Tag: 2024 New Stallions

Gunite Follows Fellow Winchell Colorbearer to Ashford

Last year's Eclipse Champion 3-Year-Old Epicenter is the first stallion that Coolmore's Ashford Stud has stood for Winchell Thoroughbreds and the partnership got off to a blazing start as the son of Not This Time was one of the most popular stallions in Kentucky this year, covering 262 mares in his debut season.

Now, Coolmore has teamed up with the same racing and breeding operation to debut another Grade I-winning stallion–this time a homebred son of Winchell's own Gun Runner. Gunite, who claimed the GI Hopeful S. as a juvenile and won at the top level again this year at four in the GI Forego S., will stand for an initial fee of $40,000 in 2024.

When Gun Runner was bursting onto the scene as a first-crop sire in 2021, Gunite broke his maiden in June at Churchill Downs on the same card that Gun Runner got his first stakes horse as a sire with another Steve Asmussen trainee Wicked Halo, who placed in the Debuante S. Soon after that, Gunite claimed the GI Hopeful S. the day after future champion Echo Zulu gave Gun Runner his first Grade I score in the Spinaway S.

“Durable is the word to describe Gunite,” said Coolmore's Adrian Wallace. “He ran six times in all as a 2-year-old, showing his soundness and fortitude and culminating in a very impressive display beating Wit (Practical Joke), who was a very accomplished horse in his own right, at Saratoga in the Hopeful. I think the thing about him was he had a 'never say die' attitude. He was a highly accomplished, precocious 2-year-old who then traveled around the world at three and later on at four.”

Over a three-year career, Gunite placed in all but two of his 21 starts, recording eight stakes victories. The winner of the GII Amsterdam S. and runner-up to eventual studmate Jack Christopher in the GI H. Allen Jerkens Memorial S. at three, Gunite's 4-year-old campaign this year was marked by a rivalry with MGISW Elite Power (Curlin) that spanned from the Middle East to Saratoga to California. Gunite got the better of Elite Power in the GI Forego S.,winning by nearly two lengths, and finished second to the same rival in his final career start in the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint.

“He broke his maiden in June of his 2-year-old year, won the Hopeful, and then competed at a very high level in all three years of his racing career,” said Wallace. “I think in today's environment, a horse that is able to win two Grade I races, place in five more and compete at the highest level not only in the United States but in Saudi Arabia and in Dubai, that shows how sound and durable of a horse he is.”

Gunite scores in the GI Forego S. | Sarah Andrew

Wallace attributes much of Gunite's speed and toughness to his pedigree. The 4-year-old hails from three generations of stakes winners and his dam, Simple Surprise, is a daughter of Cowboy Cal (Giant's Causeway) who won the Bolton Landing S. for the Winchells and Asmussen in 2015.

“I think the main thing when you consider a horse like him is how similar he is in many ways to his sire Gun Runner and how similar he is to both Cowboy Cal and Giant's Causeway himself,” Wallace explained. “He was ultra, ultra tough and the great thing about the Gun Runners is that they are tough, sound horses. When you combine that with two doses of the Iron Horse's blood, you get horses that are going to be built for durability and brilliance.”

Wallace added that the new stallion should have all the potential to not only pass on his own brilliance and precocity, but also the two-turn ability shown on both sides of his pedigree.

Wallace said that Gunite, who is just over 16'1, is a standout physically as well.

“He is a great combination of Gun Runner's and Giant's Causeway's blood,” he explained. “Cowboy Cal was a very elegant racehorse himself and is becoming quite a good broodmare sire from very limited opportunity. Gunite has a lot of leg and is very balanced. Priced at $40,000, as a dual Grade I-winning son of Gun Runner, I think he'll fit a lot of people's bill.”

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For WinStar’s New Recruits, Walden Says the Numbers Stand Out

Elliott Walden has nothing but confidence in WinStar Farm's two new stallion recruits for 2024 and he has the numbers to show it. The speedy Two Phil's (Hard Spun) posted some eye-catching figures this year as a 3-year-old, including 105 Beyer Speed Figures in both the GIII Ohio Derby and his runner-up performance in the GI Kentucky Derby. Meanwhile his new studmate Country Grammer (Tonalist), winner of the G1 Dubai World Cup, retired as the third highest-earning North American-bred horse of all time–behind great company in Arrogate and Gun Runner– with earnings of over $14.9 million.

With stud fees set at $12,500 for Two Phil's and $10,000 for Country Grammer, Walden said he believes the future is bright for this pair and the breeders who are finding value in WinStar's newcomers.

