Collected Colt Romps To Six-Length Win In $100,000 Louisiana Stakes Race

/in , /by

Opelousas, Louisiana—The result of the $100,000 Evangeline Mile Stakes became a foregone conclusion just seconds after the Evangeline Downs starting gate released its eight runners on April 4, as speedster Perry County leapt to an early lead, mastered a ground-saving trip along the rail and cruised confidently to a six-length victory to become the 24th black-type winner from four crops for the Rancho San Miguel stallion Collected, the leading sire in California.

Sent postward as the 6-5 wagering favorite under jockey Tim Thornton, the 4-year-old colt relished the sloppy, sealed going, translating an opening half-mile effort in :46.72 into an unhurried final time of 1:38.59 for the mile distance. He was assigned a post-race Equibase Speed Figure of 102 for owner / trainer Veronica Litfin.

View Race Replay

Perry County has earned $227,405 to date, with four wins and nine placings from 19 starts. He is the second stakes performer for Tyrannical, a winning daughter of Street Boss, and was bred in Kentucky by Shortleaf Stable.

He is one of three Northern Hemisphere stakes winners in 2026 for Collected, a Grade 1 winner by City Zip who is standing his first season in California at a fee of $7,500, and whose year-to-date progeny earnings top $1.5 million.

###

Millionaire Mo Forza Sires First-Crop Santa Anita Exacta

/in , /by

Arcadia, California—With their speed and precocity on full display, a pair of first-time starters from the inaugural foal crop of the Grade 1-winning Rancho San Miguel stallion Mo Forza outgamed more experienced rivals to complete the exacta in a $72,500 maiden special weight race for 3-year-olds on the Santa Anita Park turf course on April 4.

California-breds Eugene Sledge and Gaines controlled the pace in a two-horse battle for the lead throughout the 6 1/2-furlong contest, with jockey Antonio Fresu aboard 5-1 Eugene Sledge ultimately emerging as the winner by a neck in a final time of 1:15.81. Gaines held on for second to complete the $34.10 exacta with Florent Geroux in the irons, a half-length ahead of the third-place finisher in the field of 10.

View Race Replay

The winner was saddled by trainer Phil D’Amato, and earned $42,000 in his successful debut for owner Strand Beach LLC. Bred by Nick Alexander out of his homebred $709,540-earner S Y Sky, a graded stakes-winning daughter of Grazen, the chestnut gelding was sold for $24,000 through the 2024 Fasig-Tipton December Digital Selected Sale.

Runner-up Gaines, out of the Artie Schiller mare Dial a Date, pocketed $14,000 for his game effort on behalf of breeder / owner Harris Farms, which campaigns the colt with trainer Carla Gaines.

Sire Mo Forza competed at the top levels on turf from 2019 through 2021, earning more than $1 million as a seven-time graded stakes winner in Southern California. Now 10, the versatile Uncle Mo stallion has sent out seven winners from the distances of 4 1/2 furlongs to 1 1/16 miles on dirt, turf and all-weather surfaces, and ranks as the state’s leading second-crop sire with overall progeny earnings of $351,425 to date.

His 2026 fee at Rancho San Miguel is $5,000.

###

$100,000 Collected Colt Scores Open-Length Derby Victory

/in , /by

Houston, Texas—Fresh off a third-place finish in a six-figure stakes race last month at Fair Grounds, Louisiana-bred Thebabeslayer shipped approximately 360 miles west to Texas and captured his first career stakes title with panache in the $110,000 Texas Thoroughbred Association Derby at Sam Houston Race Park on March 21.

The 3-year-old colt by leading California sire Collected made easy work of the eight-horse field, employing a stalking bid under jockey Stewart Elliott throughout most of the trip before pulling away late for a 5 1/2-length victory in a final time of 1:42.05 for the distance of one mile and 70 yards. Race favorite and runner-up It’s All Right was 12 3/4 lengths clear of the third-place finisher, leading to an authoritative visual display by the winner.

View Race Replay

Purchased for $100,000 as the second-highest-selling horse of the 2024 Texas Summer Yearling Sale, Thebabeslayer has subsequently earned $168,139 from 10 starts on dirt and turf for owners Bradley Kent and Ken Reimer and his Racing Hall of Fame trainer, Steve Asmussen.

He is out of Candy Bay, an unraced daughter of Candy Ride (Arg), and was bred by Elm Tree Farm.

Thebabeslayer is the 23rd stakes winner from four crops to race for Grade 1 winner Collected. The 13-year-old son of City Zip stands for $7,500 at Rancho San Miguel in California, and has progeny earnings of more than $20 million overall.

###

First Group Of West Coast Mares Confirmed In Foal To Grade 1 Winner Collected

/in , /by

San Miguel, California—A dozen mares bred to Grade 1 winner Collected at the start of the 2026 breeding season have checked in foal to the City Zip stallion, who relocated from Kentucky last November to stand at Rancho San Miguel in San Luis Obispo County, California.

