WinStar Farm’s multiple Grade 1 winner Improbable, the 2020 Eclipse Champion Older Male, sired his first reported foal when a colt was born at Bluewater Farm on Monday night, Jan. 10. Bred by CHC Inc., the colt, who hails from a family replete with black-type, is out of the winning Into Mischief mare Dark Corner, a half-sister to Grade 1 winner Perfect Alibi, winner of the 2019 Spinaway S. (G1).
“We’ve been eagerly anticipating the Improbable foals since retiring him to stud in 2021,” said Liam O’Rourke, WinStar’s Director of Bloodstock Services. “We’re thrilled for our longtime partner CHC having his first foal. We look forward to welcoming many more foals out of quality mares like Dark Corner.”
Improbable, City Zip’s only four-time Grade 1 winner, rattled off three consecutive Grade 1 victories in 2020, taking the Hollywood Gold Cup (G1) at Santa Anita, the historic Whitney S. (G1) at Saratoga, and the Awesome Again S. (G1) at Santa Anita. In the latter, he defeated champion Maximum Security by 4 ½ lengths, recording a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 108.
Undefeated in three starts at two—a pair of them stakes—Improbable reported home a spectacular five-length winner over subsequent Grade 1 winner Mucho Gusto in the 2018 Los Alamitos Futurity (G1), getting the 1 1/16 miles in 1:41.18, the fastest time of the race in over a decade. A stakes winner each season from two to four, Improbable concluded his stellar career with a runner-up finish in the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) in 2020, earning a 108 Beyer and a 2 Ragozin, the fastest of the field. All told, he won seven starts, six of them stakes, and bankrolled $2,729,520 for owners WinStar Farm, CHC Inc., and SF Racing.
From the immediate female family of Hard Spun, Improbable was booked full in 2021, having bred 177 mares in his initial season at stud. Improbable was the No. 1 Freshman Sire by 2021 CPI (Class Performance Index)—3.80 and No. 2 Sire by CI (Comparable Index)—2.39 in the $25,000-$49,999 stud fee range. Represented in 2021 by first in-foal mares that sold for $550,000, $445,000, $420,000, etc., Improbable was the No. 2 Freshman Covering Sire by average—$218,187.
Improbable is a complete outcross in his first four generations. His dam, Rare Event, is by A.P. Indy, while his second dam is a half-sister to Hard Spun. Improbable will stand the upcoming breeding season for $35,000 S&N. For more information about Improbable, contact Liam O’Rourke, Olivia Desch, or Gareth Wigley at 859-873-1717.
