Unbridled's Song shook things up in a big way June 30 at Belmont Park when he sired the winners of both the Suburban Handicap (gr. I) and Mother Goose Stakes (gr. I).
The big prize, the $400,000 Suburban, went to Joseph Allen's homebred Political Force. The Mother Goose, with a value of $237,500, was won by Octave, owned by Jack and Laurie Wolf's Starlight Stable and Donald J. Lucarelli.
"It shows he's got a bright future," said Ben Taylor, who is in charge of the stallion operation at his family's Taylor Made Farm near Nicholasville, Ky. "He has a reputation as a versatile stallion and sires good-looking horses. He tends to get milers, but with the right kind of mare can get two-turn horses."
Although the Suburban and Mother Goose are not officially two-turn races because of the vast configuration of Belmont, they certainly qualify as distance affairs. The Suburban, for 3-year-olds and up, is contested at 1 1/4 miles, and the Mother Goose, for 3-year-old fillies, is held at 1 1/8 miles, which is on the outer fringes for fillies of that age.
"Each year gets better and better for him," Taylor said. "He keeps improving his book of mares every year."
Unbridled's Song started his stallion career for $30,000 in 1997, and has never experienced a cutback in his fee. He stood this season for $200,000, up from $150,000 in 2006.
"He was overwhelmed with work at $150,000," Taylor said. "We decided to up his fee to $200,000 and take some of the burden off him. At one time he covered about 145 mares, but was bred to 110 this year, which is still a lot. His fertility rate this year is over 95%."
Political Force and Octave, who combined to earn $390,000 that special Saturday, distinguished themselves earlier this year. Each placed in three graded stakes. Political Force's big effort came when finishing second in the Metropolitan Handicap (gr. I). Octave's came in runner-up efforts in the Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) and Ashland Stakes (gr. I).
Unbridled's Song's success this year goes beyond his two grade I winners. Half Ours, a 4-year-old colt, won the Richter Scale Sprint Championship Handicap (gr. II). A daughter, Unbridled Sidney, captured The Very One Stakes on grass.
Fourteen-year-old Unbridled's Song (Unbridled--Trolley Song, by Caro) is represented this year by the earners of $2.7 million. He has sired a career total of 53 stakes winners.