Mill Ridge Farm will add a second stallion to its roster for 2023 in this year’s GI Breeders’ Cup Sprint Championship Hello West (Spin hard–Island Bound, by Sightstown), according to Price Bell, general manager of Mill Ridge.
Owned by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and coached by Wayne Catalano, Aloha West comes from the Fappiano family, in addition to a six-hair GIII Victory Color winner at Churchill.
“Aloha West himself is a lot like this side of his family with speed Sightstown Bell said. “Also, she is the daughter of AP Indy, and this provides a wonderful blend of Danzig’s pedigree through Spin hardGo to the West Sightstownand AP Indy. These are three of the most influential breeding lines available today.”
$160,000 in 2018 Keeneland September aspiration, Aloha West was originally owned by Gary West and trained by Bob Baffert. Returning to the dramatics at the age of two, he was injured before his first start, requiring surgery. He was transferred to Catalano at the age of 3, and did not make his debut until February of his four-year season, breaking his maidenhood in his first appearance. After winning a five-match stipend at Churchill, he was purchased by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners. He won five of his nine starts that year, culminating in a win at the GI Qatar Racing Breeders’ Cup Sprint over champion Jackie’s Warrior.
“The history of excellence in this training is the same as the history of Sightstown, who showed promise at the age of three and suffered an injury and missed the entire season at the age of four before returning at the age of six and winning the GI Breeders’ Cup Sprint,” Bell said. “With pace, Aloha West demonstrated winning the Breeders’ Cup Sprint, and the influence from Sightstown and the Fappiano family, as well as his good looks, we expect him to be attractive to commercial breeders”.
Mill Ridge was formerly home to champion stallions Diesis and Gone West, but the ranch was out of the stall trade for several years until Oscar Performancewill come in 2019.
“To stand another Breeders’ Cup winner in Aloha West is a great addition to the ranch,” Bell said. “He will lie in the Gone West stables and the paddock. We are delighted to announce Aloha West as our next Mill Ridge stallion. With his will to win, pedigree blend and superior physical presence, we believe breeders will be attracted to him. We thought he had an opportunity to contribute to our breed.”
“Over the years we have stood a number of horse breeds, including the Bien Bien and the Valiant Nature,” says Bell, adding that as a smaller stallion breeding operation, they needed must be selected carefully. “Ultimately, we can’t go wrong,” he said. “We have to fix our niche. The Amermans have given us a tremendous opportunity in Oscar Performancewho we raised, and we’re confident we can buck the trend and stand on the pitch in America because of his pedigree, looks, and race record. ” Oscar Performance is now the ninth first-season boar by earnings and has three crosses pointing to next week’s Breeders’ Cup: GII Castle & Key Bourbon Winner S. Andthewinneris; Lachaise, third in GII Pilgrim S.; and G Laurie, third in GI Natalma.
Aloha West’s dark horse career will be managed in a similar way, Bell said. “There are so many programs that are geared towards lifelong breeding rights, and with common interests, they are great programs and have changed the market,” he said. “We are trying to go the other way and have a traditional 40-stock association, with a diverse group of breeders. We’re all on a journey together, paying the bills and giving him the best chance we can. We are trying to price our horses as fairly as possible so that everyone can “share the benefits”. We said we would breed Oscar Performance to 150-160 mares, and we will do the same in Aloha West. “
Bell says that Eclipse partners will stay on the stallion. “There is a large group of Eclipse partners on this horse and they are excited to try and experience the next stage in a horse’s career as a stallion,” he said. “Eclipse is happy to offer that opportunity and they are some of the best at getting people into the business.”
Bell says that half of Aloha West will be syndicated. “We all believe in these horses for many reasons and believe that they should be given the opportunity to learn a trade, while leaving enough room for others to believe.”
Bell said: “Aloha West is a great racehorse – a tough, tough, wonderful racehorse. “If we are trying to develop the race, we need a larger amount of work than just a race. For us, Aloha West and Oscar Performance gave us confidence that they could contribute to the breed.”
