Cal-Bred Colt is Visitant's First Reported Foal

Williamson Racing's homebred multiple graded stakes-placed, multiple stakes winner Visitant   sired his first reported foal March 4 when a colt out of the Mutakddim daughter Miss Graziella was born at Harris Farms.

Harris Farms bred the colt that is a half brother to two 2024 winners in Mr Big Bucks  and High Gunner , who are both by the late Mr. Big. Miss Graziella is out of the Honour and Glory stakes winner Graziella, making her a half sister to grade 1-placed stakes winner Room for Me  (Harlington) and stakes winner Uncle B  (Zensational ). 

Visitant, an 8-year-old son of Ghostzapper  , started his racing career at 3 with trainer Bill Morey in 2019. He won his racing debut by four lengths at Golden Gate Fields. Two races later he was runner-up in the California Derby and by his fourth start he became a stakes winner in the Alcatraz Stakes. He would next earn graded stakes credentials with a third in the 2019 Affirmed Stakes (G3) at Santa Anita Park. 

Sent to Kentucky at 4, he was especially successful at Turfway Park where he won the 2021 Kentucky Cup Classic Stakes, 2022 Forego Stakes, 2022 Big Daddy Stakes, and 2023 Holiday Cheer Stakes. His time in the Bluegrass State also produced a second in the 2021 Alysheba Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs.

The Williamson family had always planned on standing Visitant at stud at its Arroyo Vista Farm near Valley Center, Calif., north of San Diego, and after a fourth-place finish in 2023 Forego Stakes at Turfway, the horse was sent back to the West Coast.

"That last race back east was not typical for him, so we brought him back to the farm," said Mike Jimenez, farm manager for Arroyo Vista. "It was late in the breeding season so we bred a limited number of quality mares to him."

Then the stallion's career took an unusual turn. He went back to the racetrack.

"Henry Williamson asked me about sending him back because the horse retired sound. Mentally, I knew he could do it because he is just a class horse. He proved me right," Jimenez said. "He ran third in the Del Mar Mile Stakes, so he's proved his ability in graded stakes on dirt, on synthetic, and on turf. Also, we were able show him off again in Southern California. Unfortunately we did not get the win we wanted, but he gained fans and people were impressed he was able to come back and run at a high level."

Now Visitant is officially retired to stud. Jimenez said the sire's versatility, soundness, and mental toughness should be appealing to breeders.

"If his babies have his mentality, then they will be successful racehorses. It is certainly a head start," he said. 

Visitant stands for $2,500. Arroyo Vista also stands grade 2 winner Texas Ryano   for $3,500.