Force the Pass to Stand in Saudi Arabia

Grade 1 winner and first-year sire of 2020 Force the Pass  has been sold to Saudi Arabian interests, confirmed Louis Merryman with Anchor & Hope Farm in Maryland, which stood the 8-year-old son of Speightstown .

Force the Pass was the first stallion venture for T.K. Kuegler's Wasabi Ventures Stallions, which acquired the horse from his owner/breeder Richard Santulli.

"I know this isn't a deal they were expecting, but the stallion market is so tough right now, you have to take your opportunities when they come," said Merryman of the sale, first reported by Thoroughbred Daily News.

"When we obtained Force the Pass a year ago, we had every expectation of turning him into a successful Mid-Atlantic stallion," said Kuegler. "We never had any intention of selling him, but when the offer came in out of the blue from Saudi Arabia, it was just too good to pass up. As everyone involved in racing and breeding knows, it is very hard to make money in this business, and while we are sad to see Force the Pass go, we are pleased for the ownership group that our first stallion venture resulted in a favorable outcome for them—especially during what have been generally challenging economic circumstances. Now, with this fantastic result under our belt and having learned a great deal about the stallion business, we can turn our attention to finding the next successful Wasabi stallion."

"Force the Pass was—and still is—a stand-out sire prospect," added George Adams, Wasabi's director of stallions and breeding. "We were excited to offer Maryland breeders the chance to breed to a stallion of his qualifications at what we think was a bargain price, and we are very appreciative of the support of all those breeders who sent mares to the horse. We are especially happy for the lifetime breeding right holders who believed in our program and in Force the Pass, and glad that we were able to do right by them even though they did not have an ownership interest in the horse."

He stood for $4,000 this year and lifetime breeding rights were made available at $6,000.

While trained by Alan Goldberg, Force the Pass strung together consecutive wins in the Penn Mile Stakes (G3T) and a 3 3/4-length victory in the Belmont Derby Invitational Stakes (G1T), which he won with a final half-mile in :45.65. He went on to place in the Secretariat Stakes (G1T) and Commonwealth Derby (G2T) to close out his 3-year-old season. He placed in four more stakes at 4 (three of them graded) then won Monmouth Park's Cliff Hanger Stakes at 6 in 1:33.73. He retired with $1,359,114 in earnings.

Force the Pass is out of the multiple grade 3-winning Dynaformer mare Social Queen, from the immediate female family of grade 1 and seven-time graded stakes winner Perfect Drift.