumet will be sending over 20 mares to Lexitonian in his first year.

“Lexitonian is getting a tremendous amount of support from Calumet, but he's also getting a tremendous amount of interest from breeders. Breeders love him physically. They're really impressed with him as an individual. He's a speedy, good-looking son of Speightstown and that's very appealing to the market.”

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In addition to its two new stallions Uncle Chuck (Uncle Mo–Forest Music, by Unbridled's Song) and Chance It (Currency Swap–Vagabon Diva, by Pleasantly Perfect), Journeyman Stud currently stands Khozan, Florida's leading sire in 2020 and 2021, as well as St Patrick's Day and Mr. Money. Fernung said he wasn't necessarily looking for a new stallion when he went to the Keeneland November Sale. But when, at the suggestion of friends Des Ryan and Ben Glass, he visited Uncle Chuck, he said he knew this was a stallion prospect that would appeal to Florida breeders.

Campaigned by Michael Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman, Uncle Chuck was $250,000 Keeneland September yearling and is a half-brother to successful Kentucky-based sire Maclean's Music. In his second start, Uncle Chuck won the GIII Los Alamitos Derby.

“In his first start, [Uncle Chuck] dominated a field of maidens winning by seven lengths, and it could have been 70 lengths. And he was obviously still green, [he] got about mid-stretch and switched to his left lead and kind of started gawking around and was still drawing off from them under what wasn't particularly perfect circumstances,” said Fernung. “Then of course, he followed that up with a four-length victory over Thousand Words in a Grade III running a mile and an eighth in his second start. So, I don't think there was any distance limitations to this horse at all.”

Brilliance on the track is just one of the pillars Fernung looks for in a successful stallion and he said Uncle Chuck checks all of his boxes.

“Forest Music was a very good race mare. First of all, she might have been the fastest daughter of Unbridled's Song to make it to the races,” said Fernung. “And as a broodmare, besides producing a top-quality stallion in Maclean's Music, she's produced two other graded stake winners besides Uncle Chuck. It's a great family. You can't beat it.

“When the opportunity arose to get Uncle Chuck, I looked his pedigree up. And he had this tremendous pedigree,” said Fernung. “But more importantly, he was a top racehorse that was brilliant in the few starts he was able to make. That's the trifecta, in my opinion.

“I don't want a stallion because of who his brother is. I don't want a stallion because of who his sire is. And I really don't want a stallion just based on his talent or ability. I want that combination, you know, by a world-class champion sire out of a spectacular broodmare and a solid racehorse.”

Fernung said Uncle Chuck's physical is another attribute adding to his appeal.

“Uncle Chuck physically is such an impressive horse,” said Fernung. “He's got plenty of bone. He's a big horse, probably 16.3. And he's just as correct as he can be. He's really an entire package physically. His ability, his pedigree, his sire, put together with that physicality is really an unusual combination of traits to get down here.”

Uncle Chuck has been well received already with more than 60 mares in his book and Fernung said the phone is still ringing. In addition to the local interest, Uncle Chuck's ownership group plans to bring a large group of mares to the freshman sire.

“It's an interesting story. I went and looked at Uncle Chuck on my own and the next day I got a call from Frank Taylor from Taylor Made and Frank says, 'I just been out here to look at this horse. Would you be interested in standing him down in Ocala?'” said Fernung. “Getting Taylor Made involved has always been fortunate for us. Of course, they were the ones who originally sent Wildcat Heir down to Journeyman.”

Chance It just before his Mucho Macho Man S. win| Ryan Thompson

Chance It, Journeyman's other new stallion, has been a fan favorite in Florida for his entire racing career. With lifetime earnings of $583,330, he was on the board in nine of 11 starts with six triple-digit Beyers. A multiple FTBOA Florida Sire S. winner at two and an additional black-type winner at three, he finished third in Saratoga's GI Forego S. at four.

“Chance It has great local appeal here in Ocala. He was Florida's horse,” said Fernung. “He was destined to go on and do some really great things, in my opinion. But then he injured himself. He came back, placed in a Grade I sprint stakes, had the potential to win one of them, but injury ended his career at that point.”

As to Fernung's formula for success, Chance It has more than just racing ability.

“Chance It's a big, strong correct horse,” said Fernung. “He's 16.2. You can see the reason he was so fast when you look through his hindquarters and his shoulder. He moves like a cat, just a very nice physical.”

