By Bloodhorse.com
ELK GROVE, Calif. (May 30, 2023) — Not only did Fast Buck ‘s dogged win in the May 27 Daytona Stakes (G3T) at Santa Anita Park hand his trainer Cesar De Alba his first win in graded company, but it was the first graded win for the gelding’s sire Gallant Son as well.
With a record of 11-5-6 from 40 starts, Gallant Son retired to stud in 2016 at Daehling Ranch in Elk Grove, Calif., as a multiple stakes winner capped by a victory in the 2010 Inglewood Handicap (G3T). He was initially entered into stud in partnership, but is now owned by Justin and Julia Oldfield who took over the ranch when Julia’s father/founder Joe Daehling died several years back.
“My wife and I are second generation. My father-in-law passed away in 2019 and we took over the business and are continuing on with the operation and trying to grow it,” said Justin Oldfield. “Gallant Son went to Washington for a couple years and we had the opportunity to get him back this year so he’s back on our farm now in California. We’re very happy to have him back.”
Oldfield bred Fast Buck out of his mare Zorra Roja, by Falstaff, who he campaigned along with trainer Holly Evans to two wins from 21 starts before retiring her to his broodmare band. The mare did not take long to prove her worth as her first foal, a daughter of Thisnearlywasmine named Fast and Foxy , earned multiple wins in stakes company and earned over $500,000 for Oldfield and Evans.
“I think Fast Buck’s combination of both the mare and the stallion is pretty special given the fact that (Zorra Roja) has Fast and Foxy. She had her own time in the spotlight,” Oldfield said.
“Fast Buck was born and raised at our ranch and then we sold him, and he went south and was trained down there. We’re obviously very happy (for the current owners). It’s one of those deals where you can’t own every horse you breed, and certainly (we’d) love to own Fast Buck still, but that’s the way of the breeding business.”
The mare has eight other foals besides Fast and Foxy with Fast Buck being her second most successful. Though the gelding is Gallant Son’s most successful progeny thus far, some of the stallion’s others include stakes-placed Carolina Mia and Crazy Dreams and last-out allowance optional claiming winner Gallant Guy .
“For a horse like Gallant Son, who I would call one of the more affordable horses in California (stands the 2023 season at $2,500), to be able to have the record that he has produced is incredible. We’re breeding quite a few of our mares to him and he continues to show that he’s a proven producer. To have a grade 3 under his belt, we’re very excited.”Though the stallion’s foal crop is significantly smaller compared to those of more ‘commercial’ horses, with only 43 in total from seven crops, Oldfield says he is delighted with the results.
“To have that kind of power in a smaller foal crop, to me, shows he’s good quality, and certainly, he’s doing something right,” he said. “He’s got horses that I think can run in both the north and the south and you have horses that run in Kentucky that can also play with the big boys back there.”
For the future, Daehling Ranch hopes to be a part of invigorating new fans to come into the sport by continuing the dream of breeding, raising, training, and racing top athletes out of their West Coast operation.
“My wife and I, with everything that’s going on with California racing and racing in general, you see everything in the news,” Oldfield said. “We’re younger, I am on the board for the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association and we definitely need more young people in the game to keep it going.
“We’re investing significant time and money to try and continue the sport we love, which is Thoroughbred racing and breeding. For a family like ours with young kids and really trying to do what we can to keep the sport alive, yesterday was super exciting for us.”