Spendthrift to Stand Goldencents in 2015

B. Wayne Hughes' Spendthrift Farm has acquired the breeding rights to multiple grade I winner Goldencents, who will retire to the Lexington farm at the end of his 4-year-old campaign and stand the 2015 breeding season.

The fee for Goldencents will be $12,500 stands and nurses, and he's being offered through Spendthrift's Share The Upside Program for a fee of $15,000 stands and nurses on a limited basis.

"We are thrilled to announce the addition of Goldencents to our stallion roster here at Spendthrift," said Ned Toffey, Spendthrift general manager. "He is the spitting image of his sire, Into Mischief, and has now surpassed his sire's record on the racetrack. We believe he has every chance to do the same thing in the breeding shed."

Goldencents made a valiant 4-year-old debut in the Metropolitan Handicap (gr. I) June 7 on the Belmont Stakes (gr. I) undercard, displaying his usual speed through fast fractions to be a close runner-up to Palace Malice in the prestigious one-mile event. Palace Malice is undefeated in four starts this year.

Last year Goldencents was one of the best 3-year-olds in the country; he raced 10 times against top-class competition from early January through late November. He started his 3-year-old campaign with a win in the Sham Stakes (gr. III) before capturing the Santa Anita Derby (gr. I) on the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) trail.

Goldencents went on to become one of the best sprinters and milers in the country last fall. He was a narrow runner-up to older horse and eventual Eclipse Award-winning sprinter Points Offthebench in the Santa Anita Sprint Championship Stakes (gr. I). In his next start, Goldencents turned in a sharp performance to win the $1 million Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (gr. I) at Santa Anita Park.

As a 2-year-old, Goldencents broke his maiden in his debut by an impressive 7 1/4 lengths after he ran 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:02.79. He shipped across the country for his second start in the one-mile Champagne Stakes (gr. I), in which he was second to eventual champion 2-year-old male Shanghai Bobby  . Goldencents capped off his juvenile campaign with a win in the $1 million Delta Downs Jackpot (gr. III).

Goldencents has raced in 13 consecutive graded stakes since breaking his maiden at Del Mar at 2, and finished first or second in nine of those. He has earned $2,224,000 for trainer Doug O'Neill and owners Glenn Sorgenstein and Josh Kaplan of W.C. Racing.

"We're thrilled that Goldencents has the next phase of his career secured as a future stallion at Spendthrift Farm, which in my mind is the preeminent stallion operation in the country," Sorgenstein said in a release. "We're all excited about his performance in the Met Mile, and hopeful that it's a sign of big things to come for the rest of 2014. Once again, our goals include the grade I Pat O'Brien and the Breeders' Cup at Santa Anita."

Goldencents is from the first crop of Spendthrift's leading young sire Into Mischief  , and he represents the first graded-stakes winner, first grade I winner, and first millionaire sired by the son of Harlan's Holiday. Goldencents is out of the winning Banker's Gold mare Golden Works.