The Factor was a standout.
Bred in Kentucky by H & W Thoroughbreds, The Factor is from the first crop of War Front out of the Miswaki mare Greyciousness. He changed hands three times before he made his racing debut - selling first for $50,000 as a weanling, then for $40,000 as a yearling, and finally for $250,000 as a two-year-old in training.
Owners Fog City Stable and George Bolton sent the colt to trainer Bob Baffert who soon told his clients, “The Factor is a freak”.
The Factor wasted no time living up to the hype. He broke his maiden on second asking by a dominant 8 ¼ lengths in a time of 1:06.98 - a new track record for six furlongs at Santa Anita Park. The win was so impressive that it immediately inspired conversation of The Factor being a Kentucky Derby contender.
He returned two months later with another convincing win, this time in the San Vicente (G2). Baffert then sent his dark grey colt to Oaklawn Park for the Rebel Stakes (G2) and he dominated again, this time by 6 ¼ lengths.
[Watch: The Factor wins the Rebel Stakes (G2)]
The Factor looked unstoppable, but Derby dreams would not come to fruition. His 8th place finish in the Arkansas Derby (G1) next out raised eyebrows and a diagnosis of a hairline fracture in his hind ankle soon after the race put him on the bench.
He would not race again until August, over two months after the conclusion of the Triple Crown. Still The Factor returned with a bang, winning the Pat O’Brien (G1) by 1 ¾ lengths. Though he did not dazzle in his next two performances - he was 4th in the Ancient Title (G1), then off the board in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1) - he capped off his three-year-old season with a strong 3 ½ length victory in the Malibu Stakes (G1).
[Watch: The Factor returns from injury with a Grade 1 win]
The Factor began his four-year-old season with a win in the San Carlos (G2) at Santa Anita, then traveled to Dubai for the Golden Shaheen (G1), which he finished 6th in. He flew home to California and ended his career with runner-up performances in the Triple Bend Handicap (G1) and Bing Crosby Stakes (G1).
The dual Grade 1 winner retired to Lane’s End Farm for the 2013 breeding season. He had earned over $922k from a record of 13: 6-2-0. Now a leading sire by winners, The Factor’s top progeny include Grade 1 winners Cistron and Noted and Quoted, as well as graded winners Factor This, Bound for Nowhere, and Charmaine’s Mia, among others.
With a coat lightened by age, The Factor is almost unrecognizable from the dark-grey colt that once lit up the Kentucky Derby trail. Still, memories of his dominant performances arise each time his progeny step onto the racetrack.
[Watch: The Factor's stallion advertisement for Lane's End Farm]
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