August 2014

Northwest Stallion Spotlight
A Publication of the Washington Thoroughbred Breeders & Owners Association
August 2014
The WTBOA is writing a series of articles about our Northwest stallions to support
those who are standing stallions in the area. We are calling it the “Northwest Stallion
Spotlight.” In our first part of the series we spotlight the three stallions that have their
first crop going through the WTBOA Summer Yearling and Mixed Sale on August 26,
2014: Coast Guard, Gold Aly and Rallying Cry.
– William Brewer
COAST GUARD
by William Brewer
N
(2005, Stormy Atlantic—Vassar, by Royal Academy)
o reason to send out an SOS
because the Coast Guards are
coming! At this year’s WTBOA
Sale Coast Guard’s first yearlings
will go through the auction
ring. A total of six yearlings are
scheduled to go be sold, four
fillies (Hip Nos. 8, 29, 66 and 69)
and two colts (Hip Nos. 46 and
52).
Coast Guard is by the prolific sire
Stormy Atlantic, who stands stud
at Hill ‘n’ Dale Farm in Lexington,
Kentucky, for a $30,000 fee.
Racing for Arthur I. Appleton
throughout his career, Stormy
Atlantic won six races, including
two stakes and $148,126. Despite
lacking a graded stakes win,
his pedigree was so powerful (by the legendary
Storm Cat out of the Hail Atlantis, by the equally
legendary Seattle Slew), he was given a chance at
stud.
Coast Guard (Nina Hagen Photo)
At the time of this writing, Stormy Atlantic has
sired 88 stakes winners. Stormy Atlantic currently
leads the 2014 North American juvenile sire list
by earnings and his top earner so far this year
colt by Belong to Me, named Garifine, sold for
$1.8-million at the March 2006 OBS Selected
Two-year-olds in Training Sale. Additionally, Coast
Guard’s full brother Caminetto sold for $500,000
at the 2010 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.
Hip 46 Colt out of Marquet Formula
is Stormy Lucy, who has a strong Northwest
connection in that she was previously owned
by Frank and Erica Gaunt and trained by Frank
Lucarelli.
Coast Guard’s dam Vassar is by Breeders’ Cup
Mile (GI) winner Royal Academy. Vassar made all
seven of her career starts in France, winning one
race and earning $11,645. Vassar was twice an
RNA; once for $105,000 at the 2000 Keeneland
September Yearling Sale and once again for
$57,000 at the 2004 Keeneland January Horses of
All Ages Sale, while in foal to Belong to Me. Despite
having limited racetrack success and twice failing
to sell at auction, Vassar made up for it by being
a commercial success as a broodmare. Her 2004
Bred by Dapple Bloodstock and Gryphon
Investments LLC, Coast Guard was purchased for
Amerman Racing by agent Bob Feld for $300,000
at the 2006 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.
During his racing career, Coast Guard won one
race and earned $182,180. The pinnacle of his
racing career was a third place finish in the 2008
Santa Anita Derby (G1), a race won by Colonel
John who currently stands at Winstar Farm for
$17,500. Coast Guard also finished second in
Robert B. Lewis Stakes (G2) to Crown of Thorns,
Hip 9 Filly out of Crafty Diva
who later finished second in the Breeders’ Cup
Sprint (G1). Coast Guard ended his career in an
allowance race at Hollywood Park on April 30,
2008.
Coast Guard is 16.3 hands and is a beautiful-bodied
horse. El Dorado Farms owner and manager Nina
Hagen calls him “Mr. Personality” plus!
Hip 52 Colt out of Mizzo (Nina Hagen Photo)
“He has such a great disposition,” said Hagen.
“He reminds me very much of Cahill Road, both
physically and mentally. He looks at me with that
same mischievous eye that Cahill Road had. What
a character!
“For such a big horse, he is so light on his feet
and floats across his pasture . . . jaw dropping
Hip 29 Filly out of In Suzanne’s Honor
(Nina Hagen Photo)
gorgeous! Then, he spies his ball and the show is
on! What a hoot and a belly laugh he is! You never
get tired of watching him . . . he has to be busy!
