PA THOROUGHBRED REPORT January 2021 / Issue No. 82 Rowayton GROWING THE SIRE POWER IN PA WICKED STRONG ROWAYTON KEENELAND JANUARY SALE Wicked Strong Wicked Letter From the Executive Secretary This has been a year full of very difficult times for all and I hope that we can get back to a semi-normal state sometime in 2021. With all that has happened, you have hung in and made it another great year for the Pennsylvania Breeding Program. Our number of mares bred is up for the fourth year in a row. New stallions continue to arrive and we have the best breeding program in the nation. Your help contacting Legislators was the reason the Race Horse Development Trust Fund remained untouched. Remember, if you purchase a mare in foal at a public auction after Dec. 1, she must be brought into the state within 14 days of purchase through foaling (60 days if purchased at an overseas sale). During the foaling year the foal or its dam must spend at least 90 days in the state in order for that foal to be eligible to become a registered PA-Bred. You can also bring in your mare anytime, stay 60 consecutive days through foaling and breed back to a PA-Sire. You can find that PA-Sire in our new 2021 Stallion and Boarding Farm Directory. It has been mailed out to all breeders and you can view it now at pabred.com. Our 11th annual Stallion Auction on thoroughlybred.com will begin on Jan. 12 and end on Jan. 18 so you’ll be able to bid on seasons from all over the country. Just go to our website to view the available seasons. To help put the old year behind us, we felt a refresh of the Thoroughbred Report was due. New year, new look! Look for new features as the year rolls along, and remember to send us your foal photos! Here’s to a fantastic 2021 and a Happy and Healthy New Year! Go Pa!! IN THIS ISSUE LETTER FROM THE EXECUTIVE SECRETARY 2 KEENELAND JANUARY HORSES OF ALL AGES SALE 20&22 WICKED STRONG JOINS PA STALLION ROSTER 4 SOCIAL MEDIA SNIPPETS 24 ROWAYTON JOINS PA STALLION ROSTER 9 INDUSTRY CONTACT INFO 28 PA-BRED STAKES RECAPS 16-18 2 11th Annual STALLION AUCTION January 12 @ 12:01 a.m. through January 18 @ 9 p.m. at thoroughlybred.com Follow #pabred on social media & visit pabred.com for a current list of stallion seasons! Wicked Strong An exciting addition to the Pennsylvania Joins PA Stallion stallion roster for the 2021 season is Grade 1- winning millionaire Wicked Strong, who will stand at Dr. William Solomon’s Pin Oak Lane Roster Farm in New Freedom, Pa. The son of Hard Spun is being offered at $3,500 live foal/stands and nurses, or $3,000 Millionaire son of Hard Spun for two mares. For three or more mares, the brings star power to PA fee is $2,500 to any Pin Oak Lane stallion. Wicked Strong brings an outstanding race Story by Linda Dougherty record and pedigree to Pennsylvania, and his progeny earnings immediately propel him to the top of the Mid-Atlantic second-crop sire list and fourth on the Mid-Atlantic leading sire list, with progeny earnings of more than $2.4 million in 2020. continued on next page 4 His 2-year-old son Brooklyn Strong became his “I think Wicked Strong will be a really good fit in first U.S. graded stakes winner Dec. 5 when he cap- Pennsylvania,” said Mark Toothaker of Spendthrift tured the Grade 2, $150,000 Remsen Stakes at Aq- Farm, where the stallion began his stud career. “He ueduct in impressive fashion; in his prior start Oct. bred a lot of mares in his first three seasons, he’s a 24 he won the $150,000 Sleepy Hollow Stakes for very fertile horse, a very straightforward horse, and New York-breds at Belmont Park. In total, Brooklyn has outstanding conformation. I’m sure breeders in Strong has won three of four starts, and $195,000. Pennsylvania will find a lot to like about him.” Brooklyn Strong’s performance in the Remsen As a racehorse, Wicked Strong was considered immediately sparked talk about his continuing on to among the best of his crop at ages 2, 3, and 4. He the major 3-year-old races in 2021. showed precocity by breaking his maiden in his sec- The Equibase chart footnote stated that he ond career start, a one-turn mile at Belmont Park, “clawed his way towards the [leader]” at the top of and placed in the Grade 3 Remsen Stakes behind 1 the lane in the 1 ⁄8-mile test, then “appeared unde- Honor Code, who would go on to become a multiple terred getting carried out a few paths by an errant Grade 1 winner, millionaire and champion. Ten for Ten in midstretch,” and finally “ground his Wicked Strong’s 3-year-old season was high- 1 way to the front end with gameness to get the job lighted by a 3 ⁄2-length victory in the Grade 1, $1 done.” million Wood Memorial, in which he completed the 1 “Any time you see a 2-year-old finish a race the 1 ⁄8-mile distance in 1:49.31, at the time the fastest in way Brooklyn Strong did,” said Dr. Solomon, “there’s nine years. He suffered a troubled trip in the Grade a good chance he has a bright future.” 