Good Samaritan a young stallion to watch

The late Harlan’s Holiday left the breed with one of the best sires in the modern era in two-time leading sire Into Mischief. The record-setting classic sire is lauded, among other things, for his versatility, as he has champions at both sprint and route distances, and has sired graded stakes performers on both dirt and turf.

Quietly into the fray this year comes a first-crop yearling sire by Harlan’s Holiday who displayed versatility during his own racing career. Good Samaritan stands at WinStar Farm, which co-campaigned him and which also stood Harlan’s Holiday.

A millionaire, Good Samaritan was a multiple Grade 2 winner on dirt, taking the Jim Dandy Stakes as a 3-year-old and the New Orleans Handicap the following spring. He also was runner-up in the Grade 1 Clark Handicap on dirt at 3, beaten a half-length against older horses. Good Samaritan also won the Grade 2 Summer Stakes on the turf and placed in three other graded events on that surface, including a third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf.

Zach Madden, a partner in consignor Buckland Sales, noted Good Samaritan as an under-the-radar first-crop stallion to watch.

He’s “a horse that would dirt, turf, long, anything,” Madden said. “He’s by Harlan’s Holiday. If we’re all, years from now, saying ‘Gosh,’ it wouldn’t surprise anybody. That horse has all the credentials, and again, this is a really, really strong group that I feel has a lot of depth to it overall.”