Hip 69 Filly out of Runaway Lulu (Sue Hopp Photo)
Bears, Atlantic Ocean, Twice As Bad, She Says It
Best, Stormello and Wired Bryan.
The concern that Coast Guard never raced on
the dirt should be alleviated by the fact that his
sire, Stormy Atlantic, has sired numerous graded
stakes winners on the dirt, including Gators n’
Stormy Atlantic also sired some good horses on
our local dirt surface at Emerald Downs, including
stakes-placed runners Tropical Storm (third
Longacres Mile [G3]), Rain Shadow (third Federal
Way Handicap) and Monster Wave (second
2014 Emerald Express Stakes). In addition, the
aforementioned two-time graded stakes winner
Stormy Lucy started her career at the Auburn
track.
Hip 66 Filly out of Romantic Idea (Nina Hagen Photo)
Coast Guard was bred to 23 mares in 2012 and 18
mares in 2013. The syndicated stallion stands for
$1,000 at Ron and Nina Hagen’s El Dorado Farms
in Enumclaw.
“Coast Guard is a very good breeder and gets right
down to business,” Hagen added.
Breeders should look at Coast Guard, considering
how desirable a cross he is to mares by local
stallions. The Storm Cat sire line crosses well
with Mr. Prospector line mares. For instance,
Stormy Atlantic, when bred to Seeking the Gold
and Carson City mares, has sired Grade1 winners
Up With the Birds and Stormello and Grade 2
winner Barbeque Eddie. If you have Harbor the
Gold, Private Gold and Nacheezmo mares coming
off the track, Coast Guard should be considered.
In addition, Storm Cat’s sons and grandsons when
bred to Cahill Road mares create an A++ nick on
True Nicks (thanks to WTBOA graduate and Grade
1 winner Smiling Tiger and 2013 champion filly
She’s a Tiger).
GOLD ALY
by William Brewer
A
(2005, Medaglia d’Oro – Bangled, by Alysheba)
t Tuesday’s (August 26) WTBOA Summer
Yearling and Mixed Sale, Gold Aly’s first yearlings
will go through the ring. There are three yearling
colts scheduled to be sold (Hip Nos. 26, 62 and 90).
Gold Aly is by the prolific sire Medaglia d’Oro.
Foaled in 1999, Medaglia d’Oro ran his first two
races for breeders/owners Joyce and Al Bell
and trainer David Vance before being privately
acquired by Edmund Gann, who sent the fledgling
colt to the great Bobby Frankel.
Medaglia d’Oro won over $5.7-million during his
four-year career which included wins in three
Grade 1 races: the Travers Stakes and the Whitney
and Donn handicaps. He also ran second by a
half-length to 70-to-one longshot Savara in the
Belmont Stakes (G1) and had two consecutive
seconds in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1). A son
of Irish champion two-year-old colt and leading
sire El Prado (Ire) – one of 329 stakes winners
sired by the sensational Sadler’s Wells – Medaglia
d’Oro finished his career by running a courageous
second to Pleasantly Perfect in the 2004 Dubai
World Cup (G1).
After beginning his stud career at Hill ‘n’ Dale
Farm in Lexington, Kentucky, Medaglia d’Oro
was purchased by Darley in June 2009 to stand
at Darley America. He currently stands for a
$100,000 fee.
Originally known for just siring top female
runners such as 2009 Horse of the Year and
Preakness Stakes (G1) winner Rachel Alexandra
and Kentucky Oaks (G1) winner Plum Pretty,
Medaglia d’Oro has also sired good colts such as
CashCall Futurity (G1) winner Violence, Carter
Handicap (G1) Warrior’s Reward and Bowling
Green Handicap (G2) winner Al Khali. At the time
of this writing, Medaglia d’Oro is ranked number
eight nationally in total earnings and has sired 11
Grade/Group 1 winners.
Medaglia d’Oro has strong Northwest connections.
