While on a tour of Stone Hill Farm in 1997, we first noticed a slender filly standing quietly in a stall, a white cat settled serenely atop her hay net. Her owner introduced her to us as Dark Protential ("Yeah, well, there was a typo in her name," he admitted sheepishly). Small, slender, and streamlined, the filly had injured her left knee in a paddock accident while in training at two. The injury had kept her from the track both as a 2-year-old and at age 3. We purchased her and her best buddy Ice the cat and shipped them to Coldwater. A rich red-black with no markings, Dark Protential is largely friendly, though sometimes overzealous in daily life and always nervous in unfamiliar situations. Occasionally her left knee would give out on her during a workout or race, but these infrequent stumbles never dampened the mare's spirit. She is pictured above with Pat Day, her favorite jockey, in the irons.
| Age | Starts | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Earned |
| 4 | 15 | 6 (3) | 1 | 6 (6) | $556,375 |
| 5 | 16 | 0 | 1 (1) | 4 (4) | $113,250 |
| Totals | 31 | 6 (3) | 2 (1) | 10 (10) | $669,625 |
Won:
Jewel of the Desert Steeplechase Classic (UAE-1), Bourbon County Handicap (gr. II), Madison Avenue Stakes, open allowance at Aqueduct, open allowance at Hollywood Park, maiden at Gulfstream Park
Placed:
Hollywood Distaff Mile (gr. III), maiden at Hialeah
Showed:
Championships Distaff Steeplechase Classic (gr. I), Championships Distaff Steeplechase Classic (gr. I), Championships Distaff Steeplechase Classic (gr. I), Keeneland Mile (gr. I), Little Rock Ladies Cup (gr. II) twice, San Diego Handiacp (gr. II), Suffolk County Handicap (gr. II), Greentree Handicap (gr. III), Madison Avenue Stakes (gr. III)
Fourth:
Championships Distaff Steeplechase Classic (gr. I), Hollywood Glitter Handicap (gr. I), Woodbine Distaff Handicap (gr. I), Queens County Handicap (gr. I), Hialeah Distaff Challenge (gr. III)
Due to injury, Dark Protential did not begin racing until the age of four. After running second in her first start to stablemate Spanish Sands, Protential broke her maiden at Gulstream Park and took an open allowance wire-to-wire after dabbling in stakes competition. On March 30, Dark Protential won the Madison Avenue in her first stakes victory. After running third in a grade II stakes, she won the grade II Bourbon County Handicap after stumbling badly on her trick knee. She ran sixth in a grade III before winning an open allowance and going on to a gutsy second-place finish in the grade II Suffolk County Handicap. Dark Protential finished out the year with a third-place run against colts in the grade I Keeneland Mile and ran third in all three of her championship races. To wrap up the great year, she defeated champion One More Time to win the grade I Jewel of the Desert Steeplechase Classic.
As a five-year-old, Dark Protential opened her season by racing in the grade III Hialeah Distaff Challenge, where she again stumbled badly and finished fourth. She was injured slightly in her next start, and after some layoff time came back to run third in the grade III Madison Avenue Stakes. As the year wore on Dark Protential continued to impress in graded stakes company, but did not capture another victory. The fields she ran against were top-notch, and although her 1999 was somewhat disappointing, Dark Protential will always hold the honor of being Coldwater Creek Farm's first female grade I stakes winner!
1st Dam
2nd Dam
Dam of:
2001: Electrifying, black colt by Wild Guess. Foaled January 16. Multiple grade I stakes placed and winner of $339,275. Placed in the Hurdle Challenge race 3 (gr. I) and the Hurdle Challenge race 2 (gr. II). Finished third in the Belmont Park Challenge (gr. I) twice, the 2005 Championships day 2 (gr. I), the 2005 Championships day 3 (gr. I), and the Louisville Handicap (gr. I). Web Runners speed record holder. Retired; owned by Coldwater Riding Academy.
2002: Amazing, chestnut filly by Field of Destiny. Foaled January 30. Multiple winner of $48,050. Broodmare. Owned by Coldwater Creek Farm.
2003: Soaring, black filly by Black Gold. Foaled January 31. Broodmare. Owned by Poverty Bay.
2004: Listening, dark bay colt by Toy Soldier. Foaled February 7. Winner of $21,300 in eight career starts. Retired; owned by Coldwater Riding Academy.
2005: Icing, dark bay filly by Winter Fires. Foaled March 1. Owned by Top Notch Stables. Unplaced.
2006: Glorious Girl, bay filly by Walk of Fame. Foaled February 8. Placed in six starts at two for earnings of $8,925. Owned by Coldwater Creek Farm.
2007: Couple of Curses, bay colt by Fair Play. Foaled February 17. Owned by Coldwater Creek Farm.
2008: Stunning, black filly by Wild Guess. Foaled April 16. Owned by Coldwater Creek Farm.
2009: In foal to Wild Guess. Due March 11.
Political Moves, black mare 1991 by Lethal Image. Unraced. Foals include:
Queen of Scots, black mare 1986 by The Highlander. Unraced. Foals include:
Lexington, Kentucky