Fernung said Chance It's ownership group, led by Mary Lightner with advice from her father, Mike, is as enthusiastic to bring mares and support the stallion in his new career as they did with his racing career.

“We've been friends with them for 30 years,” said Fernung. “The opportunity to own a stallion with them was one that we really embraced.”

Fernung said he believes Chance It has a great chance to succeed in Florida.

“Our entire industry down here has been developed through 2-year-old racing,” said Fernung. “I think Chance It has that kind of physicality to him that's going to get you early horses that can really run. I'm excited to have the opportunity to stand him.”

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“He is booked to over 160 mares now,” reported Taylor Made's Duncan Taylor. “We've been really satisfied with the reception from breeders. We're not taking every mare he gets offered. We're picking through and trying to get the best mares we can. We probably could have stood him for more money because he has been so popular, but we wanted to make sure we got a good book to him to get him off to a good start.”

Hailing from a highly-successful Juddmonte family, the son of champion sire Tapit is the first foal out of Champion Older Mare and five-time Grade I winner Close Hatches (First Defence). The mare descends from blue hen Best in Show (Traffic Judge) and is from the same family as G1 Irish 2000 Guineas winner Siskin, a young sire in Japan who is also by First Defence.

Taylor gives high regard to the line breeding traced in Tacitus's pedigree through First Defence, a grandson of Unbridled out of a Seattle Slew mare, and Tapit, a member of the Seattle Slew sire line out of an Unbridled mare.

“I really like the way he's bred with the Unbridled and Seattle Slew line breeding,” he explained. “They're both through a male and a female, so it's a very well-balanced pedigree. Then the females in his family are unbelievable. You have Weekend Surprise, Narrate, Gana Facil, Crimson Saint and Best in Show. When you look for what I call a blue-blood Kentucky pedigree, this one hits the bullseye.”

“There's a lot of things you can line breed to with him and try to come up with some clever matings,” he said, adding that the new stallion's first book is replete with mares by the sire lines of Candy Ride, Arch, Indian Charlie and War Front.

One of two graded stakes-winning grays joining the Taylor Made roster this year along with champion Knicks Go (Paynter), Tacitus may share the coloring of his sire, but Taylor said his physical better reflects his female line.

“He's bigger [than his sire] and you can really see the Unbridled coming through,” Taylor said. “He has a big, deep shoulder and a good neck on him.”

Tacitus all alone in the GII Suburban S. | Sarah Andrew

Campaigned by Juddmonte and trained throughout his career by Bill Mott, Tacitus was a top contender on the Triple Crown trail. After breaking his maiden as a juvenile, he claimed consecutive victories in the GII Tampa Bay Derby, where he set a stakes record, and the GII Wood Memorial S.

The colt did not see the winner's circle again as a sophomore, but ran in the money in each of his next five starts in 2019, placing second in the GI Belmont S., GII Jim Dandy S. and GI Runhappy Travers S., and finishing third in the GI Kentucky Derby and GI Jockey Club Gold Cup S.

“He was right there through the major 3-year-old races,” Taylor said. “[To finish] third in the Kentucky Derby was a real credit and then he came back and ran well in the Travers. While he never got the Grade I win, he was a Grade I-caliber horse. I think just pure ability made him as good as he was.”

Tacitus was competitive again as a 4-year-old, gaining a third graded-stakes score with an 8 3/4-length romp in the GII Suburban S. at Belmont and later placing in the GI Woodward H. and GI Jockey Club Gold Cup S.

He retired after his 5-year-old season with earnings of over $3.7 million, competing exclusively against graded stakes company after breaking his maiden and running in the money in all but five of those 15 graded starts.

“Tacitus was such a good racehorse,” Taylor said. “He won the Wood Memorial, the Tampa Bay Derby and the Suburban. Two of those used to be Grade I races so he just didn't win them at the right time. He has a beautiful pedigree and we think he could be a great stallion. We're very fortunate to have a royally-bred horse like him at Taylor Made.”

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While WinStar Farm hopes that Constitution, whose first crop was foaled in 2017, could one day become a foundation sire at WinStar, this year they checked off the next goal for their promising stallion by adding one of his sons to their stallion roster.

Independence Hall, a graded stakes-winning member of Constitution's first crop along with MGISW Tiz the Law, will stand alongside his sire this year for a fee of $10,000.

