Future for Spendthrift Sire Lord Nelson Looks Bright

With a book of 180 mares and anxious breeders eagerly awaiting the retirement of Lord Nelson  to stud at Spendthrift Farm in 2017, the multiple grade 1-winning son of Pulpit could not have asked for a smoother transition from racetrack to breeding shed.  

But days before he was slated to compete in the 2016 Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1), Lord Nelson developed an infection in his right foreleg that turned in to a pronounced case of laminitis. From there everything was touch-and-go, and the connections of the grade 1-winning Thoroughbred were forced to consider the idea that Lord Nelson may not survive. 

With the help of Spendthrift's stallion manager, the farm's vets, and those from the renowned Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital, Lord Nelson recovered and hopes for a successful stud career were reignited. And working diligently to pull together another book of top-level mares for their hard-knocking, shining star, Spendthrift allocated a good portion of their substantial resources and connections to helping the new sire succeed. 

"It's gone well," said Mark Toothaker of Spendthrift. "We got a nice group of mares to him. Mr. (B. Wayne) Hughes supported him heavily. I think we bred about 20 mares to him, some of our best mares actually. He's going to get a really good chance." 

Back on the roster for 2018, Lord Nelson covered 127 mares, several of which made their first pass through the ring during the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale. A total of nine mares in foal to Lord Nelson went through the Keeneland auction ring. Eight sold for an average of $72,125. 

"It's a shame that he got laminitis because we had a huge book of 180 mares for him last year and some top, top breeders were on board," Toothaker said. "It was disappointing to have to call them and tell them we weren't going to be able to stand him that year. But we had some breeders who supported him with some really nice mares this year so we're very anxious to see what they look like."

With the difficulties of marketing a stallion forced to forego his first year at stud, Toothaker was quick to reiterate that the outcome could have been considerably worse. 

"The one saving grace is that at least he's alive," Toothaker said. "We could have had to put him down and he would have never had his chance. We're very grateful he survived." 

The highest-grossing mare sold in foal to Lord Nelson during the Keeneland November sale was Hip 613. Consigned by Small Batch Sales, the Argentina-bred Teamgeist was purchased by Gayle Van Leer, agent, for $220,000. A graded stakes-placed daughter of Bavarian, the gray or roan mare was bred by La Quebrada and campaigned in Argentina and the United States by owner El Catorce. 

Hip 1416 was purchased during session five of the marathon sale. A daughter of Smart Strike named Smart Dancer, the 8-year-old mare was bought by Hermitage Farm, agent, for $100,000 from the consignment of Woodford Thoroughbreds. The mare was bred in Kentucky by Samantha and Mace Siegel. 

"I know we had right around 100 mares in foal this year," Toothaker said. "That's the game plan again this coming year. We're going to sell 100 seasons to him."

In a continued effort to support their death-defying stallion, Toothaker said Hughes will likely send another 20 mares to Lord Nelson during the 2019 season. 

"He is such a beautiful horse," Toothaker said. "He's one of the very last Pulpit sons to come to stud, he's got a beautiful pedigree, and he's as good a physical as anything standing here in Kentucky. When people come out and see him, he saves himself. If he were a horse that didn't have those great looks or didn't do as much on the racetrack he'd be in trouble. But when people remember how fast he was and look at him, you can't help but fall in love with him."

Lord Nelson's fee will remain at $25,000 live foal, stands and nurses. Fully recovered and looking forward to a new breeding season, Lord Nelson has settled in well with 25 fellow stallions at Spendthrift. Now in good health, the freshman sire will continue to rock his newest fashion statement—special shoes that remind onlookers of another well-fought battle in which Lord Nelson emerged victorious. 

"He's on normal turnout just like all the other stallions," Toothaker said. "We just laugh that he has an expensive pair of shoes on. Outside of that, he's living a very normal life now and he gets those new shoes every few weeks. He's doing great.