The Pride Of Iowa: Cyclone State Steps Up To International Stage In Saudi Derby

[Wandering Eyes]

When Iowa-bred Cyclone State (McKinzie) breaks out of the starting gate for Saturday's $1.5-million G3 Saudi Derby, part of the Saudi Cup undercard at King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Riyadh, odds are that the loudest cheers will be emanating from halfway across the world at the Iowa State University (ISU) Equine Farm.

That is where the colt, bred by Allen Poindexter, was born on April 29, 2022. It's an evening foaling that Nikki Ferwerda, a faculty member of the ISU Animal Science department and manager of the university's equine facilities, still remembers vividly, namely due to the notoriety of Cyclone State's dam, multiple stakes winner and graded stakes-placed Chanel's Legacy (Dominus).

“To be honest, we were a little nervous when Allen wanted Chanel's Legacy to foal here. We were like, 'I don't know Allen, that's an awfully nice mare,' and just didn't feel that we wanted the extra responsibility. [But overall,] it was pretty exciting to have the mare here and [Allen] was of course super excited for Chanel to have an Iowa-bred foal,” she said. “Everything went well here as far as foaling. He was a beautiful foal when he was born. A tall, leggy colt, he was always just very charismatic and one that everybody always liked to look at.”

The arrival of the long-legged bay adorned with splashes of white on all four legs marked a full-circle moment for Chanel's Legacy, herself an Iowa-bred, and a continuation of Poindexter's support of Iowa's Thoroughbred industry. A perennial leading owner and breeder in the state, the Missouri-based Poindexter sends around 15 to 20 mares to Iowa to foal out each year.

Cyclone State as a foal | courtesy of Iowa State University Equine Program

“What I've been trying to do over the past 15 years is improve the breeding of Iowa-bred horses to make Iowa people proud, showing that Iowa-breds can run against anything. It doesn't matter if it's Kentucky, California, Florida or whatever, we raise good horses in Iowa. It's very important to me because I think it gives credibility to the industry there, which is a big part of the [state's] economy, and can hopefully be continued for years to come,” said Poindexter.

His longtime support of the state's program has also led to Poindexter's longstanding relationship with ISU's equine program. A team effort amongst the staff and students, the equine program not only foals out Thoroughbred mares for clients to meet the criteria for the Iowa-bred program, but also provides services for a variety of breeds while giving students a unique, hands-on education.

“I wanted to find a way to offer services to horsemen in the industry and combine that with teaching opportunities for the students here at Iowa State. We offer breeding and foaling services and then a limited amount of sales preparation, just what we have space for, in addition to our own. We have a number of clients that we provide some of these services for, and each one of those clients and their horses are involved in some aspect of our teaching program,” explained Ferwerda. “Students at Iowa State get more practical experience, more hands-on time, with animals than I think they do anywhere else that I'm aware of. Instead of 20 people in a class coming and watching one or two mares foal, each student is assigned four to six mares. It's then their responsibility to watch them, come to the foaling and help with the initial care of the foal once the delivery is over with.

“Kristen Edgington, my assistant manager, plays a huge role because she is there for the foalings and talks the students through everything that needs to be done. She is as good as anyone out there at correcting a dystocia and ensures that all of our foals get off to a good start.”

On average, Ferwerda and her team foal out between 70 and 80 mares a year, with the majority of mares either Thoroughbreds or Quarter Horses. Along with the foaling aspect, ISU stands three Thoroughbred stallions including Grade I winner Free Drop Billy (Union Rags), multiple graded stakes winner Timeline (Hard Spun), and stakes winner Blueblood (City Zip).

“The Thoroughbred program has been huge for Iowa State, specifically the Iowa-bred Thoroughbred program. The reason it has really grown [here] is because as we've started offering these services, we've also had folks in Iowa retire or are no longer offering the same services. So, there was a need, and us being available to open our doors has been a really big advantage from a business perspective,” said Ferwerda.

