If you have a stallion retiring and would like a full writeup as these boys below, I am more than happy to add them! Reply or pm.
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Edit: Both Devil’s Heir and Secret Handshake are currently seeking a final hurrah for 2023 but will definitely retire this year.
I am also presuming the retirement of Franco Classico, as he will also be turning 7. All owners, please tell me if otherwise.
[color=green]NEW GAME STALLIONS FOR 2023
NCh. Devil’s Heir
2016 bay stallion, 15.1hh
ICh. Devil His Due (S) x GCh. Heiress (G), by War Admiral (S)
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Second son of Devil His Due to qualify for stud, following GCh. Venture His Due. At 2, he hit the board in 5 of 7 starts, winning twice. For his 3yo debut he ran 3rd in the G3 Holy Bull Stakes, followed by runner-up finishes in the G1 Fountain of Youth Stakes and G1 Florida Derby before sweeping the G1 Wood Memorial on the triple crown trail. He skipped the Derby but captured the G1 Preakness Stakes and managed to hang on to 4th in the G1 Belmont Stakes. His turf debut was in the G1 Breeders’ Stakes, in which he finished 2nd. He continued to score on the board in a number of stakes races before ending the year with wins in the G2 What’s It Worth Breeders’ Stakes and G1 Breeders’ Cup Mile. Overall he hit the board in a stunning 14 of 15 times.
At four he added the G1 Stadbroke Handicap to his list of victories and hit the board in 11 of 13 starts. At 5 he secured his stud status with a win in the Ungr. Gallant Fox and and was off the board only 3 times. His six year old season was his final outing, going unplaced in 4 attempts. In total he won 12 of 49 starts, 4 of which were G1, earning over $4.4 million, and hit the board a remarkable 38 of 49 times (OTB 78%).
His dam, Heiress, was a MG1W of $1.7 million and set 2 speed records. In addition to Devil’s Heir, she produced MSW GCh. Play My Game (Gold, dam of 2 MSW’s), SW Ch. Inheritance (Silver), and SP Ch. Born Rich. Heiress is also half to hot new sire NCh. Von Lichtenstein who is already silver ranked with his oldest crop being just three. Heiress is half to 5 MSW’s from 9 half-siblings, and all winners. War Admiral is silver-ranked as broodmare sire and has 5 gold-ranked daughters with a second grandfoal just 1 win away from studhood. Pedigree-wise, Devil’s Heir has a phenomenal damline.
Overall, Devil’s Heir was a predominantly dirt runner, with all his stakes wins on dirt. He scored stakes wins at all distances but did best at classic distance. He suffered 4 injuries during his career, with two at 5 and 6 each after his peak racing years. His dam and granddam crossed best with Magic Glory, Nightfight, Man O’ War, and I’m A Classic.
NCh. Secret Handshake
2016 gray stallion, 15.3hh
ICh. Highland Magic (G) x GCh. Secret Signal §, by Silver Secrets (G)
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There’s certainly no shortage of Highland stallions, but damsire Silver Secrets only left 8 daughters to carry his line and several have become gold and platinum producers. Secret Handshake is the fourth Highland Magic son to enter stud, following the now-retired ICh. Spock and GCh. Ace of Hearts, and active stud NCh. Hogsmeade. Secret Handshake did not begin winning stakes races until age 4, but he won his 2yo debut and was less than 4th only once in 8 starts his freshman year of racing. At three he hit the board in multiple G2 dirt events but really starting coming into his own in the fall over the turf, especially sprints or 10f+ races.
At four he won 7 of 14 starts, six of which were stakes, including the G1 Omaha Breeders’ Stakes and 2 of 3 legs in the Breeders’ Series for older turf runners (he finished 3rd in the second leg). At five he won just once in 11 tries, securing his stud status with the G2 Turnbull Stakes, but consistently hit the board in multiple G1 long turf races such as the Singapore Airlines International Cup, Dubai Sheema Classic, Audemars Piguet Queen Elizabeth II Cup, and Manhattan Handicap. This year, at age 6, he made only 3 starts, finishing off the board in his single stakes outing.
Overall, he has ran 58 times, winning 13 times with 7 stakes victories. He hit the board 42 times for 72% OTB and total earnings over $1.9 million. In five years of racing he suffered just two injuries: swelling in the fall of his 3yo season, and heat towards the end of his 4yo season. He won stakes races at all distance categories, with 80% OTB at sprints and roughly 70% OTB at classic and endurance. While he hit the board in 13 of 18 dirt races, winning 3 times, the majority of his earnings and all stakes victories came on the turf.
His dam, Secret Signal, was a MSW of $1.8 million, setting a speed record for 10f turf, and scoring G1 wins in the Alabama Stakes, Go For Wand Stakes, and Personal Ensign Handicap. She won 10 of 36 starts and retired completely sound. As a producer, she is platinum, having produced MSW NCh. Sargasso (who also won the G1 Alabama Stakes) and SW GCh. Secrets Squared (finished 3rd in this year’s G1 Breeders’ Cup Classic). From 6 started foals, all are winners. Secret Signal’s damsire is Easy Street (Silver as broodmare sire). Secret Signal’s sire, Silver Secrets, was unraced but is gold for both sire and broodmare sire. As mentioned earlier, he only left behind 8 daughters but these include Don’t Ask (Platinum; 4 MSW’s from 7 winners), Secret Word (Gold; 1 MSW, 3 SW’s from 8 winners), and MSW NCh. Silver Watagan. Silver Secrets’ most accomplished son was NCh. Disbelief, who fell 1 SW short of qualifying for stud. Silver Secrets is a Secretariat son.
