Cardiff Stud Farms

The Sahadi family's Cardiff Stud Farms has been a major force in California's racing industry for nearly three decades. Underbidder for Westerly Stud Farm in 1973, Fred Sahadi instead bought a smaller property in Solvang and named it Cardiff Stud Farm.

There, he developed Gummo into a stallion of national prominence. Sire earlier of four-time California-bred champion Ancient Title, Gummo would sire Flying Paster and Golden Act in his first Cardiff crop of 1976. These two foals would be ranked among the leaders of their generation and boost Gummo's progeny earnings to $3.2 million for that one crop alone. They would later stand at stud in their home state.

Flying Paster was the first millionaire to enter stud in the Golden State. Syndicated in 1981 to stand at Cardiff for a California record of $12 million, his success in the breeding shed had been nothing short of spectacular. By this time, though, Cardiff had outgrown the Solvang property and had moved to more spacious surroundings in Creston, near Paso Robles.

Flying Paster unfortunately died after the 1992 breeding season and other good Cardiff stallions like Prized, Ruhlmann and Skywalker left the farm for Kentucky. The horses and staff relocated to Atascadero, where their stallion roster is headed by Smokester, Al Mamoon, Six Below, Indy Pride and Seattle Proud.

Owned by John Toffan and Trudy McCaffery, Smokester is the sire of Free House and Bagshot. The former was California's Horse of the Year two years in a row, placed in all three Triple Crown races in 1997, and became the first Santa Anita Derby winner since Affirmed to also capture the Santa Anita Handicap. The latter captured the California Cup Classic in 1999. The always-reliable Al Mamoon is the sire of recent Half Moon Bay Stakes winner Sea to See. Joining this impressive roster for 2002 is multiple graded stakes winner Dixie Dot Com. 

When California Cup XII is run at Santa Anita Nov. 3, Cardiff Stud Farms could make it a family affair. Spinelessjellyfish, which the farm owns in partnership with Mrs. Barton Heller, is a strong contender for the Mile. The 5-year-old Skywalker horse deadheated with Native Desert in the California Cup Turf Championship at Bay Meadows and carried Chris McCarron to his 7,000th career win in the Khaled Stakes at Hollywood. The farm will also have a routing interest in Romanceishope in the Classic. Winner of the Del Mar Derby during the summer, this In Excess (Ire) gelding was foaled at Cardiff and trained by Jenine Sahadi. 

Inaugurated in 1990, the California Cup offers 10 races and $1.275 million in purses exclusively for California-breds.