Airdrie welcomes pair of Grade 1 winners
Grade 1-winning millionaires Preservationist and Divisidero both rewarded the patience their connections took in shaping their careers with multiple high-end wins as older horses. The responsibility for shaping their second careers now falls to Airdrie Stud, which welcomes both to its roster for 2020.
Preservationist, a son of the late Arch, returned from a lengthy layoff to win 4 of 6 outings as a 6-year-old in 2019 for Centennial Farms and trainer Jimmy Jerkens. That included a victory in the Grade 2 Suburban in his graded stakes debut and a signature victory in the Grade 1 Woodward Stakes at Saratoga.
“Preservationist was bred top and bottom to be a special horse, and that is exactly what he was,” said Airdrie Stud’s Bret Jones. “While it’s well documented that his greatest achievements came as an older horse, everyone we have spoken to about this horse has told us that he has been revered as a special talent from his absolute earliest days as a 2-year-old. . . . He had exceptional ability, and when combined with his blue-blooded pedigree and the over-the-top good looks that made him Arch’s most expensive yearling of his sale year, we really believe we have an exceptional stallion prospect.”
Preservationist is out of the winning Dixieland Band mare Flying Dixie, making him a half-brother to stakes-placed Madiba. This is the family of champion Queena, along with Grade/Group 1 winners Brahms, Chic Shirine, Harmonize, Keen Ice, Librisa Breeze, Serra Lake, Somali Lemonade, and Verrazano.
Divisidero, by leading turf sire Kitten’s Joy, raced throughout his career for Gunpowder Farms. He scored his signature Grade 1 victories under the care of trainer Buff Bradley, winning back-to-back editions of the Grade 1 Turf Classic at Churchill Downs as a 4-year-old and 5-year-old. Transferred to trainer Kelly Rubley in 2018, the durable horse won or placed in six more graded stakes at ages 6 and 7, including victories in last year’s Grade 3 Arlington Handicap and this year’s Grade 3 Red Bank Stakes at Monmouth.
“Divisidero is a multiple Grade 1-winning millionaire by one of the best stallions in the world and from one of the most important female families the breed has known,” Jones said. “When he was at his best, he beat the top turf horses in America at the Grade 1 level and did so with the turn of foot of a special horse. He deserves every chance to become an important sire, and we are going to give him that opportunity by supporting him heavily here at Airdrie.”
Divisidero, out of the unraced Lemon Drop Kid mare Madame Du Lac, is a full brother to Grade 3-placed Kitten’s Kid and a half-brother to stakes winner Gunnison. He is from the extended female family of Grade 1 winner and leading sire and broodmare sire Halo, as well as champion Tosmah.