Family Tree retired, will be bred to Medaglia d'Oro
Family Tree, a Grade 2 winner and earner of more than $700,000 who last raced at Sam Houston, has been retired, trainer Wayne Catalano said Monday. She is to be bred to Medaglia d’Oro, according to Benny Glass, the racing manager for owners Gary and Mary West.
Glass said Family Tree will be based in Kentucky. She last raced Jan. 29, finishing third in the Grade 3, $400,000 Houston Ladies Classic.
Highlights of Family Tree’s career include winning last year’s Grade 2 Indiana Oaks, Grade 3 Iowa Oaks, and $300,000 Zia Park Oaks. She also ran third to Songbird in the Alabama at Saratoga.
“She won three Oaks last year, so a lot of great moments with her,” Catalano said. “It’s a pleasure to have a filly like that in the barn.”
Family Tree is a daughter of Smart Strike and was bred by Dell Ridge Farm and Sam-Son Farm. In addition to her success on dirt, she also won on turf, taking a maiden special weight race in her career debut in 2015 at Kentucky Downs.
◗ Archer City, who was a nine-length allowance winner late last month, will make her stakes debut Feb. 18 in the $75,000 Two Altazano division of the Texas Stallion Stakes at Sam Houston. She is one of three horses whom trainer Bret Calhoun has targeting the Two Altazano, a six-furlong race for 3-year-old fillies. The others are Gold Shock, who placed in three stakes last year at 2, and Kat’s Infatuation, a recent allowance winner at Delta Downs.