Summer Sweet Building on Payson Stud’s Legacy

[Wandering Eyes]

When She Feels Pretty (Karakontie {Jpn}) first burst onto the scene, Christian Erickson received several substantial offers for her dam, Summer Sweet (More Than Ready). The first calls came in after She Feels Pretty's debut win and the numbers grew after her victory in the GI Natalma Stakes.

Still relatively new to the sport, having taken on the role of trustee for the Virginia Kraft Payson Children's Trust earlier that year, Erickson reached out to his new acquaintance Brian Graves of Gainesway Farm for advice.

“We were being offered basically 10 times what she had appraised for the previous year,” Erickson said. “One of the first rules in my 33 years of being a financial advisor is to always take the money. I called Brian and he told me, 'Well, Mrs. Payson would keep her.” So, I thought about it for a split second and said, 'Okay, we're going to keep her.'”

 

 

Two years later, Summer Sweet is the dam of a five-time Grade I winner in She Feels Pretty, who will be one of the favorites for the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf. And for Erickson, following the guiding principle of “What would Mrs. Payson do?” has proven to be a winning philosophy–one he intends to carry forward as he steers the future of Payson Stud.

For more than four decades, Payson Stud's breeding program has been a fixture in Kentucky, guided by the thoughtful vision of its founders Virginia Kraft Payson and her husband, Charles. Early on, the Payson colors were carried by stars like 1984 GI Travers Stakes winner Carr de Naskra and 1992 European Horse of the Year St. Jovite. After Charles's death, Virginia continued to oversee Payson Stud's racing and breeding operations. In 1997, she was named Breeder of the Year by the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association.

Erickson first met Payson when he was in his twenties, sparking a friendship that would span the next several decades. He described Payson, who was also a trailblazer in sports journalism, as larger than life and someone with whom he felt an instant connection.

She Feels Pretty wins this year's GI New York Stakes | Sarah Andrew

“She was the first woman hired at Sports Illustrated,” he said. “She worked there for 26 years and became the head of Sports Illustrated's Field and Stream. She was the first woman to do a dog sled race that is kind of like today's Iditarod.  As a scuba diver she was inducted into the Underwater Hall of Fame. She hunted with the Shah of Iran and fished with King Hussein of Jordan. She was just an incredible woman. She knew nothing about horses when she and Charles first got involved, but from that time on, she dove into the horse world.”

After Payson passed away in January of 2023 at the age of 92, Erickson became the trustee of the Payson estate. He quickly put together a plan not only to continue, but to revitalize Payson Stud.

“She knew that she wanted the legacy of Payson to continue and so that's what we're doing now,” explained Erickson. “We're in this for the long game. We want to make a profit, but mostly we don't want people to forget the name.”

To help chart a new course for the breeding operation, Erickson enlisted bloodstock agent Nathan McCauley. One of their first priorities was to reduce the broodmare band to about half a dozen mares in order to increase the overall quality of the portfolio.

One of the mares they chose to retain was Seeking the Blue (Arch), who produced a Ghostzapper filly that sold for $1.2 million to Resolute Bloodstock at last year's Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale. Another mare they decided to keep was Summer Sweet.

At the time, Summer Sweet's progeny included a filly by Super Saver who had already broken her maiden on debut, as well as a Karakontie filly who would later be known as She Feels Pretty.

“I remember the first time I saw She Feels Pretty as a foal,” recalled McCauley. “She was unbelievable. We decided to keep Summer Sweet because we thought she was so promising. She's a beautiful mare. There's a lot to her and she throws that. She puts a great body on them. I've just been blown away by her stock. Every time this mare has a foal, it's an unbelievable foal.”

Summer Sweet with Christian Erickson and Nathan McCauley | Sara Gordon

She Feels Pretty sold as a yearling to Lael Stables for $240,000 and Summer Sweet's next two foals brought $600,000 and $650,000 as yearlings.

For Erickson, watching Payson Stud take the spotlight as the breeder of She Feels Pretty has been an unforgettable experience. His favorite race to date was her historic six-length victory in last year's GI Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Stakes and he joked that the only thing that could top it would be a win at the Breeders' Cup in two weeks.

“We could stay in this business for another 20 years and I don't know if we'll ever have another horse like that,” he said. “I mean, she's generational. It's been an unbelievable ride so early in the game. Everybody knows who She Feels Pretty is.”

Summer Sweet's legacy continues through her growing produce record, which includes a yearling filly by Olympiad that Payson Stud plans to race and eventually welcome into their broodmare band. Their faith in that filly, named Hello and Goodbye, is part of what led them to the decision to send Summer Sweet to the upcoming Fasig-Tipton 'Night of the Stars' Sale.

“Summer Sweet was always going to be one of our foundation mares,” said Erickson. “But Nathan and I have to make important business decisions about the portfolio. We are keeping her yearling and we also have Solo Album (Curlin), who is a daughter of Summer Sweet's half-sister that we purchased last year. It's definitely going to be bittersweet, but at the same time I feel like she is the reason why we're still in the game and the brand has re-emerged. You have to make business decisions that sometimes aren't easy to do and she will help reinvigorate the portfolio.”

At Fasig-Tipton, Summer Sweet will sell as Hip 161 with Gainesway Farm.

“Summer Sweet is the complete package,” said Brian Graves. “She is even money to be the dam of a champion come November. She gets you a good-looking horse that suits the commercial market as well as a racehorse. That's a very rare commodity. I think by most people's measures, she's a collector's item.”

Also selling through Gainesway is Summer Sweet's weanling filly by Justify, cataloged as Hip 54. Graves called her one of the standouts of the auction.

“In my opinion she is one of the nicest foals on Gainesway Farm,” he said. “All of Summer Sweet's offspring that I've seen have plenty of size, great shape to them and are very athletic horses with good walks.”

Summer Sweet, who is 11 years old, has had a foal every season for the past six years. Her Justify filly arrived in May and the mare is not currently in foal.

Christian Erickson and Summer Sweet | Sara Gordon

“She is very easy to breed and she's a mare that you can really trust,” said McCauley. “[The buyer] gets to restart now and get her back on an early cover. She Feels Pretty is a probable champion and with the horses in the pipeline, I think she's only getting better. It's an honor to be able to help with the Payson Stud portfolio. Mrs. Payson laid an incredible foundation and we want to continue the legacy.”

“I'm sure Mrs. Payson would be proud of She Feels Pretty and of where her program is at right now,” said Fasig-Tipton's Boyd Browning. “It's a tribute to proper planning and having an association with good people and good horses.”

Browning said Fasig-Tipton's association with Payson Stud and Virginia Kraft Payson stretches back decades.

He recalled that in 2001, he and the late Fasig-Tipton executive Bill Graves visited the farm to inspect yearlings being considered for the Saratoga Sale. At the time Stuart Angus, who passed away just this August, oversaw the operation. After looking through 15 or 20 horses, Graves singled out one colt he believed was the standout of the group and recommended that Payson send him to Saratoga. Angus agreed and Payson gave the go-ahead. The yearling, by Seattle Slew, sold for $2.15 million. Named Vindication, he later claimed the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile.

“You know you've been around a long time when you have these memories of three people who are no longer with us,” said Browning. “But that's why it's special to think of the long relationship we've had with Payson Stud and the impact they've had in the Thoroughbred industry. To see the continuation of that legacy going on today is really special.”

“We want to continue to grow the brand,” said Erickson. “When people come to the sales and see a horse bred by Payson Stud, we want them to know they're looking at a top-quality individual. Our goal is for people to remember who Mrs. Payson was, and for the next generation to know who we are.”

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