Graded stakes winner Coal Play, who finished second to Big Brown in a grade I stakes, has been retired from racing and will enter stud in 2011 at Joe and Anne McMahon’s McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds near Saratoga Springs, N.Y. He will stand for $4,000.
“Coal Play is a very fast son of Mineshaft ," Joe McMahon said about the 5-year-old horse. “He cracked the 100-plus Beyer Speed Figures five times during his career.”
Coal Play was stakes-placed at 2 and a stakes winner the next two years. He won the Majestic Prince Stakes by 7 1/2 lengths at 3 and the Salvator Mile Handicap (gr. III) at 4, both at Monmouth Park. Against Big Brown in the 2009 Haskell Invitational Stakes (gr. I), he trailed the subsequent champion by 1 3/4 lengths at the end of the 1 1/8-mile race.
During his career, Coal Play won or placed in eight of 16 races and earned $528,068.
"Coal Play could carry his speed over a mile, winning wire-to-wire in four of his five wins,” said Nick Zito, who trained Coal Play for Robert V. LaPenta. “Coal Play has tremendous conformation, tremendous body, and brilliant speed. He has the ability to make a terrific stallion.”
Emory A. Hamilton is the breeder of Kentucky-bred Coal Play, who descends from a prominent King Ranch family. Coal Play is out of the Kris S. mare Wiscasset, who is a half sister to two graded stakes winners, including grade I winner Serra Lake. The family also includes champion Queena and 2010 graded stakes winner Al Khali.
