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By Emily Shields, pyoondensed version:
Mike and Patty Harrington
Patty Harrington swore that she wouldn’t sell California- bred Milton Freewater unless the money could make a significant difference in the lives of her and husband, Mike. When offers did start coming for the juvenile colt, bred, raised, and trained by Patty to win his debut, she stalled, waiting for a number that she had tucked away in her mind.
Milton Freewater surpassed that number when he sold for $250,000 at the 2016 Barretts May 2-year-old sale to bloodstock agent Dennis O’Neill on behalf of owners Danny Kramer and Head of Plains Racing (Sol Kumin). The son of Creative Cause may have left the Harrington family, but his story is just one page in a continually unfolding tale written by the happily married couple, who have been jointly impacting the sport for decades.
Patty recently overheard a man refer to Mike as “the stallion maker,” and the moniker rang true. Mike conditioned grade I winner Swiss Yodeler for longtime client Heinz Steinmann, and expectations were hopeful but modest when the son of Eastern Echo retired.
The Harringtons bred an army of their own stock to him and then watched in delight as Swiss Yodeler marched his way to the top of the California sire standings. With his 15th crop hitting the track, Swiss Yodeler has 429 winners and 30 stakes winners, and his progeny earnings have topped $29 million. His best runner to date is Eclipse Award-winning sprinter Tor’s Echo, who earned $2,461,490 and won the 2006 TVG Breeders’ Cup Sprint (gr. I) at Churchill Downs.
The Harringtons have been looking for their next big stallion ever since, and may suddenly have two at the same time. Creative Cause and Empire Way both raced for Steinmann, and both entered stud in 2013. The two stallions are now enjoying early success by their offspring on the racetrack.