Double duty stallion Apollo pensioned

Apollo, a stakes-producing Thoroughbred sire and a champion-producing Quarter Horse sire, has been pensioned at Vessels Stallion Farm in Bonsall, Calif.

The 25-year-old son of Falstaff most recently stood at Joneson Ranch in Shawnee, Okla., as property of Vessels Stallion Farm and Diane and Harold Keith.

“He’ll live out his days here," Vessels farm manager Kevin Dickson told Q-Racing Journal. "He’s a cool horse, and we’re glad to have him home. He’s done enough for us, so we’ll give him his rest, and let him live out his days here in Southern California as a happy horse.”

As a Thoroughbred stallion, Apollo has sired 98 winners from 15 crops of racing age. He sired seven stakes winners: Harvest Girl, Apollean, Eminent, Russian Elite, Apollitician, Whitewinesipper, and I Won’t Apollogize.

Where Apollo excelled was as a sire of Quarter Horses, where in 15 crops of racing age, he has sired two American Quarter Horse Association champions and seven Grade 1 winners among his 206 overall winners. His most successful foal has been Apollitical Time, who was named AQHA racing champion aged horse in 2006 and champion 3-year-old filly in 2005. In 2010, Apollitical Time was named Broodmare of the Year. Apollo also sired 1999 champion 3-year-old Old Habits.

Apollo’s race record provided a glimpse at his potential as a sire of Quarter Horses, as he equaled the world record for 5 ½ furlongs in 1:10.50 at Hollywood Park in 1991. He finished his career as a Grade 2-placed multiple stakes winner, finishing first in five of 23 starts for earnings of $354,475.