Heartwood to Enter Stud at Rancho San Miguel

Heartwood , a multiple graded stakes-placed multiple stakes winner by Tapit , will enter stud at Rancho San Miguel in California at the conclusion of his racing career in early 2021, the farm announced Dec. 22. He will stand for $2,500 with a live foal guarantee.

The 6-year-old horse, who races for the partnership of Stuart Tsujimoto and David Bernsen, has won or placed in six black-type races at six different racetracks to date and is scheduled to make two final starts in graded stakes company at Santa Anita Park in January before retiring to stallion duties.

Bred in Kentucky by Blue Heaven Farm, Heartwood sold for $500,000 as the highest-priced weanling at Fasig-Tipton's 2014 The November Sale to Bridlewood Farm and Three Chimneys Farm, out of the Taylor Made Sales Agency consignment. 

Heartwood got his first win and became a black-type winner at 3, when he won the Steel Valley Sprint Stakes at Mahoning Valley Race Course in 2017. At 4, he won or placed five times from 13 starts and added to his stakes record with a victory in the Senator Robert C. Byrd Memorial Stakes at Mountaineer Casino Racetrack and Resort and two placed finishes in graded stakes, a second in Fall Highweight Handicap (G3) at Aqueduct Racetrack and a third in the Mr. Prospector Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream Park. He began his 5-year-old season with a victory in the King Cotton Stakes at Oaklawn Park. Heartwood was raced initially by Bridlewood and Three Chimneys and then went through several ownership changes. Tsujimoto has been an owner of Heartwood since mid 2017 and Bernsen became a co-owner in 2019.

Heartwood is the first foal out of Forestry's grade 3-placed multiple stakes winner Maple Forest, a daughter of the grade 2-placed stakes winner Maple Syrple and a half sister to French group 3 winner Golden Century (El Prado). Maple Forest is also the dam of multiple stakes-placed winner Luzmimi Princess (Malibu Moon ).

"We are excited to offer West Coast breeders a stallion prospect of this magnitude by North America's most successful sire of the modern era," said Rancho San Miguel owner and manager Tom Clark. "Not only does Heartwood hold distinction as Tapit's only dirt stakes winner available in California, he boasts the same broodmare sire as North America's leading freshman sire of 2020, Nyquist .

"As a direct male descendant of the breed-shaping stallion A.P. Indy, he also complements our existing stallion roster, which includes sires from the Mr. Prospector, Relaunch, and Storm Cat lines," Clark continued.

In addition to newcomer Heartwood, Rancho San Miguel stands the grade 1-siring shuttle stallion Sir Prancealot ; California's second-ranked 2020 second-crop sire Curlin to Mischief ; multiple grade 2 winner Danzing Candy ; graded stakes winner Northern Causeway ; two-time Pacific Classic Stakes (G1) winner Richard's Kid ; grade 1-placed multiple stakes winner Slew's Tiznow; and grade 1 winner Tom's Tribute. Inspections of all stallions are available by appointment.