Multiple stakes sire Habits Secret stands at West Central Veterinary Services in Rockville, Indiana.

© Courtesy West Central Veterinary Services

By H. David Smith, StallioneSearch

ROCKVILLE, IN–JUNE 2, 2025–Leading Indiana stallion Habits Secret added another milestone to his growing résumé Saturday when he sired the top two finishers in the $84,200 Born Runner Classic at Horseshoe Indianapolis.

His accomplished daughter Tachas Secret surged past stablemate and fellow Habits Secret offspring Nachor Secret in the final strides of the 400-yard stakes to score a half-length victory in :19.873. The Habits Secret exacta highlighted the influence of one of Indiana’s most productive and underrated stallions, whose progeny continue to dominate the state’s Quarter Horse stakes program.

Habits Secret's top three leading money earners—Tachas Secret, Nachor Secret, and Streakindownthebeach—were all entered in the Born Runner Classic. Tachas Secret defeated Nachor Secret by a half-length, while Streakindownthebeach was also a finalist.

Tachas Secret, a six-year-old mare bred by Ricardo Martinez and campaigned by the Marla K. Robinson Family Trust and Duke Racing, earned $45,925 for the win and pushed her career earnings beyond the $550,000 mark. Nachor Secret, a five-year-old gelding also bred by Martinez, completed the sire’s 1-2 finish in the stakes. Jockey Fernando Morin, who has been aboard for all 13 of Tachas Secret's races, had the riding call.

"She (Tachas Secret) came to do her job today," said Morin. "After 200 yards, she had a great response. She is a very special horse, and I know her very well. We have had a lot of wins together."

The win also makes her the sole record holder of most career stakes wins at Horseshoe Indianapolis with 10. She is also the richest Indiana-bred and/or sired mare ever for the state and is only second to Stone Cold Leader among the All-time richest Indiana-sired Quarter Horses.

"I'm really surprised she won today," noted Martinez. "They have been flushing embryos all winter, and I didn't think she would be ready. She's only been in training for a little more than a month. Plus, we thought this race was 350 instead of 400 today, and we almost scratched her. I called Chris (Duke), and we decided to go ahead and race her."

Jockey Fernando Morin aboard Tachas Secret at Horseshoe Indianapolis on Saturday. © Coady Media

Tachas Secret enters the 2026 season with a few changes. Embryos were flushed this winter to reset mares with hopeful foals born next year by Flying Cowboy 123. As a result of that decision, a portion of Tachas Secret was sold to the Marla K. Robinson Family Trust of Utah, big players in the Quarter Horse breeding industry.

"We made a deal on her with the Robinsons to get embryos," noted Chris Duke, managing partner of Duke Racing LLC. "They are big-time breeders, and we were able to transfer embryos to two mares because of that deal."

Duke was also surprised by Tachas Secret's win. Her backstory raises even more questions about her performance in the Born Runner Classic.

"I really thought this race was 350 yards, but that was the Derby (Harley Greene Derby)," explained Duke, who owns and operates Elite Construction in addition to breeding, racing, and competing in barrels with his Quarter Horses. "Ricardo (Martinez) called me after the sheet came out and asked if we should scratch her. We thought about it, and of course, we always want to do what is best for her, but we decided to go ahead and race her today. I just didn't think she'd be ready, and I didn't think she would finish well, but she did. I'm just shocked by this win."

The Born Runner Classic performance further strengthened Habits Secret’s standing as one of Indiana’s leading sires. Standing for the 2026 breeding season at West Central Veterinary Services in Rockville, Indiana, the son of No Secrets Here stood for a fee of $1,500 and is owned by A Partnership.

Despite relatively small numbers, Habits Secret has compiled an impressive record at stud. Through eight crops to race, he has sired 61 foals with 27 winners from 50 starters and five stakes winners.

His offspring have earned more than $2.2 million, averaging more than $44,000 per starter, making him Indiana’s leading sire by average earnings per starter. From his limited opportunities, he has sired 13 black-type horses, representing more than 25 percent of his starters.

He is the sire of five runners with earnings topping $100,000. Leading the way is Tachas Secret, with earnings of nearly $550,000 and numerous state honors, including four Central Hi-Point titles. Other top performers include Streakindownthebeach SI 108 ($266,732), Nachor Secret SI 105 ($245,667), Tin Knocker SI 94 ($132,439), Packin Secrets SI 93 ($100,294), Sin Tachas Secret SI 95 ($92,934), and First Habits SI 90 ($86,214).

Habits Secret’s own racing career laid the foundation for his success as a sire. A durable and versatile competitor, he won stakes races from Indiana to Florida and competed successfully against graded stakes company.

As a juvenile, he captured the Governor’s Stakes and finished second in the Heartland Futurity. At three, he won the South Florida Derby and earned Central Hi-Point Three-Year-Old Colt honors following placings in the QHRAI Derby, Indiana Live QHRAI Derby, and Hialeah Derby. He later added victories in the Bradford Stakes and Sawgrass Stakes while competing in graded events such as the Prairie Meadows Championship Challenge (G2).

Bred by Vessels Stallion Farm, LLC, Habits Secret was purchased for only $5,000 at the 2011 Los Alamitos Equine Sale. He is the highest money-earning son of No Secrets Here, the 2006 All American Futurity (G1) winner whose offspring have earned more than $5.3 million.

On the bottom side of his pedigree, Habits Secret is out of the Apollo (TB) mare Habitual Dreamer, a full sister to champion Old Habits ($680,491) and Grade 1 winner One More Habit ($272,510). The family has long been recognized as one of the sport’s most productive female lines.

Those bloodlines, combined with his own toughness and proven ability to sire runners, continue to pay dividends. Saturday’s Born Runner Classic exacta served as the latest reminder that Habits Secret is quietly building one of the top sire records in the Midwest, producing elite runners from limited numbers while continuing to elevate Indiana’s Quarter Horse racing program.

For more information or breeding contracts, contact Ted Harpold, DVM, at 765-569-3210 or email wcvsrockville@westcentralvet.com.

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