“We've been very excited with how they've been received,” said Walden. “Both horses bring something a little bit different to the table. Country Grammer is a Seattle Slew-line horse through Tonalist and Tapit and he comes from a great Juddmonte family, so he brings stamina to mares that have a little kick to them and he's going to give a great physique. Two Phil's is a horse that people are really responding to. They know how good of a racehorse he was and for $12,500, when the other 3-year-olds in the crop are probably going to be standing for three times that, he provides great value.”

Trained by Chicago native Larry Rivelli, Two Phil's was the feel-good story of the Windy City as he claimed four stakes wins and earned over $1.5 million for fellow Chicagoans Philip Sagan and Patricia's Hope LLC, with Madaket Stables also joining the ownership group this year.

The son of Hard Spun came on WinStar's radar after his dominating score in the GIII Jeff Ruby Steaks, where his 5 ½ Ragozin figure ranked him at the top of the list of Kentucky Derby contenders. The colt's second-place performance on the first Saturday in May confirmed WinStar's belief in his ability.

“He was up close to a very fast pace,” Walden recalled. “To turn for home and take the lead, obviously he had to be exhausted because it was a very fast pace, but he just tried to hang on and fought Mage (Good Magic) all the way to the wire. Then when you look at the gallop out, he actually comes back and gallops out in front.”

In Two Phil's final career start in the GIII Ohio Derby, he recorded a near six-length win over Bishops Bay (Uncle Mo), a colt co-owned by WinStar that had finished second by a head to MGISW Arcangelo (Arrogate) in his prior start in the GIII Peter Pan S.

“That just shows the kind of quality that Two Phil's had as a racehorse,” said Walden. “He had form on multiple surfaces and on multiple racetracks. He also won a graded stake in the slop as a 2-year-old. He was just a racehorse.”

While Two Phil's racing career is reminiscent of his sire's–as Hard Spun also recorded two stakes wins as a juvenile and won the same Derby prep at three–it is the sire line in and of itself that Walden said made Two Phil's a good fit for their stallion program.

“We've been looking for a Danzig horse for a long time,” he explained. “Danzig is a horse that keeps giving in this industry. When you see Danzig in a pedigree–Uncle Mo, War Front, now Omaha Beach is coming on–you need to take notice. Hard Spun is a very underrated stallion and the thing that Two Phil's brings is that he's a very good-looking son of Hard Spun. He's well-balanced, has a great head and good topline and he's well-sprung on his hocks. I think he'll compliment mares just because of his size and his balance.”

Country Grammer ahead of his victory in the 2022 G1 Dubai World Cup | Dubai Racing Club

Country Grammer is another horse that Walden said has caught the eye of breeders visiting the stallions at WinStar.

“We did a showcase last summer of Life is Good, Nashville and Country Grammer and there were as many people that were as taken back with Country Grammer as they were Life Is Good and Nashville,” he recalled. “We know how popular Life Is Good and Nashville have been, so we're really excited about Country Grammer for 2024. He's a big, scopey horse that has a long, sloping shoulder. He's the kind of horse that you would expect to run two turns and I think he'll compliment mares because he'll help mares get the kind of physical that breeders would want at the sales.”

A $450,000 2-year-old at the OBS Spring Sale, Country Grammer started out in the Chad Brown barn and was originally campaigned by Paul Pompa. After breaking his maiden at two, the colt went on to claim the GIII Peter Pan S. the following year. He caught the eye of the WinStar team while spending time at the farm on a layoff. Following the passing of Paul Pompa, WinStar acquired the colt at the 2021 Keeneland January Sale.

From there, the son of Tonalist was sent to Bob Baffert and collected victories in the 2021 GI Hollywood Gold Cup S., the 2022 G1 Dubai World Cup over a field that included Life is Good, Midnight Bourbon and Hot Rod Charlie, and the 2022 GII San Antonio S. He also placed in four additional Grade I contests over his five-year career, including a runner-up effort in this year's G1 Saudi Cup.

“He ran at a high level on the East Coast, West Coast and the Middle East for a long time,” said Walden. “In this day and age when soundness and race record is important, I think he's a high-quality horse. He comes from a great Juddmonte family–the family of Obligatory (Curlin) and Bonny South (Munnings) that has been giving good runners for a long time. It's really exciting to have a horse like him at the price that we have him at for 2024.”

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Forte Settles in at Spendthrift

It didn't take long for champion Forte (Violence – Queen Caroline, by Blame) to settle in at Spendthrift Farm and after just a few weeks of breeder inspections, the 'TDN Rising Star' is already booked full for his first year at stud.

“Any time you get a chance to show a champion off to your breeders, it makes the sales team's job pretty easy,” said Spendthrift's Mark Toothaker. “He has been hugely popular and is completely sold out. Most every mare that he got is a blacktype mare, so he's going to get a huge chance.”

