Square Eddie atop changing California sire market

Square Eddie has successfully developed from a young upstart in the California stallion ranks to a stalwart in his state of residence who makes an impact with graded stakes horses. Among stallions with California-sired progeny racing in 2019, he claimed the throne as the state’s leading general sire by progeny earnings.

Square Eddie, a 13-year-old Smart Strike horse standing at Ocean Breeze Ranch in Bonsall, sired runners who had earned $3,211,627 through Dec. 10. Among living stallions with California-sired progeny of racing age, Smiling Tiger of Harris Farms was next at $2,434,659. Harris’s late Unusual Heat, a perennial leader in the state who died in 2017, earned $2,701,194 from his remaining runners.

A changing of the guard in the California stallion ranks has occurred in recent years, with the deaths of leading sires Unusual Heat and Lucky Pulpit and an influx of new stallions from Kentucky and other regions. In coming years, Square Eddie is likely to have a battle in the stallion ranks, as a number of stallions who do not yet have California-sired progeny amassed hefty bankrolls from all runners in 2019 that label them as future standouts in the state. Stay Thirsty (Lovacres Ranch), whose first California-sired progeny will race in 2021, amassed $6,184,579. I’ll Have Another (Ballena Vista Farm), who moved to California for 2019, earned $4,343,742, while Graydar (Milky Way Farm), who stands his first California season in 2020, earned $3,837,669. Grade 1 winners Stay Thirsty and Graydar previously stood in Kentucky, while dual classic winner I’ll Have Another was repatriated from Japan.

But Square Eddie will continue to meet his new foes with consistency. Through Dec. 10, Square Eddie was the sire of 133 winners, including 17 stakes winners, from 171 runners from his first seven crops of racing age, a 78 percent strike rate. Square Eddie added two more graded stakes winners to his résumé in 2019, bringing his career total to three.

One of those graded winners was the turf sprinter Eddie Haskell, who also helped put his sire atop the California turf sires list over perennial leader Unusual Heat. Eddie Haskell won the Grade 3 Daytona Stakes and the Siren Lure Stakes, and finished second in both the Grade 2 Eddie D Stakes and Grade 3 Green Flash Handicap. In his most recent outing, he was 11th in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint – his only unplaced effort of the year, and the first unplaced effort since April 2018 for the consistent 6-year-old gelding. With earnings of $627,707, Eddie Haskell is Square Eddie’s top career earner.

Listing won the 2018 I’m Smokin Stakes in his career debut, and followed up this year to become Square Eddie’s third graded stakes winner. After winning the California Cup Turf Sprint – in which he bested Takeo Squared to lead an exacta for their sire – and Desert Code Stakes at Santa Anita, he traveled to Saratoga to win the Grade 3 Quick Call Stakes.

Eddie Haskell and Listing both were bred in California by Paul Reddam, with Listing racing as a homebred. Square Eddie’s other graded stakes winner, Ralis, who won the Grade 1 Hopeful Stakes in 2015, also raced as a homebred for Reddam, with these runners rewarding their owner-breeder’s faith in their sire, who was a talented but unlucky racehorse. Square Eddie was Group 3-placed in England as a juvenile before Reddam brought him to the United States, where he won the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland and finished second in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. He was multiple graded stakes-placed in 2009, although his season was marked by disappointment – he missed the Triple Crown series due to cannon bone issues, and was later retired with a suspensory injury. Reddam backed Square Eddie with his own mares during the horse’s initial season in 2010, producing a small crop, led by multiple stakes winner Sprouts, that made Square Eddie California’s leading freshman sire of 2013.

Recovered from his suspensory injury, Square Eddie made a brief return to the races in 2011, establishing a track record at Santa Anita before going winless the rest of the season. He finally returned to farm life for good for the 2012 season.