“We're super excited to have Independence Hall came home to WinStar and begin his stud career,” said WinStar's director of bloodstock Liam O'Rourke. “We've had a great history at WinStar over the past 21 years and Constitution really represents the next generation of what WinStar is going to be. He's had such an electric start and with what he has coming down the pipeline, we're very excited and very bullish on his future. [Reaching] the next step of having one of his sons retire to WinStar is very rewarding.”

Bred by Woodford Thoroughbreds, Independence Hall was an easy debut winner for Robert and Kathleen Verratti and trainer Mike Trombetta. Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Twin Creeks Racing Stables joined in the ownership before his next start, a stunning 12 1/4-length score in the 2019 GIII Nashua S. in record time.

“He came on our radar very early,” O'Rourke said. “After his first start, when he came back in the Nashua to run a 101 Beyer speed figure–the fastest 2-year-old performance of the year–we started to realize that he was going to be a very special horse.”

The dark bay colt remained undefeated in his sophomore debut in the Jerome S. and was then runner-up in the GIII Sam F. Davis S. After an unplaced finish in his next start, he was given time off and returned to the starting gate at the end of his 3-year-old season under the care of trainer Michael McCarthy.

At four, Independence Hall was competitive against top company with WinStar joining his partnership at the beginning of the season. He ran third to future GI Breeders' Cup Classic winner Knicks Go (Paynter) in the GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational S., placed second to the same rival later in the GIII Lukas Classic S. and then earned a final career victory in his next start in the GII Hagyard Fayette S.

“He held form with [Knicks Go] through most of the year and the season was culminated by what was I think one of the talking performances of the Keeneland meet when he came out and won the Fayette S.,” O'Rourke recalled. “He beat some outstanding horses in that race and really showed what a brilliant horse he was.”

Independence Hall retired with earnings of almost $900,000, running in the money in six graded starts with three stakes wins to his credit.

Independence Hall's breakout performance in the GIII Nashua S. | Chelsea Durand

“I think he was a really great racehorse because of that high cruising speed,” O'Rourke explained. “We love that 2-year-old form, that brilliance, and when they can come back and be an elite older horse and knock heads with the best of the best in the country, that's something that we find really strong.”

O'Rourke said that the new stallion's physical helps explain the high cruising speed he was able to display on the track.

“Physically, he's a very impressive horse. He's a big, beautiful, smooth walker. He's balanced, but he's masculine. He has that size, scope and frame that I think Constitution has been able to produce and he put it all together in the way he could get over the ground.”

A son of the winning Cape Town mare Kalahari Cat, Independence Hall is a half-brother to Grade III winner Black Onyx (Rock Hard Ten) and two more graded stakes-placed siblings in SW Francois (Smarty Jones) and Quality Council (Elusive Quality). His family also includes Desert Stormer (Storm Cat), winner of the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint and the granddam of MGISW Better Lucky (Ghostzapper).

O'Rourke explained that while Independence Hall has been popular with breeders since arriving at WinStar, he already has a solid support system built in with a large syndicate group that includes Woodford Thoroughbreds, Twin Creeks, Kathleen and Robert Verratti, Eclipse Thoroughbreds, China Horse Club and Machmer Hall.

“It's really a 'who's who' of syndicate members,” O'Rourke said. “Along with that, we offered Independence Hall in our Dream Big program, which virtually sold out overnight, so we have some really good folks supporting the horse and he will have some really nice mares in those first couple of years.”

WinStar's Dream Big program allows breeders the opportunity to acquire a lifetime breeding right to the stallion.

“Independence Hall proved that he was a special horse as a 2-year-old and he proved it again as an older horse,” O'Rourke said. “He has the pedigree and the looks and I think we priced him to where he's very attractive to breeders. We've had a huge response to him so far and it's so rewarding to have a son of one of our sires come home and join our stallion roster.”

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“The complements we've received from people who have come out to see him have been remarkable,” he said. “Eclipse Award-winning breeders are sending Grade I-winning and Grade I-producing mares to him, which is something that is not the norm for newly-retired horses. He seems to be the exception where people recognize him as value.”

“The best way I can validate what I think about the horse is with the kind of mares we're sending to him,” he added.

Charlatan's first book includes two high-profile Hill 'n' Dale mares, 'TDN Rising Star' and MGISW Guarana (Ghostzapper) and Bubbler (Distorted Humor), the dam of champion Arrogate.

The new addition to Hill 'n' Dale's roster, who officially retired from racing in June of 2021, will stand for a fee of $50,000 in 2022.

