Coltimus Prime Retired to Stud in Ontario

Canadian classic winner and multiple Panamanian champion Coltimus Prime has been retired and will enter stud at Curraghmore Farm near Waterdown, Ontario, according to owner/breeder Jayson Horner.

The 8-year-old son of Milwaukee Brew  won or placed in 10 black-type stakes, of which seven were graded. His biggest wins came in the 2014 Prince of Wales Stakes at Fort Erie Racetrack; the 2017 Clasico Presidente de la Republica, recognized as a grade 1 stakes in Panama and the country's richest race; and the Invitational Cup Stakes, which was part of the five-race Clasico Internacional del Caribe program hosted by Gulfstream Park for the first time in 2017.

Coltimus Prime was honored with two Panama titles in 2017: champion older horse and champion stayer.

While prepping for a repeat in the 2018 Invitational Cup Stakes at Gulfstream, the horse sustained a soft tissue injury that forced his retirement. During six seasons, Coltimus Prime compiled an 8-7-5 record out of 38 starts and earned $644,125.

"He has a good following in Ontario … and, though I'm not a big player, I want to help the breeding industry here," said Horner about his decision to stand Coltimus Prime as a stallion. "I think the Ontario market is turning the corner with the long-term funding that was secured by it from the provincial government and with key parties now working more closely together. The market has been good to me, so I've brought up a couple mares and him."

Coltimus Prime is the third foal and second black-type winner produced by Certainly Special, a daughter of Distorted Humor  out of stakes-placed, stakes producer With Certainty. The young stallion is a half brother to Crysta's Court, who became Silent Name 's first black-type winner when she won the Victorian Queen Stakes at Woodbine on Sept. 29, 2012.

Certainly Special's family also includes Canadian Horse of the Year and three-time champion older mare Glorious Song, grade 1 winner and champion Devil's Bag, and graded winner and prominent sire Saint Ballado.

"I got so lucky with this mare, who is my first mare," Horner said. "I've raced all her offspring. She has five winners from six starters that have earned over $1.1 million. All of her offspring have done so well, he deserves a shot."

Coltimus Prime is the first stallion venture for Horner, who is co-founder and CEO of CanDeal, which operates an electronic trading platform for the institutional bond market. He met Curraghmore Farm owners Vera Simpson and Michael Dubé through a friend and initially sent to the farm some mares he decided to return to Ontario.

"I got to know them well, and they have a longstanding involvement in the industry and have stood stallions. They were excited to have him," Horner said, noting the stallion will stand for free during his first season.

"Yes, there is no fee, but we will qualify the mares in some respect. We do want to ensure that we get him off to a good start," he said.