Kadabra Passes

Trot Insider has learned that Hall of Fame trotting sire Kadabra was laid to rest this past weekend at the age of 22.

After sustaining an injury to his right hock in November 2020, personnel at Tara Hills Stud — where Kadabra stood — retired the stallion from breeding duty.

"Kadabra leaves a great legacy and influence on the Standardbred breed, not only in Ontario, but industry wide," said David Heffering of Tara Hills Stud in a statement on his retirement this past January. "Over the course of a 17-year stallion career, Kadabra has cemented his place as one of the all-time great trotting stallions with progeny earnings of over $101 million. Champion fillies and colts included Bee A Magician, Emoticon Hanover, Daylon Magician, Flanagan Memory, Caprice Hill, Forbidden Trade, Poof Shes Gone, Will Take Charge, and many more.

"It has been a great honour for us to have cared for and managed Kadabra throughout his stallion career. Thank you for your support over the years."

The Illinois-bred son of Primrose Lane and Quillo enjoyed outstanding success on the racetrack, winning 10 of 14 races as a two-year-old before an unforgettable sophomore season which saw him win another 11 races and bank nearly $1.6 million.

After winning the Stanley Dancer and the American-National in the summer of his three-year-old campaign, Kadabra strung together four wins in as many tries north of the 49th parallel, registering clean sweeps in the 2002 Canadian Trotting Classic and Breeders Crown.

Wins in the Arther Cutler Memorial and Titan Cup highlighted his brief four-year-old season, which brought a 25-win, $2.1 million showing on the racetrack to its conclusion. And though mightily successful on the racetrack, it was through his career a stallion that Kadabra marked himself as a true game changer in Canadian harness racing.

All told, Kadabra sired over 1,300 horses, with 926 having made the races, 147 taking marks of 1:55 or faster, and eight earning at least $1 million in their respective racing careers. His dominance on the racetrack and in the breeding shed alike earned him the highest distinction in Canadian horse racing possible: a place in the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame, to which he was inducted in 2012.

After his induction into the Hall, Kadabra's offspring continued to cement his legacy. His top performers include quadruple millionaire Bee A Magician, who won a Breeders Crown in 2013 and collected O'Brien Awards in 2012, 2013 and 2015; two-time Breeders Crown winner Emoticon Hanover; and 2019 Hambletonian and Somebeachsomewhere Horse of the Year winner Forbidden Trade.

Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the connections of Kadabra.