Medaglia d’Oro’s dam is none other than
Washington-bred Cappucino Bay, who was trained
by 2014 Washington Hall of Fame nominee
Marion L. Smith. Cappucino Bay won the 1991
Mercer Girls Stakes at Longacres for the Bells
before going on to a reasonably successful racing
Benoit Photo
several offspring sell for six figures, including
Gold Aly.
career in California. In addition, local bloodstock
agent Claudia Canouse purchased Medaglia
d’Oro’s second dam, Dubbed In, for the Montanabased Bells for $65,000 at the 1980 Keeneland
November sale. Dubbed In, by Silent Screen, also
produced Washington champion two-year-old
colt Maharesred, who won the 1988 Joe Gottstein
Futurity and participated in that year’s Breeders’
Cup Juvenile (G1).
Any thought about whether Medaglia d’Oro will be
a good “sire of sires” should be extinguished by his
son Warrior’s Reward, who is currently en fuego.
As of this writing, Warrior’s Reward has seven
first-out winners from only 18 starters, including
stakes winner Strawberry Baby and three others
who have placed in stakes races, including Bad
Read Sanchez, who finished third in the Grade
3 Best Pal Stakes. Warrior’s Reward stands for
$12,500 at Spendthrift Farm, but that
is likely going up.
Gold Aly’s dam, Bangled, is by
Kentucky Derby (G1) and Breeders’
Cup Classic (G1) winner Alysheba.
Bangled was purchased for $35,000
at the 1991 Keeneland September
Yearling Sale. She is a half-sister to
Grecian Flight, who won the Grade 1
Acorn Stakes and over $1.3-million.
Bangled was sold at the 1995
Keeneland January Horses of All Ages
Sale for $57,000 in foal to Wild Again.
After an unsuccessful attempt to make
it to the track, Bangled made up for it
by being the dam of three black-type
horses, including Grade 3 stakes winner
and Grade 1-placed Anklet. Bangled had
Bred by the Florida-based Brylynn Farm
Inc., Gold Aly, who is from the first crop of
Medaglia d’Oro, was purchased for $120,000
at the March 2008 Barrett’s Two-yearolds in Training Sale. Conditioned by Tim
McCanna and owned by Bill Feeley and
Ernie Turner, Gold Aly won two races: a mile
turf maiden special weight score at Santa
Anita Park and a victory in a 1 1/16-mile
allowance – which he won by 4 1/2 lengths
– at Hollywood Park (pictured at left). Gold
Aly retired with $80,160 in earnings.
Gold Aly stands for a private fee at Steve
Meredith’s Lucky Acres in Yakima.
“I’ve known Al and Joyce Bell most of my life. I
used to break and gallop horses for them and
even sale prepped for them one year,” Meredith
informed. “Bill Feeley and Ernie Turner of
Montana own Gold Aly, but I manage the breeding
on him. Bill said to treat him as if I own him. I will
have him until I retire from this line of work.”
Meredith went on to say, “He puts a very good
mind on them and they seem to be very talented.
Out in the pasture they show a lot of run, very
strong type of horse.”
Breeders should look at Gold Aly, considering how
desirable a cross he is to many of the mares out
of our local stallions. Medaglia d’Oro has crossed
well with mares sired by sons of Mr. Prospector,
including Gone West (Violence) and Seeking
the Gold (Warrior’s Reward). Both Violence and
Warrior’s Reward are exciting young stallions.
Northwest
Stallion Spotlight
Owned and Published by WASHINGTON THOROUGHBRED BREEDERS
AND OWNERS ASSOCIATION
3220 Emerald Downs Drive
Auburn, WA 98001-1661
Phone (253) 288-7878
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[email protected]
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and Owners Association seeks to unite
and represent those who are interested in
breeding, owning, racing and improving
Thoroughbreds in the state of Washington
and the Pacific Northwest.
