Stryker Phd born to run with the best

A horse, bred north of Spokane, is inching toward the immortality of becoming the best race horse that Washington has ever produced.

Stryker Phd, a 6-year-old gelding, recently became the second Washington-bred horse in history to win the $200,000 Longacres Mile two years in a row.

Char Clark, 69, is the breeder who crossed the mare Striking Scholar with Bertrando, one of the leading sires of California during his time, to produce Stryker Phd.

She was standing there on the rail last Sunday at Emerald Downs in Auburn, Washington, when Stryker Phd made another one of his trademark comebacks to win the prestigious race.

“I was just euphoric,” Clark said. “I could feel the thundering of the hooves on the ground coming by me. It’s hard to believe my baby boy turned out so handsome and such a terrific athlete.”

Clark recently sold her last horse and is getting out of the business after breeding horses for about 20 years between Spokane and Deer Park.

“I used to have horses that bred and raced out at Playfair (Race Course),” Clark said. “But when Playfair had all of its issues and problems and then no racing, I continued to breed horses.”

About eight years ago, she got a call from a trainer at Emerald Downs to see if Clark would be interested in buying a thoroughbred mare.

“One of the trainers said, ‘I have a horse who can’t outrun a fat man and I’m willing to sell it for $2,000,’ ” Clark said. “That was Striking Scholar. That was the mom.”

Clark said she researched Striking Scholar’s bloodlines and everything seemed good.

“Sometimes brood mares, they decide ‘I don’t want to race. I just want to be a mom.’ ”Clark said. “I determined the cross between (Bertrando and Striking Scholar) would be a good cross.”

Clark said another local breeder, Todd Havens, paid for half of Stryker Phd’s stud fees. She stuck with the Stryker name because the mother was Striking Scholar and his aunt was Home School. “All his relations had names with school references so Phd fit,” she said.

When Stryker Phd was born, Clark blew into his nose so that he would imprint on her. Just last week, when she visited Emerald Downs, she approached Stryker Phd, and she did the same thing. “He knew who I was and he put his head in my arms,” she said.

Clark sold him in 2010 as a yearling for $45,000 to Jim and Mona Hour.

Later trained by Larry and Sharon Ross, Stryker Phd developed into a come-from-behind phenom.

Joe Withee, director of publicity at Emerald Downs, said the horse has been a regular at the track for three full seasons. The horse has won his last seven races at Emerald Downs.

“He’s right up there among the greatest Washington- bred horses,” Withee said. “It’s pretty rare air where he’s gone.”

With the win last week, Stryker Phd became only the third horse to win back-to-back Longacres Mile races. And he finished in second place in 2013.

“He’s an amazing stretch runner,” Withee said. “He usually lags back … to dead last and then he makes this tremendous run. He’s been pretty darn amazing.”

To date, Stryker Phd has earned $485,651, which is ninth-best ever for a Washington-bred horse and fourth-best at Emerald Downs, Withee said.

Although Clark no longer has a say in the future of the horse, she believes Stryker Phd has a chance to surpass Turbulator, a local gelding which became the only horse to win a stakes race on all three of Washington’s major tracks at the time – Longacres, Playfair and Yakima Meadows.

In 1985, Turbulator became the only non-human inducted into the Inland Empire Sports Hall of Fame. The legendary race horse died in 1989, some 11 years before Playfair hosted its last race.

Stryker Phd is next scheduled to run Sept. 13 in the Muckleshoot Tribal Classic at Emerald Downs. And, he’s young enough to go for the all-time record of three wins next year at the Longacres Mile, she said.

“If everything goes well, he’ll probably race in it again next year,” Clark said. “He may take the title of the best horse ever bred in Washington state.”