Wicked Strong is moving to Dr. William Solomon's Pin Oak Lane Farm in New Freedom, Pa., for 2021, the farm announced Oct. 21. The 9-year-old syndicated stallion, who stood this year at Spendthrift Farm near Lexington for $6,000, will have a fee next year of $3,500, payable when the foal stands and nurses.
"He's by far the leading second-crop sire in the Mid-Atlantic region with earnings of $1.7 million," Solomon said. "And he comes with 154 2-year-olds and yearlings, so I think his chances of succeeding are good for that reason. He also has nine stakes horses in his first two crops to race. All these things make him one of the most attractive sires in the Mid-Atlantic."
A top-10 freshman sire nationally in 2019 by progeny earnings, Wicked Strong is currently 13th among second-crop sires. Among his first-crop runners, now 3, are Evil Lyn, the winner of the Hilltop Stakes at Pimlico Race Course this month, and Wicked Runner, a stakes winner at 2 and 3 in Puerto Rico. His stakes-placed runners include juvenile Brooklyn Strong, who was third in the Bertram F. Bongard Stakes Oct. 2 at Belmont Park in his second start. Of his nine black-type horses, six earned black type at 2.
One of the top runners of his generation, Wicked Strong won the Twinspires.com Wood Memorial Stakes (G1) in stakes-record time at Aqueduct Racetrack and captured the Jim Dandy Stakes (G2) over Belmont Stakes (G1) winner Tonalist .
Graded stakes-placed at 2 when third behind Honor Code in the Remsen Stakes (G2), he was second, a nose behind stablemate V. E. Day the next summer in the Travers Stakes (G1). He turned in strong showings in the 2014 classics, finishing fourth in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) won by California Chrome and running in a dead heat with California Chrome for fourth in the Belmont Stakes, less than two lengths behind Tonalist.
Wicked Strong competed in 14 consecutive stakes at 3 and 4, 10 of them grade 1s. During his 4-year-old season, he had four stakes placings, including a second to Tonalist in the Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes (G1) and a third behind Liam's Map in the Woodward Stakes (G1), and concluded his 19-start career with a fourth in the Las Vegas Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) won by Liam's Map. Racing for Centennial Farms and trainer Jimmy Jerkens, he was retired as the richest son of Hard Spun to stand at stud with a record of 3-4-3 and earnings of $1,994,460.
