BY LAURIE ROSS

Finding a stallion capable of transmitting genuine early speed while retaining the pedigree depth to stretch that speed around two turns remains one of breeding’s most elusive goals. Florida breeders have access to a stallion who checks both boxes in Roadster (Quality Road—Ghost Dancing, by Silver Ghost), standing at Ocala Stud.

An athletic gray with proven Grade 1 credentials, Roadster is the only son of Quality Road currently standing in Florida. Quality Road is among the most influential modern stallions and Roadster offers regional breeders access to that sire line without sacrificing quality or commercial appeal.

At the Races

Bred by Arthur Hancock III’s Stone Farm, Roadster was purchased for $525,000 by Speedway Stallions at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale before heading west to Bob Baffert’s barn. 

He announced himself immediately, drawing off to win his debut by four-and-a-quarter lengths. It was a performance that suggested graded-stakes ability rather than mere precocity.

Facing top company early, Roadster finished third in the Del Mar Futurity (G1) behind the eventual Champion Two-Year-Old Game Winner. The tables turned the following spring when Roadster delivered his signature performance in the Santa Anita Derby (G1), out-finishing Game Winner in a determined stretch run. The victory stamped him as a legitimate classic-quality runner, capable of carrying speed nine furlongs against elite company.

Over the course of 16 starts, Roadster earned $901,500 and remained a consistent presence in graded stakes company. His race record reflects the traits breeders value most: brilliance, competitiveness, and the ability to perform at the highest level.

 

Pedigree

David O’Farrell, General Manager of Ocala Stud, describes Roadster as a naturally athletic, good-sized horse with decent bone. He has a great profile, a solid hip, good length, and he’s very light on his feet. He has a classy temperament, a mild-mannered gentleman with a kind eye.

Roadster’s pedigree follows a formula proven in Florida: speed and class on top, stamina underneath, and a female family rich in durability and black-type production across surfaces and distances.

His sire, three-time track record setter Quality Road (Elusive Quality – Kobla, by Strawberry Road (Aus)), was exceptional from sprints to middle distances. He twice broke Gulfstream Park’s nine-furlong track record in the Donn Handicap (G1), including his remarkable 1:47.49 performance that earned a towering 121 Beyer Speed Figure. Only a select few horses in recent decades have reached that level.

Quality Road also possessed elite sprint speed, setting a Saratoga track record of 1:07.22 for six-and-a-half furlongs in the Amsterdam Stakes (G2).

More importantly for breeders, Quality Road reliably transmits his attributes. As of December 2025, he sits among North America’s leading sires by number of black-type winners and continues to establish himself as a sire of sires. 

His son City of Light has already produced a champion in Fierceness, while National Treasure and Champion Two-Year-Old Corniche are poised to extend the line. Roadster joins this group as a young stallion offering similar genetic depth, particularly appealing within a regional market.

Roadster’s dam, Ghost Dancing (Silver Ghost—Ransom Dance, by Red Ransom), was a fast, versatile mare who excelled on dirt and turf. She closed her racing career with a stakes victory in the 2008 Oakley Stakes on the Colonial Downs turf, finishing in the money in seven of nine starts and earning $163,897. As a broodmare, she has proven her ability to pass on both class and durability to Roadster and his half-brothers: 

Ascend (by Candy Ride), a high-class turf performer who captured the Manhattan Stakes (G1) at a mile-and-a-quarter and the Henry S. Clark Stakes at a mile in the same season. Ascend set a new track record for a mile-and-a-sixteenth in 1:43.55 over Keeneland’s lawn in 2016. He earned $859,980 in 17 starts, demonstrating stamina and soundness.

Moro Tap (by Tapit), reinforced distaff-line stamina with graded-stakes placings at a mile and a mile-and-a-half on the lawn, with a pair of third-place finishes in the Louisville Handicap (G3) and the Centaur Stakes. He earned $161,816 from 19 starts.

The family’s depth extends into the second generation. Ghost Dancing’s half-sister Diamond Spirit (by Holy Bull) made 22 starts over three seasons and recorded multiple graded-stakes placings against elite company, including Champion Three-Year-Old Filly Wait a While. 

Another half-sister, stakes-placed Maria’s Dance (by Maria’s Mon), produced Maria’s Heart (by Shanghai Bobby), a multiple stakes winner in Japan who started 23 times.

The third dam, Dance Teacher (by Smarten), a product of the renowned Edward Evans breeding program, adds significant class to Roadster’s pedigree. She captured the Gallorette Handicap (G3) at a mile and the prestigious Ladies Handicap (G1) at a mile-and-a-quarter, underscoring the stamina and quality embedded deep in the family. 

A multiple black-type producer, Dance Teacher’s daughters passed their dam’s class to their offspring, including Grade 1-winner Cat Moves and Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1) hero Hootenanny, and his full sister, stakes-winner Ryder Ryder Ryder, both by Quality Road, highlighting a productive internal affinity within the bloodline.

Roadster inherited his striking gray coat from his damsire, Silver Ghost, a Mr. Prospector-line stallion whose most significant influence emerged through his daughters. While Silver Ghost was known for speed, his broodmare record includes a range of durable performers, from sprinters to turf routers such as Ascend and Finnegans Wake, reinforcing the adaptability of the line.

Stud Career

Roadster enters his fourth season at stud with quiet momentum building. His first juveniles will compete in 2026, and early indications point to a sire capable of producing precocious runners without being limited.

O’Farrell remarked that Roadster’s foals resemble their sire; mostly gray, long, a little on the lean side, very athletic, and are very smooth movers. 

The expectation is for precocious 2-year-old winners, but not strictly early types. Like many Quality Road offspring, Roadster’s progeny are expected to develop with maturity, improving through the latter part of their juvenile season and into their three-year-old campaigns and beyond.

In 2025, his first crop made a favorable impression among buyers. At the OBS October Yearling Sale, a gray or roan colt out of the Street Sense mare Bridlewise brought $120,000, the highest price among his offerings and one of the top seven prices of the sale. A gray or roan filly out of Shotdowninflames also sold well, realizing $80,000.

Those results reflect buyer confidence in Roadster’s pedigree, physical presence, and long-term upside. They also suggest that breeders who supported him early are being rewarded with market acceptance.

For Florida breeders seeking a stallion who blends elite sire power, Grade 1 performance, and a female family rich in durability and class, Roadster represents a compelling option, one whose best chapters still lie ahead.

Roadster stands the 2026 breeding season at Ocala Stud for $7,500 stands and nurses.

Return to the December 23 issue of Wire to Wire