Indiana’s all-time leading Quarter Horse stallion passes away

Escondido Beach, the stallion who changed and shaped modern day Indiana Quarter Horse racing for more than a decade, has passed away.

The 20-year-old Corona Cartel stallion was a resident of Miller Ranch in Shipshewana, Indiana, for the past 16 years. He is owned by Bobby D. Cox and the Millers and was cared for and handled by Sheri, Glen, and Katie Miller (main photo).

“This was a family-owned partnership with Escondido Beach,” noted Sheri Miller. “Bobby D. Cox is a personal friend with us. We are grateful for the years we had with Escondido Beach at our farm.”

Escondido Beach earned his final win at then Indiana Downs in 2009 before heading to Miller Ranch for his stallion assignment. He was a winner for Cox as the owner and Glen and Sheri as the trainer before their daughter, Katie, was even born. He retired with three wins and $40,000 on his card.

A Graded Stakes placed performer himself, Escondido Beach’s first foals came onto the Indiana racing scene in 2013, showing stakes winners the first year with standouts such as Beach Runner. The top performers multiplied year after year to display some of the state’s top performers all time, including Beach Cartel, HH CJ Shake, Beach Blast, Beach Treat, Stone Lake, Red Headed Beach, and Beach Mercedes, just to name a few.

Both Beach Cartel, the second leading Indiana sired Quarter Horse of all time, and Beach Mercedes were retained by the Miller family during their racing careers and collectively earned more than $841,000.

“The careers of both Beach Cartel and Beach Mercedes shows the longevity of the foals by Escondido Beach,” noted Sheri. “Those horses were our dream team and will never be matched for their success on the track. That’s the thing about Escondido Beach; he could take an ordinary mare and make a stakes winner.”

A multiple title holder for Indiana’s Quarter Horse Stallion of the Year, Escondido Beach reached a new record last fall. He had the highest selling Indiana sired foal ever at the Heritage Place September Yearling Sale as Nitro Beach sold for $130,000 -- a new benchmark for Indiana yearlings.

“We are thankful to everyone who believed in him over the years,” added Sheri. “It took a lot of people to back him and support him starting with the owners and breeders. His success can be linked directly to their support. His legacy will continue through his broodmares. And, we have high hopes for the stallion we are standing now, Fly the Coup, who has the same bloodlines as Escondido Beach.”

The 2025 season has already gotten off to a great start for Escondido Beach. He has sired several 2025 stakes winners, including CV Denali in the Gordon Mobley Futurity as well as Beach First, winner of the Blue River Derby at Horseshoe Indianapolis.

Outside of his success as a stallion, Escondido Beach had deep roots with the Miller family. Katie (photo) took care of the gentle giant, noted for his calm and laid-back disposition.

“This is sort of odd to say, but he grew up with our daughter (Katie),” added Sheri. “He was so docile and kind. I’ve never been around a stud like this. There was just something about him that made him special.”

Escondido Beach bred a lot of mares this spring. Glen handles the bookings and breeding operations for Miller Ranch and noted many of those mares are in foal. The final crop will be on the track as two-year-olds in 2028.

“This stallion (Escondido Beach) set the bar so high,” noted Sheri. “His legacy will definitely be here for a long time.”

The 23^rd season of live Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing runs through Nov. 13.

For more information on racing at Horseshoe Indianapolis, visit www.caesars.com/horseshoe-indianapolis/racing or find details on social media @HSIndyRacing.