'He's believed in him' - faith repaid after Kentucky Derby glory for Protonico

A young Kentucky stallion attracting an average book of 36 mares for his first three years at stud typically finds a new home in a regional market or overseas. That has not been the fate of second-crop sire Protonico, whose owner-breeder Oussama Aboughazale has almost single-handedly supported this stallion for one simple reason - Aboughazale believes in him.

Aboughazale's faith in the ten-year-old son of Giant's Causeway was rewarded in the grandest way possible, by his siring Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit from his first crop.

"It's a tough spot in the stallion business for a horse like Protonico to get mares because he didn't get that Grade 1 win, though he had Grade 1 ability," said Frances Relihan, bloodstock manager for Aboughazale's Sumaya Farm and Sumaya US Stables.

"For so long we've talked about the realities of the market with this horse, but he's believed in him 110 per cent. I take my hat off to Mr Aboughazale. He's loyal to the horse, and we are so happy to see Protonico break out with a horse like this with limited opportunity."

Protonico, who stands at Castleton Lyons, is a third-generation Sumaya homebred from one of the farm's most successful families developed from the winning Wild Again mare Wild Princess, who Aboughazale acquired at the 1997 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale for $10,000 from Lane's End's.

Wild Princess sold for $80,000 at the 1991 Keeneland July Sale, the auction house's former boutique summer select sale, to Amanda Skiffington.

The filly would eventually be raced by owner Edward Evans but made only two starts at two in Britain for the Luca Cumani yard, with a win - under a 21-year-old Frankie Dettori - and a second.

She was retired to Evans' breeding programme and produced three foals that did not have any stakes-level success, so she was offered at Keeneland in foal to Prenup.

Protonico's son Medina Spirit (right) shows plenty of it to win the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs under John VelazquezCredit: Rob Carr

Aboughazale shipped Wild Princess to his farm in Chile, where he first started breeding thoroughbreds. For the first mating he took the mare to three-time leading Chilean sire Hussonet and got multiple Chilean champion Wild Spirit.

Wild Spirit won the Mil Guineas, Gran Criterium and Alberto Solari Magnasco, and was runner-up in the Chilean St Leger for Aboughazale on her way to being named 2003 Chilean Horse of the Year and champion three-year-old filly.

At four she was sent to the United States, where she won the Ruffian Handicap, Delaware Handicap and Shuvee Handicap, and was second in the Personal Ensign Handicap.

Alpha Spirit, the dam of Protonico, is the first foal out of Wild Spirit and by A.P. Indy. She never got to fully prove herself at the track with only two starts but is a full-sister to Sumaya's homebred stakes winner Diva Spirit and a half-sister to the stakes-placed winner Wild Zambezi.

Alpha Spirit quickly made her mark as a broodmare, producing Protonico as her first foal. The colt went on to land four Graded wins with victories in the Alysheba Stakes, Smarty Jones Stakes, Discovery Handicap and Ben Ali Stakes.

He made a valiant run at Hoppertunity in the 2014 Clark Handicap but was a dwindling half-length back at the wire. Protonico was third again behind Hoppertunity in the Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes. He retired with seven wins from 16 starts and earnings of $997,587.

Relihan said: "He was unlucky to not get that Grade 1 win in the Clark Handicap, but he was a fighter and a very game, tough horse. Mr Aboughazale always says heart is what is most important to him."

Protonico first retired to stud at Taylor Made Stallions in 2017, where he stood for $6,500. The following year he was relocated to Darby Dan Farm for one breeding season, and then eventually found a home at the Ryan family's Castleton Lyons, where he has stood since 2019.

Aboughazale bought 235 acres in Bourbon County that was formerly Belvedere Farm and then Crystal Springs Farm. The farm soon reached its capacity for mares, so Relihan contacted a long-time friend, Patrick Hayes, who is the farm manager at Castleton Lyons, which is near Sumaya Farm. Protonico was sent to Castleton Lyons along with a group of mares.

"It is such a beautiful farm; almost an untapped resource," said Relihan about Castleton Lyons, which also stands three-time US champion and Castleton Lyons homebred Gio Ponti. "Patrick and I grew up together in Ireland and I know he does a wonderful job."

Medina Spirit is not the only star to come out of the first crop bred by Aboughazale since he established Sumaya Farm, which is managed by Jody Alexander. He also bred Princess Noor, a daughter of Not This Time, who won the 2020 Del Mar Debutante Stakes and Chandelier Stakes for Zedan Racing Stables, which also owns Medina Spirit.

Another from the 2018 crop is Zainalarab, a filly by War Front out of the Grade 3-winning Tapit mare Delightful Joy, who Shadwell Estate bought for $1 million at the 2019 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. She won on her debut at two and was runner-up in a $118,000 allowance/optional claimer at Churchill Downs last month.

As for Protonico, he now leads the North American second-crop sire standings with more than $2.2m in earnings and is the only sire of his class with a Grade 1 winner this year from 40 named foals of racing age.

He has the fewest number of named foals among the top 25 second-crop sires. Protonico's book contained 34 mares for his first year at stud in 2017, then 51 mares in 2018, 23 in 2019, and 16 in 2020.

The vast majority of mares being bred to Protonico are owned by Aboughazale, who has had to strike a balance between supporting his stallion and running a viable commercial breeding business.

"He wished he could have given him more mares, but it is a push-pull with breeding for the commercial market," said Relihan. "He supported him with close to 20 mares his first two years but when you are selling commercially you have to breed to more of those types of sires."

Still, Protonico's runners - like Medina Spirit - are proving capable of overcoming the challenges of limited books.

Relihan said: "He received a wide variety of mares, and the one common denominator with the foals is that they all walk really well. They are good-striding horses. They don't all look the same, but they are smooth, athletic horses.

"He's had ten runners so far and they all have heart. Medina Spirit at every turn in the road has exceeded expectations. To hear everything Bob Baffert has said about the horse since he got him last year, how competitive he is and once he gets that lead, he will give every sinew in him not to let a horse pass him. He has the heart of a lion."

For more news on US racing, sales and bloodstock news visit bloodhorse.com