High Cotton Pensioned Because of Declining Fertility

While some in the Thoroughbred breeding industry bemoan the large books of mares required to be a commercial stallion, a book of 100-plus mares is what Ocala Stud's grade 3 winner High Cotton required to be a viable, potent sire.

Unfortunately for Ocala Stud, the 15-year-old son of Dixie Union—Happy Tune, by A.P. Indy, who has sired 11 black-type winners, had to be pensioned this year because his fertility was being compromised by a lack of work.

"A couple years ago we noticed he was not getting a high percentage of mares in foal early in the season, so we had him evaluated," said David O'Farrell with Ocala Stud. "The bottom line was he didn't have enough work to improve his situation. If we bred him two times a day, every day for a week, his fertility improved dramatically. But if he went two to four days without covering a mare, then his next cover was not good."

"Going forward," O'Farrell continued, "it looked like he wasn't going to command a large book of mares and it became very high maintenance to get him through the season. For breeders that want to support a stallion, you want to give them the best opportunity to get their mares in foal. It really came down to supply and demand."

High Cotton retired to Ocala Stud in 2008 after retiring from a racing career during which he won three black-type stakes, including the grade 3 Northern Dancer Breeders' Cup Stakes at Churchill Downs, and finished second in three other graded stakes: the Ohio Derby (G2), Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2), and Iroquois Stakes (G3).

William S. Farish and Ogden Mills "Dinny" Phipps bred High Cotton in Kentucky. The horse was sold as a yearling for $110,000 to John Fort's Peachtree Stable, which won four races with him and earned $462,574, while trained by Todd Pletcher.

At stud, High Cotton attracted a solid book of 72 mares his first season. His first crop included Currency Swap, who won the Three Chimneys Hopeful Stakes (G1) at 2 and went on to win the grade 2 Amsterdam Stakes and the You and I Stakes at 3. High Cotton's second crop produced a couple more black-type winners, including juvenile winner Spurious Precision, who won the Saratoga Special Stakes (G2).

In 2012 and 2013, High Cotton covered 150 mares and had fertility rates of 63% and 57%, respectively.

In 2014 the sire's book dipped to 64 mares bred and his fertility rate also dropped to 50%. By 2015, his book diminished to 16 mares. Out of 407 foals of racing age to date, 82% have started as racehorses and 57% have become winners. He has 3% black-type winners and 5% (19) stakes-placed runners so far.

"It is very unfortunate," O'Farrell said. "He is a good stallion and he's been good to us; a neat horse. He'll spend the rest of his days at Ocala Stud, but his days as a commercial stallion are done."