Bounce-Back Year
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C ALIFORNIA IDAHO N EVADA OREGON U TAH WASHINGTON W YOMING Bounce-Back WEST COAST Year In This Section Vessels Stallion Farm enjoys LEADING SIRES IN CALIFORNIA BY 2011 PROGENY WINNERS resurgence after tragic 2010 LEADING SIRES IN CALIFORNIA BY 2011 2 YEAR-OLD WINNERS BY TRACY GANTZ LEADING SIRES IN CALIFORNIA BY 2011 STAKES WINNERS ash Vessels held his 25-day-old daughter while sitting in the office of Vessels LEADING SIRES IN WASHINGTON Stallion Farm shortly before Christmas. BY 2011 PROGENY WINNERS K “Her name is Kendall Grace Vessels,” Kash said. He then explained how his daughter received her middle name, pointing to a black and white photo of Frank Sr. and Grace Vessels on the office wall. Frank Sr. and Grace were Kash’s great-grandparents and founded the Vessels program, Advertisers’ which began as a Quarter Horse farm near Long Beach, Calif. They expanded to include Index Los Alamitos, a major Quarter Horse racetrack that flourished under the next generation, Frank Jr. and Millie Vessels. Frank Jr. and Millie’s son, Scoop, bought and developed property near Bonsall, Calif., BALLENA VISTA FARM east of Del Mar, that he turned into the current Vessels Stallion Farm before his untimely 141WWW.BALLENAVISTAFARM.COM 2010 death in a plane crash. The 1,300-acre property is today a major Thoroughbred and HARRIS FARMS Quarter Horse operation. 139 WWW.HARRISFARMS.COM The Vessels name is legendary in Quarter Horse racing. But Thoroughbreds have also permeated the program’s history. It began with the Thoroughbred stallion Beduino, a RANCHO SAN MIGUEL major contributor to Quarter Horse racing bloodlines, on through Magical Mile, Free 143 WWW.RANCHOSANMIGUEL.NET House, and pensioned In Excess, to the present day with Paul Reddam’s stallions Square RIDGELEY FARM Eddie and Momentum. 145 Reddam has embraced California racing and breeding. The enthusiastic Canada native, who has made California his home since 1979, owns a fleet of runners, most TRACY GANTZ PHOTOS Vessels Stallion Farm manager Kevin Dickson, left, and Kash Vessels 138 BloodHorse.com O JANUARY 14, 2012 REGIONAL_WC_Vessels.indd 138 1/9/12 2:36:55 PM BLACK YELLOW MAGENTA CYAN BH2-138.pgs 01.09.2012 14:38 TheBloodHorse BLACK YELLOW MAGENTA CYAN BH2-139.pgs 01.06.2012 12:43 TheBloodHorse khowe WEST COAST 2011 California Sires By Winners Sire Rnrs Wnrs Tribal Rule .................................. 142 ........................ 83 Benchmark ................................. 152 ........................ 78 Old Topper .................................. 151 ........................ 78 Kafwain ....................................... 146 ........................ 77 Southern Image ......................... 103 ........................ 67 Swiss Yodeler ............................. 131 ........................ 64 Marino Marini ............................. 102 ........................ 63 In Excess (IRE) ...........................115 ........................59 Unusual Heat ............................. 120 ........................ 57 Bertrando ....................................114 ........................ 55 Salt Lake .................................... 104 ........................ 54 Sea of Secrets ............................. 98 ........................49 Ministers Wild Cat ........................ 85 ........................ 49 Aragorn (IRE) ............................... 91 ........................ 48 Giacomo ....................................... 83 ........................ 48 Deputy Commander .................... 92 ........................ 43 Stormin Fever ............................. 107 ........................ 42 Decarchy ...................................... 85 ........................ 42 Elegant entrance to the 1,300-acre Vessels Stallion Farm near Bonsall, Calif. Olmodavor .................................... 68 ........................ 39 Freespool ..................................... 79 ........................ 36 trained by Doug O’Neill or Ben Cecil. He many friends in both the Thoroughbred High Brite ..................................... 70 ........................ 36 has put together 20-25 broodmares, with and Quarter Horse industries. Scoop knew Siberian Summer ......................... 62 ........................ 35 his breeding operation overseen by Ed countless people through his stints as Roar .............................................. 53 ........................ 34 Freeman, who trains horses for Reddam president of the American Quarter Horse Momentum ................................... 68 ........................ 33 at nearby San Luis Rey Downs training Association, president of the California Perfect Mandate ........................... 54 ........................ 