Bold Executive, a perennial leading Canadian sire, was euthanized the night of Sept. 26 at Gardiner Farms near Caledon, Ontario, Canada. The son of Bold Ruckus was 27.
“He came in from the paddock and started exhibiting shortness of breath,” said Mike Colterjohn, who manages the farm for an estate. “We realized he had a vascular accident, a leaking artery. He went quickly and quietly. We euthanized him because I didn’t want to see him in any distress once I realized something was wrong.”
Bold Executive covered 40 mares and according to Colterjohn, got 38 in foal.
Bold Executive currently ranks as Canada’s leading sire by progeny earnings and as North America’s leading synthetic stallion by progeny earnings. From 2003-10, Bold Executive topped the Canadian sires’ list six times and finished second the other two times. From 2007 through last year, he led the Canadian synthetic list all four years and was North America’s leading synthetic sire twice.
At the first session of the Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society’s Canadian-bred yearling sale Sept. 5, Bold Executive was represented by both the highest-priced colt (Can$100,000, $101,168 in U.S. funds) and the top-priced filly (Can$70,000, $70,818 in U.S. funds).
Bold Executive has sired 43 stakes winners and the earners of more than $44 million. Three of his runners—Blonde Executive, Sand Cove, and Simply Lovely—were Canadian champions. As a broodmare sire, Bold Executive is represented by 13 stakes winners.
Bold Executive entered stud at Gardiner in 1989 following a career in which he finished first or second in 15 of 19 races and earned $365,305 while trained by Gerald W. Belanger Jr. His biggest win came in the 1986 Coronation Futurity Stakes for Marcello, Pedigree Stud Farm, and Romeo.
Bred in Ontario by Gustav Schickedanz, Bold Executive was produced from the winning Victoria Park mare Arctic Vixen, who was Canada’s 1987 Broodmare of Year. Bold Executive’s full brother, Highland Ruckus, also was multiple stakes winner.
