New Year’s Day to stand for $12,500

New Year’s Day, winner of the 2013 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, will stand his initial season at Hill ‘n’ Dale Farms in Lexington, Ky., for an advertised fee of $12,500.

The 3-year-old son of Street Cry was retired on Dec. 26 after a non-displaced chip was discovered on his left hind sesamoid. He finished his career with two wins in three starts for earnings of $1,154,000. The colt was campaigned by Gary and Mary West and trained by Bob Baffert.

“New Year’s Day is an extremely well balanced horse who exhibited brilliant speed with the ability to carry it a distance of ground,” Baffert said. “In this game, you dream of winning the Breeders’ Cup or the Kentucky Derby. New Year’s Day could have done both.”

Bred in Kentucky by Clearsky Farms, New Year’s Day is the first foal out of the multiple Grade 2-winning Dixie Union mare Justwhistledixie. His notable family members include Grade 2 winners Penny’s Reshoot, Chace City, Pok Ta Pok, Smooth Air, and Overdriven.

“New Year’s Day exhibited all of the qualities you would look for in a future leading sire,” said Hill ‘n’ Dale President John G. Sikura, “namely sire power, pedigree, performance and exceptional good looks which will assure he attracts the right kind of mares to develop into the sire he seems destined to become. At this stud fee level, we expect him to be very popular.”