Grade 1 Winner Arklow Set for New Career as Stable Pony

Arklow , a familiar face across top North American turf courses for the better part of the past six years, will look to make a return to the track as a stable pony in 2023.

The now 9-year-old and newly gelded son of Arch began his career as a 3-year-old and went on to stack up six wins in graded stakes company, along with over $3 million in earnings for trainer Brad Cox and owners Donegal Racing and Joseph Bulger. He retired in October of 2022 with a record of 9-9-2 from 39 starts.

"His average earnings were just shy of $78,000 per start. For a horse that raced through his 8-year-old year, that's pretty astonishing," said Donegal CEO Jerry Crawford.

Looking back on his illustrious career, Crawford recalled the complex process of purchasing the then yearling for $160,000 from the Penn Sales consignment at the 2015 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

"We had quite a difficult time deciding whether he was sound or not. We vetted him and the vet was unclear... We ended up having three vets (look at him)," Crawford said. "Finally, I said 'the hell with it, I'm going to buy him if I can.'" It was a complicated process to get from the start to the end.'"

Finding diamonds in the rough is a strategy that Donegal has made integral to their success. Other purchases under $150,000 include grade 1 winning millionaires Keen Ice   and Paddy O'Prado .

"We try and find high-achieving horses. During that same period, we had been in the Kentucky Derby four times and I think the average price we paid for those horses didn't reach $200,000," Crawford said. "That's kind of our calling card. We can't afford to go out and pay $500,000 per yearling or anything like that, so have to find the Arklow's as we go along."

Under Cox's tutelage and the watchful eye of longtime assistant trainer Tessa Walden, the Kentucky-bred gelding recorded wins in the 2017 American Turf Stakes (G2T), 2018 and 2020 Kentucky Turf Cup Stakes (G3T), 2019 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Stakes (G1T), 2020 Hollywood Cup Turf Stakes (G2T), and 2021 Louisville Stakes (G3T). He made three trips to the Breeders' Cup (G1T) in 2018, 2019, and 2020.

After an off-the-board finish in the Sycamore Stakes (G3T) at Keeneland last fall, Arklow was retired and his connections made initial plans for him to become a stallion. When this did not come to fruition, Walden jumped at the chance to take him home with her.

"It's very difficult to get turf contracts for stallions. It's almost impossible to sell these high-achieving turf horses," Crawford said. "She thought there was a chance that this would work out and she talked to Brad, her husband, and us. We were still exploring if there was a chance at a stallion deal and it became clear that there wasn't, so we thought this was a terrific second choice."

Walden is married to trainer Will Walden, who launched his training career last Spring. She says that due to him being over six feet tall, it has been a challenge to find a suitable pony. Luckily for him, Arklow stands at around 17 hands and seems to fit the bill.

"He's already had four months off because he was retired in October so that was really good that he could let down and lose some of that racehorse condition and then we gelded him a couple of months ago," Walden said. "Now he's on turnout at Hattaway Farms in Paris (Ky.) We're probably going to leave him there for a couple months and let him recoup from being gelded. It can be hard on them when they're his age to lose all that testosterone they're used to having.

"We're going to send him to McQuerry Performance Horses in Versailles (Ky.) and they are going to ride him for us for a couple of months, and then my husband Will hopes to use him as a pony."

Thinking back on his days in the shed row, Walden describes Arklow as "hungry all the time," and that he "loved being in training and wasn't difficult; he just liked to play with the rider." She says that she believes he will enjoy his new career and that she is looking forward to putting a leg up over the gelding when she can.

"I'll be riding him too for fun. Me and my friends like to trail ride at Shakertown, Eagles Nest, Georgetown Reservoir, Masterson Station, and we like to do the hunter paces," Walden said. "I think he'll love that. He loves getting out and doing stuff and he retired sound, so he has no limitations as far as what he can do physically. I feel great about being able to give him a fun new pathway."

And if Arklow ultimately decides that he prefers the tranquility of nature over the sights and sounds of being back at the track, it makes no difference to Walden.

"He owes nobody anything. If he doesn't want to be a pony and if we try it and it's not working out, and it makes him nervous to be back on the track, or he doesn't acclimate to the job, he doesn't have to do it," Walden said.