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Leading Sire Flames Pensioned at 14
Original article written by Emily White posted 10 years 2 weeks agoEarlier this morning, Gerry Hardie's marquee sire Flames was pensioned as a result of declining fertility. The bay stallion had already seen a large number of mares this year already as breeders anticipated his retirement from stud. Flames will now live his life at Pipers Heath in North America, alongside a handful of other pensioned stallions such as Desert Nomad and Born the Best.
It is only fitting that Flames is pensioned at the start of Louisville Derby week. A Derby winner himself, he produced Flame and Smoke and Ball of Fire, two colts who went on to win the roses themselves. Along with the Derby, Flames also captured the Long Island Classic and the Midsummer Derby and was an overwhelming choice for champion three year-old colt in Year 25. Never hitting the board in his two tries for the Stewards' Cup Classic - finishing fifth and fourth, respectively - Flames retired to stud with a record of eight wins in fifteen starts and earnings of over $3.7 million.
Not long after, Flames was already finding success as a stallion. In his first crop, he produced the white-faced chestnut Flame and Smoke. The first foal out of the unraced Mr. Prospector mare Miss Secretary, Flame and Smoke's biggest win was his length victory in the Year 29 Louisville Derby over Father Ralph and Saharan Ace. He also captured the Awesome Derby of that year and was named the Sim's champion three year-old colt. Another good member of Flames' first crop was The Other Man, a consistent Grade 1 winning son of Piece of the Moon's final foal, Salute the Sky.
From then on, producing champions was like clockwork for Flames. One of his most versatile sons turned out to be Smoulders, who has shown the ability to produce runners on all three surfaces. His daughter out of champion Wonder, Sleep Soundly, produced last year's Derby winner Doc Halladay. The unruly dark bay Akon came back with a vengeance in the summer of Year 31 and defeated all his old rivals in the Midsummer Derby.
After a few more crops of successful runners, along came Ball of Fire. Scott Eiland's first Derby winner came with a rush on the turn to win the Derby by a growing length and a half. While he failed to win the Triple Crown, he did come back to win the Midsummer Classic and was North America's champion three year-old male of Year 34.
Finally, though, Flames produced a son who did what he could not - win the Stewards' Cup Classic. After a loss to fellow Flames son Rambling in the Midsummer Derby, the handsome bay Ice and Fire stepped it up - as a three year-old, to boot - to defeat a stellar field at Arcadia Park, which included the aforementioned Ball of Fire and two other Derby winners in Forward and Doc Halladay. In that regard, it is almost fitting that Flames has been retired from stud, for he has done everything a good dirt router stud is expected to.
In his many years at stud, Flames produced 40 stakes winners, including eleven millionaires. His total progeny earnings stand at over $41.6 million, but bear in mind that he still has three more crops that are yet to make their racetrack debuts. One of the greatest sires of our times, Flames' presence as a sire will be sorely missed by breeders around the world.