Heartwood, a multiple graded stakes-placed multiple stakes winner by leading sire Tapit, will initiate his stallion career at Rancho San Miguel in California at the conclusion of his racing career in early 2021. The $486,891-earner will stand for a fee of $2,500, live foal guarantee.
The 6-year-old horse, who races for the partnership of Stuart Tsujimoto and David Bernsen, has won or placed in six black-type races at six different racetracks to date, and is scheduled to make two final starts in graded stakes company at Santa Anita Park in January before retiring to stallion duties.
Bred in Kentucky by Blue Heaven Farm, Heartwood sold for $500,000 as the highest-priced weanling at the 2014 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky November Sale, and went on to win three stakes races from the ages of 3 to 5: the $200,000 Steel Valley Sprint Stakes at Mahoning Valley Race Course in 2017, the $75,000 Senator Robert C. Byrd Memorial Stakes at Mountaineer in 2018 and the $100,000 King Cotton Stakes at Oaklawn Park in 2019. The well-traveled sprint specialist also placed in three stakes races in 2018: Aqueduct's $206,100 Fall Highweight Handicap (G3), Gulfstream Park's $100,000 Mr. Prospector Stakes (G3) and the $101,800 Bet on Sunshine Stakes at Churchill Downs.
Heartwood is the first foal out of Forestry's Grade 3-placed multiple stakes winner Maple Forest, a daughter of the Grade 2-placed stakes winner Maple Syrple and half-sister to French Group 3 winner Golden Century who has also produced the multiple stakes-placed winner Luzmimi Princess. His ninth dam is 1946 Broodmare of the Year Bloodroot.
“We are excited to offer West Coast breeders a stallion prospect of this magnitude by North America's most successful sire of the modern era,” said Rancho San Miguel Owner / Manager Tom Clark. “Not only does Heartwood hold distinction as Tapit's only dirt stakes winner available in California, he boasts the same broodmare sire as North America's Leading Freshman Sire of 2020, Nyquist.”
“As a direct male descendant of the breed-shaping stallion A.P. Indy, he also complements our existing stallion roster, which includes sires from the Mr. Prospector, Relaunch and Storm Cat lines.”
In addition to newcomer Heartwood, Rancho San Miguel stands the Grade 1-siring shuttle stallion Sir Prancealot (Ire), 2020 California Leading Second-Crop Sire Curlin to Mischief, multiple Grade 2 winner Danzing Candy, graded stakes winner Northern Causeway, two-time Pacific Classic Stakes (G1) winner Richard's Kid, Grade 1-placed multiple stakes winner Slew's Tiznow and Grade 1 winner Tom's Tribute. Inspections of all stallions are available by appointment.
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