First Faith Stallions Update - Year 61

[Erin Sanderson]

I will have a full compliment of stallions at the end of this year, especially the dirt route boys! With two new retirees planned in week 16, I figured it was high time I did a complete update on all of my stallions.

The headliner of the First Faith stallion barn is, of course, War Like Me, the breakout star of DR stallions. The two time champion has nicks that are nearly as high as Dave Matthews Band and produced freaks and stakes like there was no tomorrow in his first crop. He stands for $85,000 and will have approximately 75-80 slots left once I finish breeding my mares, so don't worry if you haven't gotten a foal from him yet!

New for Year 59 will be last year's Steward's Cup Classic champion Can't Take the Sky. This lovely colt has been at the top of his division for three straight seasons, and while he has been conservatively campaigned this year, it is all so he can be ready to throw down once again in the Steward's Cup! A six-time grade one winner in only 14 starts, he is, like his sire, a grandson of Accused Dreamer and another representative of the potent Sway female family that has carried my barn for generations (War Like Me and Uncompahgre are from another branch of the same family). His stud fee is to be determined, but will likely be in the range of his sire's $50,000.

Speaking of his sire, Castles Crumble is still going strong. He has a few newly minted stakes winners in his three-year-old crop, including recent Pennsylvania Derby winner Falling Fearless (out of a formidable mare), as well as a host of late blooming yearling and two year old stakes gallopers. The year 51 Steward's Cup Classic hero has very solid numbers among his peers (check him out in the Stud Book rankings) and can improve almost any mare. He stands for $50,000.

War Like Me a little too rich for your blood? Don't miss out on his half brother, Uncompahgre. By the peerless Dave Matthews Band, Uncompahgre has knocked heads with some of the toughest runners of his generation throughout his career, winning 11 of his 22 starts and earning over $1 million. Excelling at distances from 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 miles, he has a toughness to him that many horses lack. While he hasn't displayed the same brilliance as his brother on the track, he has still put up excellent speed figures time and time again, and with his pedigree I expect good things from him as a sire. He will stand for a fee in the range of $20,000.

If you're into turf routers and looking for something with a lovely pedigree and race record for that mare that you're not sure you want to spend a ton of money on, take a look at With Us in Spirit. A five-time grade one winner, he has been consistent, if not brilliant, as a sire, with plenty of winners to his name and average progeny earnings more than five times his stud fee of $5,000.

[Erin Sanderson]

As of last update, Castles Crumble has his newest grade one winner in Falling Fearless, who snagged the Caribbean Classic in Puerto Rico. This colt may be onwards and upwards next season, as he has handily defeated some very nice colts in his last two starts, including Louisville Derby third place finisher Ramblin, multiple graded stakes winners Blinding Light and Brakpan, and graded stakes winning Steward bred Livewire.

[Erin Sanderson]

Can't Take the Sky and Uncompahgre are officially retired, and their hypos are quite nice! They're both throwing grades in the range of Castles Crumble, maybe a tick higher, so very solid.

[Erin Sanderson]

Almost forgot, all of the remaining slots for War Like Me are now open!

[Erin Sanderson]

Just continuing the old thread - midyear updates brought new freaks for both War Like Me and Castles Crumble! The War Like Me half sister to Can't Take the Sky is now a freak and named Aim to Misbehave. And Where Forever Lies is the newest freak from Castles Crumble, out of a 3/4 sister to Day Will Break.

I absolutely failed at checking the numbers of freak gallopers War Like Me had before the changeover, but he is at an absurd 19 freaks in just his yearling and two year old crops, with many of the ones I still have that are NOT freaks or stakes are not mature yet.

Castles Crumble's numbers aren't quite as good, of course, not many stallions can be that excellent. But he still churns out stakes and freak level babies with fair regularity. Ash Tarasin's Teine is now excelling going long (1 1/2-2 miles) and his female family is loaded with stamina, so there may be reason to try those Frank babies going long!

[Erin Sanderson]

Just checked a few others that I had raced and couldn't gallop. Castles Crumble's What You Believe is now also a freak!

[Erin Sanderson]

War Like Me already has six winners in the first couple of nights of racing. And these kids are not slow. First out winners include: Steal the Sun, Santa Ynez, Aim to Misbehave, and the fastest of them all, Atlas Falls.

