Atlanta Hall Farm's Grade 1 winner and Grade 1 sire Cupid had a successful past week with six winners all over the map, stretching from Presque Isle Downs to Lone Star Park.

Three-year-olds led the way, with the return of his stakes-winning daughter Smooch Up, maiden special weight winners Sweet Marley and Rugged Love, and Canadian-based Twist of Sugar.

Smooch Up made her first start since last October and dominated the $75,000 Malvern Rose Stakes on Sunday, June 22 at Presque Isle, winning at six and a half furlongs by six and a quarter lengths. She's now 4-for-6 in her career, and has four wins in as many starts at the Erie track. Last year the Pennsylvania-bred captured the Presque Isle Debutante for owner/breeders Tammy and Robert Klimasewski and finished third in Colonial Downs' Keswick Stakes. She is out of nine-time winner Shush Up (by Silent Name-Jpn).

Sweet Marley (out of Wild Whirly Bird, by Wildcat Shoes) won equally as easy on June 20 at Lone Star Park, leading throughout the six furlongs to win by six and a half lengths for owner Carolyn Asmussen and trainer Steve Asmussen. It was her second start; she was third in her debut 15 days earlier.

It took Twist of Sugar a bit longer to get to the winner's circle, but the filly out of Candy Ride (Arg)'s daughter Sugar Surge led at every call in a five-furlong maiden race on Woodbine's all-weather track to win by three-quarters of a length in her 11th start.

Rugged Love has a special connection to Garrett Murray, stallion manager and co-owner of Atlanta Hall Farm. Murray has been more than just excited ever since the first time he saw the chestnut at Hunter Valley Farm in 2024, which led to his $50,000 purchase with Tony Mills at that fall's Keeneland September sale. Mills' Kentucky-based Sugar Mills Stables brought Cupid to Maryland for the 2024 breeding season after purchasing the son of Tapit from Coolmore the previous fall.

"Wow, look at this fella. He's just a beautiful horse," Murray said on seeing the yearling colt out of the Quality Road mare Princess Addy for the first time. "He could have been a 2-year-old, but knowing what we know about Cupid, they're just better if you don't push them not as early."

Rugged Love, bred by Pippa's Hurricane LLC and trained by Brendan Walsh, proved that to be the case as he didn't make his first start until this May 24 at Churchill Downs, where he finished third. In his second start on Sunday, June 21, he won following a stewards' inquiry. He is the first winner to carry the colors of Sugar Mills Stables, but sadly there was a gaping hole in the winner's circle as Mills had passed away in December 2025. The stable is carried on by his wife Mirella and sons Rollie and Alex. Tony would have been thrilled with continued success of Cupid.

"Look at Cupid, he's here and he's become part of the Maryland fabric, and I hope he stays here for a very long time," Murray said on Cupid breaking into the top ranks of Maryland stallions. "There's good competition in the top three, four Maryland stallions, that's what's really important."

Cupid currently sits just $23,503 behind the retired Great Notion as the top Maryland sire thus far in 2026, with $2,016,499 in the bank and runners performing well on all surfaces, at all distances, around the map.

"They're versatile. They're going on grass, just not that early. If you can take your time, trainers might love them," Murray said on Cupid's runners. "They're all over the place, even at Lone Star. You know, you ask Steve Asmussen about that, I guarantee he likes them. He's got hundreds of horses. So that's what I love about him and if he continues to do that here, if he does that with his 2-year-olds next year, I think he can leave a mark here."

Cupid's first Maryland-sired crop are yearlings, with a number entered in the yearling show this Sunday in Timonium.

As Cupid runners continue to rack up the wins (he leads all Maryland sires this year by number of winners, with 49), Murray continues to envision the multiple graded stakes winner by sire of sires Tapit out of the Beau Genius mare Pretty 'n Smart being the right type of injection the Maryland stallion scene needs.

"He's 13, hopefully when he's 18, imagine Maryland five years from now," Murray said. "I have a real pep in my step."