Harness: Walner's stud fee set at $40,000

The Walner Syndicate announced today that the 2023 stud fee for its prized stallion has been set at $40,000. The fee for syndicate members - whose tremendous support and great mares helped launch the stallion's meteoric rise to stardom - will be $35,000.

Walner stands at Southwind Farms in Pennington, N.J., with his foals eligible to the reenergized New Jersey Sire Stakes program.

Walner's great popularity among owners and breeders starts with his siring production on the racetrack, with that success carried through to the sales arena.

With two crops of racing age, he is the year's leading money-winning sire of both 2-year-old ($3,706,210) and 3-year-old ($6,030,386) trotters, with his own sire, Chapter Seven, ranking second in both categories. His first two crops have now earned a total of more than $14 million.

He sired three of this year's Breeders Crown Champions in Special Way 2,1:52 ($692,775), the season's co-fastest freshman trotter and richest 2-year-old filly trotter; King Of The North 3,1:50 3/5 ($1,166,854), who won the Peter Haughton and Wellwood at 2; and Jiggy Jog S 3,1:50 ($1,122,718), whose other triumphs this year included the Kentucky Filly Futurity and an elim of the Hambletonian.

On the commercial side of the ledger, one of his shares commanded the top price at any auction in 2022, fetching $750,000 at the recent Harrisburg Mixed.

His 60 Lexington Selected yearlings, with a $525,000 top seller, led the sale in gross at $6,949,000 and registered an average of $115,817.

His 24 Harrisburg yearlings, with a $510,000 leading seller, had a second-leading gross among trotting sires of $3,238,000 and averaged $134,917.

This follows his tremendous sales output in 2021. He led both the Lexington Selected and Harrisburg yearling sales in average last year and sired the Lexington sale-topper at $800,000 and four of its five top-priced yearlings.

"I think Walner can certainly be viewed as a 'super sire,'" said syndicate manager David Reid, "That's proven not only in his production, but in his exceptional ability to move up mares. That's the mark of a truly great sire, in my opinion."

For further information regarding Walner, or to inquire about available breedings, contact David Reid at Preferred Equine Marketing, (914) 773-7777 or email davereid@preferredequine.com.

-edited release (Walner Syndicate)