From Checkmate Thoroughbreds
COALINGA, Calif. (Jan. 17, 2022) — Halladay, a Grade 1 winner by the top international sire War Front, has been retired from racing and will commence his stallion career in 2022 at Harris Farms in California, as the property of a syndicate led by Adrian Gonzalez of Checkmate Thoroughbreds. He will be the only Grade 1 winning son of War Front to stand west of Kentucky and his only stakes winning son in California.
Halladay’s introductory fee is $7,500 live foal stand and nurse guarantee, with shares available.
Campaigned by Harrell Ventures and trained by Todd Pletcher, Halladay won six races including three stakes, earning $565,245. His greatest victory occurred in the 2020 Grade I Fourstardave Handicap at Saratoga, where he defeated Grade I winners Uni (GB), Got Stormy, Raging Bull (FR), Casa Creed, Without Parole (GB) and Valid Point, while leading gate to wire, stopping the clock for one mile on the turf in 1:33 1/5. In his next race, Halladay set the pace in the 2020 Breeder’s Cup Mile until deep stretch and was beaten only 2 ½ lengths.
“Halladay was a very talented colt,” Pletcher said. “He was precocious with elite cruising speed. He never had a bad day on the track and was a pleasure to train. He has the best qualities of his sire and broodmare sire and makes for an extremely exciting stallion prospect.”
Gonzalez said that “Halladay is a Grade I winner by War Front out of a graded stakes-winning Tapit mare. War Front is North America’s leading sire by percentage of stakes winners and Grade I winners to foals. Tapit has led the general sire list three times and has been a top-5 sire for nine of the last 10 seasons.
“He is a gorgeous, well-balanced horse standing 16.1 hands. It is a rare opportunity to launch a stallion with this genetic makeup that is a Grade I winner in California, and we are thrilled to present him.”
War Front is the sire of eight Champions, 23 Grade I winners and at least 100 stakes winners. He is the leading sire in North America by percentage of stakes winners, percentage of graded stakes winners and percentage of Grade I stakes winners from racing-age foals through 2021. In North America, War Front is the sire of the stallion The Factor (G1), as well as soon to hit market top stallion prospects Omaha Beach (GI) and Classic winner War of Will (GI).
Halladay was bred in Kentucky by Gainesway Farm and is out of the Tapit mare Hightap, herself a multiple graded stakes winner, including the Grade III Dogwood at Churchill Downs and the Grade III Iowa Oaks. For information about seasons and shares, contact Adrian Gonzalez. 1-805-720-5395. CheckmateRacing@yahoo.com.