Desert God A legend in his own time - by Michael Cusortelli

The well-bred son of Fappiano was New Mexico’s top sire in 2010, as stallions go, Desert God has established himself as a legend in New Mexico and throughout the Southwest.

That legend was solidified, in large part, by Peppers Pride. Part of Desert God's 10th foal crop in 2003, the mare brought status to her sire – as well as to New Mexico racing – when she won 19 consecutive races and earned more than $1 million from 2005 to 2008.

Desert God sired two of the stakes winners on the March 27 Sunland Derby (G3) card, New Mexico Breeders' Derby (R) winner Attitude E Racer and New Mexico Breeders' Oaks (R) winner Iplaytricks. And in 2010, Desert God was honored as New Mexico's champion Thoroughbred sire, as the now 20-year-old son of Fappiano sired the earners of $1,352,129.

One of Desert God's runners, Fullofenergy – himself part of the '03 crop – won last season's 7 1/2-furlong, $50,000 Land of Enchantment Handicap (R) at Ruidoso Downs for the fourth consecutive year. The now 8-year-old gelding is the only horse in New Mexico racing history to win the same stakes race four straight seasons.

Desert God was also represented in 2010 by stakes winners Train Rider Blues and Betternilook. Currently owned by Joe Allen of Abilene, Texas, and his cousin, Ron Allen of Tucson, he stands for a $6,000 fee at Fred and Linda Alexander's A & A Ranch at Anthony, N.M.

All of these facts and figures attest to Desert God's eventual success as a sire, but his beginnings in the breeding shed were humble. Nicely bred, Desert God is a half brother to three stakes winners, but an injury he sustained as a yearling prevented him from racing. So in 1993, at the tender age of 2, he was donated to the University of Arizona Farm in Tucson to begin his stud career.

Ron Allen, now the head of the Animal Science Department at the university, was present when Desert God was led out of the trailer.

“He was as gangly as any horse I'd ever seen, tall and angular, not flashy-looking at all,” Allen recalls. “But it was just because he was so young. He wasn't close to physical maturity when he arrived at the farm.

“He wasn't bred to too many mares that first year, just mares that were donated to the university,” he adds. “And most of those mares were donated because they didn't have histories of being great producers. That's the reason he had such small crops early on.”

Desert God's first foals hit the ground in 1994. In spite of his impressive pedigree – his sire won the 1981 Metropolitan Handicap (Grade 1) at Belmont Park – the uuniversity had a tough time convincing many Arizonans to breed their mares to him. Still, the stallion's Arizona crops produced a few noteworthy runners, one of which, Stormy Spirit, was a Turf Paradise stakes winner and earner of $149,608. Another, Henry J., won 13 races and banked $129,497 while campaigning through his 9-year-old season.

But in 2000, the chairman of the university's Equine Committee decided the time was right to sell Desert God and replace him with another stallion.

“Joe had asked me to try to find him a Thoroughbred stallion because he wanted to start breeding a few of his mares at his ranch in Texas,” says Allen. “By this time, Desert God had shown some potential as a sire. He wasn't being bred to a lot of high-quality mares, but he was still producing some quality runners.

“So I arranged for Joe to buy him,” he adds. “At that time, Joe was running a few of his horses at Ruidoso, and he decided that maybe he should start participating in the New Mexico breeding program because it was really starting to take off. And I said, ‘Well, if you're going to do that, I'd like to buy back 25 percent interest in him.’ That's how I ended up with part ownership of him.”

Desert God's runners have earned more than $7 million and include 17 black-type stakes winners. The stallion has stood in New Mexico for the past 10 years, and he is currently one of six Thoroughbred stallions standing at A & A Ranch.

One of A & A's sires, the stakes-winning Afternoon Deelites stallion Premeditation, was New Mexico's leading freshman sire in 2007. Current first-year sire Song Of Navarone is a son of Sultry Song who won the $600,000 Winstar Derby at Sunland Park in '06 and broke Sunland's 1-1/16-mile track record two years later.

Still, Fred Alexander acknowledges that it's Desert God who has put A & A Ranch on the map.

“He's been here from the beginning of our farm – since we started breeding commercially – and we couldn't have asked for anything more from him,” Alexander says. “He's Kentucky-type stallion material. He has a good pedigree on his dam's side, and Fappiano might be the best son of Mr. Prospector ever to stand at stud.

“He's just like a big puppy dog around the barn,” he adds. “He's quiet, well-mannered, and easy to get along with. All of his babies tend to be that way. He's just got a lot of class about him.”

________________________________________________________________________________

A&A Horse Ranch is nationally ranked as the third leading stud farm by percentage of stakes winners/starters by the Thoroughbred Times. Contact: Fred Alexander: Cell: 915-539-2176 or Linda Alexander Cell: 915-539-0040 - 1713 W. Washington, Anthony, NM 88021