Calculator: The Versatile, Gutsy Gray

Calculator at Breakway Farm

Calculator: Stallion Spotlight

Sponsored by Breakway Farm

Calculator is one of those horses that racing fans can’t help but love. The gorgeous gray colt initially attracted attention on the Triple Crown trail as a two-year-old in 2014 and later as a tough and consistent contender in graded stakes races. His fanfare has never waned; even in his stud career, he is celebrated by fans and horsemen alike.

Pedigree & Early Life:

Calculator was bred by Ocala Stud and born in Florida on April 5, 2012. He is sired by In Summation, a Grade 1 winning son of Put It Back, and is out of the unraced Alphabet Soup mare Back to Basics.

Back to Basics has produced four winners from seven foals, including stakes winner Arms Runner. Calculator hails from a very nice female family. His 2nd dam Christy Love produced graded stakes winner Atticus Kristy as well as stakes winners Distorted Reality and Fiery Dancer. Calculator’s 3rd dam Amo produced With Every Wish, who is the maternal granddam of multiple Grade 1 winner Shackleford and the 3rd dam of Grade 1 winner Firenze Fire.

Furthermore, Calculator’s 4th dam Taminette is a full-sister to champion miler Known Fact and a half-sister to Grade 1 winner Tentam and Secrettame, the dam of the exceptional sire Gone West. Taminette herself produced A.P. Jet and multiple Grade 1 winner Tappiano.

Calculator has no inbreeding in his first four generations and is inbred 5x5 to Mr. Prospector and In Reality.

Calculator at Breakway Farm in Indiana.

Calculator looked like a racehorse from the very beginning. "Calculator is not an overly big horse but he was always a good-looking, handy kind of colt; well put together," Ocala Stud’s David O'Farrell recalled in an interview with BloodHorse. "He always looked like he'd be a good 2-year-old. He was really hard to fault. I'm not going to say we thought he'd be this good, but when we put him into training he was just one of those colts who never had a bad day.”

The gray In Summation colt proved that he had more than good looks with a great breeze at the OBS 2014 Spring Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale. Trainer Peter Miller took a liking to the colt and purchased Calculator for $132,000 for owner Richard Pell.

Two-Year-Old Season (2014):

Calculator’s racing career began on July 19, 2014 at Del Mar Racetrack. He finished 3rd in his debut and 4th in his next start one month later. Interestingly, the horse who finished just behind him in 5th was American Pharoah - a future Triple Crown winner.

Calculator and American Pharoah met again for the Del Mar Futurity (G1) in September. American Pharoah was uncatchable at the top of the stretch, but Calculator chased after him diligently, finishing 2nd by 4 ¾ lengths in his first attempt at the graded stakes level. Though beaten, Calculator came home well ahead of the rest of the field.

The two met again in the Frontrunner Stakes (G1) later in the month with the same result; American Pharoah couldn’t be caught in the stretch, but Calculator still gave his all to finish 2nd by 3 ¼ lengths.

[Video: Watch Calculator's 2nd place finish in the Frontrunner Stakes (G1)]

Calculator was expected to run in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) in November, but had to scratch due to a sore foot and therefore did not race anymore during his two-year-old season. He ended the year without breaking his maiden, but his record was nothing to scoff at; he had twice finished second to a soon-to-be superstar colt at the Grade 1 level.

Three-Year-Old Season (2015):

The Peter Miller trainee made his three-year-old debut in Sham Stakes (G3) on January 10, 2015. Despite a wide trip, Calculator struck the front at the top of the stretch and powerfully pulled away from his competition to break his maiden by 4 ¼ lengths.

The win gave Calculator 10 points on the “Road to the Kentucky Derby”, tying him for second place on the points leaderboard. However, an unfortunate injury one month after Calculator’s Sham Stakes score put him on the sideline for 6 months - he would miss all three Triple Crown races.

While Calculator was on the sidelines, his old foe American Pharoah flattered him by becoming the first horse in 37 years to win the Triple Crown.

[Video: Watch Calculator dominate in the Sham Stakes (G3)]

Four-Year-Old Season (2016):

Calculator’s ankle injury and subsequent surgery kept him out of the races for more than a year. Finally, in February of 2016, Calculator was set to return in an Allowance race at Santa Anita.