Castles Crumble also already has three two year old debut winners: Dalera, Honour Among Thieves, and Llorien.

[Erin Sanderson]

Those fancy gallop numbers for War Like Me weren't just for gallops: he is THE premiere first crop sire in dirt routing. Sixteen winners already, 5 stakes winners, and check out his rankings among first crop sires in the stud book. Only horses above him in basically any category cover multiple divisions. All slots (well, almost all, I still haven't done much of any breeding yet) now open for the end of the year breeding rush.

Castles Crumble may not be as flashy, but he continues to get good ones, including the undefeated juvenile G1 winner Honour Among Thieves. His numbers are as good as almost any stallion in his price range, and he is getting ready to turn 14. He won't be around for much longer!

Don't forget the latter's son, Can't Take the Sky (whose dam is now a freak machine and has two more graded stakes winning siblings to this guy now on the track) and War Like Me's half brother, Uncompahgre, a son of the peerless Dave Matthews Band! These pedigrees and race records are power packed for bargain stud fees!

[Erin Sanderson]

Reminder that the lovely Castles Crumble is 14 this year and could be pensioned at any moment! When the time comes, I will be extending him for 72 hours if I get the alert in time, but it will be coming soon.

Clearly, he has a great nick with Prince Louder mares, but also seems to cross well on a variety of other bloodlines, including After the Disco, Allonsy, James Dean and Anointed. This guy's pedigree is LOADED with stamina, he is consistently getting stakes winners that want to go long, and is getting more freaks and stakes gallopers with every year change. Don't miss out on what could be his last season!

Meanwhile, his son Can't Take the Sky has a lovely second crop, including this colt who is the first freak galloper from his dam. He has lots of promise, and will be seeing more top tier mares from my own barn in the next couple of seasons.

I have done an extraordinarily poor job of supporting both Wayward Son and Uncompahgre, but both have excellent pedigrees and very fine race records, as well as decent gallop numbers from relatively poor mares. At bargain prices for dirt route stallions, there isn't much risk involved with these two, and the rewards could be great.

War Like Me continues to churn out freak and stakes gallopers and is already the sire of FIVE graded stakes winners from his first crop. Never fear, he will be publicly available at intervals all season long, with at least half of his slots saved for the end of year breeding rush. I am currently evaluating his stud fee, however, and there may be a slight increase. Or he may stay right where he is. As usual, don't be afraid to message me if you're concerned about being shut out of his book. I don't bite!

ETA: ALL of the above are also Steward approved!

[Erin Sanderson]

Just a quick note that Can't Take the Sky has two yearling freaks in a crop of only 25! Both are out of Easy On the Eyes lined mares, so keep him in mind for those Heart of the Storm and Happy This Way daughters especially! He also has multiple late blooming stakes and allowance horses from that cross, as well as from James Dean daughters and granddaughters.

[Erin Sanderson]

I guess Castles Crumble is now pensioned. I would have extended him but never got any alerts of any kind, so I guess I've completely misunderstood the process.

I found my horse injury notifications turned off, which isn't a thing I did, but maybe that's why I never received it.

[Lily Wilkins]

I guess Castles Crumble is now pensioned. I would have extended him but never got any alerts of any kind, so I guess I've completely misunderstood the process.

I found my horse injury notifications turned off, which isn't a thing I did, but maybe that's why I never received it.

There was never a notification in the game's News Feed about his impending pensioning either. I've been keeping an eye on it because I had a filly that I was considering retiring to breed to him if he was going to pension.

[Carole Hanson]

I did notice in my alerts he moved to the section at the bottom and had no fee but I assumed you would extend him soon and didn’t know you didn’t realise he would pension. Lily, not entirely sure, but I don’t think it shows up that they are due to pension unless they are manually extended or pensioned on the whole.

I also had 2 stallions pensioned just this week and the game sent me messages for both. The message is a horse alert, is it possible you missed it? I believe it also falls under “Horse Injury Notification” so it’s possible you have those messages turned off?

[Erin Sanderson]

The message is a horse alert, is it possible you missed it? I believe it also falls under “Horse Injury Notification” so it’s possible you have those messages turned off?

See above. I found those turned off, but I never did so. I have no idea how it happened.

[Ash Tarasin]

I'm glad I actually got around to breed the final mare I considered sending to him two weeks ago. Fingers crossed their daughter is good enough to breed from eventually.