on the road again

Nautical Agent will travel north to New York State for a visit with Gold Fever, a son of Forty Niner at stud up there. It's a little late in the season, but rather than lose the year altogether, it made more sense to take a shot and see if she can catch quickly. She's been doing great hanging out with a few geldings on the farm in Colts Neck. Her recovery has been about as good as one can be, so we're thrilled to have the chance to see what she can do as a broodmare. Fingers are crossed that things go well with the breeding.

Gold Fever won the NYRA Mile back in the day (mid 90s, I think) and consistently gets runners. While not as commercially viable as some of the young guns out there, his ability to produce foals that get to the races and win is pretty impressive. They'll run on most anything, too, which helps keep options open. He's a medium-sized stud with a strong back end that I'm hoping will complement Nautical Agent's similar medium-to-small frame (w/ a so-so back end). Both have really good balance, a deceptively long stride for their sizes and were triers. He comes from a stacked Phipps family, which should match well with Nautical's deep Maryland roots.

She'll ship up there in the next few days and we'll see how things go. I imagine she'll be glad to return to NY, scene of some of her finest work.