The group is part of his inaugural California book, which comprises 90 mares through mid-March — a number which is already higher than the total amount of mares that any state-based stallion covered throughout the entire 2025 breeding season.

Collected’s popularity can be widely attributed to his initial success as a West Coast runner, and now as the region’s dominant sire.

Winner of Del Mar’s $1 million Pacific Classic Stakes (G1) and four additional graded stakes races from 2015 through 2018 for Racing Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, Collected retired to Airdrie Stud in Kentucky prior to the 2019 breeding season with a career bankroll of $2,975,500.

From his first four foal crops sired at that locale, the 13-year-old stallion has amassed more than $20 million in progeny earnings, highlighted by 22 stakes winners and seven graded stakes winners. His year-to-date progeny earnings of more than $1.1 million establish him as the leading sire in California for 2026. He also leads all California stallions by graded stakes winners, black-type winners and individual winners for the current year.

“We are thrilled with the overwhelmingly positive response that Collected has received so far from regional breeders,” said Rancho San Miguel Owner Tom Clark. “He is proving popular with mare owners across the board, from our longtime clients to first-time breeders, some of whom have acquired mares specifically for him.”

“His early patrons include not only California breeders, but also breeders from surrounding states,” Clark added. “These outside mares are now participating in the California breeding program, as a prelude to their Collected foals eventually participating in the California racing program. This is welcome news as our state’s Thoroughbred industry battles uphill challenges.”

###

Alfred Pais: Homebred Brickyard Ride Embarks On A Stallion Career

/in , /by

(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.

…..

CLICK HERE to view the rest of the story at ctba.com

CLICK HERE to view the entire March 2026 issue of “California Thoroughbred” magazine

Collected Runner Outgames 10 Rivals In Six-Figure Dubai Stakes Race

/in , /by

Dubai, United Arab Emirates—Killer Collect, a 5-year-old runner by Rancho San Miguel resident Collected, boosted his sire’s current credentials as California’s leading Thoroughbred stallion with his international victory in the $136,150 Jebel Ali Stakes on February 15.

Racing at the front end throughout under 12-time champion United Arab Emirates jockey Tadhg O’Shea, Killer Collect outlasted 10 rivals in the 1,950-meter test conducted at the Jebel Ali Racecourse in Dubai, ultimately stopping the clock in 1:57.61 as the valiant winner by a head.

View Race Replay

The achievement marked the second career stakes score for the Kentucky-bred horse, who was produced by the multiple stakes-placed winner Comforter, by Nobiz Like Shobiz. Trained by Bhupat Seemar for owners Michael and Negar Burke, he has earned $329,348 lifetime.

Killer Collect is one of 22 black-type winners to emerge from Collected’s first four foal crops to race. The 2017 Pacific Classic Stakes (G1) winner, a 13-year-old son of City Zip, moved from Kentucky to California three months ago, and already has wrested control of his adopted home state’s leading sire list, with 14 winners and cumulative progeny earnings exceeding $600,000 to date in 2026.

Collected stands for a $7,500 fee, with a live foal guarantee.

###

Three Rancho San Miguel Stallions Among California’s Early 2026 Leaders

/in , /by

San Miguel, California—Three stallions anchoring the current roster at California’s Rancho San Miguel are among the state’s Top 11 active sires ranked by 2026 progeny earnings six weeks into the new racing year.

Leading the trio ― and the entire state ― at #1 is Collected, a 13-year-old son of City Zip who is standing his inaugural season in California after previously holding court at Airdrie Stud in Kentucky. The 2017 Pacific Classic (G1) victor has sent out 12 Northern Hemisphere winners through February 13, and has a state-best bankroll of $553,620 accrued by his runners this year. His top 2026 earner, at $108,533, is the 3-year-old colt Aljamih, a winner in Saudi Arabia out of the mare Moonshine Magic, a daughter of the former California-based stallion Bluegrass Cat.

From four crops to race, Collected boasts overall progeny earnings of more than $19 million, buoyed by 22 stakes winners, including seven in graded company.

Collected’s 2026 fee is $7,500.

Ranking fifth among all active California stallions by 2026 progeny earnings is the farm’s venerable resident Sir Prancealot (Ire), whose sons and daughters have banked a cumulative $301,070 thus far this year.

The top earner to date for the 16-year-old son of Tamayuz (GB), at $56,000, is recent Santa Anita Park winner Sir Percival, a 4-year-old gelding out of the Paddy O’Prado mare Christmas Carol.

Two additional Sir Prancealot runners scored black-type placings on the track’s California Cup program last month to kick off the stallion’s stakes tally for 2026: $175,000 California Chrome Cal Cup Derby runner-up Sammy Davis and $125,000 Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Turf Sprint Stakes third-place finisher Prancingthruparis. Both horses are prior stakes winners.