Stay Thirsty proving popular

Multiple Grade 1 winner Stay Thirsty was a big score for the California market when he moved to Lovacres Ranch in Warner Springs in time for the 2018 breeding season. That impression has been borne out by his popularity. The son of Bernardini covered 147 mares in 2019, according to The Jockey Club’s Report of Mares Bred. That not only made him the most active stallion in California by far – Danzing Candy covered 115 mares, and Smiling Tiger 108 – it made him one of the most popular stallions outside the state of Kentucky. Girvin and Uncaptured, both standing in Florida, covered 149 mares and 147 mares, respectively, to round out the top three.

Stay Thirsty, who previously stood at Coolmore’s Ashford Stud in Kentucky, won the 2011 Travers Stakes and 2012 Cigar Mile Handicap to highlight his four graded stakes wins. He enjoyed an outstanding 2019 season at stud, led by Grade 1 winner Mind Control, and his progeny had earned $6,184,579.

Mind Control won the Grade 1 Hopeful Stakes as a 2-year-old, and this year returned to Saratoga to make it a Grade 1 double in the H. Allen Jerkens Stakes. He also won this year’s Grade 3 Bay Shore Stakes and the Jerome Stakes.

Stay Thirsty’s other standouts include Coal Front, who returned from a long layoff to win, in succession, the Grade 3 Mr. Prospector Stakes in December 2018, the Grade 3 Razorback Handicap in February, and the Group 2 Godolphin Mile in March. The horse had previously won the Grade 2 Amsterdam Stakes and the Grade 3 Gallant Bob Stakes in 2017.

Grazen getting plenty of black type

Quality ruled for Grazen, who stands at Tommy Town Thoroughbreds in Santa Ynez. The Benchmark stallion had the most black-type winners among stallions with California-sired progeny in 2019, with nine, edging Smiling Tiger, who had eight. Grazen’s season was led by graded stakes winners Just Grazed Me and S Y Sky, both California-breds who race as homebreds for Nick Alexander, a prominent breeder in the state. Just Grazed Me, who has never missed the board in her career, won the California Distaff Handicap in October at Santa Anita before stepping up to win the Grade 3 Sen. Ken Maddy Stakes on the Breeders’ Cup Saturday undercard on Nov. 2.

S Y Sky won the Grade 3 Monrovia Stakes in May and also won the Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Turf Sprint Stakes at Santa Anita and the Camilla Urso Stakes at Golden Gate.

Spiced Perfection a Smiling Tiger standout

Multiple Grade 1 winner Smiling Tiger’s daughter Spiced Perfection inherited his speed, and made him the only California stallion with current state-sired progeny to record a Grade 1 winner in 2019.

Spiced Perfection, who was already a multiple stakes winner in California, first stepped up to the Grade 1 level in December 2018, winning the La Brea Stakes at Santa Anita. That victory earned her honors as California-bred horse of the year, champion 3-year-old female, and champion female sprinter for 2018. The filly competed exclusively against graded company in 2019, winning the Grade 1 Madison Stakes and Grade 2 Thoroughbred Club of America Stakes, both at Keeneland, and the Grade 3 Go for Wand Stakes at Aqueduct.

Smiling Tiger entered stud in 2014 for Premier Thoroughbreds before moving to Harris Farms for his second season. Spiced Perfection is the first graded stakes winner for Smiling Tiger, a Hold That Tiger horse who won or placed in 16 graded stakes over four seasons of racing. A Grade 1-placed stakes winner as a juvenile, he won the Grade 1 Bing Crosby Stakes and Grade 1 Ancient Title Stakes as a 3-year-old before finishing third in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint. He added another Grade 1, in the Triple Bend, as a 4-year-old. At 5, he was a graded stakes winner and again finished third in the Sprint.

Govenor Charlie leads well-bred freshmen

The well-related Govenor Charlie, a grandson of champion Silverbulletday, and Curlin to Mischief, out of blue hen Leslie’s Lady, have a chance to make their bloodlines relevant regionally as two of California’s leading freshman sires of 2019.

