Higher Power latest major success for Pin Oak Stud

Josephine Abercrombie’s Pin Oak Stud and its stallions are in the midst of an outstanding year. The latest highlight – and just one of a few on the weekend for the operation – came when Pin Oak-bred Higher Power romped in Saturday’s Grade 1 Pacific Classic, stamping himself as a contender for the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

Higher Power, by Medaglia d’Oro, is out of the Seattle Slew mare Alternate, a three-time stakes winner for Pin Oak before becoming a key member of its broodmare band. Higher Power began his career with Pin Oak, for which he was minor stakes-placed last year, before being sold for $250,000 at this year’s Keeneland April horses of racing age auction and moving to Hronis Racing and trainer John Sadler.

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Alternate also is the dam of multiple Grade 2-winning millionaire Alternation and stakes winner Interrupted. She has a yearling colt by Curlin who is cataloged at the Keeneland September sale. She was bred to Maclean’s Music for 2020.

Alternation stands alongside another Pin Oak homebred, the stalwart Broken Vow, at the farm in Versailles, Ky., and both are enjoying outstanding years. Alternation’s best runner to date is this year’s Kentucky Oaks heroine Serengeti Empress, who has placed in a pair of Grade 1 events in New York since that signature score.

Broken Vow is the sire of this year’s dual Canadian classic-winning colt Tone Broke, who won Saturday’s Breeders’ Stakes, the final leg of the series, at 1 1/2 miles on turf after earlier winning the Prince of Wales Stakes on dirt. He finished third in the Queen’s Plate on a synthetic surface.