California Chrome will not arrive at Taylor Made Farm in Kentucky until after his planned final start in the inaugural $12 million Pegasus Cup on Jan. 28, but the wheels are already turning on his second career.
California Chrome LLC purchased nine mares at the Keeneland November breeding stock sale for a total of $2.79 million. Six of those mares were purchased for the horse’s co-breeder Perry Martin.
The sudden retirement announcement of Breeders’ Cup Juvenile runner-up Not This Time with a soft-tissue injury this week gives Taylor Made Farm, which is continuing to rebuild its roster, a third new stallion for 2017.
The Taylor family’s operation lost flagship stallion Unbridled’s Song suddenly in the summer of 2013. This past season, the farm advertised just four stallions, led by Graydar, a son of Unbridled’s Song whose first foals are yearlings, at $15,000.
Ocala Stud saw one of its best sires, Kantharos, move to Kentucky to stand the upcoming breeding season, and will have two new stallions on its roster to try to take that one’s place. New stallions for the Ocala, Fla.., farm in 2017 are Admiral’s Kitten and Fort Loudon, both moving from other Florida farms. Kantharos stood for $5,000 at Ocala Stud this past season, and will stand for $15,000 at Hill ‘n’ Dale Farms in Lexington, Ky., in 2017.
In 2015, Exaggerator captured both the Grade 2 Saratoga Special and the Grade 3 Delta Downs Jackpot on the way to 2016 victories in the Grade 1 Preakness, Santa Anita Derby, and Haskell Invitational. Last Saturday, Gunnevera completed that same double, but it is too early to speculate on whether he can emulate Exaggerator’s achievements as a 3-year-old in 2017.
Marking, a Grade 1-placed runner, will debut at stud in 2017 at A & A Ranch in Anthony, N.M., for an advertised fee of $3,500.
The 4-year-old son of Bernardini won three of eight starts for earnings of $426,200 racing as a homebred for Sheikh Mohammed Al-Maktoum’s Godolphin operation and trainer Kiaran McLaughlin. He finished second in the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes in his third start, and finished his career with a runner-up effort by a head in the Grade 3 Belmont Sprint Championship Stakes in July.
Grade 2 winner Hyper will debut at stud at Tara Farms in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, in 2017 after selling as a stallion prospect for $5,000 Thursday at the Keeneland November breeding stock sale.
The 9-year-old son of Victory Gallop won 10 of 29 starts over five seasons for $859,063.
Grade 1 winner Misremembered has been relocated to BG Thoroughbreds in Hemet, Calif., for the 2017 breeding season, where he will stand for an advertised fee of $2,500.
Misremembered, a 10-year-old son of Candy Ride, previously stood at Hill ‘n’ Dale Farm in Lexington, Ky.
Tourist, the winner of this year’s Breeders’ Cup Mile, was confirmed to be retired by WinStar Farm on Thursday, and will debut at stud at the operation’s Versailles, Ky., farm for the 2017 breeding season for an advertised fee of $12,500.
Elliot Walden, WinStar Farm’s CEO, said Tourist was a probable candidate to enter stud in the moments immediately following his Breeders’ Cup win on Nov. 5, but that the final decision was to be made after meeting with the colt’s ownership group, which also included Adam Wachtel and Gary Barber.
Court Vision, the 2011 Breeders’ Cup Mile winner, has been relocated to Acadiana Equine at Copper Crowne in Opelousas, La., where he will stand as property of a partnership for an advertised fee of $3,500.
The 11-year-old son of Gulch previously resided at Spendthrift Farm, where he was advertised in 2016 for $5,000.
Sunrise Stallions, which owns three New York-based stallions, announced Tuesday that the 2017 stud fee for Big Brown will be $7,500, down from $10,000 this year. Big Brown, by Boundary, is fourth on the general sire lists in New York this year with progeny earnings of $3.28 million. The sire of top older horse Dortmund stands at Dutchess View Farm in Pine Plains, N.Y.
