Provocateur Enters Stud at McMahon of Saratoga

Provocateur  , a grade 1-placed, multiple stakes winner and son of multiple leading North American sire Into Mischief  , will enter stud next year at McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds, the farm's Joe McMahon announced Dec. 4. The new stallion will stand for $5,000.

Bred by Kingswood Farm and David Egan, Provocateur sold for $600,000 during the 2020 Keeneland September Yearling Sale to Spendthrift Farm and MyRacehorse out of the Kingswood consignment. He became a winner at 2 and at 3 won the 2022 Hutcheson Stakes and the Jersey Shore Stakes and finished third in the Woody Stephens Stakes (G1) behind Jack Christopher   and Pappacap  . His stakes record also includes runner-up efforts in the 2022 Pasco Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs and Gold Fever Stakes at Belmont Park.

McMahon & Hill Bloodstock acquired Provocateur for $200,000 during the 2022 Keeneland November Horses of Racing Age Sale, where he was the co-10th-highest-priced horse sold during the one-day session. He would continue to race for the McMahon family and placed in a $126,875 allowance optional claiming race at Saratoga Race Course before being retired with a 3-2-2 record from 14 starts and $249,005.

Provocateur is out of the winning Cherokee Run daughter Cayala, making him a full brother to 2017 Southwest Stakes (G3) winner One Liner  and to stakes-placed winner Roderick . His second dam, Chasethegold, is a graded-placed winner and half sister to grade 1 winners Albertus Maximus and Daredevil  . The immediate family also has produced group 1 winner and French high weight King Charlemagne and grade 1 winners Race the Wild Wind and Here Comes Ben .

McMahon of Saratoga also stands Central Banker  , who has led the New York sire standings three times previously and is ranked this year a close second by progeny earnings, just $30,000 behind leading sire Bucchero   as of Dec. 4. Central Banker is the state's leading sire by number of black-type winners with six so far this year and is tied with Bucchero with 11 stakes performers each. A 14-year-old son of Speightstown, Central Banker will stand for $7,500 next year.

On the roster, too, is nationally ranked second-crop sire Solomini  , a 9-year-old grade 1-placed son of Curlin   who currently ranks eighth among third-crop sires by progeny earnings. He has sired 43 winners so far this year that include stakes winners Doc Sullivan , My Shea D Lady , Soloshot , and Wynstock , who became Solomini's first graded stakes winner last year in the Los Alamitos Futurity (G2). Solomini will stand for $7,500.

The farm will hold its annual holiday stallion show Dec. 14 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET and all three stallions will be available for inspection.