Grade I winner First Dude will stand for $7,500 his first year at stud in 2012 at Donald Dizney’s Double Diamond Farm near Ocala, Fla. The 4-year-old son of Stephen Got Even, a son of A.P. Indy, was bred and campaigned by Dizney and his wife, Irene. In the final start of his career, First Dude won the $500,000 Hollywood Gold Cup Handicap (gr. I) for trainer Bob Baffert.
“He is the best older horse in the country,” Baffert said. “He is just beautiful. He is a big, solid, and smart horse. He is very balanced for a big horse. If First Dude can replicate his looks and his accomplishments on the track, then Mr. Dizney will continue to have a lot of fun with this horse down the road."
First Dude, who is out of the Smart Strike mare Run Sarah Run, won or placed in six grade I events, including the Belmont Stakes, Travers Stakes, Blue Grass Stakes, and the IZOD Haskell Invitational Stakes. At 3, First Dude placed in the Preakness Stakes (gr. I), three-quarters of a length behind 2010 3-year-old male champion Lookin At Lucky . In the Preakness, he defeated grade I winners Jackson Bend, Dublin , Paddy O'Prado and Super Saver , who won the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I). He won or placed 13 times out of 17 lifetime starts and has career earnings of $1,442,140.
The first-year stallion is owned by Double Diamond Farm and Taylor Made Stallions.
“Taylor Made Stallions and its partners over the years have had tremendous success with stallions, the likes of Saint Ballado, Northern Afleet , and Wildcat Heir, that stand or have stood in Florida and we believe First Dude has this potential,” said Ben Taylor, vice president of Taylor Made’s stallion operations. “Florida’s impact on the stallion market has been at the forefront of the breeding industry. Just take a look at the Breeders’ Cup this past weekend and you can see stallions like Northern Afleet, Wildcat Heir, Trippi, and Congrats , just to name a few that are siring Breeders’ Cup caliber horses.”
Dizney said he looked forward to standing First Dude and having Taylor Made as a partner.
“This horse has the conformation and the pedigree to make an impact in the ring and at the track,” Dizney said. “We plan on supporting him heavily over the next few years and are committed to seeing him succeed in the long run.”
