Midwest stallions: Swifty Farms has strong trio in Indiana
There are good years for stallion operations, and then there are the “three of the state’s top four sires” kind of good years. Swifty Farms in Seymour, Ind., had the latter.
A pair of relocated horses standing their first seasons at Swifty Farms took Indiana’s top two spots by earnings, while a veteran to the state’s sire ranks came in fourth.
Leading the way was Notional, who came to Swifty Farms by way of Rockin’ Z Ranch in Oklahoma after selling at last year’s Fasig-Tipton Kentucky winter mixed sale. The 14-year-old In Excess horse had 54 winners in 2017 and combined progeny earnings of $1,556,212.
Notional’s top runners of 2017 included stakes winner Cake Pop and stakes-placed Flashy G, Get a Notion, and Jete. His highest Beyer Speed Figure performance came from Foreign Potential, who earned a 90 Beyer from a 9 1/4-length victory in a Parx Racing claiming race in April.
Also scoring high Beyers for his sire was Grade 3 winner and 2015 Kentucky Derby starter Far Right, who earned figures of 85, 86, and 87 in a trio of optional-claiming races in Kentucky.
Notional stands for an advertised fee of $2,000.
Finishing second was Fort Prado, who stood his first season in Indiana last year after previously residing at Buck Pond Farm in Kentucky. A 17-year-old son of El Prado, Fort Prado was represented by 37 winners and had earnings of $1,113,518.
Leading the way for Fort Prado was Grade 3-placed stakes winner Prado’s Sweet Ride, stakes-placed Dr Winn Kyi, and In the Chamber.
Fort Prado had three runners surpass the 90 Beyer threshold last year, led by Prado’s Sweet Ride, who earned a 98 when second in the Grade 3 Modesty Handicap at Arlington Park. She also picked up a 97 for a runner-up effort in the Marie G. Krantz Memorial Stakes at the Fair Grounds and a 94 for winning the New Orleans Ladies’ overnight stakes at the same track.
Fort Prado stands for $1,000.
Indiana’s leader among those with state-sired runners was Pass Rush, a longtime fixture in the Hoosier State’s breeding program. The 19-year-old son of Crown Ambassador finished fourth by earnings, with $866,600, and had 18 winners on the year.
Stakes winner Peyton’s Pass was the top runner by Pass Rush, joining stakes-placed Interference, Octavian Rush, Passion Rush, and Pass and Go. His top Beyer performer was Ralla’s Rally, a filly who earned a 79 Beyer in a 6 3/4-length claiming race score at Indiana Grand in October.
Pass Rush is advertised at $2,500.
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Elsewhere in the state, Victor’s Cry finished third with 25 winners and earnings of $969,378. The 13-year-old son of Street Cry’s top runners included stakes-placed Inge and Dragon’s Cry. His top Beyer performance came from Singandcryindubai, who earned an 89 for winning a 6 ½-furlong allowance at Woodbine in October.
Victor’s Cry stands at Holden Farm in Greenfield, Ind., for an advertised fee of $25,000. Dowsing, a fellow Holden Farm resident by Deep Impact who entered stud last year, stands for the same price.
The two are extreme outliers on the spectrum of stud fees in Indiana, but farm owner Jay Holden said the prices were by design, with the aim of attracting higher-quality mares than the typical Hoosier stallion’s book. Additionally, he theorized that increasing the initial investment would have a positive bearing on catalog placement at auction, hopefully avoiding the lower books where many regional stallions dwell and average sale prices are lower.
The plan started last year when both stallions stood for $10,000 during their first Indiana seasons. Victor’s Cry finished as the state’s most active stallion, with 30 mares bred, while Dowsing was second with 28.
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