First Foals by Rombauer, Smooth Like Strait Reported

War Horse Place near Lexington has welcomed the first reported foals by two of its stallions—classic winner Rombauer and grade 1 winner Smooth Like Strait. Both foals were born Jan. 31 in Central Kentucky, said War Horse Place owner Dana McCreary. Rombauer, winner of the 2021 Preakness Stakes (G1), had his first foal when a filly out of the winning Fed Biz mare Crazy Passion was born at Porta Pia Stables near Versailles, Ky. Crazy Passion is a half to stakes placed Daylight Ride, by El Prado. "The Rombauer filly has great bone and a beautiful hip," McCreary said. "I saw her yesterday when she was six days old, and she is a nice-looking filly." Rombauer recently returned from Chile, where he covered 60 mares during the 2024 Southern Hemisphere breeding season, McCreary said. He stands for a fee of $5,000 at War Horse Place. "Rombauer is a beautiful horse," McCreary said. "The thing about Rombauer, he won on every surface—turf, dirt and synthetic. There aren't many horses who can do that, and he is a Preakness winner." Rombauer, by Twirling Candy, broke his maiden at age 2 on the grass at Del Mar and also placed in the American Pharoah Stakes (G1). At 3 Rombauer won the El Camino Real Derby on synthetic, finished third in the Blue Grass Stakes (G1), won the Preakness, and was third in the Bemont Stakes (G1) in his career finale for owners John and Diane Fradkin. He retired with earnings of $1,040,500. Smooth Like Strait's first reported foal was a colt born at Columbiana Farm near Paris, Ky. The foal is out of the winning Twirling Candy mare Twirling Kimmy, a half to grade 1 winner There Goes Harvard. "The colt looks great. He looks a lot like Smooth Like Strait, with a short back and a nice shoulder," McCreary said. "Conformationally, Smooth Like Strait is perfect in every way, shape, and form. He is a classic Thoroughbred, so correct and he ran 26 times and retired sound." Smooth Like Strait, a Cannon Thoroughbreds homebred, is by Midnight Lute. He is out of the winning Flower Alley mare Smooth as Usual. Smooth Like Strait won six black-type events—five of them graded—and placed in another 11 during a career that saw him earn $1,813,863. He was a graded winner at ages 2, 3 and 4. His most important victory came in the 2021 Shoemaker Mile (G1) at Santa Anita Park. That same year he finished second in the Breeders' Cup Mile (G1) at Del Mar. Smooth Like Strait stands at War Horse for $4,500.