Conduit - by Sarah Chase

When Ara Davies bred her blue-hen mare Rain Dancer on a whim to the prematurely retired superstar Symbol, she of course hoped the resulting foal would be good. However, nothing could have prepared her for Conduit.

He was one of the biggest in the fields, even as a yearling. His stride was beautiful and effortless. Stable hands knew him affectionately as "Pufferball," although he was tall and elegant. By the time Year 9 opened for racing, he was a lean, mean, racing machine.

Four and a half furlongs is not a long distance, but Conduit streaked around the track as a dark blur and hit the wire 14 lengths ahead of the next horse. He raced four more times as a two-year-old, taking three grade-3 stakes in quick succession and closing out the year with a win in the grade-1 Remsen Stakes.

It is a tribute to Conduit that even now, he stands out as Rain Dancer's greatest foal. Before him, the mare, a grade-1 winner in her own right, had produced three millionaires, as well as grade-2 winner Cyclone (famously ravaged by track terror Lucifer) and Waltz (eventual dam of the psychotic Gentle, who in turn eventually produced turf sprinting sensation Guitar).

As a three-year-old, Conduit skipped the Kentucky Derby, instead running in and sweeping the illustrious Canadian Triple Crown. The Breeders' Stakes was his first and only start on turf, and he rolled his way home by 8 lengths. Piece of cake, he seemed to say, tossing his head in the winner's circle. After the race, Davies shipped him back to California, where he'd first started racing, for the 7 furlong Malibu Stakes (gr. I). Only Conduit could have gone from a turf route to a dirt sprint and won them both in fine style.

When asked by reporters, Davies said she thought the Malibu would be "a great chance to show he had speed as well as stamina."

Conduit was slated to run in the Breeders' Cup Classic that year, but an airline strike left him stranded in California. Making the best of the situation, he went on to sweep the Strub series.

His four-year-old campaign was his best yet. He won the grade-2 San Fernando and Priceless Forever Stakes, grade-1 Strub Stakes, Pimlico Special, and Jockey Club Gold Cup. And then there was the Breeders' Cup Classic.

Year 11's star-studded field featured the almost Triple Crown winner Loki Masterpiece, Year 10's winner, Walkover, Dubai World Cup hero Gaze Unwavering, Kentucky Derby winner El Rival Decade, and four-time grade-1 winner Nothirdchances. This would be Conduit's final test; the coronation of a SIM legend. Davies shouldn't have worried - he thundered home 2 ½ lengths in front in the greatest race in racing history.

Giddy with joy and relief, Davies threw a fabulous cocktail party after the race, where she announced Conduit's retirement. He was voted Simmy Horse of the Year and Champion Older Male soon after, and retired undefeated in 17 starts with career earnings of $8,406,000.

Few horses can claim success both on and off the track. As a sire, Conduit shattered expectations and sired stakes winner after stakes winner - on both surfaces. In his first crop, he had the multiple grade-1 winner Zinfandel, Champion Female Sprinter Lookit, and superhorse Atlas, winner of 8 lifetime Simmys. His second crop included grade-1 winners Konstantine, Vendetta, Onetodefyallothers, Australian champion filly Map, European superstar Le Dauphin Noir, and the great Loki Dynasty. In the third crop, there was Kizzer, Unconquered, and 3-time Simmy winner Worlds An Audience (all millionaires, naturally).

And then the Conduit sire train really got rolling. The following year, he sired Australian Champion Older Female Choral, South American Champion Older Female Confirm, Japanese Derby winner It's Okay to Live, $2.3 million earner Vampire, South American champion Tejano Tribute, star older horse Tot Ziens, Champion Male Turf Horse Feature Attraction, and Horse of the Year/Champion 3yo Colt/Breeders' Cup Classic winner Fog City.

His last crop included Loki Empire, Enjoy Every Moment, Tackle, St. Leger winner Pendant, Majesty, who won two legs of the Canadian Triple Crown. In all, Conduit's offspring won a combined total of $88,302,480. He sired an incredible 25 millionaires.

With his stellar on-track achievements and even more amazing accomplishments in the shed, Conduit established himself as a true legend, a wonder horse for the ages. But at New River Farm in Virginia where he still roams the pastures, he is just the same old Pufferball to Davies and the gang.

Davies smiles as she watches a 15-year-old Conduit playing in his field. Leaning against the fence, she states, "Conduit is the best horse I ever bred or owned and I can't imagine how I could improve on him."