By Ron Parker

     Ron and Nina Hagen’s El Dorado Farms in Enumclaw, Washington, has grown considerably since it was established in 1984, expanding from a 100-acre farm with a few horses to a group of seven farms south of Seattle.
     The rapid growth has established El Dorado as the busiest breeding facility in the state of Washington. About 250 mares were bred at the farm in 2007, and Nina Hagen will deliver approximately 80 or 90 foals on the farm.
     Ron Hagen is a contractor, so Nina Hagen oversees most of the daily operations at El Dorado. Her love of horses makes it all a labor of love.
     “They’re just like my kids, and I love every one of them,” she said. Her outlook normally precludes singling out favorites at the farm,where the co-owner is so emotionally invested in the horses that she still finds time to nurture flowers by the grave of Grade 1 winner and sire Demons Begone. But 19-year-old Cahill Road, who stood the 2007 season at El Dorado for $4,000, has certainly endeared himself to Nina Hagen.
     “He’s a character,” she said of Cahill Road, whose fee will likely remain unchanged for 2008. “And he looks fantastic. He’s certainly not showing his age.”
     Cahill Road started only six times during his racing career. He won four races, including the 1991Wood Memorial Invitational Stakes (G1), while never finishing off the board.
     His retirement to stud was met with anticipation as the Fappiano horse out of the *Le Fabuleux mare Gana Facil, was the only full brother to Unbridled, champion 3-year-old male of 1990.
     Cahill Road’s journey to his new career was delayed until stud plans for Unbridled were finalized, after which bloodstock agent Dana Halvorson acquired Cahill Road, owned by a syndicate, for El Dorado.
     Cahill Road’s impact has been felt nationally as the sire of multiple Grade 3 winner Twilight Road, a winner on both dirt and turf. He also has had an impact on the international level as the sire of 1996 Puerto Rican Horse of the Year Mi Vereda and 1997 Panamanian Horse of the Year Social Request.
     Cahill Road has sired 255 winners from 353 starters from 13 crops of racing age, including 23 stakes winners.
     Cahill Road’s contribution to the Washington breeding program, however, likely will be his lasting legacy. In 2000, Cahill Road ended the seven-year reign of Son of Briartic as Washington’s leading sire by earnings and, through last year, has never finished worse than fourth in that category.
     He is second only to Son of Briartic as Washington’s leading lifetime sire by earnings, and his progeny include 2004 Washington champion 3-year-old colt or gelding Spanish
Highway. Through Friday, Cahill Road’s assault on the state’s lifetime earnings record
continued as he ranked second on the 2007 earnings list of sires of Washington-breds.
     “He brings soundness and longevity,” Nina Hagen said. “His foals stay competitive for a long time.”
     Cahill Road’s book decreased this year as he covered 41 mares. El Dorado believes in quality over quantity for its stallions and Cahill Road has flourished with 72% winners from starters.
     “It’s always been high,” Nina Hagen said of his percentage of winners. “He usually has a full book of around 65 every year, but the farm acquired Tribunal and Matty G, so that competition cut back on his opportunities.”
     In addition to being a full brother to Unbridled, Cahill Road is inbred to Dr. Fager and his half sister, Magic, both of whom are out of Aspidistra, the fourth dam in Cahill Road’s tail-female line. Gana Facil is a half sister to Florida-based stallion Pentelicus, also by Fappiano.
     “[Cahill Road] is a perfect outcross to Northern Dancer mares,” Nina Hagen said. “His babies are big and beautiful, simply gorgeous. There’s no mistaking a Cahill Road.”
     Cahill Road is a large stallion, between 17.1 and 17.2 hands by Nina Hagen’s estimation, with an equally immense personality.
     “He’s a delight to work with and quite a gentleman,” Nina Hagen said. “I have a great rapport with him, he’s like a big kid. Sometimes, I think he wants to crawl into my lap, and I have to tell him, ‘You’re too big to get in my lap.’ He shows his personality every day. He talks to you. I just don’t know how to answer. As I said, he’s a character.”

To the Cahill Road website.

To the El Dorado Farms website.