MICHAEL STIDHAM RACING
Buying
Buying & Selling
An essential ingredient of Mike Stidham’s continued success is his ability to identify at the sales affordable horses who go on to repay their price tag multiple times over. His resume is littered with examples.
High on the list is Upperline – one of Stidham’s most successful race mares.
Upperline was brought for a song as part of a four-horse package of yearlings, two of whom also won, including U Appeal To Me who finished second in the Grade III Arlington-Washington Futurity. But Upperline was the star of the group. Her nine career victories included seven stakes wins, three of which were in Grade III company. She also enjoyed multiple placings in Grade I and II company. Throughout four seasons of racing, Upperline was highly tried, and her toughness and soundness was a testimony to Stidham’s expertise in keeping horses in tip-tip physical and mental shape throughout extended careers. She retired with career earnings of $772,988. in a fitting postscript, Upperline was sold in foal to War Front at auction last year where she fetched $1.75 million for her group of owners.
Another name to consistently hit the headlines was Willcox Inn – the millionaire-maker who now stands as a stallion in New York at Saratoga Stud.
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Horses-in-training sales have proven particularly fruitful venues for Stidham to purchase affordable and un-raced young horses.
Culinary is one of Stidham’s most prolific horses-in-training graduates. During a distinguished career, Culinary won five races, including a victory in the Grade III Arlington-Washington Lassie Stakes in 2004. After costing just $25,000 at the sales, she ended up with $271,680 in the piggy-bank. Ground Transport is another horses-in-training graduate purchased for peanuts. Still running today, Ground Transport has thus far amassed $327,059 in career earnings. During 2013, he ran fifth in the Louisiana Derby, while in 2014 he has proven a revelation, picking up two stake-race victories amid a number of highly lauded graded stake-race performances.
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With a discerning eye for a bargain and an enviable track record at producing winners, it’s inevitable that Stidham has forged long and prosperous relationships with many of his owners. He has also proven especially adept at putting together partnerships between new and existing clients – finding the right horse and syndicate to suit an owners’ individual aspirations. What is more, unlike many trainers, Stidham is willing to put his cash where his mouth is, and he routinely invests his own money in the young horses that he purchases.