Red Hot Coal
Promising young Louisiana stallion Coal Front is the latest success story for Nathan Granger and Red River Farms
By Denis Blake
Virtually everyone involved in horse racing—from the uber-rich bidding millions on yearlings at auction to small-time breeders with a single mare—has dreams of someday running in the Kentucky Derby. That dream never comes true for most, and truth be told, it usually becomes a reality only for those who throw massive amounts of money at the pursuit. Certainly, that’s the case with this year’s winner Sovereignty, who is by a stallion, Into Mischief, with a $250,000 stud fee and runs for Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s massive Godolphin operation. Yet also earning a spot in the coveted 20-horse starting gate that day in Louisville was Coal Battle, a son of Louisiana stallion Coal Front, who most recently stood for $2,000. Although Coal Battle is a Kentucky-bred, he certainly is making an impact on Louisiana breeding with all his connections to the state.
Foremost among his Louisiana connections is Jay Adcock’s Red River Farms near Coushatta, which has one of the largest and most accomplished stallion rosters in the state. Included is newcomer Coal Front, who stands for a partnership that includes Adcock and Nathan Granger, both Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association board members.
The friendship and partnership between Adcock and Granger goes back a generation, as their fathers were acquaintances.
“Growing up in south Louisiana, everybody had the country bush tracks and some Quarter Horses, so my dad was involved in that,” said Granger, who works in the oil and gas business. “And then he started to dabble a little bit in the Thoroughbred side. He knew Mr. Joe, Jay’s dad, a little bit and did a bit of breeding. I was kind of in the background, but then I decided to jump off the diving board headfirst into the muddy waters.”
Granger said he first started dealing with Jay around 2000 when longtime top Louisiana stallion Leestown was syndicated.
Nathan Granger
“I probably put down a credit card check when I first got into it,” said Granger with a laugh. “I was pushing the envelope. We’ve become really good friends since then, and he’s just a wealth of knowledge about breeding and bloodlines.”
In addition to being part of the ownership of Coal Front, Granger has ownership in Red River stallions Aurelius Maximus and Gormley and shares in Mo Tom and El Deal. As of June 26, Coal Front is #1 in Louisiana by 2025 progeny earnings, with Gormley, El Deal and Aurelius Maximus all among the top eight.
The back story for Coal Front is similar to many other stallions in regional programs, as he was relocated from Kentucky after not having the full opportunity to prove himself through his offspring. He moved to Red River for the 2025 breeding season after entering stud in 2020 at Spendthrift Farm in Kentucky. The son of Stay Thirsty was a five-time graded stakes winner and earner of more than $1.8 million on the track.
Jay Adcock
“Every year either Jay or I go to the Keeneland November Sale and look for mares that fit our stallions,” said Granger. “Spendthrift was showing their stallions and Jay went and looked at Maximus Mischief, but when they took out Coal Front, Jay was like, I need to breed to this horse.
“He bought a breeding when he was there, and he went back to the sale the next day and bought a mare to fit Coal Front.”
That mare was Ready Witted, a daughter of More than Ready who did not win in 12 starts and then sold to Adcock for just $1,500. The resulting foal, Louisiana-bred Good and Stout, ended up being Coal Front’s first winner in June 2023 at Evangeline Downs and first stakes winner later that year at Fair Grounds. The now 4-year-old colt has more than $320,000 in earnings, most recently increased with a win in the $100,000 Louisiana Legends Turf Stakes at Evangeline Downs on June 5.
“Fast forward to last year,” Granger continued. “Jay and I figured we needed another stallion. We thought Aurelius Maximus was off to a great start, and we got Gormley who’s been under the radar a little but has some really nice babies. So I mentioned to Jay, ‘What about Coal Front?’ He said if you think they will sell him, let’s start inquiring.
“He was a stone-cold runner, and that’s what we look for in racehorses and stallions,” Granger added. “And he’s a good-looking rascal.”
“I’ve said this in the last couple of years to anyone who wants to listen, our Louisiana-breds can compete against anyone in the world. We have a great breeding program here, and we are resilient. We’ve had hurricanes come through, and we keep going. Louisiana horsemen are some of the best in the country. People are bringing in better stallions at different farms, and I’m super optimistic about the future here.”
Nathan Granger
Coal Front
At the time, Coal Front had some nice runners, such as Good and Stout, but as luck would have it, his progeny didn’t start to fly until after Granger and Adcock made the deal.
