Lyle MacArthur has told Trot Insider that hard-knocking Secrets Nephew will be standing stud in 2010, but that does not necessarily mean that the Camluck horse has seen the last of his racing days
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MacArthur, who bred and co-owns Secrets Nephew along with Frank Grandinetti, told Trot Insider that the seven-year-old bay will be standing the 2010 breeding season at Mac Lilley Farms in Dutton, Ont.
"The focus for Secrets Nephew in 2010 will be standing stud," said MacArthur, who has driven and trained the horse over the entirety of his harness racing career. "Hopefully he will attract a good bunch of mares and excel in his work."
Although Secrets Nephew will be hitting the breeding shed next year, MacArthur wanted to stress that the horse isn't retired at this point and that he may see action once the calendar flips.
"I'm not going to say he is completely retired at this point," MacArthur explained to Trot Insider. "There is the chance that after the breeding season he will be trained back down and get back at racing. Still, as I said before, the focus next year is him standing."
In 129 career starts, Secrets Nephew has paced to 36 wins, 33 second-place finishes and 25 thirds, good for just under $1.2 million in purse earnings. His career mark of 1:48.4 was taken over Mohawk Racetrack's seven-eighths mile course in 2008 at the age of six.
"You look at his lines and what he has done to this point in his career and the one thing that jumps out right away is that he wasn't a flash in the pan," MacArthur said. "He's been racing in the Opens since he got up to that level at four and hasn't dropped down since."
In terms of a 2010 stud fee for Secrets Nephew, MacArthur explained to Trot Insider that he has discussed the issue with Mac Lilley Farms farm manager Jeff Lilley, but a particular number has yet to be officially released as of yet.
"Jeff has a great deal of expertise with that aspect of the industry," MacArthur said. "We've discussed a fee, and at this point the number is still up in the air somewhat, but that number is not going to move out of a particular range at this point."