With an introductory fee of $50,000, Forte follows in the steps of Spendthrift sires like champion Jackie's Warrior, who stood for the same fee in his debut year last year, and the fast-starting first-crop sire Omaha Beach, who joined the roster in 2020 with a $45,000 fee.

“When Omaha Beach came in, he got the mares and then the next year Authentic got the mares,” explained Toothaker. “Jackie got the mares last year and so Forte will get them this year. He's a beautiful horse and we're so glad to have him here.”

The first champion 2-year-old to join the Spendthrift roster in over 40 years–since the likes of Seattle Slew, Affirmed and Lord Avie– Forte broke his maiden by nearly 8 lengths at Belmont, earning 'Rising Star' honors in that debut in May for Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable. The Todd Pletcher trainee would later score three straight Grade I victories in the Hopeful S., Breeders' Futurity and Breeders' Cup Juvenile, where he bested MGISW Cave Rock (Arrogate) and eventual GI Preakness S. victor National Treasure (Quality Road).

Forte wins the 2022 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Keeneland | Horsephotos

It was a roller coaster of a 3-year-old campaign for Forte, as he continued his win streak in the GII Fountain of Youth S. and GI Florida Derby but was forced to scratch from the GI Kentucky Derby as the favorite due to a foot bruise. Off a 10-week layoff, he returned to the starting gate for the GI Belmont S. and was runner-up to Arcangelo (Arrogate). Before his final career start in the GI Travers S., Forte earned a career-high 105 Beyer Speed Figure in a hard-fought victory in the GII Jim Dandy S.

A quarter crack forced him to retire ahead of his bid in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic.

“He had some hiccups along the way, but still the talent came through,” said Toothaker. “The horse had so much class and he was just so push button. I think he just knew where the wire was. That was our biggest comment about him is that if you ever got in a dogfight with him, he knew how to win.”

Toothaker said that Forte first came on Spendthrift's potential stallion list after his win in the Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland, where he defeated fellow 'Rising Star' Loggins (Ghostzapper), a horse co-owned by Spendthrift.

“That race really puts him on our radar to try to get something done and we were able to get a deal done with Mike Repole and Vinnie Viola. We were thrilled we were able to get him secured late in his 2-year-old year. We got to ride the roller coaster this year, but it was all worth it.”

A $110,000 Keeneland September buy, Forte is out of the multiple stakes-winning Blame mare Queen Caroline, who just sold for $3 million to John Stewart at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale.

Toothaker said that Forte's physical is reminiscent of his sireline and has been another bonus to his credentials as breeders have stopped by the farm since his arrival.

“He's got that Medaglia d'Oro length to him,” he said. “He stands over some ground and he's such a good mover. You see why Jacob West picked him out. He just drops his head and motors when you show him. Breeders have loved that when you bring him out on the end of the shank. He's just got a classy look to him. We're thrilled to have him and so happy we can show him off to all of our breeders.”

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Walmac Roster Doubles with Pappacap and Fulsome

Walmac Farm has come a long way since owner Gary Broad purchased the historic property off Paris Pike in 2018. After several years spent resurrecting the farm and its signature blue and white barns, in 2022 Broad brought his multiple graded stakes winner Core Beliefs (Quality Road) home to be the first sire to stand in a newly renovated stallion complex.

This year, Broad added Grade I winner Pinehurst (Twirling Candy) to the roster, handing the farm's new stallion salesman Jay Goodwin a challenge to get the word out on the rookie sire in a short period of time after he joined the Walmac team in January.

As another breeding season quickly approaches, Walmac has doubled its stallion roster for 2024 with a pair of newcomers hailing from auspicious sire lines.

Broad's goal for this year was to lock down a new stallion by supersire Into Mischief and another by emerging influential stallion Gun Runner. He accomplished the mission with Pappacap, who stands out as the first son of Gun Runner to go to stud that was a graded stakes winner at two, and Fulsome, a multiple graded stakes-winning son of Into Mischief.

A homebred for George and Karen Russell's Rustlewood Farm trained by Mark Casse, Pappacap was a debut winner in May of his juvenile season and he returned to the winner's circle with a near-five length win in the GII Best Pal S. Later at two, he was runner-up to future Eclipse Champion juvenile Corniche (Quality Road) in both the GI American Pharoah S. and the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile.

Pappacap also competed against top competition at three, running second to Jack Christopher (Munnings) in the GII Pat Day Mile S. and the GI Woody Stephens S.

“To have a Gun Runner that was that precocious and that fast at two and then he came back at three and was just as talented, we were extremely happy with his race record,” said Goodwin. “He just made sense for us. He also never ran on Lasix at two or three and today that is as big of a selling point for a stallion as any.”

