Grade II Winner Star Dabbler to Richland Hills

Star Dabbler, a grade II winner from the female family of sprint champion and promising young stallion Speightstown  , has been retired for stallion duty at Nathan Fox' Richland Hills near Midway, Ky., where he will stand for $7,500.

A 3-year-old son of Saint Ballado, Star Dabbler won or placed in all seven starts this year in his sole season of racing, highlighted by a deadheated triumph in the Indiana Derby (gr. II) by five lengths. He ran second to champion sprint contender Henny Hughes in the seven-furlong King Bishop's Stakes (gr. I) at Saratoga and won at the Spa and at Belmont Park (by seven lengths).

Bred in Florida by Four Horseman's Ranch and The Saint Ballado Syndicate, Star Dabbler retired with earnings of $319,936 for Barry K. Schwartz. He was consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent, and bought by Buzz Chace, agent, for $180,000 at the 2004 Keeneland September yearling sale.

"Star Dabbler is one of the best looking young sire prospects that I have seen," Fox said. "His female family could prove to be very important when Speightstown's first foals reach the races and Saint Ballado is proving to be a solid sire of sires through his sons Sweetsouthernsaint and Straight Man in Florida. All anyone has to do is watch this horse's last four starts in order to see just how talented and courageous a racehorse he was."

A full brother to stakes winner Run Production, Star Dabbler is out of the stakes-winning Meadowlake mare Meadow Silk, whose half-sister, Canadian champion Silken Cat, is the dam of Speightstown.