NEWS
Prominent sire El Prado dies
Posted: Monday, September 21, 2009 8:23 PM
EL PRADO (IRE)
John Kaiser photo
by Mike Curry
Irish champion and prominent Central Kentucky sire El Prado (Ire) died of a heart attack on Monday morning at Frank Stronach’s Adena Springs in Paris, Kentucky. He was 20.
El Prado was named 1991 Irish champion two-year-old male after winning four of six starts, including the National Stakes (Ire-G1) and Juddmonte EBF Beresford Stakes (Ire-G2). By leading European sire Sadler’s Wells, El Prado went on to have an equally distinguished career at stud, siring 30 group or graded stakes winners and three champions.
“Although he was 20 years old, it still came as a shock. At least it was quick. It’s a huge loss, but it was a privilege to have that type of horse,” said Dermot Carty of Adena Springs. “That’s what this game is all about: a dream.”
Carty orchestrated the deal to purchase El Prado from Robert Sangster, Coolmore, and El Prado’s trainer, the legendary Vincent O’Brien.
After concluding his racing career with four wins from nine starts and three group stakes victories, El Prado began his career at stud in 1993 at Brereton C. Jones’ Airdrie Stud, where he stood his first season for Stronach for $7,500. He moved to Adena Springs in 1998, and his stud fee rose as high as $125,000 in 2006. He stood the 2009 season for $75,000.
“We had a very tough time at the beginning, people didn’t want to hear about him,” Carty said of El Prado’s initial book of mares. “The public in general did not jump on board because he was not commercial and supposedly a grass horse. But people who knew what they were doing bred to the horse.
“He upgraded the mares to the level that great sires do. There were no superstars in his book—they were working-class mares. He did it the hard way.”
El Prado is out of the Sir Ivor mare Lady Capulet, winner of the 1977 Irish Two Thousand Guineas (Ire-G1) in her first career start for Vincent O’Brien. El Prado is a half brother to Irish champion Entitled.
Carty called El Prado the foundation stallion of Adena Springs. He said what made El Prado stand out was that he had it all—race record, pedigree, the ability to sire top horses on turf, dirt, and synthetic surfaces as well as top-class male and female runners. He also has emerged as a sire of sires with top young stallions Kitten’s Joy and Medaglia d’Oro, sire of superstar filly Rachel Alexandra.
El Prado has sired 508 winners from 699 starters that have amassed $68,546,628 in purse earnings through September 20. His 74 stakes winners include champion Kitten’s Joy, 2005 NetJets Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1) winner Artie Schiller, and multiple Grade 1 winners Borrego and Medaglia d’Oro.
“Frank [Stronach] actually was very good about it,” Carty said of news of El Prado’s death. “He said that opportunities like this come along once in a lifetime and that’s what he was: a once in a lifetime kind of horse. He said we were privileged to have him.”
Mike Curry is a Thoroughbred Times TODAY editor