WTBOA STAFF
M. Anne Sweet, General Manager & Editor
[email protected]
RALLYING
CRY
Susan van Dyke, Associate Editor & Sales
[email protected]
Julia Wolters, Administrative Assistant
[email protected]
Craig Lanouette, Typography & Statistics
[email protected]
WTBOA BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Officers
Dana Halvorson
President
William P. Brewer
1st Vice President
Darrin Paul
2nd Vice President
Rosalia Noronha DiPietro
Secretary/Treasurer
Trustees Emeritus
Dan J. Agnew
Claudia Atwell Canouse
Guy C. Roberts
Dr. John Traber
Ralph Vacca
Jerry Woods
2012-2014
William P. Brewer
Mary Lou Griffin
Dana Halvorson
Karla Laird
2013-2015
Nina Hagen
Debra S. Pabst
Darrin Paul
Keith Swagerty
2014-2016
Rosalia DiPietro
Dr. Duane Hopp
Candice Tollett
Steve Zerda
The opinions expressed in signed articles are those
of the individual authors and do not necessarily
coincide with those of the association officers or
staff of this magazine. Washington Thoroughbred
and the board of the WTBOA reserve the right to
accept or refuse any copy or advertisement at our
sole and absolute discretion and will not accept
liability for any loss or damage caused by any error or
inaccuracy in the publishing of any advertisement or
editorial in this magazine. Publications are welcome
to reprint material contained herein, provided
written permission is obtained from Washington
Thoroughbred.
Member AHP, NTRA, TOBA, WFB, OTOBA
(2004, War Chant—Turning Wheel, by Seeking the Gold)
by Debbie Pabst
R
allying Cry was a world traveler during his racing career before he
ended up standing at stud at Bob and Barbara Meeking’s Allaire
Farms in Poulsbo. A son of Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1) winner War
Chant, and out of the French Group 3 Seeking the Gold mare Turning
Wheel, he was bred by the Niarchos family’s Flaxman Holdings in
Kentucky. He was sold in the selected portion of the 2005 Keeneland
September Yearling Sale for $90,000 and was purchased for the
Godolphin racing stable of Dubai’s Sheik Mohammed al Maktoum.
Rallying Cry began his racing career, which would span six years,
five countries and 11 different race tracks, by winning his debut as
a two-year-old at Newmarket in England. He subsequently raced
both in England and France (running in a Group 1 there), before
continuing on to Dubai, where he was third in a Group 3 and fourth
in the UAE Two Thousand Guineas (G1). He would win his US debut
at Keeneland in 2008, defeating the future Breeders’ Cup winner
Chamberlin Bridge. He continued on to New York, running third
in the listed Inside the Beltway Stakes at Belmont Park and then
running second in the listed Troy Stakes at Saratoga. He completed
Rallying Cry,
bottom photos,
showing off his
elegance and
stuttin’ his stuff.
At left, his 2014
filly out of
Formerly Danish.
(Cheri Wicklund Photos)
his career at Hastings Racecourse and
Portland Meadows. Altogether, he made 39
starts, with a record of nine wins, 11 seconds and
five thirds and earnings of $331,400. He raced on
turf, dirt, all weather and in the mud.
Rallying Cry was retired to stand at stud in
2012 at Allaire Farms, where the Meekings
subsequently syndicated him. He bred 26 mares
his first year. His first foals are yearlings of 2014,
and he will be represented in the 2014 WTBOA
Summer and Mixed sale with two colts (Hip Nos.
88 and 110) and two fillies (Hip Nos. 14 and 44).
He is a big, pretty, well-made horse who
resembles his sire War Chant greatly. He is inbred
to Northern Dancer 3 x 4 through his sons Danzig
and Nijinsky II, which has been a very successful
pattern. He was a precocious two-year-old, won
both sprinting and routing when he was older and
displayed a high degree of class as a racehorse.
His half-siblings include stakes winner and graded
stakes-placed Boat Trip, as well as stakes-placed
Carinae, Imago Mund and Atlantic Swing.
Rallying Cry is nominated to the Northwest Race
Series Stallion Stakes for the seasons of 2015
through 2017.