Mr. P Is Gone


The Sire of Sires is dead. Mr. Prospector was 29.

Now comes the interesting part. I went to several colleagues and sources to determine how old was that great Caliborne Farm sire in human years. And I received just as many answers.

I believed each horse year was equal to seven human years. But not for a moment did I believe that old speedball was 203 years old. The estimates, not to bother you with the various formulas, has the son of Raise a Native ranging from 85 years old and up. Maybe 92. Maybe older. Hey, a least he didn't need Viagra.

No matter, the breeding pride of Claiborne Farm (www.claibornefarm.com) was one of the reasons why the establishment, located 15 miles north of Paris, Ky., is the Horse Farm of Horse Farms.

Mr. P, as he was known globally, sired 165 stakes winners, the all-time record, during a quarter century. And those victories brought his owners nearly $79 million.

Many of his siblings became good sires, too: Carson City, Crafty Prospector, Fappiano, Woodman, etc.

And how about these champion stakes horses, including many productive sires, who call Mr. Prospector pop:

Afleet, Canada's 1987 horse of the year and champion 3-year-old colt; Conquistador Cielo, '83 Belmont Stakes winner and champion 3-year-old colt who was horse of the year; Eillo, '84 Breeders' Cup Sprint winner; Forty Niner, 2-year-old champion colt in '87; Gulch, '88 BC Sprint winner; Ravinella, a filly who was champion at 2 in '87 and 3 in England and France; Rhythm, champion 2-year-old colt who captured the BC Juvenile; Seeking the Gold, '88 BC Classic winner; and Tank's Prospect, '85 Preakness victor.

Quite a feat for a horse whose $350,000 stud fee in '86 was triple his winnings, $112,171, as a 3- and 4-year-old. He won seven of 14 races, but only two stakes: the Whirlaway and Gravesend handicaps.

Mr. Prospector came down with colic June 1 and was diagnosed with peritonitis: inflammation of the thin membrane lining the abdomen. He was euthanized at 1:25 p.m. He was buried between Nijinsky II and Secretariat.

He had completed this year's breeding schedule, covering 47 mares, and 31 were in foal.

I know why he was called Mr. P - the P stands for Prolific.

The copyright of the article Mr. P Is Gone in Horse Racing is owned by Greg Melikov. Permission to republish Mr. P Is Gone in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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