33 center. Thoroughbred Breeders Association, and Atticus ........................................... 64 ........................ 30 Reddam also sponsors Hollywood member of The Jockey Club. Redattore (BRZ) ........................... 71 ........................ 29 Park’s CashCall Futurity (gr. I), the 2011 Less than four months after the accident Cee's Tizzy ................................... 60 ........................ 29 edition won Dec. 17 by Liaison, a son of the farm’s champion Quarter Horse stal- Ten Most Wanted ......................... 55 ........................ 27 the recently deceased Indian Charlie. By lion, First Down Dash, died at age 26. The Terrell ............................................ 54 ........................ 26 In Excess, Indian Charlie was born and sire of six All American Futurity winners, Lit de Justice ................................ 53 ........................24 raised at Vessels. First Down Dash is arguably the greatest Valid Wager .................................. 45 ........................ 24 Momentum played a role in the 2011 sire in the history of Quarter Horse racing. Rocky Bar ..................................... 35 ........................ 24 CashCall Futurity card. Reddam hosted a Those two losses made 2010 a very Safe in the U S A ..........................33 ........................24 group of people in the Turf Club, including tough year for the farm, which today is run Globalize ...................................... 43 ........................ 22 caddies from his golf club. A son of Mo- by the Vessels Family Trust. Kevin Dick- Popular ......................................... 28 ........................ 22 Game Plan ................................... 48 ........................ 20 mentum named Bud I Crushed It won a son is the farm manager. Comic Strip................................... 40 ........................ 20 race that day, paying $173.40. “With Dad gone, we’ve gone into more Western Fame .............................. 40 ........................ 19 “I used to own the horse and named it of a team management effort—Kevin; Bon- Gotham City ................................. 37 ........................ 19 for a golfing buddy of mine,” said Reddam. nie; Bill Thead, who is our vice president; Capsized ...................................... 32 ........................ 19 “He’s not a very good golfer, but every and myself,” said Kash. Good Journey .............................. 38 ........................ 18 time he hit a ball and you asked him what Kash, 31, has a degree from the Univer- Muqtarib ....................................... 35 ........................ 18 he thought of the shot, he’d say, ‘Bud, I sity of Arizona Racetrack Industry Pro- Tannersmyman ............................ 30 ........................ 18 crushed it.’ The caddies knew the story, gram, which his grandfather, Frank Jr., Flame Thrower ............................. 43 ........................ 15 and when they saw the horse, they bet on co-founded with John Goodman. Kash in- Singletary ..................................... 36 ........................ 15 him.” terned at Del Mar and has worked in vari- Lucky Pulpit .................................. 25 ........................ 15 Momentum, a son of Nureyev—Impru- ous capacities at Vessels. Richly Blended ............................. 25 ........................ 15 dent Love, by Foolish Pleasure, won the Dickson has been with the farm since Beau Genius ................................ 35 ........................ 14 2001 Native Diver Handicap (gr. III) at Hol- 1994 and has been the farm manager for High Demand ............................... 32 ........................ 14 lywood and finished second in the 2002 about seven years. Born in Quanah, Texas, Iron Cat ......................................... 26 ........................ 14 Hollywood Gold Cup (gr. I) and second Dickson mentored under Gary Carpenter, Tizbud ........................................... 36 ........................ 13 in that season’s Pacific Classic (gr. I) at who was his neighbor, and attended Colo- Rio Verde ...................................... 33 ........................ 13 Del Mar. His first crop reached the races rado State University. Dickson at one time Vronsky ........................................ 24 ........................ 13 in 2008, and his winners include Pacific managed a string of Thoroughbreds in Snowbound .................................. 27 ........................ 12 Heights Stakes winner Catsalot. New Zealand for trainer Graeme Rogerson Behrens ........................................ 26 ........................ 12 Square Eddie joined Momentum at and later worked at the Bob Moore Farms Stormy Jack ................................. 38 .........................11 the farm in 2010. Scoop Vessels oversaw in Oklahoma