Live Oak Plantation's Grade 3 winner Strategic Mission, a half brother to Grade 1 winners Sultry Song and Solar Splendor, will enter stud in 2002 at Graham Beck's Gainesway near Lexington.

The six-year-old son of Mr. Prospector out of Grade 2 winner Sultry Sun, by Buckfinder, will stand for $7,500 as the property of Live Oak Stud and Gainesway. Trained by Bill Mott, Strategic Mission was scheduled to make his final career start in the River City Handicap (G3) on November 11 at Churchill Downs.

"We have been looking for a regally-bred son of Mr. Prospector and Live Oak Stud has provided us with a great opportunity with Strategic Mission," said Gainesway spokesman Michael Hernon. "Strategic Mission is an outstanding miler with excellent stallion potential."

Strategic Mission has won seven of 23 career starts with five seconds and three thirds and has earned $396,590. His lone stakes win to date came in this year's Fort Marcy Handicap (G3) on May 5 at Aqueduct.

Strategic Mission finished second behind Beckon the King in the John Henry Stakes at the Meadowlands on October 19. He also has placed in two other stakes events during his career, a runner-up effort in the 2000 Shadwell Keeneland Turf Mile Stakes (G2) and a third-place finish in the 2001 Maker's Mark Mile Stakes (G2) at Keeneland.

Bred in Kentucky by Live Oak Stud, Strategic Mission is one of three stakes winners and five individual winners out of Sultry Sun. She also has produced multiple Grade 1 winner and $1,616,276-earner Sultry Song, who currently stands at Claiborne Farm near Paris, Kentucky, and Solar Splendor, a Majestic Light gelding who won three Grade 1 events on the turf and earned $1,386,468.