Successful Maryland Sire Rock Slide Dies at 25

Multiple top 10 Maryland stallion Rock Slide  died Feb. 8 due to the infirmities of old age, according to the Maryland Horse Breeders Association. He was 25.

The well-bred son of A.P. Indy out of multiple grade 1 winner Prospectors Delite was a full brother to 2003 Horse of the Year and champion older horse Mineshaft   and to multiple grade 1 winner Tomisue's Delight . He raced as a homebred for William S. Farish, James Elkins Jr., and Temple Webber Jr., becoming a grade 3-placed multiple stakes winner of $442,500.

As a stallion, he sired 151 winners that included 11 black-type winners. He would rank among the top 10 sires in Maryland during 2009-12 on the strength of performance from top runners like Ariana D, Rocky Policy, In the Juice, Nicaradalic Rocks, and Toboggan Slide. Ariana D, a filly out of the Black Tie Affair daughter Derby Tie, was Rock Slide's top earner. She won the Bessarabian Stakes and Avowal Stakes at Woodbine and the Northern Fling Stakes at Presque Isle Downs and placed in eight graded stakes, which included seconds in the Presque Isle Downs Masters Stakes (G2), Ontario Matron Stakes (G3), Hendrie Stakes (G3), and Whimsical Stakes (G3), and a third in the Madison Stakes (G1). Ariana D retired with a 9-7-9 record from 33 starts and earned $707,075.

Rock Slide stood his entire stud career in Maryland at Shamrock Farm and Maryland Stallion Station, according to the association. He was pensioned in 2016 and lived the remainder of his days at Shamrock.