Many stallions have struggled to maintain their success after moving from one major stud to another, but Fortify has cleared that high hurdle with ease, steadily improving his numbers week after week
By Diego H. Mitagstein
It has happened many times before: a successful stallion moves from one major stud farm to another, only to fall short of replicating his previous level of success. Easing Along (Storm Cat) and Salt Lake (Deputy Minister), for example, were unable to match at Haras La Quebrada the brilliance they had shown at Haras El Alfalfar and Haras Vacación, respectively.
In recent years, the closure of several breeding operations has led to some significant relocations, but none as notable as Fortify’s move. After Haras La Biznaga was liquidated in 2018, the son of Distorted Humor took up residence at Haras Vacación, in the same stallion barn once home to breeding icons like Pepenador (Lucky Debonair), Mariache (Dancing Moss), Roy (Fappiano), and Roman Ruler (Fusaichi Pegasus). A big legacy to uphold…
Given the impact Fortify’s progeny had the moment they hit the racetrack, it seemed like an uphill battle from the start. The move not only meant adjusting to a different environment but also adapting to an entirely new and more diverse set of broodmares than those he covered at La Biznaga. Additionally, he now had a broader group of breeders supporting him. However, Fortify’s remarkable ability has not only allowed him to maintain his numbers but even suggested that, in the long run, he might surpass them.
The bay stallion was named Argentina’s Stallion of the Year in 2019, just as his first crop sired at Vacación was hitting the ground. That generation has so far produced 54 winners, including eight stakes winners, six group winners, and three at the top level—a trio that includes champions Subsanador and Nanda Dea, both standout performers in the U.S., along with Menino do Río.
That was only the beginning. With his 2020 crop, Fortify has improved across the board in nearly every statistical category, including runners, winners, and stakes performers.
Among his 103 foals born in 2020, 71 have already raced, and 51 have found the winner’s circle, an impressive 77.5% winners-to-runners ratio. More notably, 13 have won stakes races, nine have triumphed at the group level, and three have become Group 1 winners.
Of course, Intense for Me, the latest G1 Gran Premio Carlos Pellegrini hero, is the headliner, but Rammel, winner of the G1 Gran Premio Montevideo, and Joy Rosy, victorious in the G1 Jorge de Atucha, add further depth to his resume.
Fortify is a model of consistency, and one striking statistic underscores his influence: all 17 of his G1 winners have scored at distances of 1500 meters or longer, firmly establishing his reputation as a sire of classic-distance runners.
Soon, the fifth generation of foals conceived at Haras Vacación will hit the market, continuing the legacy he first built at La Biznaga—the farm that believed in him and his bloodlines, a place where stallions rarely missed. It was there that legends like Practicante (Pronto), Egg Toss (Buckpasser), Shy Tom (Blushing Groom), Roar (Forty Niner), Bernstein (Storm Cat), and Include (Broad Brush) all made their mark.
Fortify has accomplished what many stallions could not—thriving not just at the farm where he started, but also at the one where fate led him next. His statistics will only continue to rise. With a stallion of his caliber, there’s no other way forward.
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