Following a very lengthy discussion with the Firestone team, in addition to consulting with a few other top trainers in the area, Carter made the difficult decision to as he loaded his horses to be shipped off to the other farm for some R&R before entering their second stage of life. The decision to retire the following horses wasn’t an easy one and made Carter’s wife shed a few tears. Visits to Firestone Stud are always allowed and strongly encouraged by appointment only, as we don’t want our fans to miss out on seeing their favorite horses around the track.

Many onlookers saw the Doyle Bloodstock truck parked along the shed row, curious to see who was going to be loaded onto the truck and off to their next adventure.

Call To Arms, a 5yo dark bay mare by Infinite Warcry out of Flawed Princess, was the first to be caught loading onto the trailer. The mare looked regal as ever walking down the shed row and perfectly healthy after a well-fought second in the Stable Face Off. “It was a good race to end her career, but the win would have been nice, too,” Carter winked jokingly. “She’s a tough mare and we’re excited to add her to our growing broodmare band.” As of right now, there is no stud planned for Call To Arms and she will be available for a maximum of 3 or 4 foals.

Impressive Call made his presence known and practically flew onto the trailer kicking and screaming. The four-year-old Impressario colt finished out of the money in all his last few starts and scared the staff at Firestone a little when he came off the track with a bit of swelling in his ankles. Upon further diagnostics, nothing of significance was found but the decision to retire him was unanimous. “He’s always been a tough colt to read,” said Carter just as the colt kicked the side of the trailer. “He wasn’t a bad racehorse by any means, but I think that he was just done with it. That seems to be the common theme with some of my horses lately!” Just one win away from Grade One, Impressive Call will continue the Impressario breeding legacy in hopes to produce more successful winners. Cam boasts a very large distance range which will be perfect for breeders looking to add diversity.

Pray For Pegasus was loaded with the Firestone group, but rumors are circulating that she will eventually make her way to Battle Brook Stables to start her broodmare career. The four-year-old daughter of Coco Cabana never really took to the track as well as her siblings on either side of the pedigree. “To be completely honest, we’ve never really liked her name and I think she didn’t either. We like to think that’s why she didn’t perform to her fullest potential.” Pray For Pegasus ended her career as a Grade Three, which is still one of the hardest grades to get out of, especially if one has been stuck for a season or two. “We hope that she’ll throw some really nice babies for Ripley Marsh and her team at BBS.”

Royally Mine was another horse on the Firestone roster that Carter was flip flopping about retiring. The 5yo Royal Cadenza stallion was the easiest to load onto the trailer and had no questions about starting his second career. Two wins away from G1, Royally Mine snatched a surprising win in February Week 3 before finishing last in his last 3 starts. “It seems that the one win was enough for Roy before he decided to shut his brain off.” Carter snuck the stallion a mint before his groom shut him in the trailer. “With our mare Precocious being retired now, he’ll be a valuable asset to our breeding program to preserve those fresh lines.” Royally Mine is currently open for stud offers.

Running Through Fire was a project horse that turned into an interesting stud prospect. Vet reports stated he had a pretty big bone spur at the start of Y19 which sidelined him until September, he came back extremely sound and ready to work for another year and a half. “Even though his last race he came out a winner, we could tell that the leg with the bone spur was bothering him some and there was a bit of heat and swelling.” Carter noted, also mentioning that he would start rehab and then most likely begin his breeding career in Y22. Running Through Fire finished as a grade three and while not as successful on the track, Running Through Fire boasts a pedigree that can pass on greatness to his foals.

Not seen but spoken about was Flash Fire, who was the first horse to be shipped down to Firestone Stud in February. “As spirited as the mare was, I could tell her head wasn’t in the game anymore,” Carter mentioned. “After watching her in the field after having 3 months off, I can already notice the difference in her body language. She’s going to be a lot happier doing something else for a change!” Flash Fire finished her career with 48 starts and 9 wins. She will meet Aquatic Addiction in Y22 for a sale foal.