Before he entered the gate for the $121,250 Thunder Rumble division of New York Stallion Series Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack Nov. 22, Doc Sullivan already held a place of distinction with his breeder Seamus Coughlan. When the son of Solomini prevailed in a 7-furlong test to earn his third stakes victory, that level of sentiment rose yet another notch.
Last year, the 4-year-old colt became the first stakes winner bred by Coughlan when he took the 2024 edition of the Mike Lee Stakes at Saratoga Race Course. In boosting his record to 6-6-2 from 19 career starts with earnings of $657,840 following his most recent triumph, he continues to give his breeder's compact operation more reason to celebrate.
"I was very pleased, the trainer (John Ortiz) and owner (Tristar Farm) do a very nice job," Coughlan said.
Coughlan, who operates Sleepy Hollow Farm near Saratoga Springs, N.Y., with his wife Eileen, has just three broodmares and one horse in training in Florida. Although their band is small, it's the horses like Doc Sullivan that keep his dream alive.
"As a foal, he was very laid back," Coughlan said. "A little bit on the lazy side, he was a good horse to be around. He always looked good, was always strong. We never had any issues with him."
Coughlan sold Doc Sullivan as a yearling at Fasig-Tipton's 2022 New York-Bred Yearling Sale for $58,000 to Racing Brothers. The colt was then purchased by Glen Lostritto for $59,000 at the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's 2023 June 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale.
Doc Sullivan is out of the Giant's Causeway mare Queen Frostine, whom Coughlan purchased for a bargain price $14,000 at the 2017 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale while in foal to English Channel.
Coughlan still owns Queen Frostine, who produced a colt by first-crop sire Drain the Clock in 2024. The colt sold for $175,000 at this year's Fasig-Tipton New York-Bred Yearling Sale to Caputa. Queen Frostine produced a full brother to Doc Sullivan earlier this year, and is in foal once again to Solomini, who currently sits third on the New York sires list.
When asked if he would keep the foal she is carrying, Coughlan replied: "There's a good possibility, depending on if it's a filly or a colt. If it's a filly, I will probably keep the filly."
Solomini, a multiple grade 1-placed son of Curlin , stood the 2025 season at McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds near Saratoga Springs, N.Y., for an advertised fee of $7,500. He currently sits seventh on the third-crop leading sires list with 52 winners this year with his progeny producing three stakes wins in North America this season. Doc Sullivan is his leading runner by earnings.
Coughlan first started working with Thoroughbreds in his native Ireland before moving to the United States. He began working at John Nerud's historic Tartan Farm near Ocala, Fla., as a groom. Some of Tartan Farms' most notable stars included 1980 Preakness Stakes (G1) winner Codex, 1968 Horse of the Year Dr. Fager, and 1990 Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Unbridled.
Coughlan then pursued a career in construction in New York's Westchester County, where he lived until he moved to Saratoga Springs full-time seven years ago.
"I wound up in Saratoga when I went to visit a friend of mine in Canada," Coughlan recalled. "On my way back down from Canada, we got lost in upstate New York. We wound up in Saratoga. Of course, the love we have for horses, we went to the racetrack. We were coming up for a long period, and maybe 20 years ago, we bought a small farm up here. And, finally, we moved up here from Westchester County."
Saratoga is a special place for Coughlan, not only because his farm is located there, it was also the place of Doc Sullivan's first stakes win. New York's lucrative breeding program has rewarded Coughlan greatly with $27,500 in breeder awards coming Saturday for Doc Sullivan's victory in the New York Stallion Series Stakes.
Coughlan will continue to enjoy the ride Doc Sullivan has taken him on, with no signs of the colt slowing down yet.
"He (Doc Sullivan) is a very, very good one," he said. "Sometimes, you get lucky."
