Pat Hayes

A colt born Jan. 6 at Castleton Lyons near Lexington is the first reported foal for Taiba (Gun Runner--Needmore Flattery, by Flatter). Bred by Castleton Lyons & Kilboy Estate, the chestnut colt is out of Wecallherqueenmary (Exaggerator), whose unraced dam is a full-sister to late champion Speightstown. Castleton Lyons purchased the mare for $200,000 at the 2021 Keeneland November sale. "He's a good foal, a lot of quality," said Castleton Lyons's Pat Hayes. "He looks athletic and more like Taiba than the mare. Very good shoulder and hip, powerful forearm...

For all the round-the-clock pedigree scrutiny and conformation analysis that goes into finding a stallion that will produce a winner on the first Saturday in May, it took a horse standing for $5,000 and lacking that coveted Grade I win on their race record to get the job done. Of the 26 fifth-year stallions standing in Kentucky today, Protonico was one of five to breed less than 20 mares last year. And yet, here he is now sitting atop the Leading Second-Crop Sires list after his son Medina Spirit charged...