Uniquely marked Southern Phantom retired

Southern Phantom, the uniquely marked son of Bodemeister who commanded the attention of cameras from New York to Arkansas to Texas to Oklahoma, has been retired from racing, owner Danny Caldwell said.

Caldwell purchased Southern Phantom at auction as a racing prospect. The horse made three starts for the barn, with his best effort a fifth-place finish in a maiden special weight at Lone Star Park. Southern Phantom finished seventh at the same level in his last start, which came Sept. 16 at Remington. Overall, he ran 10 times, starting his career in New York.

“He was too spoiled to be a racehorse,” Caldwell said. “The last race, we couldn’t get him pulled up. He was going back to the barn – going to get treats. He’s pretty smart. I decided there’s no sense keeping him on the track – even though he loved it. He loved to train. He just has a mind of his own.”

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Southern Phantom, a bay with an almost entirely white head, large splashes of white on his legs, and a blue eye, is currently being let down at WestWin Farms in Purcell, Okla. Although he retires a maiden, Caldwell is currently debating the best locale to stand the horse at stud – for a career that would reach beyond racing and into the show horse community.

“A lot of venues are interested because of his color and conformation,” Caldwell said. “Where the most interest is generated, we’ll see where that’s at. It could be Oklahoma.”

Caldwell said plans are to register Southern Phantom as a Paint, a process that he had started before the pandemic hit. He also has had blood tests taken on the horse through the University of California, Davis. They show Southern Phantom likely will pass along his coloring to his offspring and “quite often,” Caldwell said.

“As of now, we plan on keeping him and just figuring out where he would work best, what would be best for him,” Caldwell said. “I can’t wait to see his babies.”