Alfred Pais: Homebred Brickyard Ride Embarks On A Stallion Career

(Originally published in the March 2026 issue of “California Thoroughbred” magazine)

Horse racing has given Alfred “Sonny” Pais the ride of a lifetime.

Pais (pronounced Paze) made his money through income property investment, but horses were always where his heart is. That’s been true from the time he was a young man out of high school in the 1970s and helped train harness racers for his father, to the present day as a breeder of Thoroughbreds.

Beginning in the 1990s, Pais has had several successful California homebreds. His best has been the blazingly quick Brickyard Ride, a multiple graded stakes victor who won 13 of 31 races and earned $925,477. Retired from the track in 2024, the former sprinter is on a journey that is far from over, as Pais embarks on a stallion career for the statuesque chestnut son of Clubhouse Ride. Brickyard Ride is the all-time leading earner for his sire.

“I’m a senior citizen on the hustle,” remarked the loquacious Pais, now 72. Always a small breeder, he has grown his broodmare base to 12 as he looks to support Brickyard Ride, standing his second season at Rancho San Miguel in San Luis Obispo County. Pais wishes he could do more, but his resources are limited. As it is, he figures he could possess upwards of 40 horses by the time the stallion’s newest foals arrive this year.

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