Clubhouse Ride’s stats stand out among California stallions

Clubhouse Ride has a smaller bench than many of California’s other leading sires, being bred to smaller books of mares. However, he has been consistently finishing among the state’s top 10 sires by earnings. He did so again in 2020 and is garnering notice because of his results.

Clubhouse Ride, who stands at Legacy Ranch in Lodi, finished eighth on California’s earnings list for 2020, or fourth when only accounting for those with state-sired progeny of racing age. He achieved those results with fewer starters than any other stallion in the top 10, with 48 through Dec. 13. The next-lowest stallion on the list has 74.

Of Clubhouse Ride’s 48 individual starters, 25 are winners. Among stallions with statebred runners who will return to stand in California for 2021, that is the highest percentage of winners from starters, at 52 percent. The only stallion above him is Ocean Breeze Ranch’s Square Eddie, at 53 percent. He has been pensioned and will not return to the list for 2021.

Clubhouse Ride, a millionaire by Candy Ride, has continued to reward some of his racetrack connections with his stallion success. He was trained by Craig Lewis, who guided him through six seasons and multiple graded stakes wins, including back-to-back wins in the Grade 2 Californian in 2013 and 2014. He also was multiple Grade 1-placed. Lewis now trains the stallion’s star daughter Warren’s Showtime for her breeders, Ben and Sally Warren. He also conditioned the filly’s dam, Grade 1-winning homebred Warren’s Veneda.

“The Warrens are really great owners and good friends,” Lewis said. “Sally and I have been great friends since we have been in our 20s, and I’m fortunate to be friends with Ben and be able to train their horses. We are a great team and have a good working relationship, and it’s very productive.”

Warren’s Showtime was a stakes winner against open company as a juvenile, taking the Surfer Girl. In the first half of 2020, she won the California Cup Oaks and Melair against her fellow California-breds and the China Doll against open company before stepping into graded stakes. After finishing third in the Grade 3 San Clemente and third in the Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks, she broke out to win the Grade 3 Autumn Miss Stakes.

Clubhouse Ride’s other top runners this season are Margot’s Boy, who was beaten a head when second in the Grade 2 Del Mar Derby; and Club Aspen, multiple stakes-placed at Santa Anita. Both are trained by Lewis, who sees a continued bright future for his former trainee as a stallion. After years of modest books, Clubhouse Ride was among the most active stallions in the state in 2020, covering a large book that again included Warren’s Veneda.

“This stud has been absolutely amazing,” Lewis said. “These foals are sound, versatile, and they can really run. He was bred to 100 mares this year, so we feel really good about that.”

Idiot Proof has another good one

Idiot Proof, who stands at Victory Rose Thoroughbreds in Vacaville, was a solid sprinter on dirt and synthetic surfaces. But as a stallion, he has been a sire of outstanding turf sprinters, including Bulletproof One, a California-bred who was an open-company stakes winner in 2020.

Bulletproof One, who was co-bred by Victory Rose with KMN Racing, was a multiple stakes winner against California-breds in 2019, and earlier this year finished second in the California Cup Oaks. In her most recent outing in September, the filly won the Unzip Me Stakes at Santa Anita by 2 1/4 lengths.

Idiot Proof’s top runner to date is Richard’s Boy, who most recently started in December at Fair Grounds. The gelding is a four-time stakes winner and is multiple graded stakes-placed, including a runner-up effort in the 2017 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, in which he was beaten a head by champion stablemate Stormy Liberal.

Millionaire Idiot Proof won a pair of graded stakes, highlighted by the Grade 1 Ancient Title at the Oak Tree at Santa Anita meet. He was second in both the Breeders’ Cup Sprint and the Dubai Golden Shaheen.

Unusual Heat’s legacy continues

Unusual Heat, who died in 2017 at his longtime home, Harris Farms in Coalinga, was California’s all-time leading sire by progeny earnings and the leading sire in the state multiple times. His legacy continued in 2020 as the broodmare sire of Grade 1 winner Mucho Unusual, one of the season’s best California-breds.

Mucho Unusual, by Mucho Macho Man and out of the Unusual Heat mare Not Unusual, races as a homebred for George Krikorian. The filly was stakes-placed as a juvenile and in 2019 won the California Cup Oaks before venturing out into open company to win the Grade 2 San Clemente and finish third in the Grade 3 Autumn Miss. She concluded her season with a creditable runner-up effort in the Grade 1 American Oaks, beaten half a length by Lady Prancealot.

Mucho Unusual put together another stellar season in 2020 while competing exclusively in stakes. After finishing third in the Grade 2 Buena Vista and recording another Grade 1 placing when third in the Gamely, she recorded her first top-level victory in the Grade 1 Rodeo Drive in September.

Not Unusual, a 2006 California-bred Unusual Heat mare, was bred by Betty and Larry Mabee’s Golden Eagle Farm, and was purchased by Krikorian as a Barretts October yearling. After winning 3 of 17 career starts, she has been a solid broodmare for Krikorian. Prior to producing Mucho Unusual, her first foal by a Kentucky stallion, she produced Grade 3 winner and Grade 1-placed Big Score and stakes-placed Unusually Big, both by California stallion Mr. Big.

Not Unusual has a yearling filly by Mr. Big. She returned to Kentucky to be bred to leading turf sire Kitten’s Joy, and after delivering a colt by that stallion in April 2020, she was bred back to standout young sire Uncle Mo for 2021.