Carlos Medina, Wire to Wire

Florida-bred Gottcha Gold is a big, strong, fast horse that remained sound throughout his more than three-year racing career. As he settles in at Ocala Stud Farm and prepares for stallion duty, those racing attributes should serve him well in the eyes of prospective breeders.

The 6-year-old multiple graded stakes winner was racing until about a month ago, when he ran in the Fred Hooper Handicap (G3) at Calder. His durability was always one of his biggest assets.

Though some of his best performances were at a mile, including a win in the Salvator Mile Handicap (G3) at Monmouth Park in 2007 - where he beat eventual older male horse of the year Lawyer Ron and earned a 108 Beyer Speed Figure - and a runner up finish in that year’s Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, he has also won two graded stakes at 1 1/8 miles.

His wins in the Philip Iselin Breeders’ Cup Handicap (G3) and the Skip Away Handicap (G3) showed some of the distance for which his sire was noted.

Still, Gottcha Gold was one of the best milers in 2007, posting a blistering 1:34 1/5 time in the Salvator Mile and has earned Beyer Speed Figures of 105 or better five times in his career.

“The last two stallions we had to run a mile in 1:34 1/5 or faster were Montbrook and Notebook,” said Ocala Stud’s Michael O’Farrell.

“Between them to date, Montbrook and Notebook have sired 89 stakes winners, a couple of dozen which were graded,” O’Farrell said.

Gottcha Gold’s sire, Coronado’s Quest was a multiple stakes winning multi-millionaire, who in one stretch won five graded stakes in a row, culminating with the 1998 Travers Stakes (G1) at Saratoga. At 1 ¼ miles, it was his longest win. Though his bread and butter were the longer distances, he also won at a mile, including the Nashua Stakes (G3) as a two-year-old.

Coronado’s Quest was know for his fiery disposition, which has been cited as a factor for his off performance in the 1998 Florida Derby that effectively put him out of Kentucky Derby contention. He would comeback and beat that year’s Belmont winner Victory Gallop in both the $1 million Haskell Invitational Handicap (G1) and the Travers Stakes (G1). Coronado’s Quest retired with more than $2 million in earnings.

Unfortunately, Coronado’s Quest died in 2006 after less than seven years at stud. The son of Forty Niner died in Japan of heart failure.

Gottcha Gold’s dam, Gottcha Last won both of her stakes at over a mile including the 1 ¼ mile Moonlit Jig Stakes at Laurel Park. The Pleasant Tap mare never liked the shorter distances, finishing well back in her two starts at a mile.

Gottcha Gold retired with earnings of just under $1 million. He won eight of his 31 starts and finished in the money another eight times. His move to Ocala Stud is also a homecoming for him. He was raised and received his early training at the farm before heading to the race track.

“As a breeder I would look for talent, soundness and speed. He’s demonstrated all those things. Having a sound horse is a wonderful advantage. Soundness is probably the most important factor in a horse. If he can pass those qualities on to his foals it would be a winning combination. If he was someone else’s horse I’d be looking to breed to him and I will be breeding to him,” said Vernon Heath, who bred and raced Gottcha Gold under his Centaur Farms name.