With so much depending on a freshman sire’s initial market appeal and first book of mares, Wilgerbosdrift stallion Buffalo Bill Cody found himself very much on the backfoot when he retired to stud in 2020.
The Irish-bred son of Redoute’s Choice had not enjoyed the rub of the green on the track in a career comprising just ten starts.
Besides, missing from his resume was that all-important stakes win, a lack of which poses an almost insurmountable handicap for a new stallion when it comes to attracting mares.
Not even the fact that his career wins included defeats of the likes of Gr1 winners Lobo’s Legend and Cirillo was enough to sway breeders, hence Buffalo Bill Cody’s first three crops numbered a paltry 18, 19 and 31 registered foals respectively.
That’s very little ammunition to go to war with, yet it hasn’t stopped the horse from making a sparkling start to his stallion career. His first runner, the Anthony Peter-trained Pistol Pete, won first time out and also became his sire’s first stakes winner when strolling to a bloodless victory in the Listed Storm Bird Stakes.
Buffalo Storm Cody charges home under Calvin Habib on debut (Pic -JC Photos)
They say one swallow does not make a summer, however, and another exciting prospect recently burst on the scene in spectacular fashion, this being Pistol Pete’s stable companion Buffalo Storm Cody.
Backed to the exclusion of his rivals, that confidence was spot on as the first-timer streaked up the Turffontein strip and bolted home by all of nine lengths. A half-brother to the Peter-trained Swallow Stakes victress Freed From Desire, he too, appears to have tons of ability.
Buffalo Storm Cody was bred by Narrow Creek’s John Everett, a staunch supporter of the sire from day one.
“I love him as a stallion,” he told Sporting Post. “When I first saw him at the stallion day, he just impressed me so much with his looks, he’s a bold, substantial, masculine horse. He certainly stamps his stock, you cannot miss them in the paddock.”
John not only sent Buffalo Bill Cody a good number of mares, he also snapped up some of the limited shares on offer.
Astute breeder John Everett (photo: hamishNIVENPhotography)
Thus far, the gamble seems to have paid off, and he now finds himself in the enviable position of having the only Buffalo Bill Cody yearling catalogued for next month’s National Sale.
Mike de Kock, who trained Buffalo Bill Cody, is not surprised by his former charge’s early success.
“He was as good as any Gr1 winner I’ve trained,” he recalls. “He was a horse that showed you brilliance and as a sprinter/miler he had everything.”
As regards Buffalo Bill Cody failing to earn black type, he elaborated: “The horse’s career was bedevilled by bad luck and little niggles. When I took him to the Western Cape, he got travel sickness so badly, he was never the same again.”
That much was apparent in Buffalo Bill Cody’s return to action when he finished last in the 2020 renewal of the Gr2 Hawaii Stakes, which would be his final start.
“I was adamant that he go to stud, I rated him better than Soqrat,” De Kock admitted.
High praise indeed, given that he was comparing the horse to a champion juvenile and a triple Gr1 winner!
Exciting Buffalo Bill Cody
De Kock currently has a handful of Buffalo Bill Cody’s progeny in the stable and when asked whether Redoute’s Choice could be a factor in Buffalo Bill Cody’s success, he added: “I would think so, he’s been such an outstanding success.”
He should know, he also trained the Australian champion’s Gr1 winning sons, the full brothers Mustaaqeem and Rafeef.
For now, Buffalo Bill Cody looks a young stallion of infinite promise.
As the sire of two undefeated winners from just five runners (the most recent, Diyarani, ran a promising third on debut this past weekend), it is quality, rather than quantity that will define the start to his stud career.
Clearly, he poses no danger to red-hot logleader One World, who by the way already has had more runners than Buffalo Bill Cody has first crop foals. Yet at this stage, both have sired a stakes winner apiece.
As De Kock wryly quipped: “They were giving away free services to Buffalo Bill Cody when he retired.” One thing is certain, there will be no freebies when the next breeding season comes around.
