Migrated article

Kentucky is the center of the Thoroughbred breeding industry, but through the years, smaller programs such as Arkansas and Oklahoma have made notable contributions to the gene pool. The most well-known horses from those regions may be Lady’s Secret, the 1986 Horse of the Year who was foaled in Oklahoma, and Nodouble, a two-time champion who was foaled in Arkansas.

Lady’s Secret had long been Oklahoma’s gold standard, even though she actually predated the state’s breeding program.

“She was born in Oklahoma,” said R.D. Logan, the executive director of the Oklahoma Thoroughbred Association. “The Oklahoma-bred program did not start until 1983, the year after she was born, so she was not an accredited Oklahoma-bred. So it’s one of those deals where everybody always considered her to be an Oklahoma-bred, although there wasn’t such an animal.”

Lady’s Secret banked $3 million in her career, but she is not the richest Thoroughbred to come out of Oklahoma. Kip Deville set a record for Oklahoma-breds by earning $3,325,489, winning such races as the Breeders’ Cup Mile in 2007.

The list of the top-five richest Oklahoma-breds is rounded out by Clever Trevor, who earned $1,388,841; Mr Ross, who earned $1,091,046; and Silver Goblin, who earned $1,083,895. Hollywood Hit has earned $310,217.

Nodouble was the Thoroughbred Racing Association champion handicap horse in 1969 and 1970. He won the Arkansas Derby in 1968 at Oaklawn, where he has a race named for him.

In 2011, another top Arkansas-bred will have a stakes named for him at Oaklawn, said Deana Echols, the executive director of the Arkansas Thoroughbred Breeders and Horsemen’s Association. The Natural State, for Arkansas-bred fillies and mares, will be renamed for Downthedustyroad, who won the Grade 1 La Brea at Santa Anita in 2006.

Other notable Arkansas-breds include Dust On the Bottle, the winner of the Grade 3 Hawthorne Gold Cup in 2000, who earned $683,312; and Beau’s Town, a Grade 2 winner of $697,850.

This year, Comedero is sharing the Arkansas-bred spotlight with Strong Suit, who in June won the Group 2 Coventry at Ascot.