Hall of Fame - Sayf

Original article written by Nathan Klein posted 3 years 2 weeks ago

Sayf is one of the more humble Hall of Famers. He only took 1 graded stakes race in his career but he also managed a total of 8 other stakes victories throughout his 6-year career. While he was never the greatest Arabian in a given year he was the blue-collar Arabian of his decade like Dessert Challenge was the decade before. He was immediately entered into listed stakes for his first race. He didn't disappoint. He broke quickly and rushed to the front. There he fought anyone who tried to pass him giving it all he had. When they hit the finish line he held on by a stern neck to defeat the late closing Blue List. A start later he won more convincingly to take the Eye On You Stakes by 3/4 of a length. He would go on to win 3 of his first 4 starts all in listed stakes races. The last of which was his most impressive when he won the On The Stretch Out Stakes by a strong 1 3/4 lengths, never letting anyone get near him. Even in defeat, he gave it his all with his lone defeat in those four starts being a second by a neck. But after that Sayf fizzled his next 2 starts, finishing fourth and fifth in the Breathe For Air Stakes and the Steward's Cup Arabian Dash.

He soon returned at age four, finishing second in a thrilling blanket finish that included five horses separated by noses and heads. After this, he had an easier time in a non-winners of 5 taking the race by a length before taking a huge break at Greener Pastures Nursery. He took nine weeks off of racing and when he returned he finished fourth and then was sixth in the Steward's Cup Arabian Dash.

Despite a rough 4-year-old year, when he returned at age 5 he started to really show his determination. In 11 starts at ages 5 and 6, he finished no worse than third. Many of those defeats were settled by inches. He knew exactly what he needed to do in a race. He'd break out of the gate like a bullet and stay near the front of the pack. For those 5-6 furlongs, he'd run his heart out and sometimes it was enough and sometimes it wasn't. Most of the time it was down to who got the right head bob. He was a warrior taking the Asir Stakes and finishing third in the Grade 1 Steward's Cup Arabian Dash at age 5. At age 6 he took the June Weather Stakes and Breathe For Air Stakes. By the end of his 6-year-old season, he had won 8 times out of 23 starts with 6 of his wins in stakes races.

He would race on for 2 more years and it was a mixed bag. Age 7 would be his last great year on the track although he would sometimes falter and finish off the board. He managed some of his biggest successes at the age of 7, including another win in the Asir Stakes but also his first-ever graded stakes win when he ran in the Pillar Of Creation Stakes. He stayed right behind the leaders early like he always did before sprinting just in front. He was never a clear leader but at the line, it was a blanket finish with only a length separating the 11 horses. He won by a nose, taking home his first graded stakes win. He would later finish the year with another third in the Steward's Cup Arabian Dash. Sayf would have an unremarkable final season at age 8, he only finished on the board twice in 6 starts and only took home one stakes victory in the Unfunny Stakes. He closed out his long career with a fourth in the Steward's Cup Arabian Dash losing a blanket photo for second place as Krush led the field by a strong length and a quarter. He would retire with 11 wins in 35 starts and earnings just under half a million dollars. At stud he turned out to be quite successful with over 15 million in progeny earnings. These included 6 victories in the Steward's Cup and 34 stakes winners overall. These included 2 millionaires Military Uprising and Fatima Blush who both won the Steward's Cup Arabian Dash twice during their careers. Sayf was what you want in an Arabian horse that can run for years and years and then pass on his genes to make horses better than himself.

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