In The Arsenal (p, 2, 1:49.4; 3, 1:49.1), the six-year-old, million-dollar-winning fast son of American Ideal, has been retired and will stand his first season at Leatherstocking Equine in New York for an introductory fee of $2,500.
Earning $1,035,898 racing against the fastest pacers on the planet, In The Arsenal has 18 wins lifetime, capturing victory in a nearly a third of all his starts.
Perhaps best known for his blistering speed at two, winning a leg of the Bluegrass at the Red Mile in 1:49.4 as a freshman, he also won the Lawrence Sheppard Memorial at Yonkers. In fact, in a span of five weeks, he won both his two-year-old stakes at Lexington, the Historic at Harrah's Philadelphia, and the Matron at Dover.
This was followed by a brutal 10-hole brush to the lead and cutting the :26.3, :54.3 and 1:23 fractions in his Breeders Crown elimination, beaten just a length for third in 1:50.3. The following week, In The Arsenal finished second in the Breeders Crown Final, again from post 10, despite being interfered with in the early going.
Trainer Kelvin Harrison recalled: “In The Arsenal was a naturally gaited horse, with an incredible heart rate recovery . . . much like an older horse. I told [then-owner, the late] Michael Parisi after I trained him in 2:11 in March to turn him out and we will win the Sheppard!”
His trainer wasn’t the only person who was high on In The Arsenal, especially since the then two-year-old had won six of 11 races and nearly $400,000 in 2014.
Bred by White Birch Farm, manager Steve Williams rarely missed a race that his homebred colt participated in, and confided in several of his owners about the horse’s blazing speed at two and how that trait could translate very well into stallion potential.
Driver Brian Sears agreed, stating, “He was a very good gaited horse that carried his speed a long way.”
Perhaps it was just unfortunate that the colt happened to be born the same year as Horse of the Year Wiggle It Jiggleit. Arguably one of the deepest group of glamour boys in recent memory, In The Arsenal also competed with Freaky Feet Pete, Artspeak, Dudes The Man, Lost For Words, Dealt A Winner and Wakizashi Hanover.
In The Arsenal defeated several of the aforementioned pacing colts in his elimination of the Meadowlands Pace in 1:49.1, stepping away from the field with an incredible :25.3 last quarter.
Several weeks prior he won an elimination and the final of the Art Rooney at Yonkers, his elimination of the North America Cup at Mohawk, as well as a division of the Bluegrass at The Red Mile in September. Despite locking bridles with some of the toughest individuals of the decade, In The Arsenal still finished the season with over half a million dollars in earnings and was third or better in 11 of 17 starts in 2015, with seven wins.
Breathing issues prevented the son of American Ideal from realizing his full potential as a four-year-old, coupled with the chore of racing against the fastest pacer ever Always B Miki, as well as Wiggle It Jiggleit and Freaky Feet Pete in 2016. Nonetheless, he finished second to Wiggle It Jiggleit in a leg of the Graduate Series at Tioga.
From the multiple stakes-winning mare Ladyotra (p, 2, 1:53.2, $115,627), her production and immediate family is loaded with speed and money winners.
Leatherstocking Equine General Manager David Hanson noted, “In The Arsenal has a pedigree that will match will many pacing families today. From a very popular sire line in American Ideal and being out of an On The Road Again dam, this opens a lot of doors in a time when pedigrees are family tight. His book is already beginning to fill with commitments from several commercial breeders. His syndicate is committed to supporting him which is always something to look for when selecting a stallion for your mare.”
For more information regarding bookings and breedings, contact David Hanson at the Leatherstocking Equine Group, New Berlin, N.Y., via email at [email protected] or by phone at 607-847-9996.
Be sure to ask if your mares qualify for significant quantity and special situation discounts.
(In The Arsenal Syndicate)