Duncan Farms' freshman sire Air Strike sired his first winner from a limited first crop when his son Professor Nick won a 5 1/2-furlong maiden special weight Oct. 28 at Mahoning Valley Race Course.
The bay gelding, owned by Holly Delaney and trained by Richard Zielinski, had been knocking on the door of a victory since late July when he began a four-race streak of placed finishes at Thistledown. At Mahoning Valley, Professor Nick put it all together and won by three lengths.
Professor Nick is out of the winning Concerto mare Starship Made It and is a half brother to stakes-placed winner Pretti Extreme (Warrior's Reward).
Air Strike sired only three foals in his first crop due to recovering from equine protozoal myeloencephalitis, also known as EPM, which forced his retirement from racing. The stallion has recovered and since sired 19 other foals.
"He is not a big horse himself, but he is throwing yearlings with size," said Darryl Duncan, with Duncan Farms.
Air Strike is a son of Street Sense out of the winning Tapit mare and multiple stakes producer Omnitap. He was bred and initially raced by Gary and Mary West, who eventually sold him to Slam Dunk Racing. For Slam Dunk and partners Air Strike won the Triple Bend Stakes (G2) and was runner-up in the Zia Park Derby. He retired with a 3-2-1 record from 13 starts and earned $338,810.
Air Strike stands at Duncan Farms for $2,000.
