Pontiff, Half Brother to Pulpit, Standing in California

Freshman sire Pontiff , a winning half brother to major sire of sires Pulpit, has been relocated from Warlock Stables in Washington State to Daehling Ranch in Northern California for the 2022 breeding season. He will stand for an advertised fee of $2,500.

"We are excited to move Pontiff to California, in order to take advantage of the state's lucrative breeding and racing program," said Tim Floyd with Warlock Stables, which stood the stallion in 2020-21. Floyd manages the 11-year-old stallion for a partnership that includes Daehling Ranch owners Justin and Julia Oldfield and California Chrome  's former co-owner/breeder Perry Martin. "The Washington breeding industry has shrunk significantly over the past 20 years, so his opportunities here as a young, well-bred stallion are extremely limited.

"With his extraordinary pedigree, we believe Pontiff deserves a chance to court a better and more abundant broodmare colony in California," Floyd added. "He is a handsome, charismatic stallion whose early foals really look the part, and whose best-bred foals are in his upcoming crops."

Bred in Kentucky by Claiborne Farm and sold to Donegal Racing for $310,000 at the 2011 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, the son of Giant's Causeway started out with trainer Dale Romans. He finished second beaten a neck in his second lifetime start at 3 behind Midnight Aria , who would go on to win the Queen's Plate that year. The performance earned the colt a shot in the 2013 Besilu Stables Florida Derby (G1), where he was unplaced.

Beginning in 2014, Pontiff raced for owner Edward McAlvain and trainer Kenneth Nolen, who campaigned him from 4 to 7. He found the winner's circle three times, winning at 1 1/16 miles at Sam Houston Race Park on turf, at a mile on dirt in Oklahoma, and in a 7 1/2-furlong turf sprint at Canterbury Park. Overall, Pontiff compiled a 3-10-7 record from 35 starts and banked $126,481.

Pontiff entered stud in 2018 at El Dorado Farms in Washington and was moved the next year to Roche Farm for the 2019 breeding season. Both Pontiff and Demon Warlock  were then sent to Warlock Stables near Spokane. Pontiff has sired 24 registered foals that include 14 juveniles and 10 yearlings. His progeny includes five starters as of Aug. 18 and one placed runner, a filly named Pontiffany .

Pontiff is one of 12 winners produced by grade 1 winner Preach (Mr. Prospector). Her progeny include prominent sire Pulpit, group 3-placed winner Urban Poet, and stakes-placed winner and multiple stakes producer Tell It. Preach's full sister Yarn is the dam of grade 1-placed/grade 2 winner and sire Tale of the Cat   and multiple group 1 winner and sire Minardi. Yarn's stakes-winning daughter Spunoutacontrol is the dam of grade 1-placed, grade 2 winner and sire Fed Biz   and the mare's daughter Myth is the dam of multiple grade/group 1 winner, champion, and sire Johannesburg.

Pulpit has sired several high-profile sire-sons, including three-time leading North American sire Tapit  , Sky Mesa  , Pyro, Mr Speaker  , and 2021 freshman sires American Freedom   and Lord Nelson  .

Pontiff arrived at Daehling Ranch Aug. 16. He will be featured in a Northern California Stallion Tour being held Oct. 2.