Allen's Prospect has out 61 2-year-olds and 80 yearlings. He covered 109 mares this year, and Pons expects a foal crop in the mid-70s. The farm places to erect a marker over his grave.
Allen's Prospect, sire of 57 stakes winners and a hallmark of consistency, was euthanized Wednesday, Sept. 3, at age 21 following surgery at New Bolton Center in Pennsylvania for removal of a tumor under his jaw."He had a fast-growing tumor under his throat latch," said Josh Pons, syndicate manager at Country Life Farm near Bel Air, Md., where the stallion stood his entire career. "We sent him to New Bolton for high-resolution head X-rays. They felt that the tumor might spread to his airways, and the decision was made to remove the growth. The horse was doing great at New Bolton, grazing every day for the first four days after surgery. On Monday evening, he lost coordination in his hind end, and by Tuesday morning, he could not stand up. He suffered a rib injury in his struggle, and that made breathing difficult. We did not want to prolong his suffering. He was put to sleep Wednesday afternoon."Bred in Kentucky by Glencoe Farm, Allen's Prospect was bought by the late Allen Paulson for $560,000 at the 1983 Keeneland July yearling sale. Trained by Ron McAnally, he broke his maiden at Santa Anita by 8 1/2 lengths, and won two allowance races before suffering a fractured splint bone. The stallion complex at Paulson's Brookside Farm near Versailles, Ky., was not completed at the time the colt was retired to stud, and Paulson sent him to Country Life, where he was syndicated. Allen's Prospect (Mr. Prospector--Change Water, by Swaps) burst onto the national freshman sire standings in 1990 with a fifth-place ranking in progeny earnings. Two of his juveniles won $100,000 events at that year's Maryland Million. Paulson's colt Xray scored in the Nursery, and Hal C.B. Clagett's Ameri Allen took the Lassie."His 2-year-olds earned nearly $400,000 that first year, and it set the tone for his career," Pons said.Allen's Prospect, who ended up with six stakes winners from his initial crop, continued to demand national attention. His runners won 200 or more races every year from 1994 through 2002. They topped the $3-million mark in earnings in 1996-99 and the $4-million mark from 2000-02. They have earned close to a career total of $39 million.On the Maryland scene, Allen's Prospect leads all state stallions by number of Maryland Million winners, with 14.