Along with providing the foals a solid foundation in their early days, Ferwerda aims to give each student that comes through the barn doors the same in hopes that they will find a connection with the horses that blossoms into pursuit of a career within the equine industry.

Cyclone State workout | Mathea Kelley/JSCA

“I think that we look at each of our farms as a model, hopefully, for our students. We [not only] model quality care, but also a breeding program that has shown improvements over time. We bring our students along for the ride to see how we are making improvements and changes, like breeding better mares to nicer stallions, and that allows [the farm] to be the biggest classroom ever,” said Ferwerda.

“I'm trying to encourage the next generation. I know it's kind of scary and daunting if you're not already involved, so we're hoping that [ISU's equine program] can be a stepping stone in that encouraging factor to get people started.”

The elevation of quality coming out of Iowa is best exemplified by the program's latest star, Cyclone State.

After spending his first few weeks at ISU's farm, the colt and his dam shipped back to Kentucky. A year later, he was consigned to the Keeneland September Yearling Sale with Wynnstay Sales and purchased by Joe Hardoon, agent for Al Gold of Gold Square for $70,000.

It was then that Gold reached out to his partners on the colt, George Messina and Michael Lee, to request their help in deciding on a fitting name.

“Al texted us and said, 'I name too many horses. Why don't you all have some fun and name this horse?' We got with [my sons] Trace and Andrew and we were kicking around names. Since he was an Iowa-bred, we were trying to think of something Iowa. We talked about 'Caucus State,' and then we kicked around 'Purdy,' because of Brock Purdy who played as the quarterback at Iowa State, and then we settled on Cyclone State [for ISU's mascot]. With him being from Iowa, it was a natural fit,” said Messina.

Sent to trainer Chad Summers, Cyclone State may have taken a few months to find his rhythm on the track, but was quick to reward connections once he found his sweet spot: going a mile on the dirt. Barring a runner-up finish in a maiden at Aqueduct last September, the son of McKinzie carries a three-race win streak at the distance, highlighted by his most recent victory in the Jan. 4 Jerome Stakes at Aqueduct.

In that victorious stakes debut, Cyclone State powered home to best the runner-up by 3 ½ lengths while earning 10 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. It was that performance that convinced his connections that he was ready for a trip overseas.

Cyclone State wins the Jerome Stakes at the Big A | Coglianese

“Every day I wake up and pinch myself,” said Messina.

“We made a couple of trips to Saratoga, Mike and I, this [past] summer when he was up there. The horse showed some talent up there but obviously we didn't think we'd be where we are today. When [Cyclone State] broke his maiden, Chad said, 'We're going to win the allowance next and then the Jerome is our goal,' and the plan worked out perfectly. After we won the Jerome, Chad came up with the idea of going to Saudi. We started talking about the competition and it was a no-brainer.”

For Poindexter, whose dedication to supporting regional programs led to Chanel's Legacy giving birth to an Iowa-bred of her own, there's no greater feeling than seeing one of his own represent Iowa on the international stage.

“I love the people of Iowa, that's the main reason that I send those mares there, and I love Prairie Meadows and their staff. I breed my graded stakes mares and foal them [in Iowa] to try and increase the quality of the program. Over the last 10 years, you'll see a lot of improvement and better horses,” said Poindexter. “[This weekend], I have horses [that I've bred] running in Saudi, Hong Kong, and another one running in Japan. We have horses all over the world running that are Iowa-breds.”

And when it comes to those who knew Cyclone State in his early days at ISU, a feeling of pride doesn't even begin to cover it.

“We love watching them all as they grow up and take off in their new careers and obviously, we want them all to be successful. I think this one is just a little bit more incredible because it is at that national, international level,” Ferwerda said. “It's showing how much Iowa is leveling up their horses here and to have an Iowa-bred at that stage is really fun. And then his name is just the icing on the cake for us, it ties it all together.”

From the comfort of the ISU equine barn in Ames, Iowa to the grandeur of King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, one thing is for certain: Cyclone State has become the pride of his birthplace.

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