Catalina Cruiser Earned His Spot on Lane's End's Roster

The team at Lane's End was hoping it had not seen the last of a flashy chestnut colt by the farm's stallion Union Rags  after he'd sold for $370,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

The colt, later named Catalina Cruiser , had always been a standout. If he was able to prove himself at the track, Lane's End would not have a problem finding a stall for him in one of its stallion barns. That hope evolved into a genuine stallion-making plan after Catalina Cruiser won his first graded stakes in the 2018 San Diego Handicap (G2) by 6 3/4 lengths.

"(Trainer) John Sadler is allergic to shipping horses. He hates to leave home, and he has plenty of horses in California," said David Ingordo, head of Lane's End Bloodstock and bloodstock agent for the colt's owner, Hronis Racing, while speaking at Lane's End's annual media day. "However, we have always known 'Cruiser' was special, and in order for him to become a Lane's End stallion, we knew he had to win a big race in a place like New York."

Sadler embraced the plan and sent Catalina Cruiser to Belmont Park for his 2019 debut in the True North Stakes (G2), where his driving kick in deep stretch set a stakes record of 1:14.85. Catalina Cruiser finished off the board only twice in his career, both in Breeders' Cup races, so he didn't add a grade 1 to his résumé. 

Ingordo, however, looks back at the True North and sees all the ability anyone could hope for in a stallion.

"'Cruiser' not only won a big race but set a stakes record in a race that has been around a long time," Ingordo said. "He is missing a grade 1, but look at sires like War Front  and Distorted Humor  that didn't get a grade 1 and were really fast and won big races. What a stallion needs is speed, and he's got the looks and pedigree to go with it."

With boxes checked in the performance and conformation columns, the attention has shifted toward the mares who are likely to cross well with Catalina Cruiser. For guidance, Ingordo said Lane's End has the benefit of seeing what's been working with Union Rags.

"It translates 100%," he said about planning matings according to the successes produced by an entering-year stallion's sire. Because Catalina Cruiser is out of a Mineshaft  mare, Ingordo said he's been looking at other broodmare sire lines that don't trace to Seattle Slew. One of the most promising is with mares by Storm Cat and his sons.

Among Union Rags' 15 black-type winners, four are out of mares by Storm Cat or his sons, and three of them are grade 1 winners—Paradise Woods (out of a Forest Wildcat mare), Dancing Rags (out of a Storm Cat mare), and Free Drop Billy  (out of a Giant's Causeway daughter).

Other crosses that have produced black-type winners include two out of mares by Mr. Prospector's son Smart Strike, one out of a mare by Mr. Prospector's son Seeking the Gold, and one out of a mare by Mr. Prospector's grandson Mr. Greeley (through Gone West). 

"Historically, those crosses will translate to the next generation and sometimes the third and fourth generation," Ingordo said.

As Lane's End readies to launch Catalina Cruiser's career, the team is also monitoring the development of progeny by its first-crop yearling sires Connect  and Unified . 

Connect is a multiple graded stakes winner whose best win came in the Cigar Mile Handicap (G1). He was retired with $1.37 million in earnings.

"Connect's progeny are more obvious horses," said Peter Sheehan, the yearling manager for Lane's End. "They have elegant profiles and are very attractive. Connect was a very forward horse. He is a refined, correct, and stylish version of his sire, Curlin , and seems to be passing that along to his stock, really stamping them. They have plenty of leg and scope. They're correct and move beautifully. I think we'll see some fireworks in the sale rings."

Unified is a multiple graded stakes-winning son of Lane's End sire Candy Ride . He won the Peter Pan Stakes (G2), Bay Shore Stakes (G3), and Gulfstream Park Sprint Stakes (G3). He also was runner-up in the Carter Handicap (G1). Unified was retired with four wins from seven starts and $476,880 in earnings.

"Unified was as good-looking a son of Candy Ride as I've ever been around," Sheehan said. "He had a great hip, a great shoulder, and a beautiful profile. His offspring remind me a lot of him and Twirling Candy . They have powerful hips and great shoulders and are great-moving horses. What's impressed me the most are their minds. They look like they will be good, honest horses that are trainable. We'll see the best of them once they are under tack."