Cigar Mile hero Sharp Azteca to stand at Three Chimneys

Sharp Azteca, winner of the Grade 1 Cigar Mile Handicap last year and four other Graded stakes, will stand the 2019 season at Three Chimneys Farm in Kentucky.

He will command an advertised fee of $10,000 on live foal, stands and nurses terms.

Sharp Azteca is by Freud, a brother to Giant's Causeway. He is out of the Saint Liam mare So Sharp, who is a half-sister to the dam of Graded stakes winner Firing Line.

The female family traces to Three Chimneys foundation mare and Grade 1 winner Gorgeous, as well as to Overbrook farm foundation mare and Grade 1 winner Seaside Attraction.

A model of consistency, Sharp Azteca finished on the board 14 times in 17 starts, with earnings of $2,406,740. He won the Cigar Mile by a commanding five and a quarter lengths over Grade 1 winners Practical Joke and Mind Your Biscuits, and Grade 2 winner/Grade 1 performer Tom's Ready.

One of the leading sprinter-milers of his generation, Sharp Azteca posted a 115 Beyer Speed Figure in the Cigar Mile. His performance in the Grade 2 Kelso Handicap, also at a mile, earned him a 112 Beyer via a four-length victory over Grade 3 winner Divining Rod and Tom's Ready in a time of 1:34.12.

"Sharp Azteca was brilliantly fast, and when you watch his races, you will see speed, toughness, and tenacity, all three of which are elements we like in a stallion prospect," Three Chimneys chairman Goncalo Torrealba said.

"We believe that Sharp Azteca can be another offshoot branch of the Storm Cat line through Giant Causeway's full-brother Freud, similar to what Harlan, Harlan's Holiday, and Into Mischief did."

"When you see Sharp Azteca, he's absolutely striking," said Doug Cauthen of Three Chimneys. "He's big and powerful and is a true conformation stallion.

"He was a top-class miler who ran superbly in every jurisdiction he competed at - Churchill, Belmont, in the Breeders' Cup at Del Mar, and in Dubai - it didn't matter. He was simply a runner and offers breeders a great value opportunity.

"Sharp Azteca is the kind that can get them a great-looking sales horse and a proper racehorse down the road."

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