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Hall of Fame - Loki Paradise
Original article written by Louise Bayou posted 14 years 0 weeks agoThis lovely mare started off her Sim life with tons of expectations as she was the 2nd highest selling yearling in the old Sim. She was sold for $15,400,000 to Eric Nalbone who had to have this golden girl. By the prominent stallion Priceless Forever and the mega producing Sahara Gold, Loki Paradise was destined for greatness. While some high priced and royally bred horses are utter failures, Loki Paradise blossomed in to all that was expected of her.
She was a superstar on the track, running her race record to a near perfect 9:8-1-0, and earning $2,603,200 along the way. According to her owner Eric Nalbone, he feels her best race was her Steward’s Cup Distaff win. And looking at that field, it is easy to see why he feels that way. The top four finishers would all end their careers as millionaires. That field included Crown, Prevail, Sahara Dream and Champagne, the best the old Sim had to offer in the distaff division! In that race she dug down deep, and called on all of the heart she showed in her career, to get her nose in front right at the wire.
The only blemish on her race record was a hard fought 2nd by ¾ in the Louisville Oaks. While it is a loss, the fact that she dueled early, lost ground and re rallied to just get beat, is a valiant testament to her greatness. She was beat that day by the great Crown, who was a winner of $1,517,000 herself.
After her great racing career, she was sent to the breeding shed and did not slow down. She was sent to Worth Fighting For, and produced On the Precipice. This colt took after his dam, and quickly amassed earnings of $1,152,000. Next up for Loki Paradise was Gaze Unwavering, and she produced Righteous. This colt went on to earn a staggering $3,438,000 and is considered by Eric to be her best foal. He looks to Righteous winning the Travers Stake and the Jockey Gold Cup as his biggest wins.
Loki Paradise was also bred to the incomparable Saga, and produced Epic. This colt went on to win $1,393,200 in purse money and has progeny earnings of over $7,000,000.
She also produced the millionaire mare Saint. The crossing with Oak Park worked well, as Saint won $1,162,000 on the track. She is a multiple Grade 1 winner, and has progeny earnings of $1,700,290 so far.
While some superstar runners fail to continue that level of success in the breeding shed, Loki Paradise was not one of those. She dominated the breeding shed, as she did the track. Of her 9 foals, all but one was a graded stake winner, including 4 who earned over a million. So while $15,400,000 seems like a ton of money, and it is, Loki Paradise has proven to be well worth it.
This mare’s legacy will be felt for Sim years to come, and many more champions will come from her progeny. And as Eric Nalbone so modestly put it “She gave me plenty of good runners and that’s all you can ask for”.