But it's Pappacap's physical, Goodwin said, that has impressed the breeders who have stopped by to visit since the new addition was announced in early September.

“Physically, he's probably the best Gun Runner that I've seen,” he shared. “He's got that beautiful Gun Runner shoulder and neck, but he also has a little bit more hip than you would expect.”

For Goodwin, a former partner in Select Sales Agency who had never sold stallion seasons before taking on the job at Walmac this year, the experience of announcing the arrival of Pappacap to breeders in September was completely different than his start with Pinehurst, who joined the roster at Walmac in late November of last year well after most of the newcomers to the Kentucky stallion ranks had already been announced.

“The reaction from breeders has been crazy,” Goodwin said. “We had to fight tooth and nail last year for Pinehurst because we got him in here late. We were very happy with where he ended up, but we worked our butts off to get him to where he was. With Pappacap, it has been a lot easier. We just have to answer the phone. They're rolling in and he's going to breed a full book.

Goodwin reported that Pappacap is already closing in on 150 mares, adding that the stallion's $12,500 initial fee offers value for breeders looking to send their mare to a son of Gun Runner.

“Pappacap is going to come right under a lot of these Gun Runners,” he explained. “We priced him right and we priced him to have a full book. At $12,500, I think he'll be the best deal in the stallion book.”

From the family of Peruvian Horse of the Year Al Qasr (Aptitude), Pappacap is out of a graded stakes-placed Scat Daddy mare and is a half-brother to last year's GIII With Anticipation S. winner Boppy O (Bolt d'Oro).

Broad achieved his goal in standing sons of Gun Runner and Into Mischief, but with Juddmonte homebred Fulsome, the millionaire's female family might be just as notable as his sireline.

Fulsome and stallion manager Jose Rodarte | Sara Gordon

“Fulsome's pedigree is three generations of Juddmonte,” Goodwin explained. “The pedigrees on that farm are second to none. Juddmonte bred him, raced him and stayed in on him.”

Fulsome's dam Flourish (Distorted Humor) is a half-sister to Grade I winners Sightseek (Distant View) and Tates Creek (Rahy) and her produce record includes graded stakes-placed Mr Darcy (Harlan's Holiday) and Rimprotector (Point of Entry).

The pedigree also ties in to Walmac Farm's story. Fulsome's stakes-winning second dam Viviana is a daughter of Nureyev, who rose to prominence as a sire at Walmac several decades ago and is now buried near the stallion complex.

Earning over $1.2 million throughout his career, Fulsome won five stakes races including the GIII Matt Winn S. and the GIII Smarty Jones S. at three and the GIII Oaklawn Mile S. and GIII West Virginia Governor's S. at four. He closed out his career with a Grade I placing in the Clark S. last year.

Goodwin noted that Into Mischief is often credited for the heart he puts into his horses and Fulsome is no exception.

“He was tough,” he said. “He was not scared to take on the fight. You could see him really dig down and fight every single race. As someone who breeds mares, you like to see that. You need heart. That's the characteristic I like the most.”

Goodwin's favorite race of Fulsome's career, he said, was the 2022 GIII Oaklawn Mile S. where the Brad Cox trainee closed late to win by a neck, defeating a field that included graded stakes winners Cezanne (Curlin), Silver Prospector (Declaration of War), Roadster (Quality Road) and Law Professor (Constitution).

“I think that was probably the best field he beat,” said Goodwin. “That Oaklawn Mile ends at the mile pole and at the top of the stretch you're thinking there's no way he's going to get there. I still don't know how he gets to the wire and then he ends up winning easily. Brad loved this horse. I talked to Brad after we got him and he said that he thought he would get him a Grade I. He didn't have anything but good things to say.”

Fulsome will stand for $7,500 in 2024.

Fulsome and Pappacap's combined race record of 10 wins from 29 starts is another point of pride for the team at Walmac.

“Both of these horses were sound and ran in a lot of races,” said Goodwin. “They were very talented and were at the top of their crop. They're both well-made and correct. When you see them, you see why they stayed so sound throughout their career.”

As Walmac gears up for another breeding season, Goodwin said the plan for the farm's fledgling stallion business is to continue to grow from here.

“I think Gary wants to find a couple every year,” he shared. “He knows how hard it is to make a stallion, but he also knows you have to get the mares. He's been game. We brought him both these horses and he was ready to roll, so I think we will keep growing. We've got four really good stallions by Into Mischief, Gun Runner, Quality Road and Twirling Candy, so we've got the sire power. We're going to breed a lot of mares here in the next few years and I can't wait.”

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