Millionaire Badge of Silver Arrives at Airdrie

Badge of Silver, whose third-place finish in the NetJets Breeders' Cup Mile (gr. IT) was met with a round of astonishment because it was his first race since Jan. 1, has arrived for stallion duty at Brereton C. Jones' Airdrie Stud near Midway, Ky. The 6-year-old son of Silver Deputy will stand for $15,000 live foal.

Badge of Silver started the year with a triumph in the San Gabriel Handicap (gr. I), and then was off until the Nov. 4 Breeders' Cup. He finished third behind Miesque's Approval and Aragorn in the Mile and followed that effort with a second to unbeaten Discreet Cat in the Nov. 25 Hill 'n' Dale Cigar Mile Handicap (gr. I) in his final race.

"Discreet Cat's trainer (Saeed bin Suroor) said this was the best race his horse has ever run," Jones said. "The good part of it was that Badge of Silver was closing at the end, and he got a 110 Beyer Speed Figure in the race that was run in 1:32.46."

Badge of Silver's talents were noted early on by The Blood-Horse's Steve Haskin, who at one time ranked Badge of Silver second in his Derby Dozen. "If there is the proverbial 'freak,' this is the one," wrote Haskin after Badge of Silver won his first three starts by a combined 26 lengths. "He's run three spectacular races...and absolutely destroyed a good field in the Risen Star (Stakes, gr. III)."

Badge of Silver retired with seven wins and four seconds from 16 races and earnings of $1,047,892. He won last year's New Orleans (gr. II) and Hal's Hope (gr. III) Handicaps and placed in the National Jockey Club Handicap (gr. III). In 2004, he ran second in the Cigar Mile.

"He was good on both dirt and turf and showed bullet-type ability with two workouts over Keeneland's Polytrack surface leading up to the Breeders' Cup," Jones said.

Bred in Kentucky by Liberation Farm, Oratis Thoroughbreds, and Trackside Farm, Badge of Silver raced his entire career for Ken and Sarah Ramsey. He was trained first by Ronny Werner, then by Bobby Frankel. Jones bought the breeding rights in Badge of Silver this fall.

Badge of Silver is out of the winning Silver Hawk mare Silveroo, who was bred by Jones. Airdrie stood Silver Hawk throughout his stallion career.