A sire of 39 international stakes horses overall, Sir Prancealot commands a $6,000 fee this year.

Two runners from the first foal crop of Grade 1 winner Mo Forza have already reached the winner’s circle in 2026, helping to position their 10-year-old sire among California’s 11 top-ranked active stallions for the new year with his cumulative progeny earnings of $107,945. These 3-year-old maiden winners are the Santa Anita-based filly Famous Forza and the colt Forza Azzurri, whose three-length victory on January 22 was recorded at Gulfstream Park in Florida.

Millionaire Mo Forza, by Uncle Mo, currently stands for a fee of $5,000.

###

First Foal For Multiple Graded Stakes Winner Brickyard Ride Is A California-Bred Filly

/in , /by

San Miguel, California—Multiple graded stakes winner Brickyard Ride, the leading lifetime earner for the Candy Ride (Arg) stallion Clubhouse Ride, was represented by his first foal on January 24: a filly born at Rancho San Miguel in California.

Bred by Jerry Engelauf, the youngster is the fourth foal out of the winning mare To the Limits, an 11-year-old daughter of Swiss Yodeler.

“I am very impressed by the quality of this first foal by Brickyard Ride,” said Rancho San Miguel owner Tom Clark, whose San Luis Obispo County farm stands the 9-year-old stallion. “Her sire exhibited great class, speed and longevity on the extremely tough Southern California racing circuit, and this smart-looking filly is an excellent early representative of those strengths.”

Racing as a homebred for Alfred “Sonny” Pais, Brickyard Ride won or placed in 21 of 31 starts and compiled a career bankroll of $925,477 while competing from ages 2 through 7. Eight of his 13 victories were recorded in black-type races conducted on dirt and turf, including Santa Anita Park’s 2021 San Carlos Stakes (G2) and back-to-back editions of the Kona Gold Stakes (G3) in 2022 and 2023.

Brickyard Ride covered an inaugural book of 44 mares in 2025. His 2026 fee is $4,000, accompanied by a live foal guarantee.

###

Rancho San Miguel To Offer Two Dozen California-Bred Racing Prospects At January 20 Mixed Sale

/in , /by

Pomona, California—Buyers looking to participate in the rich, restricted racing program for California-bred runners will have two dozen prospects to evaluate in Rancho San Miguel’s quality consignment at the 2026 Winter Mixed Sale, which will be conducted at Fairplex in Pomona on Tuesday, January 20. Hosted by the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association, the single session will start at noon.

The Rancho San Miguel entrants will be available for on-site inspection in Barn 4, with pre-sale viewing beginning on Saturday, January 17.

The farm’s all-California consignment comprises nine yearlings and 15 newly turned 2-year-olds.

Anchoring the yearling portion are colts and fillies from the first crop of Rancho San Miguel’s undefeated stallion Bolden, as well as youngsters by current and former roster members Editorial, Mo Forza and Danzing Candy.

Among the 2-year-old offerings are racing prospects by the Rancho San Miguel-based sires Editorial, Mo Forza and Sir Prancealot (Ire), as well as the stallions Bodexpress, Dads Caps, Halladay, Om, Raging Bull (Fr) and Tom’s Tribute. Several of these juveniles are already broke, and galloping under tack.

Information and promotional material on Rancho San Miguel’s farm services, current stallions and consignment horses will be available near the walking ring on sale day.

###

Collected Scores Sixth First-Crop Stakes Winner

/in , /by

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma—With his late-closing victory in Remington Park’s $82,500 Jeffrey A. Hawk Memorial Stakes on December 20, Ze’bul became the sixth black-type winner from the first foal crop ― and 21st stakes winner overall ― for California’s new leading sire, Collected.

Under jockey Floyd Wethey Jr., the 5-year-old gelding utilized the widest path in the stretch to propel from sixth to first, stopping the clock in 1:43.21 for the distance of one mile and 70 yards while emerging as a three-quarter length winner for trainer Dick Cappellucci and owner Centurion Racing Partners.

View Race Replay

Ze’bul entered the Oklahoma test off a runner-up finish in New Mexico’s $100,000 Zia Park Championship Stakes on November 25. From 27 starts overall, he has banked $225,563, with six wins and eight placings.

Bred in Kentucky by Dell Ridge Farm and sold for $130,000 as a Keeneland yearling, Ze’bul is the highest-earning winner out of the Grade 2-placed Empire Maker mare Bahama Bound, a daughter of the multiple graded stakes-winning California-bred racemare Summer Wind Dancer.

His sire is 2017 Pacific Classic (G1) winner Collected, a 12-year-old son of City Zip who recently relocated from Kentucky to stand at Rancho San Miguel in California.

Boasting lifetime progeny earnings of more than $18 million from his first four crops to race, Collected enters the Golden State as the reigning leader in several categories, including a dominant $6 million accrued by his sons and daughters to date in 2025.

###