Smart Strike (photo: Lanes End Farm)
One of the last active sons of legendary stallion Mr Prospector died last week. Smart Strike, who was euthanized after suffering from laminitis, was 23 at the time of his death, and one of the last major sons of Mr P still active in the breeding shed (just days earlier, another highly successful Mr Prospector son, Not For Love – himself broodmare sire of Saturday’s Dubai World Cup runner up California Chrome – had been officially retired from stud duties).
Racing career
A full brother to the ill-fated South African based stallion, Strike Smartly, Smart Strike raced for owner-breeders Sam-Son Farm. He won six of his eight career outings, with his biggest victory coming in the 1996 Gr1 Philip E Iselin Handicap, but he broke down shortly afterwards and was duly retired to Lane’s End Farm in Kentucky.
Stud career
Smart Strike got off to a flyer at stud, when his first crop, numbering 56 foals, produced 10 stakes winners (18% of his initial crop in other words were black type winners). This would be his third most successful crop – with just his seventh and ninth crops (16 and 12 stakes winners respectively) faring better in terms of stakes production.
In total, the stallion (until the time of writing) has had 113 stakes winners to his credit. They include 12 individual champions and four Breeders Cup winners (Curlin, English Channel Furthest Land, My Miss Aurelia). Remarkably, all four of Smart Strike’s Breeders’ Cup winners scored in different races – Curlin (Classic), English Channel (Turf), Furthest Land (Dirt Mile) and My Miss Aurealia (Juvenile Fillies).
Hall of Fame
Smart Strike was a member of Canada’s Racing Hall Of Fame and the Canadian-bred star enjoyed considerable success in that country, where two of his offspring (Soaring Free, Never Retreat) were named Horse Of The Year. A further four of Smart Strike’s offspring were named Canadian champions.
Smart Strike, whose sons Curlin and Lookin At Lucky both won the classic Gr1 Preakness Stakes, has been represented by the earners of over $118 million and this total could still yet grow substantially over the next few years. In 2014, Smart Strike was represented by 14 individual stakes winners, including the Grade One winning fillies Crown Queen (Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Stakes) and Minorette (Belmont Oaks), and he ended 2014 as North America’s Third Leading Turf Sire.
Sire of sires
His legacy also continues to grow as a sire of sires. Smart Strike’s son, Lookin At Lucky, a US champion at both two and three, is currently North America’s Second Leading Second Crop sire, with his first runners including the stakes winners Lucky Player (Gr3 Iroquois Stakes) and Maybellene (Sunland Park Oaks) as well as the highly rated One Lucky Dane.
Smart Strike’s greatest son, Curlin, is also showing considerable promise as a stallion. Curlin’s top runner to date is Gr1 Belmont Stakes winner Palace Malice, who currently rates above his sire (Curlin is 15th whereas his sire is ranked 40th) on the US general sires list. Curlin, a dual Horse Of The Year, has been represented by three individual Graded stakes winners in 2015, and is the sire of promising US sophomores, and potential Triple Crown race contenders, Ocean Knight, Keen Ice and Bold Conquest.
Two other sons of Smart Strike, Papa Clem (10th) and Square Eddie (13th) rank in the top 20 on the US third crop sires log. Another Smart Strike son making headlines is former Breeders Cup Turf hero and Eclipse Champion, English Channel. The $5 million earner had no fewer than 12 stakes winners in 2014, including Gr1 Travers Stakes winner, V.E. Day, and his leading earner in 2015 is the talented mare, Parranda, winner of the inaugural CECF Singapore Cup. To date, Parranda has won seven stakes races and amassed over $2 million for owners China Horse Club.
Another millionaire by Smart Strike, Tenpins, also left his mark at stud, as the sire of Canadian classic winner Big Red Mike.
Broodmare sire
Smart Strike has also, inevitably perhaps given his own pedigree and the quality of both his own daughters and the mares he has covered, become a successful broodmare sire. To date, Smart Strike mares have produced 49 stakes winners including Gr1 Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird (Birdstone), the latter’s Gr1 winning half brother Dullahan (Even The Score), and Breeders Cup winner Shared Account (Pleasantly Perfect).
Reliability
So how does Smart Strike’s return (in terms of stakes winners) compare to other great sons of Mr Prospector? Woodman left behind 112 stakes winners, while legendary sire of sires, Gone West, has 101 official black type winners to his credit. The underrated Carson City had a total of 100 black type winners, Kingmambo sired 95 stakes winners, while former champion 2yo Machiavellian left behind 78 stakes winners. Other leading sire sons of Mr Prospector, Seeking The Gold, Gulch and Hussonet, have, to date, been represented by 92, 75, and 93 stakes winners respectively.
Unlike some of his paternal half brothers, however, Smart Strike maintained a consistent reputation as a sire of quality racehorses. In his first 14 crops to race, current 3yos excluded, Smart Strike had at least five individual stakes winner per crop – further underlining his reputation as one of North America’s most reliable sires of stakes class performers.
High class
Another testimony to Smart Strike’s class as a stallion is that at the time of his death, he was standing for a stud fee of $100 000 – equal to Distorted Humor and Kitten’s Joy. Only Tapit ($300 000), War Front ($150,000) and Medaglia D’Oro ($125 000) were more expensive stallions (in North America) at the time of the 23 year old’s death.