"He looks like the same horse to me," trainer Peter Miller said in a pre-race interview with BloodHorse. "You never know, because he's been off a long time, but it's a good spot for him. If he runs his race, he should win. I don't think I've got him completely cranked up. He's probably at about 90%, but this is just a first step.”

Just about everything that could go wrong in the race did. Calculator was left behind at the start and had a wide trip on a speed-favoring track. Nevertheless, the gutsy gray battled with Fusaichi Samurai down the stretch to win his return by a neck.

Calculator broke slowly again in his next start, the San Carlos Stakes (G2), but tried hard enough in the stretch to get a 3rd place finish in a close race. He then left California for the first time to contest in the Carter Handicap (G1) at Aqueduct. There in a heart-pounding performance Calculator rallied down the center of the stretch side by side with Salutos Amigos, picking off every horse but just missing the win by a nose.

The Carter was another incredible display of Calculator’s huge heart and drive.

[Video: Watch Calculator finish 2nd by a nose in the Carter Handicap (G1)]

Next, he was on to Kentucky where he finished 2nd by ¾ of a length in the Churchill Downs Stakes (G2) on the Kentucky Derby undercard. Calculator ended his four-year-old season with a 10th place finish in the Met Mile (G1) and a 3rd place finish in an Allowance at Santa Anita.

Five-Year-Old Season (2017):

Calculator began his five-year-old season with a change in surface, winning an Allowance on Santa Anita’s hillside turf course by a neck. The win made Peter Miller confident that Calculator could become a good turf miler. Though the In Summation colt didn’t win the Maker’s Mark Mile (G1) or his next start, the Kona Gold Stakes (G2) on dirt, he won again on Santa Anita’s hillside turf course in an Allowance in July. He also finished 3rd in the Wickerr Stakes on the turf before switching back to dirt for a 2nd place finish in the Pat O’Brien Stakes (G2).

Calculator finished 7th in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) and was in training at San Luis Rey Downs for his next start when a tragedy shook the industry.

On December 7, 2017 a wildfire swept through San Luis Rey Downs where Calculator and about 450 other horses were stabled. The fire burned through the stables at a horrific pace, so quickly that many horses had to be set loose from their stalls to escape on their own. 46 horses perished in the fire, but thanks to the heroism of the people there most horses made it out. Calculator was one of those survivors.

He was healthy enough to return to the races on December 30th, finishing 4th in the Midnight Lute Stakes (G3).

Six-Year-Old Season (2018) & Seven-Year-Old Season (2019):

Calculator’s 2018 season began back on Santa Anita’s hillside turf course for the Clockers Corner Stakes. The six-year-old horse was undefeated over this course and therefore heavily favored to win the race.

He lived up to his odds, but did so differently than he had ever done before; instead of settling mid-pack or in the back of the pack, Calculator hustled to the lead and never looked back.

[Video: Watch Calculator win the Clockers Corner Stakes]

One month later he finished 3rd in the Daytona Stakes (G3) and then went back to the dirt for the Kona Gold Stakes (G2), in which he finished 4th.

Calculator ended his six-year-old season with a 2nd place finish in an Allowance at Del Mar.

By 2019 Calculator had already raced 23 times, but his connections felt that he was still training strongly enough to continue his racing career. However, after four unplaced finishes and one 3rd at the Allowance level, the decision was made to officially retire Calculator from racing.

In all, Calculator had a race record of 28: 5-6-6 and $694,273 in earnings. He placed in 3 Grade 1 races, won a Grade 3 on the dirt, was a stakes winner on the turf, and even performed well on synthetic. Throughout his career, he had proven himself to be versatile, gutsy, and determined - all qualities that make a horse a star.

Retirement & Stud Career:

In May of 2020, it was announced that Calculator would be heading to Breakway Farm near Dillsboro, Indiana to begin a stud career.

"He is a total outcross for the majority of the mares that reside in Indiana," Tara Mathias of Breakway Farm said in an interview with BloodHorse. "He is bringing in new blood to help enhance an already good regional program."

Breeders who already have Calculator foals have nothing but good things to say and there is good reason to believe that his progeny will be versatile and successful when his first crop hit the track in 2023.

Calculator

Fee: $2,500 Live Foal

Contact: Janice Jordan (812) 584-1967 breakwayfarm@gmail.com

A Calculator colt out of Corsica. Photo courtesy of Breakway Farm.