“Charlatan is the first horse we've had since our inception of standing stallions who seems to have every ingredient,” Sikura said. “He was a horse of phenomenal talent and I think he's a generational horse in terms of his ability and his conformation.”

Charlatan is the second foal out of MGSW and 2013 GI Breeders' Cup Distaff third-place finisher Authenticity, who is also the dam of SW Hanalei Moon (Malibu Moon). Bred by Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings, the son of Speightstown sold for $700,000 at the 2018 Keeneland September Sale.

“He is a very well-bred horse and is replete with Northern Dancer and Mr. Prospector in his pedigree,” Sikura noted. “He's by a very good sire whose sons look like they're going to be very good.”

The highly-regarded colt raced for owners SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Stonestreet Stables LLC, Frederick Hertrich, III, John D. Fielding and Golconda Stables and broke his maiden in style on debut early in his 3-year-old year, winning by nearly six lengths and earning the 'Rising Star' nod when he went six furlongs in 1.08:85.

He continued his win streak with a 10 1/4-length romp in an allowance optional claiming race at Santa Anita and another easy score in the 2020 GI Arkansas Derby. Two months later, Oaklawn stewards disqualified Charlatan, who was trained by Bob Baffert, for his Arkansas Derby win due to a drug positive, but in a ruling from the Arkansas Racing Commission in April of 2021, the disqualification was overturned and the win was restored to his credit.

Charlatan skipped the 2020 Triple Crown due to a minor ankle injury, but he returned at the end of the season to remain undefeated as a sophomore in the GI Runhappy Malibu S., defeating MGSWs Express Train (Union Rags) and Collusion Illusion (Twirling Candy), among other stakes winners.

Charlatan claims the GI Arkansas Derby by six lengths | Coady

The swift-footed colt suffered his lone defeat in his final start in the G1 Saudi Cup, running second to Mishriff (Ire) (Make Believe {GB}) after going head-to-head with future GI Breeders' Cup Classic winner Knicks Go (Paynter).

“He had so many wild performances and was only beaten once in his life,” Sikura explained. “He was a horse of extreme brilliance and world-class talent and he had speed that could carry.”

Charlatan retired after the Saudi Cup with earnings of over $4 million.

“It was a long road, to be honest, when he got hurt and had time off,” Sikura reflected. “I know there was more to the horse. I believe he was the kind of horse that if he left the gate and didn't have any problems, he was always the horse to beat no matter who was in the race with him. He was a remarkable racehorse and a generational talent.”

Hill 'n' Dale secured the breeding rights to Charlatan following the colt's romp in the Arkansas Derby. Sikura said that as breeders have come out to see Charlatan, they've only been further convinced of the new sire's potential after seeing the imposing chestnut in person.

“He's very proportionate with a great hind leg and he walks like a cat,” Sikura explained. “He seems to float over the ground and he has a great presence about him. I see him as a flawless, impeccable horse who really withstands any scrutiny from breeders. If you're wondering what a stallion should have, come and see him. He has every category in spades.”

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Three weeks ago, the Godolphin homebred ended his career on a high note with a final victory in the GI Clark S. at Churchill Downs. Walsh, who had hopped  on a plane shortly after the win to visit his Florida division, had not seen Maxfield since that night. So when he dropped in at Jonabell Farm this week to see his former pupil it was, as he said, like visiting his kid in college.

“We were all very fond of him and we're kind of missing him,” the Irishman admitted. “It's good to be able to come see him and he'll make a great stallion. Hopefully we can look forward to training his babies in the years to come.”

Maxfield had clearly not forgotten his old friend as he accepted Walsh's carrots and pats and looked on quietly as a crowd of breeders gathered.

“He was so talented from day one and he has such a great character,” Walsh said. “He was so calm with everything. With some horses you're concerned about them at the races if they're going to act right, but he just filled you with confidence because he had such a good temperament and there was never a worry about if he was going to put his best foot forward.”

For everyone at Jonabell, Maxfield's return marked a celebratory homecoming.

“To have Maxfield do what he did on the racetrack and then come back to his birthplace to take up residence in the stallion barn, it's unbelievably special,” said Darley's Darren Fox. “It's really what we're trying to achieve here and we couldn't be happier to have a horse of his caliber, pedigree, physique and race record fly the flag forward for us here at Jonabell.”

Maxfield's retirement for 2022 was announced in October this year and the new addition, who will stand for a fee of $40,000, was booked full before he entered the stud barn at the end of November.