“So we negotiated, and I probably did most of the negotiations, and we got it worked out,” said Granger. “The stars need to line up in racing, and after we got him Coal Battle really started running, and then we had (Grade 3 winner) Haulin Ice and (Grade 2 winner) Crazy Mason, so we are tickled pink with him.”
Bred in Kentucky by Adcock and Hume Wornall, with whom Adcock has also had great success including breeding Good and Stout, Coal Battle sold for $70,000 at the 2023 Texas Summer Yearling Sale to Robbie Norman’s Norman Stables LLC. The Alabama grocery store owner put the colt in the capable hands of longtime Louisiana trainer Lonnie Briley, who is well known and respected locally but had never saddled a graded stakes winner. That changed this past February, when Coal Battle upset the $1.25 million Rebel Stakes (G2) at Oaklawn and then finished third in the $1.5 million Arkansas Derby (G1) to earn the chance to run under the Twin Spires of Churchill Downs. Prior to his stellar 3-year-old campaign, Coal Battle stamped himself as a 2-year-old to watch. After breaking his maiden at Evangeline Downs, he won the $100,000 Jean Lafitte Stakes at Delta Downs and the $300,000 Springboard Mile Stakes at Remington Park.
Although the Kentucky Derby didn’t turn out as hoped for Coal Battle’s connections, as he endured a rough trip and crossed the wire 11th under jockey Juan Vargas, it was a wonderful experience for Granger and Adcock.
“We went to the Derby, and I got Jay there for the first time,” said Granger. “He works at the farm 24/7, so it was neat that he was there, too.
“We wish there was a better result, but Jay and I bred a Louisiana-bred filly named Blue Fire by Aurelius Maximus, and on Friday before the Derby she ran second in the Grade 2 Eight Belles.”
Coal Battle did rebound with a good third in the $400,000 Matt Winn Stakes (G3) at Churchill on June 8, finishing behind two other Kentucky Derby starters. From 10 career races, Coal Battle has five wins and earnings of $1,228,875. Not bad for a $70,000 yearling by a budget-friendly stallion out of a West Virginia-bred mare named Wolfblade. The daughter of Midshipman did run third in a stakes race as a 2-year-old, but she spent much of her racing career in the lower claiming ranks, often running in 4 ½-furlongs races.
That’s not a traditional Kentucky Derby-producing pedigree, and one might think that Coal Battle would be “outclassed” by his rivals in graded races against horses that mostly cost significantly more to buy and breed. The results prove that’s not the case. Numerous other horses that are Louisiana-breds or that have deep ties to Louisiana have done the same and outrun what might be expected of them based on their pedigree or price tag. As for the reasons why, Granger believes part of it has to do with the horsemen, horsewomen, stallions and broodmares in Louisiana.
“I’ve said this in the last couple of years to anyone who wants to listen, our Louisiana-breds can compete against anyone in the world,” he said. “We have a great breeding program here, and we are resilient. We’ve had hurricanes come through, and we keep going. Louisiana horsemen are some of the best in the country. People are bringing in better stallions at different farms, and I’m super optimistic about the future here.”
The future for Coal Front likely includes an increase in his stud fee next year, but Granger said Adcock is committed to keeping stallion fees affordable, especially considering so many local breeders are aiming to race their foals instead of selling them commercially.
While Granger is quick to credit the Adcocks, including Jay’s wife, Terry, and son Brandon, for his success in the industry, he clearly does his part to ensure the success of his stallion interests and the approximately 30 broodmares he has in partnership.
“I’m very grateful to Jay, Terry and Brandon,” said Granger. “And I’m proud of the Louisiana program and to be a part of it.”
Granger said he is looking forward to the upcoming Louisiana-bred foals by Coal Front and his other stallions, especially considering the benefits of the Accredited Louisiana-bred program.
“I think our breeders’ program is the best in the country,” he said. “We get 25 percent (in breeders’ awards), and we have great stallion awards.”
Granger mentioned recent Louisiana-bred graded stakes stars like Ova Charged, Margie’s Intention and Touchuponastar, to name just a few, as move evidence of the strength of the Louisiana-bred program.
“What more do we have to do to prove that we can compete with the heavy hitters?” he asked. “We’ve proven it on the track.”
Looking at the results on the track, it’s obvious that the Louisiana breeding industry has made an impressive advance to distinguish itself from other states, chasing only perennial kingpin Kentucky.