Pin Oak Stud's bedrock homebred stallion Broken Vow died of natural causes Sept. 3 at his birthplace, the farm founded by the late owner/breeder Josephine Abercrombie. He was 25.
The son of Unbridled out of the Nijinsky II winner Wedding Vow, also a Pin Oak homebred, won or placed in six graded stakes and captured three non-graded stakes out of 14 starts.
Trained by Graham Motion, Broken Vow won the Philip H. Iselin Handicap (G2) and Ben Ali Stakes (G3), was second in the Meadowlands Cup Handicap (G2) and Fayette Stakes (G3), and finished third in the Gulfstream Park Handicap (G1) and Massachusetts Handicap (G3), all in 2001, before retiring to stud with $725,296 in earnings.
"He was an incredibly influential horse on my career and was probably my first 'big' horse'," Motion said. "I'm so glad that I got to visit him in his field this past spring. He was a happy horse enjoying his retirement. This truly is the end of an era."
Broken Vow stood some 20 years at Pin Oak and retired among the top 25 North American sires with a career 15% black-type performers from starters.
He sired 81 black-type winners worldwide and six champions, which include 2016 Eclipse champion 2-year-old filly Champagne Room, who won the 2016 14 Hands Winery Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1).
His other five graded/group winners included millionaire Unbridled Belle, Sassy Image, Cotton Blossom, Rosalind, and Emerging Talent. Broken Vow also was a distinguished broodmare sire whose daughters have produced 41 black-type winners that include 10 graded/group winners and four champions. He is the broodmare sire of 2015 Eclipse champion sprinter, millionaire, and top 10 third-crop sire Runhappy .
"Words cannot express the loss of Broken Vow to everyone here at Pin Oak," said longtime manager Clifford Barry. "We had been with him from birth to breaking, his races and his stud career.
"As we reflect on the many great memories he provided, how we cheered for him in the royal blue and gray silks of Pin Oak, and we cheered even louder for his offspring as if they were ours and for the loyal breeders that supported him. He was a very special horse to be around—smart, classy, and a huge will to succeed. And if he could speak, he would have said thank you to the vets and grooms that cared for him throughout his life. It's testament to Ms. Abercrombie's program that he spent his whole life here at the farm. I know she's getting to feed him sugar again."
Abercrombie died Jan. 5 at 95 at her home at Pin Oak.
Broken Vow will be buried alongside other former Pin Oak stallions Sky Classic, Peaks and Valleys, and Maria's Mon.