It’s a little difficult to pin down good crosses with Secret Handshake’s dam, as she crossed well with Highland Magic and Secretariat (though the latter might suggest linebreeding with Secretariat). Secret Signal is the only daughter of her dam, Hail to Bee, to produce a stakes horse. Looking to Silver Secrets, however, his daughters have crossed well with What’s Your Point/Point Given, What’s It Worth, I’m Your Angel, Foolhardy, and Jazz It Up.
NCh. Franco Classico
2016 dark bay stallion, 15.2hh
NCh. I’m A Classic () x GCh. Secret Signal §, by Silver Secrets (G)
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Second son of I’m A Classic to qualify for studhood, following NCh. Von Lichtenstein, who is currently silver-ranked with his oldest crop soon to turn 4. Franco Classico dazzled immediately, winning 3 of his 4 starts at 2 including the G1 Remsen Stakes. At three he won his first 3 races in a row: G1 Caulfield Guineas, G2 UAE Derby, and G3 Historic Stakes. He shipped to the States to run 2nd in the G1 Preakness Stakes and 3rd in the G1 Belmont Stakes before capturing a trio of G1 races with the Queen’s Plate Stakes, Prince of Wales Stakes, and his turf debut in the G1 Breeders’ Stakes. He wrapped up a year by beating his elders in the G1 Breeders’ Cup Classic. Overall he won 7 of his 13 starts at 3, and was off the board only once. He was qualified for stud October of his 3yo season.
At four he raced only 3 times, managing a 2nd in the G2 Pimlico Special. After a long breather, he returned at five to capture the G2 Strub Stakes and Ungr. Hudson Stakes. He hit the board in more G1 classic dirt races with the Santa Anita Handicap and Stephen Foster Handicap. This year, at six, he has gone winless in 8 tries but finished 2nd three times, including the G1 Metropolitan Stakes and G1 Underwood Stakes. So far he has never suffered an injury.
Overall he has won 12 of 38 starts, 10 at stakes level and 5 at the G1 level. He hit the board 63% of the time and amassed earnings of over $7.8 million.
Both Franco Classico and his qualified half-brother (via sire) both experienced their best racing seasons at 2 and 3. Currently, Von Lichtenstein has 2 MSW 2yo’s. Mares who bloom early may produce very similar offspring, or crossing with a late-blooming mare may even out the foal’s peak season.
His dam, Little Franco, was SP at 5 and hit the board 13 of 15 times. She is gold-ranked, having also produced MSW Ch. Lil’ Bit O’Class and SP Ch. High Fidelity. Franco Classico is half to broodmares French Resistance (Gold; 1 MSW, 1 SW, and 1 SP from 3 runners) and Twist of Lime (bronze). With Little Franco a created mare, it is hard to judge potential lines to cross. Her gold-ranked daughter has done well with Oscillation/Seattle Slew and Lonesome Glory.
NCh. Spiritofsaintluis
2016 dark bay stallion, 17.1hh
ICh. Gilded Saint (S) x Flying Feline (S)
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Fresh off the track is Gilded Saint’s first son at stud, Spiritofsaintluis. He ran just once, unplaced, at two, and it was his only try at the flat. Debuting in SC as a 3yo, he immediately won the G3 Queen’s Vase Stakes and later in the fall added victories in the G1 Breeders’ Cup SC Endurance and the Ungr. Arlington Sprint to his resume. Repeating his sophomore year, he won his 4yo debut in the Ungr. Fred Cappy Capossela Stakes stateside before shipping across the pond which seems to be his preferred region. There he won the G2 Pillar Steeplechase and hit the board in the G1 Irish Grand National, G2 Independent Novice, G3 Paddy Power Gold Cup. He shipped back for the G1 Breeders’ Cup SC Endurance once more where he finished second.
He was a little slower to find his footing at five, taking the summer off after four unplaced starts, but came back in full force by setting a speed record to win the G1 King George VI Chase. Cutting back in distance didn’t seem to bother him, as he finished the year with a 2nd in the Breeders’ Cup SC Sprint. His only career injury was limping in February of his 6yo season, upon which Spiritofsaintluis took the year off from racing. His curtain call echoed his earlier racing years, with his 7yo debut and finale was a winning one with the Ungr. Spectacular Bid Stakes.
In all he won 7 of 26 starts, and hit the board 19 times (73% OTB). He banked almost $3 million in earnings. He is definitely bred for SC and will likely produce similar offspring: his sire set 9 speed records at SC, won all 12 of his own stakes races at SC, and all of Gilded Saint’s MSW offspring are chasers.
His dam, Flying Feline, is a MW create whose best season on the track was at four. She is currently silver-ranked, with Spiritofsaintluis her own SW/SP foal. Her only other raced foal has been inactive for a year and his sole start was a win, but at age six. It should be noted that Flying Feline and all her unplaced/unraced progeny are FF owned with just 1 or 2 starts to their name.
It will be hard to judge possible bloodlines to cross with Spiritofsaintluis, but a created damline could mean the sky’s the limit! I can say that Gilded Saint’s other MSW foals had Seabiscuit, A.P. Indy, or created damsires. Spiritofsaintluis is definitely a SC powerhouse, bringing height and early career talent to the breeding pool.
