Stallion Spotlight February II: Eighteen Karat

Breeding
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[align=center][color=green]Stallion Spotlight: [color=black] February  II

NCh. Eighteen Karat
2010 bay Thoroughbred stallion, 17.0hh
What’s It Worth x Heart of Gold – Mr. Prospector
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CAREER
Bred by Central Lodge, Eighteen Karat was acquired by RC Bee as a 2yo and has been based out of California ever since. He hit the board in 3 of 5 starts at two, but it was with age he improved drastically. Displaying an affinity for nearly every distance on dirt and turf, he won G1 events such as the Belmont Stakes, Breeders’ Stakes, and Santa Anita Derby with board placings in the Kentucky Derby, Brisbane Cup, and Eddie Read Handicap. He set 5 speed records, all at 10 furlongs or longer on the turf—three times setting a new record for 12 furlongs. In all he won 10 of 61 starts, hitting the board 31 times and banking over $2.4 million over four years of racing.

During his career he beat stallions Tottenham Hotspur, Carrowmore, Dixie Time, Player, Dr. Evil, Celtic Star, and Formal Occasion.

INJURY HISTORY
In four years of racing he was never injured.

LINEAGE
His sire, WHAT’S IT WORTH, had 127 foals, 73 stakes winners and 49 MSW’s with a phenomenal 37 millionaires. These millionaires include FFCh. TakeMeToHollywood, FFCh. Foolhardy, WCh. I’m Your Angel, WCh. Worth My Time, WCh. What’s Debatable, ICh. Worth the Wait, ICh. Candidate, ICh. Chivalry, ICh. Worth the Risk, ICh. What’s Your Dream, NCh. Arda, NCh. Black Warrior, NCh. Beautiful Dreamer, NCh. Fleet Street, NCh. Highland Wizard, NCh. Sneak Peak, GCh. Worthy Sage, GCh. Worth My While, GCh. Fine Notice, GCh. Fanfare, Ch. Olympic Colors, and many more. He has 11 gold-ranked daughters, 18 silver, and 19 bronze. By far one of the most famous sire of sires next to the Highland line, he is the sire of retired stallions Highland Wizard, What’s Debatable, Worth My While, Worth the Wait, TakeMeToHollywood, Tryst of Fate, I’m Your Angel, and Black Warrior. Currently his actively standing stallions, beside subject stallion Eighteen Karat, are Candidate, Chivalry, Gunningdownromance, and Express Yourself.

His dam HEART OF GOLD, produced 12 foals, 11 winners, and 5 stakes winners. In additional to her sole MSW, Eighteen Karat, she produced stakes winners Ch. Notanotherhighland, I Will Lead, and Alygold along with stakes placed Ch. A.P. Gold, Ch. What a Flirt, and Ch. Golden Quest. Through her daughters she is the granddam of GCh. Incandescent, Ch. Expelliarmus, Ch. Judgement Call, Ch. Gonnabeamightyking, Ch. Eulogy, Ch. Not Another Word, Ch. Timbuktu, and Ch. That’s Not My Point. She is by Mr. Prospector, a silver-ranked broodmare sire.

The combination of What’s It Worth/Mr. Prospector has also produced SW and MSP Ch. Costalotta.

SIRE RECORD
At the time of this post, he is Bronze-ranked (2.9). Eighteen Karat has sired 6 crops with 76% starters, 53% winners, 11% stakes winners and 4% multiple stakes winners.

Out of 59 current stallions w/ started offspring:

  • 8th in highest winning percentage of offspring
  • 23rd in offspring earnings
  • 22nd in highest G1-placed offspring
  • 24th in G1-winning offspring

Leading Earners

  • [color=blue]GCH. EL DORADO ($1,598,000), G1 The Black Breeders’ Stakes, G2 Churchill Downs Handicap, G2 Shannon Stakes, G3 Stuyvesant Stakes, 2nd G1 Breeders’ Cup Sprint, G1 Sunshine Millions Sprint.
  • [color=blue]CH. SLOW MOONBEAM ($646,550), Meadow Brook Stakes, G3 Aqueduct Handicap, 2nd G1 Irish Two Thousand Guineas, 2nd G2 Ascot Vale Stakes.
  • [color=red]CH. POLITE VESSEL ($344,500). G1 Del Mar Oaks, G2 San Marcos Stakes, 2nd G3 Arlington Handicap.
  • [color=red]CH. STARFLEET CAPTAIN ($370,250), G2 Sorrento Stakes, 3rd G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, G3 Chicago Breeders’ Cup Handicap, G3 Santa Ysabel Stakes.
  • [color=blue]CH. WILD COUNTRY ($280,450), Gazelle Stakes, 3rd G2 Bison City Stakes.

Foals for Thought
Looking at his 3 MSW’s and 7 random stakes winners, 1 had their best career year at age 2 (0%), 5 at age 3 (0%), and 3 at age 4 or older (0%). His foals seem to run on both dirt and turf with an affinity for classic and long distances.

Currently he has produced MSW’s out of mares by Worth My While, Highland Laird, and False Promises. His dam’s half-sisters have produced MSW’s by Long Live the King, Unabridged, Candidate, and What’s Debatable.

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Eighteen Karat currently stands in California at RC Bee for $2,500

He is BC nominated and he not does require approval to breed to.
Please share your own foals and successful crosses below.[/align]

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Thank you for doing my spotlight! I’m claiming the next one!! <3

I’m going to come back because I have several of his foals now. They’ve been doing well for me! Not stakes wise, but at least they’re consistent money earners so I’ll take it!

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After leasing a number of RC Bee’s horses (most by Eighteen Karat) he quickly became a favorite of mine and I try to ship at least one mare to him each year. I currently own SW’s [color=blue]A Devil’s Hunger and [color=blue]Helsman, and multiple winner [color=blue]Aether. Leasing-wise I have the lovely [color=red]Ch. Arkenstone again, who I also leased last year to a few stakes placings. I just took on [color=red]Twice Blessed, another RC bee lease, who ran 2nd 3 times from 6 starts last year.

Waiting in the wings is a single 2yo and a pair of yearlings, and one mare in foal to him for next year. I’m finding his horses to be really hardy (no injuries yet!) and most seem to like the classic distances on any surface.

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I bred one foal by Eighteen Karat, it was [color=red]Arella out of Golden Moon. I retired Arella as a 4yo, but her dam is still active broodmare; although under Final Furlong ownership now, not in foal and without any other foals. Arella’s granddam Gilded Sky is the dam of our stallion [color=blue]NCh. Al Mundhir.

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I have one Eighteen Karat son, a 4-year-old named [color=blue]Archimedes, who I acquired in October. He’s been very lightly raced (only 7 starts total), but he placed 2nd and 3rd out of 3 starts both his 2-year-old and 3-year-old years. He has only been raced once so far this year, and that was a win in a 5.5f NW3 dirt. His mother is a daughter of Highland Pride.

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:astonished: my boy’s been highlighted!!!

I appreciate the work put into this post! I had no idea he was that good at siring hardy winners lol shame on me  ::) I’ve been leasing out my runners by him to see if other people can handle the training/racing better than I can, and I also came to the conclusion that the Karats like going long on any surface so I’ve been working that in with the ones I still have with me. Now if only he could sire some more multiple stakes winners…