Multiple Grade 1-winning millionaire and Kentucky Derby (G1) runner-up
PIONEEROF
THE NILE (Empire Maker) will stand the 2010 breeding season at Dr. Tom
Simon’s Vinery near Lexington, Kentucky, as property of a syndicate.
An Ahmed Zayat homebred, Pioneerof the Nile broke his maiden as a
two-year-old at Saratoga then followed that victory by placing in the Breeders’
Futurity (G1) at Keeneland. Transferred to Bob Baffert’s barn following a close
fifth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1), Pioneerof the Nile blossomed under his
care. After a series of brilliant workouts, Pioneerof the Nile made his first
start for Baffert a winning one when he bravely staved off I Want Revenge
(Stephen Got Even) in the CashCall Futurity (G1).
As a three-year-old, Pioneerof the Nile dominated the California
three-year-old division with wins in the Robert B. Lewis S. (G2), San Felipe
(G2) and Santa Anita Derby (G1), the latter in authoritative fashion as an
odds-on favorite.
“Pioneerof the Nile is a horse we have admired for a long time,” Vinery
General Manager Tom Ludt said. “We wholeheartedly believe in the horse and
intend to support him with our racing program. We love his race record,
pedigree, and physical.”
“We are excited about our partnership with Vinery,” Zayat said. “Pioneerof
the Nile is not just our first homebred Grade 1 winner, but he is also our first
homebred to race. We have retained a 50 percent interest in him and we plan to
support him in all ways that we can. Pioneerof the Nile is the only colt of his
generation to win a Grade 1 at age two and three. He was a dream horse to own
and campaign.”
“When Pioneerof the Nile won the CashCall Futurity, I knew I had a real deal
Derby horse. He had speed when he needed it and a mind that allowed him to
handle anything,” Hall of Fame trainer Baffert said. “I’ve come to learn that
the really good ones run on any kind of surface like he did. I had my sights set
on the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1), and I think he would have been very tough.
I’m thankful to Mr. Zayat for letting me develop his first homebred Grade 1
winner.”
“This is the best three-year-old I have ever ridden. Period,” jockey Garrett
Gomez said.
Pioneerof the Nile retired with career earnings of $1,634,200 from a
10-5-1-1 mark. His stud fee has not been announced.