Desert Party Moved to Pennsylvania's Godstone Farm
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Photo: Courtesy Irish Hill Century Farm
Graded/group stakes winner and sire Desert Party is being relocated from New York to Judith Barrett's Godstone Farm near Littlestown, Pa., where he will stand for $2,500.
The 14-year-old son of Street Cry had stood in New York since 2013—first at Sequel Stallions New York and then at Irish Hill Century Farm—but now owner Dr. Stephen Sinatra wants to further his stallion's career through Pennsylvania's state-bred incentive program, according to Richard Brooks, who manages Desert Party.
"The Pennsylvania program is really sharp," Brooks said. "We've also been watching Judy's success with Well Spelled, who has 61% winners from starters and two stakes winners from limited crops. We're expecting more great things from Desert Party. The horse has a lot of energy left."
Raced by Godolphin, Desert Party won a graded or group stakes every year he raced. He won the Sanford Stakes (G2) at 2, won the Gulf News U.A.E Two Thousand Guineas (G3) and was runner-up in the Saeed & Mohammed Al Naboodah Group U.A.E. Derby (G2) at 3, and captured the Derrinstown Stud Elnadim Mahab Al Shimaal (G3) and Donald LeVine Memorial Handicap at 4. He retired with six wins from 10 starts and earned $928,467.
"(Trainer) Eoin Harty told me, 'If this horse was a man walking into a room, he'd fill the room,'" Brooks said. "He was tough."
As a stallion, Desert Party has sired seven black-type winners and 10 black-type performers. His best North American runners include multiple stakes winners Heart's Song and Aunt Babe and graded-placed winners Desert Dynamo and Can't Happen Here.
Desert Party has had particularly good success with his daughters, who have won at a 51% rate from all female foals of racing age and account for five of his black-type winners. Overall, the sire's runners have earned more than $9.6 million and are averaging $50,029 per starter.
Desert Party has been a top-10 New York sire by progeny earnings from 2016-19. For 2019, the stallion was the third-leading sire by percentage of winners from starters at 59% and was the fifth-leading sire by number of repeat winners among New York's top 20 stallions.