Former Horse of the Year now on stallion roster in Kentucky
5/11/2008 11:29 PM   0 comment(s) on this story E-mail this story to a friend

By BEN BAUGH
Staff writer
PARIS, Ky. -- He holds the distinction of being an Eclipse Award finalist as North America's premier Sprinter, Handicap Horse and Horse of the Year. Robert and Janice McNair's Stonerside Stable's Congaree, the 2002 Aiken-Trained Horse of the Year, is now part of the stallion roster at Adena Springs.
Stonerside still retains ownership of the stallion, whose resume includes wins in the Grade 1 Swaps Stakes at age 3, the Grade 1 Cigar Mile Handicap at age 4 and the Grade 1 Hollywood Gold Cup, Grade 1 Carter Handicap and Grade 1 Cigar Mile Handicap at age 5. He also placed third in the 2001 Kentucky Derby and Preakness. He was broken and trained in Aiken by Stonerside Stable's Tim Jones. Congaree's stud fee in 2008 was $15,000.
"I hope we'll have some luck with him," said John Adger, Stonerside Stable racing and bloodstock manager, in a phone interview on Friday afternoon. "He was an absolutely brilliant racehorse, very fast and has an incredibly wonderful disposition. He was a sound horse and ran against the best of his generation. He won five Grade 1 stakes, from 5/8 to 1 1/4-miles. He's inbred 3x3 to Northern Dancer. He has a nice pedigree and has a lot of things going for him to pass on to his offspring. His last 22 starts were in graded stakes company. He was always running against top class competition."
Congaree is a son of Arazi's, who is out of the stakes-placed Mari's Book broodmare Mari's Sheba, and whose first crop are 2-year-olds of 2008 will race this year.
The Blood-Horse's Market Watch had high praise for the 10-year-old, 16.3 hands chestnut stallion.
"At a time when many observers lament the decay of the modern Thoroughbred in terms of its hardiness and the ability to withstand seasons of racing, Congaree stands like a beacon to tell us what the breed is capable of."
The durable campaigner raced until the age of 6, and from 25 lifetime starts, he won 12 races, 10 graded stakes, placed second twice (both graded stakes) and finished third four times (all in graded stakes company), en route to bankrolling $3,267,490. Congaree consistently defeated the best horses of his generation.
"As far as his progeny is concerned, if they can run half as well as he did, they're going to be great," said Bill Drury, Adena Springs Stallion manager, last Tuesday at the Paris, Ky.-based facility. "He's thrown some real nice babies. The 2 year olds are working well. They're looking good. He was named after a river, so we're going to let it just run its course."

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