Summer Bird to stand at Pauls Mills

Last year's 3-year-old champion, Summer Bird, will enter stud in 2011 at Ben P. Walden, Jr.'s Pauls Mill in Versailles, Ky.

Summer Bird will be syndicated, Walden said in making the announcement. The 4-year-old Birdstone colt's stud fee will be announced later.

Owner Kalarikkal Jayaraman cited his longtime relationship with Walden as a factor in the decision to stand Summer Bird at Pauls Mill, the former Valhalla Farm that Walden purchased in August 2008. Jayaraman also said he and his wife would "remain a part of Summer Bird's stud career."

Summer Bird is out of the Summer Squall mare Hong Kong Squall.

Summer Bird retired last week with a hairline fracture, according to his owners and breeders, Kalarikkal Jayaraman and Devi Jayaraman. Last year, Summer Bird won the Belmont Stakes, Travers Stakes, and Jockey Club Gold Cup en route to his divisional title. He also was second in the Haskell Invitational and third in the Arkansas Derby.

Summer Bird has not run since sustaining a non-displaced fracture of the cannon bone in his left foreleg, an injury that halted his training for the Japan Cup Dirt. The colt underwent surgery and had been pointing for a summer return to the races.