NEWS
Elite Florida sire Halo’s Image dies
Posted: Sunday, March 14, 2010 6:32 PM
Halo’s Image, Florida’s leading sire in 2004 and ‘06, died on Friday after suffering an apparent heart attack while covering a mare at Bridlewood Farm in Ocala.
The 19-year-old by Halo out of multiple stakes winner Sugar’s Image, by Valid Appeal, launched his stud career in 1998 at Bridlewood and stood there throughout his entire career. His half brother Unbridled’s Image also stands at Bridlewood, where Halo’s Image commanded a $4,000 fee this year.
“Halo’s Image was a linchpin of our operation and a farm favorite. He embodied everything we strive to accomplish here at Bridlewood: excellence on the racetrack, excellence at stud, and excellence in the relationships we established through him,” said George Isaacs, general manager of Bridlewood.
From nine crops age three and older, Halo’s Image is the sire of 17 stakes winners among 275 winners from 361 starters that have earned $20,572,387 through Saturday. His top runners include multiple Grade 1 winner Southern Image, an earner of $1,843,750; and Sir Oscar, who in 2003 swept all three divisions of the Florida Stallion Stakes series. Other prominent offspring include Grade 2 winner How’s Your Halo, Grade 3 winner Halo Steven, and stakes winner Halo Najib, who was multiple graded stakes-placed.
Bred in Florida by Arthur Appleton and owner-trainer Happy Alter, Halo’s Image was a six-time stakes winner who posted nine wins, six seconds, and five thirds from 26 starts and earned $549,891 in five seasons. He scored graded stakes wins in the 1994 Tropical Park Handicap (G3) and ’96 Broward Handicap (G3) and finished second or third in five other graded stakes, including his third-place finish in the 1994 Florida Derby (G1). His track record of 1:41.78 in a one-mile and 70-yard allowance race set at Calder Race Course in 1995 still stands.
“My personal memories of the joy this horse brought the Appleton family and Happy Alter throughout the years makes this a touch overwhelming and especially bittersweet at the moment. I feel like I just lost a dear old friend,” Isaacs said.
