Private Creed is the Aiken-trained Horse of the Year for 2022

Nov. 29—Marcus and Crystal Ryan knew early on that they had a young horse with a lot of potential in their care, and Private Creed lived up to that promise.

The 2-year-old colt is the Aiken-trained Horse of the Year for 2022.

"We are thrilled to bits," Marcus said during a recent telephone interview.

The Advisory Board for the Aiken Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame and Museum chose Private Creed for the honor.

To be eligible for Horse of the Year recognition, a thoroughbred must win at least one graded stakes during the year selected or exceed $500,000 in career earnings.

During his first year of competition in 2022, Private Creed won $599,313 while capturing three of his five races, all of which were run on grass.

The bay colt's efforts included a third-place finish in the $920,000 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint, a grade I race, in November at Keeneland in Kentucky.

In the name of their Mason Springs training center near Windsor, the Ryans purchased Private Creed for $45,000 from his breeder, Sierra Farm, at the 2021 Keeneland September yearling sale.

"He was big, strong-looking, fast-looking horse," Marcus said.

And following Private Creed's arrival at Mason Springs, the colt didn't disappoint.

"Me and my wife, we really loved him from the beginning," Marcus said. "He was a gentleman of a horse because everything we asked him to do, he just went along and did it. He was galloping better than most of the other horses we had."

In the spring of this year, Private Creed spent a little more than two weeks at the Aiken Training Track while getting ready for the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic sale of 2-year-olds in training in Maryland.

"He was such an effortless mover that you probably didn't think he was going as fast as he was," Marcus said. "My expectations were that we would make a profit."

At the Fasig-Tipton auction, which was held in May, the Ryans sold Private Creed to Mike McCarty for $155,000.

Based on the number of people who looked at the colt prior to the sale, Private Creed "was our second busiest horse, so it (the price) wasn't a total surprise," Marcus said.

Steve Asmussen, who is a member of thoroughbred racing's Hall of Fame, became Private Creed's trainer, and the colt thrived in his stable.

Private Creed scored his biggest victories this year in the $500,000 Global Tote Juvenile Sprint Stakes at Kentucky Downs and the $244,688 Indian Summer Stakes Presented by Keeneland Select at Keeneland.

The colt defeated Sharp Aza Tack by three-quarters of a length in Global Tote Juvenile Sprint in September while completing 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:18.19.

Then, in the Indian Summer in October, Private Creed won by three-quarters of a length again.

Mo Stash was the runner-up.

Private Creed's time for the 5 1/2 furlongs was 1:02.30, a record for the stakes.

Even though Mischief Magic was the winner by a length over Dramatised in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint, Private Creed proved to be a solid threat.

At the wire, he was only a neck behind the runner-up.

Joel Rosario rode Private Creed in the Global Tote, Indian Summer and Breeders' Cup.

Also in 2022, while being guided by other jockeys, the colt captured a $58,980 maiden race in July at Ellis Park in Kentucky and finished third in the $150,000 Skidmore Stakes in August at Saratoga Race Course in New York.

"It's really special," said Marcus of Private Creed's Aiken-trained Horse of the Year honor. "I just want to thank the good Lord. We feel really blessed."

Previous winners of Aiken-trained Horse of the Year include Congaree (2002), Wando (2003), Limehouse (2005), Bob and John (2006), Country Star (2007), Midshipman (2008) and Quality Road (2009 and 2010).

The others are It's Tricky (2011), Alpha (2012), Palace Malice (2013 and 2014), Curalina (2015 and 2016), Dickinson (2017), Still Having Fun (2018), Concrete Rose (2019) and Madone (2021). There was no winner in 2020.