Stallion Promotions

No, I'm not writing to harp about my own two stallions, Berlioz and Phoenix Rise.

With all the creative stallion advertising going around, I thought it would be keen to examine some of the stallions who are being promoted in a unique way.

First we will take a look at Nitroglycerin, a horse whose race record and pedigree on its own should garner a fair number of mares -- and indeed, at the time of this writing he already has 66 foals and yearlings on the ground. Nitroglycerin is owned by Skippy Bowen, and is a product of Eric Nalbone's storied Dare to Dream Stud. The racy-looking black horse is a son of eight-for-thirteen Nitro, who himself captured the Malibu Stakes (gr. I), Esteemed Stakes (gr. I) and Two Year Old Sprint Championship (gr. I). Nitroglycerin flashed tremendous ability from the start, winning his first three outings as a juvenile before closing out the year with promising placings in the Excited Stakes (gr. I) and Steward's Cup Juvenile Sprint (gr. I). He would not lose in six starts at three, taking two stakes in the States before shipping to South America where he took three consecutive grade III's before capping the year with a strong victory over older horses in the Los Campeones Dirt Sprint (ARG-I). Nitroglycerin was nearly as untouchable at four, winning five of six starts in between Puerto Rico and Argentina including scores in the Bolt (PR-I), Kinghaven Glory Years (PR-I) and a repeat victory in the Los Campeones Dirt Sprint over Terrorist, the only horse to beat him since his juvenile season. For his consistency Nitroglycerin retired with an obscene seven --yes, seven-- Simmy Awards including Islands and South American Horse of the Year. If that isn't enough incentive to breed to him at $45,000, owner Bowen is offering to pay for a headshot (a 30,000 game point value) for any offspring that wins a Steward's Cup race, a SIMperior subscription (15,000 game point value) for the owners of the first grade I winners of the horse's first two crops, and a one-week issue of SIMperior for the owner of his first juvenile winner.

Offshore Excursion is still in training and in fact is scheduled to start in the upcoming Grand Tower Stakes (ENG-I) for owner-breeder Ashley Gibson. The solidly-built son of champion Fleet Afoot and grade II winner Mexican Wedding currently owns a very respectable record of eight wins in twelve starts. Offshore Excursion swept all four of his starts as a juvenile while racing throughout North America, including the Steward's Cup Juvenile Turf (gr. IT) over South Pacific champion James Madison and eventual grade I winner Fleetest of Foot. Last season at three the colt won two of five starts while running in the world's most competitive turf mile contests; capturing the Palace of Saints Stakes (ENG-I) and placing in the Irish 2,000 Guineas (IRE-I), English 2,000 Guineas (ENG-I), Prix Benjamin Franklin (FR-I) and Steward's Cup Turf Mile (gr. IT) to seven-time group I winner Menacing, four-time group I winners Trick of the Eye, Star Signs, Won't Back Down, etc. Offshore Season is two-for-two this year, with victories in the Dubliner Mile (IRE-II) and Prix Fleet Admiral (FR-III). Additionally, his half-sister by Test Your Strength is already a group I winner at three. With the strong race record and pedigree, there should be a fairly decent number of mares lined up for Offshore Excursion upon retirement later this season. Breeding to him also makes you eligible for the $50,000 bonus Gibson is offering for the breeder of the colt's first graded stakes winner.

I promised I wouldn't toot my own horn (i.e. promote my own stallions), but I do get profile my Berlioz's own son Kind Poet, who will be retiring to stud at the end of the year. A member of his sire's first crop, Kind Poet was bred by the Steward and is out of her Giant's Causeway mare Humane. Humane's three-year-old daughter is already a graded stakes winner and the two-year-old is a stakes-placed winner at press time. Kind Poet, a small bay colt not much bigger than his sire, flashed talent from the beginning when drawing away by 4-1/2 lengths in a maiden special in Canada in his debut. He finished the year with a good second in a stakes and a fourth behind future four-time Simmy Award winner Silent Partner and eventual grade II winner Pursuit in the Stratocaster Stakes (gr. IIIT). Kind Poet then shipped to Europe for his sophomore season where he triumphed in three of four starts --including the Stonehenge Stakes (ENG-III) and the Scandinavian Dash (SWE-III); the latter over older horses-- before tailing off in his final two outings of the year. Shipped to Hong Kong for a respite, the time off seemed to do the colt good and he opened this year with facile victory in the Hong Kong Premier Sprint before landing the major Tulip Sprint (HK-I) three weeks later. In the latter Kind Poet ran the six furlongs in 1:10 flat for an 82 speed figure, and in the process defeated old rival Silent Partner and group I winner Saint Nicholas. In his lone subsequent start Kind Poet was second by 1-1/2 lengths to 15-for-19 group I winner Creative License in the Shissou Cup (JPN-IIIT). Owner Melissa Mae, who snagged the colt for $100,000 at auction when he was a yearling, is offering a $10,000 bonus to the breeder of the colt's first grade I winner. The bonus itself is dwarfed next to the promotions mentioned above, but there still are plenty of reasons to breed to Kind Poet: He will be cheaper than his sire, is out of a young but very productive Steward-owned mare, and is proven at the highest level of racing.