Unified having success producing early winners

Unified might have distinguished himself as a dirt horse on the track, but it would be a turf runner he sired, Idratherbeblessed, that helped him edge Coal Front atop the 2025 stallion charts in Louisiana.

Unified led all Louisiana-based stallions in progeny earnings last year, with $3,906,416, according to statistics from Daily Racing Form. His chief earner was Idratherbeblessed, the Grade 2 Mervin Muniz Memorial winner in March who closed out 2025 with a victory in the $100,000 Buddy Diliberto Memorial on Dec. 20 at Fair Grounds.

Coal Front ranked as Louisiana’s second-leading general sire with progeny earnings of $3,872,069. His year was highlighted by the success of both Coal Battle, a Kentucky Derby starter who earned $980,050 in 2025, and Haulin Ice, who became the all-time leading earner among Arkansas-breds.

Neither Unified nor Coal Front has had Louisiana-sired runners hit the track yet.

Unified was a three-time graded stakes winner on the main track during his racing career, and those victories ranged in distance from 6 1/2 furlongs in the Grade 3 Gulfstream Park Sprint to 1 1/8 miles in the Grade 2 Peter Pan. He is a 13-year-old son of Candy Ride.

“Unified broke his maiden in his first start in 1:08 and 4,” David Tillson, who co-owns the stallion, said of a 2016 maiden race at six furlongs at Gulfstream. “If you look at Idreatherbeblessed, he’s blessed with speed and he takes it to the front. So, that’s characteristic of usually what we get.

“Also, I find that with these Candy Rides in general, you don’t really want to rush them. You want to take your time and give them plenty of time to mature. Unified did not start until early spring of his 3-year-old year and he won that first start, but they saw that they had a horse that had a lot of potential and they gave him as much time as necessary.”

But at stud Unified has proven capable of getting winners early.

“He’s had success with 2-year-olds,” Tillson said. “In 2024 he had either 18 or 19 2-year-old winners. He will get a 2-year-old. He will get speed, and he will get a horse that is versatile on both surfaces.”

Unified is out of the Dixie Union mare Union City. He began his career in Kentucky, and this season is entering his third year at stud in Louisiana.

“His first Louisiana foals just turned 1 on Jan. 1,” Tillson said.

Unified stands at the Louisiana Center for Equine Reproduction, or LACER, which is located in Sunset, near Evangeline Downs. The facility is owned by leading reproductive veterinarian Eddie Cramer and partners.

Tillson expects Unified will breed about 50 mares in 2026. His fee for the new season is $3,500. One appeal he’s had for breeders in the Southwest has been the versatile runners he’s getting, said Tillson. Last year, Unified had 88 winners from 172 runners.

“If you look at the four Louisiana tracks and the two Texas tracks,” Tillson said, “of those six tracks, five of them have turf courses. And so to have a stallion that is a bona fide success at both surfaces, at speed, and a route of ground and an off track, he really does bring a versatility that a lot of people would be happy to have.”

Tillson said Unified has had the distinction of being the only son of Candy Ride standing at stud in Louisiana.

“He does well with that Nasrullah line of mare, and he does very well with the Storm Cat group, as well,” he said.

Tillson in partnership also owns the stallions Bobby’s Wicked One and Carpe Diem. They stand at LACER.

“I kind of try to follow [Bull] Hancock’s law on stallion selection in that they’ve got to have speed, they’ve got to have precocity, they’ve got to have class, and they’ve got to be by a sire of sires,” he said. “And if you look at the group we’ve got, a son of Speightstown, a Giant’s Causeway and a Candy Ride - all of whom have proven to be extremely successful sires of sires.”

Louisiana’s third-leading general sire last year was the stalwart Star Guitar, who had 2025 progeny earnings of $3,411,587. His chief earner was Touchuponastar, who last year banked $647,100. Star Guitar had 61 winners from 114 runners.

Oklahoma

Flat Out is building a legacy in Oklahoma. He continued his reign as the state’s perennial leading general sire in 2025, with progeny earnings of $2,621,441.

The son of Flatter, who was a multiple Grade 1 winner of $3.6 million, is now 20.

“He looks better than ever,” said Erin Blair, manager of the Mighty Acres facility in Pryor that is home to Flat Out. “He is just loving life.”

Blair – the daughter of longtime Mighty Acres manager Randy Blair, who retired a few years ago – sees several qualities in Flat Out’s offspring that have given him staying power.

“I think he’s just consistent with what he produces,” she said. “They’re always just really nice, and built really well, and they make good runners. And they have the passion for it.”

Flat Out’s leading earner in 2025 was Black Musk, who competed in Korea. Breeders in that market have been keen on the stallion who moved to Oklahoma in 2019.

“We’ve had a lot of interest and I’ve had quite a few mares that they bought from Kentucky and we breed them and they ship them to Korea,” Erin Blair said. “So, he’s really big in Korea.

“I get calls from a lot people in Korea who are interested in his babies - colts, mainly, is what I’ve been getting a lot of interest in, any colts that he’s had. And then, just open mares to send out to us to breed and send back over there.”

Erin Blair anticipates Flat Out will breed between 50 to 60 mares in 2026. He is owned by Center Hills Farm.

Code West ranked second in progeny earnings for Oklahoma-based stallions last year, with $1,238,113.

New Mexico

Speed Merchant came out running last year at 2 and his success helped his sire, Marking, top the stallion charts in New Mexico.

Speed Merchant was Marking’s leading earner after he went 4 for 5 while picking up two stakes wins and earning $267,806.

Marking overall had progeny earnings of $2,623,265 last year to top New Mexico’s general sire list over Attila’s Storm, whose progeny earned $871,224.

Arkansas

American Freedom was the leading general sire in Arkansas last year with 2025 progeny earnings of $2,692,026. He moved to Arkansas from Kentucky in 2023, so his statistics are from his Kentucky-sired runners.

The Big Beast ranked second with $2,380,983. His leading earner, Reef Runner, was a Grade 2 winner last year who finished a close fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint.

Texas

Creative Cause edged Competitive Edge atop the general sire list in Texas last year, with his progeny earning $2,887,201. His chief earner was King Russell. Competitive Edge had progeny earnings of $2,849,552 in 2025. Creative Cause moved to Texas in 2024, so he has yet to have Texas-sired progeny on the track.

:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.