Oscar Performance: Past, Present, and Future
You could say Price Headley Bell was born to be a bloodstock agent. From an early age, he had an eye for winning thoroughbreds. In 1979, he founded Nicoma Bloodstock and has dedicated himself to bloodstock research for the past 40 years.
Headley has proven his success with the matings of 15 G1 winners including:
Kentucky Derby winners Barbaro (2006) and Street Sense (2007)
Horse of the Year champions Havre De Grace (2011) and Bricks and Mortar (2019)
In addition to proving his success in recognizing and breeding winners, Headley has proven his integrity by creating and encouraging integrity enforcement organizations such as the Thoroughbred Racing Protective Bureau. These organizations help agents, buyers, and sellers work together fairly. Nicoma Bloodstock believes anyone should be able to invest in racehorses, and the integrity enforcement agencies ensure people do not get taken advantage of by dishonest bloodstock agent practices.
Eight-year-old Oscar Performance has stood stud at Mill Ridge Farm since 2019.
Oscar Performance
Oscar Performance, now an eight-year-old stallion, is a product of Nicoma Bloodstock’s mating suggestions. With an impressive physical even as a foal, Headley knew there was something special. After a successful racing career winning eight of his 15 starts, including the 2017 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf and 2018 Belmont Derby Invitational, Headley was exhilarated to retire Oscar Performance at Mill Ridge Farm to stand stud in 2019.
In addition to Oscar Performance, Mill Ridge Farm has raised or sold 36 Grade 1 winners since 2000, including winners of the Kentucky Derby and the Breeders’ Cup.
Oscar Performance: Past
Oscar Performance is the descendent of extraordinary racehorses. He was sired by Kitten's Joy, the U.S. Champion Male Turf Horse of 2004. Kitten’s Joy won the Secretariat Stakes, the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic, and finished second place in the Breeders' Cup Turf.
Oscar Performance is out of Devine Actress. A stakes winner herself, Devine Actress has also produced Grade 2 winner Award Winner, and Grade 3 winner and Grade 1 placed Oscar Nominated. Oscar Nominated is also by Kitten’s Joy, making him a full brother to Oscar Performance. Devine Actress raced for Amerman Racing, as did Oscar Performance and Award Winner.
In Oscar Performance’s second start on August 20, 2016, he won by 10-and-a-quarter lengths. The performance caught the attention of many racing professionals, earning him the "TDN Rising Star" designation from the Thoroughbred Daily News.
Oscar Performance went on to make his graded stakes debut at Belmont Park on October 1st in the Grade III Pilgrim Stakes. He won the race by six lengths. Later that same year, Oscar Performance won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf.
In his three-year-old season, Oscar Performance won the Pennine Ridge Stakes and the Belmont Derby at Belmont Park, and the Secretariat Stakes at Arlington Park.
A bout of colic delayed Oscar Performance’s four-year-old season, but he quickly recovered as the strong racehorse Headley recognized from the start. He won his seasonal debut, the Poker Stakes at Belmont Park, beating the track record set by Elusive Quality in 1998. He went on to win the Woodbine Mile in Toronto, before retiring to stud at Mill Ridge Farm. His total earnings were $2,345,696 upon his retirement.
33 yearlings at the Keeneland September Sale in 2021 descended from Oscar Performance.
Oscar Performance: Present
Nicoma Bloodstock was thrilled to acquire Oscar Performance as their standing stud. “When we speak about the attributes of Oscar,” said Headley, “that’s what I think is as appealing as his race record.” Headley went on to say that Oscar Performance is “the entire package of a horse that could perform for three years at the top level.”
“In today’s world, it’s so competitive, and it’s hard to compete. We are specific in really everything that we do to the best of our abilities, and we want to have a stallion here who’s going to contribute to the breed,” said Headley as he speculated on the future and influence of Oscar Performance.
Headley Bell’s hopes have been confirmed. 33 yearlings at the Keeneland September Sale in 2021 descended from Oscar Performance. Balance among the yearlings is one of the first factors most consistently noted by experienced horse racing professionals. Balance is a crucial characteristic for determining the future success of racehorses.
Yearlings sired by Oscar Performance have sold for nine times the stud fee. His first crop of yearlings averaged $52,000, placing their sire among the top 10 first-crop yearling sires by average. His top weanling brought $140,000 at the Keeneland November Sale in 2020. Wild Silk, a yearling filly consigned by Mill Ridge Farm, sold for $180,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale in 2021.
Oscar Performance continues to stand at Mill Ridge Farm, and his stud fee is $12,500 for the year 2022.
Oscar Performance: Future
Oscar Performance’s progeny is already showing great success in races across the country and the world. As a freshman sire, he has already made great strides to become a promising stallion.
Meiner Vision is a two-year-old colt out of Songoficeandfire who notched his first win in just his second race in Tokyo.
Fast Kimmie is a two-year-old filly out of Everqueen. She finished first in her debut race at Gulfstream Park.
Andthewinneris is a two-year-old colt out of Run Like the Boss. He won his debut race at the Keeneland Spring Meet in 2022 by 7 and ¾ lengths. He, like his sire, demonstrated an incredible ability on the turf. He most recently finished 3rd in his stakes debut on the dirt. His trainer shares their hopes for the young horse: “the colt wants to go further and the turf is definitely to his liking, so we'll be looking at the Breeders' Cup.”
Oscar Performance is the descendent of extraordinary racehorses.
Nicoma Bloodstock Strategy
Nicoma Bloodstock believes that if you tend to a horse as best you can, they’ll do their best for you in return. Oscar Performance and all of the other Thoroughbreds that reside on Mill Ridge Farm benefit from the finest care available, from the fertile soil growing the best grass in the region, to leading veterinary and blacksmith care. Happy and healthy thoroughbreds, raised and cared for in the most natural way possible, win races and produce winning offspring.
The same way Nicoma Bloodstock cares for their horses, they care for their clients. They keep their clients’ goals and budget at the front of their mind and encourage smart investments with the best chance of financial return. Nicoma Bloodstock aims to make every horse, and every client, a winner.
Nicoma Bloodstock looks forward to witnessing the successes of Oscar Performance’s offspring in the coming years. Headley Bell is confident that Oscar Performance will prove to have an indelible influence on the breed and the future of racing.
If you’d like to begin a conversation with a bloodstock agent at Nicoma Bloodstock about acquiring your piece of thoroughbred racing history, contact us today at (859) 224-1000 or learn more here.