Leading Louisiana sire Half Ours euthanized

Four-time Louisiana leading sire Half Ours was euthanized on Saturday following a paddock accident at Clear Creek Stud in Folsom, La. The son of Unbridled’s Song was 18.

“It is a sad day for us all,” Val Murrell of Clear Creek said in a release. “Half Ours enriched our breeders’ program in Louisiana and beyond, having touched many who bred and raced. He was obviously an integral part of Clear Creek Stud’s very existence, like a family member that you saw every day. His loss will be felt by many and his influence will remain for years to come, defined by progeny that always showed up, held together, running on both dirt or grass.”

Half Ours won the 2005 Juvenile Stakes at Churchill Downs in his second start. Two years later, he scored his biggest win in the Grade 2 Richter Scale Sprint Championship Handicap at Gulfstream Park. He was also second in that year’s Grade 3 Alysheba Stakes going two turns. He finished his career with 5 wins from 7 starts.

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Half Ours retired to Taylor Made Farm in Kentucky for the 2008 season before relocating to Louisiana in 2011. He is the sire of 25 stakes winners, including Gentlemen’s Bet, winner of the Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash at Laurel, the Hot Springs Stakes at Oaklawn, and the Iowa Sprint at Prairie Meadows. His multiple Grade 1 placings included a third in the 2013 Breeders’ Cup Sprint.

Half Ours’ other notable progeny include Ours to Run, winner of six restricted stakes in her native Louisiana. She ventured outside the state to win the Carousel Stakes at Oaklawn, and finished third in the Grade 2 Honorable Miss at Saratoga.