The son of Tapit showed remarkable generosity, and the best of him is surely yet to come
By Diego H. Mitagstein
Finding a generous stallion is one of the most complicated challenges in thoroughbred breeding. It’s well-known that a successful sire makes a stud farm, while a failing one has the power to make it disappear. There are countless examples of this, with successes propelling many farms into stardom, and mistakes (if we may use the term, even though it might not be entirely accurate) being decisive in the closure of countless establishments, including some historic ones.
There are ways to take a chance on a horse. Syndicates tend to be the safest and least risky option, but also the least common, especially in South America. Individual ventures are the other route, which reduces the margin even further, because when embarking on such an adventure, you have to go all in—money or... yes, that.
That was the path Alfredo Farioli took when, in early 2020, he decided to acquire Mask to become the chief stallion at his Haras La Valkiria in Esperanza, Santa Fe, seeking a replacement for Falling Sky (Lion Heart), his previous choice who died prematurely at 10, leaving behind some solid winners.
Time passed, Mask's offspring began to shine, and today Freddy, as everyone knows him, stands on a diamond in the rough—a horse who, from a farm in the interior of the country, is challenging anyone at the top tracks, with outstanding numbers that place him among the top second-generation stallions by earnings, winners and wins, surpassing Dabster (Curlin), who was the big sensation during the first half of 2024.
Around the world and in history, many stallions started at small farms and then took off at bigger ones, such as Mr. Prospector (Raise a Native), who began serving regionally at Aisco Farm in Florida, before moving to Claiborne Farm and achieving everything we already know about him...
Such cases aren’t as common in Argentina, but perhaps Pepenador (Lucky Debonair) comes to mind, moving from La Florida to Vacación; Johnny's Prospect (Mr. Prospector), who also moved to the Lottero family’s farm after starting at Cielo Raso; or more recently, Easing Along (Storm Cat) switching from El Alfalfar to La Quebrada, and then to La Pasión.
Today, this isn’t happening, and Farioli and his family are enjoying the victories that the offspring of Mask provide almost daily. “He’s a horse that fulfilled our dream of producing offspring that run in major races. Every day, he surprises us more; his statistics are incredible with crops that are half the number of other stallions, and his success has lifted the spirits of the entire La Valkiria team. Now we’re exactly where we wanted to be. I think this is just the beginning, and we’re going for more with Mask!” the breeder concludes, invoking the catchy slogan he adopted for his stallion.
Mask, a son of Tapit (Pulpit) who cost $685,000 as a yearling and won a stakes race at 3 in the U.S. during a brief campaign, has impressive stats. With just 33 debuting offspring, 18—plus one who debuted and won in Uruguay—have already earned 33 victories, including stakes such as the Viejos Tiempos Mask, Payucano, and Garufa Mask, the latter winning the Clásico Asociación Argentina de Fomento Equino (L) at San Isidro last weekend on turf. Additionally, La Mykonos, Gurisa Mask, Reina Mirta, Orpen Mask, Particulado, and Orcus are also making a name for their sire.
Mask surpassed Dabster in earnings with his double win this past Saturday at San Isidro, further cementing his great form.
With average crops of 40 foals, Mask is preparing to begin his sixth breeding season at La Valkiria next August, already solidified as a generous stallion with a promising future ahead. We’ll just have to wait and see what the best is yet to come.
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