“Demand was strong for him from the get-go,” Fox said. “We emailed our clients to let them know when he would be arriving at the farm and before we started showing him, he was essentially full. For a stallion to be full before he does his first stallion show says it all. The wave of interest was incredible and he has certainly amassed a stellar first book of mares.”

Maxfield races to a 5 1/2-length victory in the 2019 GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity | Coady

Joining his sire Street Sense on Darley's stud roster, Maxfield is out of the winning Godolphin homebred Velvety, a daughter of red-hot broodmare sire Bernardini, who passed away at Jonabell earlier this year.

“He is absolutely, stunningly gorgeous,” Fox said. “He looks like a Street Sense on first impression with that same size and physique, but he's a smoother, better-looking version of Street Sense. We see shades of Bernardini through his head. For a good-sized horse, he is so light on his feet. He has that jaw-dropping commercial walk that every weanling and yearling purchaser looks for. Then when you add in his pedigree, it's one of the best female families in the stud book.”

Maxfield's second dam MGSW Caress (Storm Cat) was purchased by Sheikh Mohammed's operation for $3.1 million in 2000. The mare is responsible for Grade I winner and sire Sky Mesa (Pulpit) as well as MGSW and GISP Golden Velvet (Seeking the Gold).

Despite a physique that suggested that the colt would excel going two turns, Maxfield was one to watch from the start of his juvenile season.

Breaking his maiden on debut going a mile at Churchill Downs, Maxfield was a dominant winner of his next start in the GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity.

“The 2-year-old form is almost the cherry on top that you wouldn't expect for a horse of his profile,” Fox said. “His Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland was jaw-dropping. A lot of shrewd people called it the most impressive performance by a 2-year-old that year.”

An ankle chip forced Maxfield to scratch from the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile, but the colt returned a winner as a sophomore in the GIII Matt Winn S. An injury forced him to the sidelines once more and he skipped a September Kentucky Derby in 2020, but came back to remain undefeated in the Tenacious S. in December and then the GIII Mineshaft S. to begin his 4-year-old campaign.

Although Maxfield's 2020 season was a test in patience for his trainer, Walsh said he never lost faith that his pupil was destined to remain at the top of his game.

“Everyone always says, 'Oh, you had so many highs and lows with him,' but it was never really a low because we always knew he had the talent to come back and we always knew that as he got older, he might get better,” Walsh explained. “He was actually very consistent through his whole career to win a Grade I at two and then he went on to become a fantastic 4-year-old.”

Maxfield wraps up his career in style with a win in the 2021 GI Clark S. | Coady

Maxfield ran in the money in each of his seven starts at four, claiming the GII Alysheba S. and GII Stepehen Foster S. each by over three lengths, then running second in the GI Whitney S. and GI Woodward S. and finally capping off his career by winning the GI Clark S.

“Maxfield is the first horse in history to win the Alysheba, Stephen Foster and the Clark,” Fox said. “There was no doubt that he had an affinity for Churchill. He was in his absolute element, circling the field on more than one occasion and having so much in the tank on a lot of those performances.”

Maxfield retires with earnings of over $2 million and was never off the board, running in nine graded stakes, including five Grade I races, over his three-year career.

Fox said one of his favorite memories of Maxfield's racing career was watching him in the paddock before each race, particularly on busy race days ahead of the GI Whitney at Saratoga and the GII Alysheba on the Kentucky Oaks undercard.

“The class that this horse demonstrated made the hairs on the back of your neck stand by watching him in action,” he said. “I've watched him in some absolutely-mobbed paddocks and he was as cool as could be. He never turned a hair and the confidence he exuded was inspiring to watch. I see a lot of the class coming from his sire and broodmare sire and while obviously he's his own horse, he certainly inherited their composure.”

“It's just that X-factor that you look for,” he continued. “He is such a smart, intelligent and unbelievably-classy horse. Whatever ability this horse passes on to his progeny, if they inherit his class and composure, they'll certainly be able to demonstrate the full extent of their ability in the afternoons.”

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“Everyone who has come to see him has absolutely loved him,” Hancock reported. “They can't get enough of him. We've even sold shares to him just with people who have come out to see him. The comments we get are that people didn't realize how big he is. He's 16'3 and is dappled out right now, so he looks fantastic.”

