In 1990, Saint Ballado was purchased at a Keeneland yearling sale for $90,000 by Clint Goodrich as agent for Tartan Farms. The price was thought to be low for the full brother to the champions Glorious Song and Devil's Bag, but bidders were put off by his conformation and immature physical appearance. In January of his two year old year more than seven months before he made his career debut, Saint Ballado was purchased privately from Tartan Farms by trainer Clint Goodrich and his two partners, Robert Lothenbach and Stephan Herold. Saint Ballado's race record spanned fewer than ten starts. In August 1991, he started in his first race. However, he was given time off due to his lingering physical immaturity and did not break his maiden until the following year in what was his second lifetime start. By his fourth race, he had his second win. He was then moved into stakes races and was unplaced in two Grade II events. Trainer and part owner, Clint Goodrich moved him to Arlington Park and entered him in the Grade III Sheridan Stakes, which he won by seven lengths. Saint Ballado was then entered in the Arlington Classic Stakes, then a Grade II stakes. He won the race by 4 and a half lengths pulling away. In his next start, he finished fourth in the Grade I Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park. Saint Ballado retired after the Invitational, his career possibly cut short by his conformation faults.
Breeding career
Saint Ballado was the son of Halo, who had sired many classic and stakes winners. One of the most famous was Kentucky Derby winner and leading sire in Japan Sunday Silence. He also produced the 1983 Kentucky Derby winner, Sunny's Halo, and Goodbye Halo, the winner of the 1988 Kentucky Oaks. Saint Ballado’s mother was the Herbager mare Ballade. Ballade was also the dam of Canadian Horse of the Year Glorious Song and Champion Two-Year-Old Devil's Bag. In 1993, Saint Ballado began his breeding career in Florida at Ocala Stud Farms for $2,500. At the time of his death in 2002, his stud fee had jumped to over 50 times his original fee to $125,000. By that time, he had been purchased from the original racing partnership of Goodrich, Lothenbach and Herold by breeder Aaron U. Jones for a reported $6.5M and relocated to Taylor Made Farm in Kentucky. In 2005, Saint Ballado was awarded Leading Sire of the Year with his progeny earning over $9.2 million that year alone. His offspring have also done very well in yearlings sales. For example, Word of Mouth sold for $2.6 million, and Warhol sold for $4 million. Sire of:
Saint Ballado was euthanized in October 2002 after "surgery to correct clinical signs associated with a compressive cervical myelopathy." He died as a relatively young stallion at the age of 13 and was buried at Taylor Made Farm, where he spent his last years standing at stud.
