Sumaya U.S. Stable’s Protonico has been retired from racing and will enter stud at Taylor Made Stallions in Nicholasville, KY for 2017. The four-time Graded stakes-winning son of Giant’s Causeway will stand for a fee of $6,500 stands and nurses, and Taylor Made Stallions is offering lifetime breeding rights for breeders that have two live foals and pay the stud fees.
“We are very excited to have Protonico join our expanding stallion roster for 2017,” said Ben Taylor, Vice President of Taylor Made Stallions. “He was very unfortunate not to win a Grade 1, but he ran a 107 Beyer and defeated 22 Graded stakes winners, including Grade 1 winners Honor Code and Constitution. Besides being a tremendous value for breeders, Mr. Aboughazale is committed to supporting him heavily and wants to reward breeders who join him with the opportunity to earn a lifetime breeding right in Protonico.”
Trained by Todd Pletcher, Protonico retires after a decorated racing career that included four Graded stakes victories – more than any son of Giant’s Causeway standing stud in North America – on four different racetracks. The striking dark bay broke his maiden by 12 ¾ lengths at first asking at six furlongs as a 2-year-old, and went on to capture the $300,000 Smarty Jones S. (G3) at Parx and $200,000 Discovery H. (G3) at Aqueduct around two turns as a 3-year-old.
Protonico completed his sophomore campaign with a fast-closing runner-up finish in the $500,000 Clark H. (G1) against older horses at Churchill, finishing a diminishing half-length behind Hoppertunity and 1 ¼ lengths ahead of multiple Grade 1 winner Constitution. As a 4-year-old, he showed his speed and versatility by developing a front-running and stalking style in most of his starts, including a wire-to-wire five-length romp in Keeneland’s Ben Ali S. (G3). Protonico ran 1 1/8 miles in 1:48.79 over a fast track, earning a career-best 107 Beyer.
Protonico went on to score his biggest career win in his next start when he proved best over Grade 1 winners Noble Bird and Honor Code in the $400,000 Alysheba S. (G2) at Churchill on Kentucky Derby weekend. Protonico ran 1 1/16 miles in 1:42.34 over a fast track, earning his second career 103 Beyer.
“Protonico was a serious racehorse who showed Grade 1 talent at every stage of his career,” said Pletcher. “He beat some top-level horses in several Graded races at major tracks like Churchill, Keeneland and Aqueduct. I believe Protonico was very unlucky not to win a Grade 1, but he was one of the most versatile and better-looking horses we had in the barn.”
A near-millionaire earner of $997,587, Protonico retires with seven wins at six different racetracks and five different distances, from six furlongs to 1 1/8 miles, and on both fast and off-track conditions. He is out of the A.P. Indy mare Alpha Spirit, and his second dam is three-time Grade 1/Grade 2 winner Wild Spirit (Chi), winner of the Ruffian H. (G1) at Saratoga.
Breeders interested in a lifetime breeding right in Protonico must breed two mares, have two live foals, and pay the stands and nurses stud fees for each. They can elect to breed two mares in 2017, or one mare in each of 2017 and 2018 – whichever scenario best suits each breeder’s individual breeding program. After two stands and nurses fees are paid, the breeder would then earn a free breeding right every year for the life of the stallion. Taylor Made Stallions is offering a limited number of lifetime breeding right opportunities, and they will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis. Protonico will also participate in Taylor Made Stallions’ multiple-mare program in 2017, with significant discounts offered to breeders who breed more than one mare during the upcoming breeding season.
The stallion deal was brokered by the Chilean-based Sullivan Bloodstock. For more information about Protonico, any of Taylor Made Stallions’ breeding programs, or to set up an inspection, call Travis White or Brooks Taylor at 859-885-3345, contact by email at twhite@taylormadestallions.com, or visit www.TaylorMadeStallions.com.