Govenor Charlie, a son of Midnight Lute standing at Lovacres Ranch in Warner Springs, sired progeny who earned $135,917 through Dec. 10. Boat Trip, who stands at Special T Thoroughbreds in Temecula, had earned $128,631, while Curlin to Mischief, a Curlin horse residing at Rancho San Miguel in the eponymous town, banked $84,573.

Govenor Charlie and Curlin to Mischief were tied atop the freshman list by winners, with four each. Boat Trip, a graded stakes-placed son of sire of sires Harlan’s Holiday, had just one winner. However, that one was Bettor Trip Nick, who took 4 of 5 starts, including the Golden Nugget Stakes and Gold Rush Stakes at Golden Gate. The gelding accounted for more than $110,000 of his sire’s earnings.

Govenor Charlie, winner of the Grade 3 Sunland Park Derby, was led on the season by Govenor Cinch, who put together a 2019 record of 2-1-2 from five starts while earning $48,960. Govenor Charlie is out of the unraced Storm Cat mare Silverbulletway, also the dam of Mexican champion Pachangera and stakes winner Crisis of Spirit. Silverbulletway is out of two-time Eclipse Award winner Silverbulletday, who has not replicated herself on the racetrack, but whose daughters have been productive. She also is the second dam of Grade 1 winner Shakin It Up,

Unraced Curlin to Mischief is a half-brother to three Grade/Group 1 winners, among them leading sire Into Mischief. He also is a half to four-time Eclipse Award champion Beholder, and to Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf winner Mendelssohn, who tied with Justify as the most active stallion of 2019 in his first season at stud.

Cal-breds strong in 2019 graded stakes

Even in a decade that was marked by two-time Horse of the Year California Chrome, California-breds managed to end the 2010s with strong performances nationwide in 2019.

Led by Grade 1 winner Spiced Perfection, 15 California-breds won 18 graded stakes through Dec. 10. That represents the most individual California-breds to win graded stakes since the state was represented by 17 in 2010, and the most graded stakes victories by statebreds since recording 20 in 2011.

Spiced Perfection, by Smiling Tiger, won the Grade 1 Madison Stakes and the Grade 2 Thoroughbred Club of America Stakes at Keeneland’s spring and fall meets, respectively. She also added the Grade 3 Go for Wand Handicap in December at Aqueduct. Acclimate also was a multiple graded stakes winner in 2019, as the son of Acclamation won the Grade 3 San Juan Capistrano in June at Santa Anita and added the Grade 2 Del Mar Handicap in August.

The other California-breds to thus far win graded stakes in 2019 are Solid Wager (sired by Birdonthewire), winner of the Grade 3 Toboggan Stakes in January at Aqueduct; Apache Princess (Unusual Heat), winner of the Grade 3 Sweet Life Stakes in February at Santa Anita; Eddie Haskell (Square Eddie), winner of the Grade 3 Daytona Stakes in May at Santa Anita; Marckie’s Water (Tribal Rule), winner of the Grade 2 Charles Wittingham in May at Santa Anita; S Y Sky (Grazen), winner of the Grade 3 Monrovia in May at Santa Anita; Grecian Fire (Unusual Heat), winner of the Grade 2 All American in May at Golden Gate; Phantom Boss (Shackle-ford), winner of the Grade 3 Bashford Manor in June at Churchill Downs; Listing (Square Eddie), winner of the Grade 3 Quick Call in July at Saratoga; Mucho Unusual (Mucho Macho Man), winner of the Grade 2 San Clemente in July at Del Mar; Prince Earl (Paddy O’Prado), winner of the Grade 2 Del Mar Mile in August; Pee Wee Reese (Tribal Rule), winner of the Grade 2 Eddie D in September at Santa Anita; Just Grazed Me (Grazen), winner of the Grade 3 Sen. Ken Maddy in November at Sanita Anita; and Queen Bee to You (Old Topper), winner of the Grade 3 Bayakoa in December at Del Mar.