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Alfred Pais: Homebred Brickyard Ride Embarks On A Stallion Career

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(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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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

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

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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.

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Multiple Graded Stakes Winner Brickyard Ride To Initiate Stallion Career At Rancho San Miguel

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San Miguel, California—Multiple graded stakes winner Brickyard Ride, a speedy, near-millionaire from the prolific Candy Ride (Arg) sire line, will launch his stallion duties in 2025 at Rancho San Miguel in California. He is available for inspection at the San Luis Obispo County farm, where he will stand for an introductory fee of $4,000, with live foal guarantee.

Bred and campaigned in California by Alfred (“Sonny”) Pais, Brickyard Ride won or placed in 21 of 31 starts and compiled a career bankroll of $925,477. Eight of his 13 victories were recorded in black-type races at Santa Anita Park: seven on the main track and one on turf.

Topping his résumé are the 2021 San Carlos Stakes (G2) and back-to-back editions of the Kona Gold Stakes (G3) in 2022 and 2023. His five additional stakes scores include two runnings of the California Cup Sprint Stakes, as well as the grassy Sensational Star Stakes.

Gifted with natural, early speed, Brickyard Ride set the pace in 27 of his 31 races and attained 17 triple-digit Equibase Speed Figures. He won from the distances of 5 1/2 furlongs to one mile, and ran exclusively in stakes company for the final 16 races of his career.

“He had wicked speed, and he stuck around for a long time,” said trainer Craig Lewis, who conditioned Brickyard Ride from the ages of 2 through 7. “He was a very, very talented horse who loved to train, and he loved the competition, just like his daddy.”

Brickyard Ride is the top earner for Candy Ride’s dual Grade 2-winning son Clubhouse Ride, who also was trained by Lewis. Now a leading stallion in California, Clubhouse Ride ranks first among all statewide sires in 2024 by graded stakes winners, black-type horses and turf earnings.

Candy Ride’s other prominent sons at stud include 2017 Horse of the Year Gun Runner, Twirling Candy and Vekoma, the latter of whom currently ranks #2 among all first-crop sires in North America by 2024 progeny earnings.

Produced by the multiple winner Brickyard Helen, by three-time Grade 1 winner Southern Image, Brickyard Ride is a pedigree outcross through his first five generations. He will stand as the property of Pais, who is committed to supporting the incoming stallion with quality mares.

“We are blessed to have such a talented athlete join our stallion roster,” said Rancho San Miguel Owner Tom Clark. “As has been observed by many smart horsemen over the years, you cannot coach speed.”

For more information about this exciting, young stallion, please visit Stallion Register Online.