Judge approves sale of Da Stoops, a Stonewall stallion

A Jacksonville, Fla., bankruptcy court judge’s order has cleared the way for Stonewall Farm stallion Da Stoops to be auctioned.

A Sept. 7 order by Judge Jerry A. Funk granted a major creditor of Stonewall Farm the right to enter Da Stoops, a 7-year-old Distorted Humor horse, in either Keeneland’s or Fasig-Tipton’s November breeding stock sales. The creditor, Stone Wall Acquisition, is the successor to lender Harleysville National Bank, which has received a $16 million judgment against Stonewall Farm owner Audrey Haisfield in Pennsylvania. According to the order, Stonewall Farm and Stone Wall Acquisition “have agreed to the entry of this order.”

A footnote to the order noted that the two parties see either auction as “likely to generate the highest and best price for the stallion ‘Da Stoops.’ ”

Da Stoops’s first crop are 2-year-olds this year. To date, he is the sire of four winners from 11 starters. The son of Glamorous lady stood for a $3,500 advertised fee in 2010.

Stone Wall Acquisition earlier had sought to seize and sell another Stonewall stallion, Value Plus, but no mention was made of that 9-year-old Unbridled’s Song-Roll Over Baby horse in recent, public court filings. Value Plus is the sire of 2010 Santa Anita Oaks second All Due Respect and stood this year at Stonewall’s Kentucky farm for an advertised fee of $7,500.

The Stone Wall Acquisition lawsuit is one of three major suits that Haisfield, Stonewall Farm, and a series of Stonewall-related entities recently have faced from creditors. Last Month, Fifth Third won a judgment totaling more than $14.7 million against Haisfield and her son Marc over alleged unpaid loans. A $7 million case brought by JPMorgan Chase is ongoing. Eight of the Stonewall entities involved in the lawsuits have filed for bankruptcy in Florida and Kentucky.

Stonewall Farm has relocated most of its horses from its Midway, Ky., farm to its Ocala, Fla., division.