BY AVALYN HUNTER
One of the challenges for any stallion station is to maintain both quality and diversity of bloodlines in its stallion roster. Ocala Stud’s second-year sire Roadster, checks off both boxes.
A Grade 1 winner, Roadster is a son of five-time top-10 sire Quality Road and a member of the Gone West branch of the Mr. Prospector male line, which also includes important sires Speightstown and Mr. Greeley.
Quality Road earned two of his four Grade 1 wins at Gulfstream Park: the 2009 Florida Derby (G1) and the 2010 Donn Handicap (G1). He broke the track record for nine furlongs in the former race and reset the mark in the latter, which he won by 12¾ lengths in 1:47.49 while earning an Equibase speed figure of 130.
By way of comparison, Flightline earned a top Equibase figure of 131 while winning the 2022 TVG Pacific Classic G1. As a sire of sires, Quality Road is still young, but his multiple Grade 1-winning son City of Light is the sire of 2023 FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Juvenile presented by TAA (G1)-winner Fierceness.
On the distaff side, Roadster is out of stakes-winning Silver Ghost mare Ghost Dancing, also the dam of 2017 Woodford Reserve Manhattan (G1)-winner and track record-setter Ascend, (by Candy Ride (Arg)); and Grade 3-placed Moro Tap, (by Tapit). Ghost Dancing, in turn, is out of the Red Ransom mare Ransom Dance, a half-sister to multiple stakes-winner Intentional Dancer (by Stormin Fever) and to Dance Move (by Capote), dam of 2009 Prioress (G1)-winner Cat Moves (by Tale of the Cat) and second dam of 2014 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1)-winner Hootenanny (by Quality Road). This family history suggests that Roadster should do well with mares returning Storm Cat and/or Seattle Slew, both absent from his own pedigree.
Bred by Stone Farm, Roadster went for $525,000 to Speedway Stables at the 2017 Keeneland September sale and took them on a dizzy ride early in his career. After earning “Rising Star” status from Thoroughbred Daily News following his first-out maiden win, he ran third in the Del Mar Futurity (G1).
He then won an optional claimer at Santa Anita before delivering a powerful stretch run in the Santa Anita Derby (G1) to down 2018 champion juvenile Game Winner by half a length. During the remainder of his career, he added five more stakes placings to his record and retired having earned $901,500.
“Roadster is practically a gray version of Quality Road,” Ocala Stud’s David O’Farrell said. “He’s very athletic and correct, medium-sized and is extremely classy mentally—a total pro.
“He should work with a wide cross section of mares. As a precocious horse who could carry his speed over a route, we feel that he has tremendous upside because of his breeding and his race record.
“We’re partnering in him with Airdrie Stud, Speedway Stable, Stone Farm, and Rustlewood Farm, and he’s getting good support as we feel he can really be a great stallion for Florida.”