1 Kentucky Derby, stumbling at the break, but still managed to finish fourth behind California Chrome. continued on next page Above: Wicked Strong, 2014 Kentucky Derby, Bill Brine Photo 5 Above: Brooklyn Strong, Grade 2 Remsen Stakes at Aqueduct, 12/5/2020, Coglianese Photo Later that year, he captured the Grade 2 Jim Dan- Wicked Strong’s third dam, Grade 3 stakes winner 1 dy Stakes by 2 ⁄4 lengths over Grade 1 Belmont Stakes Classic Value, by Copelan, produced multiple graded winner Tonalist, and followed that up with a strong stakes winner Class Kris, who is the dam of multiple effort in the Grade 1 Travers Stakes, in which he was Grade 1 winner and millionaire Student Council. This beaten a nose by V.E. Day, with Tonalist third. is also the female family of Grade 1 winner Three Ring. As a 4-year-old, Wicked Strong competed strict- His sire Hard Spun, a Grade 1 winner of more than ly in stakes competition, placing four times, includ- $2.6 million, has proven success with Mr. Prospec- ing a second-place finish in the Grade 1 Jockey Club tor-line mares. Among Hard Spun’s best progeny with Gold Cup behind Tonalist. He retired with earnings of this cross is champion 3-year-old filly Questing, who $1,994,460. is out of a Seeking the Gold mare. Other Mr. Prospec- Wicked Strong’s pedigree has stamina influences tor branches that Hard Spun has crossed well with are on both top and bottom. His dam Moyne Abbey is by the Fappiano branch through Unbridled, Quiet Amer- Horse of the Year Charismatic, winner of the Kentucky ican and Unbridled’s Song; the Gone West branch Derby and Preakness Stakes and third in the Belmont through Mr. Greeley; and the Forty Niner branch Stakes. Moyne Abbey is out of Classic Approval, by through Distorted Humor. Canadian Triple Crown winner With Approval, and Much like Hard Spun, Wicked Strong has crossed she is a half-sister to multiple graded stakes win- well with mares from branches of the Mr. Prospec- ner and turf miler Gulch Approval, as well as graded tor line, especially Gone West. Two of Wicked Strong’s stakes-winning turf performer Rusty Slipper. stakes winners and three of his stakes-placed runners hail from mares of the Gone West branch. continued on next page 6 Evil Lyn, winner of the Hilltop Stakes, is “He has 10 stakes horses in his out of a mare by Mr. Greeley, a son of Gone West, while Wicked Runner, winner of the first two crops to race. All of this Grade 3 Clasico George Washington Stakes, is out of a mare by Mr. Greeley’s son El Corre- should add up to make him a dor. The dam of Myawaya, who placed in the Maddie May Stakes at Aqueduct, is also by leading sire in Pennsylvania, as Mr. Greeley. Stakes-placed Strong Rules is out of a well as one of the most attractive mare by Roman Ruler, a half-brother to El Corredor. Also, the dam of stakes-placed sires in the region.” Villainous is by Strong Hope, a son of Grand Slam (by Gone West). Wicked Strong’s best progeny have also come through the El Prado (Ire) line, with Brooklyn Strong’s dam being by Medaglia “Wicked Strong had 103 2-year-olds [in d’Oro, who is by El Prado. The dams of 2020], and [in 2021] he’ll again have more stakes-placed Telephone Talker and Queen- than 100,” said Dr. Solomon. “He has 10 ofcatniphill were sired by Kitten’s Joy, by El stakes horses in his first two crops to race. Prado. All of this should add up to make him a lead- ing sire in Pennsylvania, as well as one of the most attractive sires in the region.” WICKED STRONG $3,500 LFSN HARD SPUN - MOYNE ABBEY BY CHARISMATIC • Top 10 National Freshman Sire in 2019 • Sire of GSW BROOKLYN STRONG & NINE black-type horses in first two crops to race 1 • Won Aqueduct’s G1 Wood Memorial in 1:49.31 (1 ⁄8 miles), faster than Tapit, Unbridled’s Song, Vino Rosso, etc.