“He's a really smooth-walking horse and he has this presence about him,” Hancock continued of the Stonestreet-bred who brought $450,000 at the 2018 Keeneland September Sale. “He just kind of knows that he's a cool dude and he had the miler speed, which is what breeders are looking for, so there's a lot to like about Silver State.”

Campaigned by Winchell Thoroughbreds and Willis Horton Racing, Silver State won on debut at two for trainer Steve Asmussen and was competitive on the Triple Crown trail at three with a runner-up performance in the 2020 GIII Lecomte S. and third-place finish in one division of the GII Risen Star S., but he incurred a setback in the GII Louisiana Derby and was forced to watch from the sidelines until the fall.

The strapping bay reemerged at Keeneland's fall meet with a seven-length romp against allowance company that proved to be the start of a six-race win streak. After another dominating performance at Churchill Downs, the colt kicked off his 4-year-old season with a pair of wins at Oaklawn Park in the Fifth Season S. and Essex H.

Returning to graded company, Silver State took the GII Oaklawn H. by half a length before earning his signature win in the GI Metropolitan H., defeating the likes of MGSWs By My Standards (Goldencents) and Mischevious Alex (Into Mischief), plus future GI Breeders' Cup Classic winner Knicks Go (Paynter).

“He had been on our radar for quite a while, but his win in the Met Mile solidified him as a serious stallion prospect for his,” Hancock explained. “He had the miler speed, but he was a big horse that was able to carry that speed, which I think says a lot about him.”

After running in the money in the GI Whitney S. behind Knicks Go and GISW Maxfield (Street Sense) and again in the Parx Dirt Mile S., Silver State retired with earnings of nearly $2 million.

“He had five six-figure Beyer Speed Figures and was only off the board twice, so he was a model of consistency,” Hancock noted. “His six-race win streak was something you hardly ever see anymore.”

As a grandson of Claiborne legend Danzig, Silver State was a natural fit for the farm's stallion program.

Silver State wins the 2021 GI Metropolitan H. | Coglianese

“He's by Hard Spun, who I think is a tremendously-underrated sire, and we look forward to him carrying on his grandfather's legacy,” Hancock said. “His dam [Supreme] is by Empire Maker, who is obviously a great broodmare sire.”

Supreme (Empire Maker), a full-sister to 2001 GI Kentucky Derby winner Monarchos (Maria's Mon), was a stakes winner on turf and was runner-up in the GIII Royal North S. She sold for $800,000 to Stonestreet at the 2013 Keeneland January Sale and has since produced two additional winners who have both achieved six figures in earnings.

“One of the reasons that we really thought he could be a successful stallion here is that we think he will nick really well with a lot of our mares,” Hancock explained. “The Danzig over Blame and Arch nick is one that we're really high on, so we think Silver State will complement them really well.”

Hancock added that Winchell Thoroughbreds and breeder Stonestreet Farms are committed to supporting the young stallion as he begins his stud career.

“We're thankful to partner up with Ron Winchell. They know how to make a great stallion obviously, as Gun Runner is one of the hottest freshman sires that we've seen in quite some time. They have a great program and are going to support Silver State just like they did for Gun Runner. Stonestreet is going to be a big supporter of him as well and they definitely know what they're doing, so we're glad to have them on board. He will be well-supported by a lot of great breeders.”

Silver State joins Claiborne's cornerstone stallion War Front, proven sire Blame and War Front's young son War of Will as ancestors of Danzig in the stud barn of the historic Paris, Ky. farm. The new addition will stand for a fee of $20,000 in 2022.

“Someone mentioned to me that he's a bit of a throwback-type horse,” Hancock said. “He is kind of an old-school horse and he's at an old-school farm, so he seems like a perfect fit.”

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“We're very excited to have Raging Bull,” said Gainesway Farm's Sean Tugel. “Gainesway was really established on bringing turf milers over here from Europe, so we're kind of going back to our roots. Turf racing in America continues to grow in stature and Raging Bull was an extremely talented horse, making 22 starts including 15 Grade Is. His sire, Dark Angel, is respected worldwide as a great source of speed and precocity, so I think he fits the mold of a successful stallion.”

Raging Bull has only been at Gainesway for a few weeks now, having shipped in from Del Mar after the GI Breeders' Cup Mile, but Tugel said breeders have been thrilled by what they've seen with the strapping bay.

“From the initial viewings by the breeders, they're really excited when he comes out,” Tugel said. “Physically, he's a big, strong horse. He's got a lot of leg under him and he has bone and substance. I think he's the kind of horse that you can really imagine getting dirt horses as well as turf horses and that's what really separates him apart from previous turf horses who have stood in America, that size and stature that he presents.”

Machmer Hall's Carrie Brogden was impressed after her first visit with Raging Bull.

“I was kind of surprised because you don't expect to have a turf horse that is so big and grand,” she explained. “He had size and presence and was dappled from head to toe. He was sound as a bell and charged up and down the lane when we saw him. He has size and scope, much more like an American horse than a European horse. I understand why he's here. He's big and beautiful and anyone who sees him is going to realize that.”

Owner Peter Brant and Raging Bull make their way to the winner's circle for the GI Hollywood Derby | Benoit

Archie St. George shared a similar first impression.

“Raging Bull is a lovely horse,” he said. “He looks unbelievable. Turf racing has become very well-received over here and he has a lot of quality, presence and strength, so I would imagine that he's what the breeders want.”

The six-year-old's sire, Dark Angel, is a resident of Yeomanstown Stud and currently sits atop this year's European Leading Sires of 2-Year-Olds list.

“Dark Angel has established his credentials worldwide as a sire of sires,” Tugel noted. “He's been so successful everywhere else in the world but we haven't gotten a really top-notch son of his here in America yet. Certainly this is the first one. He's a great influencer of speed and with the miler/sprinter types, so I think bringing that to America is a great advantage for every American breeder.”

Bred in France by Dayton Investments Limited, Raging Bull is the third foal out of the stakes-placed Mr. Greeley mare Rosa Bonheur and is the grandson of Rolly Polly (Ire) (Mukaddamah), an Italian highweight at two who later claimed a pair of graded stakes in California for Bobby Frankel. 

“On the female side, Mr. Greeley stood here at Gainesway so it's dear to our hearts, but it also gives us a lot of hope that he can be a cross-surface stallion and it gives it a little bit of an American feel as well,” Tugel explained. “Breeders can easily relate to the Mr. Prospector line. Raging Bull is a great outcross to all American stallion lines and he's a horse that will fit a lot of people's breeding programs in America.”

Campaigned by Peter Brant, Raging Bull was a debut winner as a 3-year-old at Keeneland's 2018 spring meet. That summer, the Chad Brown trainee claimed consecutive victories at Saratoga in the GII National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame S. and the GIII Saranac S. He stepped up to Grade I company in the Hollywood Derby and rallied from the back of the field to win by half a length.

As an older horse, Raging Bull won the GI Shoemaker Mile S. at four and the GI Maker's Mark Mile S. at five, scoring a 106 Beyer Speed Figure in his final career victory.

“The Maker's Mark Mile this year was an excellent race and really showed his determination,” Tugel said. “He weaved in and out of horses and had really good speed. To show up in the spring and beat a very talented field in front of all the breeders really put the cap on his career.”

The top-class performer retired with earnings of over $1.7 million after winning or placing in 12 graded contests over his three-year career, including a runner-up effort to MGISW Got Stormy (Get Stormy) in the 2019 Fourstardave H. as well as a second-place performance against Ivar (Brz) (Agnes Gold {Jpn}) in the 2020 GI Shadwell Turf Mile S.

Raging Bull all alone in the GI Shoemaker Mile S. | Benoit

“It's incredible when a horse can maintain that Grade I level over multiple seasons,” Tugel said. “To have that competitive will and to keep showing up every single time and line up in 15 Grade I races, it takes a lot of heart and a lot of soundness. He showed up and tried every single time. He had seven triple-digit Beyer Speed Figures. He's a horse that has that will, determination and soundness, and that's usually what separates the good ones.”

Tugel said when Gainesway was approached by owner Peter Brant about the possibility of standing Raging Bull upon his retirement, the farm jumped at the opportunity.

“He was on a lot of farms' lists and we were following him for a long time. Milers make great stallions and he was a consistent miler throughout his career. Soundness is something that we need in our breed and is also something that he brings, having made 22 career starts over multiple seasons.”

Raging Bull will stand for a fee of $10,000 in 2022.

“He's already been extremely well-received,” Tugel said. “People love him when he comes out of the barn. He's one of those horses that grabs your imagination. The fact that he ran in the Breeders Cup and then shipped right in and looks as good as he does, that's why he ran 22 times and was able to hold up to it. The same class that he showed on the racetrack, he's shown already here at Gainesway.”

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