Third-crop sire and multiple graded stakes winner Thousand Words has been sold to Duncan Farms in Ohio, which hopes to fill a huge gap in its roster left by the death last month of its leading sire Dominus.
"Losing Dominus was a big blow to our breeding program," said Daryl Duncan, who operates the farm near Warsaw, Ohio, with his wife, Sally. Three-time leading Ohio sire Dominus was euthanized after developing complications related to lymphoma.
"We'll wait to see if Thousand Words will be as good as Dominus, but I don't think we'll miss a beat," Duncan said.
Thousand Words is a 9-year-old son of Pioneerof the Nile out of grade 1-placed, multiple graded stakes winner Pomeroys Pistol. As a yearling, he sold for $1 million to the Albaugh Family and Spendthrift Farm during the 2018 Keeneland September Yearling Sale out of Brookdale Sales' consignment. He went on race undefeated at 2 and became a stakes winner in the Los Alamitos Futurity (G2). At 3, he won the Robert B. Lewis Stakes (G3) and Shared Belief Stakes and was runner-up in the Los Alamitos Derby (G3).
Spendthrift Farm launched Thousand Words' stallion career in 2021 and watched him rank in the top 10 as a freshman sire of 2024, when he was represented by Adirondack Stakes (G3) winner The Queens M G and stakes winners Vodka With a Twist and Caribbean Gal.
Duncan said he was happy to have the opportunity to bring Thousand Words to Ohio and expects the stallion to make a significant impact on the state's breeding program. He also had acquired Dominus from Spendthrift.
"The whole Spendthrift team is great to work with and really get these stallions off to a good start," he said. "When you look at him physically, he's just a beautiful horse with a lot of bone, is wide in the chest, and a nice mover as well. His name is Thousand Words but when I look at him, I'm lost for words."
Duncan said the stud fee for Thousand Words will be announced at a later date.
As of Aug. 6, Thousand Words has sired 96 winners that include eight black-type winners. Among his other top performers are graded-placed stakes winners A Thousand Miles and Andrea and multiple graded-placed winner Delightful Claire. The stallion's runners have collectively earned nearly $6.68 million.
Thousand Words' stakes winners include five that earned black-type at 2.
"The 2-year-old form is a plus but really his runners are versatile. They can run long, short, in mud, or on turf," Duncan said. "He is a good fit with our farm's breeding program as well as Ohio's."
