Iowa stallion Wild Gold dies at 25

Wild Gold, a six-time stakes winner and prominent Iowa stallion, has died of natural causes at age 25.

The son of Wild Again had resided at Madison County Thoroughbreds in Macksburg, Iowa since 2004, having previously stood at Pegasus Ranch in California and Adena Springs South in Florida.

“Wild Gold blessed so many of us,” Pamela Schutz of Madison County Thoroughbreds said in a Facebook post. “He was one of those rare horses you wish everyone could have.”

Wild Gold sired 15 crops with 130 winners and combined progeny earnings of more than $7 million. His most prominent offspring include stakes winners Zam Zam, Loyalton, Dowhatuthinksright, and Wildpayday, along with 14 stakes-placed runners. He led Iowa’s sire standings by earnings in 2011 and ranked second each year from 2008 to 2010.

Bred in California by Ken Blackwell, Murphy McFarland, and Ron Volkman, Wild Gold won nine of 36 starts over four seasons of racing for earnings of $456,725. He excelled at the sprint distances, earning all six of his stakes victories at six furlongs: the California Cup Sprint at Santa Anita, the Native Diver Handicap and Albany Handicap at Golden Gate Fields, the Saratoga Handicap and Ormondale Handicap at Bay Meadows, and the Ernest Finley Handicap at Santa Rosa. He placed in 11 additional stakes races.

Wild Gold was initially campaigned by his breeders and trainer Dent Caton before being purchased by Frank Stronach near the end of his 5-year-old campaign and placed in the barn of Jerry Hollendorfer.

He retired to Stronach’s Adena Springs South for the 1998 breeding season, then was relocated to Pegasus Ranch two years later as property of Stronach before eventually moving to Iowa.

Wild Gold was out of the stakes-winning Pass the Glass mare Pass of Gold, whose four winners from five foals to race also included stakes winner Pauly Boy. His extended family